14.10.09

The Blog's Odd Name...

As has become the tradition in this space, it's time for a new name. Again, I've selected one of many classic Latin phrases with an aim to find a message that is emblematic of my goals here.

This go 'round with the name 'nosce te ipsum' (roughly meaning "know thyself") has been a good cycle for the blog and I've seen readership increase little by little which, I'll egotistically admit, has been gratifying. So, my thanks go out to those who've frequented the spot and I hope that you've enjoyed the content. I'll keep it coming ... just for y'all!

For this next cycle, I've chosen the phrase 'audi alteram partem' as a thank you and a challenge to those of you who are visiting. It means "to hear the other side" and that is exactly what I am hoping will happen. Please, if you find something of interest and you have something to say, write a comment and I know it will add to the depth and diversity of the perspectives presented here.

Thanks again for your interest and for your future thoughts & sentiments.

The Objects of Our Lives

I had been waiting for this film to be released on DVD and, thankfully, it did live up to all the hype and glowing reviews. It was guaranteed that the film would have a smooth, stylish yet highly informative flow based on Gary Hustwit's previous film on the ubiquitous font Helvetica. In terms of career continuity, Hustwit has again taken the viewer on a thought-provoking journey into good design and the reasons for it, this time via an examination of the objects we encounter and use daily.


One aspect of the film, however, did leave me wishing for a more thorough treatment and that was the discussion of sustainability regarding the life cycles of these quotidian objects. More than ever, a valid concern for consumers of these objects (that is to say, all the products we allow into our experience) is what we will do with them once they've worn out.

Certain designers and critics featured in Objectified did address this issue. Bill Moggridge, of the design firm IDEO, expressed his firm's interest in the addition of value through the repeated use of an object so that as the manufactured product ages and becomes "broken in", its value to the user increases either due to increased functionality (i.e. stiff leather hiking boots) or because of sentimentality (i.e. an antique fountain pen used to compose a love letter).

Overall, the film was engaging and enlightening, even if you have only a cursory interest in design. It's a good time to try to spot the products that have crossed your path over the years and also to see whether you agree or disagree with the considerations and justifications behind their design.

Find out more at the film's official website:
Objectifed ~ a documentary film by Gary Hustwit

12.10.09

One Slick Compound

Yesterday I finally got around to applying an aquaphobic coating to my windshield (let's call it Rain "Y" for trademark purposes). The timing, as it turns out, was excellent; the rain poured down starting at about midnight last night and it is forecasted to continue steadily throughout the week.

Normally, I wouldn't be lauding a chemical product so enthusiatically, but I found that the transparent but greasy stuff worked amazingly well. This morning's drive to work, one that could have been anywhere from somewhat frustrating to downright perilous, was instead typical as ever thanks to my crystalline perspective.

The heavy rain drops beaded, gathered together, and at highway speeds made their way up the windscreen and over the top of the car with haste. In the diffused light of mid-morning, the droplets of water sparkled into my eyes as they moved swiftly across my field of vision, like little mercury marbles racing up the glass. If I focused too long on the sheeting action, sucddenly the rain seemed not to fall but to rise up in waves as though gravity had been locally and momentarily inverted.

Had I not been operating a vehicle, I would have been mesmerized by the flow of the shimmering spheres, letting them lull me into a drizzly trance. As it was, I arrived at work and found myself oddly appreciative of Minnesotan chemical engineers and myriad factory workers I'd never even met.