Sarah Kay: If I should have a daughter …
“If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she’s gonna call me Point B … ” began spoken word poet Sarah Kay, in a talk that inspired two standing ovations at TED2011. She tells the story of her metamorphosis — from a wide-eyed teenager soaking in verse at New York’s Bowery Poetry Club to a teacher connecting kids with the power of self-expression through Project V.O.I.C.E. — and gives two breathtaking performances of “B” and “Hiroshima.”
The below video made me tear up:
Sarah Kay has been a performing poet since she was 14 years old. She is the founder of Project V.O.I.C.E, teaching poetry and self-expression at schools across the United States. Full bio and more links.
(Thank you Jessi)
Balancing Blocks
These Balancing Blocks are handmade in Brooklyn from repurposed hardwood scrap collected from local furniture shops. One set contains ten different sized colored blocks. Multiple sets increase building possibilities and create additional multi-player game opportunities. Great idea, great execution!
Field Notes Just Got Better
I am a huge fan of FIELD NOTES as it is but this limited edition is making me giddy! These new notebooks look like ordinary kraft-cover FIELD NOTES, with the notable absence of their brand name. This “________ Edition” allows you to customize your FIELD NOTES with any phrase of your choosing with the included authentic dry-transfer lettering! Brilliant? YES!
UPDATE: Jim Coudal of FIELD NOTES just reached out to me: Swissmiss readers can save $5 when you order 2 or more of the Dry Transfer editions. Just use couponcode: MADEMESMILE Today Only
♥ / Wazala!™
A big thank you to Wazala! for sponsoring this week’s RSS Feed.
Wazala is a slick, minimal and beautiful looking ecommerce store and shopping cart that allows you to sell physical or digital goods such as fonts, photos or music. You can create a store in minutes, then add it to your website, blog or even your facebook pages. It is that simple.
I am extremely intruiged by the fact that Wazala works as an overlay, which means your reader/potential customer won’t leave your site. If your customers are visiting on mobile devices, Wazala Touch provides a slick shopping experience both on the iPhone and Android devices.
If you are thinking about selling anything online you should consider Wazala!, just signup for a 15 day trial risk free.
(Interested in sponsoring a week of my RSS feed, learn more here.)
Remix Dining Table
The Hansen Family did it again. I’ve blogged about their stunning desk a while back and now, they *just* announced Remix, a beauty of a dining table which also functions as a work table. Remix exists in three models that offer abundant space for 6, 8 or 10 people. The solid tabletop of the Dining Table has two cases to either hide or present things. The cases are covered by plates which are made out of solid wood on one side and slated plates on the other so that hot plates can be posed in the middle of the table.
I would love one of these in our new apartment. Oh my!
(Thank you Gesa)
A Brief History of Title Design
Found this on artofthetitle.com, a compendium and leading web resource of film and television title design from around the world.
(via mysideprojectsquestion and ben pieratt)
whimventory
Whimventory allows you to create wishlists while you shop online. Using a bookmarklet you add to your web browser, you can add new items to different lists without leaving the site you’re shopping from. Once you have a list, you can sort, filter, and edit the items in it. You can also share lists with others, or keep them private. If someone decides to buy you something from one of your lists, they can anonymously mark the item as purchased to prevent duplicate gifts.
If you ask me, this is perfect for Wedding Registries! Or if you have savvy internet teenagers this would make for a modern approach to a holiday wishlist! Check out this example.
Eva Kotátková
This piece by Eva Kotátková made me look.
Everyday for iPhone
Everyday for iPhone reminds you to take a picture of yourself. Every day. Set reminders. Get into the habit. The more pictures you have, the better your Everyday app will be. Don’t believe me? Check out Noah Kalina’s Everyday Project?
Get Everyday from the App Store.
(via coudal)
swissmiss on Humble Pied
I am honored to be part of Mig Reyes‘ wonderful Humbled Pied series. Here’s our brief chat and my piece of advice that I’d give to anyone starting out in the design field (or any field of that matter). Here’s a link to my video.
Check out the entire advice archive.
Pendant Light
This is a lovely idea for a bedside pendant light!
Classical Chicken
My friend BB helped me to start this rainy monday right with the Classical Chicken:
Thoughtful Gardener Watering Can
Yes, I admit it: Put type on everyday products and it will make me look. Thoughtful Gardener Watering Can
Milk, Butter And Sugar Ceramics
These Milk, Butter and Sugar Ceramics are lovely.
“Cure for the Common Font”
As I didn’t make it to SXSW this year I am excited to see that presentations are made available online. One of the panels I would have loved to attend was the “Cure for the Common Font” — A Web Designer’s Introduction to Typeface Selection” with Frank Chimero, Tiffany Wardle, Stephen Coles and studiomate Jason Santa Maria. It just went up as an audio piece with slides over on Typographica.org.
“Cure for the Common Font” — A Web Designer’s Introduction to Typeface Selection
Active Inbox
Wow, Active Inbox might indeed be a huge help in managing my overwhelming flow of incoming mail. ActiveInbox is a free, easy-to-use Chrome & Firefox plugin that safely improves Gmail & Google Apps.
(via @brainpicker)
The Photoshop Etiquette Manifesto
What a fantastic initiative: The Photoshop Etiquette Manifesto for Web Designers is a list of helpful and *subtle* suggestions to organize Photoshop Documents, making the transfer of them less painful. Are you a Layer Mayor?
If you teach Web Design, make sure to share this resource with your students!
(via SmashingMagazine)
Aled Lewis: Toy Stories
This Haters Gonna Hate piece made me laugh. It’s by Aled Lewis and it’s part of his Make Something Cool Every Day project for 2011. See more of the series over on Filckr. I’d definitely would buy/hang this print in my office if it was for sale. Just saying.
Update: It’s now available for purchase. Here.
(via designworklife)
Between Page And Screen
Between Page And Screen is an augmented-reality book of poems. Oh, how much fun will be head with this, years ahead!
(via curiosity counts / metafilter)
Personal Side Projects…
I am researching side projects for an upcoming talk and was wondering if you can think of any personal side projects of fellow designers and developers that I might forget:
I am thinking of projects like my CreativeMornings or Teuxdeux. Then there’s Coudal’s The Deck, JewelBoxing and Fieldnotes. And then there’s Frank Chimero’s The Shape of Design, or Jessica Hische’s Daily Dropcap, Squared Eye’s Patterntap and so on.
What side projects would you add to the list?
Hooking Razor
Goodjoy’s brand new hooking razor is the perfect companion to the hooking toothbrush. Like the toothbrush, it’s made from PP plastic (polypropylene is a no.5 category for recycling) and is recyclable after the razor head is easily removed. Hangs onto shaving mirrors, shower caddies and like the hooking toothbrush, just about everything! Absolutely love this product! Thumbs up!
Visual Budget – an Interactive Guide to the Federal Budget
Visual Budget will be a data-visualization web site that explains all the complicated ins and outs of the US Federal Budget using interactive charts and motion graphics. It is a tool that lets citizens like you and me understand this important issue, armed with the latest most comprehensive facts and figures. It brings a new breadth of knowledge to our political discourse and helps us share our opinions with artistic power.
Definitely worth supporting. Back it over on Kickstarter:
