briar waterman

I found the following image by Dustin Humphrey on The Digital Stew. Like them, I was blown away by the images and then even more blown away to realize that they had created them all in real time, something that seems all the more instant by the fact that you are dealing with waves, which are so unpredictable by nature.

Then, as I was grabbing this image, I realized that it was the perfect visual for a threat that I have been making. I am going to be going over the hill this year, and I figured that if I was going to be having a mid-life crisis that it should at least involve surfing and motorcycle riding. They both seem dangerous in a physical way, which has some strange appeal. It is still quite a few months off, but who knows….maybe I should call Dustin and ask him for some pointers.

I just got a new office at work (no the photo is not of mine). Been trying to figure out how to arrange it. There are things about this office of Richard Chai that I really like…the plant, the organization, the mix of furniture. This and other great offices can be seen over at the always great A Continuous Lean.

Wonderful collage sculptures by Sarah Bridgland.

Great, new calendar from Uniqlo.

Really fun series of affordable paintings, sculpture and other odds and ends for sale over at Switcheroo.

The weather in Chicago has been nothing short of shit this Spring. It has been cold, rainy, with very few warm sunny days. The worst part for me is that it has been fairly overcast here, which I thought was supposed to be rare. 

This is all self-justification for the fact that I have been slow switching out my ipod with new music. I had it loaded with a bunch of slow, winter tunes, jazz, Antony and the Johnsons, Animal Collective…..good headphone music, but a little on the slow side.

I switched it out today, added some punk and ska to help burn the clouds away, bring out the sun. One album that went on was old Elvis Costello. This song was one of the first to play, Lipstick Vogue. I love the drums and driving bass of the song. Found this video of him playing, wild and full of energy. Great stuff.

I love finding agencies, interactive, design, or ad, that take time to post or blog, it is great little insight into what is going on. Then there are a few that take it to the next step, where the posts are very styled and thoughtful…sapient has a section like this, thoughtful insights, wrapped with great visuals. It goes well with their opening premise, that they are thinking all the time.

The animation for #11, Boxless is great, but the Forester research on #12 is definitely worth downloading and reading, if for nothing more than the summary at the beginning that gives a frank assessment of how interactive firms are reacting and be effected by the recession.

Collage is one of those art forms that I think that I have always been attracted to visually, but I have never really tried my hand at it. The great thing about looking around at different artists is that there are some who go beyond just clipping together vintage bits and have started to create a really rich language that transcends simple nostalgia.

Charles Wilkin is one of those whose works soars, he creates pieces that are whole, even though they are made up of a ton of parts and textures. Great stuff. I was busy grabbing a few samples of his work when I saw the work that he and Pentagram did for PS 186……amazing work, way to make a space come alive. Nice job.

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I used to ride road bikes quite a bit, but that was in Seattle… where there were hills. Since moving to Chicago I barely get out, so my Look just sits whimpering in our storage in the basement. Truth be told I have not missed it much, but suddenly, maybe with the warmer weather, maybe with the tours coming up I have been getting the urge.

It has been a long time since I really spent time looking at a bike, but I stumbled upon this one with graphics by Wood Wood and loved the decals and details… 

Who knows, we will have to see what the summer brings.

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1. With a website name We Love Hot Waffles how could you go wrong.

2. Turns out rather than hot syrup and batter, there are a great collection of photographs, capturing really subtile moments. Great color and variety.

3. They also pull together even more photographers to create Ahorn magazine, which I have not had a chance to go all the way through, but it looks amazing.

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Nice little video interview with Kyle Blue from Dwell magazine.

There is a nice insight in the  beginning when he talks about their use of space and how they share one common table for all of the designers vs. walling themselves off in cubicles.

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Found this in the NYTimes a few months ago, and still love making it for dinner, Chickpea Seafood Pancakes. They pick up the flavor of the onion and parsley and if I get the batter just right have a great crisp crunch on the outside.

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