Perfect Geometry of Barnyard Roosters • Musicality of Human Speech • Mos Def and Desmond Dekker • Toy Tops • Marty Short’s Excellent Portrayal of Childhood Attention Spans

As a representation of nearly perfect geometric balance, I recall that Paul Rand once claimed that roosters have an ideal graphic profile. This is many years ago, so the details are a little pixelated, but I remember the great designer making this claim and thinking that it was an odd thing to say. Now, I think I better understand. The proportions and curves create a pleasing, yet asymmetric balance. The ratio of scale between head, body, tail feathers is nearly fractal in nature. The rooster is the fiddlehead fern of barnyard animals. 

Observations about human language in an age of artificially generated language. "Human conversation is incredibly musical in that it is all about the rhythm. After the entry point, people relax into the melody or get upset by it. The "music" can be a solo, a duet, or a symphony when it's a group conversation. A human discussion will be as positive or constructive as the "music" that it becomes..." This is writer Anna Gat on social media, describing the difference between human language and AI. 

Easily my favorite Jamaican vocalist, Desmond Dekker’s voice is an instrument like no other. This remix takes one of the first reggae songs to reach an international audience and mashes it up with a Mos Def and Talib Kweli's "History." Wildly infectious, I never tire of this one. And if you’ve heard Shanty Town one too many times, this may be a nice refresher. 

After visiting the Tops Museum in southern Wisconsin a few weekends ago, I’ve been thinking about this classic children’s toy. Simple, yet mesmerizing. Still effective with kids. We had a brief stop at the gift shop for this regional museum. The store was layered with vintage toys and signs that said, “Do not touch” and “No pictures.” As one might expect, no amount of signage in the world will prevent kids from playing with weird, old toys. 

Why can’t you be a normal boy? I think of this clip more often than one might expect. Last week, I was having a serious discussion with my 7 and 9 yo sons. The younger son’s attention kept drifting and I was getting increasingly impatient. While his eyes were locked on me, his hand was reaching for a bouncy ball positioned behind him. I thought of this scene where the dad is trying to have a serious talk with his son. Martin Short portrays a child as they truly are — mostly incapable of relating to adult thinking.

“Did you know that a humming bird when it’s born is the size of a jellybean?” Overheard comment from 7 year old Eli. Happy Mother’s day to all the mothers and especially to those who take play seriously.