Tilt-Shift Van Gogh

Some very cool “tilt-shift” Van Gogh paintings–basically selectively blurring parts of the image to give a sense of depth. Makes Van Gogh’s surreal landscapes seem almost real.

Design is about cultural invention

> Some people (they are wrong) say design is about solving problems.

> Obviously designers do solve problems, but then so do dentists. Design is about cultural invention.

Jack Schulze.

Making the world light

John Updike on why he writes:

> So writing is my sole remaining vice. It is an addiction, an illusory release, a presumptuous taming of reality, a way of expressing lightly the unbearable. That we age and leave behind this litter of dead, unrecoverable selves is both unbearable and the commonest thing in the world — it happens to everybody. … Even the barest earthly facts are unbearably heavy, weighted as they are with our personal death. Writing, in making the world light — in codifying, distorting, prettifying, verbalizing it — approaches blasphemy.

A beautiful mess

Beautiful work by [Dentsu London](http://www.dentsulondon.com/blog/2010/09/28/sound-sculptures/) and [Linden Gledhill](http://www.flickr.com/photos/13084997@N03/sets/72157608258335431/) for Canon:

Here’s how they did it.

Going to space changes you

> One hundred twenty-five astronaut autobiographies, interviews, and oral histories were content analyzed and scored for references to values (Schwartz, 1992). The current study extended methods tested in 2 pilot studies of space veterans from many nations, of both sexes, and with different experiences within the history of human spaceflight. Value references reflected a high degree of concern with individualism, with Achievement, Enjoyment, and Self-direction ranked highest. There were relatively few value differences across demographic categories, demonstrating the impact of the spaceflight experience. After returning, the astronauts showed increased concern with Universalism, Spirituality, and Power (social recognition), a broadened set of references to values oriented toward the collective good.

Changes in the Hierarchy of Value References Associated With Flying in Space – Suedfeld – 2010 – Journal of Personality – Wiley Online Library.

Playtime 101

Sometimes adults need help with this:

> This week thirty of us have promised to keep a daily crayon journal, build a fort or play with bubbles, and go out of our way to notice and welcome any children we see.

I love ReIMAGINE.

Globe Genie

There’s something really magical about this; jump to a random eye-level view of almost any street in the world: Globe Genie – Joe McMichael.

Winter Paralympics photos

These are some of the coolest photos (and sports!) I’ve ever seen.

How’d you like to do the giant slalom blindfolded? Or on one leg? Or seated on one ski?

Beauty and sports

“Beauty is not the goal of competitive sports, but high-level sports are a prime venue for the expression of human beauty. The relation is roughly that of courage to war.” – David Foster Wallace on Roger Federer.