The Quick Brown

The Quick Brown is a website that tracks changes made to Fox News headlines over time. It notes and visualizes text that has been removed and added to the online articles, creating a time stamp for each round of edits.

This is totally fascinating to me. I guess I assumed that this went on, but I never really thought about the scope of the manipulations changes made. (Found through It's That Nice).

Catnip Eyeballs

Creativity + a sense of humor is always a rewarding combination. HannaPt's Etsy shop is selling Catnip Eyeballs. Love it! I mean, why would you want your cat playing with a plain old ball, when you could have the joy of an eyeball being dropped on your lap? I'm buying some immediately. (Found through Moderncat's Etsy Faves).

Golden Hook

There is something so, so, right and so, so, wrong about this idea. Golden Hook is a French company that allows you to customize your own knit hat, from a variety of hat styles and beautiful yarn colors... and then choose the Granny that you want to knit it. Ha! You can even send the Grandma special demands, I mean, requests. Or ask her to write your name on the label: knitted by Simone for Clemence. (Found through Springwise).

Character Study

Ever wonder what is beneath the smiling faces of your favorite cartoon characters? Well thanks to the arguably twisted mind of artist Michael Paulus, you don't have to. He has created skeletal studies of 22 cartoon characters. In his own words:

"These Icons are usually grotesquely distorted from the human form from which they derive. I decided to take a select few of these popular characters and render their skeletal systems as I imagine they might resemble if one truly had eye sockets half the size of its head, or fingerless-hands, or feet comprising 60% of its body mass."

Buttercup, Bubbles and Blossom, you still look cute to me. (Found through Street Anatomy).

Painting Facebook Portraits

Matt Held has found a timely twist on portraits - basing them off Facebook profile images. I've been thinking a lot the past few days about Michael Surtees' article about Face pics being the new logo. In some ways I hope this isn't true. The pictures people use for their profiles all seem so calculated and unreflective of a person's dynamic self (mine included). All that aside, Matt's portraits are very alive and flattering. I would love one. If you are interested in getting your portrait painted, just join Matt's Facebook group. Oh, and of course they are all square. (Found through Double Takes).

So Amazing Right Now, But Nobody is Happy

I got a big smile from this rant about not appreciating technology by Louis C.K. on Conan O'Brien. His point is that everything is amazing right now (thanks to advances in technology) and yet nobody is happy. My favorite quote is "Like how quickly the world owes him something, he knew existed only 10 seconds ago." - it's so true. I think I'm going to need to watch this once a week from now on. Enjoy. (Thanks Nicole!)

We're All Gonna Die

Photographer Simon Hogsberg has created a beautiful, explorable, 100 meter image, of people crossing a railroad bridge. The project is called We're All Gonna Die. The subject of the photos are 178 pedestrians, photographed over 20 days in Berlin. The photos are stunning. You can't stop looking at the people. Some of the people clearly notice their picture being taken, and others are so lost in their thoughts that you can't help wondering what they are thinking about. I'm going back to look some more... (Found through Cool Hunting).

Edible Prints

Mmmmmm, paper. My mouth is actually watering at the thought of these Edible Prints by Sawa Tanaka. So much thought has gone into the descriptions of the flavors and the method of eating, that you can't help but get drawn into the illusion. (Found through the always inspiring DesignNotes).

How Benjamin Button got his face

I really enjoyed the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Particularly because I was so enthralled by the special effects used to make the actors look younger and older. They were amazingly well done. I just watched Ed Ulbrich's TED talk about how Digital Domain created Benjamin's face, and now I'm even more impressed. His head is computer generated for the first hour of the film. The process that they created to make the effects realistic is pretty incredible. They innovated by using "technology stew" - combining little bits of relevant technology gems from gaming and medical imaging. I recommend listening to the explanation. They had me at phosphorescent makeup...

Hamburgerpanda

Hamburgerpanda is an Etsy favorite of mine. I haven't bought anything yet, but I plan to. Hamburgerpanda prints and cards are scientific-cute, if such a category exists. Cindy Yep is the San Francisco artist behind Hamburgerpanda. She says she is inspired by science fiction, nature, and Asian pop culture. I particularly like her underwater robots, like Roboctopus and Turtlebot.

People Who Hug Things

I've been enjoying Alex Who Loves Vinyl (And Wombats, of Course)'s photostream. Gosh... I feel like I don't even need to say more after that user name. Alex has some humorous sets within his collection. I really like the People Who Hug Things photos, and the People Who Take A Nap series. Fun stuff. (Thanks Jenny).

10 Principles that Might Make Your Work Better

As previously announced, Frank Chimero is my new source of design wisdom. I read his 10 Principles that Might Make Your Work Better or May Make it Worse, last week, via Aisle One. And it has been on my mind ever since. It is full of good advice. My favorite is number 6: Embrace the subconscious. Frank - Please publish this as a pamphlet so I can have it on hand at all times - Thanks.

Leah Giberson

I just ordered a print from Leah Giberson. She has a beautiful collection of prints available on Etsy. Her paintings feature concrete urban landscapes, empty swimming pools, and unoccupied chairs. Although the subjects seem cold, the colors make the paintings themselves very warm.

Heart over Head

Encouraging everyone to think heart over head this valentines day.

Card from 3 Lambs Graphics' lovely collection. Available on Etsy.

Islands

Islands is an in progress sculpture project by German artist Markus Hofko. Each island depicts a small snapshot of life, where the people left there seem to simply do what they do best. I guess life keeps on going, even in isolation... just not as well rounded as before. I can't wait to see more.

Dissecting Pastry

I always get in trouble for playing with my food. But my food, rearranging neurosis don't touch on Kathryn Parker Almanas'! She dissects food, arranges it biology lab style, and photographs it. The scientific arrangements are a refreshing approach to a typical food still life. They momentarily change the way I look at food. This is my kind of innovative thinking. (Found though PicoCool).

Fifty People One Question

Fifty People One Question is a heartwarming little video project created by Crush + Lovely and Deltree. I say "little" because it is such a serenely simple idea, and so simply executed, that it seems effortless. The project does what it says, asks 50 people, in 1 city, 1 question. The questions are also simple: What do you wish to happen by the end of the day? Where would you like to wake up? ...and the answers are varied and beautiful. Watch them all here. (Found through It's That Nice)

GE Smart Grid Website

GE has a beautiful new interactive website to promote their Smart Grid innovations. The website is stunning, with intelligent interactive features like a print and play augmented reality Smart Grid. The forward thinking website reflects well on their forward thinking ideas about energy. GE has some intriguing ideas about integrating alternative power sources and smart meters into consumer's lives. They make a convincing argument by visualizing the potential impacts.

Frank Chimero

I'm using Frank Chimero as my design psychologist today. I've had his Proposed Creative Workflow hanging by my desk for a while now. Today I'm adding: Simplicity Requires Courage. Frank has a lovely way with words and images. Not to mention, his marvelous, to-the-point design philosophies.

You can find these and other inspirational design posters on Frank's website.

Lu Cong

I just keep flipping through the Lu Cong's gallery of work in awe. His paintings are so beautiful and serene. They are realistic with a twist of oddity. Kind of like modern versions of Renaissance paintings.

Lu Cong was recently named one of five of “Today’s Masters Making Their Marks”. I'm guessing that means I can't afford any of his work... eagerly awaiting prints.

Matthew Tischler's Screen Series

Matthew Tischler has an intriguing photography series, all shot through screens. Screen Series are photos that border on paintings. They make me think of a modernized needlepoint. Prints of the Screen Series are available through 20x200. I just wish he had called them "Screenshots".

Baby Name Map of USA

The Baby Name Wizard has mapped baby name trends over time. If you want to know where and when a baby name was popular in the United States, just type in the name and explore the maps. The maps are viewable by year, highlighting the peak year and the trends over time.

Guide to Get Lost

Guide to Get Lost is a student project by Emily CM Anderson. I don't know a whole lot about the project, but I kind of like it that way. There is something really charming and inspirational about wanting to get lost. And even more charming about needing a guide to do it. I'm just going to sit and enjoy that thought for a while.

Walls Notebook

If you are a wannabe street artist like me, you will probably appreciate this idea. The Walls Notebook was created by Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee. It is a notebook of "blank" New York walls for you to sketch on. There are 80 inspirational backdrops in all, ready and waiting for your tag. I can't wait until my copy arrives!

Most Beautiful English Words

I have thought about my favorite words before, but I have never stopped to think about which words in the English language I consider the most beautiful. Here are 100 suggestions to help make your decision. I think I'm going with evanescent.

I LEGO N.Y.

I miss living in New York. I think about my experiences there often. So I especially appreciated Christoph Niemann's I LEGO N.Y. A documentation of his seeing reminders of New York, in pieces of lego. (Thanks Lexi!).

Synoptic

I'm always looking for new inspiration to feed my information visualization addiction. Today I found that inspiration in Synoptic. Synoptic was created by German design student Roland LoBlein. It visualizes meteorological data specified by the viewer, and arranged chronologically. The visualizations are beautiful, but what really got me was the ability to turn the graph around in 3D. It immediately gives the data more life and relevance. OK, I'm going to say it again - Damn, I thought I hated charts. (Found through Computerlove).

Exclamation Points

Ha! (found through Half Deserted Streets).