Saturday, February 16, 2013

When Fonts Go Bad

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In the modern world anyone who uses a computer, even children, have to face the question of which typeface to use for any particular project, whether it's a powerpoint for school, a poster for the PTA, an art graphic for Pinterest, or even a published work. Most computers are loaded with fonts, and you can download hundreds more for free on DaFont, 1001FreeFonts or FontSquirrel. As you can see from those collections, there is a world of typography beyond the usual (and rather boring) Times New Roman.

This blog, for instance is written in Georgia font, an easy-to-read font that has a roundness to it that I find pleasing. And it's a "serif font" that has little "tails" on the letters that lead your eye from one letter to the next. The post title is Trebuchet, which is a "sans" font, without the little strokes on the letters, and that makes it look clean and neat as a heading. I could have picked others, but those are just two I personally like.

And then there's Comic Sans, based on comic-book lettering, which was overused on early Microsoft computers and in hundreds of Ad campaigns to the point that people grew sick of it.

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Some people have been downright infuriated that people still use it when there are so many other choices, and they want Microsoft to ban it from the type library. Why? Maybe because it looks too simple. I tend to think of it as a "clown" font, for some reason, but I don't actually hate it. Others do apparently, like the folks at "Comic Sans Must Die" . . .

From the website "Ban Comic Sans"
Love it or hate it, Comic Sans is one of the most popular fonts in the world.
Vincent Connare designed the font for Microsoft in 1995. He described it is best being used for “new computer users and families with children”. Despite this it has constantly been misused and can be seen everywhere from school letters, e-mails from government officials and even in documents about the discovery of the Higgs Boson.
Since it was unleashed on the world there have been multiple calls by designers for the font to be abolished completely.
Comic Sans Must Die is a project that satisfies every designer’s dream: to see Comic Sans die a slow and painful death. Every day the individual glyphs of Comic Sans will have their demise displayed for all to see.

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Photobucket However, in defense of the much-maligned font is the Comic Sans Project Tumblr with examples from well-known and beloved products such as Nintendo, Kodak, and Levi Jeans (not to mention the "S" in Superman). In fact, if you look around in any store you will probably see this font because it has something going for it - it is simple and easy-to-read.

Here's a short video history of Comic Sans. The consensus of the people questioned in the video find Comic Sans to be "silly" at best and "creepy" at worst. It reminds many of their first typed paper in junior high school. However, clearly the font works well for sign-making and branding ordinary products. For fancy imported products or professional printing jobs, not so much.



And now Vsauce has posted a video "Defense of Comic Sans" that takes a scholarly approach to put Comic Sans in the context of printing and typographical history. When you're done with this video and this post, you'll know more than you EVER wanted to know about Comic Sans. Still, good times.


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

The Real King Richard III Revealed

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“Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.”
― William Shakespeare, Richard III

Last September British archaeologists in Leicester dug up part of a parking lot and found an amazing grave containing the bones thought to be the real King Richard III, last Plantagenet King of England and the last King who died on the battlefied, beaten by Henry VII, ancestor of the modern royal family. Now the bones have been proven beyond a doubt to be King Richard, verified through DNA testing with descendents as well as historical accounts of his appearance and wounds in battle.

Will this change the way scholars and actors interpret Shakespeare's play, which paints Richard as a villain and murderer? That remains to be seen. What will happen next is that the body will be buried in nearby Leicester Cathedral, and a display for visitors will also be built. That is, if the city of York doesn't interfere. They have written a letter to the Queen of England, asking that the body be buried there instead because Richard was both coronated and married in York Minster Cathedral.



From CNN.com
Since his death at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, Richard III has been portrayed as hunchbacked and hateful, accused of killing his own nephews, the "Princes in the Tower," to usurp the throne.
But the Richard III Society believes the monarch has been unfairly maligned by history and in particular the Tudors who ousted him.
It says its three-dimensional model of the king shows a face "far removed from the image of the cold-blooded villain of Shakespeare's play."

. . . Society chairman Dr. Phil Stone told reporters in London that the discovery and identification of the monarch had been "a momentous time" for the society. He praised screenwriter Philippa Langley's "tenacity and bloody-mindedness" in pursuing the project to locate his remains. Langley said her aims had been two-fold -- to try to find Richard III so that his remains could be retrieved from an "undignified place" and to "go in search of the real Richard III."

Stone said in a statement that the face was "younger and fuller than we have been used to seeing, less careworn and with a hint of a smile."
Richard III seemed "alive and about to speak," he said. "At last, it seems, we have the true image of Richard III -- is this the face that launched a thousand myths?"

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From Reuters
Devotees of Richard, who have long campaigned to restore his reputation, proudly revealed a 3D reconstruction of the long-lost monarch's head on Tuesday, introducing him to reporters as "His Grace Richard Plantagenet, King of England and France, Lord of Ireland".

They said the face appeared sympathetic and noble - not that of a man cast by William Shakespeare as a villainous, deformed monster who murdered his nephews, the "Princes in the Tower".

"I hope you can see in this face what I see in this face and that's a man who is three-dimensional in every sense," said Philippa Langley of the Richard III Society, who led the four-year hunt to find the king's remains.

"It doesn't look like the face of a tyrant. If ... you look into his eyes, it really is like he can start speaking to you," Langley told reporters.

Guardian UK
Rival claims to Richard's body have erupted within 24 hours of the formal confirmation that the remains excavated from a scruffy car park in the centre of Leicester are indeed those of the last Plantagenet king. Leicester has him, but York wants him. So far Westminster Abbey, which holds both Richard's wife, Anne Neville, and Henry VII who defeated him, is maintaining a tactful silence, and nothing has been heard from Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire where he was born – but that may be just a matter of time.

As the face reconstructed from the skull was displayed – a faintly smiling man with a big nose and a notably determined jaw – Kersten England, chief executive of the City of York council, said it would be writing formally to the Department of Justice and the Crown "to invite their consideration of the views of the Duke of York's own people". Roughly translated, these views are: "Hand him over."

Leicester is equally determined to keep the man where he has lain since August 1485, when his body was brought back into the town naked and slung over the back of a horse – the traditional account newly confirmed by the revelation of the injuries to the skeleton. His body was claimed by the priests of Greyfriars church, and buried hastily but in a position of honour in the choir near the high altar.






Sunday, February 3, 2013

Professor Snape Tweets the Super Bowl

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Professor Snape was being quite witty on Twitter about the Super Bowl Sunday, especially when the lights went out! And he picked a good game to watch, since Professor Snape surely has an affinity for the dark and moody Edgar Allen Poe, whose poem "The Raven" inspired the name of the winning team from Baltimore, Poe's hometown.

Cross-Posted at The Illuminated Dungeon

@_Snape_







Saturday, February 2, 2013

Burma's Exiled Leader Inspired by Harry Potter

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After years of censorship by an oppressive military regime, the citizens of Burma,or Myanmar, are free to discuss books at last. The once-exiled democratic leader says that while she is a fan of Victor Hugo and George Eliot, it was the work of J. K. Rowling that helped keep up her courage while imprisoned.

From The Daily Mail
Burma’s courageous democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi revealed today that the adventures of Harry Potter kept up her spirits and resolve while she was being held under house arrest.

. . . The Nobel laureate who was held under house arrest in Rangoon for 15 years told a gathering of the country’s writers that her courage in the face of state repression paled in comparison to the heroes of Miss Rowling’s best-selling fantasy books.

‘I have to admit to you I read all the Harry Potter books,’ she said in a reference to the long years she spent locked away in her villa beside Lake Inya.

Hardly had her audience finished chuckling at her revelation when she went on to compare her courage with the Harry Potter characters.

‘I really don’t know how I could ever have been brave enough to do all the things those children did,’ she said.

‘So when people talk about my courage, I think to myself “They don’t know anything about Harry Potter.”’

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

200 Years of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

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Pride and Prejudice has been a bestseller now for 200 years as of this week. The book stands the test of time because it is enriched with motifs enough for ten such novels: likable characters, humorous or irritating caricatures, a villainous wolf in sheep's clothing, a good man who seems unforgivably rude and snobby, a heroine who comes of age as she falls in love, class differences, family devotion, rags to riches, despair turning to hope, a wealth of witty puns, and that old standby, the happy ending.



It has been the inspiration of countless other books, plays and movies, including You've Got Mail (author Nora Ephron was a Jane-ite) and Bridget Jones Diary.

From the BBC
As well as the BBC's 1995 TV version, starring Colin Firth as Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth, Pride and Prejudice was rejuvenated on the big screen in 2005 in Joe Wright's film starring Matthew McFadyen and Keira Knightley. It took more than £76 million at the global box office.

Firth revisited the Darcy persona in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), which was loosely based on the Austen story. Meanwhile, Gurinder Chadha's 2004 film Bride And Prejudice gave it a Bollywood-style spin.

. . . "Adaptation is interesting because it is always responding to the original novel and the way that we understand things now," she adds. When Colin Firth's Mr Darcy emerged from the lake in the BBC TV adaptation it was a moment that highlighted the way that adaptation was made for female viewers, says Dr Cobb.

"It's a moment that's become so well known. Colin Firth as Darcy is clearly meant to be looked at and admired by female viewers, and that is played out in Bridget Jones. It's become a post-modern joke by the time of the ITV series Lost in Austen."

If you finish the books and wear out the DVDs, you can move on to sequels and prequels.
Check out the fantastic fansite Republic of Pemberly.
Jane Austen Information Page
Everything about Pride and Prejudice Bits of Ivory Fan Fiction

Hmmm, I think I need to watch Mr. Darcy jumping into the lake again. :)


Monday, January 21, 2013

A Great Writer ~ Martin Luther King

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I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia,
the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners
will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.
– Martin Luther King, "I Have a Dream"


Today we celebrated the legacy of the late Reverend Martin Luther King, even more meaningful this year because it was also the second Presidential Inauguration Day for Barack Obama. Yes, a black man was elected President not once, but twice. And the crowds cheered on the Mall in Washington D.C., as they did for Rev. King when he delivered his "I Have a Dream Speech" fifty years ago this year.

Martin Luther King Quotes on Goodreads

Text of Martin Luther King's Speeches with Audio and some Video

That historic "I Have a Dream" speech is a beautifully illustrated book for children by Kadir Nelson:


Random House Children's Books (RandomHouse.com/Kids) announces the publication of the highly anticipated picture book, I HAVE A DREAM, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s celebrated speech illustrated with exquisite paintings by celebrated artist and Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson (On sale October 9, 2012 / $18.99). Published by the Schwartz & Wade Books imprint, the package includes an audio CD of King's original speech as given on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington.

"My father's dream continues to live on from generation to generation," said Dr. Bernice A. King. "This beautiful and powerful illustrated edition of his world-changing "I Have a Dream" speech brings his inspiring message of freedom, equality, and peace to the youngest among us-those who will one day carry his dream forward for everyone."

Nelson's oil paintings magnificently capture the power and emotion of Dr. King's words, resulting in a poignant depiction of that memorable occasion.

Publishers Weekly raves in a starred review, "There's something exhilarating about viewing Nelson's paintings of Dr. King and the March on Washington while reading the words of the speech King gave that day; it's hard to imagine a better representation of their historical significance."

Nelson selected the most iconic passage of Dr. King's speech to illustrate in I HAVE A DREAM. The full text is provided at the end of the book.

I HAVE A DREAM will join Dr. King's legacy and help lay the groundwork for teaching a new generation of young children about one of our nation's most celebrated historical figures.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of MLK JR.'s iconic speech on August 28, 2013, I HAVE A DREAM will be part of conversations throughout 2013 at multiple milestones leading up to it, including King's birthday in January; Black History Month in February and the Letter from Birmingham Jail anniversary in April.

Random House will simultaneously release a Read & Listen ebook edition that gives readers the unique experience of listening to Dr. King's inspiring voice while reading along and following Nelson's exquisite illustrations.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was a clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent means.

Please visit www.thekingcenter.org for more about Dr. King, his work and life.

KADIR NELSON is the acclaimed illustrator of Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom and Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad, both Caldecott Honor books. His other titles include We Are the Ship, a Robert F. Sibert Medal winner and Coretta Scott King Award recipient, and Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African-Americans.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Too Modern for Me ~ A Library Without Books?

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The first "library without books" has opened in San Antonio, Texas. Maybe the time has come for such a place, with so many people preferring homes without dusty bookshelves and their heart's desire on a Kindle Reader, but this story actually fills my heart with a sad autumnal longing for the old days. It worries me that libraries could actually become obsolete, or merely jobbers and distributors for eBook or textbook companies.

I'm not sure most people want that yet, or ever. Even the generation of my children grew up hugging their favorite Harry Potter or Narnia book. Will school bookfairs become obsolete as well? Oh, I hope not.

At my age, I'm doomed to be old-fashioned.

Via SmartPlanet
Bexar County, Texas is set to open the first bookless public library system in the United States. And, yes, it’s an actual brick and mortar library — or series of libraries throughout the county — without physical books, called BiblioTech.

“If you want to get an idea what it looks like, go into an Apple store,” Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff told The San Antonio Express.

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In addition to the tech-heavy library, residents will be able to check out e-readers for two weeks, after which the device is unusable. Residents with e-readers can remotely access the library’s collection. The first location is scheduled to open this summer.

“[I]t should not be seen as a replacement to the traditional library,” Judge Wolff said in a statement. “It is an enhancement to the current system to which all County residents have access. The ever changing landscape of technology means that literacy is no longer about picking up a physical book and being able to comprehend the words; technology is changing the way we read, learn and thrive as citizens of the 21st Century.”

From Texas Monthly
Bexar County is not the first district that has tried to ditch books. The Tuscon-Pima Public Library system in Arizona opened a book-free branch in 2002, aiming to bring computer access to an area in need. However, after six years, the community demanded books and was granted its request. Two years ago, Newport, California pondered a bookless library that would serve as a community center and still offer books through a Netflix-esque system, but the plan was quickly quashed by public outcry.
Academic libraries have met more success. Nearby University of Texas at San Antonio has had an entirely digital library since 2010, and “the students love it,” according to Library Dean Krisellen Maloney.
In addition to the protest of physical book-lovers, an obstacle to the project is copyright technicalities. Major publishers, such as Penguin, have been hesitant to electronically partner with libraries, PCWorld notes. In 2011, Penguin pulled its e-books from libraries for security reasons.