Photo of the day: East Austin graffiti

Austin is my new home. I moved to Austin’s East Side in October and while the differences between New York City and Austin are ever-apparent to me, one common denominator helps to keep it real: graffiti. I’ve always been fascinated with graffiti art. When tastefully done, this art form, one that dates back to 30,000 BCE, adds personality to a city–and I like that.

This photo was snapped by local photographer, Chris Owens. Take a look at his Flickr photos and see Austin in a way you’ve never seen it before.

Interested in submitting your photos for Photo of The Day? Hop on the Gadling Flickr and start uploading.

So long, Northwest 747’s


The end of an airline is upon us. While there are still a few wrinkles in th merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines to iron out, things are pretty much set in stone when they start repainting aircraft. To start, Delta, a carrier that has never had the 747 jumbo jet in its livery, will be usurping Northwest’s aircraft and putting them on long haul routes.

You can see the whole process of repainting in the above video.

To many, this is a sad passage of redtail aircraft from the once proud Northwest Airlines into the sad mass of Delta airlines. It’s nostalgic, I suppose, but I’m going miss the NW frequent flyer program more than it’s 747s.

Frequent flyer dedication reaches new levels

Sure, you may fly 200,000 miles a year and may have reached top tier of your airline frequent flyer program. You’ve probably got the baggage tags, System Wide Upgrades, drink certificates and commemorative pens. You may even pop your collar every time you get onto the aircraft.

But you haven’t really dedicated yourself to your favorite airline until you paint your office in their color scheme. That’s what Flyertalk user jjglaze77 did when he moved into his new office building and discovered a few scrap airline seats left over. Moving them into his office, he decided that the best companions for the seats were a dark blue wall and Delta logos. As you can see, the room looks quite authentic — and he’s not even a Delta employee.

So next time one of you gives me crap about being such a super special flyer, you had better bring evidence. I’m not taking anyone seriously until I find out that their office has been remodeled.

One for the Road: Colour – Travels Through the Paintbox

This book beckoned me from a front table at Artisan Books on Gertrude St. in Melbourne’s Fitzroy neighborhood. The 2006 paperback version I bought has the bold cover shown here, although I’ve seen several other versions of this book that was originally released in 2002. Regardless of what it looks like, Victoria Finlay’s Colour: Travels Through The Paintbox is a masterpiece. Just as I enjoy looking at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers again and again, so too will I delight in returning to passages from this multicolored exploration of our world.

From ochre to violet, Findlay unearths every possible facet of the rainbow. Her research takes her to Spain, for Consuegra’s Saffron Festival (yellow), to lapis lazuli mines in Sar-e-sang, Afghanistan (blue), and to Mexico, in search of the purple of the Mixtecs (violet). Finlay takes the reader along on this magical journey as she creates a spectacular canvas loaded with pigments, dyes, gems and stones. Her quest to uncover the history and origins of color reveals a rich palette that stretches to every corner of our planet. It would be wonderful to see a map painted to match the discoveries from her color expeditions.

Set Your Luggage Apart with Paint

I’m one of those snotty, one-bag types that talks bad about travelers who pack their belongings into a checked suitcase. As I quickly and efficiently bounce through the terminal — backpack secured tightly to my back — I roll my eyes and shake my head at the site of those poor souls who couldn’t live without having three outfits for each day of their week-long trip. Nonsense! To smell while traveling is natural; a change of clothes — a shower, even — is overrated.

However, If you do have to check your luggage, sister site DIY Life pointed us to an article from Baxter Bulletin on a creative way to decorate your checked bag as to distinguish it from the others on the luggage carousel: paint it!

I recall seeing some pretty wacky luggage in my travels. One westerner’s suitcase I spotted in India had swastikas all over it, which may have been perfectly fine in India, but could certainly cause problems with the uninformed in the western world.

Paint your luggage at DIY Life