Odds & Ends: August 28, 2026
1 day ago
I remember when a friend of mine introduced me to this volume. I was wowed. I'd never seen such a comprehensive guide to men's style. Not only were there great products, but there were great stories. There were people. There was philosophy. There was what. There was how. There was why. Inspiration and appreciation flowed. I immediately began a verbal campaign to acquire the book from him. At denial number x, I decided to seek my own copy. I would not find it till the second edition had hit the shelves. When i saw it, I bought it immediately. Since having passed it on, I was joyed at the sight of the third volume just recently. More products, more designs, more stories, more traditions, more philosophies.
Simply put, I like nice things. Not because someone decided to charge some exorbitant amount of money for them, but because someone spent an exorbitant amount of time and energy to craft it. We all buy things. Someone (or something nowadays) had to make it. What did they consider while making it? What makes their version special? Their story, their effort, their philosophy on it. While many of the products in this volume I cannot afford as a student at present, I am ever confident that the knowledge endowed by learning the heritage and character of the products makes me a connoisseur nonetheless. One day, I will have my Piaget Altiplano watch. One day, I will invest in a few finely tailored shirts. Soon, I will acquire a well made weekend bag. Not just because I think it will add some extra measure of worth to my life; that's not it at all. I want it because I know it is the best at what it does.
Be the best the best at what you're made for. Know your story. Know your philosophy. Know your heritage. Know your character. And, continue to build a you of the greatest quality and caliber.
Origami In the Pursuit of Perfection from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.
As a budding designer, my first passion was footwear. I loved the lines, the utility. As an athlete, there were so many important considerations beyond aesthetics it seemed. While creating the most functional design, there lay the dual mission of creating a beautiful shoe. Much like architecture, the challenge is to create not only function but also beauty. Function is beautiful and beauty is functional. Balance
So i had an iDea.
...and tried to recreate it as best as i could.
I am ever grateful for whatever inspiration comes my way. This is the iDea. Take it as an, "if I could engineer my own take on another apple phone, it'd look like this." kinda thing. Forgive me as this is a very rough photoshop job. I'm a bit tired at this point and feel pleased enough with the raw results to retire for the night. It need not look too finished less someone confuse for an actual.
As an iPhone owner, I have come to sincerely appreciate the device. On many occasions I've shared these words with those inquiring of life with an iPhone. "How is it?" In a word, 'Phenomenal'. In a phrase, 'It stands as the most useful device that you'll never need.' I could spend a post singing its praises but instead, I'll share my idea for another iteration thereof.
what makes this one different?
Take everything you know and love about the iPhone 3G and add this
+ Smaller and lighter form factor (feels even lighter in your hand, pocket, or arm band)
+ 800x600 touch display (HD ready baby)
+ Physical keypad (You now have the option of using the physical keys to dial and type)
+ 5MP front facing camera with flash (improved camera with video and iChat capability)
+ MMS (send and receive picture and video messages)
& Nike+ (Go anywhere with your maps, your music, and your phone)
witness the power of an idea.
OoohhhWooooooooowooOOOoOoooOOoOooOOoOooo
References:
KanYe West Music Catalogue
http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com
A work of seemingly spontaneous inspiration, Kanye's 808s and Heartbreak challenges even the most renaissance of expectations. A global musician fighting to stretch the lens and be recognized, refereed, and ratified as a global artist, Mr. West interrupts our regularly scheduled programming to deliver this message, sometimes it hurts too. If this compilation were to be compared to that of another artist, it seems best suited for comparison to Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period. Earnestly enough the album starts with a question and a problem posed in the first six seconds of “Say You Will”. One could ask why Kanye chose to spend half of the track painting the background so. Perhaps it is there to make way for a formal “Welcome to Heartbreak” in which he confesses, “My friend showed me pictures of his kids, and all I could show him was pictures of my cribs.” Questioning sacrifice and trailing backgrounds are recurring themes throughout this collection.
The main body of the album is with as large a panorama as one can achieve prioritizing one drum machine for production and one topic for discussion. “Heartless” cuts, “Amazing” feels the most familiar in this great departure, and Love Lockdown anchors the theme of heartache. “Paranoid” taffies relationship issues with light-hearted instrumentation and tone as “Robocop” follows suit at the heart of the album. He put the shades back on. “Street Lights” eases you back into the heavier things abound in the latter end of the album as Kanye wanders back out there.
“Bad News” sounds like the conversation one has with him/herself after hanging up the phone in frustrated despair. “See You In My Nightmares” is the anger that proceeds the anguish. The synth reminds of the tone from “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”. And then, the lonely nights come again bringing with them memories made in the “Coldest Winter”. Speculation has been laid that this song is about Kanye’s mom but I don’t hear a sad song about mom in this. Instead, there’s this short, conclusive track to an album about love lost and the bluer notes of relationship. The song sounds like someone marching through a snow storm. Question being, where are they going and what are they leaving?
I’m not sure it’s right to require a master piece from every artistic offering. Venerated masters of art from literature, music, cinema, and still visual didn’t produce “that” piece every time. Not every Miles blow was hallowed. Can you name another book that Ms. Neale Hurston wrote? A far greater point is that master work is essentially a matter of perspective, popular as it may be. Even Picasso, during his blue period, struggled to accurately express perspective with human subjects. So what did he do, put them on one line, parallel to the horizontal axis of the canvas. 808s’ lyrical apex comes in the final track, “Pinocchio Story”. Have you listened to the track/the man/the boy? The orchestral apex happens somewhere between Heartless and Coldest Winter. A sonic master piece, this is not. But for now…
Note: http://pablo-picasso.paintings.name/blue-period/
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