gort-appointed attorney

Though I’ve always dreaded the day when torrents of tut-tutting virtual attorneys scour the internet like ambulance-chasers seeking out and perhaps even provoking legal contests, as yet another presence that is liable to force people from the web, I do tip my hat to the young individual who has created a rather Turing complete electronic barrister that has, pro bono, appealed nearly of a quarter of a million parking-violations, winning far more than half and getting human (and perhaps robotic ones too) drivers out of four million dollars in fines in New York and London. I suspect, however, the metropolises might turn litigious in kind.

books—check ‘em out!

The Vault’s Rebecca Onion has a nice appreciation of the Mid-Century Modern posters of Mary Joan Egan and Cynthia Amrice, commissioned as part of the US Congress’ Library Services and Construction Act of 1962 that sought to provide federal assistance to public libraries in order to expand their services—especially in blighted and rural areas. Sadly, due to shrinking budgets, the initiatives have been all but discontinued since the mid nineteen-nineties, but this gallery is a nice reminder of what libraries were (and are) capable of and, beyond their educational value, makes one appreciate how technologically astute these neighbourhood institutions could be with micro-film readers, photo-copiers, typewriters and film projectors and reach back to a time when office equipment seemed more magical and curious.

sectio aurea or shoe-gazing

Via the always sublime Nag on the Lake, we discover that there exists a pocket-scope that helps a photographer triangulate his or her shot in order to telescope the proportions of the Golden Mean. I wonder how such a compass—integrated as an æthetic by-law into one’s picture taking might result as perfectly-timed, perfectly-framed images. Such a comely and perfect ratio probably comes both by accident and by design.

the price of eggs in china

Via the ever brilliant Kottke we are treated to an excellent primer on the origins of data-visualizations: infographics ISOTYPEs as persuasive tools and encapsulating representations, the mapping of information beyond geography, began to come into their own in the early nineteenth century. Of course, in line with our inherent distrust of Big Data and opinion polls that can be leverage for any message whatsoever, statistics can be biased and incomplete and return a not-so-flattering composite, but being able to present analysis in a way that’s not just publicly-digestible and nearly intuitive but also can disabuse certain assumptions and specious causalities.
Since compendious research was first presented in this format by a gentleman economist and apprentice of steam-engine inventor James Watt, called William Playfair, champion of the infographic and in turn inventor of the pie-chart was able to illustrate the relation between wages and taxes or the true cost of importing commodities or these elegant so called “rose charts” drafted by pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale that conveyed the causes of death for soldiers in the Crimean War was far surpassed by poor sanitary conditions rather than combat—previsioning the germ theory of disease and infection, among many others, helped to dispel native prejudices and create a more informed public. Let’s hope that there’s still honesty in demographics and polarity, but such compiling of numbers outside of individual human experience does beg the question whether we developed this way to limn huge volumes of data—which is rather taken for granted, out of a need to communicate what does not fit to lay wisdom and perhaps common-sense or that we compile facts and figures to rarified levels in order to showcase our drawing talents.

ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny

A few days ago in the raw aftermath of the latest mass-shooting, I recalled seeing a fleeting headline that one ought not be so quick to turn to the seemingly lone and mutually exclusive alternative explanation for such tragedies—aside from the matter of stricter gun control: mental health, assuming that imbalances and deviation from the norm risks further alienation by being a second to terrorism.
I didn’t know how to feel about something that at least initially struck me as backdoor apologies and perhaps cryptic political-correctness, and this essay by Steven Asma, for Æon magazine, that identifies the thread of toxic masculinity (the weaponized loser) I can’t say settles the matter but does add another dimension to ruminate over. Failure to domesticate and thus manage inchoate male aggression and drive is a failure to socialise an individual as a member of broader society, and a theme repeated again and again sometimes manifesting itself in awful ways. The scenario of the disassociated savage plays out equally badly in whatever context—be it the Cosplay Caliphate and cadet groups or a jilted young man raised in a civilised framework, just add ammunition to the equation. As much as civilisation seeks to domesticate these instincts, there are also coping mechanisms just as deeply ingrained and arguably all the trappings of society were engineered to curb, redirect or harness this drive. What do you think?

invisible touch

After somewhat of a hiatus, I learned recently that the dangerously fascinating National Public Radio series Invisibilia is back on the air with a new season and more intriguing stories about the invisible forces (and those who hold truck in them) that rule our lives and mold our perceptions.
I did enjoy reading the shows transcripts from time to time, but besotted as I am with my fine constellation of BBC Radio 4 podcasts (just listening to my stories), it did not occur to me that NPR might be served up in the same format. Be sure to check it out and ponder some intriguing and provocative profiles that very nicely compliments their cousins across the Drink. Closing every episode with a dance-party is all the more reason to tune in: she’s got something you just can’t trust, and it’s something mysterious and now it seems I’m falling for her, falling for her…

fingerhut

Given that more and more applications and gate-keepers are relying on biometric markers over passwords for authentication and the quite justified fear that such irreplaceable and fixed latch-keys are in the wilds already to be exploited, a clever design student has created prosthetic thimbles (Fingerhüte), which are fleshy, randomised and durable enough to be recognised by the bouncers that are to protect our privacy and integrity. Such sophisticated but simple accessories perhaps would not be as prone to dusting and lifting as our forensic evidence that is not so simply retooled through lock-smithy or the trust of said institutions. While much of the world traffics in skeuomorphs for many things, the designer’s native China has done away with lock and key for residences as well and this was the impetus to deliver the alternative of rubber finger-tips.

royal prerogative or we are not amused

It’s been speculated for some time that the media mogul become presidential contender—and perhaps the next US president, might be a sort of Manchurian Candidate installed under the auspices of a once and future syndicate, engineering to propel the opposition into power. Though this conspiracy seems quite far-fetched, maybe it’s not beyond the realm of political possibilities, a parallel scenario, judging by recent events, seems almost assuredly more likely in its absurdity.
I think the Queen may use this opportunity to seize back the powers eroded of the monarchy and run her majesty’s own government for the time being rather than letting the presumptives and heirs-apparent take office. Perhaps (and I’d venture for a lot of the voters who voted leave, respect for the royal family is also a shared demographic and would submit to rule by some unelected German and some unemployed Greek on public-assistance) it would be a dereliction of her duty to faithfully defend the kingdom not to. What do you think? I recall how a few years ago Belgium was suffering a constitutional-crisis for failure to cement a coalition government and elevate a prime minister—for a period surpassing war-torn Iraq going without a formal leader, and me wondering why the Belgians were so concerned, with already having a king and being the seat of the EU parliament.  Winkie-winkie.