The Papermaker
The look on this guy’s face as he describes his craft says it all. Artistry in its purest state.
/via Uncrate
The Story Behind the 99PI Challenge Coin →
So you finally got your 99% Invisible challenge coin, but are not quite sure what it all means. Before your next coin check, brush up on both sides of your newly-minted coin by listening to these ten excellent episodes from our archives. First, some context for the coin itself; next, the origins of the mantra on its front; finally, all eight symbols on the back, listed clockwise and starting at the top.
For 99PI fans, this is pretty damn cool (I am proud to say that I would pass a coin check). But this also serves as a great primer for the show as a whole.
Paper and Watercolor Dioramas of Wes Anderson Movie Scenes →
Unbelievable. Only Wes Anderson could inspire this insanely Wes Andersonian project. The artist, Mar Cerdà, created dioramas for The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Darjeeling Limited.
/via kottke.org
The Foundation Collection—A Huge Sale of Some Classic Fonts →
The Foundation Collection provides 75 versatile fonts spanning the most essential serif and sans serif categories – along with a functional set of script and display styles.
This carefully-curated type collection draws from the acclaimed Monotype, Linotype, ITC, Bitstream and other libraries to provide a strong foundation for any designer’s type library – be it beginning creatives or seasoned typographic professionals alike. The Foundation Collection is a go-to typographic tool that will empower you to create effective designs across myriad projects, all without breaking the bank.
75 fonts—worth $490—for $50. If you care about this type of thing (or you have a Mac), you might have some of them already, but chances are you won't have most of them. And even then, it's still a steal. Act now, though. The deal is only available until 12/11.
100 Years of American Tattoos
Good luck ever beating her in a “What does your tattoo mean?” conversation.
/via Devour
Made-to-Order, Hand-Sewn, Made in the U.S.A—KKK Hoods and Robes →
Anthony Karen, writing for Mother Jones:
Coming from five generations of Ku Klux Klan members, 58-year-old "Ms. Ruth" sews hoods and robes for Klan members seven days a week, blessing each one when it's done. A red satin outfit for an Exalted Cyclops, the head of a local chapter, costs about $140. She uses the earnings to help care for her 40-year-old quadriplegic daughter, "Lilbit," who was injured in a car accident 10 years ago.
The following is a photo essay about Ms. Ruth by New York photojournalist Anthony Karen, a former Marine who has spent several years photographing members of the Ku Klux Klan. The essay includes audio of interviews with Karen and Ms. Ruth.
The pictures are fascinating, the audio clips from Ms. Ruth are terrifyingly must-listenable, and you know what—kudos to Mother Jones for the puns employed here, including “Aryan Outfitters” and “hate couture.”
Why Apple is Still Sweating the Details on iMac →
Steven Levy, writing for Backchannel, on Medium:
Early this year, the top-secret laboratory where Apple designs its Macintosh accessories was bedeviled by a crisis on tiny feet. It had to do with the reinvented mouse the team was designing to accompany a new set of iMac computers that will be released today. The input device, dubbed the Magic Mouse 2, would look to users exactly like the previous model. But on the inside and underneath, everything would be different, mainly because Apple was switching to a rechargeable lithium battery instead of the previous replaceable alkaline ones.
Late in the process, everything seemed to be going fine. The internal lithium battery was custom-engineered to fit the cavity. The redesigned antenna — necessary to deal with the potential interference from an internal battery — was working well.
But one thing was totally unacceptable.
The mouse didn’t sound right.
A must-read for Apple fans and an almost-must-read for design fans.
‘This wave of independence’ →
Margarita Noriega, writing for Vox:
These new shoes from Nike are pretty sweet, both in form and function, and they were inspired by a single moving letter from a 16-year-old living with cerebral palsy. Florida high schooler Matthew Walzer was just within reach of independent living, but desperately in need of a shoe he could lace up without someone else's assistance.
So Walzer wrote a letter to Nike CEO Mark Parker asking for help.
Maybe there’s hope for us after all.
Scanner Pro 6 by Readdle →
One of my most-used apps is on sale today, in celebration of the app’s redesign. As The New York Times said:
Scanner Pro is perhaps the best app for quickly scanning and saving a digital version of a paper document.
Trust me, you need this app. If you’re a productivity nerd, you already own it, and if you don’t, you’re not a productivity nerd. Normally, it costs $6. At that price, I’d still be giving you the exact advice. But for $3? Stop reading this and just go buy it. You feel like you’re truly living in the future every time you use it.