beatnic - just wondering

• Resources - Stencil Revolution
  (tags: stencil fonts)
• Alan Perlis - Wikiquote
  “Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.”

  Thanks to my Dad for the link.

  (tags: perlis epigrams alanperlis)

Every now and then I read something that seems to coincide with my life so perfectly I imagine there must be an Amélie-like character who has placed it in my path.

This is certainly true of John Maeda’s book The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life).

Maeda is a world-renowned graphic designer, visual artist and computer scientist at the MIT Media Lab.

At work we have a big simplicity theme going on at the moment which I’m closely involved in. The book is the perfect reference for this work.

On a personal note I found it covers themes which are incredibly important to me in the way I work and think as a technologist, designer and facilitator and also in my non-work life.

There are ten laws. If you’re really pushed for time the tenth law “The One” summarises them all:

Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.

The book is deliberately 100 pages long. Just knowing that when you’re reading it is reassuring and offers a feeling of simplicity in itself.

I must admit I enjoyed the book so much I broke the third law immediately by taking my time to ponder the content.

There’s a great explanation of how the iPod became more complex before it became simpler, like so many other things in life!

Maeda also covers Gestalt, one of my favourite subjects, and how it helps when designing and understanding design.

If you don’t want to buy the book, much of the information in the book is available on Maeda’s Laws of Simplicity blog, though I find the fact that the book packages the ideas and is itself simply designed means it works much better for me.

• Flickr Leech
  (because paging sucks) - thanks to Nick S-J for the link.
  (tags: flickr)

• BBC NEWS | Magazine | Why I will be at my own wake
  “I realised I wanted to thank them all for being part of my life and being my friend, that’s why I decided to organise and go to my own wake. The next day I also want to ring up those who don’t turn up and ask why, as a joke.”
  (tags: people life death wake inspiration)

Stuff that’s caght my eye in the excellent East Dulwich Forum.

• Moxons the fishmongers has opened a shop on Lordship Lane.
• Two Trees Lounge has closed - shame, the did good pizzas and had a never ending source of Claude Challe music.
• Join us for some early morning running (and here too) round the local parks.
• Wanted: sofa
• Recommended: plumbers, painter/decorator
• Next forum meet up: 24th Feb, 7.30pm onwards at the EDT

Channel 4’s Child Genius made interesting viewing.

In a Seven Up style format, it will follow several “gifted children” - they are so bright their IQs are off the scale - as they develop to see how their lives pan out.

In one scene a ten year old boy is in conversation with a Professor of Philosophy walking round the gardens of an Oxford College.

Professor: “If you had to lose only one, would it be logic or emotion?”

Child genius (without hesitation): “Emotion, because then I wouldn’t feel unhappy”

Professor: “Ah, but you wouldn’t feel happy either.”

Child genius: “Yes, but I wouldn’t care.”

• YouTube - Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us
  (tags: web 2.0 anthropology)

Prompted by DulwichMum’s comment in my previous post, here’s some info on MBTs.

MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology and is the “invention” of a Swiss doctor who observed that the Masai tribe in Africa had fantastic posture and back problems rarely occurred.

So he created this shoe which simulates the effect of walking barefoot through a desert.

Basically they make you look like you’re walking around on a couple of boats!

It makes it impossible for you to stand still so your body is constantly working out and it’s supposed to be especially good for your core stability - like you’re doing Pilates all the time.

Available via the internet or at Dr Boo’s on North Cross Road.

I haven’t tried them myself, but maybe after this plug I may be sent a pair to try out :-)

a mum, she’d be pushing a Bugaboo round the park in her MBTs.

a house, it would be having its loft converted.

• Tomski: The BBC’s Fifteen Web Principles
  (tags: web webdesign lists tomski tomloosemore)
• Gestalt psychology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (tags: gestalt)