This antique Skippy Racer is absolutely beautiful.
Seen byJason Friedon October 25 2008.
There are24 comments.
Tim
on 25 Oct 08
Watch out web world, “beautiful” is now the top contender for the most overused word among the design crowd. C’mon, this is beautiful? And “absolutely” at that? Yikes.
You guys are driving the word “beautiful” into the ground, just like everybody did with the word “love”. I love Big Macs, for example.
Nicholas Henry
on 25 Oct 08
@tim – who stole the jam out of your donut?
Brian
on 25 Oct 08
Very cool. I love the lines on it.
Tim2
on 25 Oct 08
Nicholas Henry (@@): Tim is right. Jesus christ these people need to get ahold of themselves. SvN/37s is devaluing language at a faster rate than the DJIA is falling!
Beautiful code, code as poetry, beautiful skippy racers… At what point does that kind of rhetoric become tedious?
But hey, keep it up. It’s fodder for much joking in my office.
Terry Sutton
on 25 Oct 08
Actually, the one thing this is is ‘absolutely beautiful’.
Hyperbole is the defining characteristic of all successful blogging, as I see it. Also, the skippy racer doesn’t seem very 37signals… contrived style over function?
It’s very stylish and futuristic looking for its’ time, i’m sure it was a break through and the skippy racer WAS beautiful back than, but i would not consider it very functional or user friendly by modern standarts. On the other hand it was a marvel back then no doubt.
JP
on 26 Oct 08
Way to go, Bill! If somebody disagrees, pound ‘em down. Let’s just have one stream of thought out here. That makes it SO much more interesting. Fawning only, please.
Contrived style? Devaluing the language? :-/ Get a grip.
Will
on 26 Oct 08
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
it’s not a wheelbarrow obviously, but the poem popped into my head when looking at the picture so I posted it :)
will
on 26 Oct 08
so much depends upon
a red wheel barrow
glazed with rain water
beside the white chickens.
it’s not a wheelbarrow obviously, but the poem popped into my head when looking at the picture so I posted it :)
Evan
on 27 Oct 08
Sorry, not really seeing it. Those skinny handlebars tapering upwards from the chubby wheel cover – to me it looks gross and disproportionate, like a piece of stretched Silly Putty or something.
Keith
on 27 Oct 08
It’s an interesting design to be sure. It’s super Art Deco looking. The little white accents in particular.
The one critique I have is that the white stripe on the back wheel cover should have met back up with the red stripe on the wheel since the start of that line meets the red stripe. It doesn’t have to be the same angle, but it would have been more balanced looking!
Tucker: At least one of them is in the collection of Frederic W. Strobel. This here was designed in my hometown and I did see one in person when this show came through a few years back.
This discussion is closed.
About Jason Fried
Jason co-founded Basecamp back in 1999. He also co-authored REWORK, the New York Times bestselling book on running a "right-sized" business. Co-founded, co-authored... Can he do anything on his own?
Tim
on 25 Oct 08Watch out web world, “beautiful” is now the top contender for the most overused word among the design crowd. C’mon, this is beautiful? And “absolutely” at that? Yikes.
You guys are driving the word “beautiful” into the ground, just like everybody did with the word “love”. I love Big Macs, for example.
Nicholas Henry
on 25 Oct 08@tim – who stole the jam out of your donut?
Brian
on 25 Oct 08Very cool. I love the lines on it.
Tim2
on 25 Oct 08Nicholas Henry (@@): Tim is right. Jesus christ these people need to get ahold of themselves. SvN/37s is devaluing language at a faster rate than the DJIA is falling!
Beautiful code, code as poetry, beautiful skippy racers… At what point does that kind of rhetoric become tedious?
But hey, keep it up. It’s fodder for much joking in my office.
Terry Sutton
on 25 Oct 08Actually, the one thing this is is ‘absolutely beautiful’.
I was also thinking ‘amazing’.
Its that too.
Don Schenck
on 25 Oct 08I can hear you (naysayers) in 20 years:
“Get off my damn lawn!”
Peter Urban
on 25 Oct 08It IS beautiful.
Bill
on 25 Oct 08At least we know what kind of dipstick sits around and snipes on others creativity and willingness to put themselves out there.
His name is Tim. Tim the dipstick. Tim is a critic, and coincidentally not a great critic at that. Go Timmeh!
Personally I thought the Skippy Racer was a pretty cool find.
Eric
on 25 Oct 08How we differ.
I agree it’s beautiful. It literally took my breath away.
George Morgan
on 26 Oct 08Hyperbole is the defining characteristic of all successful blogging, as I see it. Also, the skippy racer doesn’t seem very 37signals… contrived style over function?
karl
on 26 Oct 08It is beautiful! Streamline moderne still looks fresh, I love it.
Wish I had time to mock-up what a 2008 model could look like in aluminum with a maple veneer board!
Design Directory
on 26 Oct 08It’s very stylish and futuristic looking for its’ time, i’m sure it was a break through and the skippy racer WAS beautiful back than, but i would not consider it very functional or user friendly by modern standarts. On the other hand it was a marvel back then no doubt.
JP
on 26 Oct 08Way to go, Bill! If somebody disagrees, pound ‘em down. Let’s just have one stream of thought out here. That makes it SO much more interesting. Fawning only, please.
Career Hell
on 26 Oct 08Contrived style? Devaluing the language? :-/ Get a grip.
Will
on 26 Oct 08so much depends upon
a red wheel barrow
glazed with rain water
beside the white chickens.it’s not a wheelbarrow obviously, but the poem popped into my head when looking at the picture so I posted it :)
will
on 26 Oct 08so much depends upon
a red wheel barrow
glazed with rain water
beside the white chickens.
it’s not a wheelbarrow obviously, but the poem popped into my head when looking at the picture so I posted it :)
Evan
on 27 Oct 08Sorry, not really seeing it. Those skinny handlebars tapering upwards from the chubby wheel cover – to me it looks gross and disproportionate, like a piece of stretched Silly Putty or something.
Keith
on 27 Oct 08It’s an interesting design to be sure. It’s super Art Deco looking. The little white accents in particular.
The one critique I have is that the white stripe on the back wheel cover should have met back up with the red stripe on the wheel since the start of that line meets the red stripe. It doesn’t have to be the same angle, but it would have been more balanced looking!
Tucker
on 27 Oct 08Thanks Jason – Do you know who took this photograph? Where is this gorgeous object?
JF
on 27 Oct 08Keith: Good catch with the wheel and body stripe not lining up.
Jordan Dobson
on 27 Oct 08Nice! Has a very nice Wabi-Sabi feel to it.
Lisa Park
on 27 Oct 08Beautifully worn out.
Aaron Mentele
on 31 Oct 08Agreed. Incredible.
Steve Mock
on 31 Oct 08Tucker: At least one of them is in the collection of Frederic W. Strobel. This here was designed in my hometown and I did see one in person when this show came through a few years back.
This discussion is closed.