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Colin Howells

@colinhowells.com

Wishes he was a headlight on a northbound train

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06.02.2024
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Latest posts by Colin Howells @colinhowells.com

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#1977 rb.gy/9bxgzf

09.03.2026 22:28 ๐Ÿ‘ 59 ๐Ÿ” 13 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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From the architecture community on Reddit: Renaissance Center Marriott | Detroit, MI | John Portman | 1977 Explore this post and more from the architecture community

Ren Cen!

www.reddit.com/r/architectu...

www.reddit.com/r/RetroFutur...

10.03.2026 02:10 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Laundromat
Wessington, SD

09.03.2026 18:45 ๐Ÿ‘ 374 ๐Ÿ” 51 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
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Angus McKie's Modular Future Angus McKie's an elusive artist. He had a flurry of stellar science fiction paperback covers across the mid-to-late '70s, before slowing down across the '80s and '90s while working across a variety of...

If you're feeling Monday-sluggish, let @70sscifiart.bsky.social rescue you. Scroll down past the gorgeous art to the "Space Rescue" video. No caffeine needed. 70s-sci-fi-art.ghost.io/angus-mckies...

09.03.2026 15:25 ๐Ÿ‘ 32 ๐Ÿ” 5 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Childโ€™s Play, by Sam Kriss Techโ€™s new generation and the end of thinking

This is a hell of a piece of writing by Sam Kriss

27.02.2026 13:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 25 ๐Ÿ” 11 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
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Braille edition of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupรฉry

09.03.2026 01:27 ๐Ÿ‘ 224 ๐Ÿ” 52 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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๐ŸŽจ: Tamsin Abbott

07.03.2026 14:59 ๐Ÿ‘ 13 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

But you see, _you're_ trapped in this subway car with _me_ โ€ฆ would you like a jelly baby?

05.03.2026 23:34 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Still love the Byrne FF run

05.03.2026 23:18 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Lettres Dรฉcoratives and the History of French Sign Painting Lettres Dรฉcoratives: A Century of French Sign Painter Alphabets _is the new book from_ _Letterform Archive_ _. Hereโ€™s a glimpse inside, plus the recording of last weekโ€™s online event where I got to talk with_ _Morgane Cรดme_ _about her work on the bookโ€™s introductory essay._ ## Lettres Dรฉcoratives **From Letterform Archive / Morgane Cรดme** _Lettres Dรฉcoratives_ is a monumental publication in every sense of the word. Weighing in at a colossal 1.8 kg (4 lb), it is filled with a stunning collection of plates from French sign painter portfolios printed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These have been painstakingly reproduced, with care taken to faithfully match the brilliant colours on the original chromolithographic prints. Two of the featured plates by Nicolas Glaise from his 1882 publication, __Modรจles de Lettres Sur Vingt Tons de Fonds Diffรฉrents__ (Model Letters on Twenty Different Background Tones). Each of the 12 portfolios, spanning the period 1875โ€“1932, is introduced by a short text discussing stylistic themes and giving notes on their creators and the context in which they were produced. The plates themselves then range from relatively simple presentations of alphabets to virtuoso compositions by master craftspeople of the time. In between, thereโ€™s everything from beautiful Art Nouveau sign designs to incredible dimensional effects applied to quintessentially French letterforms. Spreads from __Lettres Dรฉcoratives__ , which measures a whopping 25 ร— 34 mm (9.3 ร— 13 in). All of this is set up for the reader by an extended, and accessible, essay by French sign painter Morgane Cรดme. (The essay, and the book, is in English.) This walks through the history of signs and sign painting in France, placing the portfolios in context and examining the role they have to play as the craft finds itself in resurgence in the country. Itโ€™s a fascinating read and perhaps the first time that such a detailed account of Franceโ€™s sign painting story has been made widely available. Work from the portfolios of Paul Fleury and Louis Ramade for the โ€˜Inside Letterform Archiveโ€™ column in BLAG 02. I had been anticipating this book ever since Stephen Coles dropped a hint that it was in progress during one his BLAG Meet sessions. (There was a also a little appetiser in the โ€˜Inside Letterform Archiveโ€™ piece in BLAG 02.) However, I was not prepared for being quite as awestruck as I was when I received my copy a couple of weeks ago. โ€™ __Lettres Deฬcoratives: A Century of French Sign Paintersโ€™ Alphabets__ pagethroughโ€™ on Vimeo. No corners have been cut in producing the book, and the design by Violaine & Jรฉrรฉmy is as masterful as its contents. Their cover is a case in point: it takes inspiration from the letterforms within, with the addition of debossed panels and subtle gold foil accents. Thereโ€™s then the chefโ€™s kiss of having the text on the spine set on a brush handle and oriented in the French-European direction, versus the archiveโ€™s other publications. ### The History and Craft of French Sign Painting To celebrate the bookโ€™s launch last month, Letterform Archive hosted one of their regular Salon sessions. I was honoured to join author Morgane Cรดme in exploring some of the themes from her essay and placing these, and the portfolios, within a wider, international context. The recording from the event is available to watch here. โ€˜Salon Series 56: The History and Craft of French Sign Paintingโ€™ on Vimeo. As I say at the beginning of the session, hats off to everyone involved in the creation of this exceptional publication. I would say itโ€™ll take pride of place on my shelf, but Iโ€™d need to get a taller shelf for it to actually fit. I guess that means its rightful place is front and centre on the coffee table! __Lettres Dรฉcoratives: A Century of French Sign Painter Alphabets__ is out now and available to purchase from the BLAG shop and directly from Letterform Archive. Buy the Book * * * ### More Books Books & Publications on Better Letters MagazinePublications about sign painting, lettering and typography.BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & CultureBetter Letters ### More History Sign & Sign Painting HIstory on Better Letters MagazineThe history of signs, sign painting and sign painters.BLAG Magazine: Adventures in Sign Painting Craft, Community & CultureBetter Letters

Inside Letterform Archiveโ€™s new book and a video presentation from its author, Morgane Cรดme.

05.03.2026 14:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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04.03.2026 13:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 99 ๐Ÿ” 36 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Wow, that's excellent

04.03.2026 18:26 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Live bait
Mulga, AL

04.03.2026 17:20 ๐Ÿ‘ 302 ๐Ÿ” 51 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 6 ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
Rowdy Roddy Piper dons the They Live sunglasses, in an analogy to the naked clarity all would experience if we just sent prompts to each other instead of outputs

Rowdy Roddy Piper dons the They Live sunglasses, in an analogy to the naked clarity all would experience if we just sent prompts to each other instead of outputs

justsendtheprompt.com

04.03.2026 04:44 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
sign
toilet one place one dream

sign toilet one place one dream

02.03.2026 17:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 585 ๐Ÿ” 157 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 10 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Tasty Motorsport Treats Racing Chocs

I'm in the US so I can't partake but I think you're in the UK? racingchocs.com

02.03.2026 16:42 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Autechre Guitar, now shipping

boomkat.com/products/aut...

02.03.2026 13:25 ๐Ÿ‘ 27 ๐Ÿ” 6 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Special image for this show designed by Adrian Shaughnessy, who designed (uncredited) the original Sun Ra Nuclear War 12" (Y Records 1982 UK).

Special image for this show designed by Adrian Shaughnessy, who designed (uncredited) the original Sun Ra Nuclear War 12" (Y Records 1982 UK).

โ€œWeโ€™re Trying to Save Your Ass!โ€ Sun Ra / Nuclear War Mega Mix (1982-1988)

๐ŸšจFIVE HOURS OF NOTHING BUT NUCLEAR WAR!๐Ÿšจ

Now archived @wfmu.bsky.social

STREAM โ–ถ๏ธ wfmu.org/playlists/sh...

01.03.2026 05:24 ๐Ÿ‘ 132 ๐Ÿ” 50 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 10

Intrigued โ€“ but is there any further information or docs?

01.03.2026 17:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A cutaway view of the interiors of the Discovery, the spaceship from 2001.

A cutaway view of the interiors of the Discovery, the spaceship from 2001.

For Sci-Fi Cutaway Saturday, Oliver Rennart's art for '2001: A Space Odyssey'

28.02.2026 23:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 261 ๐Ÿ” 71 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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James Proudfoot (UK 1908-1971)
Sun on a House, Dieppe (1937)
oil on canvas

28.02.2026 15:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 106 ๐Ÿ” 19 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
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So sad to share that legendary colorist Tatjana Wood has passed away at the age of 99. Her pioneering painterly touch graced scores of DC & Vertigo series. She was truly one of a kind and a special friend. May her memory be a blessing.

27.02.2026 19:26 ๐Ÿ‘ 1544 ๐Ÿ” 427 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 31 ๐Ÿ“Œ 79

Thanks for calling these guys out, I was not familiar and am digging their stuff

27.02.2026 21:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Bahia Youth Orchestra Rehearsal Hall - Salvador, Brazil by Leopoldo Banchini (2023) r/brutalism

27.02.2026 04:28 ๐Ÿ‘ 243 ๐Ÿ” 68 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 6

MORE BESTIAL

26.02.2026 23:59 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Tortoise
Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996)
2026 Pressing.

how is this 30 years old whatttth

boomkat.com/products/mil...

26.02.2026 13:42 ๐Ÿ‘ 30 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Not a heiress to a world-renowned beer brand, just 'Gunness' (gun-ness?)

26.02.2026 20:10 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

it's beginning:

github.com/tldraw/tldra...

25.02.2026 14:11 ๐Ÿ‘ 67 ๐Ÿ” 8 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
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PageMaker pioneer Paul Brainerd, 1947-2026: Aldus founder devoted his second chapter to the planet Paul Brainerd, who coined the term "desktop publishing" and built Aldus Corporation's PageMaker into one of the defining programs of the personal computer era, died Sunday at his home on Bainbridge Is...

Sad to see Paul Brainerd has passed. Amazing career in business and environmental advocacy. Without him, Iโ€™d have had no career! I met him a few times in the early Internet days. www.geekwire.com/2026/pagemak...

19.02.2026 21:53 ๐Ÿ‘ 48 ๐Ÿ” 15 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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Detail of ainu cikarkarpe ceremonial kimono, homespun handwoven cotton. Hokkaido, late 19th / early 20 century

23.02.2026 16:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 41 ๐Ÿ” 13 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0