Analog Cool

With advance of digital technology supply of cool gear gets depleted. Ipod, cell phones or new digital cameras are as cool as bar of soap. Most of them are ugly disposable items manufactured to be sold and junked as quick as possible.
Same with everything what dumped into the consumer market, be it cars, fashion or so called luxury items. It's more marketing tricks and catchy word game.
It was trend in advertising for while, to warm up and spice junk with old, almost century old but timeless engineering and cool design objects. Obviously, air brushed model with vacant stare is not enough anymore. Obscure, pre II WW or Leica cameras, reel to reel tape recorders, vinyl and even cassette players dominate those adds just because they are single product what worth to pay attention and lust for. In the end these adds is reminder for times when people took pride in producing something what has lasting life.



And totally, trend pushed to extreme, Bruce Weber with his cameras...

Safe House

While I was wondering in Kyoto my attention attracted buildings with small, deep-set windows with heavy cement shutters. Windows of this design called takamado are unique to the kura (storehouse). Build as separate structure of the machiya, or city merchant house, they was used to protect valuables from fire, in particular.


This distinctive architectural form based on the unit of single tatami mat (around 90cmx180cm) emerged in Edo period, which spanned more than 250 years from 1603 to 1867.

Malaparte: A House Like Me

One of the most beautifully designed, made and written book I encountered in recent years is Malaparte: A House Like Me. Produced with love and passion by visionary architect Michael McDonough book offers an extraordinary look at Italian writer Curzio Malaparte (1898-1957), the man and his house, Casa Malaparte in Capri.

Building designer was true Renaissance man: adventurer, actor, novelist, poet, filmmaker, soldier, playwright, journalist, political figure, prisoner, composer, charmer — inventor and revealer of truths.
Spell bounding black and white photographs of Mimmo Jodice in tune with Mediterranean landscape and spirit of the house. The book makes you come to Capri and experience this unique part of the island for yourself.

100 Most Endangered Sites

The sad fact that monuments of human culture are lost at accelerating pace. Natural disasters, wars, neglect, mindless land development, urbanization and plain human ignorance and stupidity forms unstoppable wiping force. World Monument Watch released 100 Most Endangered Sites list of better known iconic places and objects, but what about millions of others. I doubt if anything can be done to stop destruction process. This is just "Vox clamantis in deserto".