The Tremendous 10 link roundup, #33

  1. Cheat Sheets I: The Art of Commentary With BBC’s Nick Barnes | “Behind every great football match is a great commentator, and in front of every commentator is a set of notes. BBC Radio Newcastle’s Nick Barnes and NBC Sports’ Arlo White have some of the best—and most unique—in the business.”
  2. Photographic Portraits of Famous Artist’s Paint Palettes by Matthias Schaller | “Since 2007 photographer Matthias Schaller has photographed raw, abstract paintings. The paintings however are not found on canvas, but rather smeared onto the tools used to craft each work of art—the palettes. His series, Das Meisterstück (The Masterpiece), claims these behind-the-scene objects as portraits of the artist, while also giving a direct insight into the detailed techniques performed by each painter.”
  3. The Untold Story of ILM, a Titan That Forever Changed Film | “Industrial Light & Magic was born in a sweltering warehouse behind the Van Nuys airport in the summer of 1975. Its first employees were recent college graduates (and dropouts) with rich imaginations and nimble fingers. They were tasked with building Star Wars’ creatures, spaceships, circuit boards, and cameras. It didn’t go smoothly or even on schedule, but the masterful work of ILM’s fledgling artists, technicians, and engineers transported audiences into galaxies far, far away.” PS: Droidmaker was a great read if you want to know more.
  4. I’m Tom Standage, Deputy Editor of The Economist, and This Is How I Work | “Tom is the author of a variety of history books, including Writing on the Wall, which posits that the exchange of information throughout history, whether it be written on papyrus in ancient Rome or printed by hand in during the Reformation, isn’t really any different from modern social media. He previously served as the editor-in-chief of Economist.com, and even plays in a band when time allows. We spoke with Tom to learn a bit about how he works.”
  5. Hamburger icon: How these three lines mystify most people | “The hamburger button has become a common symbol on our smartphones, tablets and computers. But, Chris Stokel-Walker asks, what is it, where did it come from, and do people really know what it means?”
  6. The International Flag of Planet Earth | A proposal by Oskar Pernefeldt: “Current expeditions in outer space use different national flags depending on which country is funding the voyage. The space travelers, however, are more than just representatives of their own countries. They are representatives of planet Earth.” I like the optimism of this project.
  7. The Plot Against Trains | “What we have, uniquely in America, is a political class, and an entire political party, devoted to the idea that any money spent on public goods is money misplaced, not because the state goods might not be good but because they would distract us from the larger principle that no ultimate good can be found in the state.”
  8. You might not think you’re sexist – until you take a look at your bookshelf | “Your taste in music, books, television or art sends a message about what you think is worth your time and who you think is smart.”
  9. Fontstand | “A completely new way of licensing desktop fonts. Fontstand is a Mac OS X app that allows you to try fonts for free or rent them by the month for desktop use for just a fraction of the regular price. One-click font activation for all your OS X apps.”
  10. ‘What’s one thing you’ve learned at Harvard Business School that blew your mind?’ | “Some of these literally blew my mind. Some blew my mind because I never realized how important they were.”

Image via Lifehacker, link #4.