1. Understandable and Confusing Design

    This treble recorder is an example of understandable design. For various reasons it’s separated into three parts and has to be assembled before usage, but a consistent decrease in diameter and significantly differently sized joints for both ends leave no ambiguity about how it should be assembled.

    On their own the parts are unbalanced with exposed unpolished joints. Assembling the instrument creates a balanced, visually consistent object, and a sturdy interference fit gives the user extra confidence that the device is ready for use.

    This Icelandic bus timetable is an example of confusing design, due to the inconsistent usage of colour and direction. The grids of times must be read top to bottom then left to right, contrary to most western languages. The yellow blocks (expressing at what intervals between the given times each bus leaves) are not strongly associated with the durations above them, and from a distance, the pairs look much like times themselves.

  2. Looking to join/start a casual recorder consort in Reykjavík — anyone know of one, or people who might be interested in joining? Preferably with a focus on early music, not vital though.

  3. How to watch a film, Háskolábíó style:

    • Pay 1550IKR for a ticket
    • Watch 20 minutes of adverts
    • Watch the first 45 minutes of the film
    • Wonder what happened to the projector when the screen goes blank mid-sentence. Realise it’s an intermission. In a film. In a cinema. With adverts.
    • Watch another 15 minutes of adverts, or optionally escape into the popcorn-vending zone
    • Settle back in and watch the rest of the film
    • Exit out of the opposite corner you came in from, optionally expressing surprise when it turns out you just walked out of the back door, into the rain and cold. Hastily put your coat on and reorient yourself. Watch out for the puddle.

    Tjarnabíó is like this too. Not that it isn’t well-priced or enjoyable, but… there are some optimisations which could be made here.

  4. Noticed the Big Tower Of Light Pollution, then a smudgy green cloud, which turned into the northern lights. They really are astonishingly beautiful.

    Watched for 30mins from Arnarhóll. Harpa and the peace tower looked pathetic in comparison to even the weakest of the shimmering curtains.

  5. Rediscovered my love of sewing whilst modifying a guitar strap to work with my , now desperately wanting to make something with fish leather.

    btw, best place to get needle+thread in Reykjavik 101 is the art supplies shop on Skólavörðastigúr — Tiger sells needles cheaper but no thread (wat)

  6. @benwerd I learnt a little more about Iðnó — it’s currently a culture house with performance space and a restaraunt, but it used to be the place where craftsmen were trained. The name is pronounced ith-ner, and is shortened form of “craftsmanship”.

  7. Went whale watching, saw several dolphins, two minke whales, a load of puffins and several thousand unexpected jellyfish.

    Comic highlight when the announcer tried to give us a sense of just how big blue whales can be…

    “Imagine a basketball court, with a blue whale in. That basketball game… would be over”