Ah, Valentine’s Day. A holy day of obligation for attached men; weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth for single women. Oh, and something about a Christian martyr who was tortured to death in Rome around  269 AD—but let’s not talk about that.

It turns out we can blame Chaucer for the commodification of this particular feast day. In Parliament of Foules (circa 1381), he wrote, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.” It was, as far as we know, the first mention of St. Valentine’s Day as a special day for lovers.

Here’s a decidedly different take on love, circa 1985:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWhpk-8QLFQ

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

Smackdown! Montana State University paleontologist Jack Horner and Yale Institute for Biospherics postdoctoral fellow Nick Longrich debate the burning question: “Is Torosaurus a distinct dinosaur species or just an adult Triceratops?”

Marine biologists from Japan have finally confirmed what sailors and fishermen have been telling them for years: squid can fly.

The 48th Mersenne prime was discovered last month. It clocks in at 17,425,170 digits.

Mitosis-inspired architecture at the University of California, Irvine.

And finally, moles smell in stereo. “I thought the moles’ nostrils were too close together to effectively detect odor gradients,” marveled researcher Kenneth Catania, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University. We’re just as surprised as you are, Kenneth.

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

So it’s February 2013 already, and I just realized that I neglected to share my top 10 albums from 2012.

Is it too late? No? Good. Thanks for understanding.

This year, I’m going to throw in a couple of bonus selections: two albums that, while not exactly new, were first made available in 2012. Let’s start with those first.

Grateful Dead, Spring 1990: So Glad You Could Make It—a more affordable two-CD version of the mammoth, limited-edition release that only comfortably retired hippies could afford
Terje Rypdal, Odyssey: In Studio & In Concert—the best guitar player you’ve never heard of, Rypdal is at the top of his game in this first-on-CD complete version (plus bonus tracks) of the original 1975 album

Now for the top 10 new releases of 2012…

Dave Douglas, Be Still—a sublime recording of Douglas’s jazz quintet fronted by contemporary bluegrass singer Aoife O’Donovan (listen to “Be Still My Soul”)
Porcupine Tree, Octane Twisted—live Porcupine Tree, which means I shouldn’t have to say any more
Krzysztof Penderecki / Jonny Greenwood, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, etc.—the avant-garde composer meets the Radiohead guitarist
Storm Corrosion, Storm Corrosion—debut collaboration between Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson and Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt
Arvo Pärt, Creator Spiritus—Pärt creates some of the most ethereally beautiful music you’ll ever hear
Chick Corea / Eddie Gomez / Paul Motian, Further Explorations—one of the last albums Motian recorded before he died last year, this is a double-disc live set of standards (mostly by Bill Evans) plus some original tunes
Stile Antico / Fretwork, Tune thy Musicke to thy Hart—Tudor and Jacobean sacred music for private devotion
Steve Kuhn Trio, Wisteria—Kuhn re-unites with Steve Swallow, one of my favorite electric bass players, for a surprisingly varied program
Return to Forever, The Mothership Returns—with the addition of flutist Jean-Luc Ponty, Return to Forever breathes new life into some of their classic material from the 70s
Baroness, Yellow & Green—my son and I were gobsmacked when we saw these guys open for Mastodon a couple of years ago, and they just keep getting better (listen to “Green Theme”)

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

Florence, New Jersey, population 12,109, is home to one of the more unusual artifacts from World War II: Hitler’s toilet. From the story:

“…the toilet has all the traits of a toilet from a ship—including an open side slot for seawater to be pumped in. The knobs on the faucet bear text written in Blackletter—the famous and classically German family of typefaces that Hitler adored. (The Nazis, in 1933, chased typographer Jan Tschichold out of Germany for advocating use of sans-serif fonts instead of Blackletter, among other design travesties.)”

Gasp! Sans serif?!? Just when you thought the Nazis couldn’t be any more evil.

Tschichold went on to design the Sabon font in 1967; one of its earliest uses is in Bradbury Thompson‘s Washburn College Bible.

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

Want to succeed in life? An academic at the University of Virginia recommends expanding your vocabulary.

But don’t just grab the nearest dictionary, cautions E. D. Hirsch, Jr., professor emeritus of education and humanities: “A large vocabulary results not from memorizing word lists but from acquiring knowledge about the social and natural worlds.”

So…pick up a book. And read it.

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

It’s been nearly a month now, but I can’t let another day go by without acknowledging the great Charles Durning, who died Christmas Eve at the age of 89. Take just a moment of your time to read about this extraordinary man’s life. I promise you won’t regret it.

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

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: architecture  |  make a comment

Last week we launched our name-change video. Hopefully, you’re among those who saw it—but if you missed it, you can see it here.

A couple of Spokane collaborators assisting in the development of the video are worth noting. The voice talent was from out of town, but the animation, voiceover recording and editing, and sound engineering were handled by local firms. Thanks to Mike Bold of Digital Itch for his beautiful and sensitive animation of the world’s greatest typeface, and to Dan Mortimore and Ray Gross of Mortimore Productions (who recently celebrated their own 25th anniversary) for all things audio.

Another testament to the importance of collaboration and the talented folks working right here in Spokane. Thanks guys.

posted by: CK Anderson  |  category: the design life  |  comments(2)