1. Tom Waits
2. Mike Mignola
3. Saul Williams
4. Dr. Seuss
5. Matthew Curry

Fantastic art direction and typography on the Pankra Studio splashpage.

How to soundproof an apartment to muffle your wife’s drumming.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if Tumblr had comments, it would suit 96.73% of my online publishing needs (and work alarmingly similarly to the redesigned .com/blog I’ve been hacking together.)

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”

Chinese Proverb

What was the #1 song the day you were born? This Day in Music can tell you. When I was born, Anita Ward was singing Ring My Bell at #1. (via Paul Armstrong)

I was saddened to wake up this morning and learn that the U.S. Air Guitar Regional Championships happened at the House of Blues last night – without me.

This t-shirt takes “im in ur _______ ________ing your ________” to a whole new level. It comes with its own wash-off marker, so the possibilities are endless.

For anyone who’s ever gotten a gift card from someplace they’ll never shop, seen the “Gift cards are not returnable or redeemable for cash except in states where required by law” disclaimer on the back, and pondered, aloud or otherwise, if they live in one of those lucky states, I *think* this is your list, but information is sparse online.

“Most states have money transmitter laws, which govern entities that issue checks, traveler’s checks, money orders and electronic equivalents. A small number (Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and California) have taken the position that GC issuers are money transmitters. The federal government and other states have not yet determined whether gift card issuers are money transmitters.”

Jeffrey Knowles via this article

For all you folks salivating for June 29 and the iPhone, Apple says it will have significantly longer battery life when it ships than was originally estimated. For those counting, that’s approximately 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback. (And an optical-glass surface in place of the originally-announced plastic.)

“Historically, we don’t do well as incrementalists…All of the clients who have shown up over the past couple of years seem to appreciate that we have a very strong sense of ambition for them.”

[Martin Agency evaluated] every prospective account in terms of the aggressiveness of its agenda…finding a way to amplify the company’s creative power. As [Mike] Hughes studied Martin’s past performance, he saw that its best efforts often emerged from smaller, more-entrepreneurial groups that were closer to the ground. So in July 2004, he decided to back off, to devolve power to the teams below him. He restructured his creative department, hiring 8 new players and naming 11 people to creative director posts – a move that was radical in an industry where one or two alpha dogs usually run the show.

Hughes decided that the new teams would get a chance to work on multiple accounts, parachuting in where they were needed, or where they simply had a good idea to offer. By freeing each team to showcase its ideas in a more individual, immediate fashion, he essentially multiplied the firm’s creative voices. “What we’re trying to do is let the personality of the people who are creating the work shine through in a way that reflects well on the brands…”

Clan of the Caveman, Fast Company

Interesting read on Virginia-based advertising shop The Martin Agency, their staff, history, recent restructuring, and all the new business (to the tune of $775 million) they’ve recently acquired.

Having worked for a mid-sized ad agency, I find Martin’s staff restructuring (additional creative directors, smaller teams) refreshing and much-needed. There are too many great ideas and talents in most mid-sized and big agencies for us to think that all the good ideas have to come from a handful of people who are probably 35+ years old and spend half their time climbing the corporate ladder, jockeying for title/position/pay, and watching their backs.

Quote, “I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.” Can the level of math education sink any lower?

Prom Night Fist Fight has been updated (starting here) with a few “outtakes” and elements from a client project I’m working on. I’m starting to get more commission inquires via that site and it makes me happy.

How to give the perfect man hug.

The Vader Project. I have a soft spot for repetition and reuse of cultural icons. I like this one and this one, but I think the idea is at its strongest in masse.

Henry Rollins is on Twitter, which is all at once odd and funny.

“Reality distortion field is a term coined …to describe…Steve Jobs’ charisma…In essence, RDF is the idea that Steve Jobs is able to convince people to believe almost anything with a mix of charm, charisma, exaggeration, and marketing. RDF is said to distort an audience’s sense of proportion or scale. Small advances are applauded as breakthroughs. Interesting developments become turning points, or huge leaps forward. RDF focuses less on outright deception and more on warping the powers of judgment.”
(via Wikipedia)

I’ve been demo-ing Cha-Ching, a great little money management app for Mac. It has smart folders (like iTunes), tags, a bill manager, and lots of other features that make living on a budget (with a slick user interface) a lot easier. $40 is a bargain.

Rock & Roll!

The Morning News excerpts a few photos of A Day in the Life of Albert Hastings from photographer KayLynn Deveney. Completely compelling.