SHAPE Missive 03/25/2024

SHAPE Missive 03/25/2024

April Fools’ jokes can be bad, but the rabbit hole below isn’t. Plus, I’m giving away some shirts. Let’s click on some links!

The Links Part

April Fools jokes from tech companies seem to have jumped the shark, or I might just be less Chronically Online. I remember them being a big deal a while back¹ . This much older April Fools’ joke from folks at The Guardian really blows current-day jokes out of the water. The TL;DR doesn’t do it justice: Some printers at a newspaper in the UK made a funny joke about fake islands. Pages of spoof articles, made-up maps, fake ads from real advertisers, and type jokes galore. It’s pretty stunning. Via Dan.

I’m still going down this rabbit-hole, but Henry Morris of the Bird & Bull Press seems to have taken the joke and run with it, going so far as to mint his own currency for the island nation and create his own San Seriffe postage stamps that he successfully used to send mail through the United States Postal Service. I can’t wait to finish this email and look up more about Henry. Via Michael.

The Modern House is a fun site to dip into now and again. More fun than Zillow—I think the Atlantic Ocean helps abstract the idea of the homes being for sale. Some are garish and absurd, but often they’re an incredibly elegant balance of old and new. This is a favorite. | I also love photos of abandoned buildings—I used to take them myself in Asbury Park… two decades ago?²  These are stunning, with a somber backstory. | More photos: 1970s NYC.

And finally a lovely, DIY, open source “digital compass.” I guess ‘AI-prompt-powered GPS wandering blob’ isn’t as catchy. It really is a neat idea—it’d be fun to build one of these and explore Boston with it. Probably safe? Ish?

The Giveaway Part

Do you like shirts with big, colorful shapes on them? Do you like free shirts? If you answered yes to any or all of that, you’re in luck, because I might have a Self Help Art Publishing Empire shirt for you.

I have a few tees left ranging in size from S to 2XL. Reply back with your size, and I’ll pull random names for all of the shirts later this week.

No need to share anywhere or follow me on Instagram or anything. Maybe reply back with something you’ve been enjoying lately? An album, a recipe, an article, whatever.

Have fun out there this week,
Dave

1  I was partial to the 8-Bit Google Maps, but I could be a little biased, since I was internet friends with Alex, who did a ton of work for it.

2  Went and found this on my friend Brendan’s Instagram, and it looks like it was only 18 years.