The font, the name “spectrum”, the combination of rainbow against a monochrome backdrop, the inclusion of a prism—it all evokes an aesthetic gestalt that probably seemed pretty fashionable during its 1980s inception (concurrent with the album Glassworks, maybe?), then enjoyed a lingering viability as a signifier of all things highbrow and “arty”, all the way
I haven’t indulged in this subject for a little while, but from time to time it’s hard for me to resist: the strategy (or lack thereof) of seasonal and holiday displays at various businesses. Many businesses make it a point of greeting customers with both products that are relevant for the season, holiday, or even
Not every city of 160,000 people commissions a nationally-recognized architect for its library, unless it’s the state capitol or largest city. Within the Commonwealth of Virginia, Alexandria is neither of these, but its proximity to the nation’s capital, its popularity among tourists, its historical importance, and—there can be no denying—its affluence have helped ensure that
If you had asked me five years ago, I would have never guessed that these ugly rusty boxes would prove such fruitful blog material. But here I am again, after diving in to these news racks twice back in 2022 (and needing a tetanus booster as a result). Vending machines for news media used to
Vacation and resort towns exist—and thrive—usually in response to a market demand to visit, to experience, and (to some extent at least) to linger in a specific location. Whether a beach, a mountain, a landmark, an insanely agreeable climate, or some other locus of beauty or distinction, the resort town owes its prosperity to its
Suburbia of 2026 might feel as middlebrow and car-dominated as it probably did in 1966, even if “suburbanization” was a novel phenomenon back then—a condition just emerging, of which social theorists were not yet fully aware. But the design of residential communities from sixty years ago reveals subtle if powerful differences, judging from the equivalents
As we approach the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse, food halls are everywhere. The largest metropolises, college towns, tourist traps, the repurposed warehouse in that shady part of town, office parks, strip malls. Originally primarily the domain of large, old, horizontally-oriented buildings in urban districts, they seem adaptable to almost every building shell and
December 2025 has proven to be the most challenging and taxing month for meeting my blogging objectives in at least six years; I rarely struggle to get my five obligatory articles completed like I did here at the end of the year. I am not going to allow January to give me these same challenges,
The last ten days have involved a hiatus from this blog that’s lasted longer than just about any lapse since my Afghanistan days. I have been overseas—and still am—with even more limited Wi-Fi access than I expected, and I didn’t expect much. Therefore, the lapse hasn’t just involved posts, it has included comments, consolidation of
Just a little over a mile from downtown Boise and a whole lot less than a mile from the city’s flagship public university campus, a micro-subdivision sits wedged between two busy arterial roads. It’s barely noticeable, and I would have driven right past it if it weren’t for the unusual aesthetic: something between tiny homes
The font, the name “spectrum”, the combination of rainbow against a monochrome backdrop, the inclusion of a prism—it all evokes an aesthetic gestalt that probably seemed pretty fashionable during its 1980s inception (concurrent
I haven’t indulged in this subject for a little while, but from time to time it’s hard for me to resist: the strategy (or lack thereof) of seasonal and holiday displays at various
Not every city of 160,000 people commissions a nationally-recognized architect for its library, unless it’s the state capitol or largest city. Within the Commonwealth of Virginia, Alexandria is neither of these, but its
If you had asked me five years ago, I would have never guessed that these ugly rusty boxes would prove such fruitful blog material. But here I am again, after diving in to
Vacation and resort towns exist—and thrive—usually in response to a market demand to visit, to experience, and (to some extent at least) to linger in a specific location. Whether a beach, a mountain,
Suburbia of 2026 might feel as middlebrow and car-dominated as it probably did in 1966, even if “suburbanization” was a novel phenomenon back then—a condition just emerging, of which social theorists were not
As we approach the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse, food halls are everywhere. The largest metropolises, college towns, tourist traps, the repurposed warehouse in that shady part of town, office parks, strip
December 2025 has proven to be the most challenging and taxing month for meeting my blogging objectives in at least six years; I rarely struggle to get my five obligatory articles completed like
The last ten days have involved a hiatus from this blog that’s lasted longer than just about any lapse since my Afghanistan days. I have been overseas—and still am—with even more limited Wi-Fi
Just a little over a mile from downtown Boise and a whole lot less than a mile from the city’s flagship public university campus, a micro-subdivision sits wedged between two busy arterial roads.