Chocolate Christ art exhibit cancelled March 31, 2007
David Pescovitz:
Artist Cosimo Cavallaro’s 200 pound, milk chocolate sculpture of Christ was to be exhibited next week at Manhattan’s Lab Gallery but the Roger Smith Hotel that houses the exhibition space cancelled the show today. After hotel officials bowed to pressure from pissed off Catholics, Gallery director Matt Semler resigned. From the Associated Press (image from Cavallaro’s Web site):
The 6-foot sculpture was the victim of “a strong-arming from people who haven’t seen the show, seen what we’re doing,” Semler said. “They jumped to conclusions completely contrary to our intentions.”
“In this situation, the hotel couldn’t continue to be supportive because of a fear for their own safety,” Semler said.
TLC SmartCab
The TLC SmartCab promises to revolutionize the taxi experience for both drivers and passengers. New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission decided about two years ago that it was time for a technology upgrade, and results are just now hitting NYC’s taxi fleet.
The TLC SmartCab was designed by Digital Dispatch and includes three elements: A GPS device, the Vector 530 Driver Information Monitor (above right), and the iView 8000 Passenger Information Monitor (above left).
In addition to GPS—which is something I’ve wished a driver has had more than once—the driver’s route tracking is dramatically simplified. Instead of writing down each trip (often while driving) the logging is done automatically when the meter is started and stopped. At the end of their shift drivers simply print out a report of their fares, including GPS-provided start and stop locations. Other benefits include the ability for the TLC or the taxi fleet to send out system wide messages about traffic, accidents or the unpleasantness of NYC’s ubiquitous street fairs. It also protects drivers because the taxis can be located at any time.
The Passenger’s experience provides even more benefits. A touch screen monitor mounted into the back side of the front seat provides passengers with GPS-driven map data, fare information, live video, news and city information. When the trip is over the fare information is presented in large type with a tip calculator and a summary of additional costs. Best of all, you can swipe your ATM or credit card to pay the fare.
With increased fares and the fact that taking a taxi in NYC is no longer a bargain this is at least one benefit for passengers.
Milton Caniff’s Steve Canyon Dailies
Mark Frauenfelder:
Stephen Worth,
director of ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive says:
Today at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, video producer John Ellis stopped by with a portfolio case full of original artwork he discovered in a box of memorabilia belonging to the estate of cartoonist Milton Caniff. Unseen for decades, these jaw-droppingly beautiful ink sketches stand as a testament to the genius of Caniff, whose 100th birthday would have been celebrated this year. Caniff drew “Terry & the Pirates” and “Steve Canyon” every day for 54 years, and his draftsmanship was the envy of his peers. But most of all, he was a masterful storyteller. We posted a dozen high resolution scans of original “Steve Canyon” strips, and we'’ll be posting more dailies and Sunday pages soon, along with rare photographs that have never been published before.
Alan Graham’s life recounted one computer at a time
Mark Frauenfelder:
On Alan Graham’s new blog MedHed, he posts photos of every personal computer he’s owned over time along with anecdotes that occurred at the time he owen them.
Macintosh IIvxAfter dropping out of college and spending two years flying airplanes and helicopters (while managing a pizza place), I got a bee in my bonnet to buy a computer. I walked into a store that sold Macintosh computers and walked out $5,000 poorer with an Apple Mac IIvx. It was a pretty big deal because it was the first Mac built to house an internal CD-ROM drive, and the first time I had even seen one.
Through a chance encounter I ended up starting a computer repair and consulting company. In the early days I would often secretly peek into my repair bag at David Pogue’s Mac for Dummies book to diagnose my clients problems.
“Ah yes…I think this is a problem with an extention…one moment while I look into my bag here….uh huh…yes definitely an extention.”
[Note: many years later I had the great privilege to do R&D for the first two versions of David’s Missing Manual: OS X book. How funny is that story arc?]
Within a year I was a Mac authorized VAR and Apple Authorized repair technician. And not long after that I was one of the leading digital video experts in the country.
Photos of Burbank fire
Mark Frauenfelder:
People are posting their photos of the fire in Burbank, CA on Flickr. This one is by crza. Link
Uri Geller misusing DMCA to remove critical YouTube videos? March 30, 2007
Mark Frauenfelder:
According to Brian Flemming of slumdance.com, Uri Geller, who claims to be psychic, has been using the DMCA to force YouTube to remove videos that debunk his stunts (which include bending spoons and locating hidden objects.) By law, only the copyright holder of a video can make a Web site owner remove a video.
The only bright spot is that Geller’s actions to suppress criticism may expose him to legal liability (provided that one of his victims has the resources and will to fight this litigious spoon-bender).
His liability? Geller does not apparently own the copyrights to the videos that he demanded YouTube remove.
The DMCA allows copyright owners to file a “takedown notice” with a service provider such as YouTube, provided that the copyright owner swears under penalty of perjury that he or she owns the copyright in question (”I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner of an exclusive right that is infringed”).
It appears that on March 23, Geller or his representative filed with YouTube a series of these DMCA takedown notices, which should have included swearing to the stated facts under penalty of perjury. When internet griefer Michael Crook tried this method of critic suppression, it didn’t work out too well for him.
You can see one of the videos pulled from YouTube here.
Peanut butter disproves evolution
Mark Frauenfelder:
MJ Kelly says: “A (serious) Creationist clip showing how peanut butter disproves the theory of evolution. (Query whether it makes a difference if its creamy or with nuts…)”
The video explains that evolutionists claim that energy plus matter sometimes results in the creation of life. But since no one has ever found spontaneously-generated life in a jar of peanut butter, that means that matter plus energy from the sun couldn’t have caused life on Earth. That’s a grand piece of thinking! Link
Battles
I haven’t heard much from Battles, a math-hip-hop-rock super group, since I was dazed by their supersonic onslaught during the Surrounded by Silence Prefuse 73 tour some years back. But this 2 April 2007 they’re releasing their single “Atlas” (digitally and on 12″ vinyl) from their first full-length album, Mirrored, which is due out 15 May 2007 from Warp. They also just kicked off their world tour, which will be winding it’s way through the U.S. and into Europe. Make sure to catch them if they come into your vicinity because they put on one of the most energetic live shows out there.
Battles consists of multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton, drummer John Stanier (Helmet, Tomahawk), who plays his kit with an unusually high crash cymbal (right), guitarist/keyboardist Ian Williams (Don Caballero), and guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka (Lynx). This new album will be the the first time Battles incorporates vocals into their driving, hypnotic sound. We haven’t heard the full length yet, but on “Atlas”, Braxton digitizes and manipulates his voice to emulate a chipmunk of sorts, as drummer John Stanier maintains a clockwork beat that grounds Willams’ texturizations. A truly original sound, NME comments, “when the world is invaded by robots in 2067 this will still sound ahead of its time.”
Listen to “Atlas” and other tracks here and stay tuned for the release of Mirrored.
TateShots
Bringing the best of the Tate to cyberspace, TateShots is the unpretentious two month-old podcast covering the goings-on at the museum as well as backstories in the form of mini art history lessons, like the first issue’s look at Rodin’s “The Kiss.” With artist interviews, artists commenting on other artists and events—including Matt Mullican’s recent performance under hypnosis—each monthly installment of short videos offers the kind of immediate unprecedented access that’s ideal for online distribution.
Also on Cool Hunting: Matt Mullican: i Life and i Death
Making of Snow White from Pop Sci, 1938
Cory Doctorow:
Today on the Modern Mechanix blog, an incredible, five-page spread about the making of Snow White, from the January 1938 issue of Popular Science. Modern Mechanix scans old science mags and posts them in high-res, along with transcripts of the articles, so that they’re machine searchable. It’s my favorite old-magazine blog ever.