Snapshot: Summer 8

For me nothing says summer more than a picnic followed by camping on the beach. Perfection!

— Abbey of Aesthetic Outburst

(The lovely photo chosen by Abbey is by Atlanta Bartlett)

The Benevolent Postcard Society Blog!

The Benevolent Postcard Society now has its own blog for members! You'll find it here.

Buffet

This week's links. Enjoy.

Fake Holidays
Good magazine has a fascinating slide show of images from photographer Reiner Riedler's book Fake Holidays, in which he explores the world of artificial paradises — from themed amusement parks and simulated beaches to scaled-down landmark replicas. A must see.

Hello From Heathrow
From Carolyn Kellogg's post on the Los Angeles Times blog: "Writer Alain de Botton has moved, The Terminal-style, into Heathrow Airport. He's living there for a week, as the airport's first (and perhaps only) 'writer in residence.' He has a desk, is awakened by Air Canada and is charged with writing about life in the airport. His book, A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary, will be available beginning in September to those traveling through Heathrow." You can read some of De Botton's early observations here, too.

Adult Spelling Bees
Fun transcript of an NPR story about how adult spelling bees are springing up across the U.S., with a visit to one at a surprising location — a bar in Brooklyn.

Urban Outfitters + The Impossible Project
More good news for Polaroid fans! Urban Outfitters has partnered with The Impossible Project in their mission to restart and reinvent instant film photography. You may recall that when Polaroid ended production of Instant Film in 2008, The Impossible Project bought all the machinery and equipment at Polaroid’s Dutch factory. Their aim is to get the factory up and running in 2010 — but if you can't wait that long, Urban Outfitters is launching a limited edition of 700 hand-numbered deadstock Polaroid camera kits, which will include one pack of deadstock Polaroid Instant Film plus the Polaroid One600 classic, the last Polaroid camera ever produced. The kits will be available from Urban Outfitters online August 28.

Grain Edit's 50+ Designers on Twitter to Follow
The always fab Grain Edit picks their fave designers, illustrators, design bloggers, magazines and other notable creatives on Twitter.

CitySounds.fm
An interesting site that groups music by location rather than by type — each city has its own soundtrack. Via Andrew (thanks!)

Dark Night of the Soul
Filmmaker David Lynch is well known for his beautiful and ominously surreal films, but he's also interested in other art forms as well. With his latest project, Dark Night of the Soul, Lynch turns photographer, collaborating with musician, artist and producer Danger Mouse. Together, they've created a multimedia installation that is now on display in Los Angeles. Follow the link to see some of the (rather creepy!) photographs in the show. Via Lens Culture.

Red Berry and Basil Granita
A cool and refreshing summer dessert made with local strawberries, raspberries and fresh basil. Via Tastespotting.



(photograph from my Domino Deco Files archive)