I really want to go and witness this in my lifetime. And the northern lights. Both on my list. I’ve looked into buying some online, or maybe making some, and flying them myself at home, but (a) doesn’t look as cool and (b) it’s probably some kind of fire hazard. I actually have wanted to do something like this for a great part of my life, as I read about something similar in my childhood in the “The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists’ Club (Mad Scientist Club)”. Or maybe it was the original “The Mad Scientists’ Club (Mad Scientist Club)”. Whatevs. There was something like this in one of those books. And the in the Leo DiCaprio movie The Beach [DVD]. Anyways, want to see with my own eyes. Or at least my own eyes, my Flip Video Ultra, or maybe my (soon hopefully) Canon EOS 5D Mark II (or whatever camera I have with me at the time).

1. Good design is innovative.
   • It does not copy existing product forms, nor does it produce any kind of novelty for the sake of it. The essence of innovation must be clearly seen in all functions of a product. The possibilities in this respect are by no means exhausted. Technological development keeps offering new chances for innovative solutions.
2. Good design makes a product useful.
   • A product is bought in order to be used. It must serve a defined purpose – in both primary and additional functions. The most important task of design is to optimise the utility of a product.
3. Good design is aesthetic.
   • The aesthetic quality of a product – and the fascination it inspires – is an integral part of the its utility. Without doubt, it is uncomfortable and tiring to have to put up with products that are confusing, that get on your nerves, that you are unable to relate to. However, it has always been a hard task to argue about aesthetic quality, for two reasons. Firstly, it is difficult to talk about anything visual, since words have a different meaning for different people. Secondly, aesthetic quality deals with details, subtle shades, harmony and the equilibrium of a whole variety of visual elements. A good eye is required, schooled by years and years of experience, in order to be able to draw the right conclusion.
4. Good design helps us to understand a product.
   • It clarifies the structure of the product. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory and saves you the long, tedious perusal of the operating manual.
5. Good design is unobtrusive.
   • Products that satisfy this criterion are tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained leaving room for the user’s self-expression.
6. Good design is honest.
   • An honestly-designed product must not claim features it does not have – being more innovative, more efficient, of higher value. It must not influence or manipulate buyers and users.
7. Good design is durable.
   • It is nothing trendy that might be out-of-date tomorrow. This is one of the major differences between well-designed products and trivial objects for a waste-producing society. Waste must no longer be tolerated.
8. Good design is consequent to the last detail.
   • Thoroughness and accuracy of design are synonymous with the product and its functions, as seen through the eyes of the user.
9. Good design is concerned with the environment.
   • Design must contribute towards a stable environment and a sensible use of raw materials. This means considering not only actual pollution, but also the visual pollution and destruction of our environment.
10. Good design is as little design as possible.
    • Back to purity, back to simplicity.

From here.

Every NFL Franchise
$8,600,000,000

4 Race Track
$340,000,000

15 Manhattan Townhouse
$18,000,000

12 Hollywood movie
$150,000,000

4 Casino
$770,000,000

10 South Pacific Island
$38,900,000

Levees That Can Do the Job
$40,000,000,000

2 Porsche 911 Turbo
$126,200

Honolulu estate
$7,999,000

10 Winery in Napa Valley
$34,000,000

5 Air Force One
$325,595,000

4 Your Own Airport
$4,822,000,000

4 Oil Company
$16,400,000,000

3997 Feed a Starving Child
$2,160

4496 House a family
$60,000

4096 Protect Tropical Forests
$1,500

Help Prevent the Next Katrina
$14,000,000,000

3549 Cure the Sick, Heal the Injured
$41,300,000

4006 Get On Board With Mass Transit
$150,000,000

5994 Feed the Poor
$1

Dracula’s Castle
$140,000,000

4 Lear Jet
$11,595,000

3 Yacht
$100,000,000

6 Buy the World a Coke
$6,500,000,000

Chewing Gum
$23,000,000,000

4 Bentley Azure Convertible Mulliner
$376,485

11 Jewlery
$8,500,000

Something to wear
$1,200,000,000

3996 Help Disabled Veterans
$10,000

1999 Buy a Goat
$150

3996 Women’s Small Business Kit
$40

2997 Adopt a Polar Bear
$100

3996 The Gift of Sight.
$33

4 Saleen S7
$395,000

5 Mansion in Beverly Hills
$165,000,000

20 Jackson Pollack painting
$142,700,000

20 Picasso painting
$113,400,000

5 Theme Park
$3,500,000,000

10 Super Bowl ad
$2,600,000

Every NFL Franchise
$8,600,000,000

4 Race Tracks
$340,000,000

5 Manhattan Townhouses
$18,000,000

6 Hollywood movies
$150,000,000

4 Casinos
$770,000,000

4 South Pacific Islands
$38,900,000

Levees That Can Do the Job
$40,000,000,000

2 Porsche 911 Turbos
$126,200

Honolulu estate
$7,999,000

5 Winerys in Napa Valley
$34,000,000

2 Air Force Ones
$325,595,000

2 Your Own Airports
$4,822,000,000

2 Oil Companies
$16,400,000,000

1000 Feed a Starving Child
$2,160

500 House a family
$60,000

100 Protect Tropical Forests
$1,500

Help Prevent the Next Katrina
$14,000,000,000

500 Cure the Sick, Heal the Injured
$41,300,000

999 Get On Board With Mass Transit
$150,000,000

1998 Feed the Poor
$1

Dracula’s Castle
$140,000,000

2 Lear Jet
$11,595,000

3 Yacht
$100,000,000

Buy the World a Coke
$6,500,000,000

Chewing Gum
$23,000,000,000

4 Bentley Azure Convertible Mulliner
$376,485

6 Jewlery
$8,500,000

Something to wear
$1,200,000,000

OKAY OKAY, so not the most altruistic of spending.  But it’s annoying to put 500 homes in and see no difference essentially in your balance.  I haven’t closed my cart yet, so maybe I’ll keep tossing in homes for the less fortunate, feeding of starving kids, protecting of rain forests, etc etc etc til I’m zeroed out.  It might take all day.  I’ll post an update later.

What We Could Have Done With The Money – Rob Simpson (site)

Things that amaze me about this:

• There is a Smurf forum (this shouldn’t amaze me, but it does)
• That the people on the Smurf forum are serious about the realism of Smurf building/construction
• That they write things like this:

If Smurfs are three apples tall, how can they live in mushrooms? What kind of mushroom is big enough to house a being about the size of a coke can? This has caused me a great deal of consternation over the last several days. Please help me!

A “great deal of consternation over the last SEVERAL days“!!! Wow. 

Links here:

Kottke’s post via this blog post (JeffRubin.com) via this message board thread (Blue Buddies – Smurf message board)

Musical #1s on February 25 through the years.

On my actual birthday, Rod Stewart (and I guess I) was rocking out with “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’

Find your #1s here.

Cons

• Growing up I could never get any of the cool shoes in my size
• No matter what I wear, unless it’s a basketball jersey, I feel like it’s just not made for people my size (I personally just make it look good)
• Even though small cars are cool I can’t fit comfortably in any of them. I try and save the earth by conserving gas but I can’t fit in a Subaru or Honda, so I ride in a realy simple Tahoe. I try to do my part.
• No matter what seat I have on an airplane, unless it’s the team plane, NOTHING is comfortable — absolutely nothing. It’s a mental battle the whole trip trying to keep my knees from the people in front of me smashing them with their seats. I mean, seriously, do you not see the 7-ft man behind you? Do you think it’s cool to slam your chair back on our 330-hr flight?

Other than that, I mean, there really aren’t any other cons. Being tall is great. I love it and wouldn’t change it in the world.

Hilarious.  The blog post with the full list here.

Creative business names.  (Mostly service industry: restaurants, coffee shops, inns.)

Desire Paths – Civic engineers don’t determine where we walk…. WE do!  YES WE CAN! (to ape Bill Simmons aping Obama).

Nothing I like better than a random list of life lessons from a random ass website.  hahaha

Some of the reasons suck.  But some are cool.  Hell most could be cool, but even as much as I’m a nerd at heart and like this sort of thing, who has time to read 10000 reasons?  Not me.