helveticka will be hosting an open house on Friday, June 27. An official invitation will be arriving soon. Over a year ago we began planning, remodeling, and building out our new office space. Come see what a 1930s building can look like with a little thoughtful design. That, plus food, spirits, and some talented musicians, will help us celebrate this milestone.
photo by Charles A. Libby, 1941
http://vimeo.com/86606975
Is tattooing art? We’ve asked that question before, but I’m not sure we ever landed on a satisfactory answer. This video at least demonstrates the inherent difficulty in trying to paint a living, breathing—and apparently quite jiggly—canvas. As for me, I’m even less inclined to get a tattoo now.
Before you ask, no, I won’t be going out tonight to quaff a dozen tequila shots in honor of a minor Mexican holiday that, in the U.S. anyway, is little more than St. Patrick’s Day with a side of nachos. (And no, I’m not trying to be morally superior, either. I, um…don’t like tequila.)
So instead, I’ll be celebrating the 201st birthday of Søren Kierkegaard with a bottle of Heering and a dog-eared copy of Fear and Trembling. Who’s with me?
How about some tunes for the weekend?
Elbow released The Take Off and Landing of Everything, their sixth studio album, back in March. I just got a copy of it last week, and it’s easily as good as their previous work. Check out “Charge” and see what you think.
Amid Amidi over at Cartoon Brew has compiled a list of 25 Cartoonists You Should Know. Three of my favorites made the cut: Walt Kelly, Harvey Kurtzman, and R. Crumb. Perhaps most interesting, though, is Amidi’s argument that pure cartooning of the type represented in his list simply doesn’t exist anymore, in part because “…cartooning was a specific art movement rooted in and resulting from the uniquely turbulent qualities of the era in which it had its heyday….”
Former Mad magazine editor Al Feldstein died yesterday in Montana. Back in the 1970s, I must’ve read every issue at least a dozen times. I tried to write like Dick DeBartolo, draw like Mort Drucker, and engineer Fold-Ins like Al Jaffee. For better or worse, Mr. Feldstein’s magazine made me the sardonic misanthrope I am today. Mad‘s tribute is here.
Ever hear of the subjunctive mood? It’s that weird rule that seems to pair a singular subject with a plural verb, like when Tevye sings “If I Were a Rich Man” in Fiddler on the Roof.
So why were rather than was? Basically, the rule has to do with the past subjunctive form of the verb be, but that’s not important right now. All you need to remember is that, when you want to express something wishful—or when you state a condition that isn’t true—use were.
RIGHT: “If I were better looking, maybe she’d go out with me.”
WRONG: “If I was better looking, maybe she’d go out with me.”
RIGHT: “If I were you, I’d pay attention.”
WRONG: “If I was you, I’d pay attention.”
RIGHT: “If it weren’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college.” (NSFW)
WRONG: “If it wasn’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college.”
There’s a lot more to the subjunctive mood than the were/was issue, of course. But that’s the one that regularly trips people up. Stick to these basic guidelines, though, and you’ll do just fine.
It’s been a while since we plumbed the depths of the interwebs in order to bring you the very latest in breaking news. Here’s a sampling of what we found today, courtesy of the estimable Fortean Times:
Video of a runaway Porta-Potty (“quality and dependable portable sanitation service since 1982″). Presumably it’s just trying to leave Utah.
“They braved the darkness, coyotes and snakes of the desert landfill and had to sneak past the security guard. But it paid off.”
Have you walked your drone today?
And finally, those who’ve ever had to suffer through a microwaved corn dog will totally side with Ms. Henry.
If this is true, it’s not only “the literary find of the century,” it’s also worth a crapload of money.
The good new is, even if you can’t afford the tens of millions of dollars the book is likely to fetch if it’s genuine, you can still view a digital version.
As some of you may know, I’m not bashful when it comes to bragging about my little hometown of Chewelah. So whenever one of its own makes it big, well…let’s just say I enjoy sharing the news.
At last summer’s Chataqua — the town’s annual summer festival — Allen Stone played an outdoor concert on the very stage where, at the age of 10, he had performed his first public gig. It was great. Even our relatives from Germany, who happened to be staying with us at the time, had heard of Allen and were delighted to watch him perform.
Here’s “Celebrate Tonight,” from Allen’s eponymous second album, released in 2012.
Rock on, Allen.
Jim Swoboda of ILF Media showed off his mountain goat skills by climbing up a steep bank to take advantage of a unique camera angle. We were filming last week along the Poudre River Trail in Greeley, Colorado, for a series of TV spots when we needed to find a different perspective on our trail users.
All week long we’ve been filming a series of TV spots for the City of Greeley, Colorado, as part of our Greeley Unexpected campaign. It’s the second year in a row we’ve traveled to northern Colorado to shoot with the production team from ILF Media. Our citizen subjects have included a guest conductor for the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra (the oldest symphony orchestra west of the Mississippi) to a world-class archer. Shown above are students from Greeley West High School along with our featured subject, teacher Jessica Cooney.
Not only can Aaron write, it seems he’s pretty useful on film shoots as well. While filming this week at Greeley West High School in Greeley, Colorado, we needed a little movement of several flags hanging in the building’s main entrance. Here he is demonstrating his range of skills while the crew from ILF Media is shooting. Interestingly enough, the folks at Merriam-Webster actually use the following example when defining versatility: “the quality or state of being versatile (a writer of great versatility).”
When thinking of the voice for Avista’s 125th anniversary film, we knew it needed to be special. Not just authoritative and distinct, but somewhat unexpected. The personality of the narration plays an important role in viewers’ minds; wouldn’t it be great if that voice had a special connection to Spokane—the place where Avista began operations in 1889?
Turns out that one of America’s great lyric baritones, Thomas Hampson, met all the criteria. And fortunately for us, he agreed to lend his talent. Before receiving his Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording and performing in major opera houses and concert halls around the world, Thomas called Spokane home, attending Eastern Washington University and Fort Wright College. A true professional with an amazing vocal range, he was a delight to work with.