archive for out of context
Just waves in space
7 September 2010 • out of context
tags: cinema, quotes, space, television, waves
“The strange thing about television is that it doesn’t tell you everything. It shows you everything about life on Earth, but the true mysteries remain. Perhaps it’s in the nature of television. Just waves in space.”
The Man Who Fell to Earth by Nicolas Roeg
The obvious and the meaningful
7 September 2010 • out of context
tags: books, meaning, minimal, quotes
“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.”
The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda
Undo is not about love
7 September 2010 • out of context
tags: books, love, meaning, quotes
“(…) undo is not about love, but simply a relationship of convenience. Power is equally balanced between experience and user such that neither side has the upper hand. There can be no relationship of depth because every interaction can be completely rewound to the beginning. Thus commitment is rendered meaningless when for every action, there is a corresponding un-action. In contrast to the trusting relationship with a Master, the power of undo results in a feeling of simplicity that is rooted in not having to care at all. Although there is something morally sad about this interpretation, undo is not the enemy. Embrace undo as a rational partner in maintaining the many complex relationships with the objects in your environment. But put the undo button away when dealing with real people if possible.”
The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda
Linguistic relativity
7 September 2010 • out of context
tags: brain, language, perception
“The linguistic relativity principle, or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, is the idea that differences in the way languages encode cultural and cognitive categories affect the way people think, so that speakers of different languages think and behave differently because of it. A strong version of the hypothesis holds that language determines thought and that linguistic categories limit and determine cognitive categories. A weaker version states that linguistic categories and usage influence thought and certain kinds of non-linguistic behaviour.”
Omakase
6 September 2010 • out of context
tags: freedom, language, liberation, meaning, uncertainty
Omakase (お任せ) is a Japanese phrase that means “It’s up to you” (from Japanese 任す, entrust).
The fundamental distinction between art and design
6 September 2010 • out of context
tags: books, quotes
“The best art makes your head spin with questions. Perhaps this is the fundamental distinction between pure art and pure design. While great art makes you wonder, great design makes things clear.”
The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda
The ultimate nightmare of democracy
4 September 2010 • out of context
tags: books, capitalism, civilization, language, quotes
“Indeed, why should there be any need for linguistic symbols, if everybody, rather than being locked into a “prison-house of language” (Jameson), will happily live in the ultimate nightmare of democracy — the single mental space which is shared by everybody, and where every communicative act is always ideal (Habermas).”
Aichaku
31 August 2010 • out of context
tags: books, consumism, etymology, love, perception, quotes, senses
“Aichaku is the Japanese term for the sense of attachment one can feel for an artifact. When written by its two kanji characters, you can see that the first character means “love” and the second one means “fit”. “Love-fit” describes a deeper kind of emotional attachment that a person can feel for an object. It is a kind of symbiotic love for an object that deserves affection not for what it does, but for what it is.”
The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda
Prior to the advent of brain
31 August 2010 • out of context
tags: brain, colours, pain, perception, quotes, senses, smell, sound
“Prior to the advent of brain, there was no color and no sound in the universe, nor was there any flavor or aroma and probably rather little sense and no feeling or emotion. Before brains the universe was also free of pain and anxiety.”