Minimal Universe

Minimal Universe collect posts from our favorite minimal-related blogs listed on the right.
  • A Waste of Money and Time

    Having suffered from the stupidity that some of the TSA screeners insist on in the past couple of days (like wanting to scan my 8 month old baby on the full body scanner but not allowing either me or my wife to hold the baby because, yes, my baby is a threat, or yelling “Water bottle!” and acting as if it was some sort of uber-explosive when they found that inside the baby diaper bag we have a bottle of water for the baby’s formula, a bottle that is allowed by the TSA, and almost arresting me for trying to explain what the bottle was since apparently wasn’t clear from the diaper bag and me holding the baby and drinking some of the water so they can see that it is indeed water) I felt compelled to post this so EVERYONE read it.

    This is an article from the New York Times by Bruce Schneier, a security specialist and crypto guru. Reposted in full, read it while you can, it will be deleted in 24 hours:

    Article begins, bold letters by me

    A Waste of Money and Time

    A short history of airport security: We screen for guns and bombs, so the terrorists use box cutters. We confiscate box cutters and corkscrews, so they put explosives in their sneakers. We screen footwear, so they try to use liquids. We confiscate liquids, so they put PETN bombs in their underwear. We roll out full-body scanners, even though they wouldn’t have caught the Underwear Bomber, so they put a bomb in a printer cartridge. We ban printer cartridges over 16 ounces — the level of magical thinking here is amazing — and they’re going to do something else.

    This is a stupid game, and we should stop playing it.

    It’s not even a fair game. It’s not that the terrorist picks an attack and we pick a defense, and we see who wins. It’s that we pick a defense, and then the terrorists look at our defense and pick an attack designed to get around it. Our security measures only work if we happen to guess the plot correctly. If we get it wrong, we’ve wasted our money. This isn’t security; it’s security theater.

    There are two basic kinds of terrorists. The are the sloppy planners, like the guy who crashed his plane into the Internal Revenue Service building in Austin. He’s going to be sloppy and stupid, and even pre-9/11 airplane security is going to catch him. The second is the well-planned, well-financed, and much rarer sort of plot. Do you really expect the T.S.A. screeners, who are busy confiscating water bottles and making people take off their belts — and now doing uncomfortable pat-downs — to stop them?

    Of course not. Airport security is the last line of defense, and it’s not a very good one. What works is investigation and intelligence: security that works regardless of the terrorist tactic or target. Yes, the target matters too; all this airport security is only effective if the terrorists target airports. If they decide to bomb crowded shopping malls instead, we’ve wasted our money.

    That being said, airplanes require a special level of security for several reasons: they’re a favored terrorist target; their failure characteristics mean more deaths than a comparable bomb on a bus or train; they tend to be national symbols; and they often fly to foreign countries where terrorists can operate with more impunity.

    But all that can be handled with pre-9/11 security. Exactly two things have made airplane travel safer since 9/11: reinforcing the cockpit door, and convincing passengers they need to fight back. Everything else has been a waste of money. Add screening of checked bags and airport workers and we’re done. Take all the rest of the money and spend it on investigation and intelligence.

    Immediately after the Christmas Day Underwear Bomber’s plot failed, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called airplane security a success. She was pilloried in the press and quickly backpedaled, but I think it was one of the most sensible things said on the subject. Plane lands safely, terrorist in custody, nobody injured except the terrorist: what more do people want out of a security success?

    Look at what succeeded. Because even pre-9/11 security screened for obvious bombs, Abdulmutallab had to construct a far less reliable bomb than he would have otherwise. Instead of using a timer or a plunger or a reliable detonation mechanism, as would any commercial user of PETN, Abdulmutallab had to resort to an ad hoc and much more inefficient detonation mechanism involving a syringe, 20 minutes in the lavatory, and setting his pants on fire. As a result, his actions came to the notice of the other passengers, who subdued him.

    Neither the full-body scanners or the enhanced pat-downs are making anyone safer. They’re more a result of politicians and government appointees capitulating to a public that demands that “something must be done,” even when nothing should be done; and a government bureaucracy that is more concerned about the security of their careers if they fail to secure against the last attack than what happens if they fail anticipate the next one.

  • Eating dog food, scratching itches, walking talks and all that jazz.

    I have ordered a Macbook Air 11inch with a 64GB SSD to replace my 3.5 year old Black Macbook (Blackbook) that had been upgraded with a 320/7200 HDD.

    Once it arrives, I will use it fresh out of the box. I will not “migrate” any of my data until it is needed. Even then, the question before doing so that will always be asked is “Where does this belong?”. I will only install software methodically, deliberately and only when absolutely needed. I really do think that, with proper data management, 64GB will be enough for me. In fact, I think I will find that the constraint of not having a lot of space will be freeing. Perhaps it will force me to make some honest admissions about what “need” really is.

    My photos are a good example of this. I take most photos these days with my iPhone. I sync my iPhone to my iMac because that is where the bulk of my music and movies live. That said, my main photo collection lives on my Macbook. Why? Well, I’m not quite sure. For how long have I had my photos taken with my mobile and photos taken with my main camera in two separate locations? Years. Why? I don’t know. Well, this weekend, I changed that and now all photos live together on the iMac.

    Then, if all of my Photos live on my iMac, do I really need to have iPhoto on my Macbook? What about iDVD on a machine that does not have a Superdrive? Do I need to have iLife at all? These are the sorts of questions I will be pondering.

    I have done a lot of talking about doing such a thing on this site since the beginning. Now, I’m about to put that into practice and, I’m sure, will share about the experience here with you. Stay tuned…

  • Jason Fried at TED: Why work doesn’t happen at work



    Jason Fried at TED: Why work doesn’t happen at work



  • ja! studio

    Ion Ander Beloki‘s studio reminds me of these pencil cases I had as a child. The kind where it looks just like a regular rectangular brick case, but inside, had many different compartments, side openings, secret panels, and missiles of course.

    Well, the Spanish window designer, the brainchild behind ja! studio, designed this amazingly modular studio space, named Caja (box in Spanish), is in the heart of Basque Country. There’s hiding closets of libraries, extendible carts holding couches and work desks, hiding toilets and office space, and all still very functional it seems.

    Ion Ander comments,

    It is a work area that can be adapted to the different requirements of the project. Its distribution embodies the suggested program: a convertible and unexpected space created with three materials: American oak wood, black MDF and white MDF, leaving the panel’s edges free of any finishing or application details.

    Now I’d love to find something like this for my living and bedroom space.

    Photography by Antonio Macarro.

    01
    03
    estudio003
    estudio004
    estudio005
    estudio006
    estudio007
    estudio008
    estudio009
    estudio010
    estudio010_2
    estudio011
    estudio012
    estudio013
    estudio014
    estudio017
    HASSAN-00102HASSAN-00102
    HASSAN-00145HASSAN-00155
    HASSAN-00155HASSAN-00155
    HASSANventanal-4
    MUEBLE_BUENA_COLOR
    sofa01
    sofa02

  • 52 Tiger » Down to what’s necessary

    52 Tiger » Down to what’s necessary:

    As my MacBook Pro slowly dies, I’ve called my old G4 iMac back into service. Years ago, that machine was wiped clean and given an install of Mac OS X 10.5 before being boxed in the basement. On Friday I will wrap up one week of using it as my primary work machine. In that time I’ve found that it’s slow, beautiful and perfect.

    I actually linked to this before as part of commentary on another similar piece but I keep running across it and feel as if it deserves placement on its own.

  • Researching the (not so) good old days.



    Researching the (not so) good old days.



  • Balmain RTW Spring 2011

    Sometimes you want a bit of a thrill—rich punk chic. Christophe Decamin, Creative Director of Balmain delivered couture punk for his spring 2011 ready to wear collection. Super fun that Haute Couture Balmain house encourages girls to wear our beloved stained jeans without a little—or a lot of—provocation. And we couldn’t be happier looking effortlessly rebellious, with the casual by nature, blue stuff.

    The focus at Balmain for spring/summer 2011 was rigor with sensuality. Daria Werbowy’s energy confirmed it, as she walked the runway to show off the white corset effect. The repertoire of stripped-down and punky skinny jeans, t-shirts and jackets was accented with safety pins and studs; all this paired with fabulous pointy-toe pumps.

    Christophe Decami, an unassuming couturier, made it clear his way was not Paris-minimalism. No matter: considering fashion’s current utilitarian mood, I’m thrilled with a revival of simple street wear upped with tough chic. Toned down, holed jeans sensationally suit the simplistic state of my free spirited, design sensibility. No doubt.

    BalmainRTW2011_One
    BalmainRTW2011_Two
    BalmainRTW2011_Five
    BalmainRTW2011_Six
    BalmainRTW2011_Four
    BalmainRTW2011_Three

  • Hook

    French architect Jean Nouvel’s Hook wall is a minimalist storage surface. It is also a new and interesting way to animate home or office walls.

    Nouvel had been inspired by computer punch cards and sheet music staves when he designed this wall system for Italian brand Methis.

    The system comprises metal strips with hidden joints, shelves and containers can be hung from gaps between the strips.

    Jean Nouvel says:

    A metal architecture, like a quotation from Jean Prouvé’s work: rather than a wall this is a continuous building system that encloses joints into the metal folds. And its corrugated skin, regularly perforated and lacquered, turns into a wall. A wall to capture light and liven up the space around it.

    I love it as the wall turns into a complete device with infinite potential…

    j3
    j4
    j11
    j18
    j6
    j12
    Capture d’écran 2010-11-22 à 21.39.06

  • The Slim Table

    The Slim Table was designed by Dutch furniture and lighting designer Bertjan Pot for the 100 year jubilee of Arco.

    The most significant characteristic is the feeling that is cannot be a sturdy table, because of it is made of wood, and very lightweight.

    The trick? The frame is made of aluminum, and laminated with a thin layer of oak wood or a lacquered finish. The result is excellent!

    The Slim Table 01
    The Slim Table 02
    The Slim Table 03
    The Slim Table 05
    The Slim Table 04

  • Minimal Mac | The Season of Stuff

    Minimal Mac | The Season of Stuff:

    A friendly reminder from last year. Control the stuff. Don’t let the stuff control you.

  • Minimal Mac | The Season of Stuff

    Minimal Mac | The Season of Stuff:

    A friendly reminder from last year. Control the stuff. Don’t let the stuff control you.

  • live more, need less

    The more I focus on living, the less it seems I need.

    What does it mean to focus on living? It’s a shift from caring about possessions and status and goals and beautiful things … to caring about actual life. Life includes: taking long walks, creating things, having conversations with friends, snuggling with my wife, playing with my kids, eating simple food, going outside and getting active.

    That’s living. Not shopping, or watching TV, or eating loads of greasy and sweet food not for sustenance but pleasure, or being on the Internet, or ordering things online, or trying to get popular. Those things aren’t living – they’re consumerist pastimes that tend to get us caught up in overconsumption and mindlessness.

    When I focus on living, all those other fake needs become less important. Why do I need television when I can go outside and explore, or get active, or take a walk with a friend? Why do I need to shop when I already have everything I need – I can spend time with someone or create, and I need very little to do that.

    These things I do now — they require almost nothing. I can live, and need little.

    And needing little but getting lots of satisfaction … that’s immensely rewarding. It’s an economy of resources that I’ve never experienced before.

    These days, I need nothing but my loved ones, a text editor, a way to post what I create, a good book, simple plant-based food, a few clothes for warmth, and the outdoors.

  • Path — Introducing The Personal Network

    Path — Introducing The Personal Network:

    No following, no friending…just sharing with the people who matter most.

    Path is a new app for iPhone that sets off on a very different approach to social networking. It’s goal is to be a highly focused “personal network” that allows you to share and tag personal moments using photos with no more than your fifty closest friends. Why no more than fifty?:

    We chose 50 based on the research of Oxford Professor of Evolutionary Psychology Robin Dunbar, who has long suggested that 150 is the maximum number of social relationships that the human brain can sustain at any given time. Dunbar’s research also shows that personal relationships tend to expand in factors of roughly 3. So while we may have 5 people whom we consider to be our closest friends, and 20 whom we maintain regular contact with, 50 is roughly the outer boundary of our personal networks. These are the people we trust, whom we are building trust with, and whom we consider to be the most important and valued people in our lives.

    There are many things I love about this app. Mainly, I love it’s sane, well thought out, and research based constraints. I love the fact that it calls these updates “moments”. I love that it does not allow you to choose existing photos or edit them before posting. It really does force one to share what is happening right then and there. Letting these moments speak for themselves with only enough details to provide context.

    But most of all, I love that the people who I share with there are getting an honest peek into a story that I would only tell to those I trust most.

  • Sol LeWitt at Gladstone Gallery

    Gladstone Gallery recently presented an exhibition of large-scale installations by Sol LeWitt (1928-2007), an American artist primarily linked to the Conceptual Art movement on the 1960s and ’70s, but his influence on minimalism is undeniable.

    Of Wall Drawing #792 (conceived in 1995), Gladstone Gallery says:

    It underscores LeWitt’s early interest in the intersections between art and architecture, which he distinguished and admired as a practice structured by predetermination, empirical logic, and collaboration.

    What an absolutely gorgeous work.

    Sol LeWitt-8
    Sol LeWitt-4
    Sol LeWitt-10
    Sol LeWitt-1
    Sol LeWitt-2
    Sol LeWitt-5
    Sol LeWitt-3
    Sol LeWitt-7
    Sol LeWitt-9
    Sol LeWitt-6

  • "When i grow up I don’t want to use Windows, it’s bad…"

    “When i grow up I don’t want to use Windows, it’s bad…”

    - My 10 year old nephew. He already know what’s bad in this world

Sponsor

via Ad Packs

Sources