tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203545522011-07-28T11:44:58.503-05:00Floating balloons. Analogies and observations of a people and their society.essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-35563054590023425122011-03-28T20:06:00.002-05:002011-03-28T20:11:26.683-05:00

An excerpt from Why Dogs Go After Mail Carriers by Garret Keizer, which appeared in Harper's Notebook, September 2010."Speed alters our brain chemistry; it leaves us too little time to smell the roses -- a favourite trope among those who would do better to smell their own exhaust. In essence, the speed of a capitalistic society is about leaving others behind, the losers in the race, the "

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-45055325910991717422009-04-16T22:12:00.010-05:002009-04-21T11:39:49.402-05:00

In this modern era of simplicity, convenience and iEase, it's doubly interesting to read near-forty-year-old discourse on designing for human factors. It gives one pause for reflection on its timely message. In these paragraphs, as in myriad others throughout the book, Papanek invokes a higher conscientiousness, not only for design and designers but for society's systems and the objects and

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-42190205538469683032009-01-12T22:45:00.001-05:002009-01-13T00:28:48.281-05:00

I can believe in anything. Something is even better.S*

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-6125891866006846072008-12-31T13:39:00.005-05:002011-01-23T01:39:55.025-05:00

~And this is a message to the peopleIf you see or hear goodness from meThen that goodness is from The CreatorYou should be thankful to The Creator for all of that'Cause I'm not the architect of thatI'm only the...the recipientIf you see weakness or shortcoming in meIt's from my own weakness or shortcomingAnd I ask The Creator and the people to forgive me for that.[excerpt from]Champion

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-24697428053315727662008-12-02T01:23:00.002-05:002008-12-02T01:27:39.396-05:00

The WalkAs the moonlight emerged it cast a watchful eye on the park and the strollers, ambling behind white breath as they advanced in the crisp night air. Hand in hand, and more often arm in arm, they lumbered along the dark path, sometimes their pace quickening, or their step less assured, as recently crystallized ice creaked uneasily underfoot. The promenade spanned nearly an hour now: often

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-48929637749476136522008-11-27T21:12:00.002-05:002008-11-27T21:25:14.139-05:00

Our capacity to go beyond the machine rests in our power to assimilate the machine. Until we have absorbed the lessons of objectivity, impersonality, neutrality, the lessons of the mechanical realm, we cannot go further in our development toward the more richly organic, the more profoundly human. The economic: the objective: and finally the integration of these principles in a new conception of

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-21421269540721820392008-08-06T10:25:00.007-05:002011-01-23T02:41:38.541-05:00

The following is an excerpt from Alain de Botton's book on architecture, aesthetics, and our thoroughly intertwined social psychology with respect to the former.----------7.While a common reaction to seeing a thing of beauty is to want to buy it, our real desire may be not so much to own what we find beautiful as to lay permanent claim to the inner qualities it embodies.Owning such an

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-23870454000381071322008-04-30T19:24:00.003-05:002008-08-06T16:05:29.990-05:00

A bolt of clothA reel of lineA hank of ropeA ball of twineA keg of nailsA bushel of applesA ream of paperA box of chalkA cord of wood--- Quoted from Charles EamesS*2008.04.30

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-37209985629933258942008-04-22T12:25:00.002-05:002008-04-22T12:31:11.379-05:00

I sometimes wonder if the fact that as a young student, my Mother's insistence on the use of a thesaurus in equal or greater volume than a dictionary has anything to do with my persistent neutrality? I am much more comfortable in highlighting the likenesses in life than in pinpointing and isolating their definitions. Somehow, the faster, essed outside of the stream -- with its variability and

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-18146614647067578632008-04-14T10:30:00.003-05:002008-12-10T02:16:39.363-05:00

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-24724709500549880232008-04-03T19:39:00.002-05:002008-12-10T02:16:39.465-05:00

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-66270371067092334732008-02-03T16:04:00.001-05:002008-04-07T20:08:16.993-05:00

The following is an excerpt from a brief but pertinent collection of short essays.----------There are no greater romantics than those who don't have anyone to be romantic with. It is when we are in the depths of loneliness, without the distraction of work or friends, that we are in a position to grasp the nature and necessity of love. It is after a weekend in which the phone has not stirred, in

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-87923981530832813862008-02-03T16:02:00.000-05:002008-02-03T16:04:10.802-05:00

The following is a passage in a book I'm current enjoying:----------All design is an education of a sort. it may be education by studying or teaching at a school or university, or it may be education through design. In the latter case the designer attempts to educate his manufacturer-client and the people at the market place. Because in most cases the designer has been relegated (or, more

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-26338370545704121792007-11-27T22:23:00.000-05:002007-11-27T22:24:45.638-05:00

As designers, we create product architecture, imbuing each of them with the pieces of ourselves in the process. We create items that, ideally, make lives "better" whether that be more efficient, cleaner, simpler (read: less wasteful), more comfortable and at the end of the road, altogether a more interesting day-to-day experience. We put sentience into our objects, we give them form, flow,

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-22199171237821689922007-07-01T01:03:00.000-05:002007-07-01T01:05:07.179-05:00

The equation of trust is a tricky one, harbouring both the present and the unknown future. If we are to live the minute seconds with their incandescent turns and esses, we swim in their immediacy, stopping to think about what comes next while stopping was the next.Asking questions is selfish. Never stop.S*2007.06.30

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-56845719540472484462007-04-08T00:05:00.000-05:002007-04-08T00:09:44.132-05:00

PEACEOFMIND: deep feed coma find maid foe idea mind cape need dim die cede mead made deem cope code amino acid dope demi med men man nap mad mode dome dame mope poem[11 = 4,4,3. 3,3,5. 3,3,2,3. 3,2,1,2,2,1. 3,3,3,1,1. 3,3,4,1. 5,4,2. 5,3,2,1.]S*2007.04.08

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-89678144714528909652007-03-20T13:35:00.000-05:002008-12-10T02:16:39.723-05:00

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-88320829601755720562007-03-04T23:36:00.000-05:002008-12-10T02:16:39.905-05:00

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-72364490340776461982007-01-09T00:15:00.000-05:002007-01-29T03:03:02.686-05:00

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-66203305313002610182007-01-05T02:13:00.001-05:002008-12-10T02:16:40.617-05:00

I reworked a friend's old canvas (1'x 4') and found myself - after the usual scribbling, splashing and scratching - with three distinct sections: one texted, one blobbed, one textured. A disjointed, disenfranchised mess really. The text got buried in repeated attempts to blend and unify the whole (not to worry, the original is pasted on the canvas' back). Two names and some time later, with

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-11767052649303782242006-12-29T04:33:00.000-05:002008-12-10T02:16:41.049-05:00

I watched Mom give Dad exercise two days ago and felt that her distribution of power versus result(s) -- albeit effective -- was an exercise in micro management. She required far less commands in order to execute the same task(s). Much like the inefficiency of the sentence explaining it.Repetition is funny and despite being insane....Re: photo. Had seven co-workers to my pad on Saturday night.

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-85610794557565698512006-12-11T03:01:00.000-05:002007-11-27T22:20:40.351-05:00

Hi Hilda,The language of your request does not compute. Does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compete, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute, does not compute,

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1160810255957707812006-10-14T01:05:00.000-05:002006-10-15T13:26:31.590-05:00

On Trimutualism*I got to debating as to whether flowers give bees their sweet offal, in the form of pollen, with which the latter make honey, or if the bees are participating in a system by which they help a plant function and make the best of the by-product, the whole time nonetheless seeing their side of the equation.But in a discussion on systems, current society can look to the Internet hive

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1159471670844271342006-09-28T13:17:00.000-05:002006-09-28T14:27:51.116-05:00

It had recently been brought to his attention that he was constantly at the tremendous, just, geometric and correct pursuit of the accomplishment of banal and pointless ends. And although at the time, they weren't quartering limes -- but halving walnuts and alternating the flavour with the creamy taste of pecans -- the conversation had stumbled upon a few weird paths the length of the later

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1155345752677119882006-08-11T20:14:00.000-05:002006-08-11T20:22:32.886-05:00

History --> Observation --> Commentary (subjective to modern interpretation)This cycle is repetitive. Why?Civilizations progress, excel, but grow too big:- run out of power/energy?- have no means or record keeping (or do, but it falls victim to power/energy-loss)?- subject to time?Populations rise in the same way they always have (which, by definition, cannot be pre-programmed or influenced but

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1151819633217727062006-06-29T13:30:00.002-05:002008-07-25T11:44:06.861-05:00

Apologies for never writing and calling only sporadically. And late, at that. Guess everyone has their communicative niche, eh?Things are well in Montreal; life moves at a lovely pace in this city, it's a great combination of beautiful, old architecture with long winding avenues lined with green trees, people's balconies and a bevy of all manner of attitude, drive and desire. Interestingly,

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1150433912844418072006-06-15T23:57:00.000-05:002006-06-15T23:58:32.853-05:00

I don't what it is; I feel like I've lost the ability to anachronize and synthesize the life around me. Maybe it's the different city, maybe it's my current lack of reading, maybe I'm getting old and the drag racing outside doesn't interest me anymore. Nonetheless, as I've always said and written, there appears to be little paths of a graceful nature for overcoming or surpassing or climbing

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1149884745301149502006-06-09T15:22:00.000-05:002006-06-10T00:41:14.116-05:00

I returned and saw, under the sun, that the race is not to theswift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, noryet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; buttime and chance happeneth to them all.Evil falls. But who knows when?Needles in my eyes won't cripple me tonight alright/Twisting up my mind please pull me through the light alright.I feel sleep

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1148620587462731612006-05-26T00:07:00.000-05:002006-08-24T14:54:55.256-05:00

This place is cool. People are independently-minded and heed their own business as personal soap-operas and daily lives seem important enough to not need to know mine or anyone else's. I've spent a good slice of time trying to demystify my own romanticization of the city, which is largely aided by seeing normal-looking, working-class people about town; but but but, the love is continually

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1148082688168635932006-05-19T18:25:00.000-05:002006-05-23T00:13:24.243-05:00

Like how that rolls off the tongue....At any rate, was getting the HB on the walls sometime in the final days of Ottawa and came up with this silliness. A large equilateral triangle containing smaller shapes: namely a hexagon with three smaller equilateral triangles complementing it, filling the initial triangle.The fun part is that both the hexagon and the smaller triangles can be continually

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1147330805470125612006-05-11T01:58:00.000-05:002006-05-11T02:00:38.436-05:00

Even coke bores me.And ecstasy's a nightful.Mushrooms are forgiveable on special occasions.Music's always welcome.Booze: the provider.People, always.S*2006.05.11

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1147200830448730442006-05-09T13:33:00.000-05:002006-05-19T17:53:56.040-05:00

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1146161908234001482006-04-27T13:13:00.000-05:002006-05-28T19:10:56.620-05:00

Upon seeing 'The Dark Side of Oz' recently, one scene in particular had this viewer gauging the connection between industrial America, the mechanization of society (automobility, for starters) and our mutual predicament regarding oil. Something to ponder.The scene when Dorothy et al. first come upon the Tin Man contains interesting contrasting actions: he has his right arm stoutly raised with

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1145432206551676542006-04-19T02:17:00.000-05:002006-05-23T00:19:14.670-05:00

...or family tree?*original sketch: mid-Feb, 2006

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20354552.post-1135979545630190882005-12-30T16:45:00.000-05:002006-04-19T01:46:19.196-05:00

From calculus to lyrics, the mind let loose the layers of my life, and the observations and analyses therein. With the help of a simple pencil and my kitchen wall, these ideas and invectives of the last twelve months of my life have come in waves of early-morning awakenings, late night lessons and midday monotonies. They are random, esoteric and questioning but above all, honest.This is my

essstarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04816421877734438141noreply@blogger.com0