The wonders of space, mater, solar systems, the earth, mountains, waters and atoms that hold it all together will more than likely always be a constant and ongoing question until the end. All it takes is one clear night, a quick glance at the sky and more questions can fill your head than you can handle. These days, of course, we could look up and see the stars (go figure), or we can turn to the internet for high definition images of galaxies far away – which in reality are hundreds of millions of light years away. Which then really means that what we’re actually seeing is hundreds of millions of years old and the fact is that it might not even be there anymore. Crazy, huh? It’s a lot to think about and a lot to take in.

Fortunately for us, there are people like Bill Bryson who ask themselves these same kinds of questions, then decide to dedicate years of time to understanding all of this with intention of generating a book that explains just about every question we might want to ask. What’s even better, is that Bryson does it in a comical and very understandable sense. Bryson has once again figured out a way to explain things (in this case the universe and our home planet) in such a way that’s anything but boring, not hard to understand, and yet, not dumbed-down.

A Short History of Nearly Everything includes a long list of well written facts including just exactly what an atom is to where the tongue twister “She sells seashells…” came from. If you end up liking this book, Bryson has a long list of other creations that are all worth your while. Try, A Walk in the Woods, or In a Sunburned Country.

If you haven’t already had the chance to listen to the music of Lana Del Rey, then what on earth are you waiting on? Once in a while a vocalist appears out of the blue that stands so far out from the mundane buzz of modern music you’d swear it was like witnessing a supernova. Well here that singer is, and her name is Lana Del Rey. She has been described as a “self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra“, and cites Britney Spears, Elvis Presley and Kurt Cobain amongst her musical influences.

“Born To Die” has been largely promoted and it’s worldwide release this week has drawn some rave reviews and at the same time harsh criticism.  Still, her album, and every last song on there is worth a listen. It seems as if Lana has been given the creative freedom to really experiment with her own sound. It doesn’t appear that she’s aiming to be the next pop star or have her own perfume sold in every mall. It does appear that she’s put some work into this piece and she’s showing the early signs of great things to come. We’re excited about it.

Despite all of the back-story that has closely followed the album it’s really not bad; weak in places and strong in others.  One gets the impression that a young artist was given  freedom and creative license, and as young people often do, experimented with sounds, and styles, and textures.  Instead of a perfect pop-star delivered in shiny packaging we received an imperfect album with a few missteps.  But the highs on this album, the parts that were delivered really well, those are the signs of a great artist, who is just starting to find her way.

Her full length album, Born to Die is available now on iTunes.

Lana Del Ray – Video Games (download)

Our 2012 Calendars are rolling out in all orders placed online and stacked in our store front (free!). Printed on Williamsburg offset 50lb uncoated white paper, this is 18″ x 24″ piece is one side poster, one side calendar. As you will see at the bottom of the calendar, we’ve thrown in a few ideas for you to really make this year a good and memorable one. Let’s keep it posi make it a good one!

Fonts provided by YWFT.

In the wild word of sports, there are those few that are born for the spotlight then there are those who create the spotlight. It takes a very particular caliber of man or woman to perform at these levels while remaining true to themselves. Call it what you want, hate it or love it – their expression of “showboating” still puts up numbers that no one can ignore. This past weekend at Winter X 12 was no exception. Here’s a little love for those that perform and promote.

The following are photos I took of how the day progressed (I couldn’t resist, and Rachel didn’t mind). Please be sure to keep checking her facebook page for the actual look book, follow her on twitter, and see what she’s up to on the Academy blog. You can also shop her current stock here.

Look Book Credits:

Photography: Maxwell Runko, Mikala Casuccio

Models: Julianne Zimmerman, Emily Glisson

Styling: Rachel Albright

For the DOCUMERICA Project (1971-1977), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hired freelance photographers to capture images relating to environmental problems, EPA activities, and everyday life in the 1970s. David Hiser chose his areas of coverage for his DOCUMERICA assignment, intentionally picking areas familiar to him. His photographs capture the striking landscape of America’s Desert Southwest.

Hiser’s photographs of Michael Reynolds’ “beer can” houses in Taos, New Mexico, document positive innovations in recycling and reuse of common discarded materials to construct Earth-friendly homes. You can see the full set here.

In the past couple of years, Richmond has seen an incredible growth of new restaurants. From coffee shops with lines out of the door to upscale southern tappas bars, this city has birthed new culinary creations that are all worth trying. But let’s take a second to look back at a gem that never once got the spotlight it deserved. As you pass by the glam and grit of Richmond’s Shokoe Bottom and start to head out of the flood zone, nestled just under Church Hill is Aziza’s on Main. Here, chef Caleb Shriver and pizza chef, Chris Dowhan, have found their sweet spot.

Aziza’s is a delicate balance between European control and Southern creative improvisation. Jason Alley of Comfort says:

“Aziza’s is an awesome place downtown that blends a lot of different identities together well. The owner’s name is Rusty and she’s Lebanese, but you’ve never heard a more Southern accent in your life. For lunch, there’s a great wood-burning oven and the pizzas that come out of it are fantastic. You can get shit like bottarga, which is really pretty sexy. It’s by far the best pizza in the city.”

Caleb has lived in Richmond for around a year and a half now and has been cooking at Aziza’s for just under that. Chris is the opposite. He’s lived in Richmond for 24 years and been at the restaurant for just 6 months. Their combination and communication is awesome. We had the chance to sit down with two for some questions on food, opinion, and this great city.

NS: What’s your culinary experience before Azizas?

Caleb: I have been in kitchens since I was 17. In 2003 I graduated at The Coach House, a classic french style restaurant that also runs as an apprenticeship owned and operated by chef Kurt Flieschfresser in Oklahoma city. I moved to Chicago in 2008 and worked with chefs Homaro Cantu and Daryl Nash at Otom Restaurant. I then worked under chefs Jimmy Sneed and Geoff Rhyne at Sugar Toad in Naperville, IL.

Chris: Aside from cooking at home for myself and friends, I had no culinary restaurant experience before working at Aziza’s.  I worked in one other restaurant as a server but had little more than my culinary experience at home as a starting point.  Luckily that included a lot of time spent making pizza at home for friends, so working the brick oven at Aziza’s was a perfect match.

NS: What does Aziza’s represent to you?

Caleb: A small family owned restaurant with diverse styles and good food.

Chris: It’s a family owned, local business that supports a lot of other local purveyors.  They love the food they make and it shows.

NS: What does food mean to you and how do you celebrate it?

Caleb: Food is a vital source to life, and I celebrate life with food.

Chris: Food is not only something that sustains us, but something that brings us together.  Food is a reason to get together with friends and enjoy something made by either a friend or by someone at a restaurant that you love.  I try to buy local as much as possible, which makes food also a celebration of the area and the hard work that the farmers have put into growing vegetables and raising animals.

NS to Chris: I know the passion that you have towards cooking, especially towards breads and baked goods. How do you translate this passion for bread into your work at Aziza’s? Aziza’s has an amazing brick oven.  Over the past couple years I’ve really been drawn into bread baking, however there’s something unique and special about baking the way that Old World bakers did.  Being able to try out different techniques with the oven has only made me feel more passionate about the process of baking breads and cooking in general.  In many ways I feel as though passion was one of the only qualities I had that allowed me to have this job.

NS to Chris: What is it about breads that intrigue you so much? The process of making bread is an elegant one.  Every detail counts. And no matter how precise I think I’ve been, the results always vary. I love that.  No two boules or pizzas ever come out the same.  I think that having such an endless number of variables and outcomes leaves me in awe of the process.  Changing the tiniest measurement, temperature or time can significantly change the outcome.  Learning how to manipulate the four or five ingredients in bread to get what you desire is challenging but fascinating.

NS: What is your opinion on the current trend of eating locally?

Caleb: From a economic and health stand point it’s great. I’m looking forward to it becoming less of a trend and more of a life style. It’s also more than just eating local though. We need to know that it comes from an honest source with morals of good husbandry, Organic Farming and more.

NS: How do you incorporate seasonal eating into the menu?

Caleb: It’s easy. The food comes into season and we source it and cook it.

NS: Do you see Richmond being an underrated food city?

Caleb: That depends on who’s rating it.

NS: What do you love most about Richmond?

Chris: Stepping away from food talk for a minute, my favorite part of Richmond has to be the outdoor activities it offers.  Nestled in on the edge of the river are great mountain biking trails and an old bridge buttress set up for rock climbing.  Richmond is just big enough to have some unique and interesting things going on, yet small enough that everything is accessible.

NS to Chris: What pie would you serve your friend if they came in to visit tonight? If they were vegan or vegetarian, I’d make them a black garlic, kale and caramelized onion pizza.  For the others, I’d probably make a prosciutto and arugula pizza topped with chili flakes and parmesan.

NS: What do you see for the future of fast food in this country?

Caleb: Fast food will always have a clientele, and they will adapt to the trends (eat local).  So it’s also good to know that the people cooking your food, have you in there best interest.

Aziza’s is located in downtown Richmond, Virginia at 2110 East Main Street. ph.804.344.1523  They also have the biggest, baddest, and best creme puffs we’ve ever had. Yes, they do carry-out.

Photographs by Cameron Lewis.

It’s amazing to me that something so visually and naturally beautiful has been translated into audible form, nearly equally as charming, honest and mysterious.

Check out more of Bartholonäus projects here at http://traubeck.com/.

Burton Kramer is a huge and influential force in the design community. He is a designer rich in accolades and achievements, ranging from a lifetime achievement award to having work in the permanent collection of The Smithsonian and Library of Congress. Most notably, in Canada as an ”advocate of fully integrated design at a time when such an approach was virtually unknown in Canada. As a functioning part of this advocacy, Kramer was one of Canada’s first graphic designers to courageously promote the use of Helvetica type, organizational grids, symbols, systems design and other visual manifestations of the “International style” in a Canadian design environment that was then steeped in a different tradition and often hostile to this radically new approach.” -burtonkrameridentities

This spring, a documentary produced by Greg Durrell will be releasing and will reveal an intimate look at a designer who I think will be (if not already) a staple in design history. The documentary will be a sort of extension of Mr. Kramer’s retrospective book, Burton Kramer Identities, which documents his prolific career spanning over fifty years as a leading designer, painter and educator in Canada. Currently Mr. Kramer practices as a painter, displaying regularly across the globe.

I think Mr. Kramer is part of a rare and passing breed of designers that are unfazed by the coming and going styles and trends, but have been trained and focused on making work that is first good and then timeless.