l.a. looks

Reacquainted with the often praised through imitation or pigeon-holed as dated detritus of the 1980s (such are the wages, I think, of establishing a signature style) work of Patrick Nagel some time ago while trying to summon-up a Duran Duran video, we appreciated this overview from Dangerous Minds about the profusion of homages to be found in beauty salons—hair, makeup, nails and tanning. Of course, the trend is towards the bourgeois smug with sleeker and twee dandy gimmicks and cultural appropriation on offer with increasing frequency but (and I sadly had to witness my barber’s go from later to the former recently and did not know how to take the change) they’ll probably be window-dressing in the style of Nagel for some time to come. Be sure to check out Dangerous Minds at the link above and a place called Trashy Salon Art for more examples and to contribute your own.

front-business

Having recently learnt that there’s a specific name for the construction and preservation technique that aims to capture the elaborate fronts of buildings either for conservation or as a stage or film set is called façadism (Entkernung) reminded me of these flats erected by various artists in Paris and rural France to suggest that among other things about the nature of outward appearances that we lose out when only the shell of a historical treasure is saved, whereas provisionally, it is a technique that can be used to retain the character of a neighbourhood while the back office, so to speak, is reconfigured and repurposed. What do you think? It does seem aesthetically pleasing to retain the original appearance of an architectural ensemble, but also part of the practise seems like a sham and a folly, especially when an ill-fitting (like a fast-food franchise that gains a purchase in a historic district by blending in) enterprise can benefit from some window-dressing.

hastings rarities or slaty white-throated fairy-bellied ground tyrant

In response to popular demand from bird-watchers (birder is the preferred term for those who take the activity seriously)—and given our tendency to give our avian encounters strange and elaborate names as it is, the creative team at Lewis and Quark (accompanied by the brilliant illustrations of Carin Powell) gave their neural network the task of generating plausible bird names.
We’ve probably set that bar pretty low. Some of course came out ridiculous but most came across as majestic and legitimate-sounding, like the Cape Babbler or the Red-capped Lynert’s Leafbird and turning the license up a few notches resulted in fine and rare specimens like the Dusky Sicky-faced Petrel, the Iceland Reedhaunter, the Fawn-bellied Flowerpecker and our favourites, the Slender-eared Chat and the Mountain-rumpting Finch. Which one among these would you consider ornithologically likely enough to be common-name of the next newly-discovered species of feathered-friend?

inside voice

A major computer manufacturer is seeking to patent its plans for a virtual personal assistant to inhabit its range of gadgets that can detect and match the volume of the user, to reply with a whisper if the question or command is given in hushed tones.
The technical details are proving to be somewhat more of a challenge than expected and a filing does not mean the feature will be forthcoming. Perhaps Siri was taught to whisper in a saw-mill, not unlike some of the people that I work with who forget others can hear what they’re saying. While it may be more decorous for one’s secret-sharer to not broadcast questions that were meant to be discrete—even though in not sharing with our immediate company, we might be issuing missives to a potential audience of billions forever and ever—at the end of the day, state-of-the-art tools that prevent our needing to talk to or interact with another human does not impress much.

7x7

bbc dad: via Kottke, the five or so times that the internet was collectively fun over the past year

stratagem: Sun Tzu’s the Art of the War on Christmas

earworm: the United States of Pop 2017 Edition

data discrimination: US attorneys general and congress mount legal challenges to the Federal Communication Commission over Net Neutrality

holiday jumpers: the history of the garment and the Vancouver get-togethers that launched the Ugly Christmas Sweater phenomenon

a matter of timing: more Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards winners

luke starkiller: concept trailer for Ralph McQuarrie’s original 1975 vision for Star Wars