What's All This Then?
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What's All This Then?
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Tuesday Edition
We jumped in the car and drove to Minneapolis to make
a documentary about Aesthetic Apparatus: Found and Reused.
Above is a detail from a magnificent 1974 Cuban poster for The Godfather that was found while we were hopelessly and joyfully lost in the archives of Eddie Shannon's Film on Paper. Matt Singer wrote about the site for IFC. Here's a large collection of imagery from Ñiko, the designer of the Godfather poster.
“My first memory is of my father carrying a hammer into our bedrooms and smashing open our piggy banks on the night Roberto died.”
"Play Ball!" Forty-one seasons ago, Roberto Clemente slashed a double into left-center field, recording his 3000th regular season career hit. That hit would turn out to be his last. The bat he used is the central object in Kevin Guilfoile's book, A Drive into the Gap, the first title from the publishing imprint of our Field Notes Brand. The book has garnered great reviews and is a story about baseball and memory, and fathers and sons. See a film, read an excerpt and buy a copy of A Drive into the Gap here.
Here's a longer excerpt, plus some nice video features from ESPN The Magazine, and to learn how the whole thing came about check this Gapers Block interview with Kevin.
2001: A Space Odyssey Howard Johnsons 1968 Children's Menu. A fabulous find by John Sisson. It doesn't explain the film much, but really, how could it?
Aaron Draplin talks about Field Notes' heritage in a short film, From Seed and a small portion of his collection of agricultural themed American memo books from the last 100 years are now online at the Field Notes site. Tangentially related, Bryan and Jim walk through all 17 limited-editions we have made so far, in four very nerdy videos.
Luminant Screen Shapings is a photographic series of old tube televisions taken at the very moment they are switched off. The TV picture breaks down and is abstracted to its essential element: light... In contrast to the Luminant Point Arrays the Luminant Screen Shapings show black and white televisions." —Stephan Tillmans.
"How do you spell courage?" For the proper effect, check the trailer first and then please take a few minutes (eleven actually) to watch our short feature film about words, pictures and bravery, Copy Goes Here.
Are you better suited for starting things than you are for finishing them? Are you easily distracted? Do you find it hard to concentrate on any one thing when there are so many other things to check out? Yeah, us too.
The spring limited-release for Field Notes is made up of three picturesque memo books. It's the America is Beautiful Edition, we also made a film to go along with it. As usual it's only slightly related to the product, except in spirit of course. As an added bonus we shot in the film aspect of 2.35:1, Hello Cinemascope!
In with every "Beautiful" 3-pack is a classic water transfer decal, perfect for the back window of your muddy old pick-up. Here's some tips on how to install it properly.
Jim and John Gruber chatted recently about 2001: A Space Odyssey and other things on this episode of The Talk Show. For over ten years we've been collecting links and tossing them into various categories. As you probably have noticed, we're a bit of obsessed with a certain film director. In honor of a recent Chicago screening of a new 70mm print of 2001 A Space Odyssey, spend some time in our big messy archive of Kubrickian links.
We have word that two readers in New York City, who followed our guidelines for updating their vehicle identification systems, pulled up alongside each other at a traffic light and celebrated their common bond by honking and pointing. Excellent. More recently, John Heslop's vintage Toyota HiAce is looking badass in Wales. Our plot is beginning to take hold. Write for yours free today, but hurry, we only have tens of thousands left. BTW, who has a green Mini Cooper with the Fleet sticker in Chicago?
Check the exhibitions now showing at The MoOM and our "MoOMumentary," The Curators. The galleries will be rehung for the Spring soon.
Eric Smith (esm) is a Chicago-based designer and creative director currently working with Guaranteed Rate, located just five blocks from his home. He's spent time as Design Director for BenchPrep, a Lightbank funded start-up, and at Playboy doing both print and digital design. His two sons keep him busy providing assistance with all things Star Wars. In his free time, he draws Mythical Beasts, and keeps a constant eye out for the Hobo typeface on his blog, Hobo Shelter. For the month of May, Eric joins us as our Guest Editor.
A list of all the brilliant people who have helped us by guest editing Fresh Signals can be found here.
Other recent features are listed on Page Two.
Droga5's clever promo for Qantas airlines: Stories for Every Journey, a collection of books, with their lengths timed to those of varying flights' distances. Short film about it, here.
Trailer for the documentary about racing in the Midwest: R/C Racers.
A Grizzly ate his GoPro.
A lovely collection of time-lapse videos of our beloved city.
If you're anything like BB and me, you are anxiously awaiting Sunday's premiere of the new season of Arrested Development. Luckily for all of us, NPR has this wonderful guide to all the running gags from the first 3 seasons.
"I put all the dishes away, is that OK?" and other questions that get all women horny. By Claire Zulkey.
The ornate tombstones within a cemetery in the small town of Ieud, in northern Romania.
For 600 days Yu Yamauchi lived in a hut near the summit of Mt. Fuji, getting up while it was still dark to photograph the sunrise every day, from the same location.
Clash box set with all five albums remastered. #TOBTM.
Hipsters rejoice! You can make some cash by just being you.
Drawn, one of our favorite illustration sites, is no more.
Volocopter VC1, an electric "multi-copter."
Footage of Oklahoma tornado forming yesterday. Sheesh.
James White gets The Great Discontent treatment and in case you missed it, last week was Jason Fried.
So you know, Fillmore East Shows 1968-71.
"...current maps, as we know them today, are obsolete." As demonstrated by this video, the size and shape of a place can be displayed in ways that go beyond strict geography. Timemaps incorporates public transportation and time of day to redraw The Netherlands according to the relative time needed to travel between places. Brilliant. More from the creator Vincent Meertens, here.
Related to the last, check The Scott Expedition, the site for Ben's next journey. We're proud that Field Notes Brand is a sponsor of the journey.
"My next expedition. I'm planning to set out to complete Captain Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Antarctic expedition for the first time. At 1,800 miles and nearly four months long, it will be the longest unsupported polar journey in history, and it's the biggest challenge I've ever taken on." Gear Patrol interviews Ben Saunders
Coast Modern looks great. "From LA to Vancouver, a legacy of inspired living by the pioneers of West Coast Modernist Architecture." Local note, it's screening on the 25th at Chicago Filmmakers.
Video for Kid Francescoli's Blow Up.
"The new visual system is thus like an elastic band." A swell new identity program for Haus der Kunst, Munich's public museum for contemporary art. Via Frank Chimero.
Macro shots of bugs by Nicolas Reusens.
More posters from Antonio Perez, aka Ñiko.
Related to today's main image, a fabulous Cuban Clockwork Orange poster by Nelson Ponce.
Vintage print advertising found in Mom's basement.
Embarrassed to only just be finding this now: Blue States' Andy Dragazis has started a side project solo band, The Scantharies, "inspired by 60s and 70s Greek bands such as The Persons, The Forminx and Aphrodites' Child." On extra heavy rotation starting...now.
Zaha Hadid's Guangzhou Opera House.
Maria Popova's "semi-accidental" discovery of gorgeous black-and-white photos of vintage NASA facilities.
Colossal on Ondu Wooden Pinhole Cameras from industrial designer Elvis Halilovic. Check the video. More at ondu.si.
"...the whole staff was shot through with drunks, incompetents, and hacks." An illustrated history of Newsweek, by Andrew Losowsky.
If Wes Anderson wrote the Bible it would sound like this."
A look at some of the entries for the 2013 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.
Trailer for Europa Report.
13thwitness.
A relink and ridiculously addictive, GeoGuessr.
The Waterfall and the World at Night.
The Cocktail Chart of Film and Literature.
"Rosebud" Butt is credited with inventing the Long Island Iced Tea while he was a bartender at the Oak Beach Inn in the 1970s. Via American Drink.
Posters from Cannes 2013.
Newspaper hats.
Page Two contains the previous 40 Fresh Signals, recent features, a key to the icons and the categorical archives.
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