In Praise Of: PPC Cement Laptop Bags

• An unused Pretoria Portland Cement paper bag (from South Africa) is the beginning of each piece. 
• We separate the layers, remove the top and third layer of the bag and fuse them together.
• Bonding them with black cotton means that durability is never compromised. 
• From there, you can treat it like any other fabric. 
• There are two sections and two pockets...A padded divider separates your laptop from any other papers or notes, and the entire inside of the bag is also padded to protect everything that you carry inside it.
• We treat the bag with Scotch Guard so you don’t have to worry about exposing it to the elements.

The designer saw the beauty of the actual, industrial, cement-filled PPC bags...and found a way to transform them into wearable art. They come in different colors and sizes. See more (and buy one?) here. Learn more about the designer and the company here. 

ART: Helen Ju

I love these "unique, whimsical paper and wire dog sculptures" by artist Helen Ju for her Etsy shop PaperPort. Her use of newsprint is fascinating. Learn more about Ms. Ju's process here. See (and enjoy) more work here. 

In Praise Of: The Stenberg Brothers

I admit it: I am kind of obsessed with the movie posters designed by Georgii and Vladimir Stenberg in the 1920's. I have lived with two of the posters (custom and excellent reproductions) for the last 3 years...and my eyes (and senses) continue to be dazzled. The brothers succeeded in creating some of the most innovative and striking graphic design (a/k/a ART) I have ever seen. 

You can learn more about the Stenberg Brothers here and here and here. 

Many of the posters are in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in NYC. Sadly, the collection is not as comprehensive as (I believe) it should be. 

Highly Recommended: Cate Blanchett on Charlie Rose

Cate Blanchett is obviously a phenomenal actress and a beautiful/fashionable woman. I saw in the TV listings that she was on Charlie Rose Monday night, so I DVR'd it. I watched the hour-long interview yesterday. I usually assume that artists of her caliber are intelligent (although that does not always mean "articulate"). But I was not prepared to be blown away. Seriously: watch and learn and marvel.

See the interview with Cate Blanchett here. 

In Praise Of: Allie Brosh

A few years ago I discovered a website of wacky, funny, smart, adult-child stories written and illustrated by Allie Brosh. The tales she tells--and the way she tells them--are hard to describe. You just have to experience them for yourself.

[One mainstream review: “This site is chock full of childhood stories and random thoughts, all accompanied by hilarious drawings done by MS Paint . . . It’ll cost ya hours of your life as you laugh out loud while reading." -Whitney Matheson, USA Today]

Allie has been working on a book for the past 2 years (it's finally coming out in October 2013). Her site has not been updated in some time. But in its heyday--before the book deal--more than a million people visited the site every month to see what she would do next.

Here are some of my favorites:

• The God of Cake

• How A Fish Almost Destroyed My Childhood

• The Year the Easter Bunny Died

• The Scariest Story

• Dogs Don't Understand Basic Concepts Like Moving

In Praise Of: Tig Notaro

This past weekend, I listened to Terry Gross's Fresh Air interview with comedian Tig Notaro. 

• An often-repeated equation: Comedy = Tragedy + Time
• Comedian Tig Notaro walked onstage hours after finding out she was diagnosed with cancer, and talked about it in a stand-up comedy set that Louis C.K. described in a tweet as masterful.
• Louis C.K. decided to offer Tig Notaro: Live exclusively on his website (he was in the audience for the set).
• The recording of Notaro's 30-minute set is now available for $4.99 on itunes and via Amazon.

I bought the download yesterday and have listened to it twice thus far. It breaks every rule of comedy. **Highly recommended**