Pale and Thin from Jaysond Neill on Vimeo.
Recorded in Savannah, Georgia on November 22, 2012.
Back to Basics, originally edited by Reader’s Digest, is the best primer for anyone who desires to buy , build or restore their first rural home. The book outlines how to search for land, how to inspect old homes (especially farm houses), and demonstrates the know-how necessary to maintain a rustic lifestyle.
The illustrations through-out are remarkable. My favorite diagram shows how to determine the age of an old home by examining the saw and planing marks on structural beams.
The Invisible Bicycle Helmet. Very interesting.
npr:
What do we think? — tanya b.
Dowling Duncan and redesigning the American Dollar:
Why the size?
We have kept the width the same as the existing dollars. However we have changed the size of the note so that the one dollar is shorter and the 100 dollar is the longest. When stacked on top of each other it is easy to see how much money you have. It also makes it easier for the visually impaired to distinguish between notes.Why a vertical format?
When we researched how notes are used we realized people tend to handle and deal with money vertically rather than horizontally. You tend to hold a wallet or purse vertically when searching for notes. The majority of people hand over notes vertically when making purchases. All machines accept notes vertically. Therefore a vertical note makes more sense.Why different colors?
It’s one of the strongest ways graphically to distinguish one note from another.Why these designs?
We wanted a concept behind the imagery so that the image directly relates to the value of each note. We also wanted the notes to be educational, not only for those living in America but visitors as well. Each note uses a black and white image depicting a particular aspect of American history and culture. They are then overprinted with informational graphics or a pattern relating to that particular image.$1 – The first African American president
$5 – The five biggest native American tribes
$10 – The bill of rights, the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution
$20 – 20th Century America
$50 – The 50 States of America
$100 – The first 100 days of President Franklin Roosevelt. During this time he led the congress to pass more important legislations than most presidents pass in their entire term. This helped fight the economic crises at the time of the great depression. Ever since, every new president has been judged on how well they have done during the first 100 days of their term.
Mala Zimetbaum and Edward (Edek) Galinski - also known as Romeo and Juliet from Birkenau.
Most romantic and tragic history of love ever:
Jewish woman (of Polish origin) and Polish political prisoner – both arrested and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp ( built and operated by Nazis in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II) – Mala in 1942, Edek in 1940. They met, they fall in love in a place which was all about death and destruction.
Edward planned to escape from the camp with his friend Wieslaw Kielar, The plan fell through when Kielar lost a pair of SS guard’s uniform pants needed as a disguise for their escape. Edek told his friend that he would escape with Mala instead.
The plan was as follows: Edek would dress up as the SS guard and escort Mala through the perimeter gate, pretending that he was escorting a prisoner to install a washbasin.
The plan was put into action in June 1944, and the couple succeeded in escaping to a nearby town. After their escape, Edek hid nearby as Mala went into a store to try to buy some bread with gold she and Edek had stolen from the camp. The passing German patrol became suspicious and arrested Mala. Edek watched from a distance as Mala was arrested.
Knowing she would be killed for the escape, he turned himself in to the German patrol since they had promised not to separate.
Edek and Mala were taken out to be executed at the same time, in the men’s and women’s camp respectively.
King Carlos II of Spain (1661-1700)
Poor guy was really inbred, both of his wives hated him, and he was constantly pushed around by either his mother, his brother, or the Inquisition. His death sparked off the War of the Spanish Succession.
Despite all that, I think he’s a total cutie.
The Night’s Last
I’m alone here, and though I want you to come with me, I’m alone. The smoke pours out of my cigarette as headlights from night’s travelers pass by. The crickets are playing in the distance, and though they only know one note, it is a beautiful one. From up here I feel safe. It makes me wonder how my thoughts would be different if I were at street level, close enough to the ground to hear it breath. I am safe up here, yes, I am safe. The wet lavender blows through my window in orchestrated breaths. It’s scent, newborn from an evening shower. If only water would bring that innocence back to me. If only. Sleep.
“It took me years to understand that words are often as important as experience, because words make experience last”
—Willie Morris
(via npr)
