I Always Wanted To Be A Tenenbaum

Smallcano

2010-05-20T19:27:00.003-06:00

SO I have a new blog now, and it is called Smallcano! It will be much of the same as was here, except probably more awesomeness.

Anyway, update your links/bookmarks accordingly if you like. And follow me on Twitter!

Smallcano.

Amused

2009-04-27T13:41:00.002-06:00

I've been studying a lot lately, so not too much going on, well, anywhere.

That Secret That You Know

2009-04-14T00:28:00.004-06:00

Sorry about the not posting, it's not so much I'm busy as that I'm swamped. Anyway, I've been working on ianhenrysmith.com doing a lot of work on the blog section of the site. Here's a blog that I have to produce for my 'Writing on Science and Society' class, a lot of the layout is very similar what the new site will be like.

I have a Twitter now and would be happy to follow you; I like Twitter much more than Facebook/MySpace probably for the sole fact that Shaq is hilarious.
Goodnight!

You Are an Idea Whose Time Has Come

2009-02-08T20:34:00.003-07:00

Women of Kibera

2009-02-03T10:25:00.003-07:00

One of my more favorite street artists, JR, just completely blew me away with his latest project. From Wooster Collective:

"Today, after more than a year of planning, 2000 square meters of rooftops have been covered with photos of the eyes and faces of the women of Kibera. The material used is water resistant so that the photo itself will protect the fragile houses in the heavy rain season. The train that passes on this line through Kibera at least twice a day has also been covered with eyes from the women that live below it. With the eyes on the train, the bottom half of the their faces have be pasted on corrugated sheets on the slope that leads down from the tracks to the rooftops. The idea being that for the split second the train passes, their eyes will match their smiles and their faces will be complete."

Kibera is one of the largest slums in the world, and it's filled with marginalized, forgotten people. I love JR's idea, and his execution is profound:

Some unrelated notes:

I've been working on the Wordpress layout for the 'blog' section of ianhenrysmith.com, but it still needs much love.

School and life in general have sidetracked my discretionary projects, but I think that's okay.

I replaced my default icons with ones from Wall-E, and they are very fun.

The Pipeline

2009-01-18T21:02:00.005-07:00

So:

Sorry I've neglected to post, well, anything in the last two weeks.
I have lots of things in the works, including:
- Posters!
- An actual website (Ianhenrysmith.com)
- Pie Charts, and more visual aids for navigating life
- A clothing line (okay, that one was a lie)
This blog has some big plans regarding said domain (goodbye Blogspot, hello Wordpress), although said plans will take a buncha time.
There are a bunch of great albums out/coming soon; they include:
- Dear Science, by TV on the Radio
- Blood Bank, by Bon Iver
- Merriweather Post Pavilion, by Animal Collective
- Noble Beast, by Andrew Bird
I am totally digging Dallas Clayton's poems/illustrations, so:

That's So Last Year

2009-01-01T23:50:00.003-07:00

Happy new year!

I Feel Like I'm Everywhere

2008-12-25T23:47:00.004-07:00

I've just finished primary work on my website! It took a big chunk o' time but it's now here, and I'm even half-satisfied with it. I've only seen it in Firefox 3.0 and Internet Explorer 8, I shudder to think what my baby would look like in an old browser. Probably like the surface of Europa.

Anyway, besides being a platform for my Ponzi Schemes, it is a place you should check out.

Happy Christmas

2008-12-24T22:36:00.003-07:00

Have a great Christmas, I hope all your wishes come true!
(Images from Breath Less.)

I'm Working on a Website

2008-12-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

With a Touch of Grunge

2008-12-16T22:25:00.002-07:00

The Water

2008-12-15T22:12:00.005-07:00

This is an image-centric themed post, can you guess what the theme is?

Some of these images from:
Pishpot
Narelle Autio
James Cooper
Amy Stein

(I should keep better track of where I find these things.)

Also: Checking to See if Your Roommate is a Werewolf

2008-12-14T17:09:00.002-07:00

Fixies on a Rampage

2008-12-14T00:14:00.006-07:00

I found this video made by NYC messenger group Empire here, and it thoroughly blew my mind. Everyone should ride bikes, by the way.

Math for the Real World

2008-12-12T21:04:00.005-07:00

Bengles

2008-12-11T13:32:00.002-07:00

Fujiya & Miyagi

2008-12-11T09:31:00.003-07:00

Some great videos from the band Fujiya & Miyagi:
'Sore Thumb'

'Ankle Injuries'

Birthday

2008-12-10T23:25:00.005-07:00

It was my birthday today, and I had a pretty good day. There was much sushi, a cold pond, and my girlfriend Bethany gave me a great card.

Foreign Posters for American Films

2008-12-09T15:01:00.008-07:00

In my travels around the internet, I've found a bunch of old posters in other languages for American movies. Some of them are creepy, some are bizarre, but all of them are just fascinating to me. All of these posters are in polish, except for the first one.
Star Wars:

The Empire Strikes Back (strange how this poster doesn't have a trace of the signature 'Star Wars' logo):

Son of Godzilla (I like this one a lot):

Raiders of the Lost Ark (what's up with those arrows?):

Gandhi (I don't understand why his body has holes in it):

The Getaway:

Flipper (1965):

Being There (one of my Dad's favorite movies):

Alien (by far the spookiest poster I've ever seen):

I Have a Friend Named Brady

2008-12-08T19:13:00.003-07:00

More Patterns and Patterns

2008-12-06T17:30:00.002-07:00

My brain has been hooked on all things geometric lately, and as such I've been thinking in tessellations.

I Chose Circles

2008-12-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

Advice

2008-12-04T17:42:00.003-07:00

There are a couple things I've learned so far in my life, and I'm passing my wisdom on to you!

Patterns and Patterns

2008-12-03T16:32:00.005-07:00

Flash Cards for Your Life

2008-11-20T21:16:00.007-07:00

My friend Matthew and I made some flash cards that should help you live your life. They are sort of a follow-up to the anatomy flash cards from a while back. Regardless: study these cards. There will be an exam.
Front:

Back:

Front:

Back:

Front:

Back:

Front:

Back:

Front:

Back:

Front:

Back:

Higher Higher Higher

2008-11-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

The Worst S'more Ever

2008-11-16T15:44:00.004-07:00

This was given to me by my friend Kristen. I didn't eat it.

Things: The Pie Chart

2008-11-13T21:51:00.002-07:00

In other things pie chart, Jessie from Art Brut(e) pointed me toward a very clever edible pie chart!

A Poster

2008-11-09T16:55:00.003-07:00

This is for a show that Eleanor is doing.

Oh yeah, and Laura at Quirkology did her own interpretation of this chart! Awesome.

I Legislate Like It's My Job

2008-11-06T00:55:00.002-07:00

Holy Crud

2008-11-04T21:35:00.003-07:00

Sorry for being topical, but my grandma remembers lynchings in her neighborhood and I went to a racially divided urban public high school. Today is pretty amazing, I think.

Six Months

2008-10-28T16:23:00.002-06:00

Still coming along.

Indie Band Names

2008-10-27T21:18:00.005-06:00

Not sure if this list is supposed to be funny or not. Use all your postmodern deconstruction skills and draw your own conclusion. I'm pretty sure my sense of humor is recursive.

Sounds, Looks and Awesomeness

2008-10-27T08:57:00.002-06:00

I Don't Want to Live on the Moon

2008-10-24T11:10:00.002-06:00

It's True.

2008-10-21T20:07:00.002-06:00

Jazz Won't Save You Now

2008-10-20T20:21:00.004-06:00

It's a dismal night: I'm studying for and exam and the Broncos don't even know what a point is; I'm hungry too. Picture is an old gouached drawing of my roommate's Gameboy Color.

Stop Motion Street Art

2008-10-17T12:55:00.004-06:00

The music really makes this film. Watch at around 5:00 when it turns from great to simply amazing. Done by Blu.

More Good Things!

2008-10-16T17:09:00.003-06:00

5. This picture.It's wonderful. Via.

4. Lou Dorfman's gastrotypographicalassemblage. Via.

3. City View, by Kumi Yamashita. Via.

2. The Volvox Typeface, by Andrea Tinnes Via.

1. The Garamond Powerlines font, by Daniel Adolph. Via.

The Onion is Brilliant

2008-10-15T15:01:00.008-06:00

So being a white person I naturally like Indie Music, Portland, Seattle, Old Photos, Road Trips and token minority friends (just kidding about that last one, Matt's functionally white). One other thing that almost all white people like is The Onion, which is really half of where we get our sense of humor (we get the rest from Monty Python and pie charts). This week The Onion ran an edition that was in the style of a 1783-era American newspaper; I don't think I'll ever see any written work of humor as clever. If you know where to find The Onion, go and pick up a copy right now, because I'm pretty sure that white humor as we know it peaked this week.

The title:

An ad on the back:

This post owes a lot to this one.

List of Demands

2008-10-15T12:24:00.004-06:00

I'm especially serious about the siesta thing. I'm tired.

I Got A Letter Today

2008-10-14T19:12:00.002-06:00

And I very much liked its stationary.

Crunchy Bramble

2008-10-13T21:01:00.003-06:00

This poster still has a while to go, but I like how it looks so far.

The Big Ugly

2008-10-10T13:40:00.003-06:00

So roommate Jim and I are headed up into the mountains this weekend for manly things; There will be chopping of wood and listening to of football games.

Picture is not by me, I found it two years ago somewhere on the internet and I do not know who made it. The shame.

In other news, Chris Fizik remixed one of my old pie charts and it made me happy.

Bologna

2008-10-09T17:37:00.003-06:00

Five Things That Are Just Plain Good

2008-10-08T12:43:00.005-06:00

5. The world's oldest skyscrapers, in Shibam, Yemen.

4. These scans of an old book.

3. 99 Fears, a book by Nedko Solakov. The caption of this picture reads "A big fear, a medium-sized fear and a small fear decided to work together on a family of four." Perfect. Via.

2. Prints from Port 2 Port Press. They're delightful.

1. David Alexander Slaager's photography.

Play the New Stuff Like it's Old School

2008-10-07T13:20:00.002-06:00

Last night I fixed all of the dead images in the Tenenbaum archives, so now you can browse the old-school stuff like it's new! Seriously, there's some great stuff back there that I wish I hadn't done because I'll never outdo it.

Greg Oden is Ubiquitous

2008-10-06T09:14:00.002-06:00

Limbo, That's Where

2008-10-05T19:54:00.002-06:00

T-Shirt Design (A Reprise)

2008-10-05T13:50:00.003-06:00

So a very long time ago I posted a t-shirt design; it's now in a more finalized state and is going to be used for Ryan Brasher's project, Eleanor. I cleaned up the image, added text and made the whole thing more printable. I may add color, depending on how much that costs to print.

Rainbow Tree

2008-10-03T21:05:00.002-06:00

I just wish it were real. Then I would sell it.

Blame It On the Tetons

2008-10-03T01:37:00.004-06:00

Don't lose your fascination with what isn't there (at all).

Sigur Ros

2008-09-28T00:14:00.005-06:00

I just got back from the Sigur Ros concert at Red Rocks. It was absolutely the best live music I have ever heard; they completely post-rocked my socks off! Thank you Iceland: you are smaller than Denver, yet produce much greater music! Gobbledigook and Hoppipolla were amazing live.

Five Things I want to Share With You

2008-09-26T17:02:00.003-06:00

5. Nathan Coley's light-billboard installations.

4. Kelly Dyson's illustrations.

3. Gravity's Rainbow, a print by Dan Funderburgh.

2. Michael Wolf's photography of Hong Kong.

1. This pixel-art coaster. I want two.

New Brushes

2008-09-24T14:18:00.001-06:00

I raided the internet today for some new photoshop brushes; I went a little overboard, I think.

It's All Coming Back to You

2008-09-22T23:10:00.002-06:00

Not sure what this is, I made a humongo version as well. I want to print it and use it as a poster.

Music Is Terrific!

2008-09-10T20:04:00.005-06:00

Eleanor is a band that we here at "Tenenbaum" hold a special place in our hearts for. It all started when the inestimable Ryan Brasher, who had played with Jack's brother in a band for a long while, mentioned that he was playing and writing music again. Jack and Ryan started hanging out a lot more, listening to records and talking about music, and when Ryan finished production on his debut EP, they put together a plan to release it themselves. This worked out perfectly with Jack's lifelong dream of owning his own record label, and thus was Young Thousands Records born. Jack works with the band on all financial and logistical things and Ian, though he did not do the cover to the left, will be doing a lot of artwork with them in the future, including hopefully shirts, posters, stickers, and album artwork. So download their debut EP, "Find Someone Who Believes You" right here on FileDropper. And check the Myspace page for gigs around the 303 (Denver/Boulder for the uninformed).

One, Two... City of Seattle!

2008-08-15T10:55:00.003-06:00

These photos are old, but I only just got them developed today. Seattle it a pretty place!

Activities Visavis Clothing, and Vice Versa

2008-05-23T22:31:00.002-06:00

Still Working On It

2008-05-21T12:09:00.001-06:00

Poster in Progress

2008-05-20T15:07:00.003-06:00

This is a work in progress, hopefully I can find some way to print this as large as I can.

Thought Process

2008-05-19T20:59:00.004-06:00

Old Photos from the Family Box

2008-05-17T21:52:00.003-06:00

I'm at home for the summer and I thought it would be a good idea to put up some of the old photos that have been sitting in the basement for as long as my parents have owned the house. Here are some of the ones I really liked:

They're Under Your Fingernails

2008-05-16T12:13:00.001-06:00

Life

2008-05-13T13:20:00.003-06:00

5 Darn Good Things: Photography Edition

2008-05-12T15:46:00.004-06:00

5. This picture of a wasp, by Kussyi.

4. Keysofvirtue's stuff. I love this picture of poppies.

3. These photos of an abandoned paper mill, by Jane McDevitt. I really like the machines in these pictures.

2. Tonatiuh Ambrosetti's nature photography.

1. The work of Maximilian Haidacher. I love the way he makes buildings feel personal through his own subtle methods of framing them.

Is That a Smudge?

2008-05-05T17:56:00.002-06:00

Never Never

2008-05-04T20:49:00.001-06:00

This started out as a doodle and made its way to be something too big for a sheet of notebook paper. Oh well.

You're a Good Man, Daniel Burtness

2008-04-27T21:41:00.004-06:00

And I don't know what to say.

Special Appearance by a Chopstick

2008-04-27T17:02:00.002-06:00

It made some of the dots.

Things I Learned as a Kid

2008-04-25T21:49:00.002-06:00

Pop Art Hair

2008-04-23T16:21:00.001-06:00

Forgot the Notes

2008-04-22T17:19:00.002-06:00

I got a little carried away with this, I think.

5 Better Things

2008-04-21T21:00:00.004-06:00

5. 'Skine Art. A great site where people upload images from their Moleskine journals, some of these scans blow me away.

4. Christopher Lee's illustrations are fun to a point that they make me giddy.

3. Huun Huur Tu. Tuvan throat singing at its best (and most bizarre?). I heard the one in the front left made a deal with the devil for that moustache. They have some albums for download (legally) here.

2.Gareth Neal's furniture. I want a desk from him.

1.Yo Gabba Gabba toys. If you haven't seen the frenetic surreal kids show that is 'Yo Gabba Gabba', follow the link.

How to Write a Poem: The Pie Chart

2008-04-20T19:25:00.003-06:00

Vampire Geriatric

2008-04-18T19:50:00.003-06:00

Taken from the ol' moleskine and colored in photoshop.

Matt: The Best Rodriguez

2008-04-17T21:33:00.003-06:00

These pictures are all of Matt, who is truly an epic individual:

Cheer Up Ben, Things Will Be Better Soon!

2008-04-16T21:38:00.002-06:00

This post is dedicated to my friend Ben, who for some reason looked depressed in every picture from the road trip.

Two Pictures

2008-04-15T20:17:00.006-06:00

I'm kinda busy tonight (and for the rest of the week, so expect pictures!), but I'm still going to drop some images from my life.
Friend Brady in the parking lot before the Rockies game (last Sunday):

The Top Pot (it's an anagram) doughnut store in Seattle (three weeks ago):

I just got some of my road trip photos developed, so those will likely filter in until school calms down (Diff Eq exam tomorrow).

5 More Good Things

2008-04-14T20:31:00.004-06:00

5. Ikea decorated a public train in Kobe, Japan. I want one.

4. Get Lost, by Douglas Wilson. I love the print and the idea.

3. Hairy Futura. I have seen many fonts, but none have made me smile like this.

2. The fashion of Henrik Vibskov: it is ridiculous and unsettling at the same time. Expect me to rip him off in the near future.

1. "Copia", a series by Brian Ulrich. His non-judgmental visual exploration of American consumer culture is profound.

He Doesn't Look Too Happy

2008-04-13T14:24:00.001-06:00

But he is a robot!

There Was a Tree, Once

2008-04-13T01:15:00.002-06:00

And from it came, buildings? (I'm very happy about how this one turned out.)

Secret to Finishing a Marathon: The Pie Chart

2008-04-11T20:34:00.002-06:00

I Own Three Watches, Two of Them Work

2008-04-10T23:01:00.001-06:00

Drawing-3 watches, originally uploaded by Jackson X.

I drew this a while ago, and finally got around to scanning it and uploading it. On the left, a Swatch my sister bought me in Switzerland. In the middle, a Fossil I bought sometime in 2003. On the right, a sweet Casio calculator watch that is one of the nerdiest things I own (second only to a Mathcounts State Champion Trophy).

America's Best Non Hip-Hop Lyricist

2008-04-10T21:20:00.002-06:00

As an assignment to write a few blog posts for one of my classes, I will get to some long-overdue praise for one of my two favorite songwriters. John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats writes beautiful poetry, and copious amounts of it, too. (Darnielle has reportedly recorded over 400 songs) I will present one song here, with the neat little video directed by Rian Johnson (Yes, THAT Rian Johnson, director of this little gem from 2005)

As for the aforementioned title, it comes from this article from the New Yorker.
Here are the lyrics for this song. In summation, this is the perfect breakup song, and just a perfect storytelling song in general.

The Sheds

2008-04-10T16:37:00.003-06:00

The Sheds are a great band (or were, I think they're on hiatus right now). All of their albums are free on their website and boast unique folksy-country-indie songs inspired by their friends. You should definitely check them out.

On the Inside Some People Are Nothing But Foam

2008-04-09T21:18:00.003-06:00

The Rough Draft

2008-04-08T18:08:00.003-06:00

So I've been working on a Threadless T-Shirt submission and this is what I have so far (its pretty much an old piece on a template):

I still have a while to go but I like how it looks so far!

5 Good Things

2008-04-07T15:36:00.005-06:00

5. Design By Humans: They have some very cool shirts for not-too-expensive. One of my favorites:

4. Honibe: They invented solid honey drops. Just plain fun:

3. Garfield Minus Garfield: What happens when you take Garfield out of his own comic? A strip about modern paranoia and alienation. Or just ridiculousness. I think Marcel Duchamp would be proud:

2. Acorn: I dig it:

1. David Yocum and Brian Bell: Their architecture firm set up in what used to be an abandoned auto-repair shop. What followed will blow your mind:

What to Do?

2008-04-06T21:03:00.002-06:00

Just Stand There

2008-04-05T23:28:00.003-06:00

Colorado is for Everyone

2008-04-04T15:28:00.004-06:00

In a bout of happiness because the weather was so gorgeous today I paid tribute to my home, Colorado:

Andy Kehoe

2008-04-02T11:47:00.002-06:00

So I recently have gotten into Andy Kehoe's work. It's great stuff, I love the texture he uses in his pieces:

Sludge is Back in a Big Way

2008-04-01T17:26:00.005-06:00

This Frog Has Teeth

2008-03-31T16:59:00.002-06:00

I might vectorize this or something.

Portland and the Northwest Passage

2008-03-28T00:43:00.002-06:00

Today we visited Portland and saw the sights: Powell's Bookstore is larger than the Titanic. We walked through parks and over bridges, it was a good day.

Redundant, but Still Awesome

2008-03-26T23:51:00.003-06:00

So we've been through San Francisco, the Redwood forest and are now in Portland at Taylor's Grandparents'. And this picture is silly.

I'm the one in the shorts (my favorite ones) and Ben's in the jeans. Picture taken by good friend Taylor.

Super Oh-Eight

2008-03-23T01:16:00.003-06:00

The Great Northwest is Calling

2008-03-22T12:25:00.007-06:00

So tomorrow Taylor, Matt, Ben and I are road tripping from Denver to San Francisco and then up the coast to Seattle by way of Portland. Our itinerary includes a night in the Redwood Forest and an expensive meal at the top of the space needle. I hope to be able to write little updates along the way; I can hardly contain my excitement!

(pic by Alessandro Gottardo)

Eat Right, Not Vegemite

2008-03-20T16:09:00.004-06:00