“There is nothing new under the sun.” These opening words of Ecclesiastes (1:1–11) are not a lament, but a reminder. The crises, uncertainties, and upheavals we experience are echoes of challenges that have come before. Generations rise and fall, societies face turbulence, and yet human life — with its work, care, and attention — endures. … Continue reading Boats Against the Current
Category: Style & Subculture
Reflections on cultural aesthetics, personal style, and the subcultures that grow around them. These essays explore how clothing, manners, and shared sensibilities shape identity and create small communities within the wider culture.
Boards and Banners: How Skate Decks Echo Medieval Heraldry
Recently, while watching Powell-Peralta’s Future Primitive, something I’d taken for granted in my youth hit me with unexpected clarity: the iconography of skateboarders isn’t far removed from medieval heraldry. The two seem like they belong on different planets—one born of knights and genealogical rolls, the other of concrete and rebellious energy—yet both compress identity into a … Continue reading Boards and Banners: How Skate Decks Echo Medieval Heraldry
Keeping costs in perspective
When I see something like the ad below, the first thing I want to do is convert it to present dollars:The Duffer Coat, 1960: (click to enlarge)Source:Yale Daily News - 11/9/60Fortunately, this is really easy to do using a tool from MeasuringWorth.com. This coat costing $29.95 in 1960 would cost $227.00 today. Even more fun … Continue reading Keeping costs in perspective
Be Overdressed
I wish I'd seen this advice years ago:Be Overdressed:Forget the old saying that it is wrong to be overdressed. That adage was promulgated before sweats and trainers became the lowest common denominator and denim the trouser for better occasions.Now it would be too much to wear a suit when everyone else is in cut-offs and … Continue reading Be Overdressed
What audio devices *should* look like
This is beautiful:An iPhonograph for Charity: I was asked if I could donate an iPhonograph to NSW Cavalcade of History and Fashion charity to raise some much needed funds in a raffle. So I created this more modern version (compared to my previous iPhonograph) as 1st prize in their biggest fundraising event this year – their 50th Anniversary Fashion … Continue reading What audio devices *should* look like
The Libraries, Studies, and Writing Rooms of 15 Famous Men
Another great post from the Art of Manliness. I've only visited George Washington's, but I must say that I was impressed by it's simplicity and functionality.The Libraries, Studies, and Writing Rooms of 15 Famous Men: This post is brought to you by Volvo. What’s this? Just about two years ago, we wrote a post called … Continue reading The Libraries, Studies, and Writing Rooms of 15 Famous Men
Re-Minting the San Francisco Mint
A great article on undoing some of the architectural "progress" inflicted on the old San Francisco Mint building:Steampunking An Old Building To Make It More Efficient: Steampunk, a genre of literature that takes place in a steam-engine powered world often containing futuristic VIctorian innovations, has inspired movies, music, and an entire lifestyle (need some clothes? Check out … Continue reading Re-Minting the San Francisco Mint
