99% in Print: A Book for the Urban Curious

So it appears that every 19 months, I write a blog post. I'm doing so now, because I have to. Because something monumental has happened, and not doing so would be inexcusable. 

If you've ever read my blog, or you know me at all, you know that I love the podcast 99% Invisible. (And that I love Roman Mars.) You're probably tired of me telling you to listen to 99PI. Well, Roman and Kurt have released a book, The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design. So now I'm telling you to read 99PI.

The book is beautifully designed and perfect for anyone who is curious about the world around them. Full of tidbits and stories about intriguing design elements that you see and don't see in cities all over the world. 

So maybe you're not a podcast person, maybe you're a book person. I highly encourage you to check out 99PI in print. I stand by my claim that everything that Roman (and Kurt) say is fascinating. I've never been disappointed in an episode and I very often find myself talking about the stories later in the week. 

If you're looking for recommendations on episodes to start with, here's a blog post (from 5 years ago) that lists some of my (really old!) favorites. 

But Do They Notice?

As a graphic designer, I spend most of my day rearranging elements around a page like a puzzle; hoping to convey the message in a hierarchical, readable, non-offensive way. What I do doesn't save or change lives... I just try to make things look pretty. So... do people notice?

Well thanks to a recent 99% Invisible episode*, I can take comfort in the fact, that at least Roman Mars does....

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"I firmly believe that people do care, even if we don't know why, even if we don't know how to articulate it, we feel the effects of bad design, whether we consciously notice it or not....  Once you get people to notice bad design, your annoyance spreads like a virus." 

               – Roman Mars

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In the episode, Roman talks with Kate Wagner of the website McMansion Hell; an architectural critic, focusing on ostentatious homes that are built to present an ideal image of wealth but give no consideration to the grammar of design. 

Wagner wants to empower people to have opinions based on design, rather than marketing. But mostly I think she enjoys that others now have to suffer with through her shared annoyance of bad architectural design. I mean, no one wants to suffer alone. 

I can relate to this, since over the years, I have introduced many a friend to Papyrus. And I am pleased that they now cringe every time the encounter it. 

So I will go forth and design on, in the happy knowledge that Roman Mars approves. 

*99% Invisible is my favorite. The fact that there are people out there who are constantly curious about random topics makes me love human beings a little bit more.

The Skeleton Dance

In 1950s Soviet Russia popular Western music banned under severe U.S.S.R. censorship. But, as history has often taught us, with restriction comes high demand. And an underground culture of illegal music and ideas grew. 

But copying and creating musical records required the use of vinyl. Records printed on coated paper only lasted a few days. It was Ruslan Bogoslowski that discovered* you could encode music onto medical x-rays, that could be pulled from hospital archives or trash bins. 
This was called Bone Music, and a black market of bone smuggling soon spread through Russia. A December 2015 99% Invisible podcast tells the story of how dissident kitchens became night clubs and how the KGB's cracked down on the "ribs" by flooding the market with fakes.

I just think these records are stunningly beautiful, and can only imagine how creepy the skeletons must look when dancing around a turntable. 
For years, I've had the idea to take the large x-rays I have of my own spine, and to turn it into a lampshade. Having now discovered bone music, I think I will move that project to the top of my summer DIY list. 

*A discovery that would later land him in a Siberian prison for 5 year. 

31 Days Hath December

There's only a few days left in 2015, New Year's Eve falling on a Thursday this year. And if you've ever wondered what's up with our wacky calendar, with months ranging from 28 to 31 days and months never starting or ending on the same day of the week, Roman Mars (from 99% Invisible) has got the full story for you.

The Gregorian Calendar was developed from the affair of Caesar and Cleopatra, but it's named after Pope Gregory XIII, who standardized it in 1582. 

Now, I've never had any trouble remembering how long each month is, because I do believe I was born knowing this verse:
Thirty days hath September, April, June and November
When short February is done, all the rest have thirty-one.**

There have been attempts to redesign the calendar over the years, but none had much response, except Moses B. Cotsworth in 1902. Cotsworth wanted to introduce a 13-month calendar, which had a standard 28-day month, with an extra month called "Sol" between June and July. At the end of the year, there was a floating day called "Year Day" that was basically a nationally recognized holiday. All months would begin on Sundays, and all holidays would be moved to Mondays.

Clearly, we didn't adopt this calendar, but one significant company actually used this system over 65 years! George Eastman, founder of Kodak was a huge supporter of this system, and rallied for it up until his death. This fascinates me, because how can you, or a company of this size, operate on a whole other calendar than the rest of society? Clearly adaptations and exceptions had to be made.

Per usual, Roman Mars' commentary is entertaining and intellectually fulfilling. If I haven't gotten you to listen to 99% Invisible yet, it's time!!

2016 starts on Friday. If you find yourself without a calendar, there's still calendar inventory available on fivefeettall.etsy.com***!

*Which contains one of my favorite Roman Mars lines ever... "Hitler ruins everything."
**There is fun discussion of the variations of this awkward verse in the 99% Invisible Podcast, especially in the comments section. 
***Only a 12 month calendar. Bonus Sol month not included.

PDX: Can't Go Home Again

People in Portland take pride in a lot of things. But one of their strangest points of pride has to be the carpet in the PDX airport.

This is what the carpet looks like.

And people wear it. They tattoo it. They even hashtag it (#pdxcarpet). And... thanks to Rogue Brewing, they can even drink it. The beer is a celebration of PDX being voted "America’s Best Airport" by Travel + Leisure Magazine for 2 years running. 

99% Invisible* did an amazing podcast revealing the buzz around this beloved floor covering (to those of us not from the West Coast and already aware of it's glory). The somewhat outdated geometric pattern (which is actually reminiscent of air traffic control lights) represents arrival home to those returning to Portland.

BUT, by the end of this month, the carpet is expected be entirely removed from the PDX airport. The decision to remove the carpet was made in 2008, before "tweeting your feet" became a tradition. 

So head over to Rogue Brewing to drown your sorrows and reminisce over #pdxcarpet selfies, but first, be sure to stop by madeinoregon.com for a little something special to carry your beers home in.

*from last week's obsession 

99% Awesome.

I've never really gotten into podcasts. I’ve tried a few, but they never really stuck.

Until now. Because I've found a kindred spirit in Roman Mars.

Roman Mars is the creator of 99 Percent Invisible is "a tiny radio show about design, architecture and the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world."

Basically Roman Mars likes to geek out over the random topics that I also find fascinating. Every episode dives into a different subject, most often to do with design and architecture. But sometimes also about food or history or biology or places or inventions.... really ... or anything. But always intriguing. And always narrated by Mars' soothing radiotopia voice. 

Clearly, I'm about to recommend you check it out—seriously there's something for everyone. Here's a few of my favorites to get you started:

#135. For Amusement Only: Did you know that pinball used to be considered gambling!!?

#175. The Sunshine Hotel: The Bowry's last flop house. 

#171: Johnnycab (Automation Paradox, pt. 2): Driving into the future with no drivers. 

#165. The Nutshell Studies: Dioramas of unexplained deaths.

#154. PDX Carpet: Tweet your Feet! Carpet that has it's own hashtag.

Basically, what it comes down to, is that there's always more to the story. And I'm so glad Roman Mars is there to figure it out. 

In Modern Ruin

Like Mackinac's majestic Grand Hotel, San Francisco's Victorian-era Sutro Baths are a relic of a time gone by. But unlike the Grand Hotel, the baths stand in haunted ruin on the shore of the Pacific Ocean.

Now part of the National Park Services, the site once housed seven pools of filtered and heated seawater, a museum, restaurants, tropical plants, promenades, and seating for thousands of spectators, all covered by 100,000 square feet of opulent glass.

Built by San Franciscan real estate tycoon Adolph Sutro in 1894, the baths never flourished, despite the millions of dollars he poured into them — adding various amusements and oddities over the decades. Sutro even built a rail line through the Presidio to service the baths and the Cliff House, yet they continued to struggle.

After Sutro died in the 1950s, the site was purchased by another entertainment mogul, who attempted to turn it into an ice skating rink. But the site still didn't turn a profit and, in 1966, a fire turned the baths to ruin.

Today, visitors wander over the ruins as though their the remains of the Romans or  Mayans. Often they wonder what ancient structure once stood on the shore, but in reality, it wasn't all that long ago that Sutro's Glass Palace stood in all its lavish glory.

Listen to the colorful history of the baths turned to ruins on 99% Invisible. Or, read the story in Sutro's Glass Palace, available on Amazon.