COOL! Marian Bantjes - Empathy Penny...

Marian Bantjes' Empathy Penny. Obtained during my recent trip in Toronto and brought back as souvenirs for my design colleagues at Circle (much to their delight - see Rob's News+ post, here).

Read more about this cool project on Marian's website at http://www.bantjes.com/ - cheers!

A Trip to Toronto...

I recently returned from a 6-day whirlwind trip to Toronto to celebrate a friend's wedding... I've compiled a number of images from the trip into a Toronto Flickr set, here. Photo above - famous Toronto landmark, the CN Tower.




One of the first things I did was visit the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). I took a number of photos while there... which have been compiled into a ROM Flickr set, here.



As part of the wedding festivities, we spent the weekend in Niagara Falls... playing 'tourist'. Photos from my time spent in Niagara Falls have been compiled into a Niagara Falls Flickr set, here. ;)


Next thing you know, we were back in Toronto... pictured above is Dundas Street West (part of Chinatown) at night. Needless to say, I did a lot of walking during my trip. Which resulted in a number of visits to the local reflexology clinics for foot massages. 60 minutes of painful-bliss at very reasonable rates. ;D


While waiting for my friends' massage sessions to finish, I couldn't help but notice this pair of sandals in the reception area... things that make you go hmm...(?)


...all fun and games aside, it was a beautiful wedding, and a blur of a trip. Oh Toronto... 'till we meet again. Thanks to my friends for being such gracious hosts and congratulations once again - cheers!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Morales...

Congratulations my friends! All the best wishes as you embark on this next chapter of your lives together... cheers!

Recommended Viewing | The Longest Way 1.0...

This video found on Youtube - The Longest Way 1.0 follows the ambitious, year-long, on-foot journey of a traveler as he attempts to walk (and grow a beard) from China to Germany. It's an enjoyable video to watch... check it out on Youtube, here - enjoy!

Learn more about this traveler's ambitious journey at http://www.thelongestway.com/ - cheers!

COOL! MOSSTIKA Urban Greenery...

A very cool 'living portrait' hanging on a green space wall in Brooklyn, NY. Created by Edina Tokodi and József Vályi-Tóth.


Check the details on their website - http://www.mosstika.com/ - enjoy! Via Robert L. Peters' News+ (via Visual Culture) - cheers!

Burned-out?

A List Apart posted an interesting article a while back - Burnout (May 2009) written by Scott Boms. I can't help but feel as though he's talking about almost everyone I know... myself included. ;P

Scott's article brings up some interesting points for discussion... I wonder if this is a greater issue than it may appear. Stats in recent years have shown dramatic increases in the prescription of anti-depressant drugs, is society in general suffering from 'burnout'? Possibly related to visual/informational over-stimulation? Things that make you go hmm...(?)

I'd be curious to know what others think, after reading the article. Check it out over on A List Apart, here - cheers!

Recommended Viewing | Flickr: The Pretty Sketchy Pool...

I can't recall who passed this Flickr Group link along to me... perhaps it was Rob? Maybe James... anyhow, for anyone who enjoys sketching/drawing/art, Flickr is an immense online library of coolness.

The Flickr: The Pretty Sketchy Pool is only one example... surf around and you'll find all types of cool things (whatever your tastes may be). Check out the Pretty Sketchy Pool on Flickr, here - enjoy (and thanks to whoever sent me the link)! Cheers!

Recommended Viewing | Ten FREE Online Tools Every Designer Should Know via CreativePro

CreativePro.com has compiled a list of Ten Free Online Tools Every Designer Should Know. Perhaps there's something waiting there for you (if you're a designer that is...)? Check it out at http://www.creativepro.com/ - cheers!

Recommended Reading | Derek Powazek - What's Your Suggestion?

I've been criticized for being 'too critical' (not recently - but it's happened before)... I'm guilty as charged. As a designer, I find it's very easy to become this way - in certain ways it's what we're trained to do. ;P

An interesting article/viewpoint written by Derek Powazek is a worthwhile read for any designer... check it out at http://powazek.com/ - cheers!

The Good Life...

The Good Life... from the talented folks at Free Range Studios - creators of the equally cool video/animations, The Meatrix and The Story of Stuff. Enjoy!

COOL! ThreeA Toys...

Well, it's no secret that I'm a fan of Ashley Wood. I've blogged about his work and toys on MUHSASHUM previously, here. Anyhow, as I had hinted, I've joined the 3A Legion - a forum/hyperboard for fans of everything ThreeA. This would be the first forum that I've joined in recent memory... where the members are all equally crazy (crazy fans of ThreeA that is). The forum has interesting contests for art and photos, which gives me a legitimate reason to 'play' with my toys (they're not really toys IMO, but serious pieces of functional art and design). ;D


Here is an image of my Ashley Wood book collection... it's constantly expanding. I think the lot of it is here... some may still be hidden amongst the other books on my shelves. ;P If you don't know who Ashley Wood is... shame on you! Go visit his blog now!


Finally, here is the image that I've entered into the 3A Legion's July Photo Contest - 'Dirty Deeds = Dirty Shadows?' I originally entered the group photo at the top of this post, but decided to go with this more humorous pic...

No Photoshop was used in post production, just for the crop. A whole lot of time was spent trying to get DDB's hands just right though... hopefully, you can see the same end result as Nom.

I'm looking forward to posting more photos and artwork to the forum and interacting with the members. Did I mention that Ashley Wood (the man himself!) also posts/interacts with members on this forum? Now, HOW COOL IS THAT? ;D

Cheers!

COOL! Rorschach Inkblots...

A recent article over on the Globe and Mail, brought to my attention the existence of Rorschach's original inkblot images on Wikipedia. These inkblots of the Rorschach test were printed in Rorschach's Rorschach Test - Psychodiagnostic Plates (Hogrefe, 1927, ISBN: 3-456-82605-2). They've been in the public domain in Hermann Rorschach's native Switzerland, since at least 1992 (70 years after his death), according to Swiss copyright law. They're also in the public domain under United States copyright law (based on when they were first created and published - before 1923).


The images were scanned and posted to Wikipedia along with the most frequent responses for either the whole image or the most prominent detail (according to Samuel Beck). This, as the article in the Globe and Mail details, has prompted some interesting response (like numerous websites/blogs now hosting the images + common responses) and protest... read the article over at the Globe and Mail - here.


What do you think? Was the poster of the images 'in the wrong' or should the protesters just deal with it? ;)

In any case, I think the inkblots are cool, and recommend that you check them out if you've never seen them before, visit the posting on Wikipedia, or check them out on my Flickr (Rorschach Inkblots set) - enjoy!

To Winnipeg Beach...

This past weekend included a trip out to Winnipeg Beach, and a visit to What? Clay Art & Curios , the studio of talented ceramist and artist, Evelin Richter.


The weather cooperated fully, as it was a beautiful summer weekend (I passed through a number of localized thundershowers on the way out, but nothing that lasted very long).


Highlights from the evening (aside from the good times with great food and friends), included a visit to the Fishfly Gallery, a glimpse of the 'Boardwalk Days' festivities and catching up with Ev on what she's been up to... learn more by visiting http://www.whatclayart.com/ - cheers to Rob and Ev for hosting the evening!

Read my previous blog posts about What? Clay Art & Curios, here - enjoy!

Things That Make You Go Hmmm... (Part 3)

Another highlight from this past weekend, found on the bottom of baby August's, Buster Brown sandals... 'PLACE HELL HERE'.

...an oversight at QC? An honest, unintentional typo? Another example of 'Chinglish'? Hmmm... IMO, this definitely qualifies as one of those things that make you go hmmm... ;) What do you think?

Thoughts and comments (when relevant) are always appreciated... cheers!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday evening, I took my Mom and family to Yujiro Japanese Restaurant (on Grant Avenue) for an early birthday dinner.


People who are familiar with me know that I'm a huge fan of Japanese cuisine (particularly sushi and sashimi)... actually I think its safe to say that I'm just a huge fan of 'good food.' ;) Well, yesterday evening was no disappointment... the food was amazing to say the least.


The fish was as fresh as you can get in the middle of the Prairies...


There were some exceptional daily features on offer, one of them notably was the Foie Gras No Sushi = foie gras, on top of Unagi (BBQ eel), on sushi rice. Delicious...


I've posted photos from the dinner at Yujiro to a Flickr set, here - enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mom! I hope you enjoyed your birthday dinner... I know I did! ;D Cheers!

Images (top to bottom): One of the amuse-bouche we received at Yujiro Japanese Restaurant... delicious crabs (and cute to boot - they were the size of a quarter), Deluxe sashimi, Aji Tataki, Foie Gras no Sushi, Shiratama Zenzai (dessert).

COOL! iPhone - Typographic Reference Manual...

I'm on the verge of taking the plunge, and getting me an iPhone... do I really need it? No. Do I want one? HELL YEAH! The fact that GDC Members can get a discounted iPhone rate from Rogers adds to the enticement... ;P

Seriously, aside from the obvious 'cool factor', the iPhone applications are what really attract me... like the one above, which was recently posted to the GDC Listserve by Marilyn Matty - a long standing contributor to the GDC Listserve. If you're a designer, I'd think that this application will be highly valuable to you... learn more about the application at their website, http://typographyapp.com/ - enjoy!

Thanks to the Marilyn for sharing the link with the GDC Listserve - cheers!

Busy, Busy...

I've been rather busy as of late... hopefully, I will have some interesting things (aka 'secret projects') to share with you all soon. ;D

Image: a busy bumblebee inside of a rose... from one of the rose bushes in front of my home.

2009 Guardian Dojo Karate Camp...

This past weekend I attended the 2009 Guardian Dojo Karate Camp (and belt testing) held in Arnes (north of Gimli), Manitoba.



Guardian Dojo students partook in 'lake-training', practiced Goshin Jitsu (self-defense) techniques, throws, kata, kihon (even some bo-kihon)...

If you're interested, I've uploaded the photos I took during the camp to my Flickr, here - enjoy!


The bugs were pretty wicked at times. ;P

Congratulations to all the students who tested... IMO, I think you all did very well. Once again, many thanks to Shihan Beltrán, Sempai(s) Rhea and Sean for organizing and facilitating the 2009 Guardian Dojo Karate Camp! Osu!

Recommended Viewing | 2008 Guardian Challenge - Photo Highlights...

Well, better late than never. ;P It has taken me months to sort through the 1000's of photos that my good friend, local designer and fellow blogger, Doug Fedrau (aka 'The Orange Kid') took at the 2008 Guardian Challenge - Kyokushin Karate Knockdown Tournament.

I'm very happy to say that (I think) I've managed to sort through the lot and have selected the 'highlights' from the semi-contact and full contact action to share with you.


Please feel free to check 'em out on my Flickr account... you can see the semi-contact highlights in the semi-contact Flickr set, here and the full contact highlights in the full contact Flickr set, here - enjoy!

A huge thanks to Doug (and Rae) for taking the photos! On behalf of the Guardian Dojo... many thanks! Cheers!

Recommended Viewing | GOOD Transparencies Archive...

A recent query on the GDC Listserve for books discussing the topic of information graphics inspired me to post a link to the GOOD Magazine Transparencies Archive set on Flickr

The kind folks over at GOOD Magazine, whom I've blogged about previously on MUHSASHUM, here, never cease to impress with their handling of complex information in graphical formats.

Well, I'm an obvious fan, so this set on Flickr is pure 'eye-candy' to me... ;D check out the GOOD Magazine Transparencies Archive set on Flickr, here - enjoy!

If you're still interested in books about information graphics, I'd recommend you check out the works of Edward Tufte - cheers!