Art from her series "The Hope and the Struggle"
olympics in pictures
Incredible photo collection of the Beijing Olympics. I haven't posted much about the games, but they have been very entertaining - from Baltimore homeboy Michael Phelps (I'm sick of you now) grabbing 8 golds to Usain Bolt's (I hope you're not juicin') brash dash to 3 golds/3 world records and the Redeem Team bringing USA bball back to the top. Not to mention Zhang Yimou's gorgeously epic opening and closing ceremonies which showcased a wonderful depiction of Chinese history and potential through sheer manpower and artistry.
olympics logos
As the Olympics draw to a close, lets look at the recent history of Olympics logos. ISO50 has some nice commentary reflecting on how each logo reflects its host country and the era of design at that time. The 2012 London logo by Wolff Olins is drawing a lot of hate. I disliked it at first, but its growing on me simply because it is very different from past olympic logos. Its so 80's. The colors and shapes remind me of those obnoxious 80s inspired tshirts worn by hipsters. Seems appropriate for London. Love it or hate it, the logo elicits a reaction and is memorable either way. It works well as a mark at different scales and for different applications. The shapes have movement and butting shapes suggest competition of sport.
over&over
Mike Perry's book "Over and Over" catalogs a collection of hand-drawn patterns.
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design
curumin
Curumin is a Brazilian musician with Spanish/Japanese ancestry. Nice samba funk from his upcoming album JapanPopShow:
Curumin | Compacto
sandcastle disco
She's been diagnosed with ADD, reveals that people often think she's high and/or crazy, and aspires to be the "black Bjork". Hard to tell if the promotion of Solange as the antithesis to Beyonce is genuine or calculated. But her songs are fairly good so far.
Sandcastle Disco
I Decided (Freemasons Remix)
F_ck the Industry
Valentine's Day
T.O.N.Y
mobamas
John McCain's most favorite celebrity in the world has a pair of Dunks dedicated to him. MObama Dunks 08. Features colors inspired by Shep Fairey's poster and a lasered illustration of Obama's face.
slants
In honor of the Spanish olympic bball ad featuring players slanting their eyes, Complex takes a look at racist portrayals of Asians in popular media.
nicola conte
Some gems and remixes produced by Italian DJ Nicola Conte:
Nicola Conte | A Time For Spring
Nicola Conte | The In Between
Luisito Quintero | Our Love (Nicola Conte Remix)
Sabrina Malheiros | Terra de Ninguem (Nicola Conte Remix)
Marco di Marco | Take Off (Nicola Conte Remix)
Rosalia de Souza | Tempo Futuro
Rosalia de Souza | Ipanema
tetrapods
tetrapods...sounds like a word to describe tetris/ipod enthusiasts. actually these are huge concrete structures built to prevent coastal erosion in Japan. Some say these man made blocks actually accelerate coastal erosion and pose a danger to swimmers and boaters. At least they pose for nice pictures!
philippine all stars
The Philippine All Stars won the 08 World Hip Hop Dance Competition, beating out 1,000 dancers from 30 different countries.
Top 20 worst football cliches
With football season approaching, its time to break out our favorite cliches courtesy of Bleacher report.
20) “We have to take it one game at a time.”
19) “Crabtree makes a circus catch.”
18) “The other team just wanted it more.”
17) “They left it all on the field.”
16) “He’s deceptively quick.”
15) “McCoy’s going to feel that one in the morning.”
14) “They are better than their record indicates.”
13) “He has a motor that won’t quit.”
12) “He really gives 110 percent.”
11) “There seemed to be a miscommunication on that play.”
10) “We have to play a full 60 minutes.”
9) “Boeckman would like to have that one back.”
8) “They have to take care of the football.”
7) “This Mountaineer defense is going to ‘pin their ears back’ on this next play.”
6) “He has a quick first step.”
5) “The Sooner defense bends but doesn’t break.”
4) “This QB is a real gunslinger.”
3) “Arenas is a downhill runner.”
2) “Sanchez has all day to throw it.”
1) “That guy’s a throwback.”
Here are my additions:
North-South runner vs. East-West
Downhill runner
Short field
Receiver getting "good separation" from the DB
favre'd out
Glad to someone in the media pointing out the vomit-inducing oversaturation of the Brett Favre-Green Bay soap opera. I'm glad its over. Everytime I switched to ESPN or ESPN news, I saw Favre. Then they would show a highlight of an actual sport for a minute...then back to Favre. Continuously for 24 hours. That old highlight of Favre celebrating with teammates in the frozen tundra and throwing a snowball playfully towards the Packer sideline has been burned into my memory. So much so, that I wish there was a machine like in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" to erase it from my brain.
We shouldn't be suprised since the majority of the media worship him like pre-teen Hannah Montana fans at her concert. The sports media have given Favre a free pass his whole career. You can count on him for a timely boneheaded interception (see: '08 NFC championship game) but his recklessness is framed as a brave gunslinger mentality. Yes, he has all the all-time stats and records but have you checked his playoff record? 3-7 since his only Super Bowl win - 13 years ago.
All the ass-kissing received from Packers fans and national media led him to believe he was bigger than the organization.
For years and especially with this pre-season, he has held the franchise hostage while waffling on retirement. Then he wonders why the Packers head honchos questioned his desire and mindset to play. I lost count on how many times he changed his mind only to blame others for forcing the issue on him. Nevermind, that he made a tearful retirement announcement and the organization moved on financially in restructuring their post-Favre salary payroll for free agents and used up a draft pick in selecting Brohm in the second round. In a classless manner, Favre escalated the drama and insisted his rights by badmouthing the Packers GM. He had no grounds for his trade demands which involved the Packers' arch-rivals in the same division.
And once Green Bay accepted his return and seemed willing to open the QB competition upon his arrival, he declared that his relationship with the team was irreparable. He wanted to either start for the Packers or get traded to Minnesota, Tampa Bay or Chicago. He got none of that and looks like the loser of this whole situation.
Favre could prove me wrong and lead the Jets into the playoffs (they have the easiest schedule in the league), but his legacy has been tarnished by his selfishness.
wrap that up b!
Complex has a funny post on the 10 Worst Rapper Commercials of All Time. The Kid N' Play and MC Hammer commercials brought back some childhood couch-potato memories.
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video
curs(ed)ive
How often do you actually write with a pen on paper anymore?
When is the last time you wrote in cursive?
Recently, I was writing a greeting card (I'm talking about an actual physical card that you send in the mail with a stamp...the fact that I have to explain this supports the theme of this post) with my usual writing by printing method. I remarked to my wife that my printing looks fairly neat but somewhat child-like. After assessing the card, she remarks that my printing is small and uneven. She suggests cursive for more sophistication and quickly adds, "Do you even remember how to write in cursive?" I'm fully aware that technology has transformed some skills from fundamental into forgotten, but still I laughed her off, "How can anyone forget how to write in cursive?"
Perturbed by my incredulous response, she asked me to prove it. As she began dictating sentences, something funny happened: I couldn't do it perfectly! I mean, I could write in cursive but it wasn't a smooth process. I would have failed 2nd grade handwriting with this sample. I had to pause and think about how to write certain uppercase letters because my first impulse was to render it in print method. I paused in the middle of words to think about how to render certain letters. Some of my letters like "r" and "s" ended up being printed and it all became a bastardized mashup or cursive and printing.
Of course after more practice, it began to come back to me and I completed perfect sentences...but that first brain-dead attempt was shocking. I guess it shouldn't come as a suprise since I spend most of my waking hours on the computer. Yup, I'm either typing, mousing or holding a remote. I gotta log off now!
kisso
Kisso seems like that overlooked - but in a good way - type of restaurant. No website, nothing flashy or trendy with its personality. In fact everyone working there seemed soft spoken. Its a wonderful secret tucked away on 4th & Race streets - north of most of the Old City action. The modest interior is dominated by a sushi bar that takes up one side of the restaurant. Warm wood, flowers and traditional Japanese elements promote a cozy sense of peace which was especially welcomed after walking around the city for hours.
We've patronized some hyped sushi joints around Philly and came away disappointed on many occasions. Kisso, in its understated manner, offers some of the finest sushi in this city. Often, you get a sense of what's to come from observing the sushi chefs behind the bar. You check if they are Japanese, if the stations are clean, and if they operate with a confident attention to detail. Be wary of entertainers. The Kisso chefs were real quiet in their zone, allowing their "performance" to speak volumes and we were wowed by the end product.
The mix and match combination plate was modest in its offering but stressed quality over quantity. A quality which makes you browse the artistry on your plate and savor each bite as you explore. The fish were fresh, the cuts were precise, the ratio of elements were perfect and the overall presentation was unique, artistic and delicate. I especially enjoyed the salmon with salmon roe and the spicy tuna in bean curd bag. The highlight for me was the squid with raw quail egg. It looked like a sunny side up egg with a circular dab of yellow raw quail egg sitting on a fine cut of white squid delicately overlaying the rice. After placing it in my mouth, the egg just gushes over the texture of the squid meat and melts with the rice.
We left happy and refreshed. While exiting the door, I looked back to give a nod of appreciation to the staff and sushi chefs, but they were quietly going about their own business.
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Labels:
food
first friday
We strolled around Old City on a First Friday, (a much calmer event during the summertime) taking in some of the local Philly art scene. The sidewalk street shows always conjure up the notion of discovering a diamond in the rough, but usually its a mix of possible potential and unpolished amateurism. That's just my opinion and its all subjective anyway. Who knows what the hell art is anyway? In the grand scheme of things, popular critiquing and recognition of masters help structure perspective and art history... but at the molecular level, I tend to approach it on a more personal level. Its an act of call and response. Does this piece speak to me? I don't care if its in the MOMA or on a table in North Philly.
So back to First Friday - one kid had a collection of graffiti influenced street paintings featuring rappers and revolutionary icons on hectic backgrounds. His perspective struck me as simply "young" - mostly because it reminded me of when I used to draw my favorite musicians or rappers and stick them on my bedroom walls. Most of the street shows were held by the not-ready-for-primetime-gallery kids mostly at art school age. They usually are still caught up in the angst of their own world, occasionally noticing observers browsing their artwork. A rare greeting or conversation is offered but usually its very quiet. Such a stark but expected contrast from the self-promoting gallery artists catering to spectators full of wine, cheese and pretentious chatter. I know I'm stating the obvious, but like any other business, the art world is all about marketing and promotion.
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