Through Lines 204

Definitely some echoes of things I said during my talk to students at Columbia College yesterday in this brief video with UK-based artist David Shrigley whose work hits many of the same notes for me as another favorite, Nathaniel Russell.

• Also echoing Matthew Haughey’s suggestion to just make weird shit. I’d add that you don’t even need to show it to anyone — or really do anything with it either. The act alone is the important part.
• “A piston moves up; it fires; but that action is matched by the piston moving down, and spending some time not firing. It would be foolish to complain that the piston is not firing all the time, but this is what some people do in trying to work hard all the time.” Why are you eating so many frogs?
• A lot of people have a lot of feelings about the Humane Ai Pin. I do too, but am going to be wise and keep my mouth shut about it, for ahem, obvious reasons.
• At least tangentially related is the question of whether the internet is the enemy of progress? Based on my experiences in tech, there’s something to this even if it’s not the full picture/totally correct.
• I’m annoyed that writing about strategy taking top billing in design is even something that needed to be written about because (a) it’s not f**king new, and (b) duh.
• Craig Frazier’s having a book release party at the Letterform Archive on May 23. Don’t miss this one if you’re in the Bay Area!
• “To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight.” E.E. Cummings at his most poignant.
• Gail Anderson is a frustratingly lesser-known national design treasure in America. You know her work even if you don’t know her name as acutely as, say, Paula Scher.
• Outer Range is coming back for a what looks like a mind-bending second season. Also, season 3 of the excellent Hacks.
• The ones who do all the work tend to be the ones to pick up on things. Toward inquiry.
• I’m no scientist but I’m working on shifting my sleep schedule and already sense the truth that more sleep is like turning on your brain's garbage disposal.
• The SCT has failed us — so what now?
• I may need to go lie down after this one… hits home far too hard.
• Blockin' Bots. Thanks for this, Ethan.