“There is a commonly held belief that Helvetica is the signage typeface of the New York City subway system, a belief reinforced by Helvetica, Gary Hustwit’s popular 2007 documentary about the typeface. But it is not true—or rather, it is only somewhat true. Helvetica is the official typeface of the MTA today, but it was not the typeface specified by Unimark International when it created a new signage system at the end of the 1960s.”
Matt Jones and Tom Coates, a presentation from the 2008 Web2.0Expo: “Today we’re going to… examine what we find a pretty fascinating emerging area — where ubiquitous technology is increasingly impacting our lives, which we call ‘personal informatics.’”
“A few years ago, at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, I noticed something strange on the departure boards. American Airlines had three flights scheduled that afternoon from ORD to Boston, and all were apparently operating on time. United, on the other hand, had three flights scheduled from ORD to Boston, but none were operating on time. In fact, all three United flights showed ‘canceled.’
I smelled a rat. I went to the United counter and asked the reason for the cancellations. ‘Weather.’”
Posted by Bill Keaggy on Thursday, January 31st, 2008 at 1:56 pm
“Most of us need to make the time to go out on walks, swim, collect little bits of things, take photos, get drunk (or not), talk to friends, etc. So, you have to wonder, who wouldn’t want to spend 5 nights on an island while talking about and working with type? British Columbia in the summertime is heaven on earth—a place where most people would be happy to kick back and relax for a week, but if you’re into typography you can relax your body and exercise your brain at the same time. Three typographers, Marian Bantjes, Shelley Gruendler and Ross Mills will offer differing and convergent approaches to type in a relaxed but structured program over five days. [Note: This session is over but more are planned, like the one below.]
Type Camp—INFO DESIGN: 10-15 August 2008 | We’ll bring a bit of the Bauhaus to Canada with the head Info Design instructor, Jay Rutherford. Jay is a Professor of Visual Communications at the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany.” (Thanks Chris Glass!)
“‘So, what do you see?’ Martin Pietrucha I asked, turning around in the driver’s seat of his mint green Ford Taurus. It was a cold day in January, and we were parked in the middle of a mock highway set on the campus of Pennsylvania State University in State College. Pietrucha is a jovial, 51-year-old professor of highway engineering. His tone was buoyant as he nodded toward the edge of the oval stretch of road where two green-and-white signs leaned against a concrete barrier.
What I saw, Pietrucha knew, was what we all may see soon enough as we rush along America’s 46,871 miles of Interstate highways. What I saw was Clearview, the typeface that is poised to replace Highway Gothic, the standard that has been used on signs across the country for more than a half-century. Looking at a sign in Clearview after reading one in Highway Gothic is like putting on a new pair of reading glasses: there’s a sudden lightness, a noticeable crispness to the letters.”
A funny page that shows you the world’s largest lake, largest island, and the largest island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island — and everything in between.
Holy crap! “Behind the raging horseshoe falls of Niagara there lurks a dormant monster, a century old redbrick tunnel painstakingly laid. There is no recorded tally of its human cost but in 1906 it would be the biggest tunnel of its type in the world. Like the secret hideout of a supervillain it defies belief and comprehension, a stronghold behind the crashing waterfall.”
Posted by Bill Keaggy on Thursday, March 8th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Also published in Random
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“Caveat: It has been noted on the discussion page that this list includes examples of common etiquette, superstitions, linguistic guidelines, preferences in terminology, cultural tendencies, local laws, regional customs and many other occurrences which are not correctly defined as faux pas. Nevertheless, the following list contains useful generalized information about ways that one might breach social expectations in various countries. Note that changing attitudes and multiculturalism within countries means that some entries listed here may apply to the social expectations of only a few individuals. To avoid giving offense, it is best to use a conservative and observant approach in any social situation where one is unfamiliar with cultural expectations.” (Thanks kottke.org!)
Posted by Bill Keaggy on Sunday, November 12th, 2006 at 8:02 am
A highly visual site listing interesting hotels around the world. Lots of different categories to look through and enjoy (although it might not be so enjoyable if you don’t have the $ to go to these locations).
Posted by Bill Keaggy on Wednesday, September 27th, 2006 at 8:04 am
