My daughters first website..

Drawn, unprompted, in crayon, on some old yellow paper. I was so proud, I made it work…

http://tol23design.com/googelsertch/

via http://www.qbn.com/topics/591665/

WATCH TILL END, ITS WORTH IT!!!

BEIJING — “Ma,” a Chinese character for horse, is the 13th most common family name in China, shared by nearly 17 million people. That can cause no end of confusion when Mas get together, especially if those Mas also share the same given name, as many Chinese do.

Ma Cheng’s book-loving grandfather came up with an elegant solution to this common problem. Twenty-six years ago, when his granddaughter was born, he combed through his library of Chinese dictionaries and lighted upon a character pronounced “cheng.” Cheng, which means galloping steeds, looks just like the character for horse, except that it is condensed and written three times in a row.

The character is so rare that once people see it, Miss Ma said, they tend to remember both her and her name. That is one reason she likes it so much.

That is also why the government wants her to change it.

For Ma Cheng and millions of others, Chinese parents’ desire to give their children a spark of individuality is colliding head-on with the Chinese bureaucracy’s desire for order. Seeking to modernize its vast database on China’s 1.3 billion citizens, the government’s Public Security Bureau has been replacing the handwritten identity card that every Chinese must carry with a computer-readable one, complete with color photos and embedded microchips. The new cards are harder to forge and can be scanned at places like airports where security is a priority. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/world/asia/21china.html?_r=1

http://fabrikproject.com.mx/blog/?p=5101
http://pleaseenjoy.com/project.php?cat=1&subcat=&pid=9&navpoint=3#

(If anybody feels like perspiring [cough], I’d advise you to go ahead, because I’m sure going to. In fact I’m gonna [mumbles while pulling up his gown and taking out a handkerchief from his pocket].) Greetings [”parents”?] and congratulations to Kenyon’s graduating class of 2005. There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?”

APPENZELL, Switzerland — The Swiss like their secrecy, particularly in banking. At other times, they are more open. Take hiking.

In recent years, it has become fashionable for a growing number of Swiss and some foreigners to wander in the Alps clad in little more than hiking shoes and sun screen. Last summer, the number of nude hikers increased to such an extent that the hills often seemed alive with the sound of everything but the swish of trousers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/world/europe/17swiss.html?_r=1

I bought 8 items from supermarket and got a bill. If you read all the second word of each item name, from top to bottom, you will discover something extraordinary. (Answer translated in English: Whoever believes in him should… have eternal life. John 3:16)

 comment: this guy’s work is so inspiring!

http://pakpark.blogspot.com/ 

地圖/Map: 川崎市宮前區 (1:10,000 / 2006-3 Edition)
時間/Period: 24-27/2/2007 (Unfinished)

我沿著一張地圖摺紋走路，這些摺紋是另一個人無意中留下來的，它們成了我旅行路線。我把沿途所見所有在摺紋上(在北面)垂直的物件都拍攝下來，若果沒有東西，我就會變成一件垂直的物件站在這裡。

I walked along all the folds of a map. The folds were folded or designed accidentally by an unknown person. It becomes my route to travel. I took photos for all the vertical objects (positioned at north), which are positioned at the folds of the map. In case there is no vertical object, I will stand in the north and become a vertical object.

http://pakpark.blogspot.com/ 

3692«, 2003 by Pak Sheung Chuen. A used plastic sheet taken from a combination lock at the entrance of a building in Hong Kong. The sheets were placed by property management companies in order to contain the spread of SARS.

Rhett Dashwood , Creative Director based in Melbourn, spent some of his spare time searching Google Maps hoping to discover land formations or buildings resembling letter forms.

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/young-and-restless-an-interview-with-dress-code

You talk about the disconnect between design school and the transition to
design professional — can you explain this disconnection? What does this
mean for new design graduates?
There are so many disconnects between being a student and professional designer. The main one being that once you enter the field, chances are that you’ll have to wear many different hats. You could be an animator, producer, storyboard artist, director and sound designer all in one project. This kind of multi-tasking is not taught at most schools. Also, most schools prepare students on how to make a nice portfolio and get a job. That’s fantastic but there is an entrepreneurial side to graphic design as well. In our classes we challenge students to act as authors and curators as well as designers. Instead of designing content we encourage them to produce it. That way when they graduate they can get a job at a design firm but also start a music
label, skate company or write a book on the transitioning to professional practice.

What can design schools do about this disconnect?
The most valuable class we had at CCA was thesis, taught by Michael Vanderbyl. In his class we had to create a project that had a life outside of the classroom. Produce and manage all the content as well as design it. The critiques were very grueling and students failed quite often. Thesis gave us such a solid
understanding of production and presentation that once we graduated we were ready to pitch our ideas to anyone. Being able to author, design and pitch ideas is the most valuable tool we can give students.

http://grainedit.com/2009/04/20/dress-code-interview/ 

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=505858214630&oid=7895652909&ref=mf

Ever go for a jog and talk to yourself. When Renny does, he says things like “societal/cultural implications/impact of mobility.” Renny Gleeson is the Director of Digital Strategies at WK and recently spoke at the Ted Conference in Long Beach. Check out his clip on the topic mobile devices and the expectation of availability.

Ultra fine bamboo powder/charcoal cubes absorb moisture, odor, gas, ethylene, ammonia, formaldehyde, and more… apparently its made from water soluble powder so you’re supposed to keep it away from water. Every month it says to place it in direct sunlight for 6 hours to release all that it has trapped.

YouTube presents the world premiere of the Tan Dun composition “Internet Symphony, Eroica” as selected and mashed up from thousands of video submissions from around the globe.

In response to John’s post on bike stealing prevention. Here’s one for all you iPhoners.

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