GINORMUS

Mesa Verde Times

2009-07-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing is cooler than this, ever. The guys at Mesa Verde Times, who have been entertaining us with amazing still pictures of EPCOT's Horizons attraction, have now posted videos of their "runs" inside the ride. Part amazing Horizons archival footage, part thrilling chase through the forbidden territory of Disney backstage - I can't stop watching.

Horizons final ride was in 1999. I think of it as the single most incredible thing the Walt Disney Company ever created.

Expedit improved

2009-07-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Not all IKEA bookshelves are built to carry books. Some should only have vaguely decorative items from IKEA's marketplace placed on them.

In February, I realized that the tall and skinny Expedit could be laid on it's side to provide an inexpensive solution to the built-ins I wanted for the living room. But I've watched my Expedit shelves sag, and I was sure one day it would finally collapse in on itself.

To be fair to IKEA, they do indicate a maximum weight per shelf of 29 pounds. How does that work out for the horizontal use? As I was building them, I kept telling myself it was an experiment!

But the sagging became quite visible:

The casters sold next to Expedit aren't a good choice either. The long panels that form the shelf and top are made of paper honeycomb encased in laminate. So two of these screws are really just holding on to laminate. Only the short upright pieces have solid areas in good locations.

Oh, did I mention the bookshelves are on wheels? It seemed smart to be able to move them around with the books in place, as this house is continually under some new project.

My plan involved securing a sheet of birch plywood as a base for each cabinet, which would give me more substance to screw the casters into, support the books and distribute their weight, and allow an additional two casters to be attached in the center, where Expedit is basically hollow.

I unloaded the books carefully so I wouldn't have to organize them again!

The casters came off.

Laying the birch sheet down, and planning for the casters.

Securing the sheet to Expedit, down on the two ends where there are solid areas.

Clean up! What is my deal that I need to do these projects inside the house, on the carpet, with no protective anything laid out to keep things clean? Risky behavior!

The plywood supports the end panels much better than before, and somehow, the whole thing seems more upright and rigid.

A tiny gain in height, the original one is to the left.

On to #2!

The birch plywood / white cabinet reflects what I designed for the kitchen on the other side of the room, using IKEA cabinets and custom plywood detailing with exposed edges.

Favorite EPCOT Center renderings

2009-07-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

In my youth, I was captivated by the two EPCOT Center renderings below - they still have an amazing hold on me after all these years.

Here are a few related shots from my Original EPCOT set on Flickr. In September of 2008 I spent hours at EPCOT in futureworld taking pictures of areas that reminded me of how EPCOT looked in the early years, before change set in. Sometimes it was really difficult to stage a shot and eliminate or minimize the appearance of newer "influences," but I'm happy with what I did.

What i've been up to

2009-07-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

So things have been slow here at Ginormus, but I wanted to show that it wasn't just me slacking off. A few months ago, I started a packaging design class taught by a friend of mine from my CalArts days - I was feeling like I needed a challenge outside of the projects I do at work, and I've always liked packaging.

While the class was taking place, most of my attention (after work and my house) went to designing the three projects; a DVD box set, a food item using a constructed paper box, and a liquid contained in glass. Here are the results...

Green Porno

2009-07-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

I understand these have been out for a while, but I sort of just discovered them so I think there might be others who don't get Sundance Channel.

Unsafe at any speed.

2009-07-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Three sixties Corvair owner's guides, the insides are pretty nondescript and offer no surprises for the Corvair driver, but I think the covers have a nice look to them, particularly 1961. Oh, and apparently the apostrophe wasn't discovered until 1965.

Driving is scary!

2009-05-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

A Wolf Loves Pork

2009-04-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not having a lot of posts recently, getting back on track here :-)

Romeo Void - Girl in Trouble (it's a temporary thing)

2009-04-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Liquidation

2009-04-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Go ahead, hit that retry button all you want, this website isn't going to come back from "regularly scheduled maintenance" anytime soon.

I worked for Gottschalks in 1984-1985. Even then G was way past it's prime. Montgomery Wards-level retail trying hard to be Macy's.

Inside, the stores were uglier than a Mervyn's, less compelling than a shopping trip to JC Pennys, and more depressing than those sad local stores on the underground level of the Burbank Town Center. (Elements of Earth? Flamingo Ties? K Stylo? the likely-to-be-misheard Pishon Shoes? Any of these enough to draw you into the Bowels of the Burbank Town Center? Yeah, I thought so. Thats how bad Gottschalks was.)

But it was good to a longtime friend who managed there for many years, and an extended group of acquaintances and ex store managers who come up in conversation from time to time. Glad to see Yuko, Mr. B, Cindy and others were out before it got bad.

Latest news about Gottschalks
Wikipedia entry on Gottschalks

Lean times

2009-04-11T17:23:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a few days since I last posted, but I hope this little message from Hunter will tide you over until I get some things together. I did this a few years back during the peak of Paul Frank's reign.

Franklin Hills

2009-04-06T04:54:00.000-07:00

I was telling a friend about my ages-old Franklin Hills ads from 2002. I was parodizing the popularity of my greater-Los-Feliz neighborhood and the infusion of "new" people, Television's tendency to ultra-glamorize life in Los Angeles - one neighborhood at a time, Boing-Boing founder Mark Frauenfelder's sudden omnipresence on the web starting with his Apple Switch ad and ABC's then-newish Yellow campaign:

In the second season, there is a cast change not unfamiliar to prime time drama television viewers:

Jungle gym for adults

2009-04-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

From what I can see, theres only one thing wrong with this amazing bedroom structure.

First meeting with Mickey

2009-04-05T14:46:00.001-07:00

Gino And Mickey, originally uploaded by ginodeyoung.

This was at the restaurant that for a time was known as "The American Egg House" although since this was 1974 it might predate that name. The Mad Hatter window can be seen in the background. Remember when you could have extended experiences with characters in the park without waiting in line or being part of a mob?

Barefoot Snack Bar menu, 1970's

2009-04-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Fast on the heels of the Contemporary Hotel room service menu, we have this snack bar menu from the Polynesian. It's nice to see that the system crossed between hotels, creating an equivalent experience at either resort. Mmmmm... I could go for a Ruben Rarotonga right about now.

Hunter's Baby Pics

2009-04-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Contemporary Hotel Menu, 1970's

2009-04-02T12:33:00.001-07:00

Hello Room Service? Yeah, hi, this is Gino De Young in room 4421. It's been a long day at the park, and I'd like to order dinner. We'll start with...

- 2 shrimp cocktails
- 2 of the filets, medium rare
- a bay lake cheese tray with brie
- The hospitality package, with Dewars and Fitzgerald's Bourbon
- a chocolate rum moose and a southern pecan pie

Can you tell me the room service charge? $36.20? OK, great, I think that should be it. About how long? Half hour? Perfect.

This handsome menu from the late (?) seventies was placed in Contemporary Resort rooms at Walt Disney World. I love the abstraction of the North and South facade of the hotel turned into a pleasing pattern.

Sony Pictures site design - 1999

2009-04-01T05:39:00.001-07:00

SPE was the original name for the Sony Pictures site. Sony wanted pages on SPE focused on teens, soap opera, action and comedy fans and kids in order to support new portals for these markets, as well as to give the entire site a visual makeover.

The color system was expressed in textural patterns, content headers and small details such as links, providing each sub-brand with a unique look on the same template. These existed together on the home page and needed to be compatable. The SPE brand was enhanced in with a romantic hollywood feeling and integrated with the new golden navigation scheme. Multiple opportunities to highlight movies and television shows and their related merchandise were created.

On each sub-brand page, space was provided for Sony to highlight content from the new portals - here shown as Unitic for teens, and the Laugh Hole for comedy.

Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together

2009-03-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

The perfect Captain & Tennille Love Will Keep Us Together performance:

Requires Toni Tennille's trademark bob.
Features one lucite bar stool.
Has Toni sitting...
...playing a white piano.
Is not a sped up version of the song (a lip sync is acceptable.)

This is not a perfect performance, but four out of five isn't bad.

Not to disrespect Toni's obvious talents, but for a lipsync, her primary job was to exude incredible, nearly insane levels of happiness, which she did perfectly here.

Update: This was the runner up, and I'm sure some would say it's a superior performance. They're actually performing, but her exuberance isn't at the level of the other clip (you've got to give her credit though, she's got both her hands full.) Nice set, but no lucite stool.

eParties: The invitations

2009-03-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

reduced in size

I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at the eParties invitation system.

Before eParties was a company with it's own management and people working for it, there was just an idea from Sky Dayton and Jake Winebaum to capture the market for party supplies online and provide useful functional tools for a party planner. At the time, we were combining the staff of Venu Interactive with the very small eCompanies staff and doing the design work out of the Venu offices in West Hollywood, while eCompanies was located in temporary space in Santa Monica.

eParties attempted to differentiate itself from other offerings by providing high-quality visuals. We were aware of Blue Mountain, which at the time had hokey little greeting cards, and then suddenly eVite was on the scene with a similar set of badly drawn invitations. In order to expedite the creation of the hundreds of themes required at launch, we created the card viewer, which allowed minimization of the invitation theme to two small areas at either side of the invitation message, while still providing a browser window full of colorful "invitation." The party information and RSVP tools were integrated into this viewer along the right edge, and just about that time, we began understanding the new power of the viral application, so every invitation came with a suggestion to "Throw your own eParty!"

The viewer itself was populated into 11 color schemes to coordinate with a variety of events - there was a silvery white one useful for weddings and anniversaries, and darker ones for evening dinner parties and more elegant invitations. Soon there were three groups of viewers; pale, bright and dark. I created layered Photoshop files with predetermined beveling values for each of the groups to make new viewers easy to create - you could just go in, play with colors and turn out something new and nice quickly, considering how graphic intensive they were.

For the party themes, you started by selecting one of the viewers as a base, and then created the theme with high-quality clip art illustrations or your own design. At first, we developed themes in house to develop standard and determine where we would want to go with them, then later we hired out huge numbers of themes. My friend Colm Ryle was brought in among other freelancers to create the massive number of themes that were needed.

From time to time, it was fun to jump out of the normal work you were doing on the eParties interface, and entertain yourself by producing a unique theme. I was fond of challenging myself to integrate the white "wedding" viewer ironically into other, unexpected event types.

Also on Ginormus: See the eParties application interface.

6230 Update

2009-03-30T05:29:00.001-07:00

More photos on Flickr

It has been a while since I took some pictures of 6230, but this weekend there was a little time to take some shots of recent changes to the living area and the exterior from the front.

I can't believe how quickly the trees are growing - they were literally sticks last year, and this year they are starting to get really dense. They still don't offer a lot of privacy for the bank of windows behind them, but that's partially the plan - I love looking out, but I just want to give the casual passerby something to look at besides me tooling around inside.

The big missing piece as of now is a dining table and chairs. I'm planning on a small round table near where the little orange-covered chair is, with a pendant hanging from the ceiling above.

The projector really needs to go up on the ceiling now, because I'm starting to not even notice the skewed angles but guests sure do! Don't want to get complacent about this, but getting this done is tied to some electrical work that needs to happen, which in turn is tied to something else.

eParties: Website design from 1999

2009-03-29T21:21:00.001-07:00

reduced in size

eParties was an online party event manager and a competitor to eVite. I began work on the site design in August of 1999 - it was eCompanies first incubated company, code named New Orleans, and as the site developed we were all learning about what it would be like to work under the eCompanies umbrella.

Centered around novel online party invitations viewed in a fun, templated invitation viewer, eParties provided provided the party host with beautifully designed themes and a simple user interface to invite guests.

Party hosts could keep track of their invitees and provide RSVP status and comments from their guests and party supplies could be purchased from an online store. The first incubated company to graduate, eParties was purchased by eToys.

It wasn't until my friend Joss Rodgers drew the comparison between the confetti of eParties and of the 1984 Olympics, that I realized where the confetti drew it's inspiration.

Deborah Sussman's Olympics color palette presentation impressed me with the idea that even something as pedestrian as a color board could be a beautiful visual when presented; incorporating this idea into my work became a goal, and is reflected in the eParties brand exploration, which was used to convey that the eParties brand could be extended into multiple product lines by varying color and pattern.

Seeing these today even at full size on Flickr they seem tiny, but at that time CRT sizes were small and laptops smaller. Safe window widths were under 600 pixels.

Also on Ginormus: See the eParties Invitations.

More Deborah Sussman

2009-03-27T21:37:00.001-07:00

Debora Sussman's Standard Shoes interior 197?

Architectural Signing & Graphics, John Follis

1984

2009-03-26T22:09:00.001-07:00

The 1984 Olympics design program was a massive environmental undertaking, documented in this issue of Design Quarterly (No. 127) designed by Deborah Sussman's office and published by the MIT Press.

This was where we all heard the word Sonotube for the first time!

Festive Federalism, a term coined to reflect the graphics program for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, is reflected here in the color palette and an image of one of the many dimensional stars located throughout the city. This 36 page book tells the story behind the program, acknowledges the designers who worked for the many design firms who participated, and is full of photos from that great summer.

Disney Connection: EPCOT Center's Wonders of Life Pavilion (now closed)

By Bastable

By Brian_WDW74

Disney borrowed the look of the 1984 Olympics and plunked it down inside a golden dome in Central Florida for the Wonders of Life pavilion. Gigi McGee, who had worked on the Olympics project, consulted at Imagineering for this project.

Disney Connection: Walt Disney World property road signage.

By Disneytara

The property-wide signage at Walt Disney World was designed in the '90's by Sussman / Prejza & Co., who led the 1984 Olympic graphic design program along with The Jerde Partnership Inc.

Wet: The magazine of Gourmet Bathing

2009-03-26T21:43:00.001-07:00

Richard Gere looking really young on the January-February 1980 cover of Wet. This issue coincided with the release of American Gigolo

Progressive Builder's Homes, Burbank, Ca.

2009-03-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Progressive Builder's
Small home sketch, Richard Neutra, 1942

Backside of several Progressive Builder's Homes

"The coming of war temporarily halted private commissions, but heightened the need for war workers housing. Neutra was given the job of designing a whole block of Progressive Builder's Homes, erected in 1942 as part of a larger project for defense workers at the nearby Lockheed aircraft factory in Burbank. Modest versions of the crisp, pitched-roof format Neutra had begun to explore two years earlier, the fourteen completed Federal Housing Adminstration sponsored, detatched dwellings featured bedrooms across the front with the living room running front to rear and opening integrally onto fetching garden patios."

Blueprints for Modern Living: History And Legacy of the Case Study Houses, Elizabeth A. T. Smith
Available from Amazon

Progress on 6230 on Flickr

This set isn't as up to date as I'd like, I really need to set up for a weekend and take some nice current pictures.

What are they like now? on Flickr

Photoset of some of the other Neutra-designed homes on the street, photos taken in 2007.

Vibrant Red

2009-03-24T22:43:00.001-07:00

Bloomingdale's Book of Home Decorating by Barbara D'Arcy, 1973
Contains a couple hundred amazing color and black and white photos. Barbara has an unusual writing style, including a glossary that suddenly shifts into first person:

Pedestal
A substitute support for the legs of a chair or table, a pedestal can be either square, rectangular, round or oval. Without a top it can serve as a support for a vase of flowers or a piece of sculpture. I like pedestals in all manner of materials. Wood, mirror, chrome, clear or white plexiglass, marble or even terra cotta, and I like to light pedestals from within when they're made of translucent plexiglass.

Available from Abe Books

Dinner & an "eames" lounge

2009-03-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

Claim Jumper and modernist furniture must go together, or at least they do this week.

Dyson Ball DC24

2009-03-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing my Shiba Inu does on demand, it's shed. And with the nice weather I like to open more doors and windows in my house, and this area can be very dry and dusty. It all adds up to little clouds of hair and dust crisscrossing my floor with every breeze. I had an obsession a few years back with Roomba and Scooba, but I find their upkeep too demanding. Sure you don't have to vaccuum yourself, but who cares if you need to spend 45 minutes each week cleaning one or the other machine. And Hunter disliked her robotic friends.

So I'm trying out the Dyson Ball DC24. Unboxed earlier today, the DC24 assembles quickly and intuitively, and has some useful attachments that seem like I'll actually use. I didn't realize that inside the ball is a filtration system, so the whole thing is a pretty ingenous design. On first use I'm pleased with it, I'll report in with updates as I put it to use.

AMC Week: Epilogue

2009-03-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

See all of AMC Week without diversions.

Or, for specific articles:

Now, at the closing of American Motors Week, what did I learn?

That it's possible to design clever and inventive products that don't resonate with the public-at-large at the time they are offered, but when viewed historically reveal amazing forethought. The Eagle was ahead of it's time, an early SUV or Subaru Forester, while AMC set the pace for special designer editions, a concept picked up by all of the big three at one time or another. AMC spent a decade scrambling to distinguish itself from the other car makers, and did so very effectively with products that we weren't quite ready for.

AMC was pushing the envelope with electric cars, finding economical ways to build cars with symmetrical stampings and shared parts, meeting it's frugal consumer's concerns about repair cost with the industry-leading AMC Buyer's Protection Plan, and letting the Nation know that maybe what they really needed was the first wide small car.

The vehicles once a joke really wouldn't look so odd marketed against today's Toyota Yaris, Volkswagen New Beetle, or Scion xB. It just took us a while to get there.

I also learned I can overlay my blog with a theme week and have a lot of fun along the way, and that it's possible to do something that can really screw with how Google indexes your article titles and not have a clue how to fix it. ~~If there's anyone out there who knows Blogger inside out and what I might have done (all articles are titled on Google with only "GINORMUS" and none of the article title) let me know!~~ This magically fixed itself.

AMC Week: Levi's Gremlin

2009-03-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

He's so into her! But we know it's just all about her Levi's Gremlin.

In 1973 AMC introduced the Levi's Gremlin, a package which transformed your Gremlin into a total denim cruiser for just $134.95. If you were buying the Gremlin X, the extra cost was only $49.95.

Levi's Gremlins are among the most sought-after collectible AMCs today, and often appear in media and advertising. What better way to celebrate the 1970's?

The final three shots on this page are a fully restored Levi's Gremlin by Classic Dream Cars of Mount Dora Florida. The results of the year-long restoration can be seen in the before and after shots and upholstery detailing. Apparently, once completed, the car sold immediately.

AMC extended the Levi's package to Hornet and Javelin in later years, but the Gremlin, for all it's iconic nature, is the one to have.

At least one other car company took note and offered their own denim inspired special editions - as shown earlier on Ginormus, and just in time for the Bicentennial, Dodge offered a patriotic red, white and denim theme on the Mitsubishi-built Dodge Colt Carousel.

AMC Week: Le Car

2009-03-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

Renault Le Car, originally uploaded by photophonic.

Renault 5 factory, originally uploaded by cbilleque.

While first designed and manufactured in 1972 by Renault, Le Car was sold in North America AMC dealerships beginning in 1976.

New York Times

Published: January 2, 1982

AMC Increases Prices of Le Car

The American Motors Corporation has announced that that it will increase the base prices of its imported Renault Le Car models an average of 5.4 percent, or $303.

A.M.C. announced on Thursday that the price of Le Car hatchback will go up by $200, effective next Monday. The increase will lift the base price to $4,995.
Prices will also be increased by $300 for Le Car three-door sedan, to $5,295, and five-door hatchback models, to $5,595. In addition, destination charges on all Le Car models will rise $10.

AMC Week: Big Bad Color Branding

2009-03-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Big Bad Orange, Big Bad Blue and Big Bad Green.

This is an AMX collection owned by David Campbell

Gaining strong consumer mindspace for color is a great strategy perfected later by the iconic Mazda Miata with their three initial colors (ironically if not strategically red, white and blue.) Over the years, the Big Bad colors were offered on a variety of AMC vehicles, including AMX, Rambler, Javelin and Gremlin.

AMC Week: Those rectanglar slab monoliths...

2009-03-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

...continue to live on across the country in various forms. Brian T. Dolan took this shot for the wonderful Pittsburgh Signs Project.

AMC Week: Graphics

2009-03-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

The American Motors brand of the '70's, straightforward, practical, honest. AMC was one of the few car companies to thoroughly revamp it's identity during the decade, resulting in an identity more modern than the big three. I feel that the visual identity of the AMC brand related most with the simple, eyes-open design of the Pacer resulting in an almost perfect combination.

Ironically for a company getting so much distance from being an American car company, the brand has firm roots in swiss design. The Swiss-designed Helvetica typeface was a fresh idea at the time - the typeface was barely thirteen years old. AMC's treatmet of the typeface appears to be tracked a little tighter than usual, imparting a cohesiveness to the logotype. By cleverly constructing a graphic A from the negative space between the two colored shapes, the mark manages to to identify the company and tap into patriotic feelings with the absolute minimal detail.

The print materials continued with the simplicity. Using the Ogilvy print ad formula of a photographic image and a large white field with black type, the ads hint at future advertising that including Volkswagen's New Beetle, and Apple's iMac campaigns.

The mark was also used for Jeep, which today uses the same helvetica type as it did in the '70's. The look was continued to the physical dealerships using the skinny slab signage.

Whenver I see the American Apparel brand today, I see American Motors. Same stripped-down sensibility, different decade.

AMC Week: 1971 Export Brochure

2009-03-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

AMC Week is not over yet, just AMC a momentary interruption for a bit of vintage modern shopping. We're back to the original program with a look at the 1971 Hornet Export brochure cover. Just part of the excellent brand system of modern Helvetica in black against white. How clean can you get! I realized today my fondness for AMC could stem from the proximity of the local dealership to my childhood home. Literally down at the end of the street. I must have salivated over the straightforward design of the dealership at 7 years old!

Lunch!

2009-03-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

I've been obsessed with Claim Jumper for years, but haven't been able to get back to one since 1994. I don't know what it is about this place - there are things about it that remind me of my most-hated restaurant, Cheesecake Factory, like the overly large portions, and notably the wait times and crowds for what is obstensibly a family style casual dining chain, which I think is rediculous. I think I hit the sweet spot betwen lunch and dinner today, walked right in and was seated. But somehow, Claim Jumper puts it together right, at least for my brain. It was everything I expected for a quick lunch on the way home from Glendora and after 15 years.

Still thinking...

2009-03-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

Echo Saarinen

Momentarily Considered

2009-03-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

This beautiful Eames (not Eames-style, Eames) chair is available at Foothill 5 Fifty in Glendora Ca. It's possibly the most amazing place I've ever seen. Theres a giant showroom packed to the ceiling, and then a 1 acre lot / warehouse out back filled as well. Furniture in all stages of wear and restoration, and not at prohibitive prices, even for the perfect pieces. Casual modern collecting as it should be - fun again.

They constantly have Craigslist ads, so take a look at some of their current offerings there, and you'll be able to see the contact info, and address on each ad.

Bill is a nice guy who actually forced me to sit on this amazing lounge (there was a sign "do not sit" and I'm a stickler about respecting signs.) In the end I worry about the color being wrong for me, I think I need a black one instead. But having only seen knock-offs before, I was quite impressed with how beautiful this chair was. The visible edge of the plywood has got to be seen to be appreciated.

Theres so much there it's overwhelming - I think I need to look more carefully though their ads and go up again with a plan to buy.

AMC Week: 10 cars WAY uglier than a Pacer

2009-03-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

The poor AMC Pacer finds itself at or near the top of more ugly car lists than a Corvair, but it didn't take me long at all to build a list of 10 uglier cars. I give you the internet's first Pacer and Corvair-free list of 10 WAY uglier cars:

10. Nissan Murano

I have some shoes that look just like this.

9. Mercedes R Class

Left out in the sun too long.

8. 2005ish Chevy Monte Carlo

My friend Ariel reminded me about Monte Carlo's thyroidal trunk and wavy plastic bumpers. This shot makes it look too cool and abstract.

7. LTD II based Ford Ranchero

HUGE! Half Ford LTD II half Ford F150, this monolith is popular among collectors, and hardly anyone else.

6. Chevy Aveo

This screams unfortunate rental.

5. Pontiac Le Mans

It looks just like a little Pontiac Aztec! Le Mans did have one thing going for it - heritage as a variant of the Opel Kadette / Chevy Chevette / Isuzi Gemini.

4. Zimmer Golden Spirit

Lurking deep inside is a late 70's mustang. You see it around the middle, peeking out from the unchanged doors, door glass, and windshield. Hideous.

3. Pontiac Transsport / Chevy Lumina

I have a little one of these on a handle I use to clean messy crumbs.

2. Pontiac Aztec

It looks just like a bloated Le Mans!

1. Toyota Solara

This takes top honors in part because it's most often driven by unattractive people made highly visible by their convertible. It's almost a performance art piece - watch as they drive oblivious to how disturbing they are in their ugly vehicle. This is the best angle, and it's still 100% ugly.

AMC Week: Collier Motors - the last remaining dealership

2009-03-20T08:44:00.001-07:00

Photos above by Wigwam Jones
see more pictures and read about it here

Photos above by Donnie of GremlinX.com
See more of his Collier AMC photos here
(look, in the last shot, a Corvair!)

Stuck in some time other than our own, the AMC dealership in Pikeville North Carolina continues to operate and sell cars and parts. Some of the cars still have their original stickers in the windows. Apparently when AMC began retailing Renault in the late '70's/early '80's, Robert Collier didn't agree with this new direction and decided to concentrate only on AMC designed and built cars. It's an amazing sight.

Collier Motors on Wikipedia

Proof it still exists! Google Maps

AMC Week: Collections

2009-03-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

Rambler Ranch in Denver covers 50's (Nash, Rambler) through the 80's AMCs. 360 cars and an appliance collection. Visit by reservation, start at "Tour Info" on their web site.

The Rambler-AMC museum in Berlikum, Friesland, The Netherlands. 55 cars including Ramblers and AMCs Oh, and dear to my heart, some Corvair Greenbriar vans, apparently!

AMC Week: 1965 Cavalier

2009-03-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

While I'm focusing on the 70's and 80's, which I consider the "Helvetica and Abstract-A" glory days of American Motors, I can't resist this! Before the name Cavalier became a disappointing replacement for GM's Monza, it was applied to a styling exercise on symmetry at AMC.

All about it's interchangeable parts, the Cavalier's front right fender could be exchanged for it's rear left , and front left for rear right. The hood and deck - interchangable, while the suicide hinged doors and door glass were symmetrical too. A flying buttress C pillar gave the Cavalier a more conventional long hood / short deck profile, despite the strict symmetry.

I love the door handles in the side view - and cant help but wonder what modernist building this was photographed at - maybe something at an AMC facility. The styling of this car totaly works when contrasted with the other similarly sized offerings out there at the time - Corvair and Falcon. There's something so absolutely familiar and 'Corvair' about the proportions.

Richard Teague would go on to style the similar production Hornet, as well as Pacer and Gremlin.

AMC Week: Eagle Sundancer

2009-03-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

In 1981 and '82, a convertible version of the AMC Eagle (based on the Concord, based on the Hornet) was available by order from AMC dealerships. It was converted by the Griffith Company, in Fort Lauderdale, who also made the Celica Sunchaser, as well as conversions for Camaro and Corolla.

AMC Week: Oleg Cassini Matador '74

2009-03-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

AMC Week: The '70's and '80's Commercials

2009-03-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

A snapshot of the final 15 years of American Motors. Energy crisis through eighties excess. Pacer! Gremlin! Eagle! Le Car! Rebates! American Motors Buyers Protection Plan!

AMC Week: 1972 Gucci Hornet Sportabout

2009-03-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

AMC Week: Pacer

2009-03-17T22:36:00.001-07:00

AMC Week: Armitron & Electron

2009-03-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

In 1968, AMC showed an electric car, the Armitron, a three passenger vehicle powered by Lithium-Nickel batteries. To save weight and provide more hauling room, the seats were inflatable.

With subtle styling changes the Armitron was shown again as the Electron in 1979 as part of AMC's Concept 80 show, featuring four other forward looking prototypes.

AMC Week: Concept Cars

2009-03-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

Illustration: Steve Stanford

April 2008, Hot Rod magazine published an article about AMC's return to the market with a full like of compelling retro-styled cars, which of course was later revealed as a perfect April Fool's joke. Article | Gallery

AMC Week: Cardin Javelin (1973)

2009-03-16T22:49:00.001-07:00

1973 AMC Javelin Pierre Cardin interior, originally uploaded by splattergraphics.

From Amerian Motors internal memo to dealers dated December 15, 1971:

"Pierre Cardin, the world-famous French designer, has created a unique, bold interior trim theme for the 1972 Javelin SST... it will be priced at $84.95 ADP. The "Cardin" interior is expressed in Black with bold multi-color pleated stripes on the custom fabric seat upholstery (100% Nylon with Silicone finish) which is repeated on the headliner and siumlated on the door panel inserts."

It's American Motors week!

2009-03-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

Live from the American Center, It's American Motors week here at Ginormus!

American Center, Southfield Michigan

2 Chairs

2009-03-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Purists will hate me for this post, but I need a chair, on a pedestal, that is comfortable (I'm known for choosing uncomfortable seating) It has to be more comfortable than my sofa, which is really not comfortable at all, unless you are laying flat down on it.

EQ3 has this, the Commander Chair in Carrot, what I think of as a Jacobsen Egg Chair inspired, but not a total rip off:

But then again there are completely fake Eames Lounges out there that don't look half bad:
I checked out the EQ3 offering today. Not very comfortable, but it doesn't look too bad. I'd expect the fake Eames Lounge to be 10x more comfortable, but the real question, do I get the fake chair that isn't trying to be a fake chair, or the fake chair that is marketing under the keyword Eames Lounge and incur the wrath of those who want to discourage furnituremakers from ripping off designs that are under copyright?

Anyone out there with moral, ethical or comfort position? Does anyone own the EQ3 Commander chair and want to let us know about living with it? Please comment!

Ryan Jones

2009-03-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

DJ Ryan Jones
at the Bullet in North Hollywood, Fridays 9-2am

Brian Wilbur Grundstrom

2009-03-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Photo: Hopeton Stewart

The Pride of Maasai Mara
"The lions of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya dominate the landscape as herds of wildebeest make their annual migration. A film by Dan Sonnett with original music from Brian Wilbur Grundstrom."

Vampire Weekend - Mansard Roof

2009-03-15T12:42:00.001-07:00

Mansard Roof, originally uploaded by ginodeyoung.

I heard this Vampire Weekend song in my car for the first time a few days ago. I can't help but think of this house from my neighborhood in Hollister. They had a small magazine they published from their basement, complete with a low-end typesetter (think strips of film instead of disks of film) -- of course this was in the days before Macintosh. The house was much better cared for then, and didn't look nearly as 80's retro as it does today.

Thomas Dolby

2009-03-15T00:42:00.000-07:00

Sole Inhabitant Podcast

Esthero @ The Roxy, 2007

2009-03-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

I was there!

If the Mood
Country Livin'
Swallow Me
Breath From Another

There are five more songs on the playlist that wouldn't embed; view them at YouTube:

Superheros
That Girl
My Torture
Patiently
How Do I Get You Alone

Adele & Alicia Keys

2009-03-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Laurie

2009-03-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Laurie Anderson

O Superman (for Massenet) 1984

Moving Architecture

2009-03-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

Robert Venturi's Leib house is on the web this morning as it's moved from the original location in Barnegat Light New Jersey to Glen Cove New York, where it will play guest cottage to Robert Gotkin and Deborah Sarnoff's existing Venturi designed home.

Nice photoset of the Leib House on Flickr

I was reminded of the shots I took of Neutra's Maxwell house last august, after the first section had arrived in Angelino Heights. Since the Maxwell house in some way prototyped some of the ideas used in my house, it was like looking at my house in cross section. I'm always surprised to see how thin the surfaces we look at are - the plaster, the glass, the walls, when I see these photos.

My Maxwell house photoset on Flickr

The Maxwell residence was a commission, and much larger than my "modernist tract" home but utilized the same unusual (for Neutra) peaked roof, redwood exterior, ribbon windows and offset, cut out porches and patios. For comparison, a little bit of my house, mid-restoration:

Porto Europa, Wakayama Marina City

2009-03-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today, I found a long-lost friend and coworker, and to commemorate the friendship and overall good feeling I'm having tonight, we'll be looking at my project for MCA / Universal Studios called Porto Europa.

Porto Europa, originally uploaded by The Loulogue.

Porto Europa began as a four and one-half acre themed entertainment center in Wakayama, Japan. It opened in 1994 among the first offerings on a landfill island built by Masushita (Panasonic) to provide the former fishing village region with a future as a resort destination.

Official Porto Europa site

Porto Europa images on Flickr

I joined the team in 1992, after a short period where I was consulting for Planning & Development on Universal's Islands of Adventure. My role began as Graphic Design Coordinator and evolved into a manager position, and along the way Universal offered enough flexibility in my role that I was able to codevelop the park mascots, guide their use in a ton of character merchandise, develop an identity system with an icon of design, mentor and friend, Primo Angeli, and consult on the theme and finishes for the retail, restaurant and area development portions of the park, as well as provide the park name, Porto Europa.

Hundreds of signs were designed by a team consisting of the parks thematic art directors, myself, and our design resource, Wayne Hunt design. My friend from Imagineering, Bob Loza, worked on the design intent drawings at Hunt's office. The entire package of signage was built in Osaka and Tokyo by Tanseisha Co. with my fabrication oversight and installed or painted over a six-month period as the park neared completion.

I worked on the Porto Europa mascot characters with ex-Imagineer Steve Feicht, a friendly diver character and his ocean-dwelling friends. The characters were a hit whenever they walked though the park, and they also were the subject of a short film shown at the park.

At opening, Porto Europa shared space on the island with an exposition, a fish market and food court, and a short-lived Samoan village. The attractions included Seafari (pink tab), the Hurricane water ride (yellow tab), the Viking Adventure (blue tab), retail, restaurants and a state-of-the-art (for 1992!) virtual reality game (green), and a nightclub district accessible from outside the park (orange)

View Larger Map

Since my last visit, the expo area has been built out to an unthemed spinning and ironrides area, a resort hotel, condo towers and more. Reviews of Porto Europa mainly focus on the stark thematic separation between the original portion and the ironrides area, and suggest the original park can be enjoyed in less than a few hours.

Review
...and another review
Here's one of the entire island's facilities

Chris Jacobs

2009-03-09T23:27:00.000-07:00

Chris Jacobs in Wikipedia

Stacey Q

2009-03-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

In this final selection, I'm not sure if this is Stacey Q herself, or a drunk knowledge worker out on the town with her staff:

OK I'm on a video kick right now, and video kicks inevitably lead to Stacey Q.

Jason Thompson a decade ago.

2009-03-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Jason Thompson

Everybody In Vests

Everybody In Leather

Everybody in Cords

I always focused on one person in these gap ads from fall 1999. It turns out he has a name - Jason Thompson - and has been in the General Hospital cast for some time.

I stumbled on an article from the Times in 1999 with opinions from readers on the new campaign. Some quotes:

"I am not going to buy a vest or a pair of cords from the Gap just because they tell me everyone should be in them."

"Think of them as a type of brainwashing."

"It seems that everyone I talk to has no idea what they mean but loves them."

Before 1999 we were offended by hypnotic attempts to get under our skin, and ads had to have a meaning. Today all advertising feels like these spots did. The iMac and iPod ads, those great Target spots - so much of today's advertising owe it's origin to these spots.

Oh, and here he is now...

Everybody in stethoscopes

1-800-DENTIST - outtakes

2009-03-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

Goodies

Pygmyntion

Oral Salvation

Fun outtakes. The series of commercials with Fred from 1-800-DENTIST are the best ever produced. The campaigns before were always a little stilted and odd, but this set seems to find a groove.

Goldfrapp - Pilots

2009-03-09T07:08:00.001-07:00

My favorite Goldfrapp video.

Morgan Spurlock

2009-03-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

Esthero

2009-03-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Esthero on Wikipedia
Esthero on MySpace

Esthero live on Jimmy Kimmel, July 2005 (what luck! Jeremy Piven & Morgan Spurlock were there too.)

Corbin Sparrow

2009-03-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

The Corbin Sparrow was an electric vehicle manufactured in Hollister. It's now available from Myers Motors in a myriad of colors.

Scott Caan

2009-03-07T07:20:00.001-08:00

Scott Caan on Wikipedia

Mesa Verde Times

2009-03-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

It's only been four days, but Hoot Gibson over at Mesa Verde Times is continually providing great memories and fun irreverent commentary on one of the best rides to ever exist at a Disney theme park. I believed in the EPCOT future - it's nice to revisit it.

Henry Rollins on KCRW

2009-03-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

Henry Rollins has a new show on KRCW, starting March 7 Saturday night 6-8pm.

Islands of the Bahamas

2009-03-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

I love the Islands of the Bahamas identity system. Its just so pretty. Makes me want to visit the Bahamas. By Duffy & Partners, who also does the Fresca packaging I seem to frequently hold in my hand.

New Drapes

2009-03-01T20:57:00.001-08:00

Despite my plans for lots of other things this weekend, I got caught up in more living room work instead... probably a good thing. But I gotta ask, how do people do these things and not have to redo them 15 times? This is a drape hanging system from Ikea I've always liked. It seems like it should work great, but where the different sections are seamed together, the hanging elements stick as you draw the drapes. I'm sure I'll file it down or something, and find a new more secure way to hang the drapes. But it's good for now.

Thats my girl Carla Hall from Top Chef on the projector, which will make it onto the ceiling one of these days.

The other AEIOU - EBN-OZN

2009-02-27T11:05:00.001-08:00

AEIOU and sometimes Y

Fountains of Wayne - Hakensack

2009-02-27T07:56:00.001-08:00

Hackensack

Freeze - AEIOU and sometimes Y

2009-02-26T09:06:00.001-08:00

AEIOU and sometimes Y

All my life I thought the vocals were female!

Bill May and Bob

2009-02-23T21:24:00.000-08:00

It was 1997. Bill Mays, Bob and I at the Revolver in West Hollywood... in the daytime. Thats me in the Save Ferris shirt. Does anyone out there know Bill and Bob? Know where they are? I miss them and would very much like to be back in touch.

They were from Long Beach, but spent most weekends up in West Hollywood.

On the Wishlist

2009-02-22T21:41:00.000-08:00

Eames table from Hivemodern

Finished

2009-02-22T20:30:00.001-08:00

Living Room, originally uploaded by ginodeyoung.

Hunter & Living Room, originally uploaded by ginodeyoung.

Hunter, originally uploaded by ginodeyoung.

Slap Chop

2009-02-22T17:16:00.000-08:00

Vince is at it again- it's even better than ShamWow!

Slap Chop "pops open like a butterfly to clean." I'm not sure I've seen a butterfly pop open.

Bookshelf, day two

2009-02-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

I really had no idea how many books I had. Since I moved here, my books have been scattered in different rooms, or most recently have been in boxes in the garage. I haven't seen them all in the same place since 2003. These are the books I -want- displayed, there's more I don't want sitting in the living room.

The sections helped. One for architecture, three for Didion, Noon, Julia Alvarez, Tom Robbins, David Foster Wallace, and more non-fiction. Then a section for art books and Disney theme parks (including my 'Disneyland' book from 1982.

The next cube is shared cars & graphic design, then gardening. The rest... Get hidden behind the sofa and that's where my organization breaks down.

A total of 9 boxes cleared from the garage and I found my old photographs, lost since I moved here.

The living room has a sense of life In it now that it never had.

Boz Scaggs - Lido Shuffle

2009-02-20T22:25:00.000-08:00

Boz Scaggs

Expedit x2

2009-02-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

4:10...

5:58...

6:27...

and just finished building the matching one at 10pm

It looks just like a little Shiba Inu pt. II

2009-02-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

"Miss Snooks", a domesticated fox in the U.K. has own apartment, pretends to be Shiba Inu.

Article & pics: Mail Online

Video from Telegraph.co.uk

Oh Superman

2009-02-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

Laurie Anderson / Booka Shade

It looks just like a little Shiba Inu

2009-02-20T07:58:00.001-08:00

Fennec fox, originally uploaded by floridapfe.

Levi Medina

2009-02-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

Levi Medina was on the KTLA morning news today for Glendale Harley-Davidson. He sells some great belts from his web site.

Gizmo in the Zone

2009-02-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

In Macintosh system 8.5, Apple introduced new themes for the system. Every now and then I'd see "Gizmo in the Zone" on someone's computer at work and cringe a little. Thankfully, not a lot of people adopted this whimsical theme.