A few days ago I received an email newsletter from one of my all-time favorite book stores, William Stout Architectural Books. Along with the usual list of newly available products, this edition came with big news for design book buyers: Everything in stock is twenty-five percent off until twenty February.

Wanting to help the independent book seller, I made an announcement of the sale on Twitter and went back to work. Hours latter Mr. Murtaugh asked what books he should buy to take advantage of the sale. Looking through the online store, there were so many that I could not name one or two. And thus ensued a quick burst of recommendations. And there were many, perhaps too many to post in such rapid succession for most @brilliantcrank follower's patience, but it's not often that I turn the fire hose on so, deal with it.

Many Twitter friends asked to collect the suggestions on Airbag. And that is what this is, a list of really great books to add to your library, sale of no sale. Keep in mind there is no referral money being made here. No under the table arrangements between shifty design book collectors. I love good books and good book stores, and I'll always try to help them when I can, especially the ones that expose readers to volumes you'll never find in a big box chain.

For those of you who were first-hand witness to the Brilliantcrank Twitter Storm of Ninteen February there is something new for you and the end of this list. I guarantee that you're not going to want to pass it up.

Otherwise, here it is, the list of books I recommend buying from William Stout.

Design

Online

Wayfinding

Typography

Stephen Coles, editor of Typographica and Type Director at FontShop pointed out that Stout's sale only includes books that are in stock and that he had first hand knowledge that they were, in fact, currently out of stock. I asked if the good people at FontShop could match the offer (who looks out for you people, huh?) and he replied with a different idea.

The Airbag Exclusive FontShop Special
From now until 28 February, Airbag readers get fifteen percent off FontBook, the must have tome for any serious designer and/or typography fanboy, and Made with FontFont, Erik Spiekermann's fabulously designed salute to FontFont's fantastic type collection. Act fast and spread the word. It's not every day these volumes are offered at a discount.

To get the special price use code AIRBAGGERY when purchasing FontBook and code AIRBAGFF when purchasing Made with FontFont.

And that's it, I am spent. Perhaps one day I shall make my own Uncrate for things related to online design so that this kind of excitement happens all year. For now I shall retire my clerks apron and get back to work in the mines.

While American bankers appear and act oblivious to crimes of their actions while we go into into nation-crushing amounts of debt to pay for their sins, their British counterparts seem to see the writing on the wall. And they're taking a different approach to respond to the crisis: They're apologizing.

Sure, apologies won't fix what's wrong, they can't change the past, but it sure is nice to see men of power own up to their mistakes. Humble apologies go a long way. If only the captains of the American banking industry had the courage to face their nation and do the same.

President Obama, it seems to me that we ought not to close down Guantanamo Bay so fast. Let's turn it into a destination resort for American bank executives who haven't demonstrated an ounce of personal shame from the destruction they have wrought.

He and she thought I should share seven things about myself that you may or may not know about me. At first I thought this was a thinly veiled attempt to scam my credit card information but I have been assured this it's just another meme thing. I was supposed to do this weeks ago, possibly months ago, but I had to help Obama fix the economy first. Now that it's in the Senate's hands I can get back to what's important in life.

Prepare to have your mind blown, in seven ways

You people have been served
This is where I'm supposed to bring seven more people into this Madoff trivia scam.

That is all. Perhaps, after leaving an insightful comment, you should go learn more about liberal arts and how it has entered the Ajax Age or browse through last Friday's tennis match (the serve totally owned).

A few moments ago, shortly after President Obama took the oath of office, a switch was flipped and a new website for the Whitehouse was unveiled. Since the 90's there have been more than a handful of upgrades, updates, and redesigns to the President's website but this new site is a vast improvement over the others. Not due to the wonderful design or the fact that each page validates, those improvements are nice but they are small and mostly unseen merits compared to the bigger improvements to the space.

Macon Phillips (former online strategist for Blue State Digital—the folks behind the Obama '08 campaign Internet endeavors), the Director of New Media for the White House says there are three priorities for the new website: Communication, transparency, and participation. The first two have, in some fashion, been a part of Whitehouse.gov for a number of years. It's the third initiative that should raise a few eyebrows.

I'm going to assume this means more than just turning on the ability to post comments and I look forward to seeing how this idea executed, maintained, and used by the President's office. I hope there will be a time when we'll get a chance to look behind the curtain and see how responses are collected, parsed, turned into reports, and how that information is used in the President's decision making process.

Meanwhile, anyone who is looking to succeed using the Internet as a main channel for talking to clients, customers, and constituents should follow closely the work Macon and his team are doing. The model they are following is one that can certainly be used beyond government work.

Last night at 23:46 Patrol One "Officer" 984 at post Y045 entered my garage—the door of which I had left open accidentally—and placed a NOTICE on my car alerting me to the fact that the garage door was open. At 11:46 PM (or 23:46 in Rent-A-Paramilitary-Cop-Time-Code) I was wide awake, working, with many lights on. Lights, that could be seen by anyone who can see through their eyes, which I would assume includes trooper 984 but historical documentation says otherwise.

There were enough lights on that would indicate to anyone with an IQ higher than baloney that I was not asleep, but active and awake. And yet while I was working away, Sergeant Numbnut sat in his Patrol One Patrol Car, carefully took down all my vehicle information, ripped the White Copy away from the triplicate form, walked into my garage, and laid this document on my vehicle.

Meanwhile I was on the other side of the garage wall, working through the wee hours of the morning, oblivious to both my community appearance infraction but more importantly the guf-fah I had made to my own personal safety.

So it was this morning I was surprised to learn that I had left the garage door open and felt rather stupid about the whole thing. That is, until I saw 984's handiwork, laid carefully on the top of my car. Livid is the word I would use to best describe my reaction as I read through this carefully penned notice. Instead of walking fifteen paces to my front door, ringing the door bell (or knocking), so as to gain my attention and suggest that if I wish to avoid being the victim of some type of crime I might consider closing the largest entrance to my house for the night, this moron walked into an extension of my home and left a note to say the obvious. Why tomorrow, I expect to see a note that says, "You're awake now." Or, "the sun will rise today." Or, "Obama Won."

I don't exactly know what the hiring practices at Patrol One are but from my own personal experience I'd have to guess that full-time employment requires a fourth grade education and the ability to use a ink-ball pen. Eye sight (20/20 or significantly lower) and rational thinking is preferred, but not required. Free clothes provided.

For the last three months I have been on the hunt for any news, any indication of how the global economic situation will impact this industry. Everyone I talked to was doing the same and had the same conclusion: anyone involved in the Internet development game is going to be okay. If anything, many suggested, we'll be busier than ever before as competitors and middleman collapse under the weight of their overhead and unwillingness to add in-house Internet expertise. Everything I have read about previous economic down turns suggests that these revelations appear to be historically accurate. Furthermore, we've seen a lot of good news lately: the ongoing hubbub about the sharp increase of Internet users, the inevitable online transition being made by several paper-based institutions to online mediums, and Obama's determination to move America from the fifteenth most online nation to somewhere near number one.

With big stories like that, it's hard not to get excited about what the future holds.

And then I started to receive news of friends and colleagues who were laid off in the days leading up to Christmas and the new year. It wasn't their fault, they were simply collateral damage from an upper management campaign to save the company (or their own salary, benefits, and bonus—hard to tell these days). It's one thing to lose your job because you weren't meeting the exceptions of your employers. It's another to come to work and find out that your position was considered expendable to day-to-day operations and overall success of the company you've worked so hard for.

Though I can not say this from personal experience (knock on wood), nothing is worse than being let go due to circumstances way, way beyond your control.

During Christmas season travel it occurred to me that the larger problems we, as an industry, have to work around right now are not all financial. More of our friends and colleagues may lose their jobs in the coming months, and it's our shared responsibility to help them whenever possible. In this new year, it is simply not going to be enough to just meet your bottom line, but to help others who may not be in a position to be so entrepreneurial or carefree.

To those who own their own business: I challenge you to push harder. If you need $50k to keep your family under house and home then do everything you can to bring in $150k. Chances are you won't make the larger goal, but you'll do far better than selling yourself short and it's likely that you'll need extra resources to finish all the work, help from people who are looking to supplement lost income. I'm not talking about going through the process and stress of actually hiring more people (there is a good reason why the IRS created the 1099 form). Don't turn away any work that comes through your door. Get it. Grab it. Take it—as much as you can— and network with the people who are ready and willing and have the skills you need. Team up, and conquer.

To the designers and developers, the employees and the freelancers, your challenge is to do your best to get work done in a speedy way that does not sacrifice quality. Time really is money, be smart about your efforts and spend it wisely. Don't leave anything to chance or undone in a way that will cause further stress and anxiety for your employer as they are likely already significant pressure to keep the work coming through the door. Working smarter will not only make business more successful but ensure that clients are impressed, thankful, and very willing to sing your praises to everyone they know. Good teamwork means never letting anyone on the team fail. If you work by those mantras then nothing should ever get in your way to being very, very successful.

To the persons who support the entire team, make sure everyone (clients, management, workers, everyone) is communicating always. Poor communication causes anxiety which leads to uncertainty and eventually a breakdown in trust. It's likely that you are on the frontline between an awkward alliance of those with money and those who need money—an amalgam of personalities who are trying to get work done on time, on budget without sacrificing quality and ingenuity. The best way to win the day is to ensure that everyone is speaking clearly and openly. Leave no phone call or email unanswered, no meeting or appointment unattended. Remember that the level of customer service is always remember by those who pay the bill.

To the vendors who support us all, don't leave your customers and, ultimately, their clients waiting. Respond to sales calls and support tickets with gusto. Our symbiotic relationship requires a certain sense of urgency. One day waiting for a response is a production day lost forever. Just as important, be frank and let us know how we can improve our relationship and business practices. Too often the picture is clear from your viewpoint while we're sitting inside the box.

Let's not go into this next year with blind enthusiasm or crushing anxiety, but with a great sense of kinsmanship and and eager promise. Let us all work together to do what we can to grow our network into a future titan of industry. One that contributes to the community and the economy, global and local.

Good luck to all of us in this coming year. If you have any questions or concerns, or you're looking for good people to do great work let me know. I'll do what I can to help out.

On defending his cabinet appointments yesterday morning, president-elect Obama had this to say:

Ah, if only more leaders were strong enough to consider a point of view that may not jibe with their own. Not just political leaders, all of them.

I have worked for persons who didn't like the idea of debate in the workplace, even when it was conducted in the interest of delivering a smarter and better result. After a while my existence at these organizations became absolutely pointless and I quickly lost interest in the work and ultimately employment. Not because I feel the need to fight each and every little battle. It's just that we don't live long enough on this Earth to go through life jumping off bridges or drinking instant grape beverage each and every time we're asked to do so.

My mentor in college, Jim Avery, once told me, "If two people think alike all the time, one of them is redundant." From the many pieces of advice I received in college that line will always remain in active memory (the other piece of advice: "Get out of Alaska as soon as you can." Well, I'm almost ten years Alaska-sober now and haven't touched an ulu in fifteen). The more you live and work around people who rarely present a different viewpoint, the softer your brain gets, the more complacent you become, and before you know it Wilford Bradley is the only one who makes any sense in the world.