Entries from July 2007 ↓

You wanna stay cool, right? (Available only in Japan. Of course.)

I am a typography nerd. I love the look of different alphabets set in different faces. It’s incredible how much personality and art can be carried by a certain typeface.An online journal called Typographica has just posted its favorite fonts of the past year, and there’s not a dog in the bunch. I can’t choose a favorite, but Palatino Sans (pictured above) intrigued me because I’m quite familiar and fond of the original Palatino, a graceful serif font.

Other fonts in the list that caught my eye are Guardian, Milo and especially Estilo — but I have been in a sans-serif mood lately.

“Less napkins,” Starbucks? How about less grammatical errors?

The napkin should say, “Fewer napkins,” as my nine-year-old easily figured out. That’s because you can count napkins. If you can’t count it, you say less: Less coffee. If you can count it, you say fewer: Fewer coffee cups.

How many editors and designers proofed these napkins before they were printed?

Certainly this is just too cool for me to own, and a good bit expensive at $30.

But it seems front-pocket wallets are gaining in popularity for those guys who are tired of bustin’ out their back pockets with a George Costanza wallet.

This is the Slimmy, what they call a slim front pocket wallet alternative. It’s kept in your front pocket for security and convenience

But it takes discipline, as the Koyono web site says:

STYLE WARNING: This slim wallet is not a magic trick. If you have a “George Castanza (sic) wallet,” with over 10 credit cards, pictures of distant relatives, and 5 years of financial records, you WILL NOT be able to magically conceal the same contents in the Slimmy.

The Slimmy experience is about security, comfort and minimalism. Carry only what you need so that you are less exposed to theft, less encumbered, and look better.

Would I have the necessary discipline to use a slim front-pocket wallet? Since I do not own one, I really don’t know.

In unrelated news, my birthday’s in early September.

Hat tip: Uncrate

This is the version of Psalm 84 an elder at my church — yes, it would be Tim — would like to work on with me:

The most jarring product placement ad ever:

Hat tip:  Test Pattern

As my 20 or so fans know, sitting around listening to my CD “Wordlessly” is a relaxing joy. But sometimes, maybe you feel as though something is missing. Listening to the CD alone is no longer satisfying enough.

And then, the thought hits you: “If only I could drink my favorite hot caffeinated beverage in a ‘Wordlessly’ branded mug! And if only the mug could be offered in two sizes, one for a normal day, and the other for a day when a massive amount of coffee is required! Wouldn’t that be swell?”

Close behind it comes another thought: “Well, a mug would be great, but what about a ‘Wordlessly’ branded magnet, so I could write down these thoughts and post them on my fridge? And what if I have so many thoughts, or fridges, that I’d want packs of 10 or 100? That would be too much happiness to handle.”

“And then, for those places where magnetism just won’t do, ‘Wordlessly’ branded rectangular stickers!”

Your dreams have come true. Visit my Cafe Press store and buy, buy, buy to your hearts’ content.

It’s cream cheese with two kinds of homemade jelly.

Have a great holiday!

I’ve been on a real book-buying binge lately.

I picked up a couple of book at the John Piper sale last week — “When I Don’t Desire God” and “Brothers, We Are Not Professionals.”

My wife just found a used copy of “The Rise of the Creative Class” for me.

I picked up “Heaven Is Not My Home” not too long ago and a new copy of “Against Christianity” still sits on my shelf, beckoning me.

But now I know I must buy one more book, a book I’ve been wanting to read for years. It’s called “City Comforts” by David Sucher, and I’ve been reading his City Comforts blog for a long time. (It’s in my blogroll to the right.)

You can go to this order form to read the descriptions of the titles, but here are the first three:

• How to Build an Urban Village: Why the urban village is appealing, and its three key architectural patterns.
• Bumping into People: The city is a place to bump into, to