Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Our local newspaper reports that Dr. Seuss’ lawyers are demanding our city halt plans to use any part of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in our city’s holiday celebration this year, which included a spot for kids called LouWhoVille, with real life characters from the book.
“It appears these lawyers’ hearts are two sizes too small,” Mayor Jerry Abramson said in a news release.
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“The three words that best describe this legal action are as follows, and I quote, ‘Stink, Stank, Stunk!’ ” said Jim Wood, president and chief executive officer of the convention bureau.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Among things I interact with on a daily basis are: a blue compass; a stamp with a bird on it; a purple duck; a round thing with a flame on it; a jar of ink with a pen next to it; a desktop flip-calendar; a silhouette of a ninja kicking the air; a picture of a sunset behind a palm tree; a yellow and blue-ish purple truck; a green leaf; a series of colored squares with different letters on them; etc.
These are all computer icons for different software applications I use on my Mac. Each of these things mean something to me, and maybe some of them for you, too. What’s interesting to think about is how easy it is for us to put trust in these images.
For example, I approach the purple duck trusting that he will tell me if anyone else is online that I might want to talk to, and he will also tell others that I am online.
The ninja takes me to a place where I have been collecting things. All sorts of things. Quotes. Archives of websites. Serial numbers. Codes and passwords. PDFs.
And so forth …
Friday, November 21, 2008
Since there’s been so much interest lately to find a definitive answer to whether graphic design is or isn’t art, I thought I’d share this text I just came across. It comes from Bryan Magee’s The Story of Philosophy, in the introduction (or, invitation to philosophy).
The creative artist, like the philosopher, is fully committed to a truth-seeking activity, trying to see below the surface of things and acquire a deeper understanding of human experience; however, he publishes, or publicly presents, his insights in a different form from the philosopher, a form that relies on direct perception and intuition rather than on rational argument.
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It is essential to realize that philosophy, science, and art are not at odds with one another. They have much more in common than appears at first sight. In fact, as we shall see in this book, it was out of philosophy that science was born. It is the same world that philosophy, science, and art are all exploring. All three confront the mystery of the world’s existence and our existence as human beings, and try to achieve a deeper
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Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thanks to Maximus for sending this to me. It appears that I have completely misunderstood the value of the Social Internets. This NYTimes.com article explains everything:
Good news for worried parents: All those hours their teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing, according to a new study by the MacArthur Foundation.
“It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it’s on MySpace or sending instant messages,” said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study, “Living and Learning With New Media.” “But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They’re learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page.”
Yes. These things are very important. I like these success stories in particular:
In a situation familiar to many parents, the study describes two 17-year-olds, dating for more than a year, who wake up and log on to their computers between taking showers and doing their hair, talk on their cellphones as they travel to school, exchange text messages through the school day, then get together
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Thursday, November 20, 2008

This is amazing! Via Broken Sidewalk.