As much as I love listening to podcasts, I don’t have much time; therefore, I am very selective. Here are a few shows that I listen to these days on my commute:

DesignEDU Today: A fairly new podcast on design education hosted by Gary Rozanc. I am not quite feeling it yet because most of the guests are familiar, but looking forward to the next episode with Bob Gillespie, my classmate from La Salle University.

Fresh Air: I learn something new almost everyday listening to Terry Gross talking to all kind of experts.

Microphone Check: Keep me up-to-date on new hip-hop artists. The shows I like the most are the conversations among Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Frannie Kelley, and the rappers.

Real Time With Bill Maher: I always enjoy political humors on this show. I lost count how many time Maher made fun of Chris Christie’s weight.

Through Process: Hosted by Joshua Namdev Hardisty and Mitch Goldstein, this podcast gives me insightful tips on teaching design. I started listening to this podcast last year, but then I stopped. Just resubscribed a few weeks ago and caught up all the episodes.

Unfinished Business: I really like the new format the host Andrew Clarke has set up. In pairing up two guests with similar background and expertise, he recorded some of the most engaging conversations on web design.

The Web Ahead: Updates have been sporadic, but the episodes are top-notch. Jen Simmons is a fantastic host who carries the conversations on code and design with ease and clarity.

Not sure if I will get through every book, but here’s the list:

• Aesthetics by Nicolai Hartmann
• Design: The Groundbreaking Moments by Nina Kozel
• Design, When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation by Ezio Manzini
• Designing Here/Now: A Global Selection of Objects, Concepts and Spaces for the Future edited by Allan Chochinov and Eric Ludlum
• Designing Multi-Device Experiences: An Ecosystem Approach to Creating User Experiences Across Devices by Michal Levin
• Founding Grammars: How Early America’s War Over Words Shaped Today’s Language by Rosemarie Ostler
• Frame Innovation: Create New Thinking by Design by Kees Dorst
• Refining Design for Business: Using Analytics, Marketing, and Technology to Inform Customer-Centric Design by Michael Krypel
• User-Centered Design: A Developer’s Guide to Building User-Friendly Applications by Travis Lowdermilk

Mệt trong đời sống. Mệt trong công việc. Mệt trong đầu óc. Như Trịnh Công Sơn viết:“Mệt quá đôi chân này, tìm đến chiếc ghế nghỉ ngơi. Mệt quá thân ta này, nằm xuống với đất muôn đời.”

In the fall I will be completing my MA in Graphic Design with a final project on Vietnamese Typography. With a passion for typography and a love for my native language, this project is near and dear to my heart. My goal is to help designers in the field of type, web, and graphic understand the nuances of Vietnamese typography. I secured Vietnamesetypography.com and put up a teaser page. I can’t wait to share it with the world this winter. Stay tuned!

I just published a new chapter on Professional Web Typography called “Using SVG as Type.” Enjoy reading and have a great Memorial weekend.

Fresh Air has become my daily listen for years. Because Terry Gross covers such a wide range of topics and she always asks the appropriate questions to get her guests to talk, I have always learn something new from the program. Her voice is fantastic too. Despite listening to her everyday, I hardly get to know her personal life; therefore, I am so glad that Marc Maron gets to interview her. He is such a great host himself. Take a listen.

Một vài hình ảnh tưởng niệm bốn mươi năm người dân Việt Nam chia đôi:

• Biển Nhớ
• Giờ Này Anh Ở Đâu
• Một Chút Quà Cho Quê Hương

Last week I decided to scoop up the domain name for my forth-coming book titled Professional Web Typography. I was planning on publishing it on this site, but I couldn’t resist prowebtype.com. I debated the pros vs. cons and consulted my wife. She insisted that I should so I have no reason to doubt.

After I made the purchase and made the announcement, a former colleague reminded me of Nice Web Type. I didn’t realize the coincident, but I am kind of glad because Tim Brown is my buddy, and he has taught me a great deal on typography.

The book will be launched on May 4th, which is next Monday. I am very excited about it. I am grateful for the helps from friends and some folks in the web industry.

An intriguing read from the comma queen, Mary Norris, on serial comma:

The serial comma is the one before “and” in a series of three or more things. With the serial comma: My favorite cereals are Cheerios, Raisin Bran, and Shredded Wheat. Without the serial comma: I used to like Kix, Trix and Wheat Chex. Proponents of the serial comma say that it is preferable because it prevents ambiguity, and I’ll go along with that. Also, I’m lazy, and I find it easier to use the serial comma consistently rather than stop every time I come to a series and register whether or not the comma before the “and” preceding the last item is actually preventing ambiguity. But pressed to come up with an example of a series that was unambiguously ambiguous without the serial comma I couldn’t think of a good one.

I have been putting the comma back (before the “and”) in my writing. For many years, I don’t include the serial comma because it appears to be cleaner. Then again as Norris points out, “The bottom line is to choose one and be consistent and try not to make a moral issue out of it.”

True parenting advice from Ijeoma Oluo:

As he gets older, there will be times where just trying to get him to take a bite of his fucking food will be a battle. You will want to pry his mouth open with one hand, and shove the food down his throat with the other. Don’t do this.

These days if the boys don’t want to eat, I honor their wish. They just have to stay starving until the next meal. One issue solved.