While it's not a topic I'd given much thought myself I did find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with this report by Meghan Keane: 'The Office' is the Most Depressing Show on Television. Basically it goes into a perfectly articulate delivery on how Jim Halpert's character has gone from loathing his job and mocking it, to becoming a part of the system - and failing at it. If you're a fan of the show it really is an essential read (and by fan I mean someone that has watched it regularly, you don't have to actually like it anymore). Not that I want to spoil the entire article but this last paragraph really nails it:

And as he uncomfortably settles into his partitioned office, Jim's story is starting to resemble the worst purgatory of 30-something life. Each subsequent episode now brings with it a reminder of Jim's failure, the harsh reality that having dreams is no indication that you'll ever achieve them. If there's something more depressing than that—and less funny—I'd be hard pressed to find it in prime time.

I'm loving the design of the new W+K site. They're showcasing a ton of work and it's all broken down by W+K Branch (Portland, NY, Tokyo, etc). It's a lot to look at but I've yet to click through to a piece that didn't engage me in some way. You can read more about the new site here but really it's best to just experience it yourself. I'd also highly suggest digging into the WK Entertainment branch of the site for some great original piecess - such as the "Don't Move Here" series on Portland and the Through the Lens series.

Via Mason

Arlo clued me in to Rescue Time - a bit of tracking software that lets you know just how productive you are being throughout the day. As a background app it sniffs your current active application window or browser address and reports that to your account. At the end of the day you get a charted representation of just how much time you spent doing Productive Things vs Goofing Off (though in much nicer terms). It's a bit Big Brother in a way but since it is self imposed it has some appeal.

Matthew Genitempo is featured in the winter edition of Rare Magazine - available for viewing in its entirety online. Nice to see some insight from such a talented photographer amongst many other worthwhile articles. Give it a read.

Designer Mark Coleran has a whole host of Future Interface Designs that he's worked on for various films. The screens he presents are not just captures from the films but the actual designs that were used - i.e. Photoshopped layouts with all the intimate details. While I think the designs are endlessly fascinating I do think it's interesting to see that so many of the interfaces already use conventions you'd scoff at now. The XXX Interface is a good example - very futuristic, very tight designs but using loads of 45 degree angles, pixel fonts and embracing that tech feel from the late 90's. I guess the view of the future through the eyes of the past is always easy to judge.

Google is apparently in the holiday spirit and is giving away Holiday Cards; mailed directly to the recipient of your choice. It's a silly little gift but it might be nice to drop an analog surprise to someone special.

Been enjoying the content and the interface over at the National Geographic Image Collection. Obviously a publication that's been around since ~1888 is going to have a rather large library of images and they've been kind enough to categorize a large amount of them. They've even go it setup so you can buy prints of anything you find. Score.

Paul pointed out a great interview with Cormac McCarthy via the Wall Street Journal that touches on all sorts of subjects; his body of work, his views on writing, his relationship with his 11-year old son, adapations of his books to film and loads more. He is an intensely interesting individual and I suggest reading through it in its entirety immediately.

The portfolio site of Volll is a fantastic blend of javascript transitions, html content and little spruces of Flash. I love the concept of the site and the fun touches to each section. You know you've got a winner of a site when a user ends up spending 10 minutes playing around with it and there's only four pages!

Via Keegan.

The Daily Drop Cap is exactly what it sounds like - a new drop cap letterform posted (mostly) daily. Illustrator Jessica Hische has plenty of works worth partaking in on their own but the Daily Drop Cap is nice little addition to your browsing scheduling for a bit of inspiration. Not all of them will be up your alley but it's that variety that keeps it fresh.

Via Mark Weaver.

The technology behind Square is certainly beyond my comprehension. They've developed a small device that plugs into any device with an audio input and enables it to accept credit card payments. The idea being that, ideally, it plugs into your mobile device and lets you take payments whenever / wherever. I can see this being hugely beneficial to a number of people. These guys deserve a huge pat on the back for developing such a thing.

Via Daniel.

The Lifted Brow is an art publication that consists of a book of illustrations / paintings / visual creations and a CD of aural goods. In the case of Issue #6 (now available for preorder) there will be two CD's of goodness; double the pleasure. You can browse through their photostream to get an idea of the sort of visual goods found throughout but I'm willing to bet that holding the real thing in your hands is a far superior experience. I'd love to see The Hand of the Desert, Egypt and Bouvet Island in full reproduction quality, rather than a jpeg on the screen.

A random Flickr stream of inspiring images is always high on my list of enjoyable Internet treats but I'm loving what the Grey Hand Gang Blog is doing even more - as they've taken a Cargo Collective setup and converted it into an ongoing stream of greatness. It covers a lot of ground and loads of these images should probably be added to my FFFFound. Go check it out for yourself.

The language is a bit on the brash / nsfw side but the exchange seen here is nothing short of hilarious. Using pie charts to deliver your message to an inept client really takes things to a whole new level.

To say I'm impressed by the Andrew Zuckerman Bird Book is an understatement of the grandest kind. Not only is there an incredible volume of photos but each one is impeccable in its appeal. The American Kestrel shown above is but a small taste of the offerings throughout. I certainly don't count myself among the hardcore bird enthusiasts of the world but I can't see how anyone would not be impressed by these.

Via Lee.

I recently posted this Charlotte Gainsbourg video for "Heaven Can Wait" but it wasn't until Jeremy pointed me to this discussion thread on Antville that it became clear to me that the bizarre vignettes that make up the video are, on the whole, comprised of various images culled from the Internet. The Pancake Astronaut seen above is a fine exmple but there are many more - hamburger skateboard, spongebob arrest, floating towel, etc. Now I find myself rewatching the video multiple times trying to catch even more familiar meme's that I missed the first time through. Be sure to browse this thread to get some insight on the matter.

Given that yesterday was "Cyber Monday" (worst forced marketing name for a shopping day, ever) my inbox was flooded with deals to partake in. Fortunately, most of these deals carry over throughout the holidays and should be taken advantage of soon should you deem them worthy.

• - free shipping for the remainder of the week. This may not apply to the prints but the book itself makes a great gift.
• Greener Grass Sale - loads of miscellaneous items to peruse.
• Pop Junkie Sale - looks like everything they have available has been marked down.
• Monsieur T - Ryan Berkley Shirt - sadly, only in Ladies sizes but these Ryan Berkley tees are sure to bring a smile to someones face.

The latest edition of the We Own This Town podtcast is now available for downloading. As usual, it features a bunch of new music rock from around the Nashville area. Please feel free to use the handy mixcloud widget embedded above to check it out.

• Download MP3
• Download Enhanced M4A (Chapter stops, artwork, etc).

Now to start compiling the Best of Nashville 2009 for the final podcast of the year. If you're a fan of any Nashville bands that put something out this year please feel free to drop me a line to let me know you feel it deserves inclusion!