Nokia and the University of Cambridge's Nanoscience Centre is showcasing a nano-technology-based concept phone at the upcoming "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Rcrdlbl.com (or record label... took me one or two seconds to get it) is where I hear of 80% of all the new music that enters my eardrums.
Rcrdlbl is a joint venture between Downtown Records (Gnarls Barkely and more) and Peter Rojas, an entrepreneur who founded the respected technology blogs (Gizmodo and Engadget). What is unique about it is that the music is free and DRM-free. What? How? The website is funded by advertisers--nikon, virgin, bmw, puma, and nokia so far.
In an era with shrinking CD sales, the rise of iTunes, and increasing music pipeline of mypace, its inevitable that the business model for music needs to change. The WSJ (yeah, WSJ) has a pretty interesting piece about rcrdlbl.
There. The cat is out of the bag.
And this is a look of Beijing out of James Fallows' window.
I just booked my ticket to SFIAAF! It's going to be awesome. No better place to see some emerging asian-american content than from my mothercity--San Francisco.
I don't know how I did it. But after coming back from the gym and eating dinner, I fell asleep and didn't wake up until 7am today.
...meanwhile, on the other side of town...
Huckabee comments on his lack of sleep:
I’m finding just out how long I can go sleep deprived. You know, running for office is sort of like being waterboarded, I think.No, I didn't dream it, it actually happened.
I just put down Malcolm Gladwell's Blink late last week. In the book, Malcolm spends a significant amount of time talking about the Implicit Association Test.
For those of you new to IAT:
The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is an experimental method within social psychology designed to measure the strength of automatic association between mental representations of objects (concepts) in memory. The IAT requires the rapid categorization of various stimulus objects, such that easier pairings (and faster responses) are interpreted as being more strongly associated in memory than more difficult pairings (slower responses).
Colin Munroe, a Toronto-based r&b producer and songwriter, recently remixed Kanye West's Flashing Lights. I've attached the video of "I want those flashing lights."
I've also included a link to his myspace account where you can download the song along with instrumentals and VOX versions.
Like what you see?
Visit Colin Munroe's myspace page.
Download the song.
Read more about him from PF.
Don't recklessly throw your gum on the floor, Hubba Bubba now offers a way to put your gum to good use--to make street art! It even works for color blind folks, like me.
Source: Directdaily
Ok, so there a couple very touristy places that you gotta check out when you visit New Orleans. Everybody an their mother will know how to get there. I have much to discuss, but for today, we'll talk about two cornerstone institutions--Acme Oyster House and Mothers.
Acme Oyster House
It's right off canal street in the western part of the French Quarter. Go there for seafood. I recommend going a little early because the line builds quickly.
What to order: Louisiana oysters are meaty and with a touch of sweetness. They're not the most delicate of oysters but definitely delicious. However, the shuckers will usually place the oyster in mud to facilitate shucking.
Tip: Use the fork provided unless you like your oysters extremely earthy.
Mother's restaurant
An awesome breakfast/lunch place. The place is pricer than it needs to be, but I still would check it out. The line starts to build up around 11:30 so its better if get stuffed from all the food and then take a nap.
I also feel obligated that you learn the meaning of debris before you walk into mother's. Debris is the roast beef that falls into the gravy while baking in the oven. AKA bits of greasy goodness. mmmmmm....
What to order: K loved the Crawfish Etouffée and the shrimp po'boy is solid.
At last, bored Japanese drivers have a new way to amuse themselves. Engineers from Hokkaido have installed roads with grooves at varying intervals. It produces a series of "notes" as cars drive over these grooves. You can read more about it in the Guardian here.
I can't really complain, the Japanese have made everything more fun. From trying to get a better mileage through the meter of my parent's Honda insight, to trying to control the speed we drive. What games will they come up with next?
I AM ALIVE!
Yes, I'm back from Indiana and in one piece. Our parents like each other (so far). It was not without hiccups, but I discovered a couple things:
If you haven't heard about it already, Thom Yorke, of Radiohead, recently appeared on Jonathon Ross' morning show to give us a little unplugged experience.
You can download the exceedingly beautiful live acoustic performance of In Rainbows' "Reckoner" and Kid A classic "Everything In Its Right Place."
Links to download the material are to stereogum's blog.
I'll be celebrating my engagement with K this weekend in Indiana.
It turns out that according to Chinese customs, the groom's parents have to come to the bride family's house to make the formal introduction.
While I imagined some day-long trip from village to village, set in today, its frisconapolis.
This will be the first time both parents meet each other.
Wish me luck,
V
I've been a bit behind, but back in January, I had the privilege of going down to New Orleans for a couple days. Since its Mardi Gras time, I thought I'd get my act together and upload some of those pics.
You can see my album on flickr.
Be on the lookout, I'll be posting a few food recommendations in the next couple of days.
Looking for something different to do than your neighborhood bar? When my friend Steve came to Chi-town for a weekend, his friend took us to a great wine bar find in the downtown area.
Swirl is a candle-lit wine bar tucked away between Clark and LaSalle. Long and narrow, it allows its visitors to find seating along the wall, naturally breaking up the space into intimate sections.
Saturdays are hosted by a duet of Flamenco dancers and dueling guitars. A glass of deep red wine pairs exceptionally well with the organic guitar sound and seductive dance moves.
Hosted by Ojos Gitanos, its a definite recommendation for a romantic date.
Juerga!
Swirl Wine Bar
111 W Hubbard St,
Chicago, IL 60610
Steve with wineHonda recently launched its Honda Problem Playground ad for its new FCX Clarity model.
Looks like a lot of fun solving puzzles.
For those of you who are fanatical about the Wire. My friend just sent me a link that has a couple episodes that have yet to air.
Clearly, this is for for the impatient:
http://www.surfthechannel.com
January has been a great way to usher in the new year. I not only got over my fear of the bitter cold but was able to spend a couple days in the Nawlins hanging out with the Robby posse. The electronica beats of December lingered on as a more chill V warmed himself
