Current Configuration

  • Blackbird at the Beach – A Tale in 4 Pictures

    Not a fan of the ocean waves. Big fan of the sand.

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  • “You’re out of time…”

    Close up of Michael Jackson as a zombie in 'Thriller'.

    First album I ever owned, bought for me by my Dad when I was about five years old. I miss Michael, but I’m not saddened by his death. The MJ I knew as a child has been dead for years.

  • Letters & Ligatures: Something to PLINC About

    I had to good fortune to kick off the weekend of the 5th by dropping by House Industries’ opening of their Letters & Ligatures Show at the 222gallery in Philly on Friday.

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  • And the Republicans are Selling…

    Nothing.

    Speaking for myself only, I want affordable, high-quality healthcare for everyone, which is only achievable through changing the current system. If you’re curious what the Republican response is to that preference, check out that link. You’ll find that they’re looking to improve healthcare by… doing nothing but opposing Democrats no matter what.

    Keep it up, guys. Through 2012, preferably.

    Side note: the gem of a man who’s being quoted in that article is Frank Luntz, whose specialty is to put people in power in government by making words not mean what they mean and avoiding actually communicating about policy and issues. You can thank him for “climate change” as a euphemism for “global warming”, which, in classic spinster style, he’s now backed down on.

    Link via my man Steve.

  • That’s My Girl

    Blackbird with a bag on her head and a kitchen implement in her hand.

    Show ’em what you got, kiddo. Nothing can stop you.

  • AMP: Lie for Us

    On Monday, after a long day of work and roughly a week’s worth of late nights, I came home and eased myself down on the floor with Blackbird. This was my way of hanging out with daughter while expending little to no energy. She seemed to like it, so I felt OK that I was not providing much in the way of physical activity. While I was languishing on the floor, someone knocked on our front door. I answered and was met by a representative of Alarm Monitoring Protection (AMP). He had a clipboard, an ID badge, and seemed a bit winded. It was around 6:30pm, so that makes sense. I’m sure it had been a long day.

    We were both tired. But unlike him, I wasn’t trying to pay people to lie to their neighbors.

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  • H&F-J’s Sentinel

    A sample of Sentinel in use from H&F-J's website.

    From their site:

    “For everyone who’s ever wished Clarendons had italics, everyone whose favorite slab serif is shy a few weights, and everyone who’s ever needed a slab serif to thrive in text: we designed Sentinel for you.”

    Sign. Me. Up.

    While I don’t use Clarendon all that often, largely due to its limitations, it’s among the first typefaces that stuck in my mind as a student. Its strong slab serifs and sturdy curves have always resonated with my design sensibilities and aesthetic preferences. That H&F-J were the ones who decided to remedy this makes my designer heart sing.
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  • Announcing Gothamudy Old Style?

    ALERT: Secret typeface (possibly) under development revealed through Illustrator CS 3 bug: Gothamudy Old Style.

    Possible Linotype/ Hoefler & Frere-Jones collaboration? Buy-out imminent? Unsubstantiated rumor or prescient techno-fortune-telling?

    YOU DECIDE.

  • SEPTA’s Alternative Train Scheduling

    In my experience, this is the way SEPTA operates. Which, if you think about it, means that even when trains are “on time”, they are still late by any other system’s measure. For example, Amtrak runs the way you would expect: trains leave at the time scheduled, rather than arrive at the time scheduled. Bear in mind that Amtrak and Septa are both housed in Philadelphia’s 30 Street Station. It’s not like SEPTA exists in some vacuum.

    This is ignoring the strange way they handle late trains on their track displays: to simply add the minutes as they pass by, then suddenly jumping up to 18 minutes late once they get to around 10 minutes, so the train can arrive ‘early’ at 13 minutes late.

    I’ve heard that late trains only get later. This means that once a train is late, it is then given lower priority than on-time trains, so the late train’s lateness doesn’t ripple outward to other trains. So what happens when all of your trains run late?

  • From a tiny spark…

    Spark 2009 poster, the logo eye in front of radiating orange circles over the word SPARK, June 19, 2009, 5 Companies. 5 Plays. 1 Night. You pick the winner. theatrealliance.org/spark Watch new theatre ignite before your eyes. 7:00pm @ Plays & Players 1714 Delancy Street $20 Admission.

    The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia‘s Spark Showcase is a great way to see new work by small and nascent theatre companies. Five short works in one sitting pretty much guarantees that you’ll come away having seen some new theatre that you connect with. This year, you’ll even get to vote for the recipient of the Hotel Obligado Audience Choice Award for New Work.

    But it’s one night only, so don’t miss out.

    Full disclosure: The Theatre Alliance is my oldest client and one of my favorites. I’ve seen them evolve and grow stronger ever since I first started working with them. In a nutshell, they’re advocates for Philly’s diverse and robust theatre community, particularly those groups and individuals who don’t have the weight and budgets of more established theaters. The arts in PA are under threat, so events like these are vital to Philly’s arts and cultural future.