Monday, November 24, 2008

ten thousand hours

i tend to just not post something when i can't embed or display it graphically. countless times i've forgone sharing a photographer or some visual achievement because the material isn't formatted accomodatingly. but this is too good.

malcolm gladwell, who may not have the reputation he deserves for being an excellent public speaker, appeared at the AIGA business and design conference in late october of this year. he talked, at great and fascinating length, about one of my favorite subjects: fleetwood mac. and then he went on to talk about the beatles and touch upon a myriad of great topics all as a part of exploring how "genius" takes practice. ten thousand hours worth to be exact.

the video is here. i wish i could embed it. please take the time to go to the site and watch it. it's smart, absolutely hilarious, and really interesting. enjoy.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

i always wanted to be a tenenbaum



christopher bettig has been crafting richie tenenbaums out of wood using lasers. it's the perfect blend of wes and harrington. this is going to the top of my xmas list.

break's over

the script of the west wing pilot is available here and is one of the most satisfying reading experiences i've had lately. dig in.

and a clip of the first ep:

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

you take your car to work

sea surfboards are making some of the most beautiful boards out there these days. too bad they're in australia. they would fit right in with a store next to 1600 pacific ave where they could hock their thomas campbell planks.









and their ripsticks look pretty amazing when wave bound also....






funny won't get us to the moon

after doing their made-up albums for the thank you! show @ family, simon evans and sarah lannan are now obsessed. in feb 2009 they will be exhibiting '99 Mix Cds for New York' at james cohan gallery in chelsea. And they've just put up a blog dedicated to the project entitled simon and garfield.













two hipster agents who will market the sound




ben silverman on charlie rose. i'm surprised the world didn't implode. this is just too good. ben, beyond being a caricature of himself at this point, talks to charlie like he's a minorly challenged infant. watch ben duck and weave (pronounced around the 5 minute mark).

Friday, November 14, 2008

just listen

almost nine years ago i visited the once great ifilm.com (now folded into spike.com) and watched a popular short film of the day called "black people hate me and they hate my glasses." i then watched it again. and again. and again...and then i sort of forgot about it. a few times in the almost decade that's passed i've sporadically revisited it. watching it again today i just marvel at how it stands the test of time.

the writing is hysterical and impressively walks a fine line given the subject matter. the narrator, andrew gurland, channels woody allen and david cross. the hyperkinetic cinematography from anthony hardwick (who has gone on to shoot borat and my own company's religulous) heightens the comic timing and absurdist premise while capturing a quintessential new york. the music is spot on and the editing is stellar (the director Sal Levin is now a professional). it was even ep'd by three of hollywood's biggest managers, the three principals of benderspink (this must have been very early days for them).

most of all though, the short is just really really fun. from the quickfire banter and the metacinematic presentation of the sound guy to the amateurish acting, the whole endeavor sings of film school guys messing around, putting real effort into a whimsical idea (consider the number of locations, size of cast etc) and committing full on to something they found funny.

this is an inspiration every time i watch it:


via videosift.com

good lord

it takes a lot to elicit the fanboy in me so kudos to warner bros for releasing a trailer that threatens to permanently convert me into a babbling idiot (which this uncharacteristic ND post may be evidence of). the first watchmen trailer was beyond excellent, but this is... chills. it's getting incredible buzz and the extra footage looks amazing, but let's give some credit here for the impeccable music. i'm actually tearing up right now from laughing so hard at how awesome this movie is going be. i'm not even joking. there are tears of joy in my eyes. suffice to say: i can not wait to see this.



do yourself a favor and watch it in hd here.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

i love it. cricket, that is.

as promised by dbs, this video is a special one. a literal video before it's time.

keep it hot, keep it going, best tomorrow for a 21st century

congrats to the madame lamb crew for hitting the fifty thousand hit mark. if you haven't already, add them to your google reader or make visiting the site a daily priority. do it right now. novel designs owes almost every hit bump to a madame lamb shout out. you guys crush it.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

got a quiver?

quintessential hotness from jetsetting godsall. i don't know how ND has failed to pay more attention to this site. it led me to this masterpiece of surf cinema. a little floyd anyone?









Monday, November 10, 2008

you even have health insurance, oh what a bore

yoann lemoine splits his time between paris and new york and has his hands in a myriad of hypercool visual honeyjars. some pleasant photos below.







..and a playful video for yelle


... and be sure to check out his new york series

Sunday, November 9, 2008

leave luck to heaven



we saw starfucker at spaceland last night, and while their twee-dancey behavior was certainly off-putting the quality of their tunes is undeniable. there's no reason for them not to be big, barring some FCC related complications. there are a lot of encouraging comps for the band:


(check out the footage from spaceland spliced in there. love that blue/silver comet curtain)


(mike mills as ever)


(hands down the best mgmt song (from when they were still called the management) i can't fathom why this track isn't being spun more often)


(picking an exemplary of montreal track has become tricky with their expansive catalogue, and i've taken the safe route with this one. all of their videos seem like outback steakhouse ads and their live performances are just too weird for words (live horses?))

i think we can safely identify starfucker's biggest influence though:


and just for fun:

Friday, November 7, 2008

what's next?

to state the obvious: this isn't a political blog. while i'm practically giddy about every awesome cabinet appointment to come as obama's all-star A-team takes form, novel designs ain't the new york times politics section. novel designs, however, is the perfect venue for me to reflect upon the presidents of my youth. i speak of the standard bearers of democracy. the epitomizers of the can-do, all-american, true blue attitude. those whose actions have righted wrongs, struck down tyranny, and suprisngly often, saved the entire world. here's a thanks to you.....Presidents.

a sampling:

President William Harrison Mitchell


President Andrew Shepherd


President Thomas J. Whitmore


President James Marshall


President Tom Beck


President Jack Stanton


President Jackson Evans


President Mays Gilliam


"The President"


President Matthew Santos


and my personal favorite, the true president on this list...

President Jed Bartlett


addendum:
i'll grant wikipedia credit for helping with this only because i find it endlessly amusing that some generous soul took the time to actually contribute to this page.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

b.o. chief of staff

an article that is as informative as it is hysterical about the new chief of staff.

thanks

Monday, November 3, 2008

art decko

vintageskateboardmagazines.com
it offers all you'd hope for and more. a sample of the gems available on the website: