Thanks to @duttonbooks for alerting us that Martha Stewart just posted some fantastic DIY gift ideas for book lovers. We of course highly agree with their decision to pair a handmade bookmark with a hardcover Penguin Classic!
You can browse the whole collection here, and keep your eyes peeled the next time you’re in a bookstore because we’re adding more all the time.
A Record Player That Plays Pieces Of Wood, Not Vinyl
German artist Bartholomäus Traubeck has developed a record player that spins slices of wood from a tree’s cross-section, instead of vinyl.
Called ‘Years’, Traubeck has modified a turntable’s needle by replacing it with a digital camera and light that scans the wood for thickness, growth rate, texture and overall color tone.
A computer then interprets the data and maps it into a musical scale, which is then played back using piano sounds.
What results are hauntingly beautiful melodies that differ based on the tree’s age.
According to Traubeck, his turntable serves as an “impulse for the recipient’s imagination [as the listener] can speculate about things like the passing of time or natural phenomena, but it is never based on scientific facts that could be found in the music”.
More at Design Taxi
Original DIY: A History of Artists Distributing Their Own Work
Jim Gaffigan recently announced that he will be producing his upcoming comedy special without the help of a studio, having been inspired by Louis CK’s similar venture from a couple months ago. While this is now considered unusual, at least outside the increasingly inventive world of music distribution, back in the day many creative types chose not to rely on industry backing to get their material out to the public — and sometimes it even worked out for the better. After the jump, we’ll show you some of the biggest self-produced works from the 18th century through the present, from books to comics and even feature films.
wow, this is pretty.
More photos here: Handmade Fonts via Behance
A Veritable Menagerie of Bird Statues With a Steampunk Twist
More via GeekOSystem
Morning Link Roundup: Spotify My Ride Edition
Hope you didn’t throw out your vinyl collection. You can now play records on your bike.
Terrible Minds has 25 tips on writing suspense and tension
H.G. Wells interviews Dorothy Parker on the Dead Authors Podcast
The Slate staff offers up their “new classics” — the most enduring books, shows, movies, and ideas since 2000
Twisted Sifter has a slideshow of 15 beautiful libraries in the world
Christoph Niemann at The New York Times drew his way through the NYC Marathon this Sunday
