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This week's links. Enjoy.

Jean Paul Gaultier's World of Inspiration
Wonderful New Yorker profile of the legendary designer Jean Paul Gaultier — and the surprising things that inspire him.

Ten Historic Female Scientists You Should Know
Like Marie Curie, these women dedicated their lives to science and made significant advances — often against great personal odds. Inspiring and one to share with your daughters.

A Brief History of Cookbooks
Thought provoking essay on how cookbooks have evolved from being written for experienced cooks, both at home and in a professional setting (in the old days, everyone was expected to know the basics) to the wordy cookbooks today that must assume each reader is a complete novice. Interesting commentary on how we're forgetting how to feed ourselves.

The Talks: Sir Michael Caine
Great interview with the legendary actor.

Vogue Covers by Salvador Dali
Have a look at these fantastical cover illustrations by Salvador Dali, dating from the late '30s and '40s (plus one from 1971). Love these and also feel saddened that fashion mag covers are so dull today — just a sea of interchangeable celebs covered with text.

The Most Famous Haircuts in Movie History
Fun infographic by Popchart Lab of iconic hair in the movies — everything from silent film star Clara Bow's bob in Lulu, to Rita Hayworth's immortal Gilda waves to fun ones like the Ron Burgundy and Edward Scissorhands. Via Co. Design.

Annie Lennox Exhibition at the V&A
Wish I could see this one! London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is honoring music artist and humanitarian Annie Lennox with an exhibit called The House of Annie Lennox, featuring never-before-seen photographs of Lennox’s life plus a selection of her costumes, personal artifacts and awards. Follow the link to see examples of the costumes she's worn in her extraordinary career. The exhibit runs until February 2012.

A Man's Guide to a Woman's Wardrobe
Luke Leitch ponders the mysteries of women's love of fashion. He observes: "What has become clear is that fashion is to many women what sport is to many men: a pastime, a passion, a shared language, a form of self-definition, and a temporary escape from the opposite sex, all rolled into one deeply satisfying whole."

Butternut Squash Gratin
This is a perfect early autumn dish — colourful, warm and comforting. Via Kimberley Hasselbrink of The Year in Food, for Etsy.


(lovely photo by lisa cohen)

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This week's links. Enjoy.

Lonny Magazine
The July/August issue of Lonny is live! Make yourself some tea (hot or iced) and settle down for another lovely and inspiring read.

Stan VanDerBeek: Film on the Cutting Edge
The Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston has an exhibition of work by Stan VanDerBeek, a legendary name in the history of experimental film. VanDerBeek made dozens of collage films in the 1950s and early '60s, using altered clippings from magazines and newspapers to create whimsical but pointed commentary — years before Terry Gilliam's Monty Python animated sequences. The link takes you to the story on NPR, but Andrew found his films easily enough on Youtube. Amazing stuff.

Newspaper Gift Bags
Just came across this great tutorial from the fab All About Orange blog and had to share — make your own gift bags from newspapers! Eco-friendly, easy on the wallet and really cute, too. Via pinterest.

The Alfred Hitchcock Cookbook
What if the films of Alfred Hitchcock were approached as recipes? Check out this great graduation short film project at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hannover.

Detroit, Reborn as Bike City
Great video about people riding bikes in Detroit — and in the process rediscovering community, getting healthy, and enjoying their environment in a whole new way.

Top Ten Island Stories
Icelandic novelist Sjón picks his favourite ten novels set on islands, ranging from the sunlit mysteries of Moominpapa at Sea to the sinister Island Of Dr Moreau by HG Wells. Perfect beach or hammock reading.

Planet in a Bottle
The strange and true story of the Biosphere 2 — a $150 million experiment designed to see if the colonization of space might be possible. Launched in 1991 to much fanfare, it was a two year project that turned into a dismal failure.

I Need a Monkey, a Great Kid and Hundreds of Fruit Bats!
Check out this sweet letter by Steven Spielberg from 1983, written when he was casting Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Via The Morning News.

Gazpacho Andaluz
The classic cold soup — perfect for humid summer weather, when you really don't want to cook.


(basket pendant light shade project by annaleenas hem. via poppytalk by way of twig and sparrow)

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This week's links. Enjoy.

Sweet Paul Magazine
The summer issue of the wonderful Sweet Paul magazine is out! Loads of great recipes, crafts, garden ideas and more — all beautifully styled and photographed as always.

The Science of Social Media Timing
Wondering what's the best time of day to post a facebook or twitter update? Check out this handy chart to find out. Via etsy (on facebook!).

Leafsnap
This is brilliant. Leafsnap is a free mobile app that uses visual recognition software to help identify tree species from photographs of their leaves. A great way to learn about nature — and to finally figure out what that odd old tree in your backyard is, too.

What's Going On in That Airline Safety Video?
In an effort to get passengers to pay attention to the safety announcements, airlines are resorting to more and more elaborate (and funny) ways of getting people to watch — including nude flight attendants, puppets and Lady Gaga.

Peter O'Toole Has a Few Words for Directors
Very entertaining interview with the legendary actor Peter O'Toole.

Designing Women
Good magazine picks 25 influential women in design and illustration — meet some truly amazing and inspiring people.

Hidden Gems and Killer Stuff: A Flea Market How-To
Great tips from a flea market pro on how to find the good stuff.

Home Made Condiments
Saveur has some great recipes for making your own ketchup, mustard, mayo, hot sauces and more — kick up your barbeque and picnic repertoire with delicious additions like a spicy Guinness mustard, chimichurri and Korean dipping sauce.


(photo from the story hotel in stockholm. via room 269)

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This week's links. Enjoy.

Pantone Hotel
Design nerds will love this — Pantone, the colour authority, recently opened a 59-room boutique establishment in the Brussels. The interiors have a playful 60's modern vibe — with, of course, lots of great colours. Be sure to check out the slide show.

When Mods Grow Up
From Intelligent Life magazine: "How does one age within a style tribe? In her latest Dress Sense column, Linda Grant writes that the mods and punks still look good, but pity the poor hippies ..." Excellent read.

Who's That Girl?
John Maloof's purchase of a collection of negatives at an auction in Chicago has turned out to be one of the most exciting discoveries of street photography in history — over 100,000 negatives shot primarily on the streets of Chicago between the 1950s and 1970s by Vivian Maier, a French-Austrian woman who worked as a nanny. Check out the blog now dedicated to her brilliant work, too. What an amazing eye she had.

Embracing the Art of Decluttering
Great article by Susanna Sonnenberg from the March 2011 issue of Whole Living magazine, about learning to get rid of clutter as a means of gaining room for the positives in your life, rather than seeing it as a tedious chore. So inspiring — and just in time for spring cleaning, too!

Recent Scenes From Antarctica
From The Browser: "Breathtakingly beautiful photo-essay recording varied Antarctic environment. As the tourists and scientists retreat for the season and head north, sit back and enjoy the most remarkable sights from the region of the past year." Very cool (no pun intended).

A Brief History of Title Design
Great short video showing, well, a brief history of film title design. Really nicely done. Via kottke.

Scientific Breakthroughs, Illustrated
The Royal Society is a Fellowship of the world's most eminent scientists, and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Have a look at this beautifully illustrated collection of original notes and drawings from their archives, capturing the moment a significant scientific breakthrough was made.

Irish Soda Bread
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with delicious Irish Soda Bread — so much better (and much more authentic) than green beer!


(lovely photo by Nicolas Mathéus)

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This week's links. Enjoy.

Top 10 Eccentrics in Literature
Author David McKie chooses his top ten eccentrics — fictional and real — ranging from the characters of Dickens to the fifth Duke of Portland, who was so fearful of being observed that he dug tunnels to carry him around his estate.

New Lives for Old Paper
Book review of Cutting Edges: Contemporary Collage, featuring 75 collage artists from around the world. Some of the art from the book is shown in the article — gorgeous and inspiring work. Just added this to my book list.

Genius Actor, Genius Scientist
Interesting NYT piece about Natalie Portman and other actors who also happen to be brilliant at science. From the article: "Hedy Lamarr, the actress habitually regarded as “that most beautiful woman in Hollywood,” was a rocket scientist on the side, inventing and patenting a torpedo guidance technique she called “frequency hopping,” which thwarted efforts to jam the signals that kept the missiles on track."

The Life of Edward Gorey, Told By An Old Friend
Must get this. The Strange Case of Edward Gorey — written in 2000 by Alexander Theroux, one of Gorey's close friends — is being reissued. Theroux has rewritten, expanded and redesigned the original monograph, which is now out in hardcover. A fascinating look at a fascinating man.

It's All About the Prop Master
Long ago when I was an art school student, a friend of mine was invited to take a tour at a prop house, with the possible end of being hired on as summer help — and happily I was invited along too. For various reasons my friend never took the job, but ever since I've had a real fascination for this aspect of the movie business — this fun little piece from NPR gives an inside look at what a prop master does for a living.

Blackbeard's Treasure?
First discovered in 1996 in the North Carolina shallows, archeologists are still busily excavating the notorious Blackbeard's flagship Queen Anne's Revenge, nearly 300 years after it ran aground in June 1718 after a career terrorizing the Caribbean. So far no treasure, but lots of interesting artifacts — and only an estimated 50% found so far, too.

Philip Glass Launches an Art Festival
This sounds amazing. On August 19 modern composer Philip Glass will launch the first annual Days and Nights Festival at the Hidden Valley Theatre in Carmel Valley. It will offer an eclectic mix of music, dance, theater, poetry and film offerings.

Maple Syrup Tasting Notes
With maple syrup season coming up fast, Saveur chooses their 14 favourites from Canada and the USA. Pancakes, anyone?


(lovely photo by Anna Kern)

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This week's links. Enjoy.

Name That Snow!
Thanks to dictionary.com, you can now impress your friends with your ability to find the mot juste for the snowy weather outside. Is it graupel, rime — and say, is that a pogonip over there?

Aidan's Charity:Water Project
Bits of Beauty blogger Jenn's son Aidan decided that for his 8th birthday he'd rather give the gift of clean water instead of getting gifts. So far he’s raised over $1,000 for Charity:Water in 2 weeks — now he's officially going for $5,000 to build an entire well. Follow the link to donate $8 (I just did!) and help him reach his fantastic goal.

Match Nostalgia
Jude Stewart muses on the stories behind her grandmother's collection of match books, gathered on business trips from the 1940s to the 80s, while buying ladies’ dresswear for a department store in Louisville, Kentucky. Don't miss the fun slide show. Via Design Observer.

In Character, Starring ...
From Vanity Fair: "Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces." Hilarious — follow the link for a slide show of selections from the book.

What is Synesthesia Like?
Synesthesia — the ability to see sounds, hear colors and (though very rare) even experience taste sensations when certain words are spoken — is something that's mysterious for those of us with the standard set of senses. Now Israeli artist/musician Michal Levy, herself synesthetic, has created a series of short films that allow the rest of us to experience what she does. Fascinating and fun. Via Co.Design.

Oliver Twist's Workhouse Discovered
Ruth Richardson, author and historian of medicine, says she has identified the model for the workhouse in Oliver Twist – and that the building in central London is now facing demolition. A bittersweet story of history that Dickens himself would probably have been glad to see forgotten.

White Stripes Call It Quits
Fab band White Stripes have announced that they're splitting up — but for positive reasons. I think they're brilliant to go out on a high note — looking forward to seeing (and hearing) what they do in the future, too.

Ferris Bueller Board Game
This is awesome — artist Maxim Dalton made a fully playable board game version of Ferris Bueller's Day Off as part of a Gallery 1988 tribute show dedicated to John Hughes. Sadly it's not in mass production, but if you go to the show there's a little run of smaller copies available!

Dumpling World
Happy Chinese New Year! Saveur has rounded up a feast of 18 delicious dumpling recipes — not just from China, but from all over the world, too. Seems we all love a good dumpling!


(lovely photo by Joe Schmelzer via the Brick House)

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This week's links. Enjoy.

The Women Changing India
An exhibition that wrapped up just last week, The Women Changing India featured the work of six Magnum photographers, who each chose a subject who reflects the cultural and geographical diversity of life for contemporary Indian women — follow the link for highlights from the show.

Gail Anderson's Salt and Pepper Shaker Collection
Check out this slide show of designer Gail Anderson's wonderfully quirky salt and pepper shaker collection. Via Design Observer.

Dearly Departed
Email is radically changing the way we correspond with each other — and beginning an email with the word "Dear ..." (as was traditional with written letters) is being hotly debated right now.

Pretty in Pink, Again
Interesting article in the NYT about how the vintage pink bathroom, once the first thing to be ripped out when remodeling an older home, is enjoying a renewed appreciation.

Top Cookery Books of All Time
Chef and author Nigel Slater discusses his favourite cook books — Nigella Lawson and Elizabeth David among them.

The Antikythera Mechanism in Lego
From the site: "Andrew Carol rebuilt a 2000-year-old analog computer out of Legos. It predicts the year, date, and time of future solar and lunar eclipses accurately to within two hours. All using plastic gears. This film explains how it works." Extraordinary.

David Carson's New Magazine
Trail blazing magazine designer David Carson (perhaps best known for his art direction of Ray Gun in the '90s) is coming out with his own magazine. Called Carson, it'll be published bi-monthly starting in 2011, and a 6-issue subscription can be obtained for $20. Very cool. Via Kottke.

The Saveur 100
Each year Saveur asks its contributors to name their favourite foods, food gadgets, places to eat and more, assembling 100 entries in all — this year, it's the chef's edition. I look forward to this every year — fascinating and eclectic as always.


(photo by John Paul Urizar via Little Blue Deer)