Drops of Paint

Just amazing.

Now THAT’s style man!

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In a great spirit of friendly rivalry (or maybe just rivalry), the IE guys sent Firefox team a cake to celebrate the release of FF3.0:

It’s not the first time either. They sent one back for the last major release (FF2.0) in 2006.

Great stuff. More sinister interpretations might be a marketing ploy or maybe even ‘the cake is a SPY’ type interpretations, but I take it as congratulations that’s maybe just a little tongue in cheek. Good for them!

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The NYTimes has an image up titled ‘The Wide Divide’ that illustrates the change in executive compensation relative to the average worker’s salary. It’s striking:

Two excerpts from the image:
-In 1940, half of executives earned more than 56 times the average worker’s pay.
-In 2004, half of executives earned more than 104 times the average worker’s pay.

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Yet another way to spend your economic incentive checks… Go down to the nearest currency exchange and pick up some currency. Be sure to pick the bills with the most entertaining figures on them.

Then, break out ye olde digital camera and go wild. You could pretend you’re a civil war soldier:

Or, if you’ve ever dreamed of seeing your girlfriend with a mustache (and let’s be honest here, who hasn’t?) you can finally make that dream come true:

Pretty cool, no? Well I think, and so do these folks.

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Being of Scottish descent, I’ve always had an interest in investigating things like the tartans of related clans and badges. Some people still take this stuff pretty seriously, and Scotland even has something called the Lyon Court which takes care of genealogical records and registration of things like coat of arms (termed heraldry).

Other people have their own heraldic traditions of course. Throughout Europe, they were often used by Knights to identify themselves from (and to!) enemy soldiers. The Japanese have something similar in the kamon, and many institutions (Universities, even the Vatican!) still actively use and protect their arms. Most team sports (and companies) also use emblems today which could be considered descendants of traditional heraldry.

Ok, that’s the wikipedia synopsis. But’s something’s missing. Why, in an era of particularly limited resources and time, would Knights go to such intricate lengths to form, wear and protect their arms? If the purpose was merely identification, why is such attention to even minute detail and the symbolism thereof? Even to this day, in sports where the logo serves essentially no identifying purpose, why is it one of the most protected properties a franchise can own? I think two quotes from Robert Redford’s character “The Last Castle” speak to the issue (I’ve put them back to back)

“You know where saluting comes from? [...] It comes from medieval times. Two knights would approach each other on horseback. They would raise their visors and show their faces. It’s like they’re saying,
This is who I am. I’m not the enemy and I’m not afraid. A salute’s about respect, son. [...]

You tell your men you are soldiers and that’s your flag. You tell them nobody takes our flag. And you raise that flag so it flies high where everyone can see it.”

This rings true to me, even coming from an otherwise pretty average movie. Another quote from another movie has a similar take after a desperate defender (played by Orlando Bloom) names every able-bodied male in the city a knight:

Q: Who are you? Do you think you can change the World? Does making a man a knight make him a better fighter?
A: Yes.

So what’s the point? I’m not sure exactly, except that I think there’s something in this that we can all aspire to. The true spirit of Knighthood is not about lineage, armor, profession, religion or combat. It’s about respect for yourself. and respect for others. The coat of arms is most important as the tangible embodiment of that respect — like signing your name and reputation to everything you do.

I think we should all get a little more of that in our lives. In that spirit, we’re adding yet another design line to our awesome catalog, with a modern, stylish herald design suitable for any inner Knight:

Got a photo of yourself wearing it? Let us know!

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No, I’m not talking about the liquor (also known as Wormwood). Don’t get me wrong — I’m all for a good night out once and awhile, but I try and steer clear of things whose distinguishing features derive principally from the reputed neurotoxins in them.

I’m talking about this:

That’s Absinthe, the latest addition to the Styleyed.com catalog. Personally, I particularly like the design on the darker colors (black works well) as they help accent the use of negative space. The design is also remarkable in that it manages to stay ‘balanced’ even though the base is of to the side. If anything, it’ll probably look even better on the right figure. Anyhow, we’re delighted to have it available for you guys (and of course ourselves!). If you have any photos of yourself or friends wearing it, send em in and we’ll post ‘em!

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