Jacob All Trades #328
Steampunk, RSS, X-Men, Text Scammers, Internet Slang, Black Erasure, Snickers, Windsocks, Indie Films, Kid Pix, GEICO and more.
Sometimes everything seems extremely difficult. Last night I was at urgent care for my own stuff (possible bronchitis) and then just as I finally got to see the doctor after a 2 hr wait, I had missed calls from Heather with a text that said “Emergency. Pick up.” Wilder had hit his head jumping on the couch and was bleeding everywhere. I ended up having to rush out of my urgent care to take him to a different urgent care, where he received a “super bandaid” (aka a staple). Somehow we made the most of the trip and on the way home he claimed it was the “best day ever.” I don’t want to say this is a typical night with two kids, but it does feel like it’s always something.
What else is going on? I’ve been watching the X-Men series from 1992-1996 in preparation for X-Men ‘97 and, holy hell! I get why everyone my age loved this show. I never watched it when it was on but it’s on par with Batman: The Animated Series as far as storytelling. I’m really enjoying it.
Also, our Frasier art show gallery is at 21% on Kickstarter. I’ll be reaching out to you specifically about that soon, but please donate if you can.
Anyhoots and hollers, here’s a newsletter for ya. Enjoy!
Jacob
HERE’S AN IDEA:
ANTI-ALGO IS OUR GEN’S STEAMPUNK
The steampunk asthetic imagines a world where electricity was never dominant and steam powered devices continued to advance. It feels futuristic and archaic at the same time, and in our busy world, there’s something comforting about it.
I think a lot about the early days of the Internet through this lens. There were so many people just wanting to share things and create communities. Most things were free. Many things were collaborative.
Even as things evolved from the 90s into the early 2000s, you could curate your own experience by using tools like RSS readers to subscribe to the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed of your favorite blogs and content creators and then “read” the Internet like a periodicle. It would take a long time to read everything, but even if you didn’t read it all, you could sift through new items in a manageable way and feel like you reached the end of the new items.
When social media came along, the web became more complicated and everyone became a 'content creator' — but you could still ‘subscribe’ to different feeds by following people. If you followed a writer, comedian, or friend on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook you would see their posts in a chronological order. Remember that message that would pop up on social feeds when you reached the end? It was kind of a bummer, but then you put your phone away and went back to your life.
If you ever discovered someone new it was because they were suggested or reposted by someone you already followed, or a friend literally told you about them IRL.
In 2016, all our feeds started to be suggestion based instead of chronological. I guess you could debate when this transition *technically* started and finished, but suffice to say, nearly everything on the web is algorhithmic now. There’s just not enough money in doing it any other way, and the ultimate goal of companies like Meta, Twitter/X, etc. is to make money off of us. We’re both the creators and the audience, and measuring our attention is how they package us for corporations to exploit.
I think the switch from chronological subscriptions to algorhithmic suggestions is something we’ll look back on as a comparably significant shift as the switch from steam to electrical power. And, I think future generations will come to look at anti-algo (or whatever we call it) with the same nostalgia as we look at steampunk, the aesthetic of a time that never really existed. What do you think?
CONSUMPTION JUNCTION
Three things I’ve consumed recently that have stayed on my mind.
Have you gotten those scammy text messages where it seems like a wrong number but then the scammer wants to keep talking to you? I get these all the time. I’ve even seen comedian friends post their ‘greatest hits’ of basically doing a two person improv scene with the unsuspecting scammer. But the truth about where those messages are coming from, who is sending them, and why is much more interesting (and depressing). A recent episode of Search Engine explores “Who’s behind these scammy text messages we’ve all been getting?”
So Much Modern Slang is AAVE writes BuzzFeed News reporter Sydnee Thompson (back when there was a BuzzFeed News… RIP). This is a great, and well researched article that some new friends on Crosscord (the crossword constructor Discord) mentioned during a conversation about how slang is clued within modern crosswords. The conversation we all had on the discord was fascinating (and worthy of writing more about when I have some time) but this article is a great primer to get your feet wet.
Designer and digital creator Matt Rosenman made a video where he redesigned a Snickers Bar for six different audiences. By leaning into the tropes of different food and CPG ‘genres’ Matt does a great job of highlighting some of the common marketing and package design tricks that make you think a product is something totally different than what it actually is.
BEAUTIFUL DATA
Until recently, I thought wind cones (aka windsocks) had red and white stripes so they’d would catch your attention — like a barber pole. It turns out, they’re cleverly designed to communicate more data than which way the wind is blowing.
Each segment represents 3 knots (or 3.5 mph). Isn’t that clever? Everything is designed for a purpose, and I love finding out what that purpose is. Oh, and btw, a barber pole is also not just painted that way to get your attention.
THE ARGUMENT WE SHOULD BE MAKING
I started this segment to focus on Democratic messaging, but I’m going to expand it to highlight concise messaging more broadly. Today, the message comes from Cord Jefferson’s Oscar acceptance speech:
Instead of complaining that everything has to be based on IP these days (it’s true, and worthy of complaint) let’s focus on the issue behind that: it’s a risk averse industry and basing things on IP is the in vogue way of averting risk. BUT, as Cord says, there’s still risk, so why not make a lot of little bets instead of one big one.
CREATIVE INSPIRATION
When I was a kid, Kid Pix was my JAM. Released by Macintosh (not yet ‘Apple’) in 1989 and re-released by Broderbund (the original publisher of Myst and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego) in 1991. Kid Pix was a drawing program for (you guessed it) kids. From the wikipedia:
While using MacPaint that year, his then-three-year-old son expressed a desire to use the application. Hickman noted how quickly he adapted to the use of the mouse and keyboard, but also that he inadvertently activated pop-up menus and other user interface elements. It was this experience that encouraged Hickman to write a simple paint program for his son to use; he also decided to make this freely available.
If you were inspired by Kid Pix as a kid… why not get re-inspired as an adult? The delightful Internet Archive has made the open source software available online:
Also, it makes me incredibly nostalgic to think back on what software was like in the 90s. Not only was this way before paying some kind of bs monthly rental fee for anything, but most software was open source or released by a small independent distributor.
TAKE MY MONEY
Today is Trans Day of Visibility and while, regretably, the amazing design below isn’t available as a sticker on Sarah Epperson’s website… she does have a lot of other amazing stuff. In fact, I’m gonna do a little sticker shopping right now…
Here are some more of the goodies available on Sarah’s shop.
FROM THE VAULT
I’ve been recutting my commercial directing reel recently and going back to recut some longer branded pieces into 30-second spots. In some cases, the spot even makes more sense for a different brand. Like in the case of this GEICO commercial:
Alrighty, that’s it for this issue. Feel free to leave a comment or share the newsletter using the links below.
Party on,
Jacob
Bonkers 4 this Barber Pole and wind sock Intel. I have allllwayyyysss WONDERED…!!!!!