The Tremendous 10 link roundup, #252

1. Flowers of Fire: Illustrations from Japanese Fireworks Catalogues (ca. 1880s) | “…anyone who has ever held their camera up to the blazing sky knows that a brilliant firework show can rarely be captured to any satisfying degree. Perhaps this is what makes a nineteenth-century series of catalogue advertisements for Japanese fireworks so mesmerizing: denied the expectations of photorealism, these images are free to evoke a unique sense of visual wonder.” Via swissmiss.
2. Timely Editorial Illustrations by Eiko Ojala Elegantly Explore the World’s Most Pressing Topics | “Climate change, the pandemic, politics, and social unrest: these are just a few of the topics artist Eiko Ojala (previously) has been asked to depict for some of the world’s largest and most respected publications. Using his immediately recognizable style of paper and shadow, the Estonia-based illustrator wants the viewer ‘to have a feeling that they would like to touch the illustration with their fingers.'”
3. How Social-Media Redesigns Manipulate Us | “User interfaces aren’t just about technology or data gathering; they mediate how we relate to the kinds of culture that we consume through apps.”
4. Let People Enjoy This Essay | “How the mindset of an irritating web comic infected criticism.”
5. How to Find and Delete All Your Old, Unused Accounts | “We all have accounts we no longer use, but some apps and websites make deleting your profile a pain. In those cases, simply ignoring them is an easier option. However, unused accounts are a major security threat—all it takes is one successful data break or credential-stuffing attack to potentially compromise your personal data, financial information, or private files.”
6. Want to Feel Less Stressed and More Focused? | “Why science says emotionally intelligent people follow the rule of no complaints.”
7. The Hidden Melodies of Subways Around the World | “When train doors close, these jingles warn riders to stand clear.”
8. Why designing an Olympic logo is so difficult | “In 1913 Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, created one of the most recognisable logos in the world. The symbolism of the five coloured interlocking rings, representing the participating continents and the “flags of all nations” united in sporting endeavour, is simply conveyed and easily grasped.”
9. The history of the pride flag and tips for inclusive design | “Take a closer look with us into the history of the Pride flag and how to make design more inclusive.” Via Chris Glass.
10. CarPlay is finally (just barely) good enough that you should never look at your phone while driving ever again | “A few versions of iOS ago, CarPlay added a new home screen that split your maps and audio into one view so you could access part of both apps at once in the same Screen. It only allowed for Apple Maps at first, which I don’t use. A couple years ago, they added support for Waze and Google Maps (whichever you’re using takes the space), and I suddenly found this to be the most useful screen in CarPlay.”

Image: The original 1978 Pride flag, courtesy of Phaidon, link #9.