Through Lines 256

Every significant invention must come to a world that is not prepared for it. The invention of the Polaroid by Edwin Land was no exception. Mr. Polaroid, a new documentary from PBS looks like it’ll be excellent.

Art & Design

Type of Note

  • Eugenio Sans and Serif from Commercial Type, first introduced as part of a major redesign of La Repubblica newspaper and inspired in part by Vignelli’s use of Bodoni and Futura deliver a set of complementary classics with fresh, modern flair.
  • Ecléctica from Iván Castro via Sudtipos casts aside the notion of a single classification to be an amalgamation of styles and traditions. Crisp angular cuts, asymmetric serifs, and dynamic italics along with a truly disruptive titling styles that push it over the edge.
  • DJR has expanded his venerable Job Clarendon family with this month’s release of Job Clarendon Narrow which is available from the Font of the Month Club. In an unexpected turn of events though it’s actually wider than the original version.
  • Grez is a typeface created by Ulrika Hellberg using cut black paper. It has a distinct Sister Corita Kent screenprint vibe.
  • FT Goddard is a dot matrix type system. That sums it up well enough for me. The specimen site is particularly excellent.

Technology

  • Want to make lasting memories? Here’s why you should keep your phone in your pocket. I’m much more inclined these days to just be present than always be pulling my phone out to capture something. I’m happy enough to just have it exist in my memory.
  • It’s telling that the creators of so many of the AI tools don’t even have enough confidence in their offerings to simply let users choose to adopt them, and are instead forcing them into users’ faces in every possible corner of their apps and websites. Exactly. Smart people are smart enough to recognize and evaluate technology that can or will help them without it being pushed on them as performance. Anil Dash nails it.
  • Some useful accessibility no-brainers from Thomas Günther.

Futurism

  • If you say to yourself in such matters: who am I to judge? — you are already lost. Even the best ideologies can be dulled into passivity. Reflection and consideration for active, independent thought can be a balm against the path to totalitarianism. Judge carefully, moment to moment, for yourself, but also for others.
  • I do not like the feeling of not understanding the details, so I would have to come to peace with that feeling says Daniel Litt on the place of AI in complex mathematics — but which equally applies to most, if not all fields where AI is being introduced. Mathematical Beauty, Truth and Proof in the Age of AI.

Music & Film

  • Andor is proving to be a truly revolutionary version of what a Star Wars series can be in every sense, and the Declassified mini-docs add even more color to already exceptional writing and visuals.
  • I’m sad to see the Glenmorangie series with Harrison Ford come to an end, but the series’ twelve mini-episodes are a great example of unconventional brand building. Plus, they’re just plain silly.
  • I’m not yet sure what to make of Alien: Earth, but they’ve made the xenomorph somehow even more terrifying in this brief teaser.

One More Thing

  • The goal isn’t to police all behavior at all times. It’s to make us fearful to the point that we police our own behavior. Think for yourself and as much as possible, try to do the right thing even when it feels scary. The Courage to Be Decent.

It was nice to be back in Toronto for the bulk of last week and to spend time with my eldest. I got to enjoy the Leafs nearly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory though ultimately cinching a spot in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs upon my return to California. Mostly I was happy to make it across the boarder without any hassles :D and am easing into a quiet weekend. I was feeling pretty rough yesterday unexpectedly which gave me an excuse to quietly tinker with a small TMDB API integration here on the site and to rest up generally. I guess it kind of worked since I’m mostly feeling better today — and the wind has all but stopped, so I suppose I should take advantage and get out on the whip.