Foreword

Okay, I Was Wrong

2007-12-31T18:20:37Z

EVERYTHING YOU SAY
EVERYTHING YOU DO
WILL COME BACK
TO STAND WITH YOU
EVERYTHING YOU TRUST
EVERYTHING YOU FEEL
WILL COME BACK
TO KNEEL WITH YOU

EVERYTHING YOU SAY
EVERYTHING YOU TRY
WILL COME OUT
SOUNDING LIKE A LIE

EVERYTHING YOU TRUST
EVERYTHING YOU KNOW
WILL TURN TO DUST
WILL BLOW
AWAY

…Oh My My…

I’m cracking
I’m cracking
cracking
I’m cracking into a thousand pieces

OPEN UP YOUR EYES

mama mama please come quick
something’s wrong I’m feeling sick
mama mama I’m in a mess
I can’t lose this heaviness

oh my…oh my my my…oh my Mother

mary had a little lamb
little lamb
little lamb
mary had a little lamb
its fleece was…oh…

mama mama
I searched these hills for my sweet lamb
I carried myself up the mountain
And 5 men came out
And I laid myself down
And I looked around
And I couldn’t find my sweet lamb
I’m looking for my Bottom Line
And as soon as I find it
I’m gonna turn my life around

oh my…oh my my my…oh my Mother
oh my…oh my my my…oh my Brother

YOU‘RE FLOATING IN A HARBOUR
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
AND YOU‘RE LOOKING ALL AROUND YOU
AND YOU CAN‘T SEE ANY LIGHT
AND THE BLACK AND STARLESS HEAVENS
WEIGH DOWN UPON YOUR SOUL
AND YOU FACE THE OPEN SEA
AND YOU‘RE NOT SURE THAT YOU WANNA GO
AND YOU SCAN THE HORIZON
BUT THE ONLY LIGHT YOU FIND
IS IN THE PLACE YOU CAME FROM
THE PLACE YOU LEFT BEHIND
OH SO YOU‘RE MOVING OUT
MOVING OUT
MOVING OUT
CUTTING THE CORDS
YOU DON‘T KNOW WHERE YOU‘RE GOING
AND YOU DON‘T HAVE ANY MAPS
AND THE ONLY THING YOU‘RE SURE OF
IS YOU AIN‘T…GOING…BACK

1. YOU WILL BE BORN INTO A STRANGE AND DESOLATE PLACE.
2. IT WILL BE CALLED “THE AVERAGE HOME.“
3. THE TIMES WILL BE RESTLESS AND FULL OF UNCERTAINTY.
4. YOU WILL SILENTLY QUESTION THIS OF YOUR MOTHER AS YOU WATCH HER MOVE AWAY.

Precious Candles
YOUR LIGHT IS YOUR OWN
Is LIFE not Precious?…
YOUR LIGHT IS YOUR OWN

mama mama
please come quick
take me home from school
I feel so sick

mama mama
something’s wrong
my heart is breaking
but I don’t know why

oh my…oh my my my…oh my Mother
oh my…oh my my my…oh my Brother

5. THERE WILL BE NO ANSWER.
6. YOU WILL BEGIN THE LONG PROCESS OF SHUTTING DOWN.
7. YOUR COUNTENANCE WILL REFLECT LESS LIGHT AND LATER WHEN YOU LOOK
AT PICTURES OF YOURSELF YOU WILL WONDER.
8. YOU WILL GIVE UP YOUR BACKBONE TO THE T.V. AND ACCEPT A VALUE SYSTEM
9. PUTTING FORTH LIES, HATRED AND INTOLERANCE IN THE NAME OF LOVE AS ACCEPTABLE.
10. NO ONE WILL STEP FORWARD FROM THE SHADOWS SAYING: “EXPECT THIS, IT IS PART OF THE PATH.“
11. YOU WILL DISCOVER DRUGS AND ALCOHOL.
12. YOU WILL INSTINCTIVELY MOVE TOWARDS YOUR OWN BOTTOM LINE.

Precious Candles
YOUR LIGHT IS YOUR OWN
Precious Candles
YOUR LIGHT IS YOUR OWN

mama mama please come quick
hold my head I feel so sick
mama mama let me come home
wrap me up I can’t get warm

oh my…oh my my my…oh my Mother
oh my…oh my my my…oh my Brother

13. YOU WILL RUSH HEADLONG TOWARDS YOUR BOTTOM LINE IN AN INSTINCTIVE ATTEMPT TO HEAL.
14. YOU WILL GO TO AA TO LEARN WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE LEARNED IN SUNDAY SCHOOL.
15. AND THEN YOU WILL GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO CRY. AND YOU WILL CRY AND CRY AND CRY.
16. AND YOUR FRIENDS WILL MOVE AWAY NERVOUSLY AND YOU‘LL FEEL LIKE A FOOL.
17. AND NO ONE WILL STEP FORWARD FROM THE SHADOWS SAYING
18. “THE JOURNEY FORWARD INCLUDES MOVEMENT INTO DESPAIR.“
19. AND YOU WILL BE GATHERING STRENGTH
20. EVEN AS YOU DON‘T UNDERSTAND.
21. AND CERTAIN WORDS LIKE LOVE AND…
22. INTEGRITY WILL BE DRAWN INTO YOUR SPINE.
23. AND THEN ONE DAY…
24. YOU WILL TURN OFF THE T.V.

Precious Candles
YOUR LIGHT IS YOUR OWN
Precious Candles
YOUR LIGHT IS YOUR OWN

mama mama something’s wrong
there’s only silence where there once was song
I keep hearing all these bells
am I healing or dying? I can’t tell.

hey ho
sail on out
sail all night
sail on with all your might
land ahead
land ho
land ho
land ho

I sure miss that little lamb
that little lamb called Puff
or…was it…Poof? or…
well, anyways, I sure miss that sweet lamb

lay down upon your pillow…
just live all you can knowing that’s all
you have to give

mama mama I almost did it
I almost carried myself up the mountainside
In my own arms
And laid myself down

there a New Strength nearby, I know
And as soon as I find my Bottom Line
I’m gonna turn my life around

I sure miss that little lamb…

here I go

Jane Siberry, Oh My My

Yeah, absolutely the intention was to bring everything here — and do interesting things with it.

Alas, if only life worked out that way.

Meanwhile, check out the new digs.

Note: This is the final post to this site (and blog). I’ll leave it up — for learning, for fun, whatever — as long as possible.

Alter Ego, Updated

2007-08-27T06:29:33Z

Sure has been quiet around here recently.

Why? I’ve been busy.

There’s a trip to Florida on this week’s schedule, too — so a continued lack-of-posting is going to be the plan for at least the next week or so. Sorry.

Way Behind the Curve

2007-08-21T19:14:21Z

Been a long few weeks. Sorry for the lack of updates. A couple of thoughts on the site:

— Three weeks, nine hundred comments. All but one spam. Sheesh.

— Interestingly, all those comments appeared despite the commenting still being messed up. (Basically, when you submit a comment, it goes into the system — but the site times out before it tells you so, leading folks to hit the “back” button and try again. Sometimes even three or four times.) That suggests a(nother) breach in the anti-spam. Perhaps the MT4 upgrade, despite my misgivings, is a better idea than trying to switch.

I’m enough behind that I don’t want to speculate when the sites — all of them — be fixed/finished. Soon, hopefully.

Meanwhile, on the personal front:

— The mortgage crisis is just that: a crisis. While my credit has been steadily improving since leaving Florida, it’s still not optimal — and I got swept into the mess. My ready-to-go mortgage suddenly wasn’t, and I’ve been scrambling to deal with getting financing in a very tough market. Yuk.

— Car shopping also falls into the “yuk” category. With one exception, all of the local new and used dealers make me cringe, and that one hasn’t had what I’m looking for. So, going to try a different approach. Will report back how that turns out.

Photography is going well — the 85mm’s replacement rocks hard — and I have several different book design projects going (with quite a little stack queued). Hence the doubt about when the back end for the site will be finished. Again.

Probably my worst failing: too many threads. Not enough time.

Thank You, Jason

2007-07-31T07:04:56Z

As y’all know — yes, I’m a Southerner now…;) — I’ve been a Macintosh user for, well, forever. From Mac Plus and early-nineties versions of Photoshop to the current setup, I’ve enjoyed every benefit Apple has had to offer.

Unfortunately, as service goes, it’s been a mixed bag. However, I’m pleased to report that the latest problem was handled in a manner that I have to talk about — in a good way.

The problem. Worse, those dots changed color and pattern as objects moved about the screen — rendering it basically useless. Worse still, it was coming up on midnight Saturday night, I was already in a bad mood, and had deadlines.

Thus, a big tip of the hat to Jason, the assistant manager at the Lenox Square Apple Store, who not only shoved me through service in two hours — but did it on an incredibly busy Sunday. Honestly, I had no idea how busy the Atlanta store was — wow. (Tampa? Nothing in comparison, especially for a Sunday. I thought Sundays were quiet in these parts — wrong. So much for being a Southerner…!)

Better still, without knowing it, he fixed another problem (of the computer not sleeping). Oh, how nice it is.

Jason, hats off. Your patience is to be admired, and service to the cause more than above and beyond. Steve’s getting a letter — of praise.

85mm 1.4: For Sale

2007-07-31T06:51:14Z

Been absolutely behind the 8-ball recently; apologies for not updating more regularly. Please stay tuned. Meanwhile.…

For the past several months, I’ve been going on and on about how much I love this Nikon setup. However, in order to better equip myself for the tasks to come, I’ve decided to put my beloved 85mm on the auction block.

If you’re a Nikon user, this is the “bokeh master” and a great lens. I’m sure that no matter how much I enjoy its replacement, I’ll miss it — but my loss is your gain. Bid, buy, and enjoy.

Thank you!

From the "Let's Mess with an Icon" Dept

2007-07-23T04:34:27Z

…we have this:

Nobody else than [Chairman and CEO] Dr. Martin Winterkorn gave the order for a more appealing logo to reassemble the brand’s finery.

The position of the logo in the grille will stay, but it will grow in size and will look more 3D with the letters V and W more standing out from the ring around them.

Here’s the current, sorta-3D variety used in advertising, etc.:

It’ll be interesting to watch. The Golf VI is due next year in Europe (later here in the US), so don’t hold your breath. And here’s hoping VW doesn’t mess it up.

Leader's Libraries

2007-07-23T04:24:44Z

Michael Moritz, the venture capitalist who built a personal $1.5 billion fortune discovering the likes of Google, YouTube, Yahoo and PayPal, and taking them public, may seem preternaturally in tune with new media. But it is the imprint of old media — books by the thousands sprawling through his Bay Area house — that occupies his mind.

“My wife calls me the Imelda Marcos of books,” Mr. Moritz said in an interview. “As soon as a book enters our home it is guaranteed a permanent place in our lives. Because I have never been able to part with even one, they have gradually accumulated like sediment.”

Serious leaders who are serious readers build personal libraries dedicated to how to think, not how to compete.

The article is titled, “C.E.O. Libraries Reveal Keys to Success,” but I think it’s that last line that’s most pertinent — leaders, not just CEOs.

I wonder how long it will be before we’re measured by our bookmarks.

Falling Behind

2007-07-20T05:00:13Z

With a title like that, I bet you expect a(nother) whiny personal post. Nope! It’s book design:

What do you think?

I like it a lot. Kudos on this one.

Story Behind the Photo

2007-07-20T04:48:46Z

Been a super-busy week, with only a moment to glance at the headlines — but this photo in particular caught my eye:

Get the story from the guy on the left, Kieran Beer, especially with respect to his expression. Very interesting.

Great photo by Brendan McDermid of Reuters.

Power Tool

2007-07-17T07:19:53Z

There is mucho behind-the-scenes work going on here at Foreword. Much of it is thanks to this:

A little Nikon love, late this Monday evening.…

Open Library

2007-07-17T03:00:45Z

Imagine a library that collected all the world’s information about all the world’s books and made it available for everyone to view and update. We’re building that library.

Interesting.

Chris Bangle

2007-07-15T20:43:45Z

…probably doesn’t need any introduction to the readers of this site, but just in case, he’s the force behind recent designs at BMW, including the much-maligned 7-Series:

Photo from Car Enthusiast.

Back in April, I ran across an interesting video from TED — a fascinating site — with Chris discussing cars as art. Great stuff. Foreword was taking a break, though, so never wound up posting about it.

Initially, I disliked the 7 pretty intensely. However, it’s grown on me in a big way — enough so that I’ll actually defend it in a conversation. Never been able to do so succinctly, though; thankfully, a commenter in a forum on the Car Lounge, where I saw a mention of the video again, can:

Chris Bangle saved BMW.

By 1992, BMW had been essentially penning the same car for thirty years. Every new generation was lower, longer, and wider, but none of them represented anything like a stylistic advance. Furthermore, the end was in sight. The E38 and E39 represented the absolute dead end of BMW styling, in that the new ones couldn’t be any more stereotypically BMW.

When you’ve painted yourself into a design corner, you can do one of two things. You can do the Jaguar thing and simply keep designing the same car, which is why even I have trouble telling the difference between a 1995 X300 and the current XJ at a distance. This will eventually cause you trouble, as it has for Jaguar.

Or you can create an entirely new design language, which Bangle did. And he succeeded beyond his wildest imaginings. Nearly every new car for sale today has a bit of Bangle in it. The new LS460 might as well have been sketched by von Hooydonk. All the new Toyotas have the two-step trunk. Hyundai internalized the Bangle form language so well that the TCL morons are calling the new BMW 1 “Korean” for having an “Elantra” two-step trunk!

Bangle’s tremendous insight was that you could create a tension of concave and convex that went beyond the traditional interplay of the “Coke Bottle”.

I don’t like the look of most “Bangle BMWs”, which is really to say Hooydonk BMWs. But I’m not stupid enough to ignore the fact that the Bangle era needed to happen. [Emphasis in original.] Without Chris, BMW would be where Jaguar is today - furiously attempting to convince its buying public that the car in the showroom isn’t a decade-old used car.

Watch the video. Believe in the Bangle.

Update, 22 July: Corrected a link, provided photo credit. Apologies for not doing the first time.

CEOs Must Be Designers

2007-07-14T08:47:57Z

I now believe that CEOs and managers must know Design Thinking to do their jobs. CEOs must be designers and use their methodologies to actually run companies. Let me be even more precise. Design Thinking is the new Management Methodology.

Interesting talk. “Think Steve Jobs and iPhone,” he says.

“Yes,” I say. How ‘bout you?

Remember These?

2007-07-14T04:37:04Z

Found this 1970s-vintage calculator while photostrolling (for lack of a better term):

I remember using stuff like this. Makes me feel old.…

Stauffacher Slideshow

2007-07-12T16:05:39Z

Bill Drenttel wrote to let us know of this:

When I look at my bookshelves, I see my life. Whole glimpses of previous interests are represented, from my collection of Latin American fiction to the many reminders of the years I spent living in Italy (the novels of Primo Levi and Italo Calvino). […]

Prized among these are many books by Jack Stauffacher — the legendary San Francisco designer and printer. So it is perhaps not surprising that when the photographer Dennis Letbetter sent me these 60 images of Stauffacher’s bookshelves, I immediately wanted to compare notes. I quickly spotted his complete run of The Journal of Typographic Research. And more: Loeb Classics, Italo Calvino, Stop Stealing Sheep, Hermann Zapf, Horace, Goethe, James Agee, African Socialism. There are books I also own, and others I only dream of owning. It is like my library, only so much better, and I instantly recognized these books for what they are: a touchstone of someone else’s life. “Without this working library,” notes Stauffacher, “I would have no compass, no map, to guide me through the density of our human condition.” I can not think of a more fitting description of a library, or one that so aptly describes a collector’s approach to the world.

Great, great stuff, including sixty photos — check it out.