Human Tetris

TETRIS is the fourth video performance of the GAME OVER Project, directed by the French-Swiss artist Guillaume REYMOND (NOTsoNOISY creative agency)

Tom Waits Plays the Devil in New Terry Gilliam Flick

There are few films i can barely wait for. The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus is one of them. Can you blame me?- Terry Gilliam, Tom Waits, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell...

And if this is not good enough news-- Tom Waits will be in St. Louis June 26th! What better birthday present can i ask for?!

Budget Hero

If you ever wanted to control where your tax dollars go- here is your chance to decide.
Budget Hero

The Game seeks to provide a values- and fiscal-based lens for citizens to examine policy debates during this election year. Partisan messages tend to cloud the real issues at play during campaigns, and most candidates are loath to attach detailed financial impacts to solutions which make up their platform. Budget Hero provides an interactive experience involving policy options that have been extensively researched and vetted with non-partisan government and think tank experts to enable players to objectively evaluate candidates.

Flying Penis attacks Kasparov

After the security guard swatted it to the ground, Kasparov says, "I think we have to be thankful for the opposition's demonstration of the level of discourse we need to anticipate. Also, apparently most of their arguments are located beneath the belt." Someone in the audience shouts, "Finally the political power shows its face!" Kasparov quickly replies, "Well, if that's its face..." to laughter from the audience.

Lack of News in the US- the dumbing of the nation

Another great speech from TED

Suburban Tragedy

This is a great TED video,
James Howard Kunstler: The tragedy of suburbia
discusses the importance of public space architecture and aesthetics and the influence of thereof on the culture

Drug War Bulletins that'll Drive You Crazy

Imprisonment, disqualification for organ transplants, and the activities of the federal drug harassment industry remain hazardous to your health.

David Byrne's - Playing the Building

Playing the building is a sound installation in which the infrastructure, the physical plant of the building, is converted into a giant musical instrument. Devices are attached to the building structure — to the metal beams and pillars, the heating pipes, the water pipes — and are used to make these things produce sound. The activations are of three types: wind, vibration, striking. The devices do not produce sound themselves, but they cause the building elements to vibrate, resonate and oscillate so that the building itself becomes a very large musical instrument.

Read all about it here

finally speaking the truth

I don't care if you disagree, I have to give the guy credit for having the balls to speak the truth.

Tom Robbins used his keynote address at the National Association of Broadcasters conference on April 14 to speak out about the "dangerous lack of diversity of opinion" that characterizes the state of broadcasting today.

I urge you to read this article and if you get a chance listen to the speech.

I sent it to a friend, and he pretty much ripped Robbins apart saying "Anyway, Robbins is a flake. This whole speech made me want to puke because he's going on and on how the industry needs to change for the better. Money makes the world go round. Always has, always will. He acknowledges that the companies need to be profitable, but he just doesn't get it if he is making this speech to begin with."

And though in some ways he is right, I feel that the situation is changing. This is HOW change HAPPENS. First people feel, think, that someone speaks up, that causes a ripple, more people speak up, causes a wave and action comes next. Media can change, little by little and educate people different. Business is still driven, but perhaps we can improve the "fuel"...kind of like switching to renewable?...
Thanks to technology, it is easier for us (who have access) to influence content. We can make a difference. Look at the rise of Open Sourse, look at the issues we are discussing. We need to take responsibility, be informed and inform others.

Another video that goes right in hand with Robbins, is this one by Clay Shirky

So...i wanted to share that. Hope they cheer you up as well.
Enjoy and stay posted

Students organize to protest Schlafly degree - News

Students organize to protest Schlafly degree - News

going japanese

why? -- because its fun.

going to start using japanese emoticons.

such as

(-__-)

(^_^)

(ò_ó)

(>_<)

(-_o)

you can ckeck out more here Japanese\(^O^)/Emoticons

Flying Wolves

You may be familiar with all this already, but for me it was news.
Cai Guo-Qiang's Head On art installation, now on view at the Deutsche Guggenheim, consists of 99 life-sized wolves flying into a glass wall.


Head On

Ideas Worth Spreading

Just wanted to share this with you. The kinetic sculptures of Theo Jansen



Blending the line between art and engineering, this Dutch visual artist creates “life” in the form of “animals” that walk the beach in the Netherlands. If you would like to see more of his work, as well as other amazing technological breakthroughs, check out the POP and TED links on the right.

Air Jelly

I may as well use this to store all the awesome stuff I find.
Here's another addition.

Festo AirJelly flies through the air with the greatest of ease.
Can't explain it...but can't stop staring



And since I just want to share more beautiful things, (especially those that make advertising look good) do check this out.



And if you ever think we make fools of ourselves trying to ompress the opposite sex...watch these

a bud for you, and you, and me...

An LA Times Article. It is all true....Those lucky bastards :)
So, when should we move?

Great News Everyone!

Ah! The Penguins

And now,
American News at its best

spinach power

Presentation is key and consumers are gullible is what I learned again at the market this weekend.
I love going to the Soulard market on the weekends, they have everything- fruit, meat, vegetables, kittens, banjos, hats, chicks, ducks, cheese, soap, spices and pretty much anything you can think of dead or alive.
Among other vegetables, I was on a quest for fresh spinach. To my surprise, the expedition was a bit problematical. All the fresh spinach I found was very large, sold with roots and unappealing. I was searching for fresh, hopefully local and organic, cute clean, baby spinach. The only baby spinach I found was served in those Dole plastic bags and was definitely not local and probably not organic.
Finally, after searching through dozens of stands, I was ready to leave, I broke down and decided to buy two of those Dole spinach bags. After all they were only $1 each. I get the bags, and right as I am about to walk out…there is it! Cute, little, baby spinach, clean, and in open, plastic bags, right next to me. Local, fresh, probably organic, and probably and even better deal.
I go back to the girl I bought the Dole spinach from (the stands were right next to each other), I apologize and explain that I would really like to return this, if that’s ok and get the other, farmer spinach.
She was totally fine with it, smiled and took back the bags. She said:
“So would you still like two bags? They are the same price and amount”
“Really?”- I said, -“ Great, yeah I guess I’ll take two of those bags, sorry about the inconvenience, I have been looking for this spinach for a while you know. So hard to find!”
She says:
“No problem!...You know they are the same thing; we just open the Dole bags and put them into grocery bags to sell over there. People love it!”

Yes. Wow. Great. Considering I am in advertising, this is priceless and absolutely hilarious. Especially since I 100% fell for it.

I got the Dole Spinach bags.

Conclusion: presentation is everything and we are all suckers for it.

of aloe and fundraising

last Saturday I went to the cinco de mayo celebration downtown. It was fun- margaritas at noon, yummy tamales, salsa, and giant hats. All the ingredients necessary for a good time.

There were also plenty of those fun park activities that I am no too fond of. Things like paying $5 to try and get some toy frog thing to hit something and win a $2 shitty toy, or darts and stuff….just not my cup of tea. The rides can be fun though.

Anyway, as we were browsing and checking out all the fun stuff, I saw something I have been seeking out for while some time, a possession necessary in every household, and overall a most wonderful item – an Aloe Plant. Aloe Vera plants are great! You can use it to treat cuts, burns, skin allergies, to smooth out skin, and even to preserve food. You nourish the plant, and it nourishes you. Anyway, so there it is! A perfect little aloe vera plant that I can already picture living happily in my room. I walk up to the lady that is the only obstacle between the plant and me and ask her how much it is. She tells me with a huge smile on her face, that the plant is part of the fund raiser and tells me that to win it I must pay to have a chance to draw a “lucky” popsicle stick from this sand filled flower box. It was something like 5 tried for $1 and 50 for $10.

I excuse myself and tell her that I am not interested in the game, but would love to buy the plant from her right now. She stubborn wench continues to insist, with that ever plastered grin on her face, that I really should participate in the fundraiser, and that picking out the popsicles is the only way I can get a chance to have the plant.
While we are talking, I start pulling out the popsicle sticks, and having pulled 10 or so realize that there may not be a “lucky” one in there, and that there is no way she will convince me to partake in this bogus activity.

No matter what I offered ($20- clearly over value) she would not budge and started getting angry, which, I thought was hilarious. I just don’t get it. Assuming there was in fact a lucky stuck in that pot, I could have definitely gotten to it for $10 (there were no more than 50 in there), and she could have clearly made much more money from my purchase, than she would from me playing the stupid game. But no, it was the “fun-factor principle” or something.

I told her that if this is a fun raiser, and she is trying to raise funds, selling me an overpriced plant is the best way to do it…after 10 minutes I talked them into selling it to me for $20 and agreed to come back later….i never did though, and got a perfectly good aloe plant from a nearby nursery fun by a very nice drunk man, who sold the plant for $2.50 and it came with a free snail...

Screw die-hard fundraisers.

Seasons

It is spring in St. Louis. And the weather, as always is schizophrenic, and unable to make up its mind. Thus, as any other indecisive schizophrenic, it is constantly discussed.

So, let’s do it. Lets discuss the weather in St. Louis. Specifically I want to address winter. Fiona (my beloved roommate) and I often disagree on our weather and location preferences. She picks her residence based on whether or not she can wear flip-flops. I, prefer seasons and change. I also happen to enjoy snow, blame it on my heritage if you like. However, here I am completely misunderstood when I say I like winter and snow. Everyone hates winter here. I don’t blame you, I hate winter here too. It is not even a real winter. It is jus there to annoy you.

You see, in my opinion, St. Louis winter can’t be enjoyable because it is much like going camping with heels on. You are unprepared and thus unable to enjoy an otherwise delightful experience. In Russia for example we know the winter will be cold and long. We are geared up, we have fur, real winter boots and other winter clothes. Prepared, we can enjoy the outside and embrace the beauty of winter.

Here, on the other hand, you barely have snow, and it usually doesn’t get THAT cold. So, you end up wearing your t-shirt, shirt, maybe a sweater or hoodie, or a light jacket that is perfect for fall, NOT winter.

You are freezing the whole time, hating every moment of it and counting days till spring comes. You are not prepared.

So. If you are going camping be prepared, and don’t wine about it.