John Hill points out that the latest online edition of Icon includes an article about what has become boring in the world of architecture and design.
Sustainable Design: The only design project that’s really sustainable is the one you don’t do. The idea that you can save the planet by consuming resources is absurd. If you want to be really sustainable, buy an old house, fill it with antiques and walk everywhere.
It’s good. We fell about laughing in our office when we read it a few weeks ago. I’d intended to write to the letters page about it, but never got round to it (because I’m busy reading too many blogs).
It would have gone something like this:
Dear Icon,
We love your magazine and can barely contain ourselves with excitement during the month long wait for the next edition. You really are the best and I hope my gushing enthusiasm ensures me a mention on your letters page.
The article about things that are boring was particularly good. I have one further addition to the list:
Sycophantic praise: OK, OK, so the magazine is proving to be popular. Is it really necessary to fill two thirds of your letters page with people who have little else to say other than ‘I love you’? Ignoring the opportunity to have some lively debate in favour of the ad nauseum repetition of sycophantic groupies lining up outside your dressing room door is BORING.
Do you think they’d have printed it?
Of course I’ve done my fair share of praising the magazine myself in the past, but I’d like to think it was accompanied by some useful critique*. Although I daren’t scroll to the bottom of this page to use the search box to find out.
* obviously, I’m claiming this very entry to be useful critique too. Feel free to disagree in the comments. Or just tell me how great I am.