As we at the last word prepare to settle our brains for a long winter’s nap, we pause to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Our gift to you? Some of the most ethereally beautiful music ever composed by man: Arvo Pärt’s Da pacem Domine, performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir.

[audio:https://helveticka.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/01-Da-pacem-Domine.mp3|titles=01 Da pacem Domine]

Thanks for reading—and see y’all in 2011!

*If you don’t get the reference, run—don’t walk—to the nearest retailer that stocks DVDs and purchase It’s a Wonderful Life. You can thank me later.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  comments(1)

As I look out my office window at the silent majesty of a winter’s morn; the clean, cool chill of the holiday air; I’m reminded that I’ve been meaning to say something about the hyphen.

Ever hear of a compound modifier? It’s a situation in which two words work together to describe one noun. Like “brown-eyed girl,” for instance. Or “high-jumping grasshopper.”

Both “brown-eyed” and “high-jumping” are compound modifiers; the hyphen is employed to clarify the meaning of the phrase. Because without it, the second example—”high jumping grasshopper”—could very well indicate a jumping grasshopper after one too many bong hits.

Just yesterday, I saw a Wendy’s billboard on Division advertising something called “skin on fries.” Given that the folks at Wendy’s are surely smart enough to know the compound modifier/hyphen rule, it can only mean that the fast-food chain, in an apparent homage to The Silence of the Lambs, has come up with an entirely new way to season your fries.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  comments(2)

You can have your wassail, your Yule log, your figgy pudding; around here, nothing says “Christmas” quite like a little Bob Dylan:

[audio:https://helveticka.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/07-The-Christmas-Blues1.mp3|titles=07 The Christmas Blues]

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

The phrase “take a different tact” seems to be rearing its ugly head more often these days. Perhaps I’m more sensitive than most to the dissonant clang it makes upon the ears; maybe it’s because I’m doomed to spend a lot of time with people who like the way my face contorts every time they say it.

So let’s just go ahead and fix it, shall we?

The correct phrase is “take a different tack.” Tack is a nautical term for the position of a vessel relative to the trim of its sails. Tacking is the act of bringing a ship into the wind in order to change course or direction.

Get it? A new approach is a different tack. But it doesn’t always require tact.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the writing life  |  comments(4)

Courtesy of the inestimable Mike Miller—who might very well be The Smartest Person Alive— the last word now has an audio player. Which means it’s easier than ever for y’all to taste our sweet beats.

Go on, now. Get the party started:

[audio:https://helveticka.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/01-What-Is-Hip_.mp3|titles=01 What Is Hip_]

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  comments(2)

The National Post’s Robert Fulford has the goods on “one of the great comeback stories in the history of competitive punctuation.”

Personally, I’ve never been much of a fan of the #, as I find it a bit inelegant and unwieldy. And the fact that it owes its resurrection to something as inane as Twitter, whose users—Twits?—had the cheek to rename it a “hashtag,” makes me even less likely to employ it.

These days, however, it’s nice to see punctuation used at all.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the writing life  |  make a comment

As some of you may know by now, I’m a big fan of the graphic designer Milton Glaser. (His famous Bob Dylan poster is proudly displayed in our office; books by and about him are within easy reach even as I write this.)

For me, Glaser embodies all that is possible with design, and perhaps what’s possible for designers. The documentary film Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight provides a wonderful insight into his own imagination and process. It’s a great gift idea for all of your sophisticated friends – or you can just take them to the MAC this coming Wednesday when the Spokane International Film Festival screens it at the Eric A. Johnston Auditorium.

Take a look around Uncle Milton’s website. You’ll see lots of beautiful work, some of which can be purchased from the master himself. And on the home page, there’s a short video clip about his 50-year association with the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: the design life  |  make a comment

Alex Ross poses an interesting question: We have embraced the avant-garde in other art forms; why not music?

For a taste of what he’s talking about, here’s Jonathan Nott conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of György Ligeti’s Atmosphères (Teldec 8573882612).

Give it a minute or two to load. You won’t be disappointed.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment