Fascinating, layer upon layer, of writing, labor, industrialization, class and…humanity. → The Chinese Factory Workers Who Write Poems on Their Phones :: see also, Iron Moon, the documentary film and the recently released anthology, Iron Moon: An Anthology of Chinese Worker Poetry

“Each 7×7 invites one visual artist and one writer to engage in a two-week creative conversation. The format, inspired by Surrealist games of the early 20th century, challenges participants to improvise, in their respective disciplines, a spontaneous story that pushes into ever-wilder imaginative terrain.” → 7×7

“A new study says historic smells are part of our ‘cultural heritage’ and should be saved to bring the past to life.” → Why you like the smell of old books

A fun exploration and great visualizations… → Are Pop Lyrics Getting More Repetitive?

“The Snail Mail Game Show is an interactive project based in challenges and creativity. Every round, participants receive a prompt with a creative challenge to complete and send back. Any mediums are allowed, the only rule is the submission must be sent via snail mail.” → Snail Mail Game Show

“For 10 years he’s been posting a new digital illustration—ranging from the abstract to representative, sci-fi to surreal, somber to sarcastic—every 24 hours.” → A CGI Master Made a New Artwork Every Day for 10 Years. Here Are The Results

Trying to preserve Chinese letterpress printing…the sheer logistics are something. → Taiwan’s last lead-character mold maker works to preserve the past

Malcolm Gladwell. I know. But this is good…and needed. → Malcolm Gladwell on Why We Shouldn’t Value Speed Over Power

Such a cool interactive timeline/visualization (“that spans across 14 billion years of history, from the Big Bang to 2015”) to browse around in. Prepare to get lost. → Histography

Today, the 2nd Sunday of May, is Mother’s Day in the United States and nearly 100 other countries from Anguilla to Zimbabwe…and Benin, where it is celebrated on May 14. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making the day official. Assumed by many to be another example of a holiday created by greeting card companies to sell their wares, the modern version of Mother’s Day was inaugurated in 1908 by Anna Jarvis, who wanted to celebrate the efforts of her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, a peace activist who had treated injured soldiers on both sides of the United States Civil War and subsequently organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day” to bring together families from opposing sides of the war. If those families could meet and find common ground, perhaps there is hope for us yet in these politically tumultuous times.