what did we watch / listen to: skyence

Skyence – INSCT 
Collaboration between Skyence (Hamburg) and Johannes Timpernagel (Berlin).  

The animation for this video is great. I particularly enjoy the colors and intricate patterns that you only get tiny glimpses of as they pulse and you begin to wish they were on screen longer just so you could enjoy the detail in them. It's also an example of abstract motion graphics that's well done and not just flashy speedy lights and explosions.

And it's a perfect combination with the sound — which in my opinion is pretty cool stuff on its own. In fact I liked the sound design of this video so much that I've now been listening to Skyence on SoundCloud for the last hour. I don't usually listen to music without words (yeah, I realize that sometimes I'm quite musically close-minded) and I'm okay with my lyric driven songs most of the time. Discovering skyence and finding it compelling to listen to and interesting in its composition is my musical highlight of the week. Hurrah for expanding musical horizons!

what did we read: i was told there'd be cake

I have just begun reading I Was Told There'd Be Cake, Sloane Crosley's debut book published in 2008. And by just begun I mean that I have only finished reading the first essay "The Pony Problem" and almost all of the second essay. This means I'm not yet qualified to write a review of the collection and not even really certified to voice an opinion. After all, it's a collection and not just one story.

Extrapolating from what I've read so far—I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

At the same time, I'm realizing the dangers of picking up a book because of really good reviews of it... Having expectations before diving into something isn't my typical approach to things, but that's how this book ended up in my Amazon cart.

The book was a best seller and, of course, on her site, there's only glowing praise. The Los Angeles Times calls it "exquisite" and Details declares it "truly well crafted and genuinely funny." Her recent second book, How Did You Get This Number?, has also accumulated solid reviews as well.

I suppose with no one saying bad things, I began this book hoping for the best and wary of being disappointed. With any luck, I'll find myself ordering How Did You Get This Number? by the end of the week.

what did we attend: mumford & sons

In a curious combination of coincidental timing and similar good taste, this fall provides me with a real life story for all long distance couples. Earlier this year, my boyfriend introduced me to the band Mumford & Sons—he really enjoys their music and I immediately loved them too. We do not often agree on what good music is. This fall, my boyfriend is currently working in LA while I'm in NYC. Tonight he is attending the first show of Mumford & Sons' tour across the States. On Tuesday, November 16 I will be attending their last show of the tour at Terminal 5 in New York.

what did we make: felt blog tracker

Blogging can be extraordinarily stressful and discouraging at times. Any one with multiple social networking platforms knows how it hectic it can be posting on a blog, a tumblr, tweeting, uploading photos on flickr, maintaining a myspace...or any of those hundreds of websites out there that can be personalized. It's crazy enough finding enough good material to put out there, making sure each one gets equal attention is pure insanity.

Which is why I've come up with this handy (and fun!) post counting calendar. All you need are a few simple materials you can get at most arts and crafts stores and a little bit of time. You'll end up with a great looking cloth and felt board that will help you visually understand your posting trends and remind yourself to post when and where. Let's get started.

Materials Needed:

• felt in the colors of the blogging platforms you want to keep track of
• felt in red and black for your weekday x's (I find red particularly reminds you to cover it up!) and yellow for your weekend x's (if you blog less on Saturdays and Sundays)
• sticky back Velcro in a strip
• wall hangers
• 2 18" stretcher bars and 2 12" stretcher bars (or whatever dimensions you want your final board to be)
• a piece of cloth large enough to cover your entire frame and have an extra 1 1/2" to fold over the frame. The piece of cloth shown here is about 22" x 15"  

what did we attend: TIRED PONY

 

I'm sorry these photos are such poor quality. The people at the door were checking bags and made me bag check my DSLR so no luck in taking the awesome photos that I knew would've come out of this night. Ah well - learning to detach myself from my digital gadgets is good too. And this meant i really had a full experience.

Last night my roommate and I attended the Tired Pony concert in New York. Tired Pony is Gary Lightbody, Richard Colburn, Iain Archer, Jacknife Lee, Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Troy Stewart. Gary Lightbody is the lead vocalist of Snow Patrol (one of my all-time favorite bands since about 6 - 7 years ago). This was Tired Pony's first gig in the United States (they'll be playing in LA on this Monday October 4) and their second in the world (the first was in London this summer). As a result of our inability to get tickets to the Snow Patrol concert sometime a little over a year ago, we immediately jumped at the chance to see Gary Lightbody in the flesh playing with Tired Pony, one of his many collaborative efforts with other amazing artists.

The concert was a great deal of solid fun. It wasn't music to get your heart pumping and feet jumping, but music to feel moved by, listen intently to and let your body move instinctively. The vocalists were entrancing, the mood dreamy and the musicians pulled off the craziest amount of instrument changes. (At any time on stage there would be somewhere between 9 - 12 different performers.) Songs were sincere and though not executed perfectly all the time, more real for the touch and go quality the performance gave it. They all had fun with each other too, really interacting and enjoying what they were doing.

Gary Lightbody exudes charisma. The man isn't actually handsome but his magnetic appeal and ability to persuade the audience to become emotionally involved with his music makes him incredibly attractive. His attitude and communication with the venue full of people was at ease and joking while his treatment of the set was serious and his singing honestly an act of complete effort and intention.

Though I entered the venue not terribly excited by the actual tunes I would be hearing, I left feeling more enthused about Tired Pony and their newly released album The Place We Ran From. The group gives off the aura that they're all in it mostly for the chance to be creative together and make good music. Their energy is definitely what still remains in my mind. I also left feeling good without any easily identifiable explanation and that sort of easy-going happy feeling is always a nice indication that the music I've just been immersed in was an experience worth trying.

I hope and hope and hope that Snow Patrol tours the United States again or that by some magic I will happen to be wherever they are performing (and have tickets).

what did we want: the quick brown fox

 

wishlist.

this is too good to not get. typeface recognition game? my cup of tea. 

my communication design friends: this is the kind of thing that gets our hearts beating. it's like having fun and doing what we do best at the same time.

technically it wouldn't be terribly hard to make my own.

"This very attractively finished typographic memory game includes 25 variations of the letter ‘A’, each in a different letter type. Players attempt to find the matching A’s in the same letter type. The player who has the highest number of matching letters wins the game.
Typographic information about the letter is included on the card, and a separate folder provides a general history of the typography. This is an enjoyable and instructive game for graphic designers and anyone who is fascinated by letter types."

created by BIS publishers found via swiss miss