David A. Greene
Dave has contributed to Dwell since its inception. He's a CalArts dropout, a former art critic for The New Yorker, and a producer of comedies on TV. He lives in, and writes from, Los Angeles.
Periodic Table of Typefaces
The Periodic Table of Typefaces (Popular, Influential & Notorious) is an online project by graphic designer Cam Wilde. It joins a distinguished canon that includes not only the Periodic Table of Elements we all learned in high school, but also The Periodic Table of Awesoments and the Table of Condiments that Periodically Go Bad.
Bigboxology 101
Now that the last laptop computer and toilet-paper dispenser have been liquidated from the once-mighty Circuit City, some very significant mementos remain: the 567 empty warehouse stores across the U.S. that once housed the retail giant's operations.
Living Las Vegas
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but once you leave, you may have trouble banishing Sin City from your mind.
My Favorite Thing: David Greene's Mid-Century Coffee Table
In this installment of My Favorite Thing, Dwell contributing editor David Greene tells us about the Heywood-Wakefield birch coffee table he got from a New York flea market. Don't forget to submit your own favorite thing and take part in our next giveaway!
Religious Landmarks of L.A.
As a young city built on the ruins of a Spanish mission, Los Angeles has never had much of an architectural "cathedral culture." But L.A. has always been a magnet for religious free-thinkers and adventurous architects, and both star in "City of the Seekers: L.A.'s Unique Spiritual Legacy," a self-guided tour offered by the Los Angeles Conservancy, on one day only, Saturday March 14.
Spy Vibe: 60s Movie Set Designs
Spy Vibe is a new fansite dedicated to the costume and set design of spy and space movies and TV from the 1960s, full of high-quality stills and Youtube clips from movie and TV classics like Our Man Flint and The Thunderbirds—plus the purple-haired divas from my own all-time favorite, UFO.
Amazon's Kindle 2
On February 24, online retailer Amazon.com begins shipping its Kindle 2, the newest version of Amazon's electronic book reader. The Kindle is essentially a magazine-sized computer that can download, store, and display up to 1500 books; users can change the scale and resolution of the text on the Kindle's screen to suit their reading environment (and their eyesight). But what does the advent of the latest Kindle – and competitors like the iPhone -- mean for design?
What the Font?
Ever ask yourself, "Is that Arial or Helvetica?" (Or for type snobs, "Is that Helvetica or Helvetica Neue?") Then WhatTheFont may be the iPhone application for you. WhatTheFont lets users upload a picture of a typeface in the wild – think billboards, web pages, or t-shirts -- and upload it to MyFonts.com, which will try to identify it for you, answering those nagging late-night questions and bar wagers.
On the Ground in New Orleans
In keeping with today's impromptu New Orleans theme, Luke Weldon Perry's blog, The Incremental House, is featuring a photo-travelogue of the architect's recent trip through New Orleans (via Bolivia) that's worth a look. It's remarkable not only for Perry's on-the-ground insights about the successes and (more often) failings of the Global Green initiative and Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation, but also for his snapshots of the star-architect-designed houses those charities have erected.
Taj for All
As the financial apocalypse takes shape, perhaps at its borders will be the early 21st century phenomenon of insanely expensive modern children's furniture. In the good old days, even hedge fund managers surely gulped when their spouses brought home a $3,000 crib or $1,200 high chair, products that are the definition of built-in obsolescence.
