Field notes: Venetian bridge fightsThe next long form essay is coming along - I’ve begun writing the zero draft after going down a rabbit hole on game design. The essay looks at a personal design process that can help you finish what y…Endpapers·1d ago·3 min readCityGrapherSteve Jobs and designJubilee line buttonVenice bridge fights
Rhubarb, the venerable Bede, and a cooperageI’m experimenting with a new format - a weekly post with the links and other delightful marginalia I’ve come across during the week. Enjoy :) * Two centuries, not a single labor strike - the Italian…Endpapers·Jun 7·2 min readTwo centuries, not a single labor strikeThe venerable BedeA social history of rhubarbCC BY-SA 4.0
Carving ideas from the etherThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 Lately I’ve been struggling with the latest essay for Endpapers. It was going to be on zibaldone, and an idea I’d had on how you can get both the easy process…Endpapers·Jun 3·3 min readCC BY-SA 4.0
Field Note: A card for project definitionThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 I’m a fan of noodling around on a creative pursuit. However, I also understand that if I want to make something for more than just myself, I need to set a vis…Endpapers·May 31·1 min readCC BY-SA 4.0This card from Stephanie Walter
Field Note: Geography is four dimensionalThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 Derek Sivers’ post on the chronological dimension of geography is thought provoking. His examples relate more to the human elements of geography - cultural, p…Endpapers·May 28·1 min readCC BY-SA 4.0Derek Sivers’ post
Field note: Steinwinter SupercargoThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 To borrow a phrase from the article, this truck is the epitome of “retrofuture hell”. It’s like an airport tug (the squat little slabs that tow planes around)…Endpapers·May 27·1 min readCC BY-SA 4.0this truck is the epitome of “retrofuture hell”Raymond LoewyMAYA principle
Field Note: Imagined Futures’ Cyberpunk episodeThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 Imagined Futures is a mini-series by the Object podcast. On the commute to work last week I listened to their Cyberpunk episode. In truth, I actually had to …Endpapers·May 26·2 min readCC BY-SA 4.0Cyberpunk episodeSyd Mead
Field Note: RallyThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 The ability to make an entire short film with Unreal Engine, and have it look as good as this is one of the best parts of the modern digital age. Who knew we …Endpapers·May 21·1 min readCC BY-SA 4.0
Field Note: Theodosian Walls of ConstantinopleThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 Today’s link is a long exploration of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). What stood out to me is that the walls kept the city safe …Endpapers·May 20·2 min readCC BY-SA 4.0long exploration of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople
Field Note: Ken Isaacs’ Matrix design conceptThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 I stumbled across designer/architect Ken Isaacs’ Superchair concept a few weeks ago. It’s turned into something of a rabbit hole - the original article for th…Endpapers·May 17·2 min readCC BY-SA 4.0Ken Isaacs’ Superchair conceptentire archive via Google BooksIsaacs on his design concepts
Field Note: Minox developer tanksThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 During one of our weekly brain trust catch ups, my brother and I turned to talking about cameras and spies. I think we may have rambled at length about microf…Endpapers·May 15·2 min readCC BY-SA 4.0Julian Tanasean expected lifespan of 500 years?
Berlin - Oslo ICE direct train in 2028According to DB there is going to be a daily direct train from Berlin to Oslo, via Hamburg, København and Göteborg, running from summer 2028. DB's news story about it is here. I am not altogether con…Jon Worth's Railway Newsletter·May 15·2 min readhereICE LCC BY-SA 4.0https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=184480919
Field Note: Typesetting races & technological changeThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 The Public Domain Review is one of those places where you can find the most intriguing things from a by-gone era. By the nature of copyright law, the stuff th…Endpapers·May 14·3 min readCC BY-SA 4.0Twilight of the Velocipide
Field Note: SailingThis work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 I've been busy this week neck deep in a swamp of my own making - I went off the deep end with some research into Xerox PARC, and ended up designing a programm…Endpapers·May 4·1 min readCC BY-SA 4.0
Knowledge as Critical Digital Infrastructure: A Call to Action for a Resilient FutureWikimedia Foundation Policy – Medium·Apr 9·5 min readopen-knowledgecritical-infrastructureopen-knowledge-foundationwikimedia-foundation
Knowledge as Critical Digital Infrastructure: A Call to Action for a Resilient FutureWikimedia Foundation Policy – Medium·Apr 9·5 min readcritical-infrastructuredigital-commonsCC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons
The rise and fall of IBM's 4 Pi aerospace computers: an illustrated historyKen Shirriff's blog [Unofficial]·Mar 29·54 min readRR AuctionWikipediadetailsElectronics
Rail path dependency: how the oil crisis and the British government left SNCF with a problem in Italian tunnelsWhen writing my previous post about the loading gauge of SNCF's Alstom built TGV-M Avelia Horizon train being too large for Italian tunnels, I had this nag in the back of my mind: how did they get the…Jon Worth's Railway Newsletter·Mar 18·1 min readloading gauge of SNCF's Alstom built TGV-M Avelia Horizon train being too large for Italian tunnelspose major problems for operations in the Channel Tunnel as wellEdmund Morel3 foot 6 inch (1067mm, also known as Cape Gauge) railways
Wikimedia Foundation at the United Nations: Remarks on Multistakeholderism, Digital Public Goods…Wikimedia Foundation Policy – Medium·Feb 9·5 min readwikipediawikimedia-foundationinternet-governancedigital-public-goods
