drupagliassotti @ January 6, 2012 # No Comment Yet
Yesterday I wandered into a local antique store and spent an enjoyable time poking around at all the interesting vintage items and jewelry there and talking to the proprietor about steampunk decor. I mentioned to her that I’ve been thinking about selling my antique Amberg filing cabinet, which I don’t need now that I’ve gone [...]
drupagliassotti @ August 31, 2011 # One Comment
This is an extended quote from Sherry Turkle, found in part two of the three-part interview Henry Jenkins conducted with her on his blog: Evocative objects are objects that cause us to reflect on ourselves or on other things. Put otherwise, they give us materials that help us to do this in new and richer [...]
drupagliassotti @ March 5, 2011 # No Comment Yet
Many minimalists have tried to describe the perfect minimalist wardrobe, although of course one’s choices will be affected by job and climate. Based on The New York Times’ recent article on “The Power of Apparel — A Look That Conveys a Message,” it seems that variations on the jeans-and-black-shirt uniform currently has the lead … [...]
drupagliassotti @ February 16, 2011 # No Comment Yet
Is our economy stagnant because there are no easily obtained resources to exploit anymore or because an affluent population has turned from primarily materialistic to primarily ephemeral pursuits? NYT Op-Ed columnist David Brooks asks this question in response to Tyler Cowen’s book The Great Stagnation. It could be that in an industrial economy people develop [...]
drupagliassotti @ January 23, 2011 # No Comment Yet
The Everyday Minimalist posted this and I watched it with wry appreciation. The video’s creator, who practices voluntary simplicity, suggests a new term — mediumism; or, to use more philosophical phrases, the pursuit of the Golden Mean or of the Middle Way. For my more moderate take on some of the ideas raised in this [...]
drupagliassotti @ October 21, 2010 # No Comment Yet
It’s tough to admire minimalist decor and the steampunk aesthetic at the same time. Victorian clutter and open spaces just don’t mix! Every time I look at images of steampunk rooms or minimalist spaces on sites like Apartment Therapy or The Steampunk Home, I find myself torn between two design preferences. I definitely don’t like [...]
drupagliassotti @ August 17, 2010 # No Comment Yet
Yesterday I mentioned that commodification is a form of sympathetic magic. That is, telling someone that if they buy designer clothes they will be considered as desirable as the celebrities who normally sport the stuff is akin to telling someone that if they put on a wolfskin belt by the light of the moon they’ll [...]
drupagliassotti @ August 12, 2010 # No Comment Yet
I’m 43; I’ve been practicing voluntary simplicity for over a decade and currently practice a non-extreme minimalism. But I’m also a professor, which means everything is subject to critical analysis and questioning … including my own activities. For the last week or so I’ve been adding minimalist lifestyle and voluntary simplicity blogs to my BlockSite [...]
drupagliassotti @ August 7, 2010 # One Comment
I’m 43; I’ve been practicing voluntary simplicity for over a decade and currently practice non-extreme minimalism. But I’m also a professor, which means everything is subject to critical analysis and questioning … including the things I believe in. Which leads to this post…. Is U.S.-style minimalism well-adapted to the Great Recession? It sounds like a [...]
drupagliassotti @ July 23, 2010 # No Comment Yet
My university department is about to move to a new building, which, as you can see from the photo, means that I need to pack everything up. That’s all right; I enjoy moving. It gives me a chance to scrutinize my possessions and think about what’s still working for me and what isn’t. And that’s [...]