This is an old edition of Meanwhile from an inferior, more simian newsletter platform that has unhelpfully severed all the hyperlinks. It’s included here in the archive simply for sake of completeness.
“The girl in the title is much more likely to be a woman than an actual girl, and the author of the book is more likely to be a woman. But if a book with girl in the title was written by a man, the girl is significantly more likely to end up dead.” – An interesting analysis of the growing trend of “girl” in book titles.
Maria Popova, the big throbbing curious brain at the heart of the internet, shares ten things she's learnt from ten years of Brain Pickings.
Why don't all bookstores have a Scream Room, like this one in Cairo?
Who would you rather have escort your wife to a party, Ryan Adams or Ryan Reynolds? Would you rather shovel snow or go to a Nickelback concert? What would your first thoughts be if you were asked to write Grease 3? … and other dumb questions for smart designers.
Like punk never happened. Just lots and lots and lots of full issues of Smash Hits, adverts and all. Even more wonderful than you could possibly imagine.
This Buddy Rich drum solo has been fuelling my work this week. In a parallel universe somewhere, all design studios have a resident drummer as standard.
Ten tips to stay productive while working from home. All very true. Get dressed!
Starting your Christmas list? You may want to add this curated collection of 36 Caldecott Medal-winning children's books. Only $100,000. I'm sure Santa can afford it.
John Berger and Susan Sontag chatting about books and fiction and storytelling and suchlike. From back in the day when all you needed to make a TV show was a couple of exceedingly clever people sat opposite each other. Oddly calming.
“As for pastry, that choice is generally governed by the kind of book I’m working on: non-fiction, croissant; fiction, almond croissant; series design, scone.” – Designer vs coffee shop.