bernard rudofsky

"meeting strangers is one way of getting to know ourselves..."
"architecture is not a matter of technology or aesthetics, but the frame for a way of life."

Rudofsky, an architect, critic and fashion designer was fascinated by the idea of "architecture without architects." In his thesis, he established a philosophy that regarded architecture as a spatial embodiment of life-a principle that would guide his examinations of architecture throughout his career. His travels also provided the inspiration for his search for a new lifestyle in which all Western cultural inhibitions and restrictions-with regard to the way we live, dress, bathe and eat - would be alleviated by the heightening of sensual pleasures through design.

laws of simplicity

From: The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda

earth day

(polaroid - taken last spring, by Katherine LP)

Earth Day...founded in the 1960s in the United States by Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. politician. The goal is to inspire awareness and appreciation for the fragile nature of the environment.

Happy Earth Day!

behaviour guide by jean touitou

BEHAVIOR GUIDE (in order to avoid mere survival)
Intended for younger generations by JEAN TOUITOU

1. Although appearance shows quite the reverse the natural trend of the system is to turn you into a slave. Your mission is to remain erect and never crawl.
2. when learning, you must know how to make the clear distinction between what is ideology and what is genuine knowledge.
3. Be fully aware of the difference between making a compromise and compromising yourself.
4. Whatever happens, heart break hotel is sure to be your dwelling place, for one or several stays. This is no reason to overindulge in the pangs of love for too long.
5. Learn how to make simple and excellent meals.
6. Fear no gods, whatever appearance they may have.
7. For girls: all boys are more or less the same. For boys: all girls are different.
8. Keep well away from competitive sport that will only cause wounds that will make you suffer when you are over forty.
9. There is no such thing as good and evil. There is what is right and what is bad, what is consistent and what is wrong.

Jean Touitou is the founder/ head designer the French minimalist label APC (Atelier de Production et de Creation)

notable thinkers

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"the great essentials for happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for."
-joseph addison

"experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted."
-rany pausch

"the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everyone goes "Awww!""
-jack kerouac (from on the road)

"I am a weirdo...thank god"
-dra

"life is much to important to be taken seriously"
-oscar wilde

"do today what your instincts tell you could wait until tomorrow"
-sir john major

"there is no one you need to impress more than yourself."
-unknown

"ever self-conscious even obsessive about my place in the world"
-jm

"to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."
-e.e. cummings

"I have decided to be happy because it is good for my health"
-socrates

"inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work"
-chuck close

"so bring [your kids] up believing in god and they'll be good and law-abiding. It's a perfect system. Well, nearly. 75% of Americans are god-fearing Christians; 75% of prisoners are god-fearing Christians. 10% of Americans are atheists; 0.2% of prisoners are atheists."
-ricky gervais

"john cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. his advice: begin anywhere"
-bruce mau

"i must learn to love the fool in me - the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It along protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom i also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool."
-theodore rubin

icff

Well I just registered for the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in New York. This will be the 20th year of the fair and Metropolis Magazine has a feature on the history of the fair in this month's issue.


Alway such an inspiring event I very much look forward to it all year. This year it runs from May 17th thru the 20th at the Javits Center.

Check out the website for more info:
http://www.icff.com/

nissan xterra

I recently went to a lecture about coordination between mechanical engineers and architects and the lecturer used the story of the xterra as an example of poor coordination. This was the first I had ever heard anything regarding the xterra and design flaws, so I was immediately interested. (far more so then the actual topic of the lecture to be honest)

Apparently there was some miscommunication between the design engineers and the result was that odd bump on top, which they covered with a roof rack at the last minute. Don't you love it! Just put something on top and no one will figure it out!!

Anyway they fixed everything for the 2nd Generation Xterra. BUT I keep seeing the 1st Generations driving around. They're everywhere...now that you know you'll start seeing them too. So I can't help but wonder if these poor saps who bought the 1st generation knew about the problem OR if they loved the xterra with the flaw? Or maybe no one really cares?

All I know is I'll never see an Xterra in the same way again.

6 word memoir

After hearing about this on the radio I finally picked up a copy to check it out. Smith Magazine held a contest to submit a 6 word memoir. There was such an overwhelming response they published the entries in a book called "Not Quite What I was Planning."

The official book description reads - "Deceptively simple and surprisingly addictive, Not Quite What I was Planning is a thousand glimpses of humanity - 6 words at a time."

Some of my favorites are:
"catholic school backfired. Sin is in!" - Nikki Beland

"Always working on the next chapter." - Milan Pham

"Followed white rabbit. Became black sheep." - Gabrielle Maconi

"Even the quietest sounds make noise." - Paul Boggan

What would yours be?