Things to do in Montevideo, Uruguay

Typically, when I travel, I don't get the chance to really soak in the culture. For 21 days, I'll be in Montevideo, Uruguay thanks to the IBD project.  I've been staying in Pocitos, which is a nice part of town within walking distance to the beach. A couple things I definitely recommend if you come to Montevideo:

• Go watch a proper football game. We saw an exhibition game of Uruguay v. Israel.
• Go out at night. The night starts at 2AM. Most people take a nap after work on Friday before they head out.
• Eat a Chorizo. Just not at the stadium. They say that there is a reason there are no stray dogs around the stadium. I made this mistake and spent 4 days in the hotel. 
• Try a Milanesa. So much is fried here, just give it a shot. It's a cross between a Tonkatsu and a Chicken friend steak.
• Try Mate, the original wing-maker. It's a complicated process to get some caffeine. But when in Montevideo, you'll see people walking around with a thermos of hot water and a mate at all times of the day.

Venue Discovery with Location Awareness

Foursquare, a mobile social networking game that gets users to "check in" at places they visit in the real world, has experienced explosive growth. While people are acquiring mayorships in droves in the US and the UK, bold users in other countries are marking their territory as well.

While we're all in search of those elusive badges or fighting to retain those mayorships, the real value of Foursquare may be much, much more.  For people traveling abroad, it's been a brilliant source of current advice and tips.

Having travelled a good amount, I'm always cautious of my research before getting into the country. Some sites and listings haven't been updated for years, and its not when you get there that a) the place no longer exists, b) the venue isn't what it was like in 2008, c) the crowd is vastly different.

I always check my check-out list with locals just to make sure.

With Foursquare, I have easy access to local tour guides. The desire to recommend and be "in the know" knows no boundaries.  Each mayor is potential guide. Here are a few new mayors in Montevideo, where I'm currently traveling.

Surfing through their postings, I can quickly find where I need to be on Thursday Nights. Looks like Francisco V thinks I should head to Lou Bizzarro Bar on Thursday night.

3 Days in Basque Country

It's been three days since I flew from SFO to the Basque region in Spain.  Thus far:

• Spent a day in Bilbao
• Took naps on benches in Bilbao
• Went Pinxto hopping in San Sebastián
  
• Had dinner at a Cider House

Here are a couple pics of my trip to far.

Slicing and Dicing [Van Gough]

German art historians posit that Vincent Van Gogh did not slice off his ear, but that Paul Gauguin accidentally sliced it up in a lively discussion about the very nature of art.

The story commonly told about Van Gogh's ear centers around Vincent's love for Rachel. When he gave it to Rachel, he told her to "keep this object carefully."

However, by analyzing the police reports of the event, some art historians now believe that Van Gogh was covering up for Gauguin.

The authors have re-examined contemporary police reports and surviving, second-hand accounts of witness statements, including contradictory declarations by Gauguin. They admit that final proof is lacking, and that the police investigation into a drunken brawl between two artists was half-hearted at best. Nonetheless, they say that all the evidence points to the fact that Gauguin accidentally sliced off his friend's ear.

The two men were arguing in the street, the authors believe, partly about their competing interest in Rachel but also about the correct way to paint. Van Gogh argued for painting from the life; Gauguin from the imagination. The French painter was threatening to leave for good, wrecking Van Gogh's dream of founding a utopian artists' colony in Arles. Gauguin, a keen amateur fencer, walked into the street with his luggage and his sword, the authors believe. Van Gogh pursued him. Gauguin brandished the sword in his friend's face to keep him at bay and accidentally cut off part of his ear. Van Gogh then staggered to Rachel's house and handed her the severed part.

After examining the evidence, [the authors] say that Gauguin contradicted himself several times and claimed to have seen events he could not have seen. Other witnesses suggest that Van Gogh provoked Gauguin and Gauguin attacked Van Gogh.

If true, I'm supremely impressed that Van Gough would take his secret to the grave. You can read Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans' 392-page book (in German).

Source: The Independent

A Peephole into the White House [Voyeurism]

The White House now has an official White House flickr stream. If you can't enough of Barack, Bo, Michelle, and the rest of the White House party, check out the stream.

I'm curious, does the White House have to pay the $24.95 for a flickr pro account? Or can they buy a bulk 4 year subscription fee?

Do Re Mi [Choreographed Flash Mobs]

I went to my first Bring Your Own Big Wheels (BYOBW) event last weekend on potrero hill and left a happy, happy customer. While there, I heard of DJ Amandeep Jawa's Flash Dance events (Flash Mob + Dance Party).

View Larger Map

SF seems a bit zany and irreverent. I can't wait till I get a tweet from deepasaurus for the next dance party.

On a related tangent, have you seen what happened at Antwerp's Central Train Station in Belgium:

Econoland [Economist Theme Park]

In tough economic times, it's always refreshing to hear of companies who are able to capitalize on the environment. According to their website, "The Economist Group is delighted to announce the development of a public-entertainment facility that combines the magic of a theme park with the excitement of macroeconomics."

Among the different attractions, rides include:

• The currency high-roller: Float like a butterfly with the euro and drop like a stone with the pound!
  
• Chamber of horrors:Fiscal fantasyland: Watch the economy shrivel before your very eyes as you struggle to stop growth falling!
  
• The Severe Contest: Try your strength against a bear market!

Let's just hope its an April fools joke.

Little Red Riding Hood [Animated Fables]

In the age of information, people expect to be able to take a deep dive at any point in time. I can't tell you how many times bets are settled by accessing wikipedia via my mobile phone.

Tomas Nilsson created a 3 minute reinterpretation of Little Red Riding Hood for a (Swedish) university class project.

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did:



HT: Thingamababy

Executive March Madness [Obama's Picks]

Chris Good from the Atlantic breaks down Obama's NCAA bracket. Key takeaways:

• UNC wins
• Obama is conservative and plays it safe
  

You can read the breakdown in bracketology here.

Go K! [Pride]

So while K is out in Chicago, she's been making big waves. Most recently, she's been at the Renaissance Society at University of Chicago, where she has helping with their digital strategy.

But it seems like her work at UIC's Gallery 400 is still getting play. First, there was her soundbite on Chicago's own WBEZ for her show.

But just the other day, she got a shout out in ArtNet Magazine. In an article called "Chicago Buildup," they profile her handiwork.

Tear. I'm so proud!

It's Political Sushi [Oddities]

My friend Marie sent me a link to this. Evidently there's a guy rolling sushi rolls in the splitting image of Obama.

I guess it's suppose to be an homage, but seems a bit weird to me... Its interesting what they choose to highlight as MyBO's key features...

Dalai Tweets [Dalai Lama]

His holiness, the dalai lama, joins twitter. Under @OHHDL, the office of his holiness the dalai lama has been posting for about 10 hours and has 3,293 followers at the time of the post.

HT: ReadWriteWeb

This post is a bit of promotion [Gallery 400 Exhibit]

On Wednesday, I will be attending the opening of Gallery 400. This will be K's first professionally curated show and from what I hear, it's going to be a doozy. There's been a lot of buzz around it and I hear the emerging artists are hot hot hot.  The likes include: Karl Erickson, Andrew Falkowski, Matt Hanner, Shana Lutker, Debora Warner, and Jordan Wolfson.

From the press release:

This Shadow is a Bit of Ideology, gathers a group of artists working against the darkness cast by a long, drawn-out war, a rancorous spirit in politics, a social landscape obscured by rampant information retrieval, and a crumbling economy. The artists in the exhibition do not turn their backs on current socio-political issues, but neither do they embrace propaganda. Rather, they harness anxieties—political, economic, personal—as productive generators for form. Introspection, reflective criticism, oblique commentary and cohabitation of past with present are just a few of the tactics by which these artists navigate progressively through the twilight.

With my sister is visiting from San Diego; and since she's a foodie, we have reservations after the opening to grab dinner at Alinea.

It's going to be night of multi-sensory exuberance. First sight and sound, and then taste and sight. All with 2 of 3 of my most fave women in the world.

i'm a momma's boy after all...

Visualizing Music Mash-ups

I've always been a big fan of mash-ups. Ever since hearing DJ Z-trip's Uneasy Listening, and hearing Enferno while I lived in DC, there is something intriguing about taking the familiar and giving it new perspective. Girl Talk has taken it to another level. In Girl Talk's latest album, 300 audio snippets appear in the 50 minutes of CD play. Wired.com has a pretty cool way of visualizing the first 4 minutes and 15 seconds.

Source: Cool Infographics

The intersection of art and commercialism

A lot of fashion retailers are partnering with designers and artists to promote their brand. Nike has partnered with experimental theater director, Robert Wilson (whose art has appeared in the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Opera of New York, and the Centre Pompidou) to create video portraits for Nike store retail displays.

While not for all companies, I feel that this is a refreshing injection of perspective into a brand. While in Japan, K learned that Chanel's mobile art container. Chanel partnered with famed architect Zaha Hadid to create and curate an multi-media experience. The traveling exhibit launched in HK, made a pit stop in Harajuku, and will end in Paris. Luckily for us, the rush line was pretty short and we were able to get into the exhibit.


Upon entering the container, you're directed to sit down and wait while the all-black-outfitted workers set you up with a personalized mp3 audio guide. A melange of music, voice-overs, and sound effects direct you through the container, telling you to stand-up, look-up, and walk to the next exhibit. Controlling your movements allowed each of us to experience a personal connection with the narrator and art. The 20 different pieces reflected their impressions of chanel, handbags, and leather. I was surprised how edgy some of the content was.

The container lands in New York between October 20 and Nov 9. To read more about visiting it while in NY, check out the NY Times article here.

Starting to collecting jargons for a jar

Many of all work in the professional field. We often create an ecosystem of jargons terms. I don't know why I leverage these terms, but one day I'll figure it out and draw a strawman for you all.

According to Lucy Kellaway, business jargon cloaks the brutal modern workplace in such brainlessly upbeat language.

Read more about it here.

Top pics from japan

I've finally sorted, filtered, and uploaded pics from my trip to Japan. There is much more to come, but I've been running around looking for a new apartment in Chicago. I'll follow-up with posts to provide a narrative to the pics. But in the meanwhile, enjoy!

Goonies 2 Rumors

Rumors are that Goonies 2 has been greenlit. Having grown upon on the original goonies, tried my first baby ruth candy bar, and played the Nintendo Famicom game, I'll be eagerly awaiting its release.

You can read more about it at screenrant.

The Art of Cleaning

Speaking of corporations and their PR marketing campaigns. Green Works, a Clorox Company and maker of "natural cleaners," worked with Paul "Moose" Curtis on a graffiti art project.

Using Green Works products, created "reverse graffiti" by cleaning dirt off walls.



Like my last post, I'm on the fence. Conceptually, I like what the idea of "reverse graffiti," and its ephemeral qualities, and I'm a big fan of the director, Doug Pray (Scratch, and Infamy).

It's just...

I'm just not sure how to feel when street art goes corporate.

Source: Blogthousand!

Street Art Globalization

The Tate Modern in London recently launched a street art exhibition including artists from all over the world. Creativity Online interviews Will Gompertz, director of Tate Media, about the exhibit.

Read it here.