Slink & Stop

• The Design Trust for Public Space is "dedicated to improving the design, utility, and understanding of New York City's parks, plazas, streets, and public buildings." I'm obsessed with the idea of doing design for the public space, so this organization hits right in the sweet spot for me. Their most highly profiled project thus far has been the research and redesign surrounding the NYC Taxi Project-- an amazing project (involving many designers, including Smart Design) that they have published entirely online in PDF format. It's quite a read-- theres a lot of sharp insights and smart recommendations in that document! The work and ideas on this site are so prolific and interesting, that I'm a bit overwhelmed at trying to sum it up in a micro blog post-- just click the link and see how design can actually affect peoples lives in a non-consumer context. I hope that someday I can use my passion for design-thinking to focus on public spaces.

• BARACK OBAMA IS YOUR NEW BICYCLE.
  
  
• Nicholas Felton is an amazing communication designer who does gorgeous info graphics for publications like Metropolis and the New York Times (as megafone), and creates really sharp "Annual Reports" about his life every year. I love it.
  
  
• I'm addicted to Bee Comix-- specifically Motel Art Improvement Service.
  
  
• Garfield Minus Garfield: "Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against lonliness in a quiet American suburb." A sheer genius concept.
  
  
• Album of the month: Pole - Steingarten. Pole's first three albums have always been favorites of mine-- crackling and hissing, barely-there, minimal dub that's always entranced me with its nuanced textures. This album builds on those days-- it's definitely influenced by minimal dub-- but now it has a discernible backbone. One of my favorite tracks is the album closer- Pferd: Massive sub-bass, a tight snapping rhythm line, delicate synth tinkles, and droning loops build over time... with melodica, distorted bits, and snippets of-- (could it really be) guitar form a mild feeling of paranoid tension. Brilliant.
  

  3/05/2008