ThoughtSpurs

I hear tell of a new kind of ad agency - one that strips away the layers of overhead and leaves behind just the personnel who create, hands-on, the product: the planners, the writers and designers and the producers. In my mind that sounds something like the Utopian ideal I dreamed of in the early nineties when I first hung out my own shingle. I had begun to feel that layers of middle management had little real function than to create paperwork - writing call reports that clients either didn't want or wouldn't read. The reason for their existance was because they exisited. At one point I thought it was because someone had to manage the 'relationship' with the clients - be there to take them to lunch - that kind of thing. I began to realise that client's had less and less time to spend idling away in restaurants. A new generation of marketing management had arrived who were expected to accomplish much more with fewer and fewer resources. The trappings of agency life h...

Summer is here. I am waiting for my invitation to go sailing on Fatboy Slim's. Obviously not holding my breath. I'm guessing sailing boats must be having a resurgence of popularity. Sustainably powered luxury. You can charter it. I'm free in June. Via Coolhunting

Somethings just don't 'make my pants want to get up and dance'. I am sure that the women in the pictures are happy with how they look, even if they don't look happy. What is it that makes people want to become part of subcultures like body building? When I was a kid I felt high levels of affinity with the punk scene. For a short time I had a Mohican haircut - not the impressive spiky kind popularised by tourist photos in London in the early 80s - more yer Joe Strummer in Rock the Kasbah - not flash. But, for a time I thought it was cool. I would hitch hike across the Auckland Harbour Bridge to attend classes. Some people would stop just to talk to the freak without hair - after I shaved off the strip. In those days voluntary baldness was far less common than it is today. The search for identity is a strong driver, whether you are a punk, a bodybuilder or a lawn bowler. We all want to fit in and stand out in some way. Sometimes brands fulfill that tug too. It is well doc...

Watching The Daily Show with John Stewart is the most reliably funny thing on TV. This afternoon I took in the Dec 3 edition. Apparently Vice President Dick Cheney is giving his boss George W a puppy chipper for Christmas. I can't believe I used to find the Late Show with David Letterman funny. Another funny post about Cheney over on The Daily Beast taking a look at the decline of the use of Dick as a contraction of Richard and the etymology of the appellation. When Richard B. Cheney moves out of One Observatory Circle on January 20, it will mark the much-anticipated end to an era of man-sized safes, undisclosed locations, and vice-presidential shooting sprees. Less remarked upon is the passing of another historically significant aspect of the 67-year-old veep’s identity: his name. In all likelihood, Cheney will be the last person to occupy such an august position in American life while answering to the increasingly awkward sobriquet “Dick.” Full story

It's Friday and I have my curator's hat on (really, it is a tricorne with a rosette and a clump of feathers from an extinct bird - once favoured by hat makers for its colour, pomp and good-natured ease of capture). So, rather than engage you with thoughts of an original nature, here's a great quote from Teddy Roosevelt to stir your juices with commas and semi-colons, found while loitering about on Kevin Roberts' blog (though I have heard it before - not realising that it was the American Rudyard Kipling's work): “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly...

From having never heard of him to virtual ubiquity Michael McDonough seems to be everywhere. I came across this essay in the excellent Design Observer blog. (Read the entire story here) . I also noticed that there is an interesting looking documentary on PBS' website called E2 - the economics of being green , featuring the man himself. I am looking forward to watching when I have a spare moment. The Top 10 Things They Never Taught Me in Design School by Michael McDonough 1. Talent is one-third of the success equation. Talent is important in any profession, but it is no guarantee of success. Hard work and luck are equally important. Hard work means self-discipline and sacrifice. Luck means, among other things, access to power, whether it is social contacts or money or timing. In fact, if you are not very talented, you can still succeed by emphasizing the other two. If you think I am wrong, just look around. 2. 95 percent of any creative profession is shit work. Only 5 percent is ac...

Alrighty. So, you just grabbed a Free-Trade, Organic coffee from your local vendor in the belief that you are making the world a better place (rather than simply inducing a slightly buzzier internal world). Problem is your disposable paper cup and plastic sipper lid completely deletes any genuine global warm fuzz you might feel you have earned for choosing a liberal premium cup-o-joe. Here's a possible solution for all of us environmentalists with addiction issues. Ceramic cup with silicone sipper lid from Decor Craft . I am predicting this will be a hot item in the coming year. And, in spite of it's post-modernism, I like the name. Tres Magritte. I want one (Santa, ...if you're listening). Anyone know the New Zealand importer? Via Fast Company