Matthew Reinhart's Blog, page 29

Word of the Day: Slugabed

Slugabed \SLUGH-uh-bed\ noun

1. One who stays in bed until a late hour; a sluggard

Origin: Slugabed is from slug, "sluggard" + abed, "in bed".

Weekly Beast: African Naked Mole Rat

This bizarre rodent from Africa proves once again that truth is stranger than fiction!  The hairless, eyeless appearance which these digging mammals have developed to adapt to their environment creates a mixed reaction of disgust and curiosity in those who first view them.  But even more strange then how they look is how they live.  Though mammals, naked mole rats are cold-blooded and unable to regulate their own body temperatures internally.  For rodents they live to an extremely old age, sometimes up to 28 years!  Most unusually is the fact that all naked mole rat babies are produced by one rat queen and three or four males.  The rest of the colony members do not reproduce and act as workers like ants or bees!

 -Will

History Lesson: Mardi Gras

On February 27, 1827 a group of students donned masks and costumes and danced through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana.  This marked the beginning of Mardi Gras celebrations in the city.

The celebration of Carnival (which is the weeks between the Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday) spread from Rome across Europe and then was later carried over to the Americas.  French settlers brought the tradition of Mardi Gras to Louisiana at the end of the 17th century, but Spanish governors of the province later banned Mardi Gras.

In 1833, and rich plantation owner by the name of Bernard Xavier de Marigny de Mandeville rasied money to fund an official Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  Thus began well organized and over the top floats, parades, and costumes.

Word of the Day: Peregrination

Peregrination  \pehr-uh-gruh-NAY-shun\ noun

1. A traveling from place to place; a wandering.

Origin: Peregrination  comes from Latin peregrinatio, from peregrinari, "to stay or travel in foreign countries," from peregre, "in a foreign country, abroad," from per, "through" + ager, "land".

Word of the Day: Bailiwick

Bailiwick \BAY-luh-wik\ noun

1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work.
2. The office or district of a bailiff.

Origin:
Bailiwick comes from Middle English baillifwick, from bailif, "bailiff" (ultimately from Latin bajulus, "porter, carrier") + wik, "town", from Old English wic, from Latin vicus, "village".

Artist Watch: Josh Cochran

Illustrator Josh Cochran uses gorgeous color, rhythmic texture, and a unique line that is at once both confident and observing to create imaginative scenes.  His style is reminiscent of mid-century illustration but bold color and a fresh sensibility make each piece feel very current.  Josh's work has appeared in magazines  such as GQ, Fortune, Newsweek, Runner's World, and Wired.  His many clients include Nike, Pepsi, MTV, and United Airlines.

http://www.joshcochran.net/projects.php?type=work

What's Popped Up: Magic Circus Tour

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Gérard Lo Monaco is a busy man. We got a sneak peek at some of his new titles a month ago when the 3rd Salon took place in Paris. I was eager to get my hands on his work and lo and behold we have a copy of The Magic Circus Tour before us today. The carousel book was released at the end of 2010 by the always inventive and playful Helium Editions in France. (The same folks who brought us Popville and 10 Little Penguins.) The five-sectioned book depicts some fun and familiar scenes of the circus and employs a paper engineering twist by rotating some characters upon opening. Check out the publisher's blog for more photos and more information.

Besides being one of the artistic directors at Helium Editions, Lo Monaco is also a principal designer at Les Associés réunis, which designs colorful novelty and graphic books for children and adults. And by the looks of things there are many more great titles to come.

~Kyle

What's Popped Up: ACD Sleeve

ACD Sleeve does some really great and different packaging for CDs.  I found them through thedieline.com (another awesome website for packaging).  Check out the photo below of 2 cds popping out of the case!

And you can see it all in action here too:http://www.acdsleeve.com/
http://tomleggettdesigns.tumblr.com/

Word of the Day: Gaucherie

Gaucherie \goh-shuh-REE\ noun

1.  A socially awkward or tactless act.
2.  Lack of tact; boorishness; awkwardness.

Origin: Gaucherie comes from the French, from gauche, "lefthanded; awkward," from Old French, from gauchir, "to turn aside, to swerve, to walk clumsily."

Listen Up: Radiohead

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Happy Friday! And a joyous one indeed as Radiohead has released their much-anticipated album The King of Limbs a day early. Mavericks in musical distribution as well as song structures, the lads from Abingdon are offering the first Newspaper Album that comprises of a CD, two vinyl records, a digital download and over 600 pieces of artwork. I am always impressed with their output and feel that this new offering will be quite the winner. Listen up to 'lotus flower' for your self to decide. I am excited to hear all the tracks and if you are interested you can buy the album here.

~ Kyle