A Sports-Related Post? Surely Not!

Northeastern State University announced yesterday that they will rename their American Indian mascot some time in the near future, following a move by the NCAA to forbid 18 universities with American Indian nicknames or mascots from holding tournaments last year.

Which begs the question, how much longer will the Washington Redskins last?

On Assignment

Passions Flare at Intifada Rally
Columbia Daily Spectator
September 29, 2006

Think Geek Browsing

Like most of ThinkGeek's products, this is pretty cool but delightfully nerdy. And I like the idea behind this, but like hell do I trust leaving my camera balanced on a bean bag.

(This, on the other hand, is just vaguely creepy.)

Thank You, Gothamist

I'm desperately curious as to which "some time" professor is posing half-naked in the Columbia tunnels.

Rigor Mortis

This is a pretty bizarre yet oddly fascinating photo sequence.

Seitz 6x17

Can you see me drooling?

Overheard in Class

"So I recently learned that "hooking up" has taken on a whole new meaning since my day, and, well, I was crestfallen! Because I'm always about 15 years behind everything. But basically, he felt her up. I think that phrase is universal, no?"

- My beloved James Joyce professor

Concourse

The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Background Check

For web designers out there, Travis Beckham's cute little background patterns are a nice addition to any site.

Icosahedrons Galore

Being both a math nerd and somewhat obsessed with folding intricate origami constructions (like hyperbolic parabolas), Richard Sweeney's paper sculptures are enough to make me drool.

Photoblogs That Have Recently Caught My Eye

Mareen Fischinger, a 22-year-old designer/photographer from Düsseldorf, Germany who's currently living in NYC. Interesting macro shots.

Daily Dose of Imagery, a record of Canadian Sam Javanrouh's photos. The current image on the front page is stunning.

Mystery Me, Gary Shrimpling's photographic accounts of life across the pond. Incredible landscapes (see above).

Overshadowed, the photos of Keith Yan; another photographer caught between NYC and elsewhere (in this case, Hong Kong). Wonderfully gritty street photography.

(All of them, incidentally, have Flickr accounts, so check those out too.)

A Simple Equation

SPECTATOR + ARCHITECTURE = SLOW BUT PLEASURABLE DEATH

Personal Injury Warning System

Always thought that standard warning signs were too vague? Jonathan Corum brings you slightly more specific caveats.

I <3 Typography Geeks

For a typeface, Helvetica sure has been inspiring a whole lotta stuff.

In other news, Typobituaries is an amusing and very necessary post about fonts that should be put out to pasture. Who still uses Comic Sans?!

East River Baseball

A view of Queens and Manhattan from the Queensboro Bridge.

The One Train 3.0

New layout.

Yes/no?

JPG Magazine

For all photographers, JPG Magazine is now accepting submissions for their seventh issue. 13 days left!

From Fashion Week

Apparently, not even leggy models wearing short skirts are enough to distract some men from their Blackberries.

The Eye of the Needle

Really, really, tiny sculptures by Willard Wigan.

Far From Blog of the Week

Gawker has launched a new music blog, Idolator.

Quoth Gothamist:

So far they have shed light on things that already have glaring spotlights on them, such as: blogs create buzz about bands, and sometimes those bands aren't worth the buzz! Nothing new there, though they promise to step in and "cover the people who are manufacturing the latest band buzz, whether it's an old-guard standby (Rolling Stone), an absurdly powerful new-media turk (Pitchfork), or an agenda-pimping blogger (take your pick)."

I am less than impressed.

Sexy Beast (On A Leash)

I went down to Bryant Park on Tuesday to shoot the Nanette Lepore show for Fashion Week, courtesy of the press passes that were set aside for Spectator photographers. Though there are many things about the fashion world that I find preposterous and vaguely obscene, it's still a fun and exciting gig -- made infinitely better by the assortment of free gift bags and samples that were being liberally handed out.

One perfume sample, however, stopped me in my tracks. Tagged as "100% Vegan, 100% Safe, and 100% Sexy," upon closer inspection the sleek white tube contained "Unisex Eau de Parfum."

For your dog.

Even more alarming? The ingredient list ("A blend of bergamot and vanialla-infused musk with patchouli, mandarin, and nutmeg oils") is almost identical to that of my favorite perfume. Urk.

From Concert Halls to Cufflinks

While I am mostly scandalized that one of my favorite architects is now designing a jewelry line for Tiffany & Co, I must admit ... Frank Gehry has quite an eye. And let's face it -- his strong suit has always been design, never execution (or silly details like creating buildings that can actually, um, stay standing). So maybe this is for the best?

For Yankees Fans:

According to The New York Times, which is clearly the ultimate authority on Life, The Universe, and Everything, the Yankees suck.

“The Yankees have kind of sold themselves to Satan and brought in bad-feeling people like Randy Johnson and Giambi,” Mr. Mayer said, referring to the surly 6-foot-10 pitcher and the first baseman Jason Giambi, who was implicated in a steroids scandal. “The Mets have now become a more feel-good team.”

I rest my case.

23 Minutes After the Church Bells

I had planned on assiduously avoiding any September 11 commentary, but I really liked The Daily News' cover today.

Random Blog of the Week

Process Recess is the blog of James Jean, an SVA grad who lives in Los Angeles and has had illustrations published in the NYTimes, the LA Times, WIRED magazine, and The Rolling Stone. His work is a mesh of Photoshop effects and hand-drawn art, often with a political twist. Very interesting, definitely worth some browsing time. His website provides an archive of illustrations, paintings, and comic book covers, and his blog shows a little more behind-the-scenes work.

Lesson #524 in Internet Etiquette

Sending naked photos of yourself to strangers, however, is an even worse idea.

Note to Self:

Plucking eyebrows while feeling vindictive & irritated is a bad and painful idea.

And That's The Way It Shouldn't Be

How about, "My journalism is fake and so is my hair"? No?

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

Thanks to Jon, I've managed to secure a copy of The Decemberists' newest album (not scheduled for release until October 3, actually), The Crane Wife. The album's title (and a quarter of the music) is derived from a Japanese fable, quoth Wikipedia:

The Crane Wife is an old Japanese folk tale. While there are many variations of the tale, a common version is that a poor man finds an injured crane on his doorstep (or outside with an arrow in it), takes it in and nurses it back to health. After releasing it, a woman appears at his doorstep who he falls in love with and marries. Because they are in need of money, his wife offers to weave great silk cloths that they could sell at the market, but only if he agrees never to watch her when she is making it. They begin to sell them and live a comfortable life, but he began to make her weave more and more. Not noticing his wife's diminishing health, his greed increases and he eventually peeks in to see what she is doing that makes the silk she weaves so desirable. He is shocked to discover that at the loom is a crane plucking feathers from her body and weaving them into the loom. The crane, seeing him, flies away and never returns.

The music is a far cry from some of their earlier, cheerily-upbeat-yet-slightly-snarky songs, but certainly enjoyable. Have a listen:

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 1 and 2
The Decemberists - Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
The Decemberists - Sons and Daughters

A Visit to Central Park