The Next Draft (What I Learned This Week)

• Through Now I Know I discover the fantastic The Next Draft newsletter. It is compilation of the ten “most fascinating news of the day” created by Dave Pell and edited with great panache. You should sign up. 
• Design is a Job. 
• The piece of music Black Angels influenced the creation of The Kronos Quartet.

Pollen Always Wins (What I Learned This Week)

• There are 176 million possible combinations to the Mega Lotto. 
• Think-through and follow-through are more important than talent. I’m reminded of this every few years. 
• As the title says, pollen always wins.

Five things (What I Learned This Week)

• The discovery of the week is the blog 5 Things I Learned Today by Ryan Nance, where he documents five things he does not want to forget. 
• “Inspiration” literally means “breathed upon.”
•  Brunch was invented by Guy Beringer in order to get rid of a hangover. 

99% Invisible (What I Learned This Week)

Last week I mentioned the discovery of a new podcast called 99% Invisible. Well, this week I went on a binge listening to all their 40+ released podcasts so far (they are short, wonderful and easy to get hooked on). These are some of the things I learned from the podcasts: 

• The US Postal Service has only five art directors responsible for the design of all stamps produced. The Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee combs through nearly 50,000 suggestions per year offered by the general public for stamp designs. And yes, the submissions must be submitted in writing. You need a stamp to get a stamp done. 
• The Wheaton escalator, in one of DC’s metro stations, takes 3 minutes to ride. It is the world’s longest escalator. 
• The Hydrox cookie was launched 4 years before Oreo. It is made with better ingredients and yet we think of it as the lesser brand. 
• The Olympics have a sound designer on staff. 
• Privately Owned Public Open Spaces, or POPOS, are these little gardens, terraces, plazas, and seating areas that are private property, but are mandated for public use.

A small red bundle of love (What I learned this week)

•  Kevin Clash is one of the most talented and hardest working men in entertainment and no one knows who he is. He is the puppeteer behind Elmo. Being Elmo is a fantastic documentary about his life and how he got to become one of the most iconic characters ever created. 
• Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers. Despite reading his blog and following him on twitter I had somehow missed that he was creating an adaptation of his novel American Gods as a series for HBO. He is currently writing the pilot. Very much looking forward to this when it airs. 
• Through the fantastic Radiolab I learn of a new podcast called 99% Invisible. No, it is not about economics, it is about design and how good design is 99% invisible to the user. The podcast tone and style make it a sibling of Radiolab.