Invisible hands

I haven't been making lately, which is part of the crazy-head-ness, so I started to carve a portion of block yesterday, but stopped after I lost too many pieces of letters (like that red bit of an R that I tried to glue back in). I'll clean it up today.

I got a faboo package today from Eric (a painting is in that delightful pink tape and bubble wrap). I also got a book that Stefan had recommended, Things Korean. Something new and engaging to read! And attractive.

Here is the pic of the old shoe, made of straw. Also sometimes made of paper. Made, of course, by hand. I listened to the most recent installment of This American Life, about how our beloved Apple products are made in China. It's very good. A guy who was obsessed with Apple products went to visit the area in China where most of them are made, and what he learned was pretty icky. The part that struck me most was about how quiet the factories were, not even the sound of machines, b/c labor costs are so low that they try to make people make everything by hand that is possible. It's the kind of thing that will inevitably depress you, just as I have been depressed by the glorious album undun, by The Roots. Making art out of horror is a miracle of sorts, though I still wonder if there is a next step.