Across the board (well not totally), less is more

A piece by Cai Guo-Qiang, my favorite Chinese artist. Read the last paragraph of this entry for additional information.

Back in middle school I relished the rainy days where I sat by the window and devoured a book before night fall. There was comfort in knowing that everyone else was doing something similar, playing console games or just on the computer and that you weren't missing much.

Nowadays I can't sit still for more than five minutes before wondering what others are up to, if there was a new reply in a forum discussion I was engaged in or if there was a new post on one of the many blogs I peruse.

Design Commentary: So with that in mind, I'm glad something like A Brief Message is around. I find that I actually slow down and pay more attention whenever I read this site because I know that it will not only be short, but that the author has taken care in fleshing out the topic so every single one of the 200 words contributes to the topic at hand. A Brief Message, start your day with it. Accompanying sketch included! If you are in the mood for lengthier and sometimes more dense reading, check out Design Observer.

Haiku: Does your ADD / ADHD prevent you from sitting through 200 words? How about 17 syllables then? Most of you know I enjoy haikus, even whipped up three verses for Mike's wedding this past weekend (though I didn't save them). They are simple to create and make you sound like a genius (sometimes). My all time favorites are the first few concocted when I hit a stumbling block making websites cross-browser compatible. Like A Brief Message, the haikus at Haiku for You each come with a visual partner.

Presentations: Think Steve Jobs' presentations are great? There may be better PowerPoint or Keynote presentations out there. Pecha Kucha is the art of delivering your message within the confines of 20 slides at 20 seconds each. First read about it in Wired two issues ago. Looking back at my time at Carnegie Mellon I approached it all wrong when it came time for the final studio. Sure the idea is important, but how you communicate it may matter more. I was so focused on building the perfect model or drafting the perfect drawing but I didn't think about what those pieces were communicating. I'm not saying a PowerPoint presentation would have helped, but it would have me think about the presentation more, rather than it being an after thought.

Illustration: I've always argued that comic strips can sometimes (or a lot of times) take more insight to produce than a detailed painting. In what other media can you communicate so much with so few lines / panels? The drawings in this Jcb music video may seem rudimentary, but it's really produced well and worth a view. Same goes for this Human Flip Book. And since I brought flip books up, reminds me of the Conan String Dance one, since it appears to be down, you can entertain yourself with this other Conan clip (Conan as a comic book vs. Hulk).

This may be the only time where more is more. I had this Roy Doty Holiday piece pinned up on my cubicle wall for a while. Turns out it was his birthday in September, so a happy belated birthday goes out to one of the most patient illustrators out there. I would go insane drawing a crowd.

Another illustrator worth a mention and someone you probably never heard of before, Vania Zouravliov. With pencils like his who needs color? I especially like this Autumn Rot piece. Discovered him via another illustrator Audrey Kawasaki who also produces some amazing work.

Don't remember how I came across Gaping Void. Hugh MacLeod has successfully done what I've been meaning to do (oh you've heard that before haven't you). His claim to fame are the illustrations he whips up on the back of his business cards. I guess I could do that with my old business cards... just cross out the outdated information and slap on my current info. Or I could order a bunch of new business cards but then I'd have to pay for them and I would be killing trees. Reduce, reuse, recycle right? They would have to be personal cards to since I absolute HATE the business card designs of my current employer. Two posts to read up on, How to be Creative, and his personal favorites.

Went to my old boss' house on a Sunday before my trip down south to borrow his backpack and saw a painting by Fabio Napoleoni sitting on the ground. Loved it, so I went home and found more pieces being sold on eBay by him. I'm glad I didn't jump the gun, though I like his work, I don't think I can leave one of his pieces hanging for long...

T-Shirts: My black adidas hoodie isn't exactly a t-shirt but earlier in the year I was carrying some groceries from the car to the condo. Naturally I tried to do everything in one shot which resulted in me dropping a bottle of liquid bleach. The cap busted but I wasn't paying attention so I just placed it under my armpit. By the time I got upstairs parts of my hoodie turned orange. It looked great and people think it's part of the design. I actually thought about grabbing a brush and applying some more bleach spots to make it more interesting. Leave it to Stencil Revolution to show you how it's really done when it comes to bleach on fabric! Never thought about using a sharpie to color in the black back in!

Tomo hooked me up with the following links to two Transformers t-shirts. Not too fond of Prime, but Soundwave I'm digging (why isn't there an insignia on the sleeve?)! I have too many t-shirts though... must resist!

Architecture: While searching for this Calatrava film in the torrentverse I came across a 23 (or 24) episode series on architecture titled Baukunst. If anyone is interested all the torrents are listed here along with a discussion (registration required). If you don't want to register, here's the first episode torrent off of a public tracker and just for kicks, the 9th episode covering Calatrava. You can find the rest of the episodes by conducting a search or registering at the MVGroup forum.

Periodicals: There are a few magazines produced to match my attention span and interests that I subscribe to. Wired, Fast Company, Business 2.0 and some sports magazines. Terry also got me a subscription to Metropolis which I love, I usually avoid subscribing to design magazines because 1) expensive as hell, 2) I'm tempted to rip them apart to build idea boards. Unfortunately Business 2.0 is being shuttered and though many of the writers are jumping over to Fortune I'm not sure how much content will come through unfiltered by the editors there. Good going Time Inc. RIP. As a consolation they are issuing subscriptions to Money magazine. What?

China: This is a great article on China's Creative Class from an old issue of Fast Company. Though it mentions a sour topic, the environmental disaster that is the Three Gorges Dam, there's plenty to look forward to coming from the Mother Land. Makes me almost want to live there (if my social circle included everyone mentioned in the article). If you made it all the way down here, I know you are tired, but the article is worth a read, file it away to read later if you must! Cai Guo-Qiang is mentioned, didn't know he was on Beijing's Olympic Committee! Some more information on his work and process can be found here.

Ignore this, just claiming this blog under my Technorati profile.

Relationships and Finance

Now this is how you apply finance to a real life problem! Zan forwarded the Craigslist posting below to me this morning and I thought it was a great read then filed it away. Just now my ex-roommate Mike (who's currently on his honeymoon, Lucy you know he's checking his Blackberry?) forwarded it to me with the 'signature' attached. Apparently someone from my old company wrote the reply, bravo! Wonder how HR is dealing with this. Forwarded it to my old coworkers for confirmation...

Craigslist Post & Reply:

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I'm tired of beating around the bush. I'm a beautiful spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I'm articulate and classy. I'm not from New York. I'm looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don't think I'm overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that's where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won't get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she's not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

• Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms
• What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won't hurt my feelings
• Is there an age range I should be targeting (I'm 25)?
• Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I've seen really 'plain jane' boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I've seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What's the story there?
• Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?
• How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I'm putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I'm being up front about it. I wouldn't be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn't able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

* it's NOT ok to contact this poster
with services or
other commercial interests


PostingID: 432279810
THE ANSWER
Dear Pers-431649184:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament. Firstly, I'm not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here's how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a cr@ppy business deal. Here's why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here's the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity...in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you're 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold...hence the rub...marriage. It doesn't make good business sense to "buy you" (which is what you're asking) so I'd rather lease. In case you think I'm being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It's as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as "articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful" as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn't found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn't need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you're going about it the right way. Classic "pump and dump." I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

Regards,
Derek Landi
Mutual Fund Trading

(contact information and disclaimer deleted)

Update: Turns out Derek didn't write the reply after all. His signature must've gotten forwarded after he forwarded it to others. Oh well, still a great read!

Update 2: Elmo forwarded me a link to the NY Times article covering the story above. Looks like someone at JPMorgan got himself into the same situation as Derek above.

The Not Incredible Adventures of the Down and Out Dollar and The Common Desk

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Been meaning to post this video up for a while now (download it here if it doesn't stream above, or go to the Veoh page). One of my favorite SNL skits; smart, funny, and extremely relevant in the past few days with headlines like the following from Bloomberg, Dollar Falls to Record Low Against Euro on Inflation, Fed View. Uploading here because NBC keeps removing the video from the other streaming video providers. If they had it on their NBC / SNL site, I'd just link it there but their website sucks and you can't find anything on it... so posting it up on VEOH. Let's see how long we have until they remove it. Oh and great performance from Topher Grace.

While we are on this subject, Vince posted up a great article from Bloomberg. Mark Gilbert spoofs the famous Chuck Norris jokes and recasts them as they apply to the U.S. economy. Read Chuck Norris's Tears Might Solve Credit Crunch here.

On another note, finally watched The Common Desk, earlier tonight. It sat on my hard drive for almost two years, never had the time or patience to sit through it (40 minute short). Maybe this weekend I'll reorganize my desk? Perhaps I'll finally crank some creative work out?

"The movie is from an agency called ”Belief” and is a broadcast design & live animation studio. The movie shows you how to create the perfect surroundings for coming up with cool ideas through some real examples and they illustrate it with real work. It is full of humor and a real joy to watch. A wonderful way to show your talent to potential clients and for others a true inspiration! Looking forward to your opinion about it. Enjoy!" - Veerle