A look at how the studios did business-wise in 2008 — better than most, as it turns out. “Ticket sales at North American movie theaters totaled US$9.6 billion, a decrease of less than 1 percent over the previous year, according to Media by Numbers, a box office tracking company. Although attendance declined 5 percent, to about 1.3 billion, the industry was able to buttress revenue with higher ticket prices and premium 3-D offerings.”

That last bit about premium prices is particularly interesting: “In 2008, the studios discovered that audiences would pay ticket prices of up to US$25 to see a movie in 3-D (‘Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour’). Screenings of ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Kung Fu Panda’ at Imax theaters, also carrying premium prices, did blockbuster business.”

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From several years ago but still worth a look: typographer Mark Simonson highlights director Wes Anderson’s preoccupation with the typeface Futura in his “third feature film,” a trend that also continued in Anderson’s subsequent inferior yet visually consistent releases.

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Impressive full-color drawings made by artist Stef Kardos using Brushes, “a natural media painting application for the iPhone and iPod touch. It offers several realistic brush styles, an advanced color picker, a gallery view, and virtually unlimited undo and redo.” The demonstration video on the Brushes page is quite remarkable.

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Edward L. Glaeser says: “Historically, human capital — the education and skills of a work force — predicts which cities are able to reinvent themselves and which ones are not. Those people who are continuing to pay high prices for Manhattan real estate are implicitly betting that New York’s human capital will continue to come up with new ways of reinventing the city.”

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Disarmingly witty, plush toy versions of popular meats — ya gots yer t-bone steak, yer pork chop and yer hambone. You may not necessarily need these in your life, but you’re probably happy they’re out there.

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Simple search tool allows you to check dozens of sites to see if your preferred screen handle is available or in use.

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Sadly, digital technology will put the final nail in the coffin for Polaroid’s iconic instant film product at the end of the year; after earlier ceasing the manufacture of its cameras, the company will stop making the actual film after 31 Dec. For the remaining users and fans orphaned by this turn of events, Photojojo offers this typically excellent round-up of coping tips, including a look at some substitutes of varying levels of satisfaction.

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