MAY YOUR SHIP HAVE IRON SIDES

TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2011

2011-12-09T15:01:00.001-05:00

With Pitchfork and Stereogum about to release their top albums of the year, I figured I’d pre-emptively (is that a word?) drop my Top 10 on their/your domes. Because obviously my Top Ten albums of 2011 is important and I spent a shit ton of time on it.

10. Das Racist- Relax
9. WU LYF- Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
8. Iceage- New Brigade
7. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy
6. Beirut- The Rip Tide
5. Clams Casino- Rainforest EP
4. Hooray for Earth- True Loves
3. The Weeknd- House of Balloons Mixtape
2 . Small Black- Moon Killers Mixtape
1. Youth Lagoon- The Year of Hibernation

Best Band That Didn’t Put Out a Record in 2011: Purity Ring
Most Overrated Album 2011: Bon Iver- Bon Iver (9.5 Pitchfork?)

GET FREE-ER MIX

2011-11-18T14:20:00.004-05:00

Just for you, a mix of the best of what's free.

1. Small Black- “Moon Killer” (Moon Killer mixtape)
2. Charli XCX- “Stay Away”
3. Beirut- “East Harlem”
4. Pandr Eyez- “Little Bit”
5. The Big Pink- “Stay Gold”
6. Iceage- “White Rune”
7. The Weeknd- "The Birds Part One"
8. Purity Ring- “Belispeak”
9. Frightened Rabbit- "Fuck This Place"
10. Youth Lagoon- "Bobby"
11. Saskatchewan- "Dreamboat"
12. Nas- “Nasty”
13. Azealia Banks- “212”
14. Kingdom- “Let You No”
15. Warm Ghost- "G.T.W.S."
16. Mr. Muthafucking’ eXquire- “Huzzah! (Remix)”
17. WU LYF- "Dirt"

BLOG FORECAST: BRIEF HIATUS FOLLOWED BY PROLONGED PERIODS OF NERDERY, ABI HUYNH AND WITHERED HAND

2009-09-05T13:30:00.006-04:00

A new school year is upon me and nerding is limited to history/psychology again for a bit. Still, last week I happened upon a fantastically simple design for teacher evaluation forms by Abi Huynh (for the NY Times) that gets to the core of how students really feel about their teachers/professors in plain, sometimes pictured terms. I can't help but wonder how I'd measure up. As he says:

I was asked to do an illustration in NYT Magazine's college issue, the article was about the effect of faculty / instructor evaluations at Universities and Colleges in the US. I decided on a slightly subtle approach through an exaggerated take on the standardized test / survey. Whenever I was asked to evaluate my instructor, the specific categories (questions) the survey contained were pretty difficult to answer and it came down to the basic notion that some students that really liked the teacher ... and some who really hated them. The tests strive to have an objective aura, and that is reflected in a systemic idea and measure of 'good teaching', with this illustration I wanted to show the subjective nature behind the evaluation surveys.

In the meantime, go check out Withered Hand, a Scottish songster who keeps it real. Here's a taste, a gem called "Hard On"(mp3)

THE STATE OF DIGITAL DOWNLOADS: THE VERY BEST "WARM HEART OF AFRICA"

2009-08-26T21:54:00.013-04:00

The much anticipated new album from The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya and British production duo Radioclit) is now available digitally from Green Owl Records. The site includes the album download for a meager 8.99 and a full preview for those looking for transparency. I (and every one else on the web) have been alerting the masses to every single/download/leak for the past few months and for me personally, it has affected my opinion of the full-length and the music industry in general. Let me explain:

First, it's clear that, surprise, CDs are dead in the water (see below, courtesy of the NY Times) but digital music is still relatively new in terms of total sales and may have brought with it the demise of the quality full-length album. (people have been saying this for years) This sea change in format has obviously changed how music is distributed (songs are now sold individually) and perhaps less obviously, how it's marketed. Where singles had always accounted for a tiny fraction of the sales that full-lengths garnered, digital singles sales have now overtaken digital album sales (again see below). While this might not seem like a big deal, the focus of the music industry (which thankfully is diversifying) has seemingly shifted from selling full albums to selling singles or at least constantly marketing/leaking singles to hype album sales. Couple this with our new ability to cherry-pick tracks for download and suddenly, within the past few years the amount of songs per band/mc/producer in my iTunes has decreased dramatically (meaning I now have so many singles or cherry picked songs instead of full-lengths, if said bands/mcs even have a full length available)

So back to The Very Best album. It's a great album don't get me wrong, but I already had 8 of the 13 songs available (all legally and one is only a minute long so really it's 12) before its release and guess which songs are worth listening to? The best singles "Warm Heart of Africa" "Yalira" and "Julia" were all previously available for download and "Kada Manja" and "Kamphopo" were off last year's mixtape. ("Ntende Uli," "Chalo" and "Rain Dance" feat M.I.A were also readily available but not as quality as the aforementioned gems) So the album would have been FANTASTIC had I just heard all the tracks for the first earth-shattering time, but it's been broken up, "hyped" and exposed to such an extent that there can be no actual anticipation or realistic expectation of quality. That joyful moment when we hear an album for the first time as a cohesive piece of music with a beginning and an end seems to be gone. (for better or for worse) It used to be that we would hear one track before an album was released and you had to buy that ish. (tape singles represent) Today record companies put out half the album to hype it, but unfortunately there's usually nothing left to look forward to. (to be fair, the Sunset Rubdown album which was hyped/leaked like crazy is still awesome, but that's only because every song is quality. The new Big Pink album is not as fortunate)

With all of that said, digital music recording/distribution is cheaper, faster, more environmentally friendly and more readily available than ever so it's hard to get salty about the possible demise of the quality full-length album.

And yes, I realize that I often post new singles and contribute to the "hype." I can't help myself. (via Green Owl)

TAPE IN THE STREETS: BUFF DISS

2009-08-24T20:05:00.007-04:00

Australian street/tape artist Buff Diss may not be the only tape arter out there, but he's definitely one of the most prolific. A few months back, Upper Playground's Walrus TV (how can a Wallace not support the Walrus?) featured Buff Diss and his mostly legal work. Next time you tape off your windows and outlets before you paint your walls, you best give respect due.

(via Cakehead Loves Evil)

DUNKIN' DON'T: TEN REASONS TO AVOID DUNKIN' DONUTS

2009-08-18T00:03:00.004-04:00

Considering the amount of coffee Americans consume and the social, environmental, and economic impact of coffee production and sales, choosing the best coffee house is a very important decision. So I feel compelled to explain definitively why you should NOT choose Dunkin Donuts, the nation's largest coffee retailer with over 8,800 locations worldwide and sales of over 6.9 billion in 2008. The advantages of large chains are well documented (availability, consistency, prices) but here are ten reasons that should persuade you to avoid Dunkin Donuts altogether: (in no particular order)

1.Dunkin Donuts coffee is not fair trade. While their espresso drinks are fair trade, their coffee is NOT. Espresso drinks make up approximately 10% of their total business so the impact of using fair trade espresso is big, but nothing in comparison to the impact the nation's largest coffee retailer could make by brewing fair trade coffee. Paying foreign farmers a fair wage would only cost DD a few pennies on the pound, but it can make an enormous difference to the farmers' families and countries. Why fair trade? Click here.

2.Eating Dunkin Donuts products makes you fat. Now this isn't necessarily DD's fault, it's our responsibility to eat well, but it's not like they make any food/drinks that are remotely good for you. Their donuts and breakfast foods still contain small amounts of trans fats (anything under a half-gram is considered 0 grams so their foods have just under a half gram of trans fats) and their coffee drinks, which should contain very few calories/fat are loaded. According to the nutritional information on their site:
-A large 32 oz. DD iced coffee w/regular cream and sugar contains 240cal/8g saturated fat (12g total fat)
-A large Iced Mocha swirl latte (32 oz)= 440 cal
-A plain bagel contains 300 cal and w/cream cheese 450 calories
-A crème filled donut contains 310 cal/16 g fat.

3. Dunkin' Donuts is the coffee equivalent of conservativism. I realize it seems difficult to connect a retailer to political ideologies, but DD's ad campaigns and political stances (there are few of them) suggest their support for the conservative side of things. (if you're a conservative, more power to you) Historically, 78% of Dunkin Brands/Allied Domecq/Bain Capital (former and current owners) political contributions go to Republicans (though private equity firms usually favor the GOP and lately they've been mostly split) Their advertisements consistently attack Starbucks/local coffee houses as being snooty, elitist and connect non-english words (see #10) with these negative stereotypes to garner support from more conservative/supposedly working class Americans. For example, ads in late 2008 stated that more "hardworking Americans" prefer Dunkin Donuts coffee over Starbucks, which sounds suspiciously like campaign ads for Republican candidates over the years. I realize the company is simply out to make a buck and the “hardworking”, xenophobic people of the U.S. make up an untapped market for coffee, but how far are they willing to go to cater to them? In 2008, they pulled an ad starring Rachel Ray (don't get me started) in which she wore a scarf that vaguely resembled a traditional keffiyeh ( men's scarf loosely associated with Palestinian/Jordanian nationalism) because it apparently symbolized Palestinian/Arab “terrorism and jihad” to brain dead conservative political pundits like Michelle Melkin. (note: the keffiyeh, worn since the 30's throughout the Middle East including the Jewish people, couldn't possibly be used to keep cool/clean in arid climates or wrapped up as turbans. And for the record, Palestinian nationalism does not mean jihad either)

4.DD is cheap, but not that cheap and you get what you pay for. DD products are generally 5 to 10 cents less expensive than the two local establishments I frequent in Portsmouth and Dover, NH (I can't comment on coffee houses elsewhere) A large DD iced coffee is $2.54 and the average cost of a local large iced (Breaking New Grounds in Portsmouth and Adelle's in Dover*) is about $2.65 for a large FAIR TRADE iced coffee (definitely worth the extra 10 cents!) Now, if you drink DD coffee every week day for a year, you'd save a whopping 25$ a year. So their famous slogan “It's breakfast, not broke-fast” is accurate only if you ignore foreign farmers' struggles to feed their families and/or your hospital bills from the heart attack you'll have from eating/drinking their food.

6.DD's customer service, coffee and food isn't worth even the shortest drive. Low paying positions and poor work conditions guarantee poor service from young workers who don't know jack about a decent cup of coffee or breakfast food. The customer service disasters are well documented, but your in-house experience doesn't stop there. The often drab and dirty atmosphere must be unsettling to those people ordering items beyond coffee. Or perhaps not, the egg on your bagel or croissant is a frozen patty that gets marginally tastier with the additional American cheese and a long trip in the microwave. None of the food is cooked in house, its all frozen and nuked or, like the doughnuts, made at a production facility. They don't even put your cream cheese or peanut butter on your bagel for you (it comes with a plastic knife and individually packaged condiments.. see environmental practices below) With all that said, the coffee isn't bad, but it's not worth seeking out either.

7.DD costs taxpayers millions of dollars because they won't give their employees decent wages or healthcare. In 2008, their 1,950 uninsured employees in Massachusetts cost tax payers almost 8 million for state subsidized health care costs. This number is larger than even Wal-Mart and #1 on the list of self reported state subsidized care in Massachusetts.

8.DD strongarms the very franchisees that provide their products to America. Many people talk about the company being “owned” by franchisees, but this simply is not the case. There is an entity that makes stringent rules for all the stores, step out of line in the slightest way and you'll be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. Since 2006, 144 franchisees have been sued by their beloved parent company. Since DD is always expanding, it should come as no surprise that they try to get rid of franchisees who own a small number of stores since they typically don't have the capital to expand quickly. Unfortunately, many of them are immigrants and lose their livelihoods at the hands of DD.

8.DD is not an environmentally friendly company. Despite wide-spread awareness of the environment problems polystyrene has caused, Dunkin' Donuts still use styrofoam cups for their medium and large hot coffee drinks (that millions of cups a day) Styrofoam (technically, a plastic) is made from petroleum (non-renewable resource) is not recyclable and in addition to being a health risk when it contains hot items, is filling up land-fills all over the U.S. Even McDonald's stopped using styrofoam years ago. DD also use a ridiculous amount of unnecessary plastic packaging, even providing individually packaged servings of peanut butter, cream cheese, coffee creams, etc.

9.DD puts local shops out of business and promotes the homogenization of coffee in America. All the coffee Americans buy at DD means less coffee purchased at local, more socially and environmentally friendly shops who provide a community social scene and different (or should I say better?) coffee. These community hubs may showcase music or art and (sometimes) intelligent conversation and a place to meet new people. DD destroys the community by taking business from these local shops and because they don't foster the same atmosphere in their stores. (to put it mildly)

10.They don't understand the English language or world history. Their commercials claim "Delicious lattes from Dunkin' Donuts. You order them in English." This is an attempted shot at Starbucks and snobby coffee drinkers sure, but the commercial's xenophobic tone seems to deny the origin of coffee and it's just plain ignorant. Latte is an Italian word, so you can't order it in English since there is no equivalent in our language. Coffee originated in Arab countries, but Italy was the first European country to drink it and subsequently made several changes to the drink that are still around today. (Lattes being one of them) I'm aware that DD is smartly staking the claim to the down-home “common man's latte,” but read #3 for more on that. Also, since when is DOUGHNUT spelled DONUT?

NOTE: I am not suggesting that people who know and love DD are bad people and if you are one of them, then this probably won't change your view of the company. However, other people trying to make a wholly informed decision on where to purchase coffee may find this entry helpful as these points are not as widely known as they could/should be. Further, this entry is not a declaration of support for Starbucks and I don't necessarily suggest them as an alternative to DD. (though they are generally more socially/environmentally responsible)

*The opinions on this blog may not reflect the positions of these local coffee shops and they should not be connected in any way with my commentary.

TINY ILLUSTRATIONS OF REBELLION: MR. BINGO

2009-08-11T22:24:00.006-04:00

Trust me when I tell you that you've seen the artwork of British Illustrator Mr. Bingo numerous times before. He's worked for most of the big companies over the years (Nike, Microsoft, MTV, Volkswagen, etc) culminating in his latest illustrations for British Comedian Rich Fulcher's (The Mighty Boosh, creators of "Old Greg") new book entitled Tiny Acts of Rebellion which consists of "97 Almost-Legal Ways to Stick it to the Man." It's due out any day now in the UK and in the US on October 8th. The Mr. Bingo site has 23 of the book's images and a large collection of other Mr. B work for your viewing pleasure. Top notch.
(via It's Nice That)

THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF MUSTAFAH ABDULAZIZ

2009-08-11T17:23:00.010-04:00

Photography is not my favorite artistic medium, not even close. (yes, photography is an art, haters) There are simply too many mediocre photogs (or worse) and too many lucky snaps weighing down the "scene". However rare, the images that document compelling ideas and stories are the ones that make an immediate emotional/intellectual impact. (As a social studies teacher, my eye has a particularly obvious focus)

Mustafah Abdulaziz may be that rare photographer. His captured ideas and stories themselves may not be new: parental priorities/decisions, cultural revolution, drug use, etc, but they provide documentation that shocks, angers, saddens, and/or enlightens. Abdulaziz's work has frequently graced the pages of the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal and the above photograph recently won him the Nikon Emerging Professional Grant and admission to the prestigious Missouri Photojournalism Workshop.

Check his work and that of fellow MJR collective members here. As they put it, MJR represents the next wave of great image makers. We are staking our claim in the future and will do our best to make this a cornerstone for everyone who finds themselves waiting to take the next big step towards becoming the next big thing.
(via Hamburger Eyes)

THE BIG PINK: NEW SINGLE "DOMINOS"

2009-08-09T22:30:00.008-04:00

British duo The Big Pink have released the third single off their debut album, A Brief History of Love due out September 22nd on 4AD. "Dominos" is a stadium rocker/electronic gem that will surely invade your skull. I've been humming the uber-simple hook for days and the kids at summer camp think I'm crazier than usual. Also included below is a link to download their earlier single "Velvet," (also on the album) a fuzzed-out, shoegazer jam with an equally big sound and similar lyrics about Robbie Furze's tumultuous love-life. (thus the album's title) The ambitious duo have already toured Europe with TV on the Radio and just booked a world tour even before the release of their first album. Upcoming New England shows include the Paradise in Boston on December 1st and two New York City shows on the 3rd and 4th.

Dominos Mp3
Velvet Mp3

(via Pitchfork, 4AD)

DISPOSABLE TECHNOLOGY AND E-WASTE: KYLE BEAN

2009-08-09T11:45:00.020-04:00

As technology capabilities continue to progress at an incredible pace, the "life span" of tech products get smaller and smaller to the point where they are, in a sense, disposable. Kyle Bean has created his own Disposable Technology in the form of cardboard sculptures of popular electronic devices. Carefully crafted, each piece is made (approximately) to scale and even includes a seemingly bright screen. At the center of the work is a quote from the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, a San Jose-based group that promotes responsibility in electronics recycling, The increasingly rapid evolution of technology has effectively rendered everything disposable. The importance of the quote of course, isn't that things are used quickly and replaced, it's what happens to them after they're replaced. While I/we enjoy our tech conveniences on the daily, they unfortunetly are not made of cardboard and producing/disposing of them has had a tremendously damaging effect on the world's environment.

We call this "e-waste" and half of it is made up of electronics such as computers, monitors, printers, televisions, dvd/music devices, stereos, and cell phones. In the United States, a dismal 10-20% percent of electronics are recycled responsibly (depending on who you talk to) and Europe doesn't fare much better at 25%. (see below chart to see where the waste comes from and where it goes) This means 80% of the roughly 50 million tons of e-waste will be either burnt or put in landfills, allowing the hundreds of different dangerous chemicals (including lead, mercury, cadmium, etc) found in electronics to leak into the water or air. Much of the waste (computers) is sold to developing countries to be sold as is (they will still end up as waste at some point) or stripped to extract and sell the rare elements and materials used in the electronics. There is currently no U.S. law to curb or regulate the export of e-waste to countries in Africa and Asia and the E.U. laws (under the Basel Convention) are obviously not being enforced. We need federal legislation to make sure that A. the environment/world population is protected from e-waste's harmful chemicals/materials. B. to re-use the rare elements and materials that will disappear from the earth unless we learn to recycle them effectively and C. that recyclers actually do what they promise, because surprisingly, even groups that claim to recycle these devices responsibly have been found to export them to developing countries. A fantastic story by 60 minutes reported that 44 recyclers were simply exporting the e-waste overseas and according to National Geographic, even Goodwill has sold computers to Ghana.

If you have electronic/electric waste please contact the E-Stewards Initiative to find a local recycler and/or the manufacturer (Dell, HP and Apple all have recylcing programs) to find out how to properly recycle the product.
(via Design Boom, CNN, SVTC)

THE INEVITABLE END OF AMERICA: SLATE MAGAZINE

2009-08-06T18:56:00.006-04:00

Though we don't like to think about it, at some point, perhaps sooner than later, the global dominance of the United States will inevitably come to an end. As the once great Roman Empire fell, so too will America and maybe we'll take the rest of the world with us. We've all speculated on how this could occur, but Slate Magazine's Josh Levin has painstakingly compiled 144 possible scenarios for the destruction of the US either physically or politically. Ranging from frightfully possible to absolutely ridiculous, they are worth a read in Slate's handy dandy Choose Your Own Apocalypse application. I've included a few gems here to get you started:

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg says the United States should fear "a mistaken attack on our country by the huge Russian arsenal of nuclear weapons." As recently as 1995, a "retaliatory" nuclear strike was barely averted when Russian officials figured out at the last second that what they thought was an enemy strike was really a craft launched to monitor the Northern lights.

American values propagate throughout the world as representative democracy and capitalism reign. America loses its distinctiveness and identity as the world becomes one happy nation.

One of the fattest nations in human history keeps getting fatter. An increasingly sedentary society beset by health problems can no longer compete with the world's fitter nations.

A rogue state, terror organization, or group of malevolent hackers takes down America's infrastructure by infiltrating every system that's controlled by computers: television stations, traffic signals, telecommunications, the stock market, the power grid. As seen in Live Free or Die Hard.

America's enemies besiege the United States with bundled tungsten rods dropped from outer space—weapons of the future described by Popular Science as "space-launched darts that strike like meteors." Some critics argue that the rods would vaporize before they hit the ground. Nevertheless, Rods From God were mentioned in a 2003 Air Force document that details potential new space weaponry.

Just for reference, here are the 210 possible reasons for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Don't forget to laugh, cry and check all that apply:
(from Alexander Demandt's Der Falls Rom and summarized by some journalist)

Abolition of gods, abolition of rights, absence of character, absolutism, agrarian question, agrarian slavery, anarchy, anti-Germanism, apathy, aristocracy, asceticism, attacks by Germans, attacks by Huns, attacks by nomads on horseback.

Backwardness in science, bankruptcy, barbarization, bastardization, blockage of land by large landholders, blood poisoning, bolshevization, bread and circuses, bureaucracy, Byzantinism.

Capitalism, change of capitals, caste system, celibacy, centralization, childlessness, Christianity, citizenship (granting of), civil war, climatic deterioration, communism, complacency, concatenation of misfortunes, conservatism, corruption, cosmopolitanism, crisis of legitimacy, culinary excess, cultural neurosis.

Decentralization, decline of Nordic character, decline of the cities, decline of the Italic population, deforestation, degeneration, degeneration of intellect, demoralization, depletion of mineral resources, despotism, destruction of environment, destruction of peasantry, destruction of political process, destruction of Roman influence, devastation, differences in wealth, disarmament, disillusion with state, division of empire, division of labour.

Earthquakes, egoism, egoism of the state, emancipation of slaves, enervation, epidemics, equal rights (granting of), eradication of the best, escapism, ethnic dissolution, excessive aging of population, excessive civilization, excessive culture, excessive foreign infiltration, excessive freedom, excessive urbanization, expansion, exploitation.

Fear of life, female emancipation, feudalization, fiscalism, gladiatorial system, gluttony, gout, hedonism, Hellenization, heresy, homosexuality, hothouse culture, hubris, hyperthermia.

Immoderate greatness, imperialism, impotence, impoverishment, imprudent policy toward buffer states, inadequate educational system, indifference, individualism, indoctrination, inertia, inflation, intellectualism, integration (weakness of), irrationality, Jewish influence.

Lack of leadership, lack of male dignity, lack of military recruits, lack of orderly imperial succession, lack of qualified workers, lack of rainfall, lack of religiousness, lack of seriousness, large landed properties, lead-poisoning, lethargy, levelling (cultural), levelling (social), loss of army discipline, loss of authority, loss of energy, loss of instincts, loss of population, luxury.

Malaria, marriages of convenience, mercenary system, mercury damage, militarism, monetary economy, monetary greed, money (shortage of), moral decline, moral idealism, moral materialism, mystery religions, nationalism of Rome’s subjects, negative selection.

Orientalization, outflow of gold, over-refinement, pacifism, paralysis of will, paralysation, parasitism, particularism, pauperism, plagues, pleasure-seeking, plutocracy, polytheism, population pressure, precociousness, professional army, proletarization, prosperity, prostitution, psychoses, public baths.

Racial degeneration, racial discrimination, racial suicide, rationalism, refusal of military service, religious struggles and schisms, rentier mentality, resignation, restriction to profession, restriction to the land, rhetoric, rise of uneducated masses, romantic attitudes to peace, ruin of middle class, rule of the world.

Semi-education, sensuality, servility, sexuality, shamelessness, shifting of trade routes, slavery, Slavic attacks, socialism (of the state), social tensions, soil erosion, soil exhaustion, spiritual barbarism, stagnation, stoicism, stress, structural weakness, superstition.

Taxation, pressure of terrorism, tiredness of life, totalitarianism, treason, tristesse, two-front war, underdevelopment, useless diet, usurpation of all powers by the state, vaingloriousness, villa economy, vulgarization.

(via Slate Magazine)

BUSY STREET ARTIST: GAIA

2009-08-04T20:26:00.011-04:00

When done well, street art sneaks the beauty of the canvas/gallery and all its ideas and conviction into the lives of masses. NYC inhabitant Gaia (the embodiment of Earth in Greek and also the name of scientific theory concerning the inter-connectivity of the Earth's physical components) is featured in the above video wheat-pasting the crap out of a cinder block wall in what has been a busy year for the gallery/street artist. Directed by Nicolas Heller and featuring Diplo's newest project Major Lazer, Gaia's prints bring some of nature's creatures (mythical and otherwise) to society's unsuspecting eyes to create something he says is "more beautiful than what I have found in this daily life. Groping at something romantic that I have not yet located where I currently am." Perhaps as important as the image is the placement and Gaia's choices use space and location very effectively. Again, he states it best:
I feel like one of the most important responsibilities of artists who consistently get up in the streets is to forge new frontiers for spots. Finding a beautiful setting to apply the work that is in a neighborhood where Street Art is not generally found is important for a few strong reasons.
Firstly, whatever the piece is, by putting up work that goes beyond the usual areas where it is to be expected, the artist strengthens the collective body of street art and extends its limits. It essentially serves as an outpost for others to venture forth from. It radiates new work in an unfamiliar landscape and enhances itself with reinforcements as other people use it as a base of reference for spots.
Secondly, I feel that its impact is significantly heightened and accentuated when the work is encountered through coincidence. It becomes arresting in that moment of intimacy and such a situation of beautiful discovery that is ignited between the piece and the pedestrian is not as readily established if the viewer is anticipating the experience because it is in a setting like Williamsburg. In a new and more distant place, the work becomes more mysterious and autonomous.
Thirdly, it changes the artist as they become shaped in their exploration of the surface of neighborhoods and become familiar with novel terrain. It puts the artist in the uncomfortable experience of drifting from the nest and into a place where their individual voice and art must be asserted confidently. A practice of finding spots that are in the cut confronts the artist with other realities of lifestyle and culture. It is like visiting a new country in the very city that you thought you knew.
(via NotCot)

BEST BIRCH VESSELS: KOUTA FUKUNAGA

2009-08-02T17:11:00.006-04:00

We're finally feeling the summer heat here in New England, so today I picked up some fresh mint and a few ripe limes to make a more refreshing water (add rum, club soda/seltzer and simple syrup to complete a mojito or just add simple syrup/honey to the drink to sweeten it) When all is said and done, I refrigerate the drink in a 32oz glass container, (normally it holds beer) but I would much rather use Japanese artist Kouta Fukunaga's hand-carved birch vessels to serve my beverages in style. Technically, he created them to serve sake and wine and I'm ok with that too. These award-winning vessels are from Hokkaido-grown birch trunks and exemplify great design and naturally beautiful materials.

(via daily icon)

CHINESE ART INVASION: LUO TAO

2009-07-28T20:03:00.006-04:00

U.K. artist by way of China, Luo Tao is a recent graduate from the Glasgow School of art and has been featured on the respected Saatchi Gallery site. (Saatchi also has a new Chinese art installation, view here) According to her site (in Rickey Henderson): "Luo Tao's illustrations reference aspects of her native Chinese culture and comparisons between Eastern and Western societies. The illustrations frequently display a dark sense of humour as well as political satire." I'll say. Andrew Wallace likes these very much. (via Lost at E Minor)

HOMELESSNESS IN AMERICA: PENTAGRAM PAPERS #39 (SIGNS)

2009-07-27T21:39:00.015-04:00

Pentagram Design, a design institution if I've ever seen one, has worked with any company worth a salt on everything from architecture, graphics, identities to packaging. Their regular publication, The Pentagram Papers, in their own words, "will publish examples of curious, entertaining, stimulating, provocative and occasionally controversial points of view that have come to the attention of, or in some cases are actually originated by, Pentagram." (1975-present)

Issue #39 includes an article entitled Signs which documents the lives of the homeless in America through the signs that tell their story and the intimate portraits of those who carry them. Particularly moving in this collection are the details, visible in the subjects faces and signs, (the sign above is a sadly ironic example in this recession) as testaments to the toll of homelessness and the reasons how/why people become homeless.

In each of my first three years in teaching (at either the high school or the summer camp) I've taught homeless students whose ages range from 7 to 17. (annually, there are more than a thousand homeless NH students, that we know of) While the percentage of homeless students in high school who graduate is extremely low, their situations are heartbreaking and their courage (whether they finish or not) is often staggering. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, in any given year in the United States:
-There may be as many as 3 million men, women and children living without a regular, adequate nighttime residence.
-Children under 18 make up almost 40% of this population. (42% of them under 5 years of age)
-Veterans make up 40% of homeless males. (approximately 27% of the total population)
-The mentally-ill constitute 16% of the total population.
-Addiction is the cause for anywhere from 30-60% of homeless Americans (depending on who you talk to)

In NH, there are at least 25 shelters who help house and provide services to the approximately 2,500 homeless. (NH Coalition to End Homelessness)
Here are ten ways you can help.

(via Cool Hunting, Pentagram Papers #39)

BEST BRUSHES: FEDERICO YANKELEVICH

2009-07-27T19:11:00.010-04:00

Spanish painter Fede Yankelevich creates simple, mostly black on white portraits of powerful ideas, icons and amazing nudes. My favorite piece (up top) is an image of famed Argentinian writer/poet/artist Julio Cortazar. (Hopscotch won the National Book Award in 67') Yankelevich's published works have graced the pages of Esquire and Artafacta and are posted on the regular at his site.

(via It's Nice That)

HUMANITARIAN AID/HANDSOME DESIGN: OXFAM INTERNATIONAL

2009-07-23T21:27:00.008-04:00

Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 like-minded organizations working together and with partners and allies around the world to fight poverty and injustice. In their honorable quest, Oxfam has employed the help of Barcelona design firm HEYStudio to make their image and ideas more acceptable (and handsome) through quality design. While an organization like Oxfam can truly benefit from these design upgrades, their cause and the impoverished people of the world are the real winners. (Too much? A bit dramatic, but true regardless) HeyStudio says:

Branding project for Intermón Oxfam. The aim was to renew the image of Oxfam and create an emotional link between the association and its young target. To create a more visual language, the letters are converted into illustrations, which increases the signification of words and create a own graphical personality, direct and reinvidicative. Titles are reduced to one single word to communicate quicker and more directly. The all identity is based on one single black colour printed on different colour papers, to facilitate the production and lower costs.

New fact sheet from Oxfam came out a few days ago, read it in full here.
•1 out of 6 people in the world suffer from chronic hunger.
Forty percent of the people on our planet—more than 2.5 billion—
now live in poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2 a day.
• In 2008 alone, rising food prices forced an additional 40 million
people into hunger.
• According to the UN’s World Food Program, the number of
global food emergencies has increased from an average of 15
per year during the 1980s to more than 30 per year since 2000.
• If you were born in the US, you can expect, on average, to live
nearly 78 years. If you live in Zimbabwe, you have only a 43
percent chance of surviving past 40.
• Poverty limits access to education. Globally, 771 million people
lack basic literacy skills; two-thirds of them are women.
• Every day, 25,000 children under the age of 5 die, mostly from
preventable causes.
• While the US is one of the wealthiest countries on earth, over
39 million Americans live in poverty.

(Via World Famous Design Junkies)

NEW WARES: OLIVER PEOPLES AND ERIC ELMS VANS

2009-07-23T19:52:00.006-04:00

A few purchases today, which is rare for a teacher in the summer. The new Eric Elms x Vans model debuted at Identity (Portsmouth, NH) this afternoon so I had to cop a pair while the gettin was good. (Elms installation pic below just to make this post about something other than me purchasing crap) New nerd glasses as well, from the Summer/Fall 09' Collection, mine are the Oliver Peoples "Deacon" sunglasses made prescription. Thanks to Patty and the ladies at Eyelook Optical in Portsmouth.

AMERICA'S MOST TRUSTED NEWSCASTER: JON STEWART

2009-07-22T21:49:00.007-04:00

In a new poll by Time Magazine, Americans were asked "Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America's most trusted newscaster?" Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart beat out newscasters from the major networks marking a significant change in the perception of previously trusted news sources. Considering the legacy of American television journalism, it certainly is odd, a joke maybe, that a comedian is percieved as more trustworthy than actual news source anchors. (no matter how awesome he is) Therefore this poll appears to be a rather sad reflection on the state of American journalism today, especially considering the recent growth of entertainment news and a shift from journalists like Cronkite (who did much of his own research and writing) to news casters who do little other than look good (sometimes) and read teleprompters. Now, Jon Stewart isn't even a "newscaster" in the typical sense, (or at all) but he does much of own research and writing and his viewers are consistently the most informed compared to every source of news available. (according to Pew Research, see below) So it may be fair to say that Stewart is upholding at least a few of the grand journalistic tradtions that Cronkite helped establish, even if it is for the sake of entertainment. (which is what Stewart has openly stated is his job, not reporting news)

It must be said, that the poll, conducted online, is clearly missing a few notable Fox and CNN anchors, Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Bill O'Reilly, Chris Wallace, etc. As of right now, I don't know if the available choices were chosen based on popularity or some other more subjective criteria. Regardless, it speaks volumes that Stewart received more votes than the established anchors he beat out.

MANNY MANIA: BOSTON

2009-07-22T19:30:00.012-04:00

This past weekend, Red Bull's Manny Mania Contest rolled into Boston for an official display of technical skateboarding and spazz kids ingesting too much caffeine. Portsmouth, NH's own Nelson Wormstead MC'd (on a gold mic no less) and Dover's Matty Johnson took home MVP honors. Peep the video and suffer through the Swollen Members track (alt video with a far better soundtrack: Lords of the Underground "Chief Rocka" available here)

THE REAL LOWER EAST SIDE: CAPTURED

2009-07-19T20:45:00.007-04:00

LITTLE BROTHER IS WATCHING BIG BROTHER.

This month, the long-time-coming documentary, CAPTURED premiered in New York City. Produced by Mark Levin (Slam) and starring Clayton Peterson and Jimmy Gestapo (of the NYHC institution Murphy's Law) the film has been in "production" for 30 years. Watch the preview then head to Amazon, iTunes or whatevs to get your paws on one.

Since 1979 Clayton Patterson has dedicated his life to documenting the final era of raw creativity and lawlessness in New York City's Lower East Side, a neighborhood famed for art, music and revolutionary minds. Traversing the outside edge he's recorded a dark and colorful society, from drag to hardcore, heroin, homelessness, political chaos and ultimately gentrification. His odyssey from voyeur to provocateur reveals that it can take losing everything you love to find your own significance.

GULF COAST SLABS: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF CLAY KETTER

2009-07-19T18:05:00.000-04:00

Clay Ketter, an American artist/photog by way of Sweden, traveled to post-Katrina Mississippi to capture the view of its devastation not in the debris on the ground, but in the foundations of the former houses from above. Ketter, a former carpenter himself, knew just where to look to find beautiful composition in the bleakest of circumstances. Better known for his paintings and assemblages using construction materials, this series is especially evocative considering the lives and dreams that use to occupy the slabs he shot. (click on the images to enlarge)

A retrospective of Ketter's work (including the "Gulf Coast Slabs" series as well as paintings and sculpture) is currently on display at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Sweden until August 16th of this year. Highly recommended. (via Today and Tomorrow)

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK: THE SPECIFICS HARDLY MATTER

2009-07-15T21:32:00.010-04:00

Every now and again a movie comes along and rips you out of your world. (even if just for a few hours) Synecdoche, NY, a film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) is either so accurate and profound or so damn crazy and disjointed that you have to see it. (I vote profound) I realize the movie came out months ago, but you can't post important scenes from a freshly released film. (plus, I just saw it) So with that said, if you haven't see it, I might not watch this scene.

Here is the transcribed monologue including it's beginning which is not in the clip, but should be. I would edit it, but I don't have that much time on my hands. According to the movie, none of us do:

What was once before you - an exciting, mysterious future - is now behind you. Lived; understood; disappointing. You realize you are not special. You have struggled into existence, and are now slipping silently out of it. This is everyones experience. Every single one. The specifics hardly matter. Everyone is everyone. So you are Adele, Hazel, Claire, Olive. You are Ellen. All her meager sadnesses are yours; all her loneliness; the gray, straw-like hair; her red raw hands. Its yours. It is time for you to understand this.
Walk.(begin clip)
As the people who adore you stop adoring you; as they die; as they move on; as you shed them; as you shed your beauty; your youth; as the world forgets you; as you recognize your transience; as you begin to lose your characteristics one by one; as you learn there is no-one watching you, and there never was, you think only about driving - not coming from any place; not arriving any place. Just driving, counting off time. Now you are here, it's 7:43. Now you are here, it's 7:44. Now you are...

TABERNACLE: A SOLO EXHIBITION BY CHRISTOPHER DAVISON

2009-07-13T23:38:00.007-04:00

A few months ago, I posted some work by Christopher Davison, a Philadephia based artist with an amazing style and subject matter that tends to abduct your senses. (in a good way) Deservedly so, Mr. Davison has a new solo exhibition called Tabernacle, opening at the Nicelle Beauchene Gallery in New York City beginning in late July through August. The piece in the invite (above) is considerably brighter in tone and subject matter and certainly befits the exhibition's name which means "a sanctuary for worship." (or a receptacle for the consecrated elements of the Eucharist) Considering the predominant use of demons/devils and dark imagery in Davison's previous work, perhaps this show represents a new direction for the artist, or simply another side in the world of good/evil. Looking forward to it.

(via Christopher Davison)

3RD GRADE NECESSARY: ANTI-THEFT LUNCH BAGS

2009-07-13T23:00:00.008-04:00

In the summers, I work for a day camp in Portsmouth, playing kickball and tag games with 1st through 4th graders. With my campers in mind, the design team of Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee known formally as The. (they admittedly have short attention spans) have created the perfect solution for lunch time thievery. Imagine the look on a young persons face when they discover the delicious lunch they thought they stole turned out to be a moldy sandwich due to green spots printed on the sandwich bag. The original owner may not get the meal back, they'll be damned if some snot-nosed kid will enjoy their parents' hard earned tuna fish (or PBJ). At the very least, the bags would make for some deep conversations at cafeteria lunch tables. Perhaps they'll make one for lunchables?

For most of the year, I teach high school history and I'm sorry to say that this invention might actually be better suited for an office (or teacher's room) environment. At least that way, the potential culprit would put your lunch back in the communal fridge (and then tell the whole school about the poor quality of lunches its teachers possess).

(via Design Boom)

LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW

2009-07-13T18:56:00.003-04:00

"I want you all to know, everyone with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Thank you for being here today to honor Falicia Prechtl, whom I didn't even know. To celebrate my death. My death began on August 2, 1991 and continued when I began to see the beautiful and innocent life that I had taken. I am so terribly sorry. I wish I could die more than once to tell you how sorry I am. I have said in interviews, if you want to hurt me and choke me, that's how terrible I felt before this crime. I am sorry, it is her innocence and her life which began the remorse every since December 1, 1991. I have embraced life. Thank you for being a part of my life. I love you. May God be with us all. May God have mercy on us all. I am ready. Please do not hate anybody because.......(end of statement)"
—Karl Chamberlain, executed in Texas on June 11, 2008

In 1991, Karl Chamberlain raped and killed Falicia Prechtl. He was convicted of his crime and on June 11, 2008, he was executed in Texas. When reading Karl's final words before his execution on TruTV's "Last Words From Death Row", I couldn't help but think about humanity (or lack there of) in the world. First, about Karl's lack of humanity in that moment (or possibly throughout his life?) and then the lack of humanity in his those who raised him and quite possibly the penal system and the death sentence he recieved thereafter (note: I am NOT defending Karl or his actions). His words and those of the other few dozen inmates immortalized (for better or for worse) on the site left me with so many questions, starting with "what would my last words be?" They would come in a different scenario that's for sure, but what would I say in my final message to those who listened? Some of these men (and women) strive for eloquence while a few speak as if they don't understand what comes next. I wouldn't skip work to ponder all this, but it's interesting introspection nonetheless.

Karl's case especially peaked my interest (not in a morbid way, the crime is utterly sickening) and I simply could not wrap my head around his actions in 1991, (how does a married man decide one day to rape and kill a neighbor?) but his life in prison including an active art career and love interest provided different questions, starting with "How could anyone fall in love with this person?" Perhaps it was David Castillo's (pictured below) last words that adequately sum up a prisoner's life after their crime? "There is no man that is free from all evil, nor any man that is so evil to be worth nothing."

"We all know what really happened, but there are some things you just can't fight. Little people always seem to get squashed. It happens. ... There is no man that is free from all evil, nor any man that is so evil to be worth nothing." —David Castillo, executed in Texas on Aug. 23, 1998

"I was once asked by somebody, I don't remember who, if there was any way sex offenders could be stopped. I said no. I was wrong." —Westley Allan Dodd, executed in Washington on Jan. 5, 1993 "Please tell the media, I did not get my Spaghetti-O's, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know."
—Thomas Grasso, executed in Oklahoma on March 20, 1995

NEW SUMMER JAMS: THE VERY BEST (ESAU MWAMWAYA + RADIOCLIT)

2009-07-12T16:01:00.011-04:00

Last winter's mixtape champions The Very Best (Esau Mwamwaya and British DJ duo Radioclit) are finishing up their official debut album, Warm Heart of Africa, due out this fall. So far FOUR new MP3s have leaked out including the much hyped single "Warm Heart of Africa," (featuring Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend fame) "Ntende Uli" and this past Friday, "Julie" (my personal favorite) and RainDance (feat. M.I.A.) were snuck out as well. Today, their label Green Owl had the Julie/RainDance MP3s pulled, but I've included a link to the streams at hype machine (I'm sure you can still find them for download somewhere?) These new songs (and the new album) will surely move your idiot body around so get on it before, as Will says, these songs will be overblown in a shitty car commercial soundtrack.

If you haven't heard The Very Best Mixtape from late 08' click here to download its magnificence. While I generally enjoyed these mashes this past winter, it really should have been a summertime/top down release. Suddenly, "Tengazako" and "Boyz" have taken on new meaning now that the "Paper Planes"/Kala overload is finished and the weather's warm. Also, "Solata" is definitely the best possible use for that ol' Cannibal Ox track, "Life's Ill."

Click to download:
-Warm Heart of Africa (feat. Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend) (SORRY, LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED PER REQUEST BY LABEL)
-Ntende Uli (SORRY, LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED PER REQUEST BY LABEL)
Streams:
-Julie
-Rain Dance (feat. M.I.A.)

(via I Guess I'm Floating)

ORGANIC HANGING: CLAIRE MORGAN

2009-07-08T20:10:00.017-04:00

Irish visual artist Claire Morgan has created some compelling organic installations in the past few years, most notably in a group exhibition entitled Building With Colour at Northumbria University in Newcastle. Pictured above is a piece called Fluid which displays a taxidermied crow crashing through a plane of lush strawberries, all painstakingly suspended in air using nylon and fishing hooks. Pictured below is an installation from last year titled Captive and featured a taxidermied owl that crashed attempting to hunt a white mouse and was left in a sea of pieces of plastic bags. Morgan says of her work, "I use materials that display signs of excess or decay, and find myself contemplating issues relating to the 'residues' that we as a society leave on the earth."
Darren Ambrose, lecturer in art theory, says "Morgan’s sculptural material is ordinary, familiar and everyday, but is transfigured through the rigor of formal composition into becoming resonant with a mysterious melancholic power that allows it to be unfamiliar to us again.” Well said.
(via Booooooom)

MAY YOUR SHIP HAVE IRON SIDES ON FACEBOOK

2009-07-08T18:46:00.004-04:00

Add the MAY YOUR SHIP HAVE IRONSIDES Facebook page here and social network the crap out of it.

STRANGE/SMART: CORPORATE RETAIL WOOS AMERICA'S PROGRESSIVES

2009-07-07T17:14:00.010-04:00

In an ironic twist of fate, retail behemoth Wal-Mart has unexpectedly cast their support in favor of a mandate that requires American companies to provide health insurance for their workers. Say Whaaaaa? Yes, Wal-Mart, who for years railed against such a mandate and encouraged employees to use state medicaid programs instead of providing it themselves (along with SEVERAL other ethical/environmental concerns) is now working with the Service Employees International UNION to require insurance for their previously underpaid, sometimes undocumented, never unionized, sometimes discriminated against, still-waiting-for-their-overtime-pay employees. The support is a huge boon for an Obama administration trying to cover the remaining uninsured 50 million Americans by lowering health care costs and providing a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers. The health care reform legislation (the issue of raising the funds is still up for discussion) is currently being drafted and may see a vote this summer.

In an equally strange move, a new McDonald's restaurant in Cary, NC has included an electric motor charging station in its parking lot for green customers. Perhaps even stranger, this was not their first electric car charger (Arizona late 90's). According to Pike Research, there will be over 5 million charge points for electric vehicles in the world by the year 2015. That same McDonald's, set to open July 14th, was constructed using a wide-range of recycled materials. In the U.K., they recycle their vegetable oil into bio-diesel and this year, all stores began using fish from sustainable fisheries (fish make up only a tiny percentage of sales). McDonald's has also participated in setting a ban on using cattle feed from soy grown in recently deforested areas.

While the sudden and dramatic shift in ethical/environmental policy by these companies is impressive, rest assured the changes have almost nothing to do with providing health care or saving the planet and everything to do with making money off the increased market share they will surely secure with the progressive label they hope to garner. Wal-Mart isn't as concerned with insuring their employees (or they wouldn't have been one of the worst at doing so for years and years) as they are looking to boost their image for providing health care that may cover all their workers, but with health care costs dropping, won't cost them much at all in the end. The goodwill they'll get should bring in a new customer base (myself not included) that may have previously criticized Wal-Mart for a variety of valid reasons.

So could McDonald's and Wal-Mart be the new progressive leaders of the corporate world? Definitely not. Both companies still have arguably two of the worst environmental/ethical records out there (especially the massive use of resources to make beef for McDonald's). This isn't surprising, typically, larger, more established companies in the U.S. are understandably slow to change (change comes at a huge price sometimes) and will only do what they must to stay competitive and achieve efficiency while keeping costs at their absolute lowest. It is usually the smaller, younger businesses that drive the push for ethical and environmental progression since they are smaller, easily-changed operations and will take chances on different markets to try to compete with the more established companies. Sometimes they even do so because they feel a responsibility to reduce their carbon footprints and benefit people in ways other than providing products, but obviously, these changes can be profitable too. Improving their green/ethical public relations (even slightly) is the perfect play for large companies like Wal-Mart and McDonald's and while these corporations make these changes to increase efficiency and/or bring new customers and ultimately, to make money, it certainly is an improvement for the world. Hopefully they'll keep going, they've got a lot of work to do.
(via Hybrid Cars, The Boston Globe)

PAST MEETS FUTURE: LINOS RECORD PLAYER

2009-07-02T16:14:00.008-04:00

12 years ago, more than half of my music collection was on vinyl. I'd amassed my records for years and it consisted mostly of choice punk/hardcore and hip-hop which, in general, wasn't available in CD format. I'm not even going to pretend everything on my record player was worth listening to, but that's another matter. Sadly, I sold those 7" and 12"s (even 10" and 5"s too) a few years back and transitioned to digital music, which nearly fits on my 30GB ipod. Though, unfortunately mp3/4's don't come close to matching the sound quality and let us avoid a discussion on their lack of album art. Had I known that one day (this past year) Charles Pyott would design the sleekest record player ever, I would be enjoying some 7 Seconds or Chokehold (or Slapshot, see not all good) right now on my side table.

Called the linos, the USB player is portable and can be powered via computer or outlet. It operates using a small motor in the spindle on which you place the record while the arm stabilizes the apparatus. The picture below provides a visual explanation. The linos is not, as far I know, in production right now, but hopefully in the near, near future. Look for it, while I attempt to round up the ol' vinyl.
(via NotCot)

THE ARTWORK OF OTHER

2009-06-30T12:47:00.018-04:00

The Canadian graf artist known as Other has been a busy man and looking to chronicle his works in book form. Dude is top notch and to make money for this endeavor he's selling prints (pictured below) here. (though, according to My Love For You Is a Stampede of Horses, they sell out QUICK which is not surprising considering) The 12"x 13" prints go for 100$ and are a great investment in an impressive up and comer. If the book includes his pieces on walls, trains and various objects seen on Flickr, it'll be very necessary and if it's new stuff, it'll be like oxygen.
(via My Love For You Is a Stampede of Horses which is quickly becoming my favorite art site)

THE PACIFIC: AN UPCOMING HBO MINI-SERIES

2009-06-29T22:17:00.005-04:00

HBO recently released the trailer for their second World War II mini-series entitled The Pacific, due out in March of 2010. It is already touted as the greatest and most expensive TV show to date with ten 60 minute episodes already completed at a rumored cost of 200 million. Executive producer Tom Hanks had this to say about the "spiritual sequel" to Band of Brothers:
"That’s having its score finalized. I think it’s going to be March 2010. We are able to visit the home front on this one and we’re able to show the guys before the War and after. We show some of the most vicious stuff I’ve ever seen on film - because it has to be."

The trailer itself seems to follow the format of Band of Brothers in that it will follow a cast of characters through a single company of men. This time however, we will get a more complete story of each of these men including life on the homefront during the war. Surely, the issue of racism and miscommunication (on both sides), and the major "island hopping" battles will be addressed and hopefully, the firebombings and dropping of the atomic bomb also. For real footage of the Pacific theatre of battles, check the color (yes, color) footage in Ken Burns' The War.

The picture below was taken on set and like Band of Brothers, is painstakingly true to the appearance of soldiers (on both sides) in WWII. History nerds rejoice.

(via The Pacific Fanpage)

THE BIG DIG HOUSE

2009-06-28T13:31:00.013-04:00

There were few highlights in Boston's "Big Dig" highway overhaul that cost almost 22 billion dollars over the last 20 years. However, along with the wasted time and money (and lives) that accompanied the greatest highway project in U.S. history came tons and tons of industrial/construction waste. An architectural endeavor known as the Big Dig House in Lexington, MA has put to use the remains of the dismantled I-93. Designed by Single Speed Design, the house was constructed using over 600,000 pounds of salvaged materials (see pics below). This type of recycling is not only saving resources but quite a bit of money too, SSD puts it best:
Most importantly, the project demonstrates an untapped potential for the public realm: with strategic front-end planning, much needed community programs including schools, libraries, and housing could be constructed whenever infrastructure is deconstructed, saving valuable resources, embodied energy, and taxpayer dollars.
(via Arch Daily)

USA: #20 IN WORLD HOUSEHOLD BROADBAND INTERNET USE

2009-06-24T16:41:00.017-04:00

Most Americans are under the impression that we are part of the technological leadership of the world or at the very least, that we have access to this technology. Since we don't often see how our competitors live, who can blame us? Every now and again, we get a reminder that we are no longer the tech kings of the world. (we're pretty good though) Well, new research by Strategy Analytics has concluded that based on household broadband usage (or penetration as it's known), the U.S. now ranks 20th in the world. First on the list is South Korea with 95% of its households using broadband internet access followed by three other Asian nations in the top ten which does not include Japan, (number 16) a country typically thought of as very tech-accessible. (full list below)

When Barack Obama spoke a few months ago about getting America "back on track" he mentioned a study that ranked the U.S. 13th in the world in broadband penetration per capita. That research can be misleading however according to Strategy Analysis:
“In far too many cases, people are looking at the wrong things,” says Ben Piper, Director of the Strategy Analytics Multiplay Market Dynamics service. “Residential broadband is overwhelmingly consumed on a household basis—not individually. Reporting broadband penetration on a per-capita basis misses the mark, and can provide grossly misleading results.”

The significance of this report is not necessarily that America lags behind it's competitors in tech access (which is important in and of itself), but that this lack of technological access could effect our ability to compete in education. According to the Programme for International Student Assessment, the United States does NOT rank in the world's top 20 in any of the three educational categories: Mathematics, Science and Reading. However, almost every country in the top five in these categories also placed in the top ten in broadband use. They are South Korea, Taiwan, Finland, Hong Kong, Canada, the Netherlands, and Estonia. South Korea, perhaps not surprisingly, is #1 in broadband access and reading worldwide. Each of these countries use computers as a cornerstone in their educational systems, President Clinton also shared this view, but we have struggled as of late to keep up. Part of the reason why students internationally score higher than US students is that they spend more time in school, but we could challenge these countries by virtually increasing students educational time with more computer access at home and computer-based learning communities outside of the classroom. This is one of the reasons why broadband access is so important and consequently, one of the reasons why Obama has provided 7 billion dollars to increase this access. There are several ways our educational system has to change to compete, but one of the first steps is to provide the access to the tools we need to so.

THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT: LAURA ADEL JOHNSON

2009-06-22T09:11:00.006-04:00

Laura Adel Johnson has found a better use for those pathetic christmas lights you keep on your house nine months out of the year. (and waste a gazillion kilowatt hours of electricity) The Australian artist creates evocative wall drawings using the cords as lines as well as the puddles for her character's tears. They must be listening to The Smiths. (via Inside Out)

SUNDAY THE 21ST IS GO SKATEBOARDING DAY

2009-06-20T12:01:00.012-04:00

Today, the 20th, is international go surfing day, but more importantly, tomorrow is GO SKATEBOARDING DAY. It's supposed to rain here in the Northeast, so I've included some inspirational footage to get you in the mood. Marc Johnson doesn't care about rain, watch him destroy in third part of his Fully Flared video part (watch Epicly Later'd dissect the making). Graphic by Ed Templeton.

Update 6/21: NYC has postponed GSD until the 27th. Northeastern people can celebrate with the Yorkers next week. Also, rain sucks. (though I understand its benefits) For the record, I got to skate for a few minutes in the neighborhood and the wet actually felt good. Not as good as the session yesterday in the sun of course, which was the perfect atmosphere to beat a long time friend/rival at S.K.A.T.E (to be fair, he owns me so in no way does this win make up for the dozen times he's beaten me since my last one)

MISANTHROPY MADE EASY: JIM TIERNEY

2009-06-19T08:14:00.013-04:00

Jim Tierney has a created a handsome, essential guide to master misanthropy (click picture for larger version). Check his site for more quirky, vintage style drawings.

With the utmost respect to Mr. Tierney, I have a few suggestions on taking one's hatred of mankind (and womankind) to a party:

1. On the topic of gadgets, voicemail will give you 30 seconds of escape time tops, but texts, tweets and emails provide endless opportunities to avoid conversation and prove that you are A. too busy for this party and B. better than everyone there.

2. When fidgeting, try drumming. Using your right hand for the constant high hat tick and your left to man the snare, tap your right foot as the bass beat. Now follow every 4/4 indie rock/ironic club song playing at the party as if you were the actual drummer (stare blankly as to not let on how much you are actually concentrating). For advanced players, play double bass drum and do the fills too. If you are indeed a fidgeter, you might as well let everyone imagine you're a musician instead of just a nervous shut-in. (note: play confidently, the music will be far too loud for anyone to hear you)

3. When wandering, hit the bathroom at least a few times (not literally unless you're an experienced misanthrope), if your party is in the late hours, there should be a line (this suggests you're totally doing something other than just lurking) and more than likely something interesting/disgusting will happen.

4. Folding and tearing paper is essential. Bring plenty of bottled drinks so that you can peel off the label. Bonus points for foil transfers onto the wooden arm of the chair you're sitting in. (thank high school kids for pioneering this worthless activity)

5. Experienced misanthropes (if not already incarcerated or moved to Alaska) know that beer is not to sipped but guzzled in attempt to finally break free from your pent-up rage at humanity by screaming at the top of your lungs about the hypocrisy you see in every person at the party. In this case the liquor serves three purposes: A. It will stop you from shaking as you clearly depend on it to get you through life now (see label peeling). B. It's possible the booze may make you belligerent enough to call out everyone in the room. BUT let's be honest, you will NEVER be able to do this so C. the alcohol will dull the pain of your inevitable heart attack and ensure your death which is what you wanted anyway.

Note: These comments are not approved by Mr. Tierney and are not meant in any way to disrespect him or his work or Joaquin Phoenix.
(via My Love For You Is a Stampede of Horses)

COMING SOON: CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION AGENCY

2009-06-16T20:09:00.007-04:00

Ask and ye shall receive. A few weeks ago I weighed in on President Obama's proposed credit card reform bill and what it meant for consumer protection in America. Like many Americans, I suggested going further and creating a government agency that protects consumers:

"Hopefully, this is the tip of the iceberg in securing consumer rights in a capitalist system that obviously thrives on wasteful spending and then abuses most of those who spend. Consumers must practice restraint and responsibility in spending, but I see increasing difficulty in young people's ability to do so considering the status and prestige assigned to the products/services they are almost required to buy in our society. I still feel that there should be a department of consumer affairs in the president's cabinet to represent the people/consumers instead of the current agencies that seem to only represent the interests of the American business. "

Well, it seems the President is listening (not to me, mind you). CNN has reported that tomorrow (6/17) he will make the official proposal to create the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, a presidential appointed commission that will have broad powers to ban abusive "anti-consumer" practices in financial sector (Credit, loans, banking). Whether you agree or disagree (and if you're in banking or CC's you most definitely disagree) this is an inspiring example of a President who has the sense to listen to the will of the people and act accordingly. AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME.

PORTABLE HOUSING: GREEN SHEDS AND CABINS FOR LIVING

2009-06-15T21:01:00.016-04:00

This past year (and economic recession) has brought a rash of cheap, portable, compact and stylish housing ideas. While this is nothing new, (see portable globe house below) these high-concept homes were designed with green capabilities and a supreme use of space. For most folks these projects were conceived as an extra summer living space, presumably in some vacation land, but as a teacher, I see them as potential full-time homes. Most impressive is the new "Shed for Living" (pictured above) created by Manchester, England's FKDA. This micro home can reach ZERO carbon status, meaning it uses less energy than it generates including the building process and day to day operation. For those of you who dream of a small, handsome space (attention teachers and Japanese architects) peep the plans and imagine.

Pictured below is the Loft Cube, designed by Werner Aisslinger; the KS1 and KS2 homes from Swedish company Summer Entertainment and a log cabin called the "Flake House" from French designers Olgga. The Flake House is currently on exhibit in Nantes, France (if you're in the area) until August at which point it will be auctioned online to the highest bidder.
(Via Dezeen and DesignBoom)

ED TEMPLETON ON ESPN: IRONIC RECOGNITION

2009-06-14T10:10:00.014-04:00

ESPN has produced a tribute to Ed Templeton, one of the most influential skaters/artists/business owners ever. Of course I have a few thoughts on the subject:
1. Ed always was/is awesome and he deserves the recognition. Also, Toy Machine is a skateboarding institution.
2. ESPN has a skateboarding blog?
3. Apparently, ESPN is so convoluted that they think they have the credibility to be covering artists from a skateboard community that for most of its past, aggressively rebelled against companies like ESPN who only wanted to be involved to make a buck. (For the record, ESPN is a fantastic station, but they have no legitimate connection to skateboarding)
4. Skateboarding is not a sport. A sport is defined as a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. There are no rules in skateboarding and it shouldn't be judged.
5. I admit, I love Sportscenter.
6. ESPN wishes they were Vice and this interview was an Epicly Later'd episode. (EL is the best)
7. The narration is a ghastly attempt to make Ed/skateboarding sound "extreme".
8. Trying to inject the "competition" in skateboarding, the producers try to hard to paint Ed as a competitor in his time on the "contest circuit" in the early 90's. (he won two contests and at that point, they were TINY, jokes of a competition which is how it should be)
9. Mike Vallely is an embarrassment (Afflicition MMA clothing? Mighty Ducks?), but thank God, Allah, Vishnu, Buddha they mention Gonz and Natas for cred.
10. Sheep shoes/1997/animal-free represent. (SoleTech bring that sh*t back)

ESPN, this interview is simultaneously awesome and horrible at the same time, but thanks for giving Ed his due in proper.

PREMIERE: FOOD INC.

2009-06-10T22:05:00.011-04:00

The highly anticipated documentary Food Inc. premiered this past week in New York City to rave reviews and is set for limited release this Friday the 12th. I'll let the press release handle the details (below) but the potentially revolutionary film includes commentary from my favorite notable expert Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation [life-changing], Refer Madness [must-read] and Super Size Me fame) even though his appearance on the Colbert Report was mostly lackluster. The Official Food Inc. site includes an incredible amount of information on healthy eating, the environmental impact of foods, chemicals and nutritional labeling as well as a blog and recommended reading.

"In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here."

The site also includes the Hungry for Change Cafeteria which showcases some of the necessary changes that need to be made to school lunches (a subject I have addressed before while introducing The School Food Trust) Also, please sign the petition to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act.

DEADLINE: POST-IT NOTE STOP-MOTION

2009-06-10T20:50:00.005-04:00

Bang-yao Liu and friends have created this fantastic short using stop-motion post-it note animation. While it's been done before, the atari references, human/post-it interactions and royksopp soundtrack makes this one especially enjoyable. Liu explains the concept:
"This is my senior project at Savannah College of Art and Design. Where my idea comes from is that every time when I am busy, I feel that I am not fighting with my works, I am fighting with those post-it notes and deadline. I manipulating the post-it notes to do pixel-like stop motion and there are some interactions between real actor and post-its." The making of video can be seen here.

(via Booooooom, a fantastic art blog)

NECESSARY OFFICE ARCHITECT: PAUL COUDAMY

2009-06-07T13:47:00.007-04:00

As tech jobs take over and American working environments (and dress codes) look to the future, they might just look across the Atlantic for inspiration. French architect Paul Coudamy has designed a stunning, organic office space for Beartech (internet provider) called the "Bear Cave". Coudamy used found wood waste from dumpsters and sidewalks to create a fiberous "growth" from floor to ceiling. Whatever your taste, it's nice to see progressive businesses worldwide concern themselves with a comfortable, creative atmosphere rather than suits and stuffiness.

Coudamy's other work includes a cardboard office, similar (in theme anyway) to a cardboard office I wrote about a few months ago created by Joost Van Bleiswijk. Pictures available on his site.

(via Design Boom)

THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE

2009-06-04T07:07:00.005-04:00

Today is the 20th anniversary of the massacre at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China in June of 1989. Mourning Hu Yaobang (pro democracy official) and seeking greater political freedom in communist China, 1 million protesters (mostly students) gathered for weeks before the Chinese government used their military to put an end to the international attention the protests were getting. The death toll is unknown but it is estimated in the thousands. NATO estimated the count to be upwards of 7,000 people. The Chinese government (who never speak of the event and have censored views other than their own) estimate 300-600 “thugs” were killed and not students. Regardless of the exact number, remember the thousands who were willing to die for the freedom we enjoy everyday.

The next day (June 5th, 1989), this man courageously put his life at risk to stop a tank and show the world (and the communist government) that the spirit of Chinese revolutionaries will not die. Shortly after this video was taken, he was dragged back into the crowd by government officials. There has been massive speculation about his fate: some believe he was executed immediately, some believe he was executed via firing squad months later and still others say he is alive and in hiding in China to this day.

DENNIS BUSENITZ. SO FAST. SO PRETTY.

2009-06-03T21:30:00.005-04:00

Observe.
(via HUF blog)

WELL DESIGNED INFORMATION: TRANSPARENCY OF THE ISSUES

2009-06-02T09:36:00.017-04:00

The folks at Good Magazine and Fogelson-Lubliner have collaborated on a series of what they call "transparencies" that help to present important information in a bold fashion and of course, make it easier to digest. I've posted a number of graphic organizers in the past few months and in this visually dominated world, they are becoming more prominent and more effective.

1. THE IMPACT OF OUR DIETS ON WATER RESOURCES (above, click for larger image)
Last post, I commented on Nadeem Haidary's physical information and its potential role in impacting how we think about calorie intake in the United States. I also mentioned how our high-calorie diets not only affect our bodies, but the environment due to the resources necessary to make our food. This transparency illustrates the impact of our diets/lifestyles on our water resources thanks to the Dept. of Energy, H2O Conserve, IEEE Spectrum, and the Water Footprint Network.

Again, beef seems to be the biggest waste of most resources (grains, space, water, sun, energy) and while I don't fault people for eating meat, we can no longer ignore the harmful inefficiency of producing it.

2. THE SAD STATE OF GAY MARRIAGE IN THE UNITED STATES.
New Hampshire just joined the other few progressive states in the union so you can't blame us.

3. AMERICA'S DRUGS OF CHOICE.
For California, it's Meth; for Florida it's cocaine and New England has the nation's biggest heroin problem. However, this is according to the Justice Department, so if their account of the biggest problem drugs is anything like their success in the war on drugs then I would just concentrate on how handsome the graphic is.

4. THE PACIFIC OCEAN IS THE WORLD'S GARBAGE CAN.
Interesting that when they estimate the size of the plastic-filled garbage mass in the Pacific Ocean, they compare it to Texas. Enough said.

NADEEM HAIDARY'S IN-FORMED PRODUCTS

2009-06-01T20:40:00.010-04:00

Statistics and/or information, no matter how shocking or significant, may seldom impact potentially harmful human behavior. Not even if we wish it were so. However, that will never stop us from trying to influence others with regard to the issues we hold dear and it will never stop the occasional message from seeping in and perhaps, changing history and lives. Nadeem Haidary is one of "us" and his influence can be seen IN the products he designs by creating physical information that we use as constant reminders in our daily lives. He calls this product line In-Formed and the concept, while not totally original, is surely another great marketing tool; be it for business or activism. Of course, the downside to marketing (other than not knowing what techniques really work) is that even if the message were in our hands daily, we would eventually become numb to it and would require some other, more "in your face" type of marketing to break through the ever growing clutter. I don't even want to imagine what that would be.

In this particular case, the design is meant to educate people about the massive daily amount of calories Americans consume on average (over 3,500; healthy is approximately 1800-2300), compared to the rest of the world. I recently began to scale back my food portions (and thus calorie intake) because I'm turning into a fat bastard, so I would appreciate a reminder like the one found on the fork Haidary has designed. I must say however, that while the countries/intakes listed on the fork are worthwhile, there are far too many under-developed nations that on average, consume less than 2000 calories a day (too many of them in Africa) that should be included on other models. I and Haidary are also concerned about the resources used to create food (especially meat), which would obviously go down with consumption, but clearly a fact lost on most Americans and certainly not a message supported by U.S. industry (and yes you, McDonald's and BK). So essentially, green= consuming less food and/or foods that require less processing.

Looking at the fork, I'm a bit weary of that U.S. prong, as that thing would no doubt, end up a quarter-inch deep in my gums if this product ever existed. And for me personally, why even make the U.S. and Europe plates? I need the Africa plate seven days a week. (yes, I understand why he includes these plates in the collection, and no, I'm certainly not trying to trivialize this)

(via GOOD)

THE FOG OF WAR: THE FIREBOMBING OF JAPAN BEFORE THE ATOMIC BOMB

2009-05-28T18:18:00.013-04:00

Recently, I've been involved in several discussions about the motivations for the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and whether or not this was a necessary course of action. In addition, my students are studying this controversial subject in my U.S. History class, but helping students (take on Truman's role) make one of the most difficult decisions in human history is a daunting task. The problem is that our textbook (The Americans, 2001) contains NO information about the 7 month U.S. fire-bombing campaign in Japan that destroyed 67 cities, killed more than 500,000 people and displaced 5 million. The fire-bombing of Tokyo alone claimed the lives of over 100,000 civilians in only one night and remains the highest death toll of a single bombing raid in history (neither Hiroshima nor Nagasaki individually killed as many in their blasts.. death from radiation sickness is another matter however) In order to provide the proper context for students (or anyone) to form an educated opinion on the subject, it is necessary to include this rather important information especially considering the arguments for dropping the bomb rely on the speculation that its use was absolutely necessary and had to be done immediately. Because of the unprecedented amount of civilian death and devastation involved, it might not come as a surprise that our textbooks would avoid any events or ideas that might counter those notions. For a decent account of the two sides of the coin, click here.

Enter Robert McNamara, one of the most heavily discussed figures in modern American history for his role in the Vietnam war as the Secretary of Defense under JFK. In the oscar-winning documentary, The Fog of War (2004), he reveals not only his part in the cold war, but also his role in the fire-bombing of Japan before the atomic bombs were dropped. McNamara regretfully discusses the importance of proportionality in war, the massive destruction that he helped create in Japan and the dropping of the atomic bombing:

"[I]n order to win a war should you kill 100,000 people in one night, by firebombing or any other way. LeMay's answer would be clearly 'Yes' . . . Proportionality should be a guideline in war. Killing 50% to 90% of the people of 67 Japanese cities and then bombing them with two nuclear bombs is not proportional, in the minds of some people, to the objectives we were trying to achieve."

Note: He also says he doesn't fault Truman so McNamara does not present a one-sided argument either.

The film includes a moving montage of the names of the bombed Japanese cities and their U.S. equivalents that flashes ever faster over the images of burnt debris. Here are the cities in an easily digestible format:

Japanese City %Destroyed (Size-Equivalent US City)
Yokohama 58 (Cleveland)
Tokyo 51 (New York)
Toyama 99 (Chattanooga)
Nagoya 40 (Los Angeles)
Osaka 35.1 (Chicago)
Nishinomiya 11.9 (Cambridge)
Siumonoseki 37.6 (San Diego)
Kure 41.9 (Toledo)
Kobe 55.7 (Baltimore)
Omuta 35.8 (Miami)
Wakayama 50 (Salt Lake City)
Kawasaki 36.2 (Portland)
Okayama 68.9 (Long Beach)
Yawata 21.2 (San Antonio)
Kagoshima 63.4 (Richmond)
Amagasaki 18.9 (Jacksonville)
Sasebo 41.4 (Nashville)
Moh 23.3 (Spokane)
Miyakonoio 26.5 (Greensboro)
Nobeoka 25.2 (Augusta)
Miyazaki 26.1 (Davenport)
Hbe 20.7 (Utica)
Saga 44.2 (Waterloo)
Imabari 63.9 (Stockton)
Matsuyama 64 (Duluth)
Fukui 86 (Evansville)
Tokushima 85.2 (Ft. Wayne)
Sakai 48.2 (Forth Worth)
Hachioji 65 (Galveston)
Kumamoto 31.2 (Grand Rapids)
Isezaki 56.7 (Sioux Falls)
Takamatsu 67.5 (Knoxville)
Akashi 50.2 (Lexington)
Fukuyama 80.9 (Macon)
Aomori 30 (Montgomery)
Okazaki 32.2 (Lincoln)
Oita 28.2 (Saint Joseph)
Hiratsuka 48.4 (Battle Creek)
Tokuyama 48.3 (Butte)
Yokkichi 33.6 (Charlotte)
Uhyamada 41.3 (Columbus)
Ogaki 39.5 (Corpus Christi)
Gifu 63.6 (Des Moines)
Shizuoka 66.1 (Oklahoma City)
Himeji 49.4 (Peoria)
Fukuoka 24.1 (Rochester)
Kochi 55.2 (Sacramento)
Shimizu 42 (San Jose)
Omura 33.1 (Sante Fe)
Chiba 41 (Savannah)
Ichinomiya 56.3 (Springfield)
Nara 69.3 (Boston)
Tsu 69.3 (Topeka)
Kuwana 75 (Tucson)
Toyohashi 61.9 (Tulsa)
Numazu 42.3 (Waco)
Chosi 44.2 (Wheeling)
Kofu 78.6 (South Bend)
Utsunomiya 43.7 (Sioux City)
Mito 68.9 (Pontiac)
Sendai 21.9 (Omaha)
Tsuruga 65.1 (Middleton)
Nagaoka 64.9 (Madison)
Hitachi 72 (Little Rock)
Kumagaya 55.1 (Kenosha)
Hamamatsu 60.3 (Hartford)
Maebashi 64.2 (Wheeling)

Also strangely absent from our texts was the advance of the Russian army through Manchuria in preparation for an assault on Japan (this is addressed briefly in the recommended reading above). A few more questions for debate: could the bombings (plural) possibly have been the only way to get the Japanese to surrender? What role would the Russians have played in the political rebuilding of Japan if they had been able to invade Japan themselves?

While I'm not trying to convince you (or my students) that the bombing was not justified or unnecessary (or the opposite either), I am trying to provide information (that typically is left out of the argument) that makes the debate infinitely more interesting and the decision somehow even more difficult. Regardless of your position, we must all recognize the importance of Truman's actions and it's impact on world history forever. I assure you, the Japanese will never forget.

SLEPT ON SOUNDS: LIGHTNING DUST

2009-05-26T17:39:00.010-04:00

While Black Mountain is a stoner-rock colossus, few people have paid their due in proper to Lightning Dust, the side project of BM's Amber Webber and Joshua Wells. Their self-titled debut album came out a few years back to decent reviews but predictably, their priorities were BM and so LD (abbr's r fn) seemingly got the shelf. This August, Jagjaguwar is set to release their second album, Infinite Light and judging from the first single, their comeuppance. Though their earlier work was mainly piano-driven, suitably sad and sparse; Infinite Light already exhibits a thicker, busier, poppier, (slightly) electronic sound that will surely bring recognition to their psych/folk-pop sound and certainly, a greater audience. Download "I Knew" here and count the days until the 8th month.

Added (6/4/09) free stream of "History" which will also be on Infinite Light. Enjoy.
(via pitchfork)

NEW IN AMERICA: CHOIR OF YOUNG BELIEVERS

2009-05-23T17:15:00.003-04:00

If you're like me, you're patiently waiting for Choir of Young Believers (Denmark's Jannis Noya Makrigiannis) to release their albums in the US, (if you've got a Danish iTunes account you've already downloaded them) In the meantime, take a listen to a few free MP3s and keep your head up.

The folkie/orchestral/electronic gem, Action/Reaction (mp3) is the first COYB single to be released by Ghostly International later this month.

Redefining the summer love song, Next Summer (mp3) will someday be available on their US debut called "This Is For the White in Your Eyes". I assume the Ghostly folks will be putting this out as well, but no news as of yet. Big things await Choir of Young Believers, believe that.

WHY WE FIGHT

2009-05-22T16:57:00.002-04:00

It's memorial day weekend. As we barbecue, let us remember those who have died in service to the United States, and let us NOT assume that warfare is a necessary part of the American past, present or future. If you haven't seen the 2005 film, take an hour to investigate WHY WE FIGHT.

DANNY ESPINOZA

2009-05-22T16:44:00.001-04:00

Danny Espinoza, an upstart artist and photographer has been getting recognition for some of his cleaner creations. I favor his "sloppier", more raw works. They're all good though.

CREDIT CARD REFORM: IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME

2009-05-21T09:05:00.001-04:00

For years, I (and finally a few members of government) have been railing against the credit card companies/banks and their obviously abusive policies regarding overlimit fees, payment fees and interest rates. Finally, we have a president and Congress willing to act upon the years of blatant disregard for consumer rights. Tuesday, a bill was passed by the senate that will regulate the massive credit industry in the United States. What does this mean to average credit users? (and certainly there are credit abusers as well) Consumer Reports, a trusted source of consumer info for decades, has provided an easy to digest list of reforms that may benefit you. Here is the pilfered list with all credit due to CR:

•Interest rates can’t be raised during the first year of an account
•Customers will be notified 45 days in advance of any change in interest rates
•Bills can be paid online or over the phone without incurring a processing fee
•Customers must be over 60 days late on payments before their interest rate can be raised on balances; if the rate is raised, it will go back to the lower rate if customers make the minimum payment on time for six months in a row.
•Overlimit fees can’t be charged unless cardholders are told that the purchase will put them over their limit and they authorize it to go through anyway
•If your card has more than one interest rate on balances, then payments must be applied to the highest interest rate first
•Gift cards can’t expire for five years, and issuers can’t charge dormancy fees for unused amounts left on the card
•Credit card statements must be mailed out 21 days before they’re due
•Individuals under 21 will need a co-signer on their cards unless they can prove that they have the means to make payments on their own
•Credit card agreements will have to be posted on the internet

Most notable here are the efforts to curb outrageous interest hikes (some for simply making ONE late payment) and the fees charged for overlimits and making payments (yes, charge your customers for paying their bills, that was always a great idea). This means that Master Card debit/credit cards will no longer be allowed to extend your credit by approving purchases that go over your limit without your knowledge/consent AND more perhaps more importantly, you can avoid the $30-$60 overlimit fees. I would have gone further to ban the over limit purchases all together, but that's just me.

Keep in mind, the protection against “retroactive” rate increases do not include cardholders who have made payments that are more than 30 days late in the previous year. This unfortunately includes more than 10 million Americans who may need this legislation the most. (NCLC)

Hopefully, this is the tip of the iceberg in securing consumer rights in a capitalist system that obviously thrives on wasteful spending and then abuses most of those who spend. Consumers must practice restraint and responsibility in spending, but I see increasing difficulty in young people's ability to do so considering the status and prestige assigned to the products/services they are almost required to buy in our society. I still feel that there should be a department of consumer affairs in the president's cabinet to represent the people/consumers instead of the current agencies that seem to only represent the interests of the American business; but that's another story.

Here is a brief list of current consumer protection groups:
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Watchdog
National Association of Consumer Advocates
National Consumer Law Center
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Adbusters

Also, I'm not impressed with the loaded weapons in national parks rider attached to the bill. Riders (A clause, usually having little relevance to the main issue, that is added to a legislative bill) in general, are a bad deal and a stain on our democracy.
(via Consumer Reports and the pic by Liyin)

SIMON SCHUBERT FOLDS PAPER

2009-05-20T09:40:00.002-04:00

Origami ain't got nothing on Simon Schubert, a German artist who has created beautiful 2-D images by simply folding or creasing paper. This collection is currently on display at Upstairs Berlin until June 27th. In addition, he is also known for his sometimes absurd, yet thought-provoking sculptures previously on display at the Saatchi Gallery. (now in Chelsea)
(via Today and Tomorrow)

THE DRAWINGS OF CHRISTOPHER DAVISON

2009-05-19T17:22:00.002-04:00

Demons, flowers, small reproductive organs, multi-colored bodies, monkeys, severed heads, and beards. Possible mascots for the Republican Party? No, these are the recurring foci in the works of Philadelphia's Christopher Davison. Having recently updated his site, a stroll among Davison's newest pieces is a glorious nightmare of mysteriously dirty portraits and scenes. He showed at Brandeis' Rose Art Museum in Waltham, MA only a few months ago, perhaps his work will reach New England again soon. (via My Love For You Is Like a Stampede of Horses)

SEARCH AND DESTROY 09'

2009-05-18T20:44:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, for the third year, I was a part (albeit a very small part) of a growing tradition in New England skateboarding called Search and Destroy. Now, I'm not a fan of skateboard contests, considering the “sport” (I don't consider skateboarding a sport) and lifestyle are based on individuality and have always appealed to those people who don't typically care for team sports and/or rules. Anyway, Search and Destroy is an entirely different type of contest and it goes like this:
1. Get your team together. Ours was/is called Sale Carpet Sale (don't ask) and had 11 members (almost twice the number allowed).

2. Secure a video camera and transportation. (Red Bull payed for two shiny Toyota vans for the team and Identity Footwear and Apparel provided the camera)

3. Get to Nashua, NH on Saturday by 9am with 25$/person and to pick up the always anticipated S&D trick list. (next year)

4. Travel wherever you need to complete the tricks on the list and videotape them all. It's kind of like a skateboarding scavenger hunt if you will, except you might have to pour a beer down your friends throat while you both bomb a hill and/or find a decent ledge to film a 270 cab to backside lipslide (Tony/Zach and Dylan are the proud owners of those gems).

5. Meet up by 4 pm Sunday to turn in footage and skate/eat/drink with the homies. (you have about 31 hours)

6. Months later, go to video premiere where the hundreds of hours video have been whittled into a great movie (by Mr. Andy Gould) and find out which teams completed the most tricks and got the most points (and win the most money/prizes).

7. Repeat.

A few observations about this past weekend:
Connecticut is simultaneously the richest state in the union and a depressed, boarded-up, shell of a state. While driving through small suburbs of Hartford and New Haven, we witnessed some truly sad examples of areas that are always in a recession. I took a picture of the saddest example: a package store that advertised the beer they sold and their lack of hope for the future. (look closely at the writing below the sign. click on the pics for a larger image)

The new Bristol skate plaza is the business and Academy (Woodbridge, CT) is by far the most accommodating park I've ever skated. Thanks to Patrick for the session (see pic) and the much appreciated roof to sleep under.

An open letter to Connecticut's own Duchess: You make a decent breakfast for a ghetto-rific fastfood place, but why the flatscreen TVs on the menu display? Your appetizing shots of hot breakfast foods on the 30-inch screens looked fantastic but contained no information about your products and only distracted my ADD self from deciding what to order. So I have to ask, can you afford that Duchess? Your name is not fooling me by the way, I see through your lofty ruse to fool rich Connecticut people. (not a bad idea though, nobody ever said money makes one smart) Regardless, your texas french toast was like medicine for a man who passed out on a wooden floor only 5 hours earlier. Also, hash browns are supposed to be cooked, but kudos on the 2 pound serving size.

Dropping into a mini-ramp standing on a log on your board is nearly as impossible as you'd think it would be. (see pic and no, that sure hell ain't me) It didn't help that it rained that morning either, but Justin came pretty damn close to making it.

Thanks to Andy Gould, Red Bull, Identity and of course, Sale Carpet Sale for another great year.

BEST LOOKING CAFETERIAS AND LUNCHES

2009-05-14T17:15:00.001-04:00

It has often been suggested (and clearly ignored until recently) that a healthy lunch and a comfortable, friendly environment will improve student production and behavior. I eat 5 "meals" a week in a high school cafeteria, constantly choosing the lesser of evils in a sea of brown tables and speckled tile floors. Luckily, I don't have to actually eat in the cafeteria, (though arguably, the teacher's room atmosphere isn't much better) but the students who do would clearly benefit from a change of scenery and nutritional content.

Enter the School Food Trust, the British answer to childhood obesity and poor nutritional content/taste in food. Their latest project was the overhaul of the Applemore Tech College (the equivalent of a U.S. high school) cafeteria in Southampton, England. It is, dare I say, the most handsome place to eat a high school has ever seen and the school says it has had a visible, positive effect on its students. The change was extremely inexpensive as well, at a total cost of approximately $85,000. Obviously, not every school in the U.S. will be able to duplicate this type of design in seating (due to student population and space), but the atmosphere (colors, walls, etc) could easily be matched at a minimum cost to the school.

The quality of American school lunches is another matter entirely. Change is coming, but it has been extremely slow. Pizza, ice cream, chips and several high fructose drinks are always available at my school and while I'm not sure it's been proven, lets just say our students' productivity, behavior and health are not what they could be. There are great examples of U.S. schools making the change to healthy, fresh school lunches, but largely, it hasn't happened yet. Schools often argue the costs (both costs of fresh products and loss of sugary sales) of improving the diet of school aged kids would be too high. If this continues, the rising cost of health care, poor scholastic performance and discipline problems/incarcerations will be an unaffordable price to pay for America's future. (Not that I'm suggesting that's the ONLY thing that needs to change).

(cafeteria design via cool hunter)

CARTS OF DARKNESS

2009-05-12T23:29:00.001-04:00

Canada may not be known for its film making (outside of comedy anyway), but Murray Siple's hour-long documentary may turn that reputation on its head. Carts of Darkness is an insightful story of homeless bottle collectors (Canada's recycling program pays pretty well actually) who bomb hills in their shopping carts. These aren't stupid "jackass" style stunts, but a unique lifestyle choice and a desperate attempt at meaning and happiness. However, as these guys hit 45 mph riding shopping carts down some crazy hills, the visuals get pretty intense. The movie, shown for free on the National Film Board of Canada site, recently won a Leo Award for best documentary film and also includes some fantastic music from Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, Vetiver, Bison, and Alan Boyd. Perhaps Jonathan Orr puts it best:

"Murray Siple's feature-length documentary follows a group of homeless men who have combined bottle picking with the extreme sport of racing shopping carts down the steep hills of North Vancouver. This subculture depicts street life as much more than the stereotypes portrayed in mainstream media. The film takes a deep look into the lives of the men who race carts, the adversity they face and the appeal of cart racing despite the risk. Shot in high-definition and featuring tracks from Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, Vetiver, Bison, and Alan Boyd of Little Sparta."

CARBON FOOTPRINTS: GOOGLE SEARCHES VS. NEWSPAPERS, CARS, YOU

2009-05-12T13:30:00.001-04:00

Thinking green is not a new concept, however with pressures on the world (and to a large extent, the United States) to quickly clean up its act, the intensity with which people are evaluating our carbon foot prints has increased just as fast. It's about time people are looking into the impact of even seemingly insignificant tasks performed dozens to hundreds of times by your average American everyday. Google has been feeling this heat recently as Harvard scientists computed how many grams of carbon dioxide were generated by a single search on the leading engine. The massive server farms and technology necessary in the process creates 7 grams of CO2 in each search. Obviously, considering the hundreds of millions of Google searches that occur every day, this does indeed have quite an impact on our environment (or it will in the future anyway), but how does it compare to the other tasks we perform or the products we consume?

To prove how eco-friendly Google really is, their scientists have created a comparison of CO2 emissions by Google searches to those of print newspapers, beef and even orange juice. (see below) Since newspapers are currently transitioning to online websites, I'm not sure it makes a whole lot of difference, but it would take 850 google clicks to equal the 6,000 grams of CO2 they produce per paper.

It's still a bit surprising to see the environmental impact of something as simple as clicking your mouse, but look at how many clicks it takes to equal just ONE cheeseburger (15,000!). It's no secret how incredibly inefficient it is to raise cattle for beef, but to see that EVERY CHEESEBURGER creates more emissions than 5 miles of driving is astounding. As is the 3 MILLION clicks it would take to equal the CO2 created from only one month of electricity in the house of an average American. (via TechCrunch)

I WAS ALWAYS A NERD

2009-05-11T18:50:00.001-04:00

I didn't make it all the way through the Transformers movie (the 2 hour live-action General Motors ad, not the cartoon) and chances are I won't sit through even a trailer for the new one either. However, hearing the buzz about the new movies, I remember how excited I once was to see the 1986 animated film and how awesome the original toys were to my 8 to 10 year old self. I kept a few of the ol' transformers for old times sake and one of my favorites even managed to surface in my current apartment decor. (Note: I'm not the kind of adult guy who displays many toys in his dwelling) This particular one is a testament to the creativity (and possible drug-use) of toy designers in the 80s and perhaps more fitting, my life-long dedication to nerdery. That action figure is/was named Perceptor, the autobot doctor who transformed into a microscope. The toy was an actual working microscope and magnified (slightly) various objects from my backyard and scabs. Now, he holds my toothbrush.

KEITH SHORE RESPECTS THE BEARD

2009-05-09T11:18:00.002-04:00

We've seen Keith Shore's paintings in a variety of places (Dwell, Listen Skateboards, Arkitip, Complex, The Shins' album art, Blood is the New Black) and his work is the business. His best pieces are dedicated to the beard (check the bearded portraits), but I included a few others because non-bearded folks are people too.. sort of. (via Booooooom)

MY TOP THREE JUDICIAL ACTIVIST SUPREME COURT DECISIONS

2009-05-05T20:34:00.001-04:00

NOTE: WITHOUT JUDICIAL ACTIVISM, AMERICA WOULD BE WITHOUT JUDICIAL REVIEW.

All this talk about Justice Souter's replacement on the Supreme Court has brought the conservative rhetoric machine to life.. sort of. As if Americans know what "activist judge" or "judicial activism" even mean, Republicans have been hitting the talk/news circuit to pre-emptively decry Obama's upcoming choice as an "activist" based on a single word he used to describe a qualified candidate.. empathy. Apparently empathy=activist judge. Even if that was true, why is no one talking about the massive, necessary changes that have occurred in our country thanks to judicial activism? Here's my TOP THREE JUDICIAL ACTIVIST SUPREME COURT DECISIONS:

1. Marbury V. Madison (1803): This radical decision ESTABLISHED THE ABILITY OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICES TO DECLARE LAWS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Otherwise known as Judicial Review.

2. Brown V. Board of Education (1954): SEPERATE IS thankfully NOT EQUAL. This decision marks the beginning of the end of segregation.

3. Roe V. Wade (1973): A controversy-free decision about a practically invisible issue called abortion rights.

Honorable Mention: Engel V. Vitale (1962): Declared official school prayers (the Almighty God kind) unconstitutional. You know, the whole seperation of church and state thing.

In closing, activist judges can be liberal OR conservative (see Dred Scott V. Sandford, Lone Wolf V. Hitchcock, U.S. V. Lopez). The big issue with the upcoming nomination of Justice Souter's replacement is whether or not he/she will uphold Roe V. Wade, i.e. is he/she pro-choice. The details concerning abortion rights can make for a tough conversation, no doubt, but DOES UPHOLDING A SUPREME COURT DECISION FROM 1973 MAKE ONE AN "ACTIVIST"? I don't think so, but more importantly, should we be chastising the decisions that shaped America thanks to this activism?

AMY CASEY PAINTS HOUSES

2009-05-04T20:44:00.002-04:00

Amy Casey's latest work is official. Houses on stilts, on strings, hanging over the world's debris and blowing in the wind; all part of Casey's nervous take on the state of the world. As she says, the paintings allow her to "explore the ideas of anxiety and vulnerability, community and the illusion of safety". According to her site, a few of these paintings are still available so put some houses on your walls. (via booooooom)

BLOGS ARE LIKE PAMPHLETS (GIVE OR TAKE A FEW HUNDRED YEARS)

2009-05-04T19:58:00.001-04:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

CBS explains the return of the pamphlet and the growing mass movement in indie publishers as they (possibly?) thwart 90+ years of media consolidation. Of course, blogs are instant publishing and people have mountains of info at their fingertips 24/7, so it's not quite a pamphlet world again, but close enough.

FUNNY EXAM ANSWERS

2009-05-01T13:08:00.002-04:00

As a high school teacher, I do occasionally see some pretty damn funny/creative responses to homework/project assignments and test questions. Rarely do I get anything as crazy as the work seen on Funny Exam Answers, but I have a small, fairly-entertaining collection piling up in an unused drawer in my desk. The site (no explanation necessary) is good for at least an hour of wasted work time and should give you some confidence in the creative talent of our nation's youth. Not sure how comfortable I'd be sharing my students' work (or lack there of) on line, but I'm glad somebody is. I've included a few gems pictured above; the one about the dissolving bears is dynomite. (click on the image for a larger version)

DEATH AND TAXES AND MILITARY SPENDING

2009-04-30T20:41:00.003-04:00

I'm a firm believer that pages and pages of text information can get tedious and down right boring (as someone who regularly read mass quantities of said info) and so is Jess Bachman and her info-design company Wallstats. In her recurring piece, "Death and Taxes" (in big detail here) she uses effective, stylish graphics to illustrate where our tax dollars go (view 08' poster here in detail). Not surprisingly, the vast majority (about 68%) goes to military/defense spending at the expense of our schools, health care and science/technology development (I'm not alone). I'm not saying I don't support national defense, but the United States spends more on our military than all other developed nations COMBINED. Since this is the largest part of the budget, it also accounts for the most wasted government spending, yet you never hear conservatives call for better efficiency from the military or its development. This is especially relevant during this recession as I'm quite sure that the budget cuts we will need in coming years could come from this area without any difference in our national security or safety of our military personnel. Just saying.

Anyway, The site does a great job explaining the work as well as displaying and selling it:

Death and Taxes" is a large representational graph and poster of the federal budget. It contains over 500 programs and departments and almost every program that receives over 200 million dollars annually. The data is straight from the president's 2009 budget request and will be debated, amended, and approved by Congress to begin the fiscal year. All of the item circles are proportional in size to their spending totals and the percentage change from 2008 is included to spot trends and disproportion.

Death and Taxes" is more than just numbers. It is a uniquely revealing look at our national priorities, that fluctuate yearly, according to the wishes of the President, the power of Congress, and the will of the people. Thousands of pages of raw data have been boiled down to one poster that provides the most open and accessible record of our nations' spending than ever before. If you pay taxes, then you have paid for a small part of everything in the poster. "Death and Taxes" is an essential poster for any responsible citizen or information junkie.

SCOTT CAMPBELL MAKES IT RAIN

2009-04-30T19:38:00.003-04:00

The O.H.W.O.W gallery in Miami hosted the new Scott Campbell installation "Make It Rain" earlier this month. Campbell is well known for his amazing portrait tattoo work, but shines in his use of laser cut stacks of dollar bills. Look closely at the incredible detail in each piece, you've never seen paper stacks like these. (via designboom)

HANDSOME NEW SHOES FOR THE SUMMER

2009-04-29T21:44:00.002-04:00

I've always been a shoe man. Not necessarily a sneaker man per se or a "sneaker head" or a collector in anyway for that matter (jackets might be a different matter). I buy shoes and I wear them and they get dirty and smelly and then they fall apart or get retired. If I don't wear them enough, I give them away (either to friends or goodwill) and buy more. With that said, I've seen some damn fine shoe specimens in the past few weeks and figured I'd share some of my favorites. I prefer the cleaner, simpler, sometimes sophisticated designs that have dominated even the sneaker market for this summer. Pictured here, the boat shoe has been redefined (again), the desert/chukka boot is constantly re-imagined, Asics re-released a winning runner (it's about time) and thankfully a few different vintage Nikes have been reissued in a cleaner, more casual vulc sole. (Sorry, the dunk and air max's are TIRED at this point, I don't care how many damn colorways they drop!)

Clockwise from top left: Vans Vault Canvas Pack, A.P.C. boat shoes, Clae Thompson, Double Identity chukka, Gravis Dylan Reider, Nike Air Toki, Rogues Gallery boat shoe, Puma/Yves Saint Laurent collab (we'll have to imagine this one with looser laces), N.D.C. Hand Made Boots, Nike Auto Flight, Asics Gel Lyte III

BEST USE FOR A CHALKBOARD YET.

2009-04-28T20:51:00.001-04:00

I teach in a high school (that shall be spared embarrassment just this once) that still uses chalkboards. Most days I come home with chalk on my pants regardless of my use of the archaic writing tool. Apparently, they do serve a purpose however: amazing animation. This video for the Firekites represents 6 months of work for co-directors Lucinda Schreiber and Yanni Kronenberg. The music is ok, but the images (often with cloudy residuals) jumping from board to board is worth a few looks. (via Lost at E Minor)

YOUR PRAYERS FOR EASY TO MAKE, DELICIOUS COFFEE DRINKS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED

2009-04-27T12:09:00.002-04:00

What ever god you're praying to finally came through. Forget money, health, Venezuela, Swine Flu, the biggest news this morning is that you may not have to go any mornings without a decent espresso drink/caffeine buzz at home, for cheap. That's right, the Mypressi Twist portable espresso maker is soon to be released in the good ol' U.S. of A. Using a pneumatic press, the small machine requires no outside power or even willpower, providing the energy you need for your morning commute, classes, computing, diaper-changing, tps reporting. This thing even won the "best new product" award at an Atlanta Specialty Coffee Expo, though I'm not sure that Atlanta is qualified to be giving awards for anything other than longest commute. (no offense Outkast, 1990's Braves, Gtech Engineers) Available soon for 129$.

SCRABBLE'S BEAUTIFUL WOR(L)D

2009-04-24T13:33:00.001-04:00

The game of Scrabble is awesome and the people who make it are quite possibly out of their minds. Mattel has commissioned ad agency Ogilvy &Wather and animators Wizz to animate a series of commercials for the scrabble masses. Not sure we'll ever see this one on television (we can hope though), but these spots are hot. (via Drawn)

ONE HELL OF A DAY AT FENWAY

2009-04-23T14:17:00.002-04:00

Rarely do I have a story worthy of a blog entry, but my trip to Boston yesterday surely fits the bill. My Wednesday started out with rain on Tuesday night, forcing the postponement of the Red Sox/Twins game to the following afternoon, 12:35. I was planning on heading to Boston anyway to return a few clothing items that didn't cut the mustard outside those damn dressing room lights and mirrors, SO I checked ebay to see how many ticket holders were unable to make the postponed game. As it turned out, there were dozens of people unloading tickets at half their face value. I bought a few printable tickets for seats behind Pesky Pole from a reputable seller (1300 sales 100% rating) for 50 bucks and went to bed (actually Katherine used her ebay account so technically...) The next morning, I parked in Brighton and my friend Ethan and I took the bus into town and walked over to Newbury Street to make returns, buy rain jackets and eat greek foods. Full of falafel and ready for the rains that were forecast for around 3 o'clock, we headed to the park. Arriving at gate C, we presented our printed tickets to the taker and heard a sound quite different from the previous beeps that accompanied our line mates. “Head to customer service around the corner” was our only direction. Five minutes later, a young customer service rep explained that our tickets (copies of tickets really) were already being used by someone in the park. I think I said “hmmm” and that was about it, what could I say? The rep said he would mail the printouts back to me so that I might get my money back from the ebay seller. So we left the customer service down two game tickets and possibly 50 bucks. We quickly decided we'd check the ticket window around the corner just to see what might be available. As we approached the roped line waiting at the window, a hand shot out in front of us, stopping us in our tracks. We turned to wait for whoever it was we cut in line, or for the line to accept new members again; we had no clue why we were being stopped and weren't pay too much attention after the bad news about the tickets. Then we heard the line attendant ask “are you guys buying tickets?” and directed us to the young man and his son standing next to him. “I have two tickets to the game, do you guys need tickets” he asked.
“Definitely, how much do you want for the tickets?” I excitedly questioned (this is my best recollection).
“I want to give you guys these tickets, we have two extra. They're decent seats.”
As the four of us walked into the street, I asked again, “Awesome, what can we give you for the tickets?”
He told us that he sometimes gets tickets from the Jimmy Fund and we were the first people he saw that needed tickets and again, that he wanted to give them to us. It was then that I noticed the thinned hair on his young son and that this indeed was no joke, con or attempt to make money period. Nor could I feel exceptionally lucky at that moment, considering where the tickets had come from and why they had them. Still, it was amazing that they had decided to share the tickets with us, total strangers off the street. After continually thanking Mark and his son Mason with hand shakes and high fives, I briefly explained our situation with the Ebay tickets and he was satisfied that he'd found the right people.

Of course, I'd never heard of the EMC Club or where it was located in the park. Mark had mentioned the seats were behind home plate so we knew they were pretty good seats, but damn, they turned out to be amazing. The club is an upscale restaurant and enclosed box seating area just above home plate (the screen and net behind the plate lead literally to the box. Check the pic, it's the area with the blue seats). The seats? Padded. The beer? Delivered. Rain delay? The roof, heated vents and thirty televisions made it quite enjoyable. Even the napkins were fantastic. Mark and Mason clearly enjoyed themselves as well, though Mason got pretty tired half way through the game and they left. After the best four innings of baseball I've ever experienced, it was a grim reminder of the events that brought us all together in those seats. Before they went, I gave Mason a high five and he laughed and put his hand down so that I could give him a low five as well. I went to slap his hand and he pulled it away for the famous “too slow” portion of the routine. Except, I didn't see it coming and I was actually too slow. It was pretty damn funny, not in that “end of the sitcom” cheesy-happy way, but in a goodtimes, uplifting way. Trust me, those moments aren't cheesy when they actually happen to you.

During our time with Mark and Mason, I asked several more times if there was anything we could do for the tickets, wanting desperately to pay him back for the tickets and the tragedy that is cancer. He said, “Whatever god or allah or buddah or whatever you pray to, pray for my kid.” That I could do. I also donated 50$ to the Jimmy Fund. For the record, I'm a cancer survivor myself (though it was very easily treatable) and so is my father (much less easily treatable) so I didn't necessary have to imagine the gravity of the situation. My experience at Fenway yesterday was another uplifting example of the human connections, positivity and generosity that tragedy inadvertently creates. And I will remember it fondly.

Just to show me that luck and life worked the other way too, the highways of Massachussetts kept me from my soccer game by extending my drive home to two hours.

Oh, and the Red Sox won 10-1.

(All pics are mine except the view of the club from the field taken by Pete Kim)

2010 PRIUS LOOKS HANDSOME

2009-04-21T12:37:00.002-04:00

Earlier this year, Toyota released photos and details of the highly anticipated 2010 Prius (see website for press release). Although Toyota has clearly stated that the actual production car (due in "late spring") may vary from the prototypes on the road now, let me be the millionth person to say that they look damn good. The blue one pictured above in L.A. has better rims and assures us all that the future of green/hybrid cars is on solid ground. The new colors, roof solar panel and 50 miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency aren't bad either. (via Notcot and Toyota)

If you're in the market for the new hybrid, hold your onto your cashish for a few months longer and you may have another Prius model to choose from. Keep your ears/eyes open.

ZACH JOHNSEN: ACID IN THE ICE CREAM

2009-04-21T11:15:00.002-04:00

You may have seen Zach Johnsen's work in galleries across the U.S. or for a variety of companies from MTV(don't judge too harshly) to Osiris shoes to Fat Beats to the Boston Globe, but his latest work entitled "Acid in the Ice Cream" is tops. The prints from this series are not surprisingly sold out (the show was in December), but we can hope for a re-stock. TONS of dark, graff inspired works with a political spin. (via Detour)

LOOKS LIKE ENERGY MIGHT BE THE LEAST OF OUR WORRIES

2009-04-20T11:13:00.002-04:00

Cue the Debbie Downer music: Wah-WAAHHHHH. This past decade has brought significant discussion about our finite source of oil on earth as well as how we will accomplish the necessary adaptations in finding sustainable energy. According to respected British science magazine, New Scientist and German scientist Armin Reller (University of Ausberg), there may be even bleaker news about the earth's mined resources and the impact on the consumer products we manufacture. The essential elements mined all over the world (see second image) are running out at an unbelievable pace (see first image). These elements include copper, indium, silver, platinum, phosphorus, gallium, zinc, tin, lead (and many more) and are used to produce items from computers, cell phones, tv's and electronics to cars, solar cells, jewelry, medicine and pipes/cables... basically everything. For example, indium, a necessary ingredient in LCD televisions, computer screens, cell phones and solar cells may be gone in only 10 years. The increased demand and declining supply is evidenced by a sharp rise in price over the past few years to well over $1000 per kilogram. While it is assumed that we will, in the next 20 years, find renewable energy sources and harness them, our ability to manufacture necessary goods will quickly become more and more difficult and expensive. Read the whole article here from New Scientist Magazine and Nova.

I'm sure it's obvious to everyone that the important elements we take from the ground are indeed a finite source and regardless of how long they last, they will at some point run out. We may not think about this because of the debate over the energy source that will drive our future production, but do not underestimate this potentially disastrous problem with the necessary production materials. Now, the article I cited is almost two years old, so it's obvious that we all (myself included) slept on this one. It will take a serious effort in recycling these elements and again, finding renewable sources of materials to guarantee the future of the U.S. and the world. (via Gizmodo, New Scientist)

NEW SUNSET RUBDOWN TRACK AND ALBUM ON THE WAY

2009-04-17T18:01:00.001-04:00

It's gonna be a good summer after all, well late June anyway. The new Sunset Rubdown record Dragonslayer is set for release on June 24th on Jagjaguwar Records. Here's the first leaked track, a promising taste called Idiot Heart. This gem is a bit more straight-forward than usual and builds some anthematic rock-thunder that ends in a hail of spazzy, soaring vocals and synths. (and has a few lyrics you'll recognize from past SR diddies.. what's up with the horses?) If that track just isn't enough, there's also Swan Lake, a super group of sorts that includes Spencer Krug (and Dan Bejar and Carey Mercer), but much more ecclectic and in my opinion, less satisfying.

(via Pitchfork but that doesn't mean I support or even respect the majority of their record reviews)

BOOZE IS IN THE LONDON AIR

2009-04-17T16:24:00.001-04:00

In London, gin and tonic drinks are in the air, literally. At Alcoholic Architecture, a "walk-in cocktail," the alcohol is vaporized using an ultrasonic humidifier system (very unlike the one you have in your bedroom during winters) and pumped through the bar so patrons can drink without taking a sip. For $7, (the cost of ONE drinkable g/t in a decent bar) you too can enjoy a gin and tonic courtesy of Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, although I'm guessing the gin won't be anything as delicious as Hendrick's. No idea how much vapor you must breathe to get the most out of your night, or how the protective plastic suits will cramp your steez, but I'm sure you'll leave smelling like a complete drunk. Goodtimes are limited, the bar is temporary and closes shop at the end of the month.

BOTTLED WATER SALES DOWN, AMERICA PARCHED.

2009-04-15T16:19:00.002-04:00

NPR reported this morning that bottled water sales are down for the first time in years. It's not a big loss mind you, Americans bought 11 billion in 2008, but the 1% decline last year is in stark contrast to the growth in water sales over the last decade. It is because of this recent downturn that people are wondering if the new numbers are simply a sign of tough economic times or the product of environmental concerns. Regardless of the ratio, there seems to be some effect from the environmental backlash against the production of plastic bottled water. While it's true that Europe still constitutes are large portion of the water industry, they don't have reliable water from their taps. In the U.S., we've adopted this European "water culture" even though we have great tasting water in most areas of our country. What's more, a recent test at the University of Hartford concluded that Americans (in Hartford anyway) can't tell the difference between tap water and bottled water, including even "high end" bottled waters. Of course the true test will be to see what happens to b.w. sales after the recession, but so far the numbers look promising. (via NPR)

NEW MATH= WASTED TIME + LAUGHS

2009-04-15T15:49:00.001-04:00

Craig Damrauer creates simple math equations for life that are surprisingly accurate. His site New Math is worth dozens of looks and laughs. Kiss productivity goodbye. (via It's Nice That)

TWEENBOTS.. THE POWER OF ROBOTS TO SHOWCASE HUMANITY.

2009-04-13T14:29:00.002-04:00

This is pretty unbelievable. In New York City, a town known for its crude, apathetic citizenry, small robots called Tweenbots find their way in the city's parks and streets relying only on help from New Yorkers. Considering all the troubles that face the world today, this was a much needed reminder that there are good people out there (though redirecting robots really only makes you marginally good). Kacie Kinzer, who runs this art/social experiment, explains: "Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal." (via It's Nice That)

THIS IS WHY YOU'RE FAT

2009-04-09T19:08:00.002-04:00

This Is Why You're Fat is a compilation of the most delicious and yet, disgusting meal choices known to man (or Americans anyway). While this doesn't explain why I'm fat (or slightly overweight), it's clear that if you eat anything pictured on this site, weight gain is probably the least of your worries. Bon appetit.

LUKE MORGAN HANGS HIS SKULL

2009-04-08T16:13:00.002-04:00

Luke Morgan created this massive, 6 by 4 foot skull installation for the office of a British property developer, Cathedral. The combination of the imagery in the skull and the office location (an old church in London) creates a fascinatingly creepy atmosphere when you enter the building. The steel structure contains dozens of detailed surgical instruments and religious symbols welded together to form the skull shape. (via Dezeen)

BEATLES CATALOG DIGITALLY REMASTERED FOR 9/9/09

2009-04-07T17:02:00.001-04:00

While it's doubtful that I'm the one breaking this news to you, after 4 years of work, Apple Corp. is indeed releasing two digitally remastered sets of the ENTIRE Beatles catalog. The sets (one in stereo, the other in mono/collector's style) will include all 12 Beatles Albums in various formats on 16 discs (not including the mono set) with original album art and documentary DVD. This coincides with the release of the Beatles Rock Band game that I will not say a word about, but will enjoy playing. The chosen date is a well-deserved nod to the song Revolution 9 (you know.. number nine, number nine, number nine, etc) although no one else seems to mention this in their posts on the subject (not that it's some secret, obviously). No word yet on the digital download release of this collection, but we all know it'll be well after 9/9. I won't steal thunder, so here's the press release:

Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music are delighted to announce the release of the original Beatles catalogue, which has been digitally re-mastered for the first time, for worldwide CD release on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (9-9-09), the same date as the release of the widely anticipated "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. Each of the CDs is packaged with replicated original UK album art, including expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos. For a limited period, each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. On the same date, two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released.

The albums have been re-mastered by a dedicated team of engineers at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four year period utilising state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analogue recordings. The result of this painstaking process is the highest fidelity the catalogue has seen since its original release.

The collection comprises all 12 Beatles albums in stereo, with track listings and artwork as originally released in the UK, and 'Magical Mystery Tour,' which became part of The Beatles' core catalogue when the CDs were first released in 1987. In addition, the collections 'Past Masters Vol. I and II' are now combined as one title, for a total of 14 titles over 16 discs. This will mark the first time that the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. These 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available for purchase together in a stereo boxed set.

Within each CD's new packaging, booklets include detailed historical notes along with informative recording notes. With the exception of the 'Past Masters' set, newly produced mini-documentaries on the making of each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, are included as QuickTime files on each album. The documentaries contain archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chat from The Beatles, offering a unique and very personal insight into the studio atmosphere.

A second boxed set has been created with the collector in mind. 'The Beatles in Mono' gathers together, in one place, all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono release. It will contain 10 of the albums with their original mono mixes, plus two further discs of mono masters (covering similar ground to the stereo tracks on 'Past Masters'). As an added bonus, the mono "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" discs also include the original 1965 stereo mixes, which have not been previously released on CD. These albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs retained.

(info and photos via Apple Corp. Ltd)

KEITH HARING COLLECTION MUSEUM and skate spot

2009-04-04T12:34:00.001-04:00

The Japanese pretty much own architecture (and fashion too). With a limited amount of space on the islands of Japan, their designers use innovative lines and materials to create functional structures.. to skate. Atsushi Kitagawara (one of Japan's most celebrated architects) designed the fantastic Nakamura Keith Haring Collection Art Museum in 2007 (pictured top left), but as spring dries up the streets of New Hampshire in 09', all I can think is what an amazing skate spot it would be. Mr. Haring is still one of my favorite artists and I can't help but think he would have fully supported a session at his musuem. The rest of the buildings in Wallpaper's feature on Japanese architecture is worth at least few looks. (via Wallpaper)

MATT & KIM/BEASTIE BOYS MASH- GOOD OL' FASHION RUMP SHAKER

2009-04-03T20:17:00.001-04:00

Mash-up artists The Hood Internet have come correct with a Matt & Kim/Beastie Boys track called Good Ol' Fashioned Rump Shaker (download). Hear this. (via I Guess I'm Floating)

JOLYON YATES "ODE" CHAIR SERIES

2009-04-03T13:14:00.002-04:00

Jolyon Yates' collection of chairs, aptly titled ODE, is an homage to those who have influenced his craft including his friends, family, mother nature and probably several mid-century modern furniture designers. These two shining examples from the series (the Breeze or Savannah rocker at top left and the Ocean rocker at bottom right) are hand-crafted from birch veneer and actually look quite comfortable, a quality sometimes lacking Yates' predecessors' works. It's about time rocking chairs got their due in proper. (via SwipeLife)

<

REBEL GREEN FRUIT AND VEGGIE CLEAN

2009-04-03T09:44:00.002-04:00

Good product and marketing design can make all the difference in the cutthroat American economy. With a slew of new "green" products inundating every product category, brand meaning and image might be the only distinguishing factor. Perhaps noone knows this better than design powerhouse Wink, and their latest mission, REBEL GREEN, the punk rock of green labels with a nostalgic nod to mid century Americana design. If you're gonna need to give your fruits/veggies a cleaning (or bag em'), it might as well be a handsome one. I think they might need to diversify. (via Lovely Package)

KNOW JAVIER JAEN

2009-04-02T17:52:00.002-04:00

Barcelona's Javier Jaen is official. His artist profile says it best:
"His work is in close relation with symbolic, ludicrous and two-sided languages, where subtractions and additions abound. He is interested in wordplay and the formal relations between literary and visual language. He looks for narrative and aesthetic scenarios within close and every day experienced contexts. His works involve techniques such as collage, appropriation, the object and image recycling."
(via drawn)

SWISS COMPANY RELEASES BABY REVOLVER

2009-03-31T20:30:00.001-04:00

Are you letting your baby breastfeed unarmed? Is your toddler unable to protect your home in your absence? Have no fear brave parents, weapons manufacturer Swiss MiniGun (yes, from the notoriously neutral country of Switzerland) has invented a truly tiny revolver. The gun is 5.5 cm long and fires a bullet 2.34 mm in diameter (OF COURSE IT FIRES, WHAT WOULD THE POINT BE OTHERWISE?) at over 300 mph. Yes, it can kill you. Or home-invaders, or bullying 2 year olds (hard to imagine death from a 2.34 mm bullet, but possible nonetheless).

Unfortunetly, you can't get these in America. Yet...
A message from the SwissMiniGun website:

"The US Department of Justice has mentioned that our miniature revolver, ref. C1ST does not meet with the minimum size prerequisites referring to the Factoring Criteria for Weapons ATF Form 4590.

Therefore, our revolver is not classified as sporting and is not importable into the USA.

We feel sorry for all the US collectors who have showed interest in our miniature revolver.

We promise that our next model will meet with the US Factoring Criteria for Weapons."

Yes, that's what America needs... tiny, deadly guns that fit in your wallet. (via gizmodo)

SURPRISE, MICROSOFT'S "LAUREN" IS AN ACTRESS

2009-03-30T17:29:00.003-04:00

Shocking. The "regular girl" who is given $1000 to buy a new laptop "of her choice" in the latest Microsoft ad campaign is actually a SAG eligible actress with over 20 film/commercial credits to her name. According to her website, Lauren De Long was proud to have booked a "market and research job" that turned out to be the lead "regular" in the commercial (last month she was psyched to be in a 7-11 webisode commercial). However, the Wall Street Journal reported on the story and included this seemingly seedy explanation of the hiring process:

Microsoft’s recruiting process for its commercials is interesting in this regard. Brooks says of the roughly dozen computer shoppers its agency recruited, not a single one ended up spending their money on a Mac. Brooks says he “swears on a stack of Bibles” that the agency didn’t in any way steer the shoppers towards a particular brand of computer or operating system. “Value is on the top of everybody’s mind these days with the economic situation we’re in,” he says.

FIRST, if T.V. viewers actually believe this girl is just a "shopper", shouldn't it worry Microsoft that she immediately went to a Mac Store First?! She obviously knows where the better computer is, but only upon leaving with no macbook (too expensive), she bitterly proclaims that she "isn't cool enough for a mac".

SECOND, Microsoft hired the girl for a "market/research" job so of course she was going to pick a computer that uses the operating system of the COMPANY THAT HIRED HER. I hope they didn't swear too many times on those bibles.

Once her identity was discovered, several Mac users volunteered to give Lauren their 17" Mac Books (her required screen size that eliminated Mac from her price range) so the poor girl didn't have to go through life using Windows. (Despite her "freedom" in choosing the laptop, she declined to talk about Mac/Microsoft comparison since she had to sign a non-disclosure agreement) (via Gizmodo)

NO ESCAPE FROM NEW ADS.

2009-03-30T16:38:00.002-04:00

Marketing firms are always looking for new ways to "break through the clutter" to reach potential customers in more cost effective ways. My students are consistently surprised at the places they find ads, but they've never seen anything like these. In the picture on the left, an elevator floor becomes a high-flying ad for a Swiss skydiving company created by Wirz/BBDO Switzerland. On the right, shoppers resemble fleas (imagine that) on a gigantic floor sticker is seen from the upper levels of a Jakarta, Indonesia shopping mall for Jakpetz and Frontline flea spray courtesy of Saatchi and Saatchi (once one of the biggest ad firms out there). Speaking of Frontline, the PBS series produced the must-see documentary on the subject of advertising and persuasion called "The Persuaders". According to the movie, and unfortunetly for us, breaking through the clutter usually just leads to MORE CLUTTER. Where will it end? I'm sure we don't want to know. (via coolhunter)

SERIOUS RAMP HOUSE

2009-03-27T18:10:00.002-04:00

It's about damn time. Greek Architectural firm Archivirus has created the "Ramp House" in Athens, Greece. Now this isn't just a ranch house with a crappy 2 foot particle board mini-ramp crammed in the living room like that divorced guy down the street had, the ramps are sizable and the house is handsome. Lead archtitect Athanasia Psaraki designed the wood/concrete space for a client who wanted a livable, functional skateable home (you can even skate from room to room). Eat your heart out. (via the Architectural Review)

3/28 note: once again, I got on this story before HS, only by a day though. Those dudes are good, damn them.

BOXED WATER IS BETTER FOR THE EARTH

2009-03-26T18:48:00.002-04:00

Alongside the constant talk about lessening our carbon foot print, a massive movement in the development of responsible (and handsome) consumer products has emerged in the past few years. Tops on the list of earth-friendly water peddlers (there aren't many) is BOXED WATER, a new company that provides an interesting alternative to Americans' current obsession with plastic bottled water. If you have to drink packaged water, this is the company to support. Their website makes their case:

"Started with the simple idea of creating a new bottled water brand that is kinder to the environment and gives back a bit - we found that it shouldn't be bottled at all, but instead, boxed. So we looked to the past for inspiration in the century old beverage container and decided to keep things simple, sustainable, and beautiful.

About 90% of the Boxed Water container is made from a renewable resource, trees, that when harvested in a responsible, managed, and ethical way serve as an amazing renewable resource that benefits the environment even as it's renewed. Our carbon footprint is dramatically lower as our boxes are shipped flat to our filler and filled only as demand is created, opposed to most bottled water companies that ship their empty bottles across the globe to be filled, then shipped back for consumption. The flat, unfilled boxes we can fit on 2 pallets, or roughly 5% of a truckload, would require about 5 truckloads for empty plastic or glass bottles. Our cartons can also be broken down to their original flat state, are recyclable in most areas, and will be everywhere shortly. We're also giving 20% of our profits back to the resources our product is composed of - water and trees. Not only does it simply make sense, but we really enjoy supporting water and forestation organizations as it's part of our company's ethos and way of thinking to give back and participate. All that and an over-arching focus on simple and beautiful design that compliments our brand as well as the spaces it's sold and consumed in."
(via LovelyPackage)

CASSETTE TAPE PORTRAITS

2009-03-26T17:39:00.002-04:00

Amazing portraits from iRI5 made from cassette tapes. The collection includes Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Ian Curtis and the Stone Roses' Ian Brown. Enough said. (via Drawn)

MAY YOUR SHIP HAVE IRONSIDES?

2009-03-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

As the first month of my blogging experience comes to a close, there has lately been a significant rise in the amount of people reading (can I call it "reading"?) the ol' blog here. Whether you're genuinely interested in what I post or enjoy perusing my horrible grammar/spelling, I appreciate your "visits" cause let's be honest, blogs without readers usually suggest a mental deficiency in the writer.. or that we can't afford a journal.

Anyway, I've had a few questions about the name of the blog (this proves people have at least read that far) and so I wanted to provide a few answers. First, since this blog is meant, generally, to link people to sites that contain interesting information, I imagine I send most of my readers off in the first few minutes. (I think this might be contrary to what websites are supposed to do which is keep readers on the site to make ad dollars) Anyway, I chose a title that I think reflects the "see you off" part and that indeed is the point of the title, "May Your Ship Have Ironsides". It is a simple farewell, one that was lifted from a Brown Bird lyric actually (From the album "The Bottom of the Sea" -highly recommended). It is not a popular saying as far as I know, but as with most things Wallace, there is history behind this name.

Old "Ironsides" aka the U.S.S. Constitution in fact, did not have iron sides. No ships at the time it was built (1794) used metal siding (that didn't come till the mid-1800s). During the war of 1812, the Constitution earned its nickname by famously defeating the British vessel HMS Guerriere. According to the legend, the ship was said to be made of iron since it's thick wooden sides resisted British cannon fire. 116 years after its last "sail", the ship was reborn in 1997 when it was completely rebuilt.

This name was not particularly original though, as a British ship (the HMS Britannia) was given this nickname 30 years earlier and British military commander Oliver Cromwell held the title in the mid-1600s for leading his "ironsides" cavalry troops.

PHOTOSHOP EVERYTHING REAL OUT OF LIFE.

2009-03-24T21:12:00.002-04:00

Let me start by saying, I don't gives a sh*t about Kim Kardashian. However, when I noticed this story on Gawker (don't ask) I couldn't resist weighing in. If you live in America (or an industrialized country), you shouldn't be surprised to learn that along with the pounds of make-up used on the models, there are also "changes" made via Photoshop that are also applied to images gracing the pages of several main stream magazines. They're used for a variety of reasons, but they become pretty obvious if you look at the before/after pics of Kim on the Complex website (the one on the left was removed), a mediocre street wear/hip hop/culture rag owned by Marc Ecko, maker of discount-store Marshall's exclusive label, Ecko Clothing. Anyway, the thought of an average or "normally" proportioned woman on the cover of any magazine is enough to applaud the inclusion of Kardashian in Complex (although that statement itself is pretty sad), but the fact that she's computer-lipoed should leave a horribly bitter taste in the mouth of American pop culture. As my sister just announced that her new baby is a girl (due in August), I can't help but imagine the brutal pressures that will be placed on her in only a few years to be "beautiful" in a way that pleases Marc Ecko and seemingly, the rest of America.

Note: I won't get into the fact that Kim's skin looks quite a bit lighter or should I say "whiter" in the new pic OR why her talentless self is in the magazine in the first place OR generally speaking how women are portrayed in these types of magazines and/or mainstream rap (not typically hip-hop mind you, but mainstream rap).

NEW BMW MUSEUM AND THE "EGG CAR" ISETTA

2009-03-23T16:17:00.002-04:00

BMW began as a company making airplanes in 1916 in Munich, Germany. The iconic luxury car maker quickly switched to motorcycles after the Versailles Treaty demilitarized Germany in the early 20s after WWI. During the second world war, they returned to making airplanes, but shortly after it's end, they attempted to break into the auto industry. The result was the Egg Car, known formally as the Isetta, a tiny car with no more than a motorcycle engine to move it. Made in several European countries with slightly different designs, the car was exactly what fuel conscious people needed, more than 60 years prior to our current revolution in efficient car models. The best part? Gotta be the fact that the steering wheel is mounted on the door, which opens from the front.. despite the fact that you're dead meat and/or trapped in the car during an accident. Safety? Not the car's strong suit, but I'd take my chances if one fell on my doorstep and I could still fit in it.

When I was a youngster, I used to play in the backyard of my aunt and uncle's house in dirty Jersey. Behind the shed, and providing the best play space ever, was a BMW Isetta. It's flat tires were sunken into the earth and the red and white paint was barely visible above the rust, but the tiny car was completely intact and completely awesome (and sold to a collector who restored it). Growing up, I would be reminded of that car every now and again, in a design book or an episode of Family Matters (damn you Urkel), but most recently, the car is getting the recognition it deserves in the new BMW Museum in Munich. Observe.

VINTAGE MILITARY MEDICAL PHOTO ARCHIVE

2009-03-18T22:08:00.002-04:00

The National Museum of Health and Medicine is releasing and re-releasing thousands of pictures from various medical agencies from the Civil War (the earliest war-time pics) to the war in Vietnam (mostly WWI/WWII). You may recognize a few shots (especially if you teach history like myself) but the first 800 photos are captivating and have been archived here. The subjects range from the first airplane crash in 1908 (and subsequently, the first death from airplane crash), various prosthetics , propaganda, STDs, the body of Poncho Villa, frozen Native American bodies at Wounded Knee, Roman surgical tools from Pompeii, Amputations, early rhinoplasty, x-rays, medical oddities, etc. Some of the pics are a bit gory, but overall I'd say they're more interesting than disgusting and more importantly, they are a testament to the great progress we have made in the field of medicine.

The Propaganda Poster above is one of many warning of the rampant STD's during WWII (there are dozen of other posters as well in the archive). The one below is from the Civil War and documents the results of numerous amputations when doctors who, without antiseptics or knowledge of infection, hacked off limbs by the hundreds each day. If you were a lucky, injured soldier, the "doctors" might wrangle up some chloroform to put you out. Goodtimes.

P.S. I posted the CARDBOARD OFFICE blog TWO whole days before Highsnobiety got a hold of it. Just saying.

NEW MUSICS FOR MARCH

2009-03-16T18:03:00.002-04:00

The new MF Doom album, Born Like This finally drops on the 24th of this month. This track, CELLZ sounds darker, slower, better. An amazing sample dominates the first minute and a half, but definitely needs a listen.. or two. From Lex Records. (Note: the album will NOT include the Thom Yorke remixes buzzing about the web)

NEW BONNIE PRINCE BILLY.
Yet another Will Oldham album, this one entitled Beware is due out any day now on Drag City. The new jam "I AM GOODBYE" is fantastic, check out this video in which Oldham lurks around the city and sings his wayward song.