Here’s a great list of spots to watch
A Vatican for film-makers
How does a Havana film school attract lavish funding and the likes of Soderbergh and Spielberg? With a nod and a wink from Fidel Castro. Chris Payne reports on a little corner of Cuba that is forever Hollywood .
“If you’re unfamiliar with Cuba’s cinematic heritage, you might assume that a film school run with Fidel Castro’s help would be coaching its students in flag-waving reconstructions of the Bay of Pigs or promo reels exhorting the nation’s nickel workers to greater heights of production. Hardly any films produced on the island since the 1960s have achieved distribution in the UK. The Buena Vista Social Club, the internationally successful documentary about a group of old-time Havana musicians, which became the soundtrack of every middle-class dinner party, was made by the German director Wim Wenders.”
Guardian article reporting on this amazing discovery in Cuba.
Hot Toddy
Quite simply the best kept secret for fighting of sore throats, flu and heavy colds. Some flu experts believe that cold drinks increase congestion, whereas warm drinks loosen secretions and are more flu-friendly. Try sipping a hot toddy before bed to help you sleep and clear your stuffy head. In addition to the hot toddy – crawl into bed, cover yourself with a lot of blankets to assist your body in sweating out the cold.
Mind maps
David Kelley, founder of IDEO uses mind maps to foster creativity.
“When I want to do something analytical, I make a list. When I’m trying to come up with ideas or strategize, I make a mind map. Mind maps are organic and allow me to free associate. They are great for asking questions and revealing connections between seemingly unrelated ideas.”
Full size graphic here
Nothing new with this debate.
Form follows function seems like good sense but on closer examination it becomes problematic and open to interpretation. Linking the relationship between the ‘form’ of an object and its intended purpose is a good idea for designers and architects, but it is not always by itself a complete design solution. Defining the precise meaning(s) of the phrase ‘form follows function’ opens a discussion of design integrity. The New Strength of Style takes this debate and turns it 180 degrees.
Overnight flights to Europe
Practical tips to avoid jet lag.
First of all, I live in NY so travel to much of Europe usually involves a 6 hour time difference. Starting a week or more before my departure date, I make myself get up and go to bed progressively earlier – usually a half an hour – each day or two. The goal is to be getting up at around 4 am on the day of departure. Now this means to really be awake at 4am, not just to remain in bed with your eyes open, but still semi-comatose! You need to be up and around “pretending” that it’s a normal thing to do. Some people get up very early to begin with so they won’t have too much of a problem with this one.
K2 adventure
“Exceptional natural intelligence and the incurable desire to climb the ladder are necessary.”
Reading this posting for some technology executive position I was pondering more on the lines of the climbing a ladder on some big rock/ice expedition. K2 straddles the border between China and Jammu and Kashmir in a territory currently claimed by Pakistan.
Its name is derived from the fact that it is the second peak (of 35) in the Karakorum Range of the western Himalayas. In 1861 the mountain gained its other well-known (though unofficial) name: Mount Godwin-Austen. Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, a British soldier and topographer, was the second European to visit the area and research the mountain. Many local names are also used to identify the peak, including Chogori, Lambha Pahar, Dapsang, and Kechu (K2).
I’ll ping you frequently
“80 percent of success is just showing up” — Woody Allen
In anything you do, people want to know they can count on you. They want to know that those whom they buy from, and associate with, will be there for the long haul. One of the best ways to prove you are the real deal is to always be present. Out of sight is out of mind. People need to know they can count on you. Staying connected, remaining in-touch and ready to respond is a challenge. That is increasingly important in a widely connected, but increasingly impersonal world.
Margin of error
“Well, when you’re trying to create things that are new, you have to be prepared to be on the edge of risk.” — Michael Eisner
The Prophecy
In 1991, Francis Ford Coppola said:
“To me the great hope is that now these little video recorders are around and people who normally wouldn’t make movies are going to be making them. And suddenly, one day some little fat girl in Ohio is going to be the new Mozart and make a beautiful film with her father’s camcorder and for once, the so-called professionalism about movies will be destroyed, forever, and it will really become an art form.”
This quote should make any self-respecting film buff smile.
Smoke without fire
It was in 1966 that Yves Saint Laurent’s introduced his first “le smoking” – a classic three-button dinner jacket, worn with a frilled white silk blouse, tied with a black ribbon at the neck, and mannish trousers featuring a satin side-stripe.
The look – at once androgynous, mysterious and alluring – was immortalized by the late Helmut Newton in 1975, with his black and white photograph of a model in the rue Aubriot in Paris, wearing that season’s “le smoking”, with her hair slicked back and right hand clutching a cigarette. It became one of YSL’s most recognizable signatures.
Focus groups
“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs
Sleep
Benjamin Franklin was right: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Most adults require seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night in order to wake up feeling their best. Yet so many people swear they only need 5-6 hours of sleep per night. Are they fooling themselves?
Yes. Many people will say that they only need five to six hours of sleep per night, but they are usually not doing this on a regular sustained basis. Studies have repeatedly showed we need a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night in order to function optimally.
Steven Soderbergh on clarity
“The hardest thing in the world is to be good and clear when creating anything. It’s the hardest thing in the world. It’s really easy to be obscure and elliptical and so fucking hard to be good and clear. It breaks people. Because you don’t often get encouragement to do that, to be good and clear.”
This quote came from a great interview with Believer magazine. His version of the 1970’s sci-fi epic Solaris is stunning/complex/sparse. I laugh when I think that might actually be his ordainment movie.
Old school classics
The VW camper van was built nearly 60 years ago and is now becoming one of the great vehicles of all times, its nature seems to be one that will never give up. The VW camper van will always turn heads and will always be part of an owners life. The VW camper represents a certain way of life, a life of freedom, a life of youthfulness. Check out the airstream for a new school vibe.
A short walk from the Q
The number “444” (44 zhang, 4 chi, or 444 chi) prescribed for the length of this important imperial ship was certainly no accident. Four was the symbol for the earth, which was thought to be “four cornered.” The Middle Kingdom was imagined to be in the middle of four seas. There are four cardinal directions, four seasons, and, according to Confucian philosophy, si wei, “four bonds” or virtues: propriety, integrity, righteousness, and modesty. All were auspicious associations for the treasure ships. Image Copyright Lisa Whiteman:
First day at work
I really appreciate it when a smart number matches a significant moment in your life. Today is 12-6-2006, significant because I start a new job as creative director, Schematic (New York). I’m really thrilled and feel very privileged to be joining them. They are behind some of the best design work for television 2.0
Volvo backwards spells Ovlov
Ovlov – I love the simplicity of this shot. What a gem from downtown Portland, Oregon.
Pleasures with ichat
Apple iChat enabled this sparky conversation with some distant friends in Scotland. Okay, some credit does go to broadband internet for providing a fast, stutter-free video connection. I’m putting this up out of great respect for the humor/spontaneity of good video chat. These lovely bunch of friends are all alumni of Edinburgh College of Art.
