Paper + Time + an Affinity for Small Books

I have a strange weakness for bags and notebooks.

I have far more bags than items to carry in them, and drawers full of yet-to-be-used notebooks.

Some notebooks have a special purpose assigned, and I simply haven’t gotten around to it yet. Some are just too “nice” to be used for mad scribbles and boring work.

My daily books are from Rhodia, a large wirebound sketchbook, and of course my tiny and handy Moleskine cashier notebooks

Oddly, I’m also attracted to datebooks / organizers, despite knowing that I’ll never really use one.

And I always think I need the Action Series by Behance, but apparently, buying them hasn’t made it to my action list yet. Link

Last year I gave out the very cool, Slingshot anarchist/activist organizers to several people (Slingshot, Monkey Wrench Books)

Now I find myself faced with wanting to get 2 different datebooks for 2009. And here I thought was doing well with my little problem.

The Haruki Murakami Datebook is a beautifully designed book, with reference by the Japanese author from his many wonderous books.
Amazon Link

The Muji Chronobook is definitely a lust object. A simple book with a Day and Night side per spread. It’s arranged in a non-linear fashion, with very little in the formal, rigid time-keeping mindset.
as seen on Cool Hunting

The Muji Chronobook is only available at the Muji Store in Soho, so if any of my NYC peeps are in the area, my birthday is coming up.

The Plan

A very long time ago, about 23 years I believe, I had just started college. A young lad of 17 set loose in a small college town at a mid-sized school.

One drunken night, I got in an argument with someone over turning in our design projects on time (which I always did) and turning in something that resembled what the instructor asked for (which I rarely did).

I believe the conversation contained the words “Don’t you worry about your career?!?” (it was college, we used multiple ? and ! points all the time).

Every loser bastard I had ever met was concerned about their career, how to cover their ass and make sure they never rocked the boat enough to get in trouble… and here I was at the spawning of such behaviour. A routine established early on by petty authority to be meek, uninspired and routine. The onset of a lifetime toeing the line, drinking the kool aid and being a good little monkey for spineless assholes who thought that was how the world worked. (I was drunk and I liked to ramble).

So, I scoffed at his mundane and tepid concerns, and on the spot came up with my version, the Life Plan.

The Life Plan
My 20s : Do whatever came my way. Basically fuck off and figure out the world.
My 30s : Decide what I was going to do, and become the best at it.
My 40s : Become famous to some degree.
My 50s : Start my own Justice League, assemble the best people I knew and so something amazing
My 60s : Travel the world
My 70s : Write

That’s it. No, millionaire before 45, no married with kids before 35, nothing. Some things don’t need to be timed, the universe has a way of putting me where it needs me, and I’m good with that.

What’s your plan?

(FYI, watching Mad Men makes me want to swap the 40s for the 50s.)

Mobile

Mobile. It’s kind of a bitch.

(Although, designing for a platform like iPhone makes it much better).

But here’s what I found to be the biggest problem : Sticking to a single concept

I work for a company that specializes in moving and manipulating large amounts of unique data. My gig is making sure that data is usable, understandable, and mashed up in a manner that end users find valuable.

So, I design products. Some people call them apps, some call them services, I consider them products. They are tangible things that people interact with, and get improved based on that interaction. They’re long term, not a feeble microsite.

Anyways, it seemed like a no-brainer to start moving some of these products to a mobile platform, as one of my main pushes this year is in the saving, sharing and moving of information off a primary site and onto where users feel they need to keep it.

In starting, I uncovered a continuum in design rationale…

On one end is the Encumbered Complexity. Things that are too large, too forked, too unwieldily to be useful on a mobile device. (Unfortunately, most of our primary products fit in this category).

On the other end is Useless Minutiae. Information and features that could be moved to a mobile device, and usually upon first glance, seem like a great idea, but are too detailed to be useful, or replace a real-world activity that doesn’t benefit from being digitized. (Usually, the ideas seem great because my company controls or manages all the data, and no one else could create this product).

So, I’m working in the sweet spot between the two of them, following three pure and simple approaches :

ONE

Mobile is one part of a larger experience, and should act in conjunction with other devices and products that are not mobile.

TWO

Any mobile product must provide useful content and features that have reason to be mobile… and “because we can” is not a reason.

THREE

Kick the Andrew “Ruthless Monk” Method up a notch. One thing at a time, a single Item=Response metaphor. Even more so than the internet, mobile is a conversation, and one that must be streamlined.

I’m showing off the first of 3 Automotive-based mobile products this month at our annual user conference in Savannah. I’ll share them once I’ve done the dog-and-pony.

Fear and Loathing in Austin

Went out to dinner last night with some friends at Moonshine’s in Austin, which is highly recommended : Link

Somehow got into a long conversation concerning the following :

• Carnies
• Hot redheads in rural trailerparks
• Huffing ether
• C.H.U.D.

Something is nagging me in the back of my brains that they are all somehow related.

More on this as I work it out.

Open vs. Stark

Once again, I’ve taken about half of the things I own and plan to get rid of them.

My office is now pretty awesome, having traded a giant chair for a sleek mod one, and moving a ton of crap out.

So I’m now faced with the dilemma of space, and how open something can become before the Monk Style™ becomes the empty room with a desk in the middle.

Photos as soon as I’m done.

The Album of the Year

“Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand, I always kinda sorta wished I looked like Elvis…”

True believers rejoice, the spirit of rock has not left us. The ‘59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem will be released on August 19 by Side One Dummy, in the meantime, listen to the title track here.

The math on their first album was easy… add ’90s era Social Distortion to ’70s era Bruce Springsteen, a dash of early Tom Waits and a slice of old-school rockabilly. It was a great album that made my top ten list for 2007. Not bad for a debut album from a young band staggering out of Jersey.

But this new one… it’s something else entirely. Yes, it’s definitely (and defiantly) still them, and although it doesn’t contain the expanded lyrical and songwriting sense of the EP that showed up between the 2 LPs, it’s an amazing LP of great rock songs that make me believe a little sliver of Joe Strummer’s spirit found a new home.

Lyrically, they know how to turn a phrase, such that any dreamers in the world will see their life spelled out in each line. They play fast and loose with some archetypes, and occasionally stray into lyrics that any other band would fail trying to sing, but they pull it off with authenticity and style.

There are few honest bands around, this is one of them… perk up your ears, your life is calling.

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Discography

Sink or Swim, 2007 : iTunes | Amazon

Señor and the Queen EP, 2008 : iTunes | Amazon

The ‘59 Sound, 2008 : iTunes | Amazon

Flock

Every release I tend to download the new version to see if they managed to balance the amount of content and combine it with a browser.

I think they came pretty close this last time, oddly it’s still a bit poky as a browser, and adding in all your social presences seems to slow it down even more.

This inline blog posting is pretty cool tho.

check it : http://www.flock.com

Blogged with the Flock Browser

In Tua Nua

In random 1980s Irish band news, perpetual Andrew favorite In Tua Nua have a new album out called When Night Came Down on Sunset. (Link)

Last I heard from them was the classic 1988 LP The Long Acre (Link)

I know Leslie Dowdall put out some solo LPs, but what I heard of them was a bit soft and not at all like In Tua Nua.

This new album sounds like it could have been released the year after The Long Acre, but then again, The Long Acre could have been released this year and sounded current. It’s pretty timeless, despite some Steve Lillywhite lingering around.

Although this video smells like my old dorm room:

Check out the new album, I find it to be high on the fantastic scale, and recommend it to all.

Most of their catalog is also available on Emusic.com.. check it out

Poi Dog Pondering

Finally got to see them play live.

I’ve been a fan of the band for 20 years. I remember the first time I picked up their 5-song EP (on Cassette, of course) at a head shop in El Paso, TX.

The cover was great, happy and interesting. I had no idea who they were, but I bought it anyways.

Good music will find you.

By chance, I was in Nashville for a meeting, and the band happened to be playing a small club within walking distance of my hotel. Ian and I went to the show, and were treated to a great band playing great songs with a great crowd.

I highly recommend their new album, you can buy from the band or on amazon.

Photo from the Houston show a couple days earlier by baldheretic. I didn’t bring a camera.

Designers

I’m pretty sure most designers are depressed, bitter assholes because the business of design is one based on compromise of one’s vision. That, and everyone in the world thinks creativity comes so fucking easily.