And that is why the “electronic book” will NEVER replace real books. There is an honest in form that can not be duplicated.
Archive for the 'Books' Category
Andrew Zuckerman’s Birds. A book of stunning photos, and a website that has sounds and information on each different species. Nature is pretty amazing.
Does the book you’re reading or the guy you’re dating excite you? Do you find the weather effects your mood? Does wearing lipstick make you feel sexy or does it really give you hope? And do you go to the gym for personal fitness or to impress your partner? Exploratory book We Feel Fine is an exploration of human emotion and how often our real emotions are masked by simply saying “I feel fine.” To create this book, digital whiz kids Sep Kamvar and Jonathan Harris used their computer programs to peer into the inner lives of millions and to construct a vast and deep portrait of emotional landscape. More than 12-million feelings have been collected since 2005, with 10,000 new feelings added everyday. Packed with personal photos, scientific observations, statistical graphics, and countless candid vignettes from ordinary people, We Feel Fine is a visual, fiercely intelligent, endlessly engrossing crash course in the secrets of human emotion. Equal parts pop culture and psychology, computer science and conceptual art, sociology and storytelling, this emotional rollercoaster is no ordinary book. It’s comprised of thousands of authors from all over the world revealing their raw and honest emotions. The book is also an interesting experiment in mass authorship and the emergence of bloggers getting book deals.
Designing Obama: the book
The Obama presidential campaign was innovative. For the first time in American politics, a candidate used art and design to bring together the American people—capturing their voices in a visual way. The Design Director of the Obama campaign, Scott Thomas, has collaborated with artists and designers to create Designing Obama, a chronicle of the professional and grassroots art from the historic campaign. In the same ‘power to the people’ spirit, they are self-publishing the book and are only printing as many books ordered to avoid wasted paper. They have been using the campaign model of small pledge donations from supporters, and partnered with KickStarter to help fund the first run of books. You have until November 4th to get in on this deal.
design revolution: 100 products that empower people
There is a new generation of designers concerned with changing the world through humanitarian design. Emily Pilloton is one of them. Less than two years ago, at the beginning of 2008, with a few-hundred dollars, a laptop and huge ambition, Emily launched Project H Design, a radical non-profit company that supports, inspires and delivers life-improving humanitarian products. The company is most noted for its water-carrying device the Hippo Roller and the Lifestraws. Emily is a great example of what a young designer can achieve, but she’s not only proud of her own work, she wants to share with you what other designers have accomplished. Her book Design Revolution: 100 Products That Empower People profiles the best contemporary designs changing the world we live in, such as safer baby bottles, a waterless washing machine, sugarcane charcoal, universal composting systems and DIY soccer balls. Emily understands that design will be the driving forced behind the world’s major problems like poverty, access to clean water and environmental disasters. Her book is positively inspiring and shows designers the ingenuity of their profession, and everybody else that there is proof of hope for a better world.
paris 48°5on 2°23e
If you’re heading to Paris soon and want a travel guide that’s a little different from what’s out there, artist Ami Sioux has the perfect solution for you. Ami asked 50 Paris locals to hand-draw a map to a place that was personally significant to them. She then followed their directions and took a photo of the destination. The result is Paris 48°50N 2°23E, a creative and unique insight into the everyday lives of Parisians and a great guide for those who wish to explore the less travelled roads and streets of Paris. Paris 48°50N 2°23E is part of the °Books series which also includes a guide to Reykjavik, Iceland. Image via Ami Sioux.
Dallas Clayton, author of An Awesome Book! has taken his crusade to help the world chase its dreams in life a little bit further. He has now created Awesome World Foundation, which, for every book sold, gives one away to a young person to encourage them to pursue their dreams. The foundation was formed to try and promote children’s literacy and encourages kids to dream of magic watermelon boats, and musical baboons, or teeny tiny trumpet players training pet racoons. Yet there are places in the world where people dream up dreams, so simply un-fantastical and practical they seem – to lose all possibility of thinking super things, of dancing wild animals with wild-coated wings. For anyone who hasn’t yet had the pleasure of reading An Awesome Book!, it’s well worth it, and now there’s an added incentive …
the sartorialist
Scott Schuman, no doubt one of the original street style bloggers, has turned his fashion blog The Sartorialist into book-form. The book, also titled The Sartorialist, is a collection of Schuman’s best and favourite photographs from his blog, which documents his encounters with the style-savvy around the world. While Schuman’s style preference has been poked fun at, his ability to find elegance and cool in everyday people (regardless of age, sex or race) and capture people’s confidence in their own style (no matter how unconventional their look is) is really what sets The Sartorialist apart from the many street style blogs out there. Due for an Australian release in late September, The Sartorialist is sure to be the most eclectic and inspiring book on your coffee table. Schuman was also recently in Australia to shoot a campaign for Saba denim with models hand-picked off the streets of Melbourne by the man himself. Image via The Sartorialist.
Long before “Big Brother” was a reality TV-show; it was introduced into the wider vernacular by revolutionary author George Orwell, and this month we celebrate the sixty year anniversary of his timeless classic, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Without a doubt, Orwell’s work is one of the most influential and socially significant novels of the modern era. First published in 1949, it tells the tale of protagonist Winton Smith living in a dystopian world, where Big Brother, the Thought-Police and incessant propaganda have eroded any hope of collective freedom for the citizens of fictional super-continent “Oceania”. Orwell’s themes are manifold, and his bleak prediction of a world ruled by fear and oppression served as a timely reminder to the potential tyranny of state authority. Continue reading ‘big brother turns 60′
It is hard for a sighted person to imagine what it is like to be blind. The innovative and award winning children’s book “The Black Book of Colour’ invites readers to explore what it’s like to read with their fingertips by using black raised line art against black pages to illustrate the story. The descriptive, sensory text, such as “yellow tastes like mustard, but is as soft as a baby chick’s feathers” is featured in both printed text and Braille. This beautiful and clever book makes me think how colour is such a powerful design element to almost everything, and I’ve always been intrigued about how the colour is our rooms, our clothes or other things can make us feel better or different. Today, pink is making me happy. I think pink tastes like your kiss, and is as sweet and fluffy as fairy floss.
blue like you
If there’s something to be said for ‘normalising’ ideas the more we talk about them, then Brisbane curator and publisher Monique Van Dijk wants to chat in lengths about depression in women. She’s just announced the call-out campaign for her Blue Like You e-book project and is calling for 100 brave women aged 15 to 35 and living with depression to tell their stories in a candid way and match their words with real names and photos. It sounds pretty daunting but Monique will be part of the project too because she’s dealt with depression for more than five years, and she’s not alone – depression is now the third most common cause of illness in women. She’s ready to talk about it now but for a long time she pretended everything was fine, even to her closest friends and her family. ““I finally got to the point where I realised that dealing with it by myself just wasn’t working,” Monique points out in her Blue Like You call-out. “For me, seeking professional help was hideously confronting but it definitely worth it. It was such a relief to talk about my depression and actually discover how common it is. I used to think that I was abnormal, weak and lazy but I have learnt that acknowledging mental illness doesn’t mean there is something wrong with me, in fact it has allowed me to feel OK about myself for the first time in years.” The more Monique talks about it, the more she finds other women sharing their stories and feeling a huge burden lifted by just being honest about their experiences. If you’re ready to help lead the way to making depression as commonly discussed as gluten allergies and knee reconstructions, then now might be the time to tell your story. The website will be up and running soon so stay tuned for more details but in the meantime you can get in touch by emailing monique.vandijk@mac.com
Three Cups of Tea
“Building schools is just fine and dandy,” Mortensen remembers the congress saying. “But our primary need as a nation is security. Without security, what does all this matter?” Mortenson took a breath. He felt an ember of the anger he’d carried all the way from Kabul flare. “I don’t do what I’m doing to fight terror,” Mortenson said, measuring his words, trying not to get himself kicked out of the Capitol. “I do it because I care about kids. Fighting terror is maybe seventh or eighth on my list of priorities. But working over there, I’ve learned a few things. I’ve learned that terror doesn’t happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren’t being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death.”
“Three Cups of Tea” is an inspiring story of Greg Mortenson and his drive and passion to promote education in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He redirected his energy from “failing” to summit K2 toward the even greater challenge of helping impoverished children of a war they had nothing to do with. Within a decade, he built 55 schools for children in remote areas of the region. Well worth the read.
Three weeks ago, some friends introduced me to a new range of gifts that I wish I had of asked for. Without explicitly asking for one, my friends received a piglet; … and a goat; clean drinking water; and a few immunizations. Without the desire to receive any gifts, yet acknowledging that most people wish to give gifts - especially on customary occasions such as Christmas, they selflessly asked people to donate the money that would have been spent on a material gift to a humanitarian organization. After they reviewed some annual reports from a selection of aid agencies, they concluded that not all agencies manage donations in the same way. They also noticed that different agencies charge different percentages as administrative overheads. For a perspective on how some of the philanthropic objectives of aid agencies are not always met as they should be, take a look at the book titled “The Lords of Poverty” . They suggested World Vision to their friends, which has a wonderful donation concept via the Smiles Gift Catalogue. You have a choice from 48 gift options, where a chicken for example will require a donation of $6. After your donation, you can then virtually give the chicken as a gift - in the form of a card provided by World Vision in traditional, pdf or e-card format. As for a donkey, you’ll need $225. Of course, plenty of other organizations and websites are out there - looking forward to many suggestions before Christmas 2009.
Yesterday I stumbled upon one of the coolest places to be on a sweltering morning in Noosaville. With A-Grade air conditioning bouncing off dark grey slate floors and sliding up walls of books stacked to the ceiling, the new {Embiggen Books} on Weyba Road makes for a soothing refuge from the outside world. It’s only a few weeks shy of its three-month anniversary but looks like it will become one of those stores that locals attach themselves to with sturdy safety pins, especially with the hearty Organika cafe and wholefoods shop next door (try the papaya and banana fruit smoothie - deeeelicious!). Embiggen’s catch cry is: “Where science meets art”, and to that end it stocks an inspiring collection of art and science tomes (it’s already the largest science bookstore in Queensland and the third largest in Australia) and you’ll also find a sexy selection of mainly non-fiction books dedicated to design, religion, philosophy, the environment, economics, atheism, and skepticism. One wall is saved for use as a fine art gallery and I fell instantly and deeply in love with the works by current exhibiting artist, Silvi Glattauer, from Melbourne. Her six nature-based photographic pieces (image inset) are printed on 100 percent cotton ragpaper using museum grade archival methods, which makes for a textured and eerie glow to the unadulterated images. Embiggen will host regular artist talks with local and visiting artists, scientists and philosophers, and is also the new HQ for the newly established Sunshine Coast Skeptics Society to promote critical thinking about life, the universe and everything in between. On January 21, Peter Ellerton, winner of the 2008 Prize for Critical Thinking will speak to the topic Bullsh*t Detection for kids, for life. If you want your thinking to be challenged, head for arguably the coolest new store in Noosa.
who’s your city
Why do live where you do? I’m currently living in Toronto and at some stage next year I have to make a decision about whether I stay, live in Brisbane, or live elsewhere. I’ve lived in Brisbane for most of my life, so being there has never really felt like a conscious ‘decision’ until now. In his latest book, ‘Who’s Your City”, urbanist Richard Florida, says where you live (place) is arguably the most important decision we make, as important as choosing a spouse or a career. He says place exerts powerful influence over the jobs and careers we have access to, the people meet and our “mating markets” and our ability to lead happy and fulfilled lives. It’s USA-centric, but “Who’s Your City” provides the first ever-rankings of cities by life-stage, rating the best places for singles, young families and empty-nesters. Seems like San Francisco is the place to be. Continue reading ‘who’s your city’
off-the-grid
‘Off-the-grid’ homes refer to houses that are able to exist without the reliance on public utilities, such as the electrical power grid, natural gas and sewer systems. Alternative energy sources, such as solar, biothermal and wind power, as well as on-site water supply, are often employed instead. American architect and author Lori Ryker dreams of modernising architecture and bringing about a revolution of greener, more sustainable contemporary homes. Her book, Off The Grid Home: Case Studies for Sustainable Living, uses beautiful large-format photographs and written case studies of six houses from around the world that utilise modern design principles to create off-the-grid homes. Without compromising design or aesthetic, Continue reading ‘off-the-grid’
we are all born free
On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Assembly called on all member countries to publicise the declaration and “to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories”. The 60th anniversary of the declaration’s proclamation is being celebrated with the publication of We Are All Born Free, a children’s book brought to life by renowned illustrators and translated into more than 30 languages. The State Library is also hosting a couple of free events, including one in its Living Library. Image: Debi Gliori, from We Are All Born Free.
Entering a supermarket these days is an ethical workout. With each item on my list, I try to consider the packaging used, the practices and resources used in its production, how far it has travelled, whether it supports the local economy, whether it fairly supports the producer, its health value and appeal, and its dollar cost. So, as a seafood lover, I’m ashamed to say that my main consideration when buying fish and seafood is freshness. But I’ve just picked up a copy of the Sustainable Seafood Guide. Produced by the non-profit Australian Marine Conservation Society, the guide and accompanying pocket-cards help consumers wade through a mire of considerations to make purchase decisions that support sustainable fishing practices. So, what’s the bad news? Southern bluefin tuna and scallops are overfished, while Atlantic salmon and barramundi are farmed using unsustainable practices. Choose whiting, bream, flathead, calamari and tropical trevally instead. Incorrect labelling in the marketplace is rampant, so it’s worth asking. The good news is that as consumers, we have an awesome amount of power. We can help improve the health of the oceans by voting with our wallets. And encouraging others to do the same. Check out the guide. And think twice about ordering those prawns for Christmas - give the guide instead.
what if?
I attended a talk last Friday by Ross Garnaut, sponsored by CEDA, the Committe for Economic Development of Australia. The audience was made up of a large cross-section of CEOs, business analysts, insurance brokers, accountants, corporate sustainability advisers, general managers, media representatives, environmental group spokesperson’s, energy traders, resource sector barons, carbon neutral entrepreneurs and a particular past Prime Minister with a flock of hair so white, you’d swear it had been enhanced in Photoshop.
Garnaut only had an hour. But what he summarized and how he answered the following questions from an impassioned, curious floor, was utterly compelling. As Carl offered to readers of Street Editors in a previous post, the report is a lengthy document. At 600pages it is the most comprehensive study done to date, incorporating the most sophisticated modeling scenarios ever undertaken, to indicate alternative futures extending out to the end of this century. To put in perspective, it goes beyond The Stern Report and anything the IPCC has published thus far. This places Australia at the leading edge of having the knowledge to act, adapt and prosper. The following is a summary of points and the chapters you can read to learn more. Continue reading ‘what if?’
Stories by author Roald Dahl have become childhood favourites the world over. Each new generation seems to have a connection, a tale or a memory of Roald Dahl’s mystical, magical and mind-blowing stories. Who can forget dreaming about Willy Wonka’s amazing chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or trying our own psychokinetic powers after reading about Matilda’s adventures? If you loved Roald Dahl as much as I did, you will be celebrating the official Roald Dahl Day on September 14. A worldwide annual event, Roald Dahl Day is a chance to dig out George’s Marvellous Medicine or The BFG, introduce a younger member of your family to reading or simply relive some awesome literary adventures in a tribute to one of the world’s best storytellers.
