This urushi covered Casio S100X calculator is possibly too much but can't deny it's gorgeous and wouldn't mind having one on my desk :D www.casio.com/jp/basic-cal...

I didn't have a small cha he, so I made one with a chunk of soot bamboo I had from my chashaku practice. The result is not too bad!

I accepted a decade or so ago that The Brits is really not for me, and I only knew about 10% of the acts nominated this year, but I sought out the Rosalia performance – because Björk – and fuck me, this has made my weekend. youtu.be/7fyufPkXLbs?...

Hope these work (coming out in about a year) and eventually become affordable: ‘Autofocus’ glasses can change their lenses in real time edition.cnn.com/science/auto...

“We suffer from stupidity.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Meet 'Mountain Eel', a chashaku I carved under the guidance of master Kyokko Kaida. www.gchicco.com/mountain-eel...

An interview with William Gibson on men's wear fashion in Japan of all things. - Buzz Rickson collaborated with him because he included their brand in Pattern Recognition. - He's apparently a fan of Acronym & Self Edge. -A conversation on simulacra & authenticity www.heddels.com/2015/03/will...

Senke Jusshoku: The Ten Craft Families of Tea Ceremony -> www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/...

I wrote about the SUI COLLECTION, presented in Kyoto last month. It'ss the Cabinet Office of Japan’s strategic pitch to global markets that the country has much more to offer by leveraging its craftsmanship and culinary excellence. www.gchicco.com/the-structur...

“Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos.” This is the posthumous message left by Gil Gerard. The actor who played Buck Rogers in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) has just passed away at the age of 82.

I don't blog enough but definitely enjoy it more than instagramming. Latest post is on an unexpected trip to Kyoto www.gchicco.com/salt-and-pep...

I put together a list of (mostly) UK related/based books and ceramics you can use as inspiration for your Christmas gifts: www.gchicco.com/winter-speci...

A tiny Japan moment made it into the FT’s Working It: a robot tour guide showing me around, operated remotely by a disabled worker elsewhere in the country. A reminder that the real future of work is human (and also kawaai)

Finally found the time to update the book page. www.mundomendo.com/books/

As a knowledge worker perennially in front of a screen, learning traditional hand skills, even briefly, offers something irreplaceable.

Difficult to disagree with any of it: Why designers abandoned their dreams of changing the world

My sketches of Japanese Craftsmanship during London Design Festival a couple of weeks ago. Featuring lots of sake, roses and chopstick-making -> www.gchicco.com/sketches-of-...

@olereissmann.de hello! I came across your ramen.haus via Kristoffer Tjalve (and rotatingsandwiches.com). Inspired my to work on a personal project re: crafts. Have you written a tutorial on how to make images/videos of rotating objects?

I have a handful of invites for Comet, the AI broswer from Perplexity. Ping me with your email if you want one: www.perplexity.ai/comet

I'm giving away the last few copies of my book, from the early print runs in 2021/22. Email me if you'd like one! Details here: gilest.org/notes/free-b...

Mr Dalliard, we've been activated! www.twentythree.com/summit

Equally looking forward and afraid about this doc on Jeff Buckley. Trailer: youtu.be/DRrcgLRX8Qc?...

Decline is inevitable, and it occurs earlier than almost any of us wants to believe. But misery is not inevitable. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc... @theatlantic.com

Looking for a Substack alternative? What about @ghost.org? "Millions of people can discover, follow, like and reply to your posts from any supported social web client - including @bsky.app, Mastodon, Threads, @flipboard.com, @ghost.org, @wordpress.org, @surf.social, WriteFreely, and many more."

"I don't want to survive, I want to live!" We're optimising for convenience in all the wrong places: www.gchicco.com/aliveness-wh...

Aonishiki didn't win the last Sumo championship on Sunday but he'll get there much sooner than later: youtu.be/EoVbRevoQfU?...

I wrote a post about visiting the last stamp store in Chicago and living a life that’s fun, but worthless. I really like this one, hope you do too. dansinker.com/posts/202…

Join us! Starting in 50 minutes, online conversation with potter Tarragon Smith www.gchicco.com/off-the-hump...

Shodō practice on Sunday: 放 Hanatsu (放つ), meaning “to release” or “to let go”, to move towards "nothingness" (無) or “no-mind” (無心). In Zen this refers to freeing yourself from the attachments, delusions, and mental baggage that weigh you down. Brushed in three styles, from formal to informal.

Here's my list of craft and design related events, exhibitions, books, podcasts and makers to check out this summer: www.gchicco.com/summer-speci...

@dansinker.com PSA: your website links to your old ("squatted") BlueSky account.

This Friday at 10am UK, first online session of The Summer Sessions: Craft & Design Textile artist Cindy Lilen on "miracle fibres" from the Andes and creating Argentina's London Design Biennale pavilion. Craft meets ancient wisdom: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #craft #design #textiles

The latest iteration of the Serpentine Pavilion is fabulous, even on an overcast day. 'A Capsule in Time' by Marina Tabassum and her Dhaka-based team.

My interview with Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen from Norm Architects explores how Japanese and Danish design find common ground through natural materials and light. We discussed "hygge" vs "ma" and craft as a shared language: www.musubi.academy/finding-beau...

From my covid19 writing archive: The social life of objects www.gchicco.com/the-social-l...

Carry a towel! #towelday

今度は今度、 今は今。 Next time is next time, Now is now. Today’s shodō practice is an homage to Wim Wender’s film ‘Perfect Days’.

I republished an interview from 2021 with Sven Mihai, who makes tea scoops with a cult following from his mountain workshop in Central Europe www.gchicco.com/the-influenc...

As if AI hallucinations alone were not enough... petapixel.com/2025/05/14/c...

This is an old photo (1878ca) from the family album. The boy in uniform was probably my grandfather (Ernesto Chicco), and the man next to him my great-grandfather. Unfortunately, I don't know for sure. The last person who likely knew was my late father. www.gchicco.com/portrait-fro...

I think about this comic at least once a week

cc @coachtony.bsky.social

日上月下 “the sun rises, the moon settles" And the rhythm of the cosmos continues regardless of our human dramas, the ravaging of the environment and our petty wars.

In Japanese culture, there's an artfulness to pairing small drinking cups (guinomi) with sake. www.gchicco.com/the-playful-...

Apparently the @nytimes.com T Magazine is not available in London. Friends in the US, who can secure me a copy of the current "Japan is for Japan" issue? -> www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/t...

While Milan Design Week dazzles with spectacle, it's often the quieter showcases that linger in my mind. This year it was Alessi's "The Last Pot" with its thoughtful collection of funerary urns by renowned designers including Chipperfield, Fukasawa and de Lucchi: www.gchicco.com/crafting-mem...

Today's calligraphy, a few variations of 止まれ (tomare) = Stop 🔻 You'll find this written on signs and throughout Japanese streets.

Haven't really played any videogame in decades but I'm tempted to try Wanderstop -> www.newyorker.com/culture/pers...

Don’t ever work for someone you don’t want to become. For more advice see my book Excellent Advice for Living amzn.to/3mQL4c4 #excellentadvice