Misc: The Pencil Bug

I have always used pencils (who hasn't?) but the reviews on Pencil Revolution alerted me to their finer details.  I realized I had a couple decent pencils around the house and I tried out some others to see what all the fuss was about. I soon became pretty well addicted.  Here's what I have at my desk, as shown from left to right in the photo (larger version):

• Staedtler Topstar Dry highlighters in yellow and green. These were given to me a few years ago and are finally seeing regular use.
• Ticonderoga Checking pencils in carmine red.  These have quickly become a required item on my desk. They're great for marking up my notes, tasks, and printed documents.
• Mirado Black Warriors are my current favorite general purpose pencils. They write great, look great, and the cedar smells great too.
• PaperMate American Naturals are a nice alternative (as reviewed over at Pencil Revolution). I really like the feel of the unfinished, hexagonal wood and the overall understated style of this pencil.  The Maritime Hotel stocks a similar unfinished pencil that I'd like to add to my collection.
• Ticonderoga Tri-Writes are classic yellow and triangular in shape. I haven't given these enough of an audition to draw conclusions yet. They're marked "soft" which may have scared me away.
• Keith Haring Doubles from Acme Writing Tools. I received a nice metal tin containing a dozen of these fine pencils for Christmas several years ago.  They feature the colorful and energetic artwork of Keith Haring. For the longest time I shied away from using them often because they looked too nice to sharpen away. I finally got over that silliness and now use them regularly.
• Dixon Tri-Conderogas are oversized, triangular pencils (also reviewed on Pencil Revolution).  They look and feel really great with a matte black rubbery coating but I never got comfortable with the large size.
• Col-Erase Light Blue. I pulled this one out of the art supply bin after reading about Steve of Blue Pencil Unlimited and haven't given it my full attention yet.  It may be a nice complementary addition to the stable.

Music: Inventor Of The Portable Personal Stereo Player

Unlikely trendsetter made earphones a way of life | CNET News.com:

SÃO PAULO, BRASIL--In the late 1960s, Andreas Pavel and his friends gathered regularly at his house here to listen to records, from Bach to Janis Joplin, and talk politics and philosophy. In their flights of fancy, they wondered why it should not be possible to take their music with them wherever they went.

Inspired by those discussions, Pavel invented the device known today as the Walkman. But it took more than 25 years of battling the Sony Corporation and others in courts and patent offices around the world before he finally won the right to say it: Andreas Pavel invented the portable personal stereo player.

Category: Music

Music: Favorites of 2005

Roger reminded me that it is time for the 2005 top ten list. I pulled myself away from Pandora long enough to compile my favorite albums of the past year, in no particular order:

• Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
• Supersystem - Always Never Again
• United State Of Electronica - Emerald City
• Konono No 1 - Congotronics
• Pitty Sing - Pitty Sing
• Outlaws - Too Many Fools Following Too Many Rules
• Beck - Guero
• Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
• Spoon - Gimme Fiction
• Common - Be

Category: Music

Quotes: Renzo Piano

This is an indirect quote in an interesting article on architect Renzo Piano:

The people who make the most noise often have the least to shout about.

[via Kottke]

Category: Quotes

Art: My Paintings On Flickr And At Metropia

I posted six of my paintings to Flickr, which are also available in a Flash slideshow. You may click through to individual paintings and "See different sizes" as large as 1024 by 768. Four of these are for sale at Metropia on Beltline in Addison. Their hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am-7 pm; Saturday, 10 am-6 pm; and Sunday, 12-6 pm.

Category: Art

Music: Holiday Music On SomaFM

On a recent afternoon at home my wife requested I play some Christmas tunes - apparently she wasn't feeling Diplo's FabricLive Radio Mix. While I usually cringe at the thought of this season's soundtrack (except for the Waitresses' sublime "Christmas Wrapping"), I found SomaFM's Xmas in Frisko stream and really enjoyed it. The playlist includes Bing Crosby, the Muppets, Fiona Apple, Eric Cartman, Weezer, the Crypt Keeper, Elvis, the cast of Star Wars, Bruce Springsteen, Sha Na Na, and George Michael along with the unexpected "I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus" and "The Nine Days of Kwanza". They occassionally include a politically incorrect joke or obscenity so it may not be safe for listening at the workplace or with your children. Even though I don't typically like Christmas music, SomaFM's Xmas in Frisko is a lot of fun.

Category: Music

Art: Modern Military And Jet Set Ruins

• Modern Military Ruins of San Francisco
• Aviation Warehouse, 2005
• Jet Set Ruins

[via happy place]

Category: Art

Quotes: Ed Harris As Pollock

From the Ed Harris movie Pollock:

Lee Krasner watching Pollock paint: What's this? I see the head - the body. This isn't cubism, Jackson, because you're not really breaking down the figure into multiple views. You're just showing us one side. What is this? Free association? Automatism?

Pollock: I'm just painting, Lee.

Lee Krasner: But what are you doing, Jackson? Don't tell me you don't know what you're doing. Are you experimenting with surrealism? Is this a dream? Even if it's a dream, it's still what you see. It's life. You're not just randomly putting paint on the canvas. You're painting something. You can't abstract from nothing. You can only abstract from life - from nature.

Pollock: I am nature.

Category: Quotes

Art: Brian Bent

Self taught and influenced by the ‘Contemporary’ period of design and architecture of the 50’s, Southern California artist Brian Bent’s dynamic illustrative paintings of enamel on plywood are high energy with definitive flying rhomboids and vibrant colors.

Category: Art

Music: Radiohead Remixes

The Radiohead remix album Me And This Army is available for download or purchase:

Panzah Zandahz has released a full album with Radiohead remixes. The album, “Me & This Army’” is the follow-up of the Radiohead breaks & beats 12″. Panzah pays tribute to his favorite band & some of his favorite emcees with this 40 min collage of original remixes, mash ups, & covers.

Category: Music