imagining tables in a new way:

With negative space.....

Random crapola:

So, the golf has gotten harder to accomplish twice a week since the sun isn't coming up as early and is going down earlier in the day. Cooler weather doesn't help either. I felt like my game for the year peaked at the end of July or the first part of August, then I played about three very rotten games at courses I haven't played for many years. Then I sat on the bench for a couple of weeks, hoping it would pass like a bad burrito. We got back to it a bit when the weather got a bit better, with me firing an 83 - which is good for me, and we have a couple of rounds scheduled for this weekend, hoping for a good game and good weather.

Now that the fall TV shows have had a chance to show their writing and acting depth through three or four episodes, it's time to clear some of the season passes off the TIVO. One of them is Big Shots. While the premise of four country club/big business spoiled playboys has promise, and a good cast generally, with liberal hot chicks sprinkled about, the writing is unpolished, and the technical aspects seem to be lacking (like Michael Vartan's makeup), giving this show an air of being an "also-ran".

On the other side of the spectrum are a couple of shows called Chuck, and Reaper, both of which we find quite clever, with good solid writing. You should watch them.









In the category of eye candy, there is the Women's Murder Club. As you know, I am a fan of Her Royal Hotness, Angie Harmon. That's all the reason needed for me to be watching that show. Plot? Not sure. I think it's about murder and stuff. Whatever. SHHH... no talking, I'm LOOKING.

Ok, so on to some other things now. I used to be a graphic designer, and in one of my jobs as such, I was a packaging designer. Therefore, packaging, especially really well-executed packaging catches my eye, and garners my respect. Click on that picture of the billboard over there - what an awesome way to take advantage of a natural shadow to make the point. KUDOS there, that's for sure.

Watch a video of this billboard over here.

Next item: more design junk. This packaging is the most brilliant way to package a hearing aid I've ever imagined. Feel free to jump ahead and view the video below of the seemingly simple packaging in action... and then come back to finish reading. Basically for those who can't hear... how do you help them experience a sound before even getting to the hearing aid within? You show them a soundwave. In action. They have used the plastic sleeve around the box to create the illusion of an animated soundwave as you push the interior box out. Not to mention the simple black and white nature of the design is just classy. My only problem with this design? I can see it being far too fun to just slide the box in and out to watch the soundwave move, and thus it would take too long to get to the actual hearing aid. I love this. Design is by Copenhagen based design studio Goodmorning, for Widex "high definition hearing". video here.

Next: Fun with FLASH from a good old company we like to call "fridge porn" or SubZero.

Next: I REALLY need this clock. A lot.

The Antelope collection of washbasins by Alex Vitet is a smooth group of sexy Corian countertops that look too elegant to be sullied by toothpaste.

And FINALLY (yeah, you're really funny. shut up): ThatOneWife has been getting some grief at the office about what costume she is going to get for the office Halloween party. She asked for my suggestions. I doubt this will fly. And I doubt she'll ask for my input again.


I got that from The Absent Minded Housewife. She makes costumes. Many of them hilarious.

On My Hard Drive: Jaco Pastorius, d. Sept 21, 1987

So time to get this done and posted - it's been sitting here for a bit now.

Jaco Pastorius died on September 21, 1987, 20 years and a few days ago. I was going to write a post about him to commemorate his passing. So here it is.

Jaco Pastorius was one of those kids with too much energy and teachers who didn't know how to channel it. He was good at sports, particularly baseball, and that held his attention for a while. His brother gave him the nickname "Mowgli" after the Rudyard Kipling character, and in recognition of his unbridled energy. Jaco would later establish his music publishing company as Mowgli Music.

Pastorius started his musical career as a drummer (following in the footsteps of his father Jack, a stand-up drummer) but when he was 13, he injured his wrist while playing football. The break was so severe it caused calcium to build up in his wrist and required corrective surgery. After that he was never able to hit a snare drum properly again. At that time he was in a nine-piece horn band called Las Olas Brass (which covered popular material of the day by Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and the Tijuana Brass). Rendered unable to play the drums, he decided to fill in the spot left open by the recently departed bass player.

As Pastorius' interest in jazz grew, he developed a desire to play the double bass. After saving money for a considerable length of time for the purchase of a double bass, he found that the instrument could not stand up to the Florida humidity. One morning, his double bass was "in like a hundred pieces" as he put it. Deciding that to replace it would be too expensive, he instead pried out the frets on his Fender (traditional electric bass), and filled the fret holes with wood putty.

And that's where the story gets interesting.

Pastoruis is regarded as having changed forever the way jazz was played on the electric bass, and is credited with the popularity of the fretless electric bass.

In 1975, Pastorius met up with Blood, Sweat and Tears drummer Bobby Colomby, who had been given the green light by CBS records to find "new talent" for their jazz division. Pastorius' first album, produced by Colomby and entitled Jaco Pastorius (1976), was a breakthrough album for the electric bass. Many consider this to be the finest bass album ever recorded; when it exploded onto the jazz scene it was instantly recognized as a classic. The album also boasted a lineup of heavyweights in the jazz community at the time, who were essentially his stellar back up band, including Herbie Hancock, David Sanborn, Lenny White, Don Alias, and Michael Brecker among others. Even legendary R&B singers Sam & Dave reunited to appear on the track "Come On, Come Over".

Soon after that, Weather Report bass player Alphonso Johnson gave notice that he would be leaving to start his own band. Pastorius was happily invited to join the band where he played alongside Joe and Wayne Shorter until 1981. It is with Weather Report that Pastorius made his indelible mark on jazz music, being featured on one of the most popular jazz albums of all time, the Grammy-nominated Heavy Weather. Not only did this album showcase Jaco's stunning bass playing, but he also received a co-producing credit with Joe Zawinul and even plays drums on his self composed Teen Town.

For you who are unaware, Pastorius pioneered a whole new way of thinking about the bass in ensemble situations. Up until that time, the bass was the timekeeper, partner of the drummer, and a general harmonic background figure.

Jaco heard something entirely different. He brought the bass forward, played soaring, dancing, staccato, melodic solos in the higher ranges, and brought sounds out of the instrument no one had ever heard before, as a third melodic voice.



He toured in 1982; a swing through Japan was the highlight, and it was at this time that bizarre tales of Jaco's deteriorating behavior first surfaced. He shaved his head, painted his face black and threw his bass into Hiroshima Bay at one point. That tour was released in Japan as Twins I and Twins II and was condensed for an American release which was known as Invitation.

His increasingly erratic behavior began to affect his musical career, and he was eventually dropped by Warner Brothers. He had to be pulled off stage during the 1982 Playboy Jazz Festival due to drunkenness, prompting an apology to the crowd by MC Bill Cosby.

Both of his Fender basses were stolen shortly before he entered Bellevue hospital in 1986. In 1993, one of the basses resurfaced in a New York City music shop, with the distinctive letter P written between the two pickups. The store told Bass Player magazine it was brought in by a "student" of Jaco's, and the asking price was $35,000.

His final address was at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After sneaking onstage at a Carlos Santana concert September 11, 1987, he was ejected from the premises, and he made his way to the Midnight Bottle Club in Wilton Manors, Florida.

What then happened was clouded with discrepancy. After reportedly kicking in a glass door after being refused entrance to the club, he was engaged in a violent confrontation with the club bouncer, Luc Havan. Pastorius was hospitalized for multiple facial fractures and gruesome disfigurement to his face, including the probable loss of his right eye and right arm, and had sustained irreversible brain damage. He fell into a coma and was put on life support.

There were initially encouraging signs that he would come out of his coma and recover, but a massive brain hemorrhage a few days later pointed to brain death. His family decided on a majority vote to remove him from life support, even though his second wife Ingrid was against the decision. Pastorius died on September 21, 1987, aged 35, at Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, his heart continuing to beat an agonizing three hours after the plug was pulled.

It's RETRO day!! YAY!!

Okay, so HOLD the yay.

Anyway, enjoy these, and then read down for a little story:














So this brings up a question for you: now that you are generally a grown up, what do you remember about, and think of, your parents choices in design and decorating from when they were young, and you were even younger?

I ask this because, as I have matured and have allowed my tastes to develop and become a part of me, I can now think back on homes we used to live in, and while I don't know that there was an overall cohesive design philosophy that ran through the entire home, there were certainly elements that I remember, furniture pieces, art, etc, that now make me believe that my parents actually had, umm.... taste.

In particular, I remember a few pieces. I remember some molded plastic bits coming out of the 60's. We had what is regarded now as having been quite trendy, wallpaper with patterns made from velvet... There was a MARVELOUS dining set made from teak wood. It was a two-leaf table, 6 wonderful sleek mid-century mod chairs, and a buffet/hutch unit that I now regard as beautiful. In addition, there was a lovely master bedroom set made from teak as well: headboard, with black Naugahyde trim, 2 bedside tables attached, a tall dresser for him, and a low side-by-side for her. These would be extremely valuable now.

What I wouldn't give for these bits now. (Just do an eBay search for teak furniture now, and see what I mean.)

Then we entered the Heavy Oak Age.

And all was lost.

Won't you take me to... FUNKYTOWN... I mean, Levittown...

So there was a short period of time last night between getting home and food hitting the table, and in that lag time, I was mindlessly watching a crap sitcom I NEVER watch. Watching it reminded me why it's not in my TIVO season pass list.... but that's another story for another day.

Anyway, during the ubiquitous scene in the bar where the characters talk smack to each other and try to be funny, one of them was wearing a T-Shirt. It said "Welcome to Levittown."

I would not have thought twice about this, or even knew what the reference was, except for one thing. Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the first family to move into Levittown. And it's significant.

Well, it's marginally interesting anyway.

Okay, it's only interesting in light of the fact that in addition to this anniversary, yesterday was also the blessed day upon which the first baby-boomer applied for her Social Security benefits.

So back to Levittown, and why it's interesting.

Its hard to imagine that the US suburb has only existed for such a short amount of time, yet it has so drastically changed the way we think, act, and interact with one another. Thanks Mr. Levit, and Levittown, for inventing the middle class ghetto.

For those of you unfamiliar with Levittown’s history - it's the first planned suburb. To be clear, it was far from being the ‘first suburb’, as people seem to be fond of saying, but was instead the first to be planned in the manner that has become the American standard for suburban living. Namely, a crap-load (that's a technical architecture term - I swear) of houses that look alike, are cheaply built, allow for maximum visibility of the family (American made) car, and provide a rectangle of grass to be watered and mowed (or you’ll be ridiculed by the neighbors, and your invite to the block party will get ‘lost’).

Long story short, Levit bought some old potato farms on Long Island, turned developer, and constructed something like 2,000 cookie-cutter low-cost homes. Each had a yard and all that, and they were lined up on winding streets that were meant to be reminiscent of (one would assume) the ‘natural’ suburbs that were inaccessible to so much of the population (I call them ‘natural’ suburbs for lack of a better word - but I’m referring to those that were unplanned).

The houses were then placed on the market, and sold at fairly low costs - The Cape Cods that first became available in 1947 — with four rooms, one bathroom and among other modern amenities, white enameled metal cabinets, a Hotpoint electric range in every kitchen — were offered for $6,990, and 800-square-foot ranch homes went for $7,990 - especially compared to the traditional suburb, in particular to veterans (WWII and Korean?) and their families - basically creating the image of the ‘American Dream’, in terms of quality of living (house with a garage, family car, a $65 monthly mortgage payment, 2.5 children, etc, etc).

And so now Levittown is 60 years old - October 2007 marks 60 years since the first residents moved in - and things have changed. Now there are Levittowns all over the country - not in name, but definitely in appearance. But what’s become of the original? Well it’s apparently gone through the changes one would expect, becoming home to McMansions (and wannabees) created by people expanding and adding to the existing original homes until they were unrecognizable.

This has brought up a discussion in the original Levittown about whether or not the last remaining ‘original’ homes should remain preserved - but I would like to propose a better question: was Levittown successful? Is it worth preserving?

In the US we’re obsessed with creating history, as ours is a young country and an even younger culture - but should we really cling to ‘American’ things just because they’re of this country, regardless of their actual merit?

While this is obviously a broad question, I believe it applies particularly to architecture and the U.S.’s acceptance of architectural mediocrity as tradition. Is the suburb still relevant? Is it still a legitimate way to plan communities? Is it good?

Just wondering.

As an aside, it is noted that Billy Joel grew up in this development, as did Bill O'Reilly...

Al called - says "fuggedaboudit"

He just called. He's like, hey, I really appreciate your sentiments on this idea about me running for office, but honestly, you really need to drop that line of thinking. Or at least stop talking about it in public. Do you have any idea what Hillary has threatened to do to me if I try to run against her? It's not just idle talk, brother. These people play for keeps. I mean, have you read "Primary Colors"? Do you have any idea what we'd be dealing with? One example. Tipper called me this morning. Our cat is missing. Mr. Bojangles. Right. Then I get a call from Hillary to congratulate me on the prize and she says, "Oh, and how's the family? Kid doing fine? Say, do you still have that little black-and-white cat?" Then she does that weird laugh of hers. You think that's a coincidence? No way. It's a warning. It's their way of letting me know, Don't even think about it. So look, Steve, I'm begging you. Ixnay on the ampaign-cay, all right? It just ain't gonna happen. I'm sorry.



Lifted unceremoniously from "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs

Question of the day:

Now that Al Gore has a Nobel under his belt, does he enter the race for Prez? I think he's still posturing for it, but I think chances are still 50-50.

Thoughts?


















and make sure to click the picture through to its own window - get the reward... :)

my search terms:

Dear searchers,

You got here by searching for "Matthew Sweeney Underwear Model."

Accept my apologies, but I am not that person. Geez. Just ask ThatOneWife.

Also, to the person looking for the "Jim Dandy Teeter Totter," I have a Jim Dandy, but it's not a teeter totter, more of a slip n slide kinda thing.

Sincerely,
ThatOneGuy

My own little conspiracy theory

I was told by ThatOneWife a few days ago that I'm "on your (my) architecture "thing" again"... I realize this may limit my traffic and appeal to some of you other readers, so in a hope to win some of you heathens back again, I give you -

Some randomness:

Is there more than one city (Washington) within the District of Columbia? I don't know this. And it bugs me that I don't know.

The oven stinks when you run the self-clean cycle.

Do Nielson Ratings count for TIVO'd shows? Or do they only count viewers' actual eyes during the actual broadcast of the actual show?

And similarly, if I read every single post on your blog, every day, through a news reader, do your hit stats show that, or what is the deal there? I read a bunch of blog entries every day, and wonder if I am giving you any stats whatsoever. I HAVE committed to write way more comments to let you know I am still reading you - so watch for that on your blog.

Soon, presidential politicians hoping for office will have to campaign on a very full time basis, starting right after the elections. It seems we've been doing this for a very long time now. I wonder if it's just because the entire country wants so badly to hope for something better than the fool we have endured for the last 6.5 years.

And the final random item for you this morning - I found this site a couple of days ago, and cried a little bit.








And then - here's a thing: As per usual around here, the roads are all torn up - I should look into investing in the company that makes the little orange barrels and cones - we're totally keeping them in business. But here's the REAL problem as I see it:

The road closures have been planned to limit my access to the State Liquor Stores. For those of you not familiar with the odd life we lead around here, the State Liquor Stores are the only place you buy, umm liquor. And that includes wine.

The Sugarhouse store's access (for me) is hampered by a stupid project on 33rd South, limiting access to one lane. The store on State and about 54th is limited by the ongoing idiocy that is southbound state street. And the Redwood Road store has been a fuster-cluck for several months now, because Redwood is torn up also. Do these people not realize that I pay for their children's school lunch program through liquor taxes? I'm telling you, the state's entire economy hangs in the balance of whether or not I can re-stock in time to keep your children from starving to death in the middle of the playground at recess tomorrow. Seriously. Luckily for me, I'm going to Wyoming today. I'm just sayin'.

But speaking of seriously, there have been a couple of things in the news sidebars recently that have made me want to puke on somebody. Ream's food store in Provo (home of BYU and if you ask any resident, the location where LDS church headquarters SHOULD have been all along) got rid of its watered down beer and cigarettes because the owner's daughter came home from a DARE program and asked her dad why he sells "drugs" in his store. Unable to think of anything INTELLIGENT to say (like, "honey, those things right there are LEGAL, and are not the things that the DARE guy meant when he said DRUGS, people have the right to buy them if they want"), he just removed them from the store's shelves. Now, I'm all in favor of a merchant being allowed to sell whatever he wants, but when it's veiled and steeped in a morass of morality, the action wreaks of Big Brother-ness and hypocrisy. Then over the weekend the Tribune's Rebecca Walsh wrote a good piece, reflecting exactly what I was thinking. Let's just go ahead and call a spade a spade.

And now just one other thing. My Sunday mornings usually consist of a leisurely stroll through the fat Sunday paper, and a couple of cups of coffee. Over the last week or two there has been an ongoing spat in the Letters to the Editor page about our bass-akwards liquor laws. Much of the time, I harrummph and wonder how it is that stupid people are allowed to breathe, let alone REPRODUCE. Then on Monday I got to the office and read a post on a blog I frequent on the same subject , and I thought it was a great encapsulation of my thoughts on the subject. That subject being the tendancy here in Utah for the moral majority to seek to legislate a particluar brand of morality upon the masses here. Go read that post, it's good.

And until next time, I'll be playing with my brand new iPod Touch... my birthday present from the the lovely Mrs. ThatOneGuy. (THANKS!!)

Small(ish) world

The US Mortgage Crunch that turned into a US Capital Market crunch that turned into the Worldwide Credit crunch serves to bring lots of things to light.

The British Bank, Northern Rock, holding lots of US Mortgage-backed securities, and a large British residential lender, has struggled like more than 150 other US lenders and banks. Smelling blood in the water, Cerberus (a group I have written about here on several occasions), and a similar company named JC Flowers, run by former Goldman Sachs exec Chris Flowers, have stepped up their bid for taking over the bank.

They intend to leave the bank open and running, leaving a "strong British presence" on the bank's board.

They believe the current credit crunch will be temporary. And when that is the case, those with ability and capital can pick through the trash to find the gems. As mentioned earlier here, Cerberus owns several lenders here in the US, as well as their recent acquisition of Ford Motor Co.

Flowers, along with two US banks, has a $50 per share bid in to buy Sallie Mae, the US Government sponsored student loan co. Their bid WAS $60 per share, but they lowered that to $50 earlier this week, stating a lack of fundamental performance on the part of the company, and general market conditions.

The Canadian luxury home market goes from hot to hotter

Canadian luxury home activity gives new meaning to global warming – this part of the world is enjoying a hot upper tier market.

The first seven months of this year have seen Canadian luxury home market sales jump in major markets from Victoria to Toronto. “The consumer appetite for luxury property has been insatiable,” says Michael Polzler, Executive Vice President and Regional Director, RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada.

“Unabated demand throughout the year has created tight market conditions in a number of blue chip neighborhoods. Limited availability of product has, in turn, placed mounting upward pressure on housing values. As a result, the million dollar home no longer holds the same cachet it once did and in larger markets such as Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, it’s simply a starting price.”

The table below reflects the strength of the upper tier housing market in six major Canadian cities.

Porsche's New Frontier: The Kitchen

The product of a collaboration between Porche Design Group and Poggenpohl (the oldest furniture brand in Germany), the new kitchen is designed specifically for men.

From the press release:

"With their new kitchen, both companies intend to live up to the trend that shows an increasing number of men displaying an interest in ‘kitchen and cuisine’. “In recent years, kitchens have turned into event and representation areas frequently equipped with audio systems”, explains Elmar Duffner, Managing Director of Poggenpohl. “Our co-operation with Porsche Design enabled us to design a kitchen whose sleek and functional design language specifically addresses male customers.”

more prettiness here

As Promised: CHAIR PORN

In the world of architecture, there are many great architects, past and present, who also designed the furnishings for the homes they designed. Notable among them is of course frank Lloyd Wright, whom we have discussed at length on other occasions. (check the category tabs at the bottom of the post to check out the running set of post regarding FLW - how convenient...)

Anyway, here are some classics you have certainly seen before. Many of these have shown up in movies, on TV sets, and in some of the classic homes in your city, to be sure.

I've put a basic picture of the chair beside each, small, so it doesn't take up much room in this post, but you can click through to see it bigger if you want. I also put a larger picture of the chair, in its natural habitat, for drooling purposes.

I've sat in many of these chairs before - and I'd love to say I own ANY of them, but alas, such is not the case - yet.

EAMES BENT-PLYWOOD LOUNGE CHAIR
The LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) was hailed by Time Magazine as the Best Design of the 20th Century.

The Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair (1946) has been referred to as the "most famous chair of the century," with a form that relates directly to the human body and holds no secrets as to how it succeeds technically. Low-slung, with an expertly crafted molded plywood seat and back, this chair cradles the user and features hardwood inner ply for durability.


GEHRY OUTDOOR
A Best of Show winner at Neocon 2004, Frank Gehry's latest contribution to the world of furniture design pays homage to his recent architectural feats. The four-piece Gehry Outdoor Collection (2004) is characterized by ultra-sculptural, monolithic forms that reference the heft and metallic fluidity of his recent Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. One can certainly see the similarities.


EAMES MOLDED PLASTIC ROCKER
The Eames Molded Plastic Rocker (1948), often known as the RAR (rocking armchair rod), was out of production for 30 years before being brought back with the blessings of the Eames Office. The iconic Eames wire base is set atop two maple runners for a smooth rocking motion that brings enjoyment to contract and residential settings.


LE CORBUSIER SLING CHAIR
Le Corbusier regarded traditional furnishings, with their structures hidden beneath wads of padding and upholstery, as relics of the past. With the studio's LC1 Chair (1928), the Le Corbusier furniture group stripped away all superfluity to create this sleek, elemental chair that is one of the signature classics of modern design.

LE CORBUSIER PETIT MODELE ARMCHAIR
The Le Corbusier group referred to their LC2 and LC3 collections as "cushion baskets" which they designed in 1928 as a modernist response to the traditional club chair. With cushions held in place without being tethered to the frame, the idea was to offer all the comfort of a padded surface while applying the elegant minimalism and industrial rationale of the International Style.


LE CORBUSIER CHAISE LONGUE
The LC4 Chaise Longue (1928), dubbed the "relaxing machine," is a lounge that mirrors the body's natural curves while appearing to float above its supports. A tubular bow-shaped frame holds a bed of fabric or hide atop a rectilinear steel base. The moveable frame adjusts along the base from upright to full recline with ease, anticipating later ergonomic furniture. The LC4 is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.


ARNE JACOBSEN SWAN CHAIR
Before the Swan Chair (1958), Arne Jacobsen's architecture and designs were shaped by an assumption of materials' natural ways of resisting. In other words, he could make them go only so far in becoming the structure he desired. With new technologies, however, the old rules no longer applied and he was able to shape fluid curves and single-piece molded shells. The Swan Chair is now made from polyurethane foam, but at the time, Jacobsen used Styropore to create its continuous shape. Designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, for which Jacobsen was the architect, the chair's swivel base permitted guests to spin in their seat, thus becoming active participants in the busy hotel atmosphere. Made in Denmark.


ARNE JACOBSEN EGG CHAIR
Arne Jacobsen designed the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, as well as many of the furnishings. For its busy lobby, he created the biomorphic Egg (1958) and Swan, which are believed to be the first swiveling upholstered chairs. For a public area, the handcrafted Egg Chair is unique in that sitters can swivel toward the conversation area or away from others if privacy is desired. A tilt mechanism allows for relaxed lounging and the high back and curving elements are reminiscent of a traditional wing chair. Together they cocoon the sitter in a single-piece molded shell that appears to hover over the floor. Almost 50 years after its design, the Egg Chair is still used in advertising, film and television as a symbol of sophisticated urbanism. Think Austin Powers here.


EAMES TRADITIONAL LOUNGE CHAIR
In continuous production since its introduction in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair is widely considered one of the most significant designs of the 20th century. It was the culmination of Charles and Ray Eames' efforts to create a club chair using the molded plywood technology that they pioneered in the '40s. In Charles Eames' words, the vision was a chair with the "warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt." The result has become the consummate lounge set, timelessly blending old-fashioned comfort and visionary modernism.


LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE BARCELONA CHAIR
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair and Stool (1929), originally created to furnish his German Pavilion at the International Exhibition in Barcelona, have come to epitomize modern design. Mies van der Rohe designed the chair to serve as seating for the king and queen of Spain, while the stool was intended to accommodate their attendants. Still produced to his original specifications, this Barcelona is of quality fit for royalty.

But first, this:

I mentioned that I had some Chair Porn to post for you (because I know how much you love that stuff), as well as a new On My Hard Drive item, but first, I wanted to do this:

Last weekend we watched Fracture, with Sir Anthony Hopkins, et al.

The movie was pretty good - we enjoyed it. But for me, the movie was equally enjoyable just with the setting and cinematography. It was filmed in and around LA, and featured some very interesting and cool landmark spots, two of which I will tell you about here.

First item on the docket is the Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall. There are several scenes and several other shots of this building. Both inside and out. I'm sure you are familiar with this place, at least you are if you read here often at all.

As I noted there are several shots of this place - overhead long shot, 2 lobby scenes, and 2 scenes inside the hall itself. It's a pretty impressive place.

Then there is The Sherman Estate. This is a wonderful huge house built behind large fencing, shrubs, trees and hills. Here is the description from the film's producers:

The Crawford home was another architectural wonder located in the Encino area of the San Fernando Valley, where the company spent several weeks shooting at a private estate. "The house sits behind these big gates like a cement and glass bunker with a buttressing overhang," recalls Hoblit. "It must be 80% glass, supported by struts, but you can see from one end of the house all the way to the other, all the way through it, side to side, end to end, anywhere you go. It would be a little unnerving to live in a house like that, but fortunately it's pretty well-hidden."

The Sherman estate is protected on all sides by giant hedges, walls, gates, and a formidable hill that leads to a guest house and tennis court which perch high above the pool and backyard. It is also surrounded by a small orchard of orange trees, rose bushes, lavender and blooming flora. It has been used in films before, but has never been showcased to this extent.

Hoblit and Morgenthau particularly liked the reflections and double images that occurred when shooting through the house and its many layers of glass, a circumstance usually considered a mistake in traditional camera work. They frequently placed their cameras outside the house to film scenes going on inside, another rare occurrence for Hoblit, who calls himself a "stickler" when it comes to being close to the action, but in this case took advantage of his ability to use his cameras as the eyes of a voyeur.

Hoblit calls the house "camera-friendly" and says "it was just made to order; a real gift," while Morgenthau believes the opposite, but attests to how good the house looks on camera.

"It was very film-unfriendly, but it was worth every bit of effort and heartbreak and stepping on top of each other," the cinematographer says. "It was a classic, Schindler-influenced building, where the interiors and exteriors flowed from one to the other, but it was not easy," he laughs.

I have tried to find image references to this place online, as well as references to other films that have shown this house, but I could find nothing. The house has a decidedly oriental influence to it, somewhat like FLW's early prairie works. I guess you're just going to have to rent the movie and check it out for yourself. It's a bonus that the actual movie is enjoyable, and the bad guy also drives a Porsche Carrera GT. You car sluts might want to check that out as well. Corvette?? PPhshaaww... whatever.

Popular Local Sports Broadcaster Caught in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Or something like that.

Channel 2 news (CBS) here in SLC reported last night that their sports reporter Dave Fox had entered a Plea in Abeyance in a mortgage fraud scheme that supposedly had him falsifying documents and statements related to the over-inflation of a home in the hoity-toity-and-at-the-same-time-very-mealy neighborhood called the River Bottoms in the Provo area.

Fox's plea is essentially a guilty plea without admitting guilt. His lawyer paints him as the victim, and the court has agreed to dismiss the charges (Failure To Occupy/Communications Fraud were the official charges - as it is in most mortgage fraud schemes) in return for Fox's testimony against the several other participants.

Fox wasn't on the news broadcast last night. I wonder how long, if ever, it will take for KUTV to put him back on the air.

Court documents help tell the story, which goes far beyond Fox. The documents show that Fox and Atkin intentionally, knowingly or recklessly devised a scheme to defraud another. Court documents show the two men falsified home loan documents to make money on a quick resale. Joe Christensen, director of the State Insurance Fraud Division, said, "This is the first level of a multi-level investment that involves millions of dollars and fraud and more than a dozen people."

Investigators say it's a big case involving at least a dozen people who allegedly conspired to inflate the value of real estate they bought, sold and borrowed money on.

What's even more interesting to me are the comments that accompany the news story as posted over at rival station (and LDS Church-owned) KSL (NBC).

read the story and check the comments

And coming shortly to this spot: a post about "chair porn" and a post on Jaco Pastorius, bass player who changed the face of modern jazz forever, who died 20 years ago last Friday. Sadly.

Brutalist Architecture: Not What You Think

Here's your dose of architecture school for the day. Brutalist architecture sounds like something different than it is. The term Brutalist Architecture originates from the French béton brut, or "raw concrete", a term used by Le Corbusier to describe his choice of material. It grew out of the modernist and minimalist schools of thought, and was made into its own category by none other than Le Corbusier himself, and the most well known building is the Boston City Hall building.

The style involves repeating heavy geometrical patterns, usually using poured concrete for its main material. Usually the surface remains unfinished, leaving the impressions of the forms used to pour the concrete, usually wood - this leaves the impression of the grain on the exterior of the building.

Here's a picture of the Boston City Hall. If you have a creative mind, you can see influences here from Frank Lloyd Wright's very early Prairie styles in the repeated upper patterns, although FLW's patterns were often inspired by Japanese style, and used for natural light.















The other distinguishing feature of this style is that the utility of the building is shown on the outside. For example, you can tell where the Mayor's office is in the picture, or the City Council Chambers, etc, by looking at the OUTSIDE of the building.

The other major building associated with this style is the Hunstanton Secondary Modern School, in Norfolk. It is unique in that the water storage facilities for the school are prominently displayed on the outside of the structure, rather than being hid on the inside.

"But in its day (1949-54) it was revolutionary. A homage to the great German modernist architect Mies van der Rohe, its steel-frame construction with brick and glass panels was more like a factory. Wondering where to put the water tank on all those flat roofs, the Smithsons instead set it high on a freestanding tower like a heroic campanile."

Here is a picture of the school from the period:













While the style of this school doesn't match the pattern of main utilitarian spaces being visible from the outside, this building, designed by Smithson, is generally thought to belong to the Brutalist style because of its water tower.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled, time-wasting web surfing.

The two fastest reviews you'll read all week:

Okay, first one:

We went to see Spamalot over the weekend... it was great - we were thinking about going to LV to see it over Thanksgiving, and we were also thinking about going to NYC to see it, and one or two others as well.... but we decided to see it here, now.

The comedy was true Pythonesque, and it was timed perfectly - there were the killer rabbits, the Frenchmen, the minstrels... it was funny.

"Always look on the bright side of life." Words to live by.




Then, second item: We went to see the Dave Brubeck Quartet last night. He turns 87 in December, and wanted to come, thinking he might not make it out again. He is aged - he's thin and old. But still plays very well. The Quartet was great, and after one or two songs, they got the "ensemble" feel going, having ironed out kinks not intonation and being able to hear each other. Bobby Militello on Alto Saxophone and flute was particularly prodigious and I enjoyed his playing a lot. A couple of drum solos by Randy Jones, although stellar, went on just a tad too long, but that's okay. Michael Moore was on bass, and was also a great player.

The concert was a benefit for the GAM foundation here, producer of a yearly series of concerts called Jazz at the Sheraton... the foundation was in trouble a year or two ago, and there were several artists that came to the rescue, along with a private donor or two, who helped rescue it, and I'm really glad they did. We really like their concerts.

On the way home we wondered if they ever get tired of playing "Take Five", the song for which they are probably most famous. We also had a chuckle during the concert when we commented to each other that instead of mixing the audio monitor feed for the band, the two guys on the side of the stage were really there to provide emergency resuscitation should it be needed in a hurry.

Lots of Blue-Hairs in the audience.

The FED lowered rates, why didn't my mortgage payment go down?

So, the FED lowered two rates yesterday, and the S&P 500 index is up about 3.5% over the two days... so this is a good thing right?

Ask yourself this question - "what does that mean to me?"

If you answered with some form of "now the rate on my variable-rate mortgage will go down...", you should realize that your variable rate mortgage is tied to an INDEX, not the FED rate. more than 90% of variable rate loans are tied to the LIBOR, which is short for London Interbank Offered Rate.

As the LIBOR goes, so goes the rate on your mortgage.

Have you been watching the news on the LIBOR lately? I didn't think so.

Here's a snap-shot:

The British Bankers' Association said the overnight LIBOR -- the interest rate banks charge each other -- remained steady at 6.47% on Monday. The rate, however, remained significantly higher than the 5.87% rate seen on Thursday and Friday. Three-month and twelve-month LIBOR rates set fractionally lower than on Monday, the association said.

From 5.87% to 6.47% is more than a half-point move in the WRONG direction. Overnight. The London folks were sitting on the sidelines watching the Great American Credit Fiasco, thanking their lucky stars that they hadn't been sucked into it, then they realized they HAD been sucked into it when it was noted how many British and European institutional lenders and banking organizations were SHAREHOLDERS in the very same American funds that were now showing themselves to be nothing more than junk bonds.

When they discovered that, the LIBOR went from 5.87% to 6.47%.

And if you have a one-month LIBOR loan (the rate is calculated every month), your rate moved .6%. Overnight.

I bet that was fun.

And in the category of "It's not the rate, it's the program", here's something else...

The FED lowers the rate to try to bring some capital back into the markets, which, if you have been watching the markets in the last two days, you know it HAS, but here's The Thing:

No institutional bank/buyer (who has money available) is going to put its money back into the bond market until the big lenders can prove that they are making responsible loans that will perform and not end up in foreclosure. It's that simple. And as long as those institutions AREN'T buying loans in the secondary market, the lender who made the loan has to keep it, tying up money that could be freed up and loaned out again. This KILLS any lender that isn't THE MOST CONSERVATIVE LENDER ON THE PLANET.

For example, yesterday, Countrywide said they are OUT of any kind of loan business that is not Super Prime, in an effort to convince the market that they are making responsible loans now, please buy them. This is the same Countrywide who, in the last three weeks has borrowed more than 20 BILLION dollars in an effort to stay afloat and make loans.

Until the banks begin to trust lenders again, it doesn't matter what the rates are.

Compared to 12 months ago, there are about 25% of the loan programs available now that were available then. Some may say that's a good thing - we'll see how many lenders exit the business. I can tell you that banking industry layoffs are putting a drag on the economy. Couple that with looming foreclosures, BKs, which will surely follow, and we might be looking at a perfect storm.

My advice for people in the markets: I hope you were holding significant gold futures. Seriously.