July 2008
24 posts
For three weeks in August, the eyes of the world... →
Kitty for Coffee
Apple appear to be going after impulse buyers through this system, and the pricing of the apps seems to reflect this. We’re not interested in offering Kitty at bargain-basement prices in a race to the bottom of the market. We think Kitty is better than that. Although it may benefit Apple to have low prices, or standardized prices like they do with music and movies, we’d prefer to...
Obama For the Futura
So were they allowed to use Futura or weren’t they? Obviously they wouldn’t have been allowed to use Gotham, which is the Futura-resembling but definitely American typeface Obama uses. It doesn’t look German. But exactly how did the Nazis set about stamping out serifs? “Lost Serifs Sink Ships!”
] John Johblo @ Crooked Timber on the so-called Fascist Obama Poster (image below)
Apparently...
Sparing Time
You have to like what you do enough that the concept of “spare time” seems mistaken. Which is not to say you have to spend all your time working. You can only work so much before you get tired and start to screw up. Then you want to do something else—even something mindless. But you don’t regard this time as the prize and the time you spend working as the pain you endure to...
The Shark
…the purpose of The Joker for us was always that he has no arc, he has no development he doesn’t learn anything through the film, he’s an absolute. He cuts through the film sort of like the shark in Jaws so he’s a catalyst for action, people are reacting off and being affected by him.
] Christopher Nolan interviewed @ Slashfilm
One of the criticisms that could be directed at the Dark...
Pilots & Mechanics
(from the UPS gripe sheets after every flight)
P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement. S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
[…]
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. S: Evidence removed.
] Plenty More @ Coming Anarchy
Manning the Watchmen
Watching 300 today, I was struck by ludicrousness of trying to find a single, unifying political or even moral idea in the film. Zach Snyder wanted to shoot the comic, he wanted to fry your brains with pictures. And did so — kudos to Zack.
] John Rogers on 300
(the rest is worth reading cause he does a fantastic analysis of 300)
In case you’ve missed the collective geekgasm, the...
“Fuck the casual viewer. Who wants a casual viewer? If you’re a writer, do you...”
– ] David Simon after Lauren Laverne asked him whether The Wire, with its novelistic approach, had contempt for the average viewer.
(via Blowing My Thought Wad)
Lifestyle Addiction
After moving to Australia with his partner and young baby, Mick found the long hours expected in his Australian workplace difficult… This was a puzzle to him. In a beautiful country with the ocean, hills, vineyards and beautiful weather, why did people feel compelled to work until it was way past dark?
] Kath Lockett on “Real Balance for Real Men” @ Slow Leadership
NB: The...
the Square →
] Will Reichelt’s take on the Square
The Square was the movie I worked on prior to Australia. It was a fun job. Nash was super cool and we got fat ass credits. Joy!
Shining Genius
Tad Michael: Once the movie is released I am sure we will have many visitors to the lodge wanting to see the maze or book the gold room for weddings ... We have already had several sightseers and tourists asking to see Room 217. It is very probable that once the movie is released and known locally we might have serious difficulties in renting out room 217 as some of our guests could be afraid of being chased by the blooded body of the bath tub lady…
Stanely Kubrick: Dear Tad, Thank you again for all your help – It is now room 237, Best Regards, Stanley.
Management and the Soul
mills:
This essay in particular explores the quasi-religious quality of “management theory” as developed and practiced, in all seriousness, by men like Stephen Covey, and it asserts that this framework of values and ideas has an implicitly religious quality: it defines the moral self for the modern American (excluding countercultural groups), and as such should be studied if we are to understand...
“The vast majority of pictures just don’t matter. The photographer had nothing to...”
– Francis Hodgson, head of the photographs department at Sotheby’s and Pictet jury chairman, in an incisive argument of what makes a great photograph. (The Prix Pictet is a Photographic Award that aims to promote sustainability. Its motto is “Can a photograph help sustain the planet? It depends on the...
Single Malt Whisky Club, Australia →
The concept is quite simple. Its like a wine club, except its whisky. Every month a new bottle of single malt will arrive from a different part of Scotland. There will be tasting notes, whisky themed gifts and prizes.
Hero
L.F. Eason III gave up the only job he’d ever had rather than lower a flag to honor former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.
] @ Talking Points Memo via Gruber
8. Reduce short-term memory load.
The limitation of human information processing in short-term memory requires that displays be kept simple, multiple page displays be consolidated, window-motion frequency be reduced, and sufficient training time be allotted for codes, mnemonics, and sequences of actions.
] Ben Shneiderman, “Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design”
“Most of the playwrights say they are conducting “a conversation”...”
– ] Louis Nowra via Esoteric Rabbit
Lethe
I forgot what working on a big feature was luke until I woke up dreaming of shot numbers.
June 2008
8 posts
generation hex
I had mostly forgotten I studied law until last week - when I got my outstanding HECS debt statement. Oh dear.
