Matt Maldre
@spudart.bsky.social
Designer & artist. Web Strategist @tribuneagency.bsky.social.
- Documenting the strange beauty of ordinary things
- Art, tech, and random discoveries worth sharing
Chicago / Glen Ellyn, Illinois
🎨 spudart.org
🏠 mattmaldre.com
🏢 tribunecontentagency.com
- Documenting the strange beauty of ordinary things
- Art, tech, and random discoveries worth sharing
Chicago / Glen Ellyn, Illinois
🎨 spudart.org
🏠 mattmaldre.com
🏢 tribunecontentagency.com
TIL that Georges Seurat was just 26 years old when he finished his giant Pointillist painting. Now a famous painting hanging in the Art Institute of Chicago. www.instagram.com/p/DRxPY3mD_qO/
December 2, 2025 at 10:22 PM
TIL that Georges Seurat was just 26 years old when he finished his giant Pointillist painting. Now a famous painting hanging in the Art Institute of Chicago. www.instagram.com/p/DRxPY3mD_qO/
Gmail: 99,179 read emails.
Me: hovering over the delete button
Not today, milestone. Not today.
Me: hovering over the delete button
Not today, milestone. Not today.
December 2, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Gmail: 99,179 read emails.
Me: hovering over the delete button
Not today, milestone. Not today.
Me: hovering over the delete button
Not today, milestone. Not today.
My LG washer’s finish tone made me start whistling “Axel F.”
Apparently it’s in the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack now.
Apparently it’s in the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack now.
December 2, 2025 at 8:16 PM
My LG washer’s finish tone made me start whistling “Axel F.”
Apparently it’s in the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack now.
Apparently it’s in the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack now.
I love how companies send those “only a few hours left” Cyber Monday emails—as if I check the inbox where I dump all my newsletters that often.
It’s Tuesday, and I’m just now getting to the emails they sent Monday.
It’s Tuesday, and I’m just now getting to the emails they sent Monday.
December 2, 2025 at 8:04 PM
I love how companies send those “only a few hours left” Cyber Monday emails—as if I check the inbox where I dump all my newsletters that often.
It’s Tuesday, and I’m just now getting to the emails they sent Monday.
It’s Tuesday, and I’m just now getting to the emails they sent Monday.
A couple weeks ago, I researched digital TV antennas. It wasn't really fun. Seeing Amazon continue to recommend antennas gives me a kind of anxiety.
December 2, 2025 at 6:14 AM
A couple weeks ago, I researched digital TV antennas. It wasn't really fun. Seeing Amazon continue to recommend antennas gives me a kind of anxiety.
I love carving out a little spot in my parkway to put my garbage/recycling/yardwaste.
1. It helps to prevent the cans from tipping.
2. It's easier for the pickup person to set it back down. (respect for the people who empty our cans)
3. It's like a little home for the cans. It's so cute.
1. It helps to prevent the cans from tipping.
2. It's easier for the pickup person to set it back down. (respect for the people who empty our cans)
3. It's like a little home for the cans. It's so cute.
December 1, 2025 at 8:09 PM
I love carving out a little spot in my parkway to put my garbage/recycling/yardwaste.
1. It helps to prevent the cans from tipping.
2. It's easier for the pickup person to set it back down. (respect for the people who empty our cans)
3. It's like a little home for the cans. It's so cute.
1. It helps to prevent the cans from tipping.
2. It's easier for the pickup person to set it back down. (respect for the people who empty our cans)
3. It's like a little home for the cans. It's so cute.
I love walking along a trail through snow that hasn't been compacted yet.
(This is a vertical pano, so Bluesky might crop it in the preview. Click through for the full image)
(This is a vertical pano, so Bluesky might crop it in the preview. Click through for the full image)
December 1, 2025 at 7:53 PM
I love walking along a trail through snow that hasn't been compacted yet.
(This is a vertical pano, so Bluesky might crop it in the preview. Click through for the full image)
(This is a vertical pano, so Bluesky might crop it in the preview. Click through for the full image)
I've used this document scanner for ten years. I love it.
ScanSnap iX500. The model is discontinued, but it continues to work great. Need a quick scan? Boom. Done. Much better than shooting a pic of a document with my iPhone.
ScanSnap iX500. The model is discontinued, but it continues to work great. Need a quick scan? Boom. Done. Much better than shooting a pic of a document with my iPhone.
December 1, 2025 at 7:43 PM
I've used this document scanner for ten years. I love it.
ScanSnap iX500. The model is discontinued, but it continues to work great. Need a quick scan? Boom. Done. Much better than shooting a pic of a document with my iPhone.
ScanSnap iX500. The model is discontinued, but it continues to work great. Need a quick scan? Boom. Done. Much better than shooting a pic of a document with my iPhone.
My kids wanted me to set this daily alarm.
November 26, 2025 at 9:15 PM
My kids wanted me to set this daily alarm.
Tired of Google results buried under SEO spam? I recently discovered @feedle.world a search engine specifically built for blogs and podcasts. It's exactly what the internet needs right now.
- Try feedle: feedle.world
- Read my review about feedle: www.spudart.org/blog/search-...
- Try feedle: feedle.world
- Read my review about feedle: www.spudart.org/blog/search-...
feedle: Search and Discover Quality RSS Feeds from Thousands of Blogs and Podcasts
A search engine for blogs and podcasts, where every search is an RSS feed.
feedle.world
November 26, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Tired of Google results buried under SEO spam? I recently discovered @feedle.world a search engine specifically built for blogs and podcasts. It's exactly what the internet needs right now.
- Try feedle: feedle.world
- Read my review about feedle: www.spudart.org/blog/search-...
- Try feedle: feedle.world
- Read my review about feedle: www.spudart.org/blog/search-...
The things I would make if I learn how to do 3d printing.
(Every now and then I think of something, but I never write it down. Now I made a MacOS Reminders list to keep track.)
(Every now and then I think of something, but I never write it down. Now I made a MacOS Reminders list to keep track.)
![3d printing
- [ ] Tiny King Kong figures
- [ ] Macro lens adapter for Kodak Charmera
- [ ] Hot Wheels track apdapter that splits into one track into two
- [ ] Third guardian lion at Art Institute of Chicago (from Alsdorf Galleries)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hedmlycvhik5cyredbsqsokb/bafkreifr5oyt26yfvwmlvo545se44zuzofjp2nftx7smab5tt52ump5e6y@jpeg)
November 26, 2025 at 5:28 AM
The things I would make if I learn how to do 3d printing.
(Every now and then I think of something, but I never write it down. Now I made a MacOS Reminders list to keep track.)
(Every now and then I think of something, but I never write it down. Now I made a MacOS Reminders list to keep track.)
Dual-meaning bumper sticker. It works for the highway and for your life journey.
November 26, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Dual-meaning bumper sticker. It works for the highway and for your life journey.
My out-of-office message for this week.
November 26, 2025 at 12:29 AM
My out-of-office message for this week.
If I learn 3D printing at my local library, the first thing I'll make is tiny King Kong figures.
In the 1990s I bought a King Kong figure at Party City.
In the 2010s I took photos of him climbing the Wrigley Building in Chicago. www.spudart.org/blog/when-a-...
I cannot find these figures cheaply.
In the 1990s I bought a King Kong figure at Party City.
In the 2010s I took photos of him climbing the Wrigley Building in Chicago. www.spudart.org/blog/when-a-...
I cannot find these figures cheaply.
November 25, 2025 at 5:34 PM
If I learn 3D printing at my local library, the first thing I'll make is tiny King Kong figures.
In the 1990s I bought a King Kong figure at Party City.
In the 2010s I took photos of him climbing the Wrigley Building in Chicago. www.spudart.org/blog/when-a-...
I cannot find these figures cheaply.
In the 1990s I bought a King Kong figure at Party City.
In the 2010s I took photos of him climbing the Wrigley Building in Chicago. www.spudart.org/blog/when-a-...
I cannot find these figures cheaply.
I'm gonna miss discovering pennies like this.
(From a 2012 photo shot with a macro lens on my iPhone)
www.flickr.com/photos/spuda...
(From a 2012 photo shot with a macro lens on my iPhone)
www.flickr.com/photos/spuda...
November 25, 2025 at 4:48 PM
I'm gonna miss discovering pennies like this.
(From a 2012 photo shot with a macro lens on my iPhone)
www.flickr.com/photos/spuda...
(From a 2012 photo shot with a macro lens on my iPhone)
www.flickr.com/photos/spuda...
To shoot macro with a Kodak Charmera, stick one of those iPhone lenses on it.
The Charmera was too thick to hold my iPhone lens clip, so I painter-taped it on.
The Charmera was too thick to hold my iPhone lens clip, so I painter-taped it on.
November 25, 2025 at 4:01 PM
To shoot macro with a Kodak Charmera, stick one of those iPhone lenses on it.
The Charmera was too thick to hold my iPhone lens clip, so I painter-taped it on.
The Charmera was too thick to hold my iPhone lens clip, so I painter-taped it on.
I didn’t realize it while photographing this Ewok at the Art Institute of Chicago, but the Ewok’s fur (as depicted in the action figure) kinda matches nicely with the Pointillism in Georges Seurat’s painting, 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte'. #blueskyartshow
November 25, 2025 at 3:41 AM
I didn’t realize it while photographing this Ewok at the Art Institute of Chicago, but the Ewok’s fur (as depicted in the action figure) kinda matches nicely with the Pointillism in Georges Seurat’s painting, 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte'. #blueskyartshow
Buttons are so much fun to make and wear.
Here's a fun project. Every day, pick one photo from that day and make a button with the photo. Wear all your buttons on one jacket. By the end of the year, your jacket will have 365 buttons, capturing the year.
Here's a fun project. Every day, pick one photo from that day and make a button with the photo. Wear all your buttons on one jacket. By the end of the year, your jacket will have 365 buttons, capturing the year.
November 23, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Buttons are so much fun to make and wear.
Here's a fun project. Every day, pick one photo from that day and make a button with the photo. Wear all your buttons on one jacket. By the end of the year, your jacket will have 365 buttons, capturing the year.
Here's a fun project. Every day, pick one photo from that day and make a button with the photo. Wear all your buttons on one jacket. By the end of the year, your jacket will have 365 buttons, capturing the year.
I added six more quotes to my quotes page.
www.spudart.org/blog/quotes-...
“Sometimes, the best things happen in the in-between moments.”
“Headlines should inform, not manipulate”
“Gray is the chameleon of colors, effortlessly working with whatever surrounds it.”
www.spudart.org/blog/quotes-...
“Sometimes, the best things happen in the in-between moments.”
“Headlines should inform, not manipulate”
“Gray is the chameleon of colors, effortlessly working with whatever surrounds it.”
Quotes by Matt Maldre - Spudart
Everyone should have their own collection of insightful quotes they have said. Thanks to the age of the internet, I’m able to go back to previous blog posts and comments to find some of my sayings. “G...
www.spudart.org
November 23, 2025 at 4:13 AM
I added six more quotes to my quotes page.
www.spudart.org/blog/quotes-...
“Sometimes, the best things happen in the in-between moments.”
“Headlines should inform, not manipulate”
“Gray is the chameleon of colors, effortlessly working with whatever surrounds it.”
www.spudart.org/blog/quotes-...
“Sometimes, the best things happen in the in-between moments.”
“Headlines should inform, not manipulate”
“Gray is the chameleon of colors, effortlessly working with whatever surrounds it.”
Frozen 3 comes out November 24, 2027.
I just added it to my calendar.
I just added it to my calendar.
November 21, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Frozen 3 comes out November 24, 2027.
I just added it to my calendar.
I just added it to my calendar.
I did a search in my Google Photos for "jellyfish" hoping it would give me a result that is not a jellyfish, but something that looks like a jellyfish.
It did not disappoint.
Here is a very underexposed image of an Art Institute of Chicago lion wearing a Cubs hat in 2016.
It did not disappoint.
Here is a very underexposed image of an Art Institute of Chicago lion wearing a Cubs hat in 2016.
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 AM
I did a search in my Google Photos for "jellyfish" hoping it would give me a result that is not a jellyfish, but something that looks like a jellyfish.
It did not disappoint.
Here is a very underexposed image of an Art Institute of Chicago lion wearing a Cubs hat in 2016.
It did not disappoint.
Here is a very underexposed image of an Art Institute of Chicago lion wearing a Cubs hat in 2016.
April photos, now on my Flickr.
flickr.com/spudart
flickr.com/spudart
November 19, 2025 at 5:35 PM
April photos, now on my Flickr.
flickr.com/spudart
flickr.com/spudart
If you ever need to export your photo metadata from Adobe Lightroom, here's a great plugin: LR/Transporter.
www.photographers-toolbox.com/products/lrt...
www.photographers-toolbox.com/products/lrt...
November 19, 2025 at 5:24 PM
If you ever need to export your photo metadata from Adobe Lightroom, here's a great plugin: LR/Transporter.
www.photographers-toolbox.com/products/lrt...
www.photographers-toolbox.com/products/lrt...
When someone you know turns 50 years old, fly the American flag that day. 50 stars on the flag for their 50th birthday.
(Plus, I like reclaiming the American flag to be for *anyone* in America)
(Plus, I like reclaiming the American flag to be for *anyone* in America)
November 19, 2025 at 3:10 PM
When someone you know turns 50 years old, fly the American flag that day. 50 stars on the flag for their 50th birthday.
(Plus, I like reclaiming the American flag to be for *anyone* in America)
(Plus, I like reclaiming the American flag to be for *anyone* in America)
I just updated my Synectics Daily Prompt calendar—now there’s a creative prompt every day.
Synectics is a set of strategies that help spark new ideas in art and writing
Tomorrow’s prompt: “What human qualities does your subject have?” (Animate) calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0...
Synectics is a set of strategies that help spark new ideas in art and writing
Tomorrow’s prompt: “What human qualities does your subject have?” (Animate) calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0...
![November 19, 2025 What human qualities subject has? [Animate]
November 20, 2025 Chop up, disassemble it [Fragmentate]
November 21, 2025 Ridicule, mimic, mock, burlesque or caricature [Parody]
November 22, 2025 Exchange, switch or replace [Substitute]
November 23, 2025 Compare with elements from different domains, disciplines [Analogize]
November 24, 2025 Make “Jekyll and Hyde” transmutations [Metamorphose]
November 25, 2025 Conceal by mimicry, like chameleons and moths [Disguise]
November 26, 2025 Overlay elements to produce new images, ideas, meanings [Superimpose]
November 27, 2025 Control the pictorial movements and forces [Animate]
November 28, 2025 Contradict normal procedures, social conventions, rituals [Contradict]
November 29, 2025 What other idea, image, or material can you substitute? [Substitute]
November 30, 2025 How subject can be converted, translated, transfigured? [Transfer]
December 1, 2025 What if night and day occurred simultaneously? [Fantasize]
December 2, 2025 Make logical or illogical associations [Analogize]
December 3, 2025 Hide, mask, “implant” subject into another frame of reference [Disguise]
December 4, 2025 Misshape it, yet produce unique metaphoric/aesthetic quality [Distort]
December 5, 2025 A visual symbol stands for something other than what it is [Symbolize]
December 6, 2025 Turn your subject into a symbol public or private [Symbolize]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hedmlycvhik5cyredbsqsokb/bafkreibnpi5ip2ssk2nlx5zjnsoa67ma2alek3h4syuuwwt4mdrvkxtmwm@jpeg)
November 19, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I just updated my Synectics Daily Prompt calendar—now there’s a creative prompt every day.
Synectics is a set of strategies that help spark new ideas in art and writing
Tomorrow’s prompt: “What human qualities does your subject have?” (Animate) calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0...
Synectics is a set of strategies that help spark new ideas in art and writing
Tomorrow’s prompt: “What human qualities does your subject have?” (Animate) calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0...