The Evolution of Websites

My coworker found this article *shout out to Darren* at work the other day. It's comparisons of major websites from when they first launched to now.
The author Samuel points out a few extinct snippets from web history I remember so well:

• "Best Viewed with IE" badge
• left-aligned website - A personal hated favourite
• Java versions of sites

The older sites seem hilarious now but I have to give them cred - I remember my first site, 200k images you needed to scroll from side to side to see.

Canadian Myths

This is a really cool project put together by a collection of Canadian designers. Its called the 'Cabin' project and its aim is to reinterpret objects or sentiments we Canadians view as 'Canadian.' Here is an excerpt from their site.

Given the relative youth of Canada and much of it's mythology, we are in a unique position to 'write our own story.' The Cabin Project is about creating 'the evidence' of this story. Evolving as new designers contribute their own unique perspectives.'

Here are some creations from the project.

The Cancon chair.

Souvenirs for Canada

Hitchcock Revisited

I just bought the latest issue of Vanity Fair and they had this really cool spread where they recreated some memorable shots from Alfred Hitchcock films. The originals are still the best but these are also really well done. Here is a shot from Rear Window with Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart and the modern version with Scarlet Johansen and Javier Bardem. Grace Kelly was wearing the most beautiful dress in this scene of the movie. I love it. Check out the rest of the shots here.

Kelly Rowland

In an interview with People magazine, Kelly Rowan recently admitted that she had breast enhancement surgery to increase her breast size from an A to B cup. She claims: "I was sick of not fitting into my tops. There was this one really hot House of Dereon top — I just wanted to fill that out!" Here is a before and after of Kelly from egotastic.com.

What's Old is New Again

I found out about this company through this great blog called decor8. This company refurbishes vintage furniture by replacing the upholstery with modern prints and lacquering new finishes on the pieces. They have a really great design sense, check them out, the company is called Turquoise.

Bachelor Pad Reno

This is another cool find I found on HGTV.ca. It's the renovation a couple had done after they got married and decided to stay in the husband's bachelor apartment.

Best of Before and Afters

I found this great article on the HGTV site. It's some of their best interior design makeovers from various shows they have produced. Here is one I especially liked. Check out the rest of the article for more before and afters.

Humans

This is a freaky little piece I found on MSNbc.com. It's someone's prediction of the evolution of the human species. I thought the composites were pretty funny. Check out the Unihuman below.

Guatemala #5: Sunrise, Sunset - Lago Atitlan

When I first visited Guatemala, I heard that Hemingway said Lake Atitlan was the most beautiful place in the world. Last time I visited, my mum's charge, Andy said it wasn't Hemingway, it was Somerset Maughm. It's a good thing I picked up a guide book: they claim it was Aldous Huxley. I haven't been enough places to agree with any of them but I do remember crossing the lake from Santiago to Panajachel, which are on opposite sides of the lake. The half of the lake towards Santiago was covered by black billowy clouds. The half towards Panajachel was covered by those rich thick foamy white clouds. They met directly over San Pedro, which is in the valley of a volcano, where they crashed, delivering regular bursts of lightning to the little town. I was on the boat with my brother and a friend watching it and we imagined the clouds were shaped like colliding cavalry.

btw, it was Aldous Huxley


Sunrise

Sunset

Guatemala #4: ONIL Stove

The ONIL Stove is one of the fabulous designs which addresses the alarming WHO estimation that over 3 billion people are exposed to poor indoor air quality as a result of dependence on biomass as a fuel source. From their website, the ONIL Stove:

* Reduced smoke emission's from within the dwelling by 99%,
* Increased the cooking surface height - eliminating burns and/or uncontrolled fires,
* Created a 60-70% savings in fuel consumption - allowing for a reduction in deforestation.

Photo courtesy of Mayaan Katz, Flickr.com

A Home for All Seasons

Here are some images of the Ashbridge House I took in the summer and winter. How I miss the summer...

The Ashbridge House is one of the oldest buildings left in Toronto's East side.

The main house is the oldest surviving building on the property, and dates to 1854.
It was designed by local architect Joseph Sheard, who would later serve as Mayor of Toronto. The second storey was added in 1899. The site is also home to a number of smaller outbuildings. The estate was home to extensive gardens, but recently the Ontario Heritage Trust which owns the property has replaced some of the garden areas with grass.
- Wikipedia

These photos were taken in the garden and include the Ashbridge guest house which is now used for storage (or so it appears).