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September 18, 2023

Occasional links - 18.09.2023

Hello again, 

Three long months have passed since I last emailed and I have... oh stop it Andy you're not on a ship from Plymouth to discover America and writing home to your family... These are busy people you're dealing with. 

I hope you are well, have had a break over the summer months, enjoyed some sunshine, hugged those closest to you and generally are in good spirits. My Grandmother has a phrase she uses on meeting people "Are you as well as you look dear?" which is equally disarming and it is complimentary. So I am extending this to you via email! Are you? 

Enough waffle. Here are ten things that you might find interesting. 

Tracks Of My Tyres - Andy Matthews
I had a rule that this thing wasn't for self-promotion when I started but to hell with that. I had a chat with two friends about setting up a new architecture practice, living and thriving with ADHD, balance, bikes…and heavy metal. I also only got around to doing this set of links thanks to Toby reminding me during our chat. Listen out at 2:03 for our cat giving a little mew before lying down in the sunshine again. 

Eight Popular Misconceptions About Authenticity
Should be free to read and suggests a series of interesting points on the idea of authenticity. 
Contrary to common belief, we are rarely rewarded for being ourselves. In fact, civilization is largely the result of our ability to self-censor and inhibit our spontaneous drives and natural impulses.
Matthew Kilgour enjoyed this so it must be good!

True Romance - Alternative ending
An absolute classic film and a brilliant ending. However according to a friend two endings were filmed! I've not seen this before and was apparently an extra on the DVD release. Spoiler: They chose the right one in the final edit. 

Switzerland has issued a stamp that celebrates concrete, and it has been printed using cement pigments.
Yes of course, why not. Via Present and Correct. 

Straw-Bale 2-in-1 House near Heilbronn by Atelier Kaiser Shen
An absolute stunner. Via Juraj. 

The remarkable story of how Harrison Ford won the part of Han Solo
Carpenter first, movie star second. Not a bad career path I guess. 

MASSIVE Atari ST 1987 Retro Goldmine
Our weird/obscure computing link for this edition. 
Over 30 Atari 1040ST computers were customized for the Tennessee Valley Authority Energy Center 5000 square foot interactive exhibit which opened in May of 1988. Sixteen of the monitors were converted to touch screens which is why there are security bolts drilled into many of the frames. Most of the computers were completely hidden within special cabinets and levels and buttons on the topside would press keys below. In addition to displaying information, there were interactive quizzes and a robot that could be controlled by one of the Ataris.  The TVA still uses these bold colors in their branding to this day.

A corporate architect named Tinker Hatfield
In 1985, Nike held a 24-hour shoe design contest. Nike was struggling. Their stock dropped 50%. They had to lay off people. Adidas, Converse, & Reebok were all selling more shoes. So in a panicked attempt to find creative talent, Nike held a shoe design contest. The winner was...

A corporate architect named Tinker Hatfield.
Sorry to link to that Twitter place but this one is a good un. A YouTube video is linked from the tweet but I've not watched it in full yet. 

Factories
Beautiful photography of factories. Link thanks to Richard. 

Windows 10 Desktop
A look behind the scenes of what goes into creating one of the most recognisable and every day graphics. A lot! From 2015. 

Love as always, 

Andy x
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