Stories

Ampersand

Posted by Remo Giuffré on

Ampersand

Ampersands are most commonly seen incorporated within business names e.g. Johnson & Johnson, Barnes & Noble, Dolce & Gabbana.

Where did this odd little symbol come from?

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Slinky Toy

Posted by Remo Giuffré on

Slinky Toy

In 1943, mechanical engineer Richard James was designing a device that the US Navy could use to secure equipment on ships while they rocked at sea. As the story goes, he dropped the coiled wires he was tinkering with from a shelf, and watched as the spring "stepped" in a series of arcs to a stack of books, to a tabletop, and onto the floor, where it re-coiled itself and stood upright. Classic Slinky behaviour right out of the gate.

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The Caganer

Posted by Remo Giuffré on

The Caganer

The Caganer (meaning literally "the shitter" in Catalan) is a traditional Christmas figurine that is often depicted as a peasant wearing a classic red Catalan “barretina” cap; squatting with his pants down and his bum exposed, having just taken a shit. He may also be smoking a pipe and/or reading a newspaper.

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Hollywood Sign

Posted by Remo Giuffré on

Hollywood Sign

The original Hollywood Sign was erected in 1923 and originally read "HOLLYWOODLAND" to promote the name of a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. It was flimsily made with wooden panels anchored by telephone poles, so it regularly blew over.

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TED

Posted by Remo Giuffré on

TED

TED, co-founded by architect, designer and author Richard Saul Wurman and Harry Marks, was initially the name of a one-off conference held in Monterey, California in 1984. It featured talks from a variety of fields. The goal of the conference was to bring together people from diverse fields to share their ideas and spark conversations that could lead to positive change.
 
The origin story is personal and interesting.

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