Hello, Downtown Greenville. It’s nice to be here.
Thanks to the help of a few friends today, Mrs. Blankenship and I are nestled in our new casa, a few blocks off Main Street in downtown Greenville. I’m sure the view is lovely, but the upperstate of South Carolina is currently being pounded by torrential rains so it is somewhat difficult to know for sure from my balcony. Nonetheless, happiness.
Also, free wi-fi via the apartment clubhouse next door. I love free things.
Things should return to normal around here on mid-week next week (and by “normal” I of course mean “lots of posts” or some such.) I hope everyone’s holiday have been splendid and restful so far.
Somehow I managed to miss that Armchair Media’s own Stefan Kjartansson has a portfolio site of typography and illustration. It is aptly titled How Do You Spell Kjartansson?
A Christmas Eve Survey of Sorts
What gift are you most excited about giving?
What gift are you most excited about (possibly) getting?
Welcome Back to The South
The Blankenships arrived in Anderson, SC (our temporary home until we find a place in Greenville) late Monday night. During the course of our Southbound travels we saw half of the East Coast, many good friends, the depths and heights of New York City, Sloan from Alias, front row (car) seats for a fist fight between two surly gas station attendants at Jersey Turnpike gas stop, and insane winds (ok, we didn’t technically “see” the wind, but it was crazy windy.)
Yesterday we scoped many apartments. Last night we made a decision. Today we sign on the dotted line. We’ll have a week in Dallas for Christmas with Mandy’s family, and then return to The SC to move our stuff into our apartment in time for the New Year. I start work at NewSpring Church on January 2nd.
The South has welcomed us; I welcome you to what’s next.
We got a chance to spend some quality time with Kory Westerhold on our trip through NYC. He’s awesome. And so is his ring flash that I got to shoot a few frames with. I want. A note from The Management: The Blankenships are moving to South Carolina this weekend. Posting, email, etc. will most likely be limited. If you’re in NYC the next couple of days, say ahoy via text or Twitter. Enjoy your weekend, friends.
Five Human Works of Staggering Genius
1. Chick-Fil-A
2. Cameras
3. Moving Companies
4. Flowbee®
5. Helicopters
We moved to Boston on July 4th, which was the most unintentionally patriotic thing I’ve ever done. We’re scheduled to depart the Northeast tomorrow. That is to say, we’re moving tomorrow if the massive amount of nature’s fluffy white goodness blanketing the Boston streets right now doesn’t hinder our Southern-bound egress. Flickr added stats for Pro members so we can see how people get to our photos. They’re currently “[digging] up the numbers for my account.” Up and running. Pretty slick, simple interface. I like.
I’m starting to think the Dan Cederholm gets his site design ripped off more than any other web designer. First, his logo gets swiped. And now there’s PromoteIt!, who obviously don’t understand that when they put “Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved” in the footer of a site design they stole, it’s called copyright violation.
Scott Boms has a new blog design full of layered organic goodness and nice typography.
Those new to information design or with weak knowledge of typography tend to ignore the legibility and readability of their content. Well designed content should have proper line-length, kerning, tracking, and leading. The text on the page should be given high priority in the design of a page. — Kyle Meyer, excerpted from A Case for Usable Content
My Mom Talks About the South Carolina Educational System
My mom wrote an op-ed piece about the South Carolina school system, how they use/view money, and how SC students (less than 50% of which graduate high school) respond to educational opportunities.
Quote, “South Carolina schoolchildren, on the whole, do not value nor see a need for the educational opportunities that are presented to them. They do not appreciate how education is the critical foundation necessary for their future job skills. They do not understand that being where you are supposed to be, on time and ready to work will be necessary. They do not understand that completing a task on time to the best of your ability and according to instructions is crucial in the workplace. They do not understand that respecting their elders and those in charge of them is not only common courtesy but how you keep a job and the respect of your coworkers. They do not see the benefit of practicing these skills now, while they have the support of educators willing to work with them toward success.”
Sim Daltonism and Color Oracle are free apps that simulate color blindness on your computer so you can see what color-impaired people see. Very handy for development and color-choosing. (via swissmiss)
Spam En Español and Targeted Marketing
Enterprise Rent-A-Car just sent me an unsolicited email. En Español. If you’re going to interrupt me with advertising, at least make sure it’s correctly targeted.
The Ten Commandments: The Musical starring Val Kilmer as Moses — because nothing says “Hebrew religious leader” quite like a blond guy from L.A. (even if he was the voice of said character in The Prince of Egypt.)
Pieter Hugo Photos of Nigerian Hyena Handlers
Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara from Pieter Hugo’s The Hyena & Other Men series. Pieter’s photography is at once formal and very personal, and the subject matter is carefully chosen and stunningly presented.
Quote, “In Abuja we found them living on the periphery of the city in a shantytown — a group of men, a little girl, three hyenas, four monkeys and a few rock pythons. It turned out that they were a group of itinerant minstrels, performers who used the animals to entertain crowds and sell traditional medicines. The animal handlers were all related to each other and were practicing a tradition passed down from generation to generation.”
Today is Album Cover Recreation theme day on Whiskerino, which is always a treat of creative proportions as the No Photoshop ban is still very much in effect. So far I’m loving Motke’s Ill Communication and Spoony Bard’s Rumors, although Obey Maach’s Por Primera Vez is also amazing.
The trailer for the upcoming Speed Racer is up (in HD no less.) And in enough vivid colors and moving flashy lights for an opening weekend of aneurisms and state fair style vomit clean-up. If you’re in to that.
A Typical Saturday Morning with The Gilmores
I’m a big fan of dotcomrade Lee Gilmore’s Whiskerino photo today. How can you deny the Misfits PLUS a newborn? You cannot. If you’re in Whiskerino and you don’t give this 3 crowns today, we are no longer friends.
And you hate babies.