HyperQuake

Infographics done well are one of the most beautiful things. I’ve cited a few in past posts, and this is where they came from: Information is Beautiful dot net

If you like design and/or research, you’ll want to check it out.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

- from “Leisure,” by W.H. Davies

Yesterday’s Play Me, I’m Yours post has inspired me to share my very favorite article with you. It is about an experiment to test people’s capacity for beauty, and it won a Pulitzer prize. It’s a long read…takes me about a half hour, but I highly recommend it if you have the time.

Read the article.

Essentially, The Washington Post wondered what would happen if you placed a world-famous musician playing renowned classical works into the context of DC’s morning subway rush hour. The musician was Joshua Bell and the location was L’Enfant Plaza in the DC Metro. Here are a few excerpts:

In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?”

In the three-quarters of an hour that Joshua Bell played, seven people stopped what they were doing to hang around and take in the performance, at least for a minute. Twenty-seven gave money, most of them on the run — for a total of $32 and change. That leaves the 1,070 people who hurried by, oblivious, many only three feet away, few even turning to look.

…the explosion in technology has perversely limited, not expanded, our exposure to new experiences. Increasingly, we get our news from sources that think as we already do. And with iPods, we hear what we already know; we program our own playlists.

…John Lane writes about the loss of the appreciation for beauty in the modern world. The experiment at L’Enfant Plaza may be symptomatic of that, he said — not because people didn’t have the capacity to understand beauty, but because it was irrelevant to them.

But not everyone was so distracted.

Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch.

“It was the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in Washington,” Furukawa says. “Joshua Bell was standing there playing at rush hour, and people were not stopping, and not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters!”

I wonder how different the situation would have been had they also asked Bell to play the evening rush, where people are theoretically less pressed for time and more receptive to breaking their routine to watch a street musician.

Seriously, don’t tl;dr this. It’s worth it. Read the full article.

Legacy of Letters from Luca Barcellona on Vimeo.

So so beautiful. Check out Luca Barcellona’s Flickr for more.

Alex Cornell’s lovely process to rebrand Playboy for a SF Academy of Art school project. Don’t miss this.

Redfixfive’s California office

If you’ve ever graced HQ’s halls, you might have noticed we’re undergoing some decorative changes lately. For folks looking for a little workspace inspiration, might I humbly suggest This Ain’t No Disco (it’s where we work).

If you’re more of a lone wolf-type, check out Where We Do What We Do.

Panhojda’s Cracow workspace

The happy chaos of Threadless’s Chicago office

“…I decided to ask some of today’s most exciting artists and creators what they do when the ideas aren’t flowing. I left the question fairly open ended and asked, What do you do to inspire your creativity when you find yourself in a rut? As expected, I was presented with an array of strategies, ranging from listening to Boards of Canada in a forest alone, to cooking up a storm (recipe provided) and waiting for the mind to clear.” Here’s what they had to say.

Having trouble thinking of something to do for your loved one on Valentine’s Day? Or are you still trying to get out of the doghouse from last year? Lucky for you, we’re here to bail you out! Here’s a top-five list of suggestions. By the way, you’re welcome.

1. WINE – and lots of it. Whether it’s going wine tasting, dining in or dining out, wine seems to be a sure win. Preggos don’t worry, plenty more suggestions below.

2. QUALITY TIME with the loved one. A cheap but effective option, this gift should come straight from the heart. Try dinner or a movie at home. Gentlemen, chick flicks are a total bonus.

3. STICK TO THE CLASSICS. We’re talking flowers, chocolate, jewelry (duh). But be sure to put your own spin on it – roses are nice but can be overplayed. And ladies, don’t leave the fellas out of the gift exchange – look for a nice watch (peep our friendly-yet-stylin’ HQ males’ wrists for ideas).

4. HANDMADE CARDS. Flash back to second grade, bust out the construction paper and fill that cut-out heart with tons o’ glitter. The perfect way to show that you care (and have an eye for design).

5. THE SPA TREATMENT. A couple’s massage, gift certificate or an at-home-you-know-what-I’m-talking-about. Nuff said.

None of these striking your fancy? Well, whatever you do, steer clear of fighting, forgetting the day all together, or skipping the reservation. The point of the day is to make your loved one smile, as long as you do that, consider yourself “the best husband/wife/fiance/boyfriend/girlfriend ever”.

I recently saw some photos of a rocking chair designed and built by Jeff Miller of J. Miller Handcrafted Furniture.
Jeff has been building and designing furniture for clients for about 25 years in Chicago. Jeff is also the reason I fell in love with designing and building fine furniture. I took a number of classes and worked as a part time apprentice with him for about 7 years.

This walnut rocker is truly a masterpiece of his career in my mind. This rocker incorporates both solid and a significant number of bent walnut laminations across a number of planes. In fact, there are few identifiable straight lines, and the joinery is just as complex. The color and grain design is only going to get better with age, and from what I hear, it is crazy comfortable.

Great job Jeff on this incredible piece, you definitely get a 5 star rating and review from this fan.

“I was thinking of getting a couch or something for my room, somewhere for guests to lounge around. F*ck new couches. I now have a ball pit in my room.” – xkcd

xkcd’s Randall gets a little fun and poignant, gleefully describing the process of creating a real-live ballpit in his home. Impractical? Childish? That depends entirely on your definition of those things, and what ‘being an adult’ means to you. In my opinion, he’s absolutely right; who’s to say that doing things we loved to do as kids isn’t what we should be doing now as adults? If a ball pit is what you want, and you can make it happen, why not? Enjoy it.

How to:
Ball Pit Pt. 1
Ball Pit Pt. 2

Ikea, the go-to inexpensive home decorating/organizing/furnishing store. The only problem: the cute lamp you have in your family room, everybody else has it too, more than likely someone even in your social network. To avoid this, just buy their stuff and hack it to make it personal. Some inspiration