Friday Finds 2.04.11

Aaron: Pictures of My Mother

This website is little more than its name suggests: user-submitted pictures of their mothers. But it totally affirms what we keep discovering over and over again, people are fascinating. Not only do the women pictured here evoke all different eras and styles, they come to form a pretty incredible composite of what our moms look like. I love it.

Miyoko: Don't Eat the Paintings

One of my favorite new Internet finds is the blog Don't Eat the Paintings. Written by "a housewares designer in Philadelphia" named Haley Harmon, the site features her paintings of recipe ingredients. This week was an ode to Mark Bittman, who recently ended his tenure as the Minimalist columnist for the New York Times (shown here are the items necessary for his fennel and celery salad), but Harmon's paintings also include illustrations of her favorite salad combinations and dishes sent in by readers like shortbread cookies and fish curry. She includes recipes or links to them so you can get busy in the kitchen after you're finished browsing the blog.

Sam: Plastic Bag

It's my dream that one day Werner Herzog will read an entire issue of Dwell aloud. Until then, I'll make due with this futurestates.tv

Jaime: Photos from epic winter storms

As a former east-coaster I often miss snowy winters (and snow days!)—but not this month, with crazy storms shutting down entire cities and highways. This AP slideshow, under the heading "Monster Storm Batters U.S.," captures the havoc wreaked, as well as the sometimes unexpected beauty of a city glazed in ice and snow.

Michele: Theo Jansen's "Strandbeests"

Dutch artist Theo Jansen creates these amazing articulated kinetic sculptures—he calls them "strandbeests," or "beach animals"—from everyday materials like plastic bottles, pipe tubing, and bicycle pumps. The giant skeletal structures are powered by natural seaside winds, which allow them to take on deceptively live-being forms, seemingly strolling along the shore of their own free will. Absolutely fascinating to watch.

Diana: 9 Ways to Look Ridiculous While Using Your Cell Phone

Many thanks to the Huffington Post for compiling these cell phone accoutrements, which range from the disturbing to the downright funny.

Jordan: From the Desk Of...

As someone who consistently cannot see the surface of my desk beneath the epic piles of stuff that somehow make their way to me but never seem to leave, I am fascinated by From The Desk Of..., which takes a look at the workspaces of other folks. Each post offers a few pics of a creative person (who it's likely you already know and love: Marc Johns, Milton Glaser, Poketo, and more), along with a great q&a and examples of their art.

A close second for a Friday Find this week was The Movie Stills Title Collection. If you get a thrill when a film is about to begin, you'll love it scrolling through.

Amanda: Snooky and the Metronome

I don't know what's funnier, Snooky's hypersensitive response to the metronome's incessant ticking, or Snooky's off-camera owners and their barely supressed laughter.

Dakota: New York Times Map Restoration

Have a look at this beautifully restored map of New York from 1770! It was found last year in storage by the Brooklyn Historical Society and will soon be on display. Be sure to check out the illustration of Manhattan at the bottom.

Alexis: Publish Your Photography Book

Interesting look into the thoughts behind the new Princeton Architectural Press title, Publish Your Photography Book. Two editor insiders give expert advice and offer six sections ranging in topic from the history of the photo book to understanding the publishing world.  Sounds like a great resource for up and coming photographers!

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