Even the tiniest of buildings must be perfect.

One could spend a LOT of time sifting through the Magic of America digital collection from the Art Institute of Chicago archives. The first page of results from the generic 'United States' browse offered way more depth than I have time to peruse right now, including these two gems:

Plans and photos of the Amberg House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, built in 1909,

and an architectural sketch of a home planned for Evanston, Illinois that proclaimed succinctly but grandly the title of this post, a feeling we should now more than ever before strive to achieve.

2,700 miles...

...without ever leaving Detroit.

The assignment was extreme, even a little preposterous: a 4-month, 2,700-mile odyssey through Detroit's 2,100 or so streets. From downtown to 8 Mile -- and all points in between -- we took a street-level survey of all 138 square miles to bring you a unique view of the Motor City.

Free Press columnist Bill McGraw and a team of designers, editors, and photographers put together a very cool five-part report about the assignment. From guerilla theater to urban prairie, abandoned mansions to riverside and canal-side bungalows, it really got me wanting to drive around the city too.

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AP photo copyright Pavel Rahman via bike hugger

All my excuses for not cycling to work pale in comparison...

tl7

I had a pretty fruitful lunch hour today for finding unfamilar quotes I liked. So fruitful that I saw one, used it as the tagline to replace the Dicky Barrett quote, and then within 40 minutes saw a better one that's more applicable to this blog if for no other reason than it speaks more to its sense of wanting, and justifying, change.

However, this one was good too, though more from the generic leadership perspective of a guy who could easily have kicked your ass. At the end of WWII, when faced with the challenge of redirecting the futures of much of the globe, General Omar Bradley noted, "It is time we steered by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship." What struck me about using this quote is that while true, it gave the reader absolutely no idea where I stand, unless one came to the conclusion that I hate new-fangled things and think we should all rely heavily on astrology.

tl6

That's pretty much my advice to kids: Set the bar low.


- Dicky Barrett on the secret to his success

I had no idea!

Toyota Prius outsells Ford Explorer in 2007! From MSN Money, via Truemors:

Toyota Motor (TM, news, msgs) began selling the Prius in North America in 2000, the same year Explorer sales reached a record 445,000 units for Ford Motor (F, news, msgs).

"It's a combination of an ascending star and a falling star," says George Magliano, director of automotive industry analysis at consultant Global Insight.

Granted, the Explorer doesn't sell like it used to, but this is outstanding news, and will not go unnoticed in the board rooms. And during International Auto Show week, too...

He knocked the bastard off

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary,

July 20, 1919 - January 11, 2008

A giant is gone.

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Detroit 1, Dead Presidents 0

Every once in awhile my job affords me the opportunity to learn completely useless stuff, like the fact that the Elwood Bar (formerly on Woodward, now on the corner of Brush and Adams, nestled in between some parking structures, Comerica Park and Ford Field), which I just happened to drive past today, is not only listed on the National Register of Historic Places but is also considered by the National Park Service to be historically more significant than Mt. Rushmore, if page placement is any judge.

One of my lunch companions mentioned that you have to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom; probably not many historic places can say that. SUCK IT Washington!

Street View has hit Detroit!

WOOHOO!!