I started reading about alternative academic publishing this morning. Some of the articles are 15-20 years old. I’m a little surprised that over that time, no one has built a successful alternative system. I guess all of the entrenched economic and cultural issues have been too much to overcome.
We got a few inches of snow here in Columbia, South Carolina. Roads are covered with ice and everything is shut down. Staying home today.
Snow is falling steadily here in Columbia.
Looks like Columbia missed the worst of the winter storm. Still some ice out there. The kids have an e-learning day, so I’m grateful my teenage driver doesn’t have to navigate ice this morning. And I’m thankful for the late start for my work today.
For 13 years, I managed the visual brand of the University of South Carolina. I led creative teams and worked with vendors and agencies. I produced banners, designed signage, wrapped buses, worked on TV commercials, and installed 6-foot high USC letters. And while I loved my time as the “Guardian of the USC Brand,”1 this summer, I started to think about making a career change. I’m getting close to finishing my Ph.
I recently created a couple of new fonts over on Fontstruct: SbB Crunch’d and SbB Papaya 26. SbB Crunch’d SbB Crunch’d is a little random. Normally when I start working on a type design, I have an idea of how it will be used. In this case, I started with the shape of the “scalloped edges” and built out the font from there. I like how it turned out, even if I have no idea how I’d use it in a layout.
Different social media platforms varied in how they handled the inclusion of multiple inline links in a recent post, with Bluesky successfully displaying both links while Threads and Mastodon only showcased the first one.
Enjoyed Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+.🍿
Back in 2024, I wrote about Honda’s new logo that was allegedly only for their EVs. They’ve apparently changed their mind, and it will now be used for all Honda Automobiles, starting in 2027. I’m wondering if the slow rollout is how they’ve decided to handle and potential backlash…
Waves at sunrise.
I love the beach in winter. A few shots from Isle of Palms this weekend.
There’s a lot to like about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Some interesting characters and the show looks amazing. Holly Hunter’s Chancellor Ake is delightfully quirky for a Starfleet captain. I look forward to seeing where the season goes.
During the outage yesterday, Verizon only shared updates on X. Brands and corporations need to start diversifying their messaging strategy. They have a Threads account that has never posted.
I enjoyed this article in the NY Times about the sadness that you feel when your favorite restaurant closes. Every restaurant is a portal — a way to remember who you were and how things felt when you were, say, 19, or 27, or 35, but also to remember the particulars of a city, a neighborhood, a block. I started to think about the restaurants that I’ve loved that are no longer open.
Saw this hawk out on the Horseshoe today. I didn’t get a shot of it flying, but it had a massive wingspan.
The warning signs were there. Ten years ago, I wrote my first Twitterless article, followed by part 2 in 2017, part 3 in 2022, a “final” chapter in 2023 and an epilogue in 2024.1 My initial concerns were about Twitter’s financial shape, but after Musk took over, I quickly realized the new service wasn’t going to be for me, closed my accounts, and moved on. With the latest news about X, the service formerly known as Twitter, I don’t understand how anyone still has an account.
I was initially skeptical, but the more I play around with Canva Affinity, the more I like it.
I love how quickly I can prototype a typeface idea in Fontstruct.
Even though it rained earlier, we got out to Gather Columbia late this afternoon. Lots of great food options. Fun atmosphere. Another cool addition to Columbia.
As I move into working on my dissertation, it feels strange to not have a “class” this semester. It’s been a long time since I wasn’t reviewing syllabi at the start of a semester…