Letterpress lesson 1

Some of you may be aware that I have been learning letterpress printing for the past year or so. I thought it might be time I start corrupting letterpress virgins. A quick definition from Wikipedia: Letterpress printing is a term for printing text with movable type, in which the raised surface of the type is inked and then pressed against a smooth substance to obtain an image in reverse. In addition to the direct impression of inked movable type onto paper or another receptive surface, the term letterpress can also refer to the direct impression of inked media such as zinc "cuts" (plates) or linoleum blocks onto a receptive surface.

Here's a video of letterpress printing in action.

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Who says you can't do splits on water!



"A contestant participate in the Kong Zhu Piao contest, or single bamboo rafting, in which competitors get across a water area on a bamboo while posing difficult gestures, in Zunyi, South China's Guizhou Province, June 18, 2007" From China Daily
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Tags: thoughts

Kryptonite is real...sort of

A mining group in Serbia discovered a mineral that was unusual and sent it to the British Natural History Museum. Where they discovered that it was remarkably similar to the fictional description of Kryptonite from Superman Returns. The mineral is crystalline, white and lacks fluorine. It will officially be named Jadarite after the location which it was discovered. Next they're going to tell me that people can fly...oh yeah they already exist, they're called Chinese martial arts stunt doubles.


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Animated music videos

Two animated music videos. Whitest Boy Alive’s Golden Cage.



And Deerhoof's Kids are so small

Via Drawn
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Tags: thoughts

People watching

Every morning I go through my ritual of reading various news websites. Usually that includes a good deal of world news and some local news. I often find myself feeling as if living in a bubble and a little removed from the rest of the country. This weekend we got a little taste of the rest.
We went into San Francisco this past weekend to visit the Maritime Historic Park. It is "conveniently located" in and around Fisherman's Wharf. Tourist season seems to have started on San Francisco. As we walked by the endless rows seafood shacks crowded with tourists, we wondered why so many have come to San Francisco for New England Clam Chowder. Perhaps it was because of the 50 degree slightly foggy weather we were having. We opted for the In and Out Burger instead. The outdoor seating for the I&O is in a glorified alley between the burger joint and Hooters. It was here as we ate our lunch that we became reacquainted with "Amerca." It was a busy alley, due mainly to the fact that there was a public bathroom further down. It was apparently well hidden. We saw quite a few groups wander in looking around and then 1 min later walk back out again. One such group included a dad walking forward of the family, no doubt doing his bathroom hunting job. A mom with a stroller, and a 4/5 year-old girl lagging behind. The young girl had her hand up to her ear, fingers curling over to cover around her ear. She was yelling something, no one in the family seem to respond to her. She started to yell louder, "I can't hear you! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU DADDY!" She then put down her empty hand and ran to catch up with the family.
There were also groups who came down the alley twice, probably returning after having asked one of the employees exactly where this bathroom was. One group that returned was a mom(in her late 30's maybe 40's) with a stroller, and two fashionably dressed teenage girls who were walking arm in arm. As they walked passed, I only heard one part of their conversation. One of the teenage girls was saying "...like a R rated Applebees." My guess is that were referring to Hooters. I'm sure that description meant different things to them than it did for us. Whether you're a fan of Applebees or not, that was a very accurate description.
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