FOR FRIENDS FAR & WIDE.

News.

09 February 2004
FUNNY QUOTE: THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF BRANDING (AL RIES, 1998).

"High price is a benefit to customers. It allows the affluent customer to obtain psychic satisfaction from the public purchase and consumption of a high-end brand."

And...

"A company that truly understands branding from the customer's point of view would have never introduced a product called 'New Coke.' How can you have a new, presumably better Coke? How can the real thing have been bad? Why on earth would you ever change it? It's like introducing a New God."

Aside from head scratchers like these, Immutable is a morbidly fascinating book that explicitly states and codifies good branding common sense. You know. To sell shit.

Back to main

08 February 2004
BOOK: CARFREE CITIES (J. H. CRAWFORD, 2002).

An actual, real, serious proposal to build a car-free city of the future. The reference design described in the book calls for a city arranged into six lobes, like a humungous asterisk, with train/metro lines connecting each lobe. The only surface vehicles would be bicycles and slow electric vehicles--no more looking over your shoulder for fear of getting run over. Some highlights:

A blow-by-blow comparison of Los Angeles and Venice. (Venice wins.)

The revelation that the New Urbanism movement, which calls for tighter communities and better living conditions, is actually nothing more than a return to the past, i.e. the way cities used to be before car culture took everything over just a scant century ago.

The description of shopping malls as being a shitty simulacrum of cities of old; shitty because corporations have complete control over their design, operating hours, etc.

Super fascinating, super detailed, and very convincing. I can't put this thing down. You know how some kids like to obsess over elaborate personal utopian fantasies (in my case, doodles of moon bases)? This book is kinda like that, only a million times more detailed. Get it at your local lefty bookstore. Ours is Midnight Special Books right on 2nd street in Santa Monica.

Back to main

Archives.
17 August 2003 — 24 August 2003 — 31 August 2003 — 07 September 2003 — 14 September 2003 — 02 November 2003 — 09 November 2003 — 16 November 2003 — 23 November 2003 — 30 November 2003 — 07 December 2003 — 01 February 2004 — 08 February 2004 — 15 February 2004 — 22 February 2004 — 29 February 2004 — 07 March 2004 — 14 March 2004 — 21 March 2004 — 28 March 2004 — 04 April 2004 — 11 April 2004 — 18 April 2004 — 25 April 2004 — 02 May 2004 — 09 May 2004 — 16 May 2004 — 23 May 2004 — 30 May 2004 — 06 June 2004 — 13 June 2004 — 20 June 2004 — 27 June 2004 — 04 July 2004 — 11 July 2004 — 18 July 2004 — 25 July 2004 — 01 August 2004 — 08 August 2004 — 15 August 2004 — 22 August 2004 — 29 August 2004 — 05 September 2004 — 12 September 2004 — 19 September 2004 — 26 September 2004 — 03 October 2004 — 10 October 2004 — 17 October 2004 — 24 October 2004 — 31 October 2004 — 07 November 2004 — 14 November 2004 — 21 November 2004 — 28 November 2004 — 05 December 2004 — 12 December 2004 — 19 December 2004 — 26 December 2004 — 02 January 2005 — 09 January 2005 — 23 January 2005 — 30 January 2005 — 06 February 2005 — 13 February 2005 — 20 February 2005 — 27 February 2005 — 13 March 2005 — 20 March 2005 — 27 March 2005 — 03 April 2005 — 10 April 2005 — 17 April 2005 — 24 April 2005 — 01 May 2005 — 08 May 2005 — 22 May 2005 — 29 May 2005 — 05 June 2005 — 12 June 2005 — 19 June 2005 — 26 June 2005 — 03 July 2005 — 10 July 2005 — 17 July 2005 — 24 July 2005 — 31 July 2005 — 07 August 2005 — 14 August 2005 — 28 August 2005 — 04 September 2005 — 25 September 2005 — 02 October 2005 — 09 October 2005 — 30 October 2005 — 06 November 2005 — 13 November 2005 — 20 November 2005 — 27 November 2005 — 04 December 2005 — 18 December 2005 — 01 January 2006 — 08 January 2006 — 15 January 2006 — 22 January 2006 — 05 February 2006 — 26 February 2006 — 12 March 2006 — 19 March 2006 — 26 March 2006 — 02 April 2006 — 16 April 2006 — 23 April 2006 — 30 April 2006 — 07 May 2006 — 14 May 2006 — 21 May 2006 — 04 June 2006 — 18 June 2006 — 25 June 2006 — 16 July 2006 — 23 July 2006 — 06 August 2006 — 13 August 2006 — 03 September 2006 — 17 September 2006 — 01 October 2006 —

BACK