tracicle: That's good to know, really, for a lot of reasons. It's reassuring to know that people still visit, and it gives me hope that I can find it out there someday. New Zealand has long been on my list of places to visit, but now I might have to add it as a possible place to live.
Also, I never knew whether you were from NZ or just moved there, but now I do. Your Fresh Prince reference (nicely done I might add) reminded me of this.
Dan Folkus: Thanks for sharing your story. I definitely agree with the validation of pain, and I also think there's something to be said for seeing that you're not alone, that people you know, and people you don't, have felt the same as you at some point. I hope your hands get better.
sugarmilktea: That part stood out to me, too. Thanks for sharing that excerpt from the book. I may have to look into it at some point.
I have always wanted to live somewhere where people felt it was okay just to drop by. The only place I've ever encountered that was at college, in the dorms, where people would have no problem just dropping in, and all you had to do was leave your door open. I went to college in a small town. When I moved out of the dorms to a house off campus, I noticed people didn't stop by spontaneously very often, even if my house was only a few blocks away from school.
When I moved to the city and got an apartment in a busy part of town, I hoped that I would get to know my neighbors enough to be able to stop by. I ended up only meeting two of them, and the rest of the people in the building I could've passed on the street and had no idea who they were. I just never saw them. I am always on the search for the sense of community, which seems far harder to find than it should be in America today.
I have always wondered where this informal visiting exists. I may have been born to late to have experienced this back when it actually was a part of American culture, or it may also have had to do with my parents not knowing that many people close by, or that I grew up in a suburb. It's part of why I really want to live in a different country or culture for a while, one where that sense of community is still around.
tracicle: "I don't think anything actually has replaced it in US culture." I agree with you on that. If there was a replacement and no one bothered to tell me, I wish someone would let me know.
I ask this out of hope, curiosity, and possible future reference; have you found that sense of informal visiting and community in NZ?
I also wonder how technology has affected this concept. In the past, if you wanted to know how someone was doing, you either had to visit, call, or write. Now, you can call them anytime, send them a text, e-mail them, check their blog or facebook page (if they have them), and so on. I think that visiting with someone is far better than just passively checking in on them, but I wonder if that ability can end up superceding the idea to just go visit.
Whoa. These are beautiful. I just wish you could view them in larger sizes. I also agree with sugarmilktea, his other work is excellent, too.
I think it's so easy to get discouraged or to take photos for granted now that there's such an overwhelming amount of them and the barrier to taking them is so low these days, but it's photographs like these that remind me why I love photography in the first place and serve as a gentle reminder to keep taking pictures, to keep finding beauty in light. Thanks for the post, homunculus.
Hmm. My first post in who knows how long and this happens! It was giving me server errors and not posting, so I eventually gave up, and now I come back to see this embarrassing mess! Apologies to all.
I'm glad you posted this.
I will say I'll miss Highway Gothic, as not only does it have a fun name, it is a font that is inextricably tied to a past era of America, and the notion of seeing the country through road trips.
Also, while the article is interesting enough to stand on its own, I thought that the print version had one of the best layouts I've seen in a long, long time. It was neatly arranged, with plenty of relevant visuals, and a color-coded/numeric system linking the visuals to the article. It sounds super geeky, but it made it even more pleasant to read.
Slightly related tangent: I always wondered why more "adult" publications shied away from using layouts similar to "kids" books, as I remember being engrossed by Dorling Kindersley books as a child, and didn't see why serious publications had to completely forgo visuals in favor of straight text, even when they were almost called for. Visuals are still completely valid in my opinion, and in many ways can add to a text. This article was a reminder of what can be done, and I hope to see it used more often, in unexpected places.
This is really my kind of thing. Thanks for posting. I've been a big fan of Orange Crate Labels and other art from that era and style.
As a sidenote, how did you even find this?
I found out a couple of days ago that everyone in my family is fine, and for the most part they happen to be in parts of the city not too badly affected by the flooding. However, that sounds like it's not the case with your family, kilgates, so I'm glad that everyone in your family is safe and that they were able to move their things to higher ground. However, the reports are saying that there is more rain expected, so here's hoping for the best to everyone out there.
Thanks for the good wishes, sugarmilktea and StoryBored. I also forgot to say thanks, sugarmilktea, for posting this. I started checking other news sources as soon as I read this post, but like so many other things in Southeast Asia, it isn't getting much press. Even Wikinews, a place I've started to trust for comprehensive coverage of current events still doesn't have anything. I don't think I would have found out about this for a while if it wasn't for you, so I really appreciate that you put it up here.
Again, best of luck to everyone affected by this, and keep safe, all you other monkeys out there.
I will second the "Good Grief". I feel like Indonesia's already had more than its fair share of natural disasters, after the Tsunami, the Jogja earthquake, the Bandung earthquake, and all the various landslides and other things of late. Reading this news just made me feel awful, and my heart goes out to all those that are affected.
Best of luck to your family out there, sugarmilktea. I've got a lot of extended family living in Jakarta as well, a lot of Aunts and Uncles, as well as my currently wheelchair-bound Grandma. My mom got back from visiting them not just two weeks ago. I will have to tell her about this as soon as I can, so she can call over there and see if there's any news.
This thread, in a good way, reminds me of the not-updated enough Book-A-Minute, which I can't remember if was ever linked here or not. Some of the ones in this thread I think are better than the book-a-minute versions.
Upon searching, here it is, thanks to pete_best.
Whoa, that was long. timefactor- thanks for the headsup about Songtrellis, which looks pretty neat, and pianistic, forgot to say thanks for those piano sites, too. A friend told me about Sheet Music Archive a long time ago, but I had since forgotten. Pianofiles looks interesting too.
tracicle: That's good to know, really, for a lot of reasons. It's reassuring to know that people still visit, and it gives me hope that I can find it out there someday. New Zealand has long been on my list of places to visit, but now I might have to add it as a possible place to live. Also, I never knew whether you were from NZ or just moved there, but now I do. Your Fresh Prince reference (nicely done I might add) reminded me of this.
posted by wander 15 years ago
Dan Folkus: Thanks for sharing your story. I definitely agree with the validation of pain, and I also think there's something to be said for seeing that you're not alone, that people you know, and people you don't, have felt the same as you at some point. I hope your hands get better. sugarmilktea: That part stood out to me, too. Thanks for sharing that excerpt from the book. I may have to look into it at some point. I have always wanted to live somewhere where people felt it was okay just to drop by. The only place I've ever encountered that was at college, in the dorms, where people would have no problem just dropping in, and all you had to do was leave your door open. I went to college in a small town. When I moved out of the dorms to a house off campus, I noticed people didn't stop by spontaneously very often, even if my house was only a few blocks away from school. When I moved to the city and got an apartment in a busy part of town, I hoped that I would get to know my neighbors enough to be able to stop by. I ended up only meeting two of them, and the rest of the people in the building I could've passed on the street and had no idea who they were. I just never saw them. I am always on the search for the sense of community, which seems far harder to find than it should be in America today. I have always wondered where this informal visiting exists. I may have been born to late to have experienced this back when it actually was a part of American culture, or it may also have had to do with my parents not knowing that many people close by, or that I grew up in a suburb. It's part of why I really want to live in a different country or culture for a while, one where that sense of community is still around. tracicle: "I don't think anything actually has replaced it in US culture." I agree with you on that. If there was a replacement and no one bothered to tell me, I wish someone would let me know. I ask this out of hope, curiosity, and possible future reference; have you found that sense of informal visiting and community in NZ? I also wonder how technology has affected this concept. In the past, if you wanted to know how someone was doing, you either had to visit, call, or write. Now, you can call them anytime, send them a text, e-mail them, check their blog or facebook page (if they have them), and so on. I think that visiting with someone is far better than just passively checking in on them, but I wonder if that ability can end up superceding the idea to just go visit.
posted by wander 15 years ago
Thanks tracicle! It's not a huge deal, but it does bug me a little. Hope your dinner is tasty!
posted by wander 15 years ago
Hmm. I was hoping that the title wouldn't show up in the actual post. Anyone care to hope me on how that's done?
posted by wander 15 years ago
In " Vita."
Whoa. These are beautiful. I just wish you could view them in larger sizes. I also agree with sugarmilktea, his other work is excellent, too. I think it's so easy to get discouraged or to take photos for granted now that there's such an overwhelming amount of them and the barrier to taking them is so low these days, but it's photographs like these that remind me why I love photography in the first place and serve as a gentle reminder to keep taking pictures, to keep finding beauty in light. Thanks for the post, homunculus.
posted by wander 15 years ago
In "For anyone who loves a good heist story. "
Hmm. My first post in who knows how long and this happens! It was giving me server errors and not posting, so I eventually gave up, and now I come back to see this embarrassing mess! Apologies to all.
posted by wander 15 years ago
In "Yakushima"
Whoa. Thanks for the post. I'll be digging into this when I have more time.
posted by wander 15 years ago
In "Planet Harddrive."
This is fascinating and my kind of thing. Thanks for the post, homunculus.
posted by wander 15 years ago
In "Women Illustrators"
This is great! Thanks Nicky. Nice to see you back here, too :).
posted by wander 16 years ago
In "The Road To Clarity."
I'm glad you posted this. I will say I'll miss Highway Gothic, as not only does it have a fun name, it is a font that is inextricably tied to a past era of America, and the notion of seeing the country through road trips. Also, while the article is interesting enough to stand on its own, I thought that the print version had one of the best layouts I've seen in a long, long time. It was neatly arranged, with plenty of relevant visuals, and a color-coded/numeric system linking the visuals to the article. It sounds super geeky, but it made it even more pleasant to read. Slightly related tangent: I always wondered why more "adult" publications shied away from using layouts similar to "kids" books, as I remember being engrossed by Dorling Kindersley books as a child, and didn't see why serious publications had to completely forgo visuals in favor of straight text, even when they were almost called for. Visuals are still completely valid in my opinion, and in many ways can add to a text. This article was a reminder of what can be done, and I hope to see it used more often, in unexpected places.
posted by wander 17 years ago
In "Life-Sized Blue Whale. "
*attempts to make dolphin noises instead*
posted by wander 17 years ago
*makes whale noises*
posted by wander 17 years ago
Whoops, sorry for the lack of warning of Flash/Resize.
posted by wander 17 years ago
In "Mark Wickens collects olive oil labels and fruit wrappers for fun and profit."
This is really my kind of thing. Thanks for posting. I've been a big fan of Orange Crate Labels and other art from that era and style. As a sidenote, how did you even find this?
posted by wander 17 years ago
In "So far, about 340,000 are homeless"
I found out a couple of days ago that everyone in my family is fine, and for the most part they happen to be in parts of the city not too badly affected by the flooding. However, that sounds like it's not the case with your family, kilgates, so I'm glad that everyone in your family is safe and that they were able to move their things to higher ground. However, the reports are saying that there is more rain expected, so here's hoping for the best to everyone out there.
posted by wander 17 years ago
In "Hiroshi Sugimoto: "
This is a fantastic post. I've seen some of Sugimoto's art previously, but did not know that much about the artist. Thanks.
posted by wander 17 years ago
In "So far, about 340,000 are homeless"
Thanks for the good wishes, sugarmilktea and StoryBored. I also forgot to say thanks, sugarmilktea, for posting this. I started checking other news sources as soon as I read this post, but like so many other things in Southeast Asia, it isn't getting much press. Even Wikinews, a place I've started to trust for comprehensive coverage of current events still doesn't have anything. I don't think I would have found out about this for a while if it wasn't for you, so I really appreciate that you put it up here. Again, best of luck to everyone affected by this, and keep safe, all you other monkeys out there.
posted by wander 17 years ago
I will second the "Good Grief". I feel like Indonesia's already had more than its fair share of natural disasters, after the Tsunami, the Jogja earthquake, the Bandung earthquake, and all the various landslides and other things of late. Reading this news just made me feel awful, and my heart goes out to all those that are affected. Best of luck to your family out there, sugarmilktea. I've got a lot of extended family living in Jakarta as well, a lot of Aunts and Uncles, as well as my currently wheelchair-bound Grandma. My mom got back from visiting them not just two weeks ago. I will have to tell her about this as soon as I can, so she can call over there and see if there's any news.
posted by wander 17 years ago
In "Very short stories"
This thread, in a good way, reminds me of the not-updated enough Book-A-Minute, which I can't remember if was ever linked here or not. Some of the ones in this thread I think are better than the book-a-minute versions. Upon searching, here it is, thanks to pete_best.
posted by wander 18 years ago
In "TabWiki! "
Whoa, that was long. timefactor- thanks for the headsup about Songtrellis, which looks pretty neat, and pianistic, forgot to say thanks for those piano sites, too. A friend told me about Sheet Music Archive a long time ago, but I had since forgotten. Pianofiles looks interesting too.
posted by wander 18 years ago
(limited to the most recent 20 comments)