Goodbye to All That

"I am not sure that it is possible for anyone brought up in the East to appreciate entirely what New York, the idea of New York, means to those of us who came out of the West and the South. To an Eastern child, particularly a child who has always has an uncle on Wall Street and who has spent several hundred Saturdays first at F.A.O. Schwarz and being fitted for shoes at Best’s and then waiting under the Biltmore clock and dancing to Lester Lanin, New York is just a city, albeit the city, a plausible place for people to live, But to those of us who came from places where no one had heard of Lester Lanin and Grand Central Station was a Saturday radio program, where Wall Street and Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue were not places at all but abstractions (“Money,” and “High Fashion,” and “The Hucksters”), New York was no mere city. It was instead an infinitely romantic notion, the mysterious nexus of all love and money and power, the shining and perishable dream itself. To think of “living” there was to reduce the miraculous to the mundane; one does not “live” at Xanadu."

-Joan Didion, Goodbye to All That  

 Not sure how I haven't come across this article before, but I'm glad I did.

Also, a good follow-up in New York magazine.

Flick Chicks

Mindy Kaling, you're so right.

Late to sleep, late to rise...

Finally! My sleeping habits are justified. According to this article, I'm clearly just brilliant...or something.

Outside the box

Here's an interesting article from Science Daily about an explanation of the link between mental health and creativity. According to the article, "the dopamine system in healthy, highly creative people is similar in some respects to that seen in people with schizophrenia."

My favorite line of the story:

"Thinking outside the box might be facilitated by having a somewhat less intact box," says Dr Ullén about his new findings.

Happiness

I guess today is Article Day...
Here's an Op-Ed article from the NYTimes about what breeds happiness. The article isn't particularly profound or eloquently written, but the message is pretty much in line with what I generally have to say about the subject...and provides some research to back that message up.

The vacuum of enthusiasm

Alexandra Lange urges us to "be meaner." This article on Design Observer about design blogs is at least partially accurate, and I've been thinking the same myself lately. Essentially, the author argues that most design blogs just enthusiastically point out pretty things for people to buy, but rarely talk about the critical, more negative side of things. She also points out a lack of historical context and true experience (i.e., most posts are based upon the viewing of a 2D image on the internet).

Who Owns Student Work?

Here's an interesting article about who owns the rights to student work.

Mistakes in Typography Grate the Purists

This article from the New York Times about typography errors was an interesting read (at least for type nerds like myself). Though I'm not (yet?) nearly as much of a type expert as those quoted in the article, I definitely find myself shuddering at subway ads and the like.

(Photo by Nicole Bengiveno/NY Times)

Monitor: Air power | The Economist

Pretty cool:

"Energy: Batteries that draw oxygen from the air could provide a cheaper, lighter and longer-lasting alternative to existing designs"

Monitor: Air power | The Economist


(Illustration by Belle Mellor)
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Analyze This

Another interesting article from today's NY Times about new technologies that analyze emotional, sentimental, and opinion-based data gleaned from social networks and blogs.


(Illustration by Minh Uong, NY Times)

Vertical Farming

Interesting article in the NY Times about "vertical farming," a new farming concept in which farms can be grown in tall buildings in cities, using less water, reducing CO2, and escaping environmental constraints, among other benefits.


(Illustration by Knickerbocker, NY Times)

Chasing the clouds away

This article makes me so very sad.
I am a Sesame Street fan through and through (see article for reasons). But apparently, the economy and competition from other shows are leading to its sinking ratings.

(Newsweek)

Hipster migration

Here's an interesting article about the effect of the recession on "youth magnet" cities like Portland and Austin. Makes you think twice about where you want to live...

(Photo by Seth Flanigan for WSJ)