Friday Finds: Another Time Suck

The one thing we're suckers for, here at Mighty Distractible, is gorgeous design. It doesn't matter what it is - a toilet paper holder or a house or a billboard - if it's designed well, we celebrate it.

Now you can celebrate design, and get lost in a deep, deep well of content, at designboom.com.

One of my favorite things about this site is their tagline: "since 1999 home of design culture, leading independent publication for design, architecture, art, photography and graphics"

I found the site through Pinterest (of course) when I saw this:

'sand bowl' by leetal rivlin

My first impression of the site was that it was overwhelmingly advertising heavy and that there's WAY too much copy crammed into the home page. Funny that a site dedicated to art and design would have such a crappy design but...

Once I got into it, I fell in love with the inspiration. A lot of the content is submitted through their DIY Submissions feature. If you type DIY into their search engine, you'll get TONS of cool ideas for projects.

So...you can curse me and thank me later. ;)

- Alex (the pusher)

Summer Reading

I have no idea why, but I get the idea every summer that I am going to tear through a pile of books. Weeding, chasing my children, commitments, excessive knitting and sewing, etc. all suck up so many free hours, so sadly I usually only get about a quarter of the way through my list.


But hey, I don't let this reality stop me. I make my list and envision myself sitting on the chaise on my deck, reading in the shade. Because in my imagination, my life is way less chaotic.


Here is the 2012 Summer Reading Dream Team:


Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
A contemporary look at the lives of average North Korean citizens over a 15 year period.
This book is actually Alex's pick for our book club. Everyone who has started it says it is amazing so I can't wait to get going on it this week.

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Vampires, witches, demons, time-travel, and genetics. 
This new book isn't released until July 10. I recently finished the first book in this trilogy called "A Discovery of Witches" and it hooked me enough to want to find out what happens next.

Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
A mostly true, and hilarious memoir.
Jenny Lawson (better known as The Bloggess) has been cracking me up online for quite a while now. I am so excited to read chapters like "My Childhood: David Copperfield Meets Guns & Ammo Magazine".

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
A wager makes the stuffy Phileas Fogg have an adventure.
A classic I've never read. Need to make time for this one from the Godfather of Steampunk.

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett
Autobiography of Carol Burnett.
I love Carol Burnett. And I love reading about old Hollywood.

Where Women Create: Book of Organization by Jo Packham
Does what is says on the tin, organizational ideas for the crafty gal.
This is fodder for the craft-room I am manifesting.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J.K. Rowling
Do I really have to tell you what this one's about?
No, I've never read any of these. (I can hear your gasp through the interwebs) I saw the first movie though and found it seriously charming. I would like to get through this entire series at some point.

I'm stopping here...past experience tell me there is no need to overdo it. This is usually one of the books in my hands:

What are you planning to read?

–Cassandra

Friday Finds: Another Time Suck.

So... you thought Pinterest was bad? Obviously, you've never visted Retronaut.co.

The only saving grace to the Retronaut time-suck is that new content is added at a much slower rate so you don't feel quite as compelled to spend multiple hours each day lost in the site. However, on first viewing, at least, expect to lose some seriously time here.

For me, it all started with this series of photos:

Broken out primarily by decade, the site provides an amazing glimpse into our (mostly US) past. I've always been fascinated by the evolution of culture so this site is an absolute treasure trove for me.

One of Cassandra's favorite entries is this one:

‘While preparing for his role as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, De Niro obtained a cab driver’s license, and when on break would pick up a cab and drive around New York for a couple of weeks’

So go. Get lost in the past. And don't expect to come up for air for a quite a while.

I'm sorry and you're welcome.

- Alex