I was in a conversation the other day that led to the question, “If you could have any car in the world for everyday use, what would it be?”. Now of course the average person would think of some fast sports cars or high end SUVs or luxury sedans. I, on the other hand, new that it couldn’t be that simple for me. When I think of everyday use, i want something practical but also something that would stand out like crazy on the road. For me, the more unusual or unique (or even ugly sometime) the object is, the more I want it. I thought about the VW Thing, Fiat Panda, etc… Then I realized that I should have some higher standards than that. So ugliness is not the case in this matter as you can see from the picture. My late cousin who lived in Pennsylvania was a car collector and had a wide variety of cars from all different eras and styles. There was always a car that was covered up that I was curious about. When I was 16 I visited Pennsylvania to catch up with family and just get away for about 3 weeks. When visiting my cousins home, it was obvious that the tour of the garage would take place at some point. He finally took the cover off the curious car and I was in love. There was a 1936 Pierce Arrow, jet black, freshly waxed, glistening in the overhead lights, and in what seemed nearly perfect condition. I know that there are plenty of breathtaking classic cars in this same category, but think this one holds a special place for me because it was the first one I had ever seen right before my eyes. So there you have it folks…my dream car. Just like the one in the picture only jet black. Somebody should find me one for a late birthday gift.
Pierce Arrow
Posted in Random on April 24, 2009 by Lucas DorwardThe Language Of Graphics
Posted in Reading on April 16, 2009 by Lucas Dorward
I recently stumbled upon this great book at a local book store and was pleasantly surprised to find something other than a textbook with a focus on graphic design. I also loved that its theme was the progression of graphic design to the present day (the present day of the book being 1980). Needless to say there are some amazing visuals, and great commentary. If this is something you’re interested in, I suggest that you try to find a copy and check it out. Or if you know me, you should ask to borrow it. ;)
The Mechanized Muse
Posted in Reading on April 12, 2009 by Lucas DorwardMargaret Kennedy is the first author to make me feel… I guess I could say… distinguished. The way this little 1940’s book speaks of the early cinema and the transition between silent films and the incorporation of spoken word is truly intriguing. It is not a subject I have ever had interest in, nor have I ever known or cared about this subject. This is another example of a good author. One who draws me in to their interest and makes me want to keep reading. I picked up “The Mechanized Muse” at a little bookstore on the corner of California Street and Main Street in downtown Ventura. I suggest everyone go there. You’re bound to find something that with catch your attention. And even if you don’t, just buy a random old book and read it so that you can see how the language of the author has changed over the years. I find it very interesting.
Failblog.org
Posted in Random on April 9, 2009 by Lucas Dorward
Ever heard of it? I hadn’t either until a coworker emailed me some really bizarre and hilarious videos. I have gone nearly 2 weeks of checking failblog.org on a daily basis. There are loads of ridiculous pictures, screenshots of websites, and videos there that are sure to have you in some sort of disbelief. Please, go there… for me!
I just might be a total nerd for loving this, and it seems a lot of people already know about it, so let me have my little moment of sharing it with you since I think its great. ;)
Crazy Hungarian
Posted in Life on April 4, 2009 by Lucas DorwardHere I am… sitting at a coffee shop OTHER than Peet’s, and I don’t feel guilty. I’m staring at a page covered in hungarian numbers, days of the week, months of the year, and random words. I’m realizing that I shouldn’t have stopped the lessons just because they cut my time in Hungary in half. I’m even noticing that I’ve adopted a few hungarian grammatical rules that just don’t fly in English. (for example…I sometimes don’t capitalize “i” when referring to myself in writing, and I occasionally develop an accent where I pronounce my “a” like an “o”)
This language is quite intriguing. Such a crazy story behind the language and the culture. I’ve got a renewed passion for figuring out this bizarre language. Wish me luck folks, this is going to be an interesting 5 months.
New Interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood
Posted in Random on March 31, 2009 by Lucas DorwardI have no details about this video but when I saw it I couldnt get past how clever and simple it was.
Irish Melody
Posted in Melodist, Music on March 30, 2009 by Lucas Dorward
Today I got together with some friends and got a chance to share some of my music with them who hadn’t heard it before. While showing them I was reminded of how great one of the songs called “Irish Melody” was. For those who don’t know, I have a music project that involves me only utilizing my voice (singing and sound effects), hand clapping, snapping, and everything else in between to create every aspect of a musical compilation. Well Irish Melody was a song I had finished, but felt that I needed to add lyrics. One day my good friend Shelby came over to hang out for a bit. I showed her the song and she rather quickly came up with some simple but beautiful lyrics. This song has been completed with lyrics and all for a while now but as I said, today reminded me of just how beautiful, mellow, and soothing it was. Take a listen at the Melodist site. It is the second to last song in the playlist.
(I believe these photos may have been taken on the same day we did this song.)
Blast From the Past
Posted in Life, Reading on March 28, 2009 by Lucas DorwardSo since I’m leaving the country in a few months, I thought I should go through all my things and get rid of a bunch of crap. Well I pulled out the dusty chest and stumbled upon some old memories. Some that made me yell out “Dude! No Way!” and some that were sobering.
The first thing that raised my eyebrows was old pictures of my brother with bleached blond hair. Too great. I found my little collection of gem stones and shells. I think everyone has had a collection of those at some point in their life. I even found a grip of Hot Wheels! Yes! Good times, good times. I was also reminded of what a nerd I was when I came across my Star Trek and Star Wars figurines. They were kinda like micro machines. Dude! Micro Machines! Oh man those were great too! By far my favorite things I found were the handful of Superman comics and my absolute favorite childhood books published in the 50’s and 60’s such as Devil’s Doorstep, Man Eaters Don’t Knock, Key to the Treasure, and There’s a Carrot In My Ear. I know that those first two sound pretty intense for kids books, but they were seriously totally for kids. I can credit my creativity to the stories in those books. They were the first books to really get my imagination flowing, other than Green Eggs & Ham that is.
Among the sobering things, I found the little pamphlet from my grandfather’s funeral along with great photos of him. It reminded me what a great man he was. I sometimes wonder how different life would be now had he not died so long ago. He was a Bible reading NUT. I swear he read through the whole Bible like 15 times. I also found the September 11th 2001 Extra Edition of Newsweek with all those crazy images from that day. I’m not sure if I should even hang on to that. I kinda do for memories sake, but it seems I don’t want to find that again years from now and have that feeling in my stomach, ya know?
Random junk and trinkets and papers filled in the rest of the space including an accordion from Tijuana, a humble keychain collection, small high school wood shop projects, panpipes from Jim Thorp, PA (yes, that’s an actual city), some old family history research, two beloved stuffed animals that I never named, and a Krispy Kreme paper hat. So this has ended up being an interesting evening.
Living In The Trees
Posted in Random, Reading on March 27, 2009 by Lucas Dorward
I came across a very intriguing book titled XS Green: Big Ideas, Small Buildings. This image is of what has been named a Free Spirit Sphere. Kinda cheesy name to me, but the structure itself is pretty amazing. It almost reminds me of something from Star Wars. I love innovation like this and it gives me hope that there are still absolutely amazing ideas out there. I suggest you go to the link for the spheres and click on the “all about the spheres” section in the menu at the top. It was very interesting to read about how their design was based off of tree house and sailboat technology. It’s a good read. Oh yeah, and I want one. (birthday idea!)
Space Age Polymer Pillows
Posted in Random on March 26, 2009 by Lucas Dorward
So I am totally stealing a blog subject because I thought it was rad and I thought some of you would find it interesting. A blog by ISO50 told about a selection of 1970’s Nasa images released recently that showed artists renderings of future dwellings in space, or ideas of us settling in space. I assume it was regarding what we would do when our earth becomes uninhabitable. Check out the original post here.
