From TED, legendary designer Philippe Starck spends 18 minutes reaching for the very roots of the question "Why design?" From PopMatters, a look at the stories industrial designs tell. Is there any "right" way to design a prison? A review of Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy.  A look at how American invented the hotel: A history of hospitality. A review of Hotel: An American History by A. K. Sandoval-Strausz (and more and an excerpt). A review of Legends of the Chelsea Hotel: Living with the Artists and Outlaws of New York's Rebel Mecca by Ed Hamilton. How do you build a community from scratch? From Comment, here are 50 things to love about city life. Some hard talk about towns: The death toll from the catastrophes that strike cities doesn't have to keep climbing.