Appetite Engineers: There is JOY in the Intense Harmonic Ragged Mysterious Teetering Messiness of all things that Stop and Start, Merg and Part, Clash and Concede. Just brilliant.

Open Magazine, Issue Two

Seeing Time Book Jacket

Tin Hat Trio, Helium

Rethink -- New Orleans -- Rebuild

I always loved this title sequence from Michael Haneke’s 2007 remake (of his own movie) Funny Games. Wait for it… wait for it….

I also love the poster that Akiko Stehrenberger designed for it (see below). You can read an interview with her here, to learn about her process.

As for the film itself, its not for everybody, but I certainly enjoyed it.

We’re trashing the planet. We’re trashing each other. And we’re not even having fun. So, let’s turn this spaceship planet earth around. Presented by the Story of Stuff Project and Free Range Studios.

Revealing the true state. Shining a light. Via TED.

I’m really enjoying the playful style and laid back approach of Ty Williams’ art. Dig that sea-faring vibe! Via the Makr blog – one of my favorites.

Original TMF contributor and amazing photographer Ian Whitmore is working on a new photography project entitled Onomasticon.

Inspired by an ongoing photography project that addresses the prevailing sense of non-place in contemporary American urban and suburban landscape, onomasticon presents a new vocabulary for these ubiquitous, yet abstract spaces.

This series is comprised of 26 artists books. Each book will pair a single word—corresponding to a letter of the alphabet—with various imagery. This new vocabulary will be composed of words both obscure and familiar; they share poignantly relevant definitions to describe the images they accompany.

While the books’ focus will be the photographic images, they will also explore any number of media, including drawing, graphics, screen printing, etc.

These individual books become documents; experimenting with and exploring both visual literacy and written language.

He’s set up a Kickstarter entry to help fund the project. You can also watch a video of Ian talking about his project there. Good luck Ian! Looks like a great idea.

From WBUR and NPR

How do we power the future? What do we do now that the Climate Change bill in Congress is not moving forward? What happens when we finally run out of fossil fuels? How much do we cutback on our energy lifestyle? How do we get clean, renewable energy forever? From one of the best news radio shows around, On Point with Tom Ashbrook looks at the ideas from the outer edge of our energy future.

Civic Center champions civic engagement through stories, services, products, and public installations. Post-it Notes for Neighbors is an interactive installation that helps demystify the topic by inviting people to share information about their living situation. Vendor Power! decodes the rules and regulations for New York’s 10,000 street vendors so they can understand their rights, avoid fines, and earn an honest living.

Upcoming projects on urban planning, public art, small businesses, clean air and being neighborly.

Let’s just get this out there. I think Al Gore kicks ass. Straight up. And his newest book that came out last year does as well. Our Choice is a plan to solve the climate crisis with all sorts of information about our energy sources, living systems, how we use energy, how we can go far quickly and the obstacles we need to overcome.

Obstacles meaning how we think and behave now, and what we need to do to change. We can start with putting a price on carbon. Thinking not about short-term profits but long-run investment. Moving past that overly simplistic idea we call GDP and focusing on our genuine progress which includes benefits like volunteering or costs like air pollution. Understanding that fossil fuel companies spend millions every year to trick people into not believing in a very strong scientific consensus. To be done with the market fundamentalism and realize that for our system to work, we need both markets and democracy.

We can overcome those obstacles. It’s our choice. We’ve got maybe a 2-3 year window to make up our minds. Then we’re moving forward, whether we’re ready or not. Hopefully we pick the blue side.

Now, for the first time ever, most people live in cities. And one out of three of those people live in a slum.

Designed by Pentagram for the Rockefeller Foundation, Century of the City is about the commitment to help more societies “flourish” by sthrengthening the cities — and the lives of citizens — at their core. A remarkable book on the need for leadership in the face of daunting challenges — from water, sanitation and shelter to climate change, urban health, transportation and the need for a global urban commons.

How does one go about designing an inclusive city? How do we help shape a future that will be better for everyone? Perhaps it starts with a book.