Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry

Wow. So that's a mouthful, and it reads like the title of an auction catalog because that is precisely what it is. The tale of the relationship between Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris is told through the sale of their mutual belongings, some with personal annotations that reveal in more detail the rise and demise of love.

The author, Leanne Shapton (illustrator and art director for the NYT op-ed page), said she came up with the idea while purchasing some of Truman Capote's belongings at an auction. She said the items revealed a great deal about how Capote lived his last days in California. The Times has a review up if you want to read more, check it out.

I guess initially most people will say that its a commentary on the consumer culture we live in; that our lives can be distilled into the things we own. I prefer to look at it as a compliment: these people clearly owned things that amounted to a large collection of pieces which at least one (fictional) auction house thought were culturally significant enough to try and sell.

Like it or not, what you and I choose to own says a great deal about who we are. If you try not to let the things you own define you, the things you own will define you as a person who doesn't wish to be defined by his or her things, and you will therefore fail to be indefinable. It's science. It's also a hamster wheel of death, complete with diseased squirrels and venemous pigeons.

I apologize for being philosophical...I'm really just bored. What are you doing? Fun stuff? No? Yeah me either. I've got the TV on and I'm also occasionally screaming at my cat until he wakes up. My cat hates me.

Oh and the book has also been optioned for a movie already...and Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman are set to star. Read all about it here.

via variety mobile

Boxed Water Is Better

Boxed water. This is obvious, but for some reason new? I can only surmise that someone has, in the past, tried to keep bottled water in a carton with poor result. Or maybe we're all idiots and these guys are smart. Either way, the container is 90% paper and can be recycled out of the bin in most areas. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company is actively seeking new markets, so if you're interested, go here and let them know. 10% of the proceeds go to water conservation projects and 10% goes to reforestation and responsible forestry projects.

via CH

Make Things

A clever take on an English WWII poster. I was inspired to make all sorts of things, like this post, and by way of inclusion, this very sentence! It really works!

via boinboing

100 Amazing Flickr Collections for Architecture Buffs

So I saw this over on Core77 and thought I'd check it out. The list is on the Graduate Degree Blog, which is, according to the byline, the "Ultimate Source for Getting an Online Graduate Degree." Wow. Okay. Well I don't really know what the Ultimate Source is doing posting these Flickr groups, but in the grand scheme of things, I couldn't really care less, so let's move on.

The list is broken down into 11 sub-categories with clever names like 'Home' and 'General' and 'Periods,' and each sub-category has links to flickr groups with lots of pictures of buildings. By lots, I mean hundreds of thousands of images of varying quality. Seriously, about 1 out of 50 caught my eye, and the volumes are so massive it's difficult to get your head around these mothers.

The only one I can recommend outright is the Castles group. Some really amazing stuff in there from castillos del todo el mundo.

Recycled Necktie & Suit Wallet

While I question the durability of these recycled necktie and suit wallets, there is no denying that the concept of reusing old ties and suits is both green-minded and not a bad recession buster. Whatever that means. I guess that's all contextual, since the wallet will cost you $28 here, but buying a used tie at goodwill probably runs about $5, so it certainly isn't doing you any favors, but whoever makes them is probably cackling maniacally and barking at the moon. Because he's a dog. Or something. I don't know.

You ever have one of those days where you just kind of stare blankly at the screen while your fingers continue to dance across the keyboard, and after three or four minutes you look down to find nothing but gibberish and disjointed thoughts? No? Fuck you then.

via uncrate