A while ago my dad pointed me to an excellent article from Smashing Magazine about cool new technology designs. I especially like the simple Pock-It, a sticky-note that forms a pocket, and the Dual Music Player which unfolds like a beetle to play CD’s. Even the less practical devices are still creative and beautiful. It’s always sad when concept designs get dialed down in the end, but I suppose when you’re trying to appeal to broadest market possible, you don’t want things to be too distinctively styled. I wonder if that’s why designers tend to prefer bold niche-market products, even when they sometimes sacrifice a bit on ergonomics and aesthetics. Yet I believe that the most beautiful objects are those everyday things that are a joy to use, invisible in their perfect rightness, and inherently elegant in form.

Despite all the impressive technology that makes me drool, I check my desire to own the cool new thing. I actually have an almost unhealthy aversion to spending money, so I also have to be careful not to be pound-foolish or miserly. If I need something, I should purchase what will do the best job and make me most happy. Most people seem to have the opposite problem, but in the end we all want to own only possessions we love.

In other news, I have spent my weekends knee-deep in flowers at Olympia and Delphi, both the ancient sites and the quaint one-road modern villages. Seeing statues that I studied back in Freshman year was thrilling, especially when the emotion on the faces of frightened Lapiths or dying Argives was so much more keenly felt than when seen in photographs. Prof. Nicola also saved us from a day wasted on museums by taking us to Pylos, where we hiked through a fort, clambered the rocky shore, and fed fish by the docks.

And the Friday after I went on a hike for my Natural Environment class on Mt. Parnassis. Burned and scarred though it is, the place we went was not lacking in sub-alpine meadows and scrubby forests. It was great fun, especially spending the entire day talking with Becky, a girl after my own heart. I could reference things in fantasy, sci-fi, old movies, literature, science, and other geekery without getting odd looks or being questioned about “who Ares is” or “what lingua franca means.” Instead, we laughed and shared stories and recommended books to each other.

Speaking of books, I just finished Persuasion by Jane Austen. Is it sacrilegious to say I liked it far better than Pride and Prejudice? It started out slow enough, but pretty soon I was loving the characters and fretting or squealing far more than I ought to at all their interactions.

Oh, and I forgot to mention two weeks ago, when I was still a bit sick, I went to the Olympic torch ceremony in the stadium next door. Never will you see so many Chinese in one spot in Athens ever again…

Weird fact of the day: Luke Skywalker was originally going to be a girl!