Power-washing Building in Manhattan - Before/After (via reddit)
Gmail’s New Priority Inbox feature looks snazzy - the new feature sorts more important messages into a separate inbox above the rest, kind of like a reverse spam filter.
The animated video they produced to showcase the new feature is even better! The animation is clean, simple and cute. The occasional use of color really pops. And the 20s-style jazz soundtrack is fun and lively. Great choice Google!
(via allthelatestmoves)
Blue Note Album Covers in Motion.
I was absolutely delighted to see how this video brought some of designer Reid Miles’ classic Blue Note album covers to life.
While not exact matches, the video captures the spirit of the original art very well. The piece was developed to promote a series of summer jazz concerts in Tuscany.
If you’re curious, Graphicology put together a side by side comparison of the reimagined covers with the original album art.
(via grain edit)
Once again, The Scout and director Brennan Stasiewicz show us how short documentaries should be made with this beautifully produced detailed piece on Mast Bros. Chocolate.
I highly recommend The Scout’s two other short documentaries:
I’m with Ed Asner on this one.
via putthison:
Casual Friday, from season two of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
I’ve been doing quick quick sketches of photos from the Sartorialist for a while now as a daily illustration exercise. The people are always interesting looking, the shots well-composed and the myriad style variations stretch my range in fun ways. I’ll start posting a few:
Today on the Sartorialist: On the Street, Belted Shorts, Paris - view original
via bobulate:
The butcher block was central for family communication. This wooden slab in the kitchen was the primary communication device, decades before mobile phones and email. “Options for dinner: A) BBQ on the patio, 6 p.m. B) chicken in the kitchen, 6 p.m. C) Nina’s pizza, 8 p.m.,” the note would read, and the kids had to vote, long-form, on the note.
We knew nothing of communicating with busy people, but there was an attention to the detail of choice. For each note we wrote, we respected one another’s time. With a motley family of six people, and a similar number of cars, animals, and interests, the butcher block united us. We had no time to discuss otherwise.
Blocked communication
When you email busy people, you might believe the best option you can give them is to offer a wide set of options (“I’m available any time in fall 2010. Pick a day that works for you!”) You imagine you’re being generous. Accommodating. You’re not imposing on the busy person.
Yet what you’ve done, in one fell sentence, is impose more busy work on an already-busy person. You’ve forced that person to take at least four steps:
- Open a calendar to check not a single date, but an entire spectrum of time.
- Draft an original set of sentences, rather than a brief “Great, the XX of Sept is confirmed,” or a simple “Yes.”
- Wait for additional emails in response to aforementioned new sentences, and respond accordingly.
- Repeat.
Proposals for busy people
While it may seem presumptuous, proposing — diplomatically — a specific date to a busy person is welcome. “How does 11AM on Tuesday, September 17 work for you?” with proper lead time and an alternate. This specificity is wonderfully refreshing and leaves the door open for an alternate suggestion, or simply a single-word email response:
“Perfect.”
In our house, notes and scribbles were written on the same 3”x5” scraps of paper, physically limiting choice. Proposing what we mean and want gives people, busy or not, the opportunity to respond. If they need an alternate, they’ll ask.
Give people a proposal that allows for choice.
Victor Borge & Dean Martin - Musical Phonetic Punctuation
Wow, I forgot how much I love Victor Borge. If you haven’t seen him, look up his stuff on YouTube. I first saw one of his specials on PBS when I was a little kid and knew it was something special. His humor is smart and warm and silly at once and just lots of fun.
