The wonderful world of Magic Eye and Stereograms
I used to LOOOVEEE these Magic Eye books as a kid. I haven't thought much about them lately but I guess it makes sense that there's a good bit of science behind how these Magic Eye stereograms work. Cheri Smith and Tom Baccei turned this science into colorful pieces of artwork that so eloquently captures my '90s childhood.
And yes, you can still buy Magic Eye books today.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Photo by Herman Yung
I am no longer doing the one-book-a-month thing for this year, but that doesn't mean I've stopped reading books altogether. I'm currently reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and the book is pretty interesting so far in how it sets up the main character, Ove, and his penchant for order and routine. I am 100% opposite to Ove and probably would never be this guy's friend in real life but it's interesting to read about a man that is such a stickler for authority and how that breaks down for him over time as he ages.
Iconic: A photographic tribute to Apple innovation
Photo by Herman Yung
Do you love Apple products and Apple design? If you answered yes, you need to pick up Iconic: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation. The book is a wonderful trip down memory lane with a ton of Apple products and amazing high-quality images that fill the entire page. The book treats every featured Apple product as a piece of artwork, photographing it from many angles and often at the macro level as well. For those obsessed with details, this 340-page volume is sure to please.
Jonathan Zufi's (author and photographer) photos are some of the best I've seen outside of Apple's own PR images. Pick it up here!
The internet in plain sight: NYC road markings and what they mean
I recently bought Ingrid Burrington's book Networks of New York and have been utterly fascinated by the things she reveals in it. Basically, she makes sense of all of those crazy orange markings one might see spray painted onto the street and sidewalks. I've always assumed that those markings were done purposefully and they are -- they reveal a very hidden infrastructure of internet, cable, and telecommunication lines that run all over the city. The book is super short and more of a glossary of sorts which means you should definitely pick one up and carry it with you the next time you walk around your neighborhood.
Gizmodo recently caught up with Ingrid to listen to her talk about all of these wonderful hidden secrets about NYC. My kind of human!
A history of killing Hitler through time travel
Whoa, I had no idea that killing Hitler was such a big topic of time travel genres (books and movies). What comes to mind for me is the recent short film Kung Fury where a time traveling kung fu master cop goes back in time to kill Hitler (I've posted the video below).
But yeah, I had no idea that killing baby Hitler was such a hot topic of debate -- I just assumed most reasonable people would immediately say 'yes' when asked the question. But now, after watching the Vox video above, maybe that's not the best thing to do for all of the impossible-to-imagine after-effects that might cause.
If you want to read more, author James Gleick has written a book about it called Time Travel: A History.
The New York Public Library’s Rose Main Reading Room is open again!
The New York Public Library’s Rose Main Reading Room is finally open again! I've missed it so much! I was at the NYPL main branch a few weeks ago and I was so bummed when I tried to enter this room only to find out that the opening had been delayed. But now it's open, open for all to experience in all of its restored beauty! And with that re-opening of course comes the re-shelving of books! The NYPL uploaded this video here that shows how long it took just to fill this room's bookshelves with volumes once again. That's about 52,000 books in total according to the video description.