Archive for April, 2008

Keeping Score With The Retirees

April 27, 2008 at 6:43 pm · Filed under Object, Place

Golf Pencils

During my time off between jobs, I’ve kind of felt like I’m on maternity leave, but without a baby. When I’m not working, I lunch around the neighborhood, go to yoga, all the things the moms do. I feel like once I finally do have a baby, maybe I’ll be that much closer to having the hang of it (though I bet most parents would say the baby is the hard part…).

In contrast, this week Alex and I took a vacation to the Cape that felt like retirement, without retiring. Everywhere we went, everyone was ruddy-faced and over 70. Nowhere was this more true than the golf course, where we spent more time than I’m comfortable admitting.

Though none of us knew it in the 20 years before Alex came along and pointed it out, my parents’ house is 5 minutes away from two great public golf courses. I am nowhere near good enough at golf to understand the mysteries of what makes a “good course”, but I do know a good golf pencil when I see it, and Dennis Pines and Dennis Highlands delivered.

Note the lovely primary colors, the lack of eraser (pointless because they never work on the glossy golf cards, and ugly on such a short instrument), and the bold, Gotham-y type. Perfect (unlike my game).

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Ishii Notes

April 18, 2008 at 9:08 am · Filed under Methodology

Ishii Notes

Over the past couple of years I’ve had the honor of working with Prof. Hiroshi ISHII: hardworking hero of a Professor, and father of Tangible User Interface. He is a guidepost of a leader — something to aspire to that you know you will never quite become. Among the many things about Hiroshi that I find endearing are his poetic emails about the inspiration of snow, his use of the term “blah blah blah” to finish all sentences, and most of all, his notetaking.

Hiroshi has a complete system of representational symbols that he uses to capture discussion: the small person symbol, the stack of paper to show work that needs to be done. On Monday, I had my “farewell” meeting with him, and was delighted to watch him notate the last year or two of my life with his pictures.

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Craft Design Technology

April 17, 2008 at 9:51 am · Filed under Brand, Place

Craft Design Technology is a new Japanese office supply company that “believes in evolving design through the use of craft and technology.” As a statement of purpose, it’s hard to argue with, elegantly combining the three juxtaposed but overlapping domains as it does. My friend Shinichi Takamiya was kind enough to introduce me to the products.

They are well gussied up and according to Shin, will be sold in Japanese in design stores, not your average Bob Slate down the street. Japan is certainly one country which gives office supplies their just due as objects of desire.

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Names Through The Ages

April 6, 2008 at 9:49 am · Filed under Memory

Pad with becky on it

The other day I found this eponymous pad I’d had when I was little. On the back it listed all of the different names that were sold on top of the pad. In my eternal need to categorize, it looked like I had crossed off the names of people I knew. I guess when I was 8, there were no Ritas in my life.

Last night with a few people over, the pad sparked a conversation about — inevitable in a group of 30 year old girls with some wine in them — baby names. That awkward moment of “If I tell you my name do you promise not to take it?” proceeded to occur. But really, what if my name is your name? What if, across the room at a dinner party, you find another future mother-of-Chloe?

I think the answer is there’s no harm in two. Everyone should have the name they want, and if there are a bunch of Chloes running around (there already are), all it means is Chloe will get her name on the pad. Which, when you’re an 8-year-old, is all you really want.

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