Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Overexcited by New Products #1
I like Honey Bunches of Oats, but everyone knows that the only really good part is the oats. It's like putting in hours of work at the office (eating the shitty flakes) and then BINGO getting the big fat paycheck of the OAT BUNCH. Well now there's JUST BUNCHES, a cereal filled with paychecks and no work!! YES!!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Elbe Philharmonic
Neat building from the folks at Herzog & de Meuron that brought you the Beijing Olympic stadium:
From (current) dirty shitty warehouse:
To (future) dirty shitty warehouse with really nice glass/ice effect on top:
From (current) dirty shitty warehouse:
To (future) dirty shitty warehouse with really nice glass/ice effect on top:
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Profile: Karl Lagerfeld
I've always liked reading autobiographies. You might argue that the famous figures hired someone else to write it for them, but at the end of the day, true or not, lives are interesting. No matter your story, it's a story filled with problems and events that are more incredible than anything fiction writers can think up.
So every so often, I'm going to write about some figures with especially interesting stories. First up, Karl Lagerfeld.
Usually, I have a problem with superficiality. But Karl embodies the superficiality so completely that he makes being superficial seem, in fact, dignified. It is an integral part of him, and it seems so natural for him, that you accept it, regardless of how peculiar it sounds. (At age 4, he demanded a valet because he changed his clothes several times a day and his mother used to say, “Children with glasses are the ugliest thing in the world.” and refused him glasses although he was short sighted.)
One interesting facet of Karl is the weight he's lost. He lost 92 pounds in 13 months. “My only ambition in life is to wear size 28 jeans," he says.
From this:
To this:
The most striking thing about Karl is that he is so polar, opinionated, completely set about everything. He is obsessive and loves some things, while he despises others with an equal passion. This is a small sample of his quotations to understand what I mean:
“I do not like funerals, and I do not want anyone to come to mine,” he says. “Do what you want with the ashes. Send them down the garbage chute.”
“I have no problem with journalists – many are friends,” he says. “Only if they are really stupid, or if they’ve got bad breath, or if they smell. Yesterday I had a problem. I said, ‘I’m sorry, you’ve got to tell this woman that she needs to be taken away. Her smell is not possible.’ ”
"I didn’t like to play with children. I only wanted to read, sketch, write, and to learn languages.”
"I never make serious conversation. It bores me to death. I hate that. I love knowledge for myself, but I don’t care what other people think. "
Another aspect of Karl is his blend of the old and the new. While I'm not a fashion expert, and can't speak for his clothing, his signature look defines this juxtaposition. Old - Powdered hair, high collar. New - Ponytail, leather pants (and not just any leather pants. His are Agatha leather pants and at $2500, they are the most expensive in the world). His youthful exuberance and controversial/perverted comments liven up his 71 years of age. “I get along with everyone except for men my age, who are bourgeois or retired or boring.”
All in all, Karl strikes me as a strong-willed individual that has certain obsessions that has cleared any noise in his life, and made room for clear opinions about everything. He owns 300,000 books, yet has read Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking" three times in one month. He has peculiar tendencies, and perhaps that is what has led to his courageous work in the face of criticism.
*From what I've read about most "famous" or "successful" people, it seems that all of them dwell in the extremes. Only by being extreme in some sense, does one differentiate one's self and rise above the crowd. Of course, that takes courage, too and does not come without risks. But like everything else in life, those that risk nothing, stand to gain nothing. *
So every so often, I'm going to write about some figures with especially interesting stories. First up, Karl Lagerfeld.
Usually, I have a problem with superficiality. But Karl embodies the superficiality so completely that he makes being superficial seem, in fact, dignified. It is an integral part of him, and it seems so natural for him, that you accept it, regardless of how peculiar it sounds. (At age 4, he demanded a valet because he changed his clothes several times a day and his mother used to say, “Children with glasses are the ugliest thing in the world.” and refused him glasses although he was short sighted.)
One interesting facet of Karl is the weight he's lost. He lost 92 pounds in 13 months. “My only ambition in life is to wear size 28 jeans," he says.
From this:
To this:
The most striking thing about Karl is that he is so polar, opinionated, completely set about everything. He is obsessive and loves some things, while he despises others with an equal passion. This is a small sample of his quotations to understand what I mean:
“I do not like funerals, and I do not want anyone to come to mine,” he says. “Do what you want with the ashes. Send them down the garbage chute.”
“I have no problem with journalists – many are friends,” he says. “Only if they are really stupid, or if they’ve got bad breath, or if they smell. Yesterday I had a problem. I said, ‘I’m sorry, you’ve got to tell this woman that she needs to be taken away. Her smell is not possible.’ ”
"I didn’t like to play with children. I only wanted to read, sketch, write, and to learn languages.”
"I never make serious conversation. It bores me to death. I hate that. I love knowledge for myself, but I don’t care what other people think. "
Another aspect of Karl is his blend of the old and the new. While I'm not a fashion expert, and can't speak for his clothing, his signature look defines this juxtaposition. Old - Powdered hair, high collar. New - Ponytail, leather pants (and not just any leather pants. His are Agatha leather pants and at $2500, they are the most expensive in the world). His youthful exuberance and controversial/perverted comments liven up his 71 years of age. “I get along with everyone except for men my age, who are bourgeois or retired or boring.”
All in all, Karl strikes me as a strong-willed individual that has certain obsessions that has cleared any noise in his life, and made room for clear opinions about everything. He owns 300,000 books, yet has read Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking" three times in one month. He has peculiar tendencies, and perhaps that is what has led to his courageous work in the face of criticism.
*From what I've read about most "famous" or "successful" people, it seems that all of them dwell in the extremes. Only by being extreme in some sense, does one differentiate one's self and rise above the crowd. Of course, that takes courage, too and does not come without risks. But like everything else in life, those that risk nothing, stand to gain nothing. *
Friday, September 12, 2008
One-Liners
http://www.onesentence.org/stories/popular/all/
Entertainment compacted into one sentence.
Entertainment compacted into one sentence.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Scar Tissue
Excerpt from one of my favorite books:
I took the mike and belted out, "Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now."
That line had come from a series of conversations I'd had years earlier with Nina Hagen. Nina was a wise soul, and she realized how young and inexperienced I was then, so she was always passing on gems to me, not in a preachy way, just by seizing on opportunities. I was going through her closet one day, looking at all her crazy clothes, when I came upon a valuable exotic jacket. "This is really cool," I said.
"Take it. You can have it," she said.
"Whoa, I can't take this. This is the nicest jacket you have in there," I said.
"That's why I gave it to you," she explained. "It's always important to give things away; it creates good energy. If you have a closet full of clothes, and you try to keep them all, your life will get very small. But if you have a full closet and someone sees something they like, if you give it to them, the world is a better place."
I had come from such a school of hard knocks that my philosophy was you don't give things away, you take whatever you want. It was such an epiphany that someone would want to give me her favorite thing. That stuck with me forever. Every time I'd be thinking, "I have to keep," I'd remember, "No you gotta give away instead." When I started going regularly to meetings, one of the principles I learned was that they way to maintain your own sobriety is to give it to another suffering alcoholic. Every time you empty your vessel of energy, fresh new energy comes flooding in.
Another excerpt:
I was stone-cold sober and lying on my back and she was giving me head and there was so much love being exchanged, and she was pouring so much of her heart into that physical expression, that i started to leave my body and was able to look down and see myself lying on a bed with this girl, with her flowing chestnut locks and her beautiful white skin, making love to me. I just watched for a while and I had the realization that that was the single most beautiful sexual moment of my life to date.
I took the mike and belted out, "Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now."
That line had come from a series of conversations I'd had years earlier with Nina Hagen. Nina was a wise soul, and she realized how young and inexperienced I was then, so she was always passing on gems to me, not in a preachy way, just by seizing on opportunities. I was going through her closet one day, looking at all her crazy clothes, when I came upon a valuable exotic jacket. "This is really cool," I said.
"Take it. You can have it," she said.
"Whoa, I can't take this. This is the nicest jacket you have in there," I said.
"That's why I gave it to you," she explained. "It's always important to give things away; it creates good energy. If you have a closet full of clothes, and you try to keep them all, your life will get very small. But if you have a full closet and someone sees something they like, if you give it to them, the world is a better place."
I had come from such a school of hard knocks that my philosophy was you don't give things away, you take whatever you want. It was such an epiphany that someone would want to give me her favorite thing. That stuck with me forever. Every time I'd be thinking, "I have to keep," I'd remember, "No you gotta give away instead." When I started going regularly to meetings, one of the principles I learned was that they way to maintain your own sobriety is to give it to another suffering alcoholic. Every time you empty your vessel of energy, fresh new energy comes flooding in.
Another excerpt:
I was stone-cold sober and lying on my back and she was giving me head and there was so much love being exchanged, and she was pouring so much of her heart into that physical expression, that i started to leave my body and was able to look down and see myself lying on a bed with this girl, with her flowing chestnut locks and her beautiful white skin, making love to me. I just watched for a while and I had the realization that that was the single most beautiful sexual moment of my life to date.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Random Things
David Letterman: "Hillary Clinton barely won my home state of Indiana. And she lost in the State of North Carolina. But here is the good news. She has a substantial lead in the state of denial... I’m no pundit but it occurred to me that Hillary Clinton has one thing in common with President Bush. Neither of them has an exit strategy."
"If you don’t bring back my mothafuckin money
or my mothafuckin dope
you can forget about Christmas niggaa
cause you ain’t gon’ even see New Years."
-Master P, obviously an expert in the chronology of holidays
Every Asian person I know has taken those pictures where you jump in the air and click the camera. But these pictures take it to another level. None of these pictures are enhanced, by the way:
"If you don’t bring back my mothafuckin money
or my mothafuckin dope
you can forget about Christmas niggaa
cause you ain’t gon’ even see New Years."
-Master P, obviously an expert in the chronology of holidays
Every Asian person I know has taken those pictures where you jump in the air and click the camera. But these pictures take it to another level. None of these pictures are enhanced, by the way:
Monday, April 14, 2008
Nike PreCool Vest
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Minidresses and Medical Equipment
A 1960s mini dress and medical packaging were the inspiration when it came to redesigning Nike's original PreCool Vest. First introduced in Athens, Nike wanted to make it lighter, more flexible, better fitting and refillable a tall order for a piece of equipment athletes have been praising since Athens.
The vest is designed to cool the body’s core temperature. Since 25% of our body's total energy goes into moving muscle and 75% into regulating heat, reducing an athlete’s core temperature before the marathon or a field hockey match means more energy for the competition itself. Indeed, with core cooling, athletes can often last 21% longer. Given Beijing’s hot and humid conditions, the PreCool Vest is a key piece of equipment that can help provide the advantage an athlete needs.
In improving the vest, Eddy Harber and Irena Ilcheva of Nike’s AIT or Advanced Innovation Team focused on apparel development turned to high fashion, specifically a dress made of tiny metal discs. Like chain mail, it clings to its wearer. It was thought the geometry—smaller discs to hug the body’s curves and larger discs over flatter planes like the back and stomach—would work for the vest. A grid of triangles was used, smaller on the shoulders and larger down the spine, to maximize skin contact. The closer the fit, the less ice needed to cool the body, and the lighter the vest became.
Each triangle is made of two layers to keep it cool. The inner one is filled with water, which is frozen, while the outer layer insulates like a thermos. Coated with aluminum, the triangles also reflect radiant heat working like the coating on mirrored sunglasses. That coating and insulated layer also mean less ice. Even more weight was reduced by making the PreCool Vest refillable. Instead of having to travel with a seven-pound vest pre-filled with liquid, the design team created sealed compartments that athletes fill and freeze before competition. The product inspiration came from medical packaging used to transport blood and other fluids. Medical products have strict compliance issues—they must be absolutely leak proof. “As we were thinking ‘How do we make this?’” Harber explains, “We looked to the medical packaging and how it’s made with one big weld. That was a perfect solution.”
Nike partnered with a medical supply company to make the actual vest. Each one will be individually tested, and though the engineering that goes into the vests is high tech, they’re being made from sustainable materials. Perhaps the most interesting fact is all th ematerials used are 'Considered', with the PreCool Vest made of recycled Nike Air soles and the felt carry case, which helps keep the vest cold, comes from recycled men’s suits.
Minidresses and Medical Equipment
A 1960s mini dress and medical packaging were the inspiration when it came to redesigning Nike's original PreCool Vest. First introduced in Athens, Nike wanted to make it lighter, more flexible, better fitting and refillable a tall order for a piece of equipment athletes have been praising since Athens.
The vest is designed to cool the body’s core temperature. Since 25% of our body's total energy goes into moving muscle and 75% into regulating heat, reducing an athlete’s core temperature before the marathon or a field hockey match means more energy for the competition itself. Indeed, with core cooling, athletes can often last 21% longer. Given Beijing’s hot and humid conditions, the PreCool Vest is a key piece of equipment that can help provide the advantage an athlete needs.
In improving the vest, Eddy Harber and Irena Ilcheva of Nike’s AIT or Advanced Innovation Team focused on apparel development turned to high fashion, specifically a dress made of tiny metal discs. Like chain mail, it clings to its wearer. It was thought the geometry—smaller discs to hug the body’s curves and larger discs over flatter planes like the back and stomach—would work for the vest. A grid of triangles was used, smaller on the shoulders and larger down the spine, to maximize skin contact. The closer the fit, the less ice needed to cool the body, and the lighter the vest became.
Each triangle is made of two layers to keep it cool. The inner one is filled with water, which is frozen, while the outer layer insulates like a thermos. Coated with aluminum, the triangles also reflect radiant heat working like the coating on mirrored sunglasses. That coating and insulated layer also mean less ice. Even more weight was reduced by making the PreCool Vest refillable. Instead of having to travel with a seven-pound vest pre-filled with liquid, the design team created sealed compartments that athletes fill and freeze before competition. The product inspiration came from medical packaging used to transport blood and other fluids. Medical products have strict compliance issues—they must be absolutely leak proof. “As we were thinking ‘How do we make this?’” Harber explains, “We looked to the medical packaging and how it’s made with one big weld. That was a perfect solution.”
Nike partnered with a medical supply company to make the actual vest. Each one will be individually tested, and though the engineering that goes into the vests is high tech, they’re being made from sustainable materials. Perhaps the most interesting fact is all th ematerials used are 'Considered', with the PreCool Vest made of recycled Nike Air soles and the felt carry case, which helps keep the vest cold, comes from recycled men’s suits.
Evolution
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Gotta love this.
Gotta love this.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Facial Follicles Font
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A fun font. All 26 letters here:
A fun font. All 26 letters here:
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Peter Jackson's other movies
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Most people who know of Peter Jackson, know him as the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a movie built on a great story and beautiful images. In fact LOTR Fellowship of the Ring won Oscars in 2002 for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, cementing its place as one of the greatest, visually pleasing movies made.
But.
Not many know of Peter Jackson's early work. In 1992, Jackson's movie, Braindead debuted and its content was far from beautiful. In fact, I think my eyes got straight up assaulted after watching clips of this. So, enjoy!
Most people who know of Peter Jackson, know him as the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a movie built on a great story and beautiful images. In fact LOTR Fellowship of the Ring won Oscars in 2002 for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, cementing its place as one of the greatest, visually pleasing movies made.
But.
Not many know of Peter Jackson's early work. In 1992, Jackson's movie, Braindead debuted and its content was far from beautiful. In fact, I think my eyes got straight up assaulted after watching clips of this. So, enjoy!
NBA Merchandise
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Top 20 Ugliest Items in the NBA Store
I personally like the Orlando Magic dragon hat.
Top 20 Ugliest Items in the NBA Store
I personally like the Orlando Magic dragon hat.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Junior Lucky Bastard
http://jlb.55dsl.com/ Looking for a job this summer? Though Stern kids cream their pants over internships at Goldman and Lehman, this job trumps them all.
February 26th, 2008
Yes, YOUR JOB SUCKS but now there is an opportunity for you to make all your dreams come true! No, you cannot be an astronaut or a famous pop star, but we can have you started by adopting you as our JUNIOR LUCKY BASTARD! We’ll be sending you to the most exotic destinations for free, where you’ll be attending some of the best parties and hanging out with the coolest crews! We‘ll take care of all the costs but we’re leaving the having fun part all up to you; although we have been known to encourage people off planes.
Everyone can apply through www.55DSL.com starting from March 2008, sending a Video Application of 1:55 seconds and not a flat CV. We repeat no CV’s. We are looking for creative video executions that show the applicants’ creative ability to deal with everyday life and how they would live “live 55 seconds per day.” The deadline for submissions is May 1st 2008; after applicants will be selected accordingly to how they respond to a real Junior Lucky Bastard profile. A short period of training to prepare the selected will precede the real travel: two months around the world, from July till September 2008.
So stop making excuses for yourself and start living at least 55 seconds per day!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Thing That's Been Bothering Me All Day...
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Saturday, March 22, 2008
Advice.
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"To follow by faith alone is to follow blindly."
-Ben Franklin
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"To follow by faith alone is to follow blindly."
-Ben Franklin
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Custom Curry Dunk Hi
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Hm... inspiration.
Hm... inspiration.
1 in 4 US Teens has a STD
Yep, according to a new study: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080311/ap_on_he_me/teen_stds
But that's not the interesting part. This is:
"She said there are a lot of myths out there, too — many sexually active teens think the withdrawal method will protect them, or that douching with Coca-Cola will kill STD germs."
Coca-Cola? I mean really... shame on you, all you health teachers
But that's not the interesting part. This is:
"She said there are a lot of myths out there, too — many sexually active teens think the withdrawal method will protect them, or that douching with Coca-Cola will kill STD germs."
Coca-Cola? I mean really... shame on you, all you health teachers
Monday, March 3, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Ignorance.
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"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action."
True words.
Interesting Note: I'm fairly certain this is a photo of NYU Bobst library. Ironic.
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action."
True words.
Interesting Note: I'm fairly certain this is a photo of NYU Bobst library. Ironic.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Nike Concept
Easier to Play Than Your Mom
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(Click to Enlarge)
(Click to Enlarge)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Second Life
Maybe I've just been unaware, but when did Second Life become ridiculous?!
Some observations
1. Second Life's Economy:
Second Life economy posts solid growth in Q4
5. There is a lot of sex going on. The funny thing is, you don't even start out with a penis. You have to buy one. Theres a gold penis with flames selling for 150 Linden $ (the currency of Second Life) but unfortunately this is a little problematic for public situations as the penis never becomes flaccid...
6. Bands have become popular through Second Life by playing in tours and shows in Second Life. They stream their content and have people rock out.
A parody of Second Life is probably the best part, though. With taglines like "Go outside, Membership is free!", "Find out where you actually live!" and "Fornicate with your actual genitals!", the website "Get a First Life" is pretty funny.
Some observations
1. Second Life's Economy:
Second Life economy posts solid growth in Q4
Economic Growth. Many of our economic metrics showed much slower growth from Q2 to Q3 as can be seen in the charts below. We believe the slower growth was primarily due to the impact of stricter security on credit card processing, shutting down gambling in July and beginning to charge VAT September. With those things behind us in the fourth quarter, the Second Life economy demonstrated its resiliency. The LindeX - the purest measure of economic activity in Second Life - grew 13.2% to nearly $7.6 million USD for December and $22 million USD for the full quarter.
It's unbelievable how close Second Life is mirroring Real Life, complete with economic indicators. By the way, the economic data was available in Excel format, too (feel sorry for the poor guy who had to spend time organizing FAKE data).
2. People make money playing. A lot of money.
Virtual worlds are now producing real millionaires. Example: Ailin Graef announced that her avatar inside Second Life had amassed virtual-property holdings worth $1 million in U.S. funds.
3. There is a Reuters section devoted JUST to Second Life.
3. Even the IRS is paying attention to the incomes being made, and they are seriously looking into taxing the proceeds of Second Life and other virtual worlds. via http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/commentary/games/2006/12/72317
5. There is a lot of sex going on. The funny thing is, you don't even start out with a penis. You have to buy one. Theres a gold penis with flames selling for 150 Linden $ (the currency of Second Life) but unfortunately this is a little problematic for public situations as the penis never becomes flaccid...
6. Bands have become popular through Second Life by playing in tours and shows in Second Life. They stream their content and have people rock out.
A parody of Second Life is probably the best part, though. With taglines like "Go outside, Membership is free!", "Find out where you actually live!" and "Fornicate with your actual genitals!", the website "Get a First Life" is pretty funny.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Edumacation
One of the best speeches I have ever heard.
"But what we do know is that if you are not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original... And by the time they get to become adults, most children have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. And we run our companies like this, by the way, we stigmatize mistakes. And we're now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is, we are educating people out of their creative capacities."
Sir Ken Robinson on why the education system fails to recognize brilliance
It's 20 minutes, and yeah if you're in Stern that's like time you could be reading useless shit in the WSJ or checking the Bloomberg or mingling with recruiters and professionals that won't ever get you a job or do shit for you...
but for me, this was a brilliant speech and made me think -- something that Stern doesn't do very often for me.
"But what we do know is that if you are not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original... And by the time they get to become adults, most children have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. And we run our companies like this, by the way, we stigmatize mistakes. And we're now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is, we are educating people out of their creative capacities."
Sir Ken Robinson on why the education system fails to recognize brilliance
It's 20 minutes, and yeah if you're in Stern that's like time you could be reading useless shit in the WSJ or checking the Bloomberg or mingling with recruiters and professionals that won't ever get you a job or do shit for you...
but for me, this was a brilliant speech and made me think -- something that Stern doesn't do very often for me.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Chanel Choco Phone
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The screen images are projected between two pieces of glass for a holographic look, and to reduce weight.
via:
http://www.tuvie.com/chanel-choco-phone-by-fred-de-garilhe
The screen images are projected between two pieces of glass for a holographic look, and to reduce weight.
via:
http://www.tuvie.com/chanel-choco-phone-by-fred-de-garilhe
Harajuku
Interview with Tiffany Godoy, author of Style Deficit Disorder
http://www.highsnobiety.com/Interview-Godoy/index.html
http://www.highsnobiety.com/Interview-Godoy/index.html
N Blox
Let's take a look inside the National Institute of Health's description of crack cocaine for a friendly comparison...
"Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure."
Sounds like a game of N Blox.
" Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. "
Check.
"Can result in a period of full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the user loses touch with reality"
3 weeks of full time work equivalent to my playing time? I definitely broke up with reality.
So, folks at Stern: Stop playing N Blox. You can go outside and enjoy the sunny world, it's really much better than multicolored blocks and extreme anguish! I am hereby retiring from N Blox, and I couldn't be happier. You can do it too!
P.S.
"Attempts to stop using the drugs can fail simply because the resulting depression can be overwhelming"
Will update on my condition as the weeks pass...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
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