It’s been a while since I shared any music. And hey—it’s Friday, so why not?
Last week I stumbled upon Robin Williamson‘s “The Four Points Are Thus Beheld,” a setting of William Blake’s poetry to “foreboding flute, string and pipe drones with eruptions of squealing tenor saxophone to punctuate tome-like tales of lost Elysian lands”—according to this old review in Dusted magazine, anyway.
Don’t let that frighten you, though. It’s a pretty remarkable piece of songwriting.
I know I just did a grammar post last week, but this needs to be said. (It’ll be quick, I promise.)
Twice in the last 24 hours I heard someone say “reocurring.” The thing is, it’s not a word. It’s recurring. The root is recur, not occur. (Recur simply means to occur again, repeatedly, or periodically.)
So let’s say you keep getting these headaches. And they occur every time I post something about grammar. The next time that’ll happen—like, oh, I don’t know…next week maybe—your headache will recur. (It’s more elegant to say it that way rather than “occur again.”) That means you have a recurring headache.
Got it? Now go tell a friend or a loved one, and together we can put an end to this reocurring nonsense.
I ran across a real piece of history the other day.
A long-time friend and I were revisiting our stomping grounds, reminiscing as we strolled through the hallways, classrooms, and gymnasium of our old middle school—including a visit to the grossest locker room ever. And then when we found it.
See, I was a 20-year-old college student when my hometown mayor (and long-time family friend) asked me to design a logo for the city. I was delighted to help. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was doing. And the results prove it.
It may be the worst design I’ve ever created. How appropriate, then, that I should run across it, all these years later, on the front of a dumpster. Yep, it’s true. This logo is garbage. Junk. A real piece, all right—of something.
The simplest concepts are often the most difficult to execute—and well-nigh impossible to get past a client. Kudos to both Mercedes and Jung von Matt/Neckar, the creative team behind this spot. (slow clap)
Imagine my joy when I spotted this sign near University High School in Spokane Valley last weekend, prompting as it did a feverish vision of bacon, smoked hocks, sausages, and all things pig. This, I thought, must be what heaven’s like.
Then imagine my horror when I learned the sign was there to direct traffic to a gathering of amateur radio clubs. I’m seriously considering some sort of legal action.
I’m just going to come right out and say it: Breaking Bad is the single greatest television show in the history of mankind. (Yes, even greater than the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Just so you know how serious I am.) To say that I’m looking forward to Sunday’s finale is an understatement on the order of suggesting that Miley Cyrus might be in the habit of exhibiting questionable judgment.
Here are some diversions to help you pass the time until the show airs:
Catch up on everything with the Breaking Bad Wiki.
An “epic GIF” of Mr. White’s transformation from Mr. Chips to Scarface.*
Watch the finale promo trailer.
Here’s an interview with Dr. Donna Nelson, one of the show’s science advisors.
Den of Geek! weighs in with some predictions.
*That’s apparently how showrunner Vince Gilligan pitched the show to AMC.
Can I rant for just a moment? Thanks. There are some things I need to get off my chest.
The word “diversity” is not—nor, to the best of my knowledge, has it ever been—a synonym for “people with a higher concentration of melanin that your average Caucasian.” So let’s stop using it that way, shall we?
“Everyday” is an adjective (“Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone); “every day” is an adverbial phrase (I listen to “Everyday People” every day). Got it? Good.
It’s never “alright.” It’s always “all right.”
Please, please, please stop capitalizing your job title. You’re really not that important.
Okay then. Sorry about the snarky tone. But a guy can only take so much.
L to R: Shirlee Roberts-Downey, Lawton’s Kelly Walker, some random guy off the street, and CK Anderson.
Bearing donuts and coffee, our friends from Lawton Printing stopped by helveticka world headquarters this morning with some good news. Turns out the 2011 Revett annual report—already a winner at the 2012 PrintROCKS! Awards—received an Award of Recognition at the 2013 Premier Print Awards held earlier this month in Chicago.
Revett’s AR was one of thousands of entries from around the world, each representing “the unique partnership between designer and printer, need and creativity, technology and craft.” So yeah, it’s a pretty big deal. Definitely worth celebrating with some bacon-maple bars. Thanks, Lawton!
It’s National Punctuation Day®! Not sure how to mark—get it? mark—the occasion? Founder Jeff Rubin has some helpful tips. And if, like me, you’re looking for ways to incorporate more meat loaf (the dish, not the singer) into your diet, here’s a recipe for the Official Meat Loaf of National Punctuation Day.
God bless America.
Did residents of North Carolina narrowly miss getting nuked back in 1961? It would appear so.
Speaking of explosive power, those “crisp, bluish-white, cotton wool-like formations” below the frozen surface of Alberta’s Abraham Lake are methane bubbles.
Turns out dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate. No, really.
Think your apartment’s small? Think again.
And finally, now’s your chance to own a life-size replica of an Imperial AT-ST. (Contrary to the seller’s claim, however, real AT-STs—you know, the recon hit-and-run vehicles used by the Galactic Empire—were over 28 feet tall.)
Well another week has come and gone for me at helveticka. This week was even more busy than the last. The logo project I have been developing is getting ready to be shown. So, I have spent most of my days concepting, refining, and creating numerous versions of my various logos. It’s been really rewarding and very insightful getting critique from CK. We are showing the first round of concepts next Tuesday and then we’ll move forward from there. I can’t wait to hear what the client thinks!
I also had the chance to attend and participate in a photo shoot for a magazine ad I am putting together. We needed some extras/actors and I figured I could help out, little did I know that CK had plans of putting me front and center in the photo. I was “playing” a student, a role that comes naturally to me. I guess if this design thing doesn’t work out I can always pursue a modeling career.
Signing off,
Tony the Intern
Good news! If you’ve ever “had your surfeit of poetical whimsy and are ready for some good, hard facts,” there’s now a place to turn: Mr. Gradgrind’s Literal Answers to Rhetorical Questions.
Where have all the flowers gone?
Generally the petals of the flowering parts of plants wither and fall off to decay in the surrounding soil while the remainder is converted into fruiting bodies. However, the blossoms of early-flowering fruit trees such as plums and cherries are particularly subject to the destructive effects of spring rains.
Brilliant.
The Discovery Channel may have Shark Week, but Modern Farmer has Goat Week. I think it goes without saying which of the two is more important. (Or, at the very least, which of the two is happening RIGHT NOW.)
Over at the magazine’s website, you’re taught how to make your own goat video, warned about the consequences of breaking the law for your goats, and asked to ponder which goat is right for you. Best of all, though, is the story about the beast that terrorizes Prince Georges County.
In a fight to the death between a Great White and a half man-half goat experiment gone horribly wrong, my money’s on the Goatman.
Well I am wrapping up my third week at the helveticka offices. And I must say this internship has been a great experience so far. There has been lots to do and the projects thrown at me have been quite varied. Wether it’s logos, posters, print ads, or environmental displays CK and company are keeping me busy.
Not only are the projects great but the atmosphere is fun too. I noticed Aaron likes to jam ambient music while he works. I enjoy ambient tunes myself and Aaron has been kind enough to share some of his library with me. Shirlee had a tarantula returned from a friend and it has found a new home on my desk. She tried to put the arachnid on Aaron’s desk but he was not having any of that. I am not the biggest spider fan but as long as it doesn’t try to escape I’ll be ok.
Signing off for now
Tony the intern
Johnny Cash died 10 years ago today. When I told my son, who was six at the time, Jake’s response was a strange combination of sadness and resignation. Turns out he’d hoped to one day take guitar lessons from the Man in Black.
Cash’s career gives us plenty of fodder for marking the occasion of his passing—from the early days when he led the Tennessee Three to his live performances at Folsom Prison and San Quentin to the Rick Rubin-produced “comeback” albums at the end of his career. (“Hurt,” from 2002’s The Man Comes Around, still gives me goosebumps.)
But to me, the full measure of Cash’s genius is seen in those he influenced: