Design Info

Granite Countertops Radioactive? Yep.

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:32:26 -0400

Granite Countertops Radioactive? Yep.: “he stopped in his tracks in the kitchen, which had richly grained cream, brown and burgundy granite countertops. His Geiger counter indicated that the granite was emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than those he had measured elsewhere in the house. “My first thought was, my pregnant daughter was coming for the weekend,” Dr. Sugarman said. When the technician told her to keep her daughter several feet from the countertops just to be safe, she said, “I had them ripped out that very day,” and sent to the state Department of Health for analysis. The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays.” via nytimes

House has hearing on photographers being harassed for taking pictures at Union station in DC

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:46:31 -0400

House has hearing on photographers being harassed for taking pictures at Union station in DC: DC Photo Rights

Smith & Wesson to Offer ‘Commemorative’ D.C. vs. Heller...

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:35:51 -0400

Smith & Wesson to Offer ‘Commemorative’ D.C. vs. Heller Gun

I was about to add too that, S&W also does not seem to know they are engraving foot marks (or whatever they are here) instead of actual quotes.

But I think this may be a image made by the dcist.com bloggers or posted by them from another site.

J.V.T. v W.C. by R.P.

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:58:02 -0400

J.V.T. v W.C. by R.P.: via DO

Funny video

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:41:03 -0400

Funny video: Funny well produced comedy sketch with typefaces as people. But, where was Helvetica?

Beijing’s Vanishing Historical Neighborhoods

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:20 -0400

Beijing’s Vanishing Historical Neighborhoods:

Someday, I’d like to visit Beijing and see these old sections of the city, much like tourists visit Prague, Paris, Krakow, etc. But cities that were destroyed in war or neglect by poor human scale urban development, like Berlin, Los Angeles, or Detroit, are not strong historical attractors. Berlin is a terrific city, but one generally does not visit it for the same reasons you might visit Prague. American cities also suffered the same urban development and cities that we think of as modern (and to at least some extent, dead) were once much more human scale and historical. Even Los Angeles!

China, save your old neighborhoods. Leave them alone except, encourage keeping them in original family control and restoration. Don’t make them tourist attractions. Let them evolve naturally. Let them stay in the perfect imperfect time warp they should stay in.

the naked ladies alphabet (in case you have never seen it)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:11:08 -0400

the naked ladies alphabet (in case you have never seen it)

Noisy Decent Graphics

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:04:45 -0400

Noisy Decent Graphics

London Design Festival 2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:53:51 -0400

London Design Festival 2008

Sunscreen Safety Is Called Into Question

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:21:34 -0400

Sunscreen Safety Is Called Into Question:

“The latest report comes from the Environmental Working Group, which claims that in an investigation of nearly 1,000 sunscreen products, four out of five offer inadequate protection from the sun or contain ingredients that may pose a health risk.” via nytimes

Every single sunscreen I own is rated dangerous. One, No-Ad SPF 50 Sport, was recommended by Consumer Reports and I used while in Greece last summer, liberally. I got the other, a new Neutrogena SPF 70, as a sample at my dermatologist recently. The third is also Neutrogena “for Men” Face Lotion, which I have been using as an aftershave lotion.

So it is worth it to check your sunscreen.

The Science of Fear: Why We Fear the Things We...

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:15:00 -0400

The Science of Fear: Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn’t—and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger by Daniel Gardner

Notes from radio interview with author:

- Flying is much safer than driving.

- Each year, more people drown in swimming pools in the U.S. than all the people in the entire world die in terrorist attacks.

- 41,000 people in the U.S. and Europe die from radon gas every year. (Many homes have naturally occurring radon gas in them.)

Who benefits from fear, irrational or not? Advertisers and companies that make products and services, politicians, governments, the military industrial complex, etc.

But, it is not a secret group or cabal. It is something many good people engage in, rationalize, to sell things usually, to make a living. Cognitive dissonance comes along eventually though.

Author also talked about how, in the greater history of humans, things like news and photography and modern life, is a speck in time compared to the thousands and millions of years of evolution our current minds are based on. So, when we saw a wild animal kill a human long long ago, we see it with our own eyes and, avoid those wild animals. Fast forward to modern day when we “see” an event, like murder, on the evening news. Well, we saw it, so, murder is common and a threat to me. Of course, it isn’t.

Visual Accoustic The architectural photography work of 97 year...

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:36:06 -0400

Visual Accoustic

The architectural photography work of 97 year old Julius Shulman is made into a documentary film. Coming to a film festival near you.

“Artecnica and Denyse Schmidt Quilts are two arts businesses...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:51:45 -0400

“Artecnica and Denyse Schmidt Quilts are two arts businesses that are helping to build community, directly and indirectly, through craft. Their approaches differ: one thinks globally, the other acts locally. But driven by a dynamic blend of idealism and practicality, altruism and entrepreneursip, both offer a compelling vision of the potential of handwork as a catalyst for positive change.” via American Craft Magazine

Photos by Michael Schmelling of Denyse Schmidt’s studio and work.

No SLR Cameras at the Beijing Olympics permitted (apparently)

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:03:07 -0400

No SLR Cameras at the Beijing Olympics permitted (apparently):

“Like all idiotic laws set up by radical or totalitarian ruling party leaderships (China, USA, Britain, Iran, Taliban, etc. take your pick), they oversimplify what is out there, the reality of complexity, and the fact that, people are diverse in many many ways. They adhere to arbitrary dogmatic policies and rules.

History has proven again and again that trying to control that human diversity and with it, creativity, will ultimately fail.”

Rock Port, Missouri, First 100 Percent Wind-powered Community In U.S.

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:52:04 -0400

Rock Port, Missouri, First 100 Percent Wind-powered Community In U.S.: “Rock Port Missouri, with a population of just over 1,300 residents, has announced that it is the first 100% wind powered community in the United States. Four wind turbines supply all the electricity for the small town.”

AGI Student Conference 2008

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:40:14 -0400

AGI Student Conference 2008:

Rarely in the U.S.A. - the 2008 AGI student conference is in Chicago this year. Only $100!

Highly recommend this for graphic design students.

89 Percent Of Children's Food Products Provide Poor Nutritional Quality, Study Finds

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:13:55 -0400

89 Percent Of Children's Food Products Provide Poor Nutritional Quality, Study Finds: “Nine out of ten regular food items aimed specifically at children have a poor nutritional content — because of high levels of sugar, fat or sodium - according to a detailed study of 367 products published in the July issue of the UK-based journal Obesity Reviews.” via Science Daily

Closing Coal-fired Power Plants Improves Cognitive Development Of Children, New Study Suggests

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:11:04 -0400

Closing Coal-fired Power Plants Improves Cognitive Development Of Children, New Study Suggests: ”This study provides direct evidence that governmental action to eliminate polluting coal-burning sources benefits children’s neurodevelopment,” said Frederica Perera, DrPH, professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, and lead author of the study. “These findings have major implications for environmental health and energy policy as they demonstrate that reduction in dependence on coal for energy can have a measurable positive impact on children’s development and health — in China and elsewhere.” via Science Daily

Korengal Valley Afghanistan Photos by Balazs Gardi “Korengal...

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Korengal Valley Afghanistan

Photos by Balazs Gardi

“Korengal Valley is among the deadliest pieces of terrain in the world for U.S forces. The six-mile long strategic passage is located in northeastern Afghanistan surrounded by treacherous mountain ridges, which are held desperately by the Taleban and al-Qaeda. Nearly one-fifth of all combat in Afghanistan occurs in this valley, and nearly three-quarters of all the bombs dropped by NATO planes target the surrounding area. The Valley is the first leg of a former mujahideen smuggling route that was used to bring in men and weapons from Pakistan during the 1980s.”

Mortarboard family tree via design observer

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:37:30 -0400

Mortarboard family tree

via design observer