YES! Watch the Watchmen!

July 20, 2008 | Filed Under Spotlight, Watch this | Leave a Comment 

Hailed as the greatest graphic novel ever, The Watchmen, is set to come to silver screen next spring. I just finished reading the book today…I’m so excited. Next to Batman, Rorsharch has to be one of the greatest fictional detectives. Check out the trailer.

The visual: Ron “Rondiggy” Ackins

July 5, 2008 | Filed Under Pay attention, Plain cool, Spotlight, The Visual | Leave a Comment 

 

 

What’s ridiculously popular yet under-respected at the same time?

Comics.

Reading them will give you a brand new appreciation for illustrators. I can draw basic shapes…expecting anything outside of that is probably going too far. Still, I’ve always wanted to be able to draw well. See…anybody who can hold a pencil can draw, but to do it well is an entirely different story.

One who does it very well is none other than freelance artist Ron Ackins, whose work has been featured in Kicks and XXL magazines, as well as on Nike (soon!) and UndrCrwn tees. Chances are if it was a UndrCrwn shirt you really liked, he did it.

For more of his work and contact information, visit Behance.net/RonAckins. Good…I’m inspired. Not to draw, but to do what I’m good at.

Spotlight: Little Dragon

July 5, 2008 | Filed Under Listen, Pay attention, Spotlight, Watch this, What My World Sounds Like | Leave a Comment 

I’ve been meaning to write about this group for approximately two months. Better late than never because chances are you don’t know who they are anyway, meaning I’m still ahead of the curve.

The morning of May 4th was a good one. I heard Little Dragon’s “Test” and was convinced to locate and secure a copy of the album. Shortly thereafter, that goal was met and I was captivated. How could I just be finding out about them? (Well…because I don’t cruise the music circuit in search of new talent like I used to.) They’re really that good.

This Swedish group has perfected a union of jazz, pop, electronica, and hip-hop. Listening to this music, you just know that they take their craft seriously. Note to musicians: make good albums and people will like them. Then, you won’t have to trick your fans or sell your soul. Pretty sweet deal to me.

Below are videos to some of my favorite songs on the ablum. (Yes, I like every song.)

“Test”

“Constant Surprises”

“Twice”

For more music and info, head to their MySpace page.

Spotlight: My new favorite blog

June 8, 2008 | Filed Under Inspiring, Moment of Truth, Read this, Spotlight, Website | Leave a Comment 

Okay, so I don’t really have a favorite blog, per se, since I read nothing regularly, but if I had to choose one to be anything close to it, I’d have to go with Stuff Black People Hate.  I have to immediately follow that with “it’s not for everyone” because it’s not…at all.  It’s sincere yet blunt with an extreme lack of concern for political correctedness that’s quite refreshing.  Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t.  Either way, it’s fine.

Tonight: Do the world a favor

April 1, 2008 | Filed Under Consider this, Do your research!, Great ideas, Inspiring, Pay attention, Plain cool, Spotlight | Leave a Comment 

My last trip to New York provided me with the opportunity to see a film I’ve been interested in seeing for over four months and the opportunity to speak with the subject of the film, biotect Michael Reynolds.  On Tuesday, April 1st at 9 pm est/pst, the Sundance Channel will begin its second season of The Green premiering that film, The Garbage Warrior, which introduces viewers to Reynolds and his brilliant homes, earthships. 

Before watching Garbage Warrior, I was already enthralled with the idea of earthships.  I was certain that I wanted one and became an informal spokesperson for these houses, which are completely self-sustaining.  They produce their own electricity, their own heat, contain and treat both water and sewage, and render the perfect atmosphere for food production.  They’ll survive 30-below-zero winters, earthquakes, and hurricanes.  Seriously, they’re wonderful and necessary.  The film traces Reynold’s journey to getting the Sustainable Development Testing Site Act passed in New Mexico which allows for the testing of sustainable homebuilding technologies. 

After seeing this film, more than ever, I know that I need to get a piece of land and build one of these homes.  I urge you to watch this film, screening on Sundance tonight at 9:40 pm e/p; Friday, April 4th at 10:40 am e/p; and Sunday, April 6th at 3:40 pm e/p.  Garbage Warrior is also available for viewing OnDemand on the Sundance Channel.

Dale Chihuly

February 11, 2008 | Filed Under Plain cool, Spotlight | 1 Comment 

Not everyone has a favorite glass blower…I do. His name is Dale Chihuly and I’ve loved him since I found out about him in high school. So for quite some time. He’s been a known artist for several decades now, but I recognize that still not many are familiar with him or his work. Maybe now you’ll have a favorite glass blower, too.

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he later established the glass program and taught for over a decade.

In 1968, Chihuly was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work at the Venini factory in Venice, Italy. While in Venice, Chihuly observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today. In 1971 Chihuly co-founded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington. With this international glass center, Chihuly has led the avant-garde in the development of glass as a fine art.

His work is included in over two hundred museum collections worldwide. He has been the recipient of many awards, including seven honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Chihuly has created many well-known series of works, among them the Baskets, Persians, and Seaforms, but he is also celebrated for large architectural installations. In 1995 he embarked on the international project, Chihuly over Venice, which involved working in glass factories in Finland, Ireland and Mexico, with the resultant sculptures installed over the canals and piazze of Venice.

In 1999, Chihuly mounted his most ambitious installation to date, Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem; more than one million visitors attended the Tower of David Museum to view his installations. In 2001 the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, curated the exhibition Chihuly at the V&A. He exhibited at the Salt Lake Art Center during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. His first major glasshouse exhibition, Chihuly in the Park: A Garden of Glass was on display at the Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago. The Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma, Washington, was dedicated in 2002.

In 2003, Chihuly begins the Fiori series for the opening exhibition at the Tacoma Art Museum’s new building. TAM designs a permanent installation for its collection of his works. Chihuly at the Conservatory opens at the Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, Ohio. In 2004, Chihuly creates new forms in his Fioriseries for an exhibition at Marlborough Gallery, New York. The Orlando Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, become the first
museums to collaborate and present simultaneous major exhibitions of his work. Presents a glasshouse exhibition at Atlanta Botanical Garden.

In 2005, Chihuly marries Leslie Jackson. Mounts a major garden exhibition at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, outside London. Shows at Marlborough Monaco and Marlborough Fine Art, London. Exhibits at the
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida. In 2006, Mother, Viola, dies at the age of ninety-eight in Tacoma, Washington. Also in 2006 Chihuly presents glasshouse exhibitions at the Missouri Botanical Garden and The New York Botanical Garden. Chihuly in Tacoma, hotshop sessions at the Museum of Glass, reunites Chihuly and glassblowers from important periods in his development.

What If…

February 11, 2008 | Filed Under Inspiring, Pay attention, Plain cool, Spotlight | Leave a Comment 

you lived in a community where your input was valued?  What if there was a vacant lot and instead of building a new building that would more than likely not benefit area residents, you were asked what you needed?  What if there’s a growing interest in growing your own food in a dense urban environment where land is scarce? 

The What-If Project is a really interesting architectural project that favors community involvement over creating the traditional architectural monuments that most firms seeks to build.  My personal favorite of their projects is the “Vacant Lot” project in the Shoreditch neighborhood in London where a vacant lot was tranformed into a green space.  Seventy half-ton bags were filled with soil.  Each resident looks after a bag and grows their own fruits, vegetables, and flowers.  What a great idea.

 

What My World Sounds Like: Dejion

February 6, 2008 | Filed Under Listen, Pay attention, Plain cool, Spotlight, What My World Sounds Like | 1 Comment 

Ever the enthusiast, I can’t help but to share the goodness in my life (or at least I try).  The past few days, I have been listening to quite a treat.  If you act fast, you’ll be able to thank me for changing your musical trajectory if but for a while.

One of music’s most hidden treasures is trying to throw himself out of obscurity–but the conditions have to be right.   Unwilling to compromise himself or his work, musical extraordinaire Dejion has been inching his way towards mainstream attention for quite some time.  He’s worked with some of the biggest names in music and only remains unknown to you because of his refusal to be shafted by the pirates of the industry (not a reference to downloaders).

Ask any hooper and they’ll tell you that some of the best ball players play street ball.  In 1998, Kweli said that some of the best rappers were underground.  Perhaps all the world’s greatest treasures are hidden…until they’re discovered and unsurfaced.

Let me do my little part and unearth a piece of this trove…

Being–necessarily and understandably–ridiculously protective over his music, I can’t make any promises as to how long you’ll be able to hear any of it, but if you go to his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/DejionMusic, you’ll be transported to an eargasmic world of delicious harmonies, delectable arrangements, and spectacular production…among other things.  Take it for checking.

*Due to protective measures employed, I have no copies of the music to upload.  Therefore, you’ll have to visit the site referenced above.

Composting made easy!

December 23, 2007 | Filed Under Plain cool, Spotlight | Leave a Comment 

I’m so excited about this product I’ve recently found. I’m certain I come off as ambivalent, one minute decrying products, the next praising them. Thing is…just because I’m ready to change doesn’t mean the rest of the world is. Step by step, I suppose. For those highly urbanized individuals who depend on products and aren’t giving them up anytime soon, there’s still good for you to do.

I often think about farming and how I don’t want to farm with toxic soil. Now I’ll just make my own. Thanks to a product called NatureMill, ordinary individuals–urban or rural–can do their own composting in a matter of weeks.

According to NatureMill, up to 40% of the waste in landfills is food waste. With their composting products, the waste will never make it to the landfill. Taking up only a few feet of space and an electrical outlet, you put in your organic waste: coffee grounds, tea bags, and vegetable/meat/dairy remains. Turn the machine on and the computer supercharges and regulates the heat and oxygen levels, accelerating the composting process. What can take months now takes two weeks. With a price tag of $299, less than an iPhone, gaming system, or top of the line camera for all you techy Christmas shoppers and comparable to the price of a trash compactor, there’s not a barrage of reasons for why one shouldn’t be adding NatureMill to the list of things to get to improve your positive contributions to the world.

For pet owners, there’s also a version for composting pet waste. Check out www.naturemill.com to learn more.

Do you [want to] blog?

December 20, 2007 | Filed Under Learn something, Random, Spotlight | Leave a Comment 

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