Jacob All Trades #332
My new Twitch, Olympics, Title Design, Sitting Down, Black and White Logo Trends, The Decemberists, Embroidery, The Deep Sea, and more!
Welcome new subscribers! And, to those who have been here for a while, thank you so much for sharing my newsletter. This is a more typical issue of “Jacob All Trades.” It’s a mix of my opinions, ideas, work, and things I find interesting. I like writing about a variety of different things in these — so feel free to read what interests you and skip or skim the rest. Usually, they start with a quick note about what’s happening in my life, but since I sent a newsletter about that yesterday, I’ll skip to the fun stuff!
Enjoy,
Jacob
PS: From 11:30am-1pm PT today, I’ll stream my creative process on Twitch. On the docket: building a crossword puzzle, setting up a spoof OnlyFans website that only sells fans, and more. Come hang out with me!
WEDS: LET’S GEEK OUT ABOUT TITLE DESIGN!
My 99 Percent Invisible episode will be released this Tuesday. It’s about the world of film and television title sequences: their creation, purpose, and the often complex negotiations camouflaged into an entertaining and informative visual.
In addition to the episode, the 99PI team is letting me do a first-ever episode Q&A on their discord with guests from my episode.
I’ll be chatting with Nick Abdo (producer of Beaches, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, and more), 99PI producer Chris Berube, Karin Fong (title designer: Boardwalk Empire, Spider-Man: No Way Home, South Park – and one of my favorite title sequences ever: Counterpart), and Lola Landekic (editor in chief of one of my fav websites, Art of the Title).
The Q&A will be on 99 Percent Invisible’s discord, which you can join here. All you have to do is log on at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm UK and join the chat. But, if you’re the kind of person who would like a reminder, I’ve made an Eventbrite you can RSVP to here to get reminders :)
HERE’S AN IDEA
Residents of a city should have to vote for the city to put in a bid to host the Olympics. In our first couple of years of dating, my ex-girlfriend (now my wife) and I watched an Olympic opening ceremony. At one point, she looked over to find me openly weeping. She laughed and asked why I was crying, and I muttered, “Everyone’s coming together. It’s so beautiful.” This was my typical reaction to the Olympics.
About a decade later, I’m pretty anti-Olympics. Don’t get me wrong — I still love watching athletes at the top of their game. But, over the years, I’ve learned more about what the Olympics — like a corporate parasite — do to their hosts. Here are some things that happen when your city hosts the Olympics you:
On top of that, many athletes struggle to pay rent and not end up on the street while sponsors and developers rake in the dough. I’ve been radicalized by Olympic opponents, especially by NOlympicsLA, who is protesting the games coming here in 2028.
Typically, citizens vote on new tax measures, developments, tourist policies, and many other things…. why are Olympic bids still arranged in metaphorical smoke-filled back rooms by billionaires and politicians? Whether you believe that the Olympics are net-good, net-bad, or somewhere between… don’t you think the people impacted should have a say? “In 1972, Denver became the first and only chosen host city to reject the opportunity to host after voters passed a referendum refusing additional public spending for the games.” Whadya think?
CONSUMPTION JUNCTION
Three things I’ve consumed recently that have stayed on my mind.
For thirty years, librarian and activist Marion Stokes recorded TV 24/7 to preserve television history that (at the time) networks weren’t saving. This is a remix of a documentary about Marion I’d love to watch. Her comprehensive collection is currently being digitized by the Internet Archive.
Why is so much of modern design black and white? This article from Print Magazine explores the swing between maximalist color and black-and-white design. It’s a fascinating read.
The latest episode of the Slate podcast Decoder Ring argues “Why sitting is not the new smoking.” The wide-ranging episode uncovers how standing up straight was a reaction to fears of Indigenous superiority, how “straight” became a word for “heterosexual", posture fads, hostile architecture, and more. And of course, it ends with Brian Jordan Alvarez’ sitting song because how could it not.
Stick with me; this one is longer…. Heather and I went to see the Decembrists live a few weeks ago. It was a phenomenal show from beginning to end, but they closed it out with a new arrangement of I Was Meant For The Stage. It was a song I never particularly loved, but closing with it the way they did was magical. Lead singer Colin Meloy asked everyone to sit down, and a hush fell over the crowd. Then, he climbed into the audience and sang directly to individual people. It sounds hokey as shit, but it was incredibly moving. A video I took of the performance is below. Cut to last night, and I read an incredible account from Colin about what happened when he performed this song. When I read this, I was absolutely gutted.
TAKE MY MONEY
If you’re a long-time reader of this newsletter, you know how I feel about visible mending. I’ve wanted to take a sewing or mending class and had difficulty finding one that was affordable and fit my schedule. Luckily, following the #visiblemending hashtag on Instagram led me to Clever Poppy’s Stitch Sampler.
Usually, this section lists items I want to buy… but spoiler alert, dear reader—I have already bought the Stitch Sampler, and it is rad. I highly recommend it!
LET’S FIX IT!
I live near the Hastings Village Plaza in Pasadena. It’s a shopping mall with a Whole Foods, a Chuck E Cheese, etc. — but what’s notable to me is this bizarrely designed ramp that connects the upper parking lot to half the mall:
You may notice the ballasts at the top and bottom. I assume they were added to stop evil skateboarders or diabolical shopping cart thieves… but they also prevent people with strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, etc, from accessing an entire half of the mall. I mean, I even have a big ol’ butt, and I have to turn sideways to get through.
I wonder… if a bunch of us called the landlord and left a polite voicemail…. could we get this fixed?
Federal Realty, the developer of Hastings Ranch Plaza, can be reached at (301) 998-8100. When you call, be polite and let them know you are concerned that ballasts blocking the ramp between Whole Foods and the former Vroman’s prevent people with strollers, wheelchairs, and walkers from accessing the property. You may also want to mention if they don’t do something about this, they’re setting themselves up for an ADA lawsuit.
BEAUTIFUL DATA
Did you know Narwhals dive deeper than bioluminescent Angler Fish? Scroll through Neal Agarwal’s Deep Sea infographic and learn how deep the depths go… and what kind of animals lurk in the seemingly infinite ocean.
I MADE THIS FOR YOU
Since there are a lot of new subscribers here, I thought I’d reshare one of my favorite short films: Gum. As a bonus, it has a very fun end title sequence apropos of the 99 Percent Invisible episode next week. Enjoy!
Alrighty, that’s it for this issue. If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment or share the newsletter using the links below. And, if you can afford to, I’d love for you to become a paid subscriber so that I can keep making cool stuff!
Party on,
Jacob
Another interesting newsletter! It's got everything. Filled with humanity, creativity, activism and new -to-me facts. Thanks for writing! I'm a new subscriber!