Author Archives: Ian Whiteman

About Ian Whiteman

see www.cwdm-portfolio.com

Deadly Typos

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Ian Whiteman

A typo, or typographical error, is a fairly commonplace thing and an inherent danger of the printed word. Historically such errors have at times produced catastrophic and very costly results. The lack of a hyphen in some computer coding cost NASA hundreds of millions … Continue reading →

Posted in language, miscellaneous, Publishing, religion, sacred knowledge, typography / design | 10 Comments

The Sweetest of Music

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Ian Whiteman

then….. … and now This post is on a musical subject, so for those whom music is proscribed then look away now. Or maybe not, as you might learn something. I was recently on the west coast … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, music, religion, sacred knowledge, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Moronic Iconic

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Ian Whiteman

I have always thought Jonathan Meades’ scathing criticism of the casual use of the word iconic amply justified. I suspect there are many things he, a well known British writer, critic and film maker, and me, would disagree on, … Continue reading →

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Pixel Imperfect

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Ian Whiteman

When computers took over most design offices all over the world in the 1980s, there was a seismic shift in the way that ideas conceived by designers were drawn and constructed. CAD (computer aided design) enabled an accuracy of seven … Continue reading →

Posted in typography / design | Leave a comment

A Meaty Subject

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Ian Whiteman

I’ve given up writing comments on newspaper web sites as a waste of time. It’s just a way of readers, me included, venting their spleen and as currently I can’t think of anything to contribute on my chosen subject of … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, religion, sacred knowledge | 1 Comment

Arabic typesetting revisited

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Ian Whiteman

Hand written naskh (by Ibrahim Khattat – Iraq 20th century) My involvement with arabic has always been, for over 40 years, essentially calligraphic and I have always disliked the idea of trying to mechanise an essentially hand written script. But … Continue reading →

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Mending fences, chasing demons.

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Ian Whiteman

I have just returned from a few days filming in Morocco which was an attempt to revisit the time myself and a bunch of young white English and American men and women first visited a venerable Sufi master and his … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, religion, sacred knowledge, tassawuf, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Self-publish and be Blessed

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Ian Whiteman

Self-publishing is a topic which flies about the publishing world like helicopters fly around the valley I live in, seemingly never to land. I do see the attraction to a wannabe writer to fork out not very much money and have his or … Continue reading →

Posted in typography / design | 3 Comments

From Mods to Mecca

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Ian Whiteman

Nostalgia has always been big business. Look how the Victorians ached for a romantic gothic past and the Edwardians for a rapidly disappearing bucolic world with the arts and crafts revival. To find my own past the subject of a … Continue reading →

Posted in music, Publishing, religion, sacred knowledge, tassawuf, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

The Descent of Man

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Ian Whiteman

The latest L’Oreal TV ad goes like this: A beautiful female model pouts, “I believe in science, I don’t believe in miracles.” It’s a statement of faith. Odd, as they have a product called Revitalift Miracle Blur. So I don’t think L’Oreal … Continue reading →

Posted in language, miscellaneous, religion, sacred knowledge, science, tassawuf, Uncategorized | 2 Comments