These photos are dedicated to my political activist friend Gregory Lowe. He gave me an NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) bag that promotes saving whales. Anyway, I think he would really fit here in New York. Supposedly there's a protest at Union Square every weekend.

This is a pretty cool conference, and worth every penny. Unfortunately, I was barred from taking any photos, but check out their site, if you're interested in design. The conference encompassed Print, Fashion, Computational, Architectural, Illustration, Graffiti art/design and more. It was held at the Lincoln Center.

Here's there link:
http://www.semipermanent.com/newyork

Twin Towers Light Memorial

I was on my way to Fellissimo for the 3-D Authorship show. They were closed so instead I went to a parade on Fifth. Beautiful costumes.

I went to this Adidas exhibit, which was to give me the "ultimate" experience of making me feel like I'm one with the "in" crowd. When I first arrived to the address 267 Canal Street, I walked into 2 stores, and asked about the Adidas exhibit. This Chinese man, who couldn't speak English told me to follow him, so I did. He walked through the store to the back, and crossed the street and into another entrance to a basement. I started to feel that this wasn't legit, and was wondering if this was a place where they sold fake Adidas. But then, at the end of the hallway, I saw this colorful videotracking projection and a ultra-contemporary sculpture that had Adidas stamped all over it. The experience was pretty effective in making me feel pretty "cool" that I knew about this event, and "special" that I was part of this covert operation. The tennis shoe line emulate printmaking business model, where some shoes are limited edition, and the same went for the athletic jackets. There were some commercial to underground grafitti artists tagging shoes, and popular artists like "Fafi, a French grafitti lady artist. "Fever 1," a dancer, hired for this 2-week event, pitched a great story/sale.

I stand corrected with the Alexander Hamilton fact. My friend, Ben Wilkes, emailed me the corrected information: "Hamilton was never President. Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Secretary of the Treasury (I knew those). Wikipedia remind us he was lead author of the Federalist Papers, too.

Thanks, Ben.

so go out and vote.

Also, Clay Shirky recommended this article re "Social Capital," which talks about the differenced between bonded versus bridged capital and what happens when civic responsibility declines.

What dictates our political involvement?

"Now, finally, a lot of people are beginning to see how machines might in fact learn to fit into their lives as well as humans do. People are increasingly choosing their books and music by the algorithmic recommendations of Amazon instead of those of their friends, planning dates with mates they find in textfields instead of local bars or social clubs."

—Christian Croft

This machine will fill out scantron bubbles for you if you drop a coin in any of its slots. Christian Croft designed the gears and kinetic system from scratch (i.e. using the laser cutter to cut Plexiglas). I know he's going to be insulted, but I have to say that the design of this machine is beautiful.

His commentary of moving forward to a world of automation is humorous. I always appreciate Christian Croft's and Andrew Schneider's conceptual art projects. I'm not sure if it's because they have a background in theater, but their work is never too abstract for me to understand.

This machine is going to be attached to a desk.

This code means something, translated from binary to English.

For more information about this project, click here to visit his site.

PART o1:

Ambient Lighting Design

Are we in a time warp? Typewriter outputs digital? Typewriter crosses computer.

Twister Game networked? There are hundreds of solutions to win this game. A new approach to Twister, but you need to find the right combination. To do so, it requires you to touch other players.

These fingerless gloves warm your hands ups when you hold your partner's hand.

Powder and Ferrofluid Interesting texture when it pulses. Pretty mesmerizing.

Hat Mutterer

This project is called "Hair" by Carolina Pino

Kyungmi's "Kenny" digital paint brush

Networked Shoes as a performance tool. This was indeed a treat to watch.

Lara and Myra worked on a chair that functions as a musical interest for assistive tech.

PART o2

Chris and Juri's Mega Phone Game. This is fun and immersive. I can see it at a movie theater. You call a number and play these short games that are projected on a screen. The games are short and satisfying. One example is blowing into your cellphone to digitally blow a balloon fastest. Maybe the theater can give you a free tub of popcorn if you win. "Don't forget to turn off your cellphones for the movie!"

Andy, Kate and Che worked on this demo. You can turn off appliances and make your home smart using your cellphone. So if you forgot to turn off your light or forgot to turn on your air conditioner for your cat, this would be a great tool.

Christin Roman's Telebunny calls your child and comforts it when you're away.

Chris Parretti's car race allow you to control the speed of the car by yelling into your mobile phone. New game consoles a mobile device? Watch out Sony and Nintendo!

Preston Noon's Puzzle Poetry

Mike Bukhin and Michael DelGaudio's mobile phone is video tracking every second and minute of the wearer's day and meta tagging activities.

Ilteris Kaplan's Mood Box allows you to anonymously input your emotions in one space, which is processed and displayed in a different space. I see a lot of potential. It is beautiful as well.

Fun cell phone game with archaic cell/cordless phone controller>

Judson's video tracking flea simulation. What a hoot!

Jeff LeBlanc's art works.

Che's tree personality test translated to music using Max/MSP and Jitter.

Jenny Chowdhury's email art.

Animalia Chordata. Gabe's humorous exploration of personal space. He puts people in bottles. Okay, this project was in one of those blogs I listed above.

Tales of Grim. While you read this book, the rooms in the play house interact.

Low tech art by Heather, Charles and Tristan. It's pretty satisfying swaying these blocks

I didn't get to interact with this project, but it looks engaging.

Tikva's Sonic Body Pong. This was on the Make blog too.

Steve Jackson's project allows you to channel surf YouTube according to subject matter. If you type in "basketball," it mine all videos related to this sport for the day and play it for you. I'm not even a big YouTube fan, but I found this project pretty cool.

It's stunning at night.

At the Rockefeller Center...

This is my first contribution to the Wikipedia. I was curious about this Danish licorice brand, which had a controversial name. I was also unfamiliar with the term. The term also has references to anarchy and revolutionary. Anyway, there's a hyperlink to the word "logo" to the image I submitted.

At the Good Morning America set in Time Square Studios, they are exhibiting all the Oscar award trophies. I am such a tourist.

Here's the info:
February 12-24
11am to 7pm

The actual award ceremony is on the 25th and starts at 5pm. I skipped it last year, but just watched Good Night and Good Luck, which was about a journalist, Edward Morrow, covering McCarthyism, and Capote, which was pretty heavy and well-acted. This year I want to watch Babel, Volver, and Notes on a Scandal, Little Miss Sunshine, The Departed, and An Inconvenient Truth. In Los Angeles, people would have Oscar parties and hold pools on the nominees.

Last year, my friend Jay Moorthy told me about TED, and I've heard about it here and there. Lisa Strausfeld also mentioned TED when she lectured about Richard Saul Wurman (known for his book Understanding USA, where famous designers created information graphics about statistical data in the U.S.). For those of you who don't know about it, TED is the acronym for Technology, Entertainment, Design. Some notable speakers and performers have been Al Gore, Malcolm Gladwell, Cameron Sinclair, Nicholas Negroponte, Jeff Han, Tracy Chapman, Sirena Huang, an 11-year-old concert violinist, and even our own ZeFrank (who taught Creative Acts at ITP). It costs about 5g's to go, and you have to be invited, but all of the money goes to charitable organizations. Anyway, they have free podcasts of past speakers, under TED TALKS, which I try to listen to.

This year, I was really interested in Theo Jansen's works (I first heard about him in Living Art). He does these amazing kinetic sculptures, and he's one of the speakers at TED this year. Also, Hod Lipson, who is doing some work in robotics. His robot like of looks like a starfish, which can be seen in the BusinessWeek slide show about TED. I think he's also created a DIY Desktop fabricator for less than 2g's. And also, Nick Sears, from ITP, will be talking about his thesis, the newer 3D orb, and presenting the initial iteration (shown at the 2006 ITP Winter Show).

Bill Clinton, Lawrence Lessig, Paola Antonelli, Zaha Hadid, Richard Branson, and They Might Be Giants will also speak and perform this year.

Here are some recommended links, some are repeated from above:

Podcasts of TEDTalks

TEDBlogs

BusinessWeek's Slide Show on some speakers [which include Theo Jansen, Hod Lipson, and Nick Sears]

BusinessWeek's story about TED

An innovative way of playing polo without horses. In a park near Chinatown on Broome and Forsythe, groups gather to play polo. Pretty cool.

After waiting three months, we finally got tickets to the Colbert Show. We went and waited in line, and still didn't get in. They emailed us VIP tickets, which means we don't have to wait in line. We'll see...

I went to this party in Chelsea, and they had the most innovative party game, which was pretty intimidating and addicting simultaneously. So the hosts made these darts with nails and paper cones that you put into this metal rod, and blow. On the target side, they rounded up several yellow marshmallow peeps, which was later replaced by a lit candle (you have to put out the flame), and finally an M&M, to provide challenges for the more advanced player.

At first it seems pretty intimidating because of the "what if you miss?" factor. But after you blow, you and the dart hits the cardboard/particle board area, you start getting the hang of it. After about 5 times, you start getting addicted.

Here's a tip from Rives :
Hold the rod like a cue stick.

Let Veronica distract you with weird sounds, produced from her native Mexican tongue, and you will hit one of those bunnies.

NY City Opera

Click to see the trailer.

Liked this ad for Sirius radio, which was in the program.

It snowed like a blizzard yesterday afternoon for 5 minutes. I feel like global warming has really affected our seasons. It was hot like the summer in November and December, and freezing cold in April. I'm finally watching Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. We are seeing the effects now, but in 50 years, the summer looks like it's going to be hella-hot!

Pretty cool links on interactive design. I'm adding them to my delicious account. Last year, I went to a great talk by Khoi Vinh, who helped redesign the New York Times web site. Since then, a host of magazine publications redesigned their site. One of my favorites is New York Magazine. I love their top nav bar. I thought Khoi Vinh presented the New York Times site with top nav bar as well, but now it has a typical left nav bar like the Los Angeles Times site (which is in serious need of a redesign). Anyway, I subscribe to the New York Times Urbanite email newsletter, which is pretty stylistic. Also, Andrew Famiano pointed out to me the redesign of The New Yorker site, which looks fabulous as well.

Some great recent presentations from the Web design community. These are all definitely worth a few minutes of your time.

Slides from last week's An Event Apart Boston.
The presentations by Zeldman, Jason Santa Maria, Dan Cederholm and

After the Brief: A Field Guide to Deign Inspiration.
Inspiring (and darn funny) talk by Jason Santa Maria and Rob Weychert
at the recent South by Southwest Interactive Festival.
Slides: http://jasonsantamaria.com/downloads/sxsw/2007/
After_the_Brief.pdf
Full audio: http://2007.sxsw.com/blogs/podcasts.php/2007/03/11/
after_the_brief_a_field_guide_to_design
Video clips: http://2007.sxsw.com/blogs/video.php/2007/03/13/
new_video_example

Khoi Vinh's "Grids are Good" presentation, also from SxSWi:
http://www.subtraction.com/pics/0703/grids_are_good.pdf

***Also, check out these podcasts of Bill Clinton , James Nachtwey, and E.O. Wilson, TED prize winners of 2007. All three are pretty awesome and inspiring. I must have watched them two or three times each. These presentations are truly food for the brain.

I just went to this exhibit yesterday at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. This was amazing. Works from these disciplines [product design, architecture, furniture, film, graphics, new technologies, animation, science, medicine, fashion and sustainability] were shown. Ellen Lupton was one of the curators (a fan of her many design books).

Don't miss (no photos because it's not permitted):

1] J. Meejin Yoon, MY Studio/Höweler + Yoon Architecture Low Rez HI FI, (2006) interactive installation.
2] Suzanne Tick, Crossform light, (2004), (double woven fiber optics)
3] Lia Cook, Binary Traces, (2005), (this looks like a print of a [photograph until you get very close, it's all woven)
4] Joseph Ayers, Biomimetic Underwater Ambulatory Robot (Robolobster), (2005)
5] James Carpenter, Landscape/ Light Threshold
6] Chandelier made from VOS water bottles, Readymade Magazine [I need to buy this book, lots of great ideas in it, including, a shoe rack made by recycling shoe boxes, a messenger bag made from recycled plastics (also part of the exhibit). Really simple ideas that look good using recycled materials
7] Google's data visualization map of languages spoken.

A lot of big names, like Greg Lynn FORM, OMA/Rem Koolhaas, someone from Droog Design, Santiago Calatrava, Acconci Studio, and Natalie Jeremijenko.

I ended up buying the catalog for $40.00, no tax.

On the way back from the New York Public Library, I passed by the EarthFair festivities. "EarthFair Inside," is actually Grand Central (April 14-15). EarthFair Outside (April 20-21) on Vanderbilt Avenue, which I believe will have free music (Green Apple Music Festival). I tried Sahaja yoga meditation, and had a free glass of vodka (I'm still not really sure how that's related to Earth day but Elle was sponsoring it), picked up a publication to O2 (magazine that promotes organic/sustainable luxurious lifestyle), and this magnet that informs you of what is recyclable, and what's not (e.g. plastic rings, caps and lids, deli and salad bar containers, plastic bags, plastic hangers, plastic toys, and yogurt containers)--oops to the caps and lids, and watched the trailer for the documentary movie The Real Dirt on Farmer John, which is about sustainable agriculture, coming out in June (I believe in the Lincoln Center theaters).

"The epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer, The Real Dirt on Farmer John documents the dramatic failure of Farmer John's conventional farming operation and its resurrection into a thriving, organic Community Supported Agriculture farm. By melding the traditions of family farming with the power of art and free expression, this quintessentially American story heralds a resurrection of farming in America."

Here are some memorable photos of Rocio, Gilad and Karl in the fountain.

at the MakerFaire sponsored by Makezine.

Andrew Schneider (creator of Solar Bikini) created the The BlinkCam as an experimental device for performance, which was the topic of his thesis at ITP. The idea is that you blink (consider it a switch), and this device takes the shot.

The eyelashes are conductive, which...

snap into this helmet, which...

is connected to Polaroid camera...

Also at MakerFaire are The Orb, The UltraOrb, and Botanicalls, which were at the ITP shows.

I just attended the third annual MatterX, hosted by Material Connexion, and saw some amazing works. More to follow later...

Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle is a fine artist and professor who teaches at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Motto: “Not utility bur futility.”

Translated X, Y coordinates of a glacier in Ottawa to recreate a mesh iteration of an iceberg (Buckminster Fuller inspired). Some of these sculptures scrape weather data and broadcast it online.

3D data of clouds to create cloud sculpture, Cloud Prototype #1
Digital fabrication prototyped in 11 separate pieces and then assembled.

--

Other Projects: DNA fingerprint in New Bronx Library, Cryogenics sperm bank, El Nino Effect, Bullfight ring with IR sensors that look for aliens, Nocturn/white poppy sculpture/surveillance, bullet-proof umbrella (made of kevlar), Robert Oppenheimer media installation in purgatory, Colin Powell/sand toilets/misinformation of biological and chemical weapons

Keywords: information, science, arts, sculpture, media, McArthur fellow, fabrication, abs rapid prototyping

Sheila Kennedy and Frano Violich
Architecture, Boston
www.kvarch.net

I saw their presentation at the Material Connexion awards. I was really interested in their "Portable Light Project." Energy efficient light for Huichol Tribe in Mexico, and it helps sustain their weaving culture. Over 100 design iterations to comply with regulation of mailing lithium batteries (3.7V), and has social implications (these lights charge faster when a community of these modular pieces charge together.

Gives off 100 lumens of light (40 lumens is average), uses 3.7 V (1,800 mAmps), charges for 3 hours, and runs for 10 hours.

Other Projects: Electroluminescent Plywood Desk, Sever Hall (Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, skylight in the middle level of the building that simulates natural environmental conditions), Pillow/Cloud-like structure canopy on pier of 34th Street in New York (lighting and projection).

Speakers/Awardees

Kennedy & Violich Architecture
Sheila Kennedy and Frano Violich
Architecture, Boston
www.kvarch.net
Portable Light Project

Energy efficient light for Huichol Tribe in Mexico, and it helps sustain their weaving culture. Over 100 design iterations to comply with regulation of mailing lithium batteries (3.7V), and has social implications (these lights charge faster when a community of these modular pieces charge together.

Gives off 100 lumens of light (40 lumens is average), uses 3.7 V (1,800 mAmps), charges for 3 hours, and runs for 10 hours.

Other Projects: Electroluminescent Plywood Desk, Sever Hall (Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, skylight in the middle level of the building that simulates natural environmental conditions), Pillow/Cloud-like structure canopy on pier of 34th Street in New York (lighting and projection)

§

David Gibson
Two Twelve Associates
Environmental Graphic Design
www.twotwelve.com

Other Projects: Signage for Central Park Zoo, other commercial buildings, Chicago Streetscape signage, Radio City Music Hall, MoMA in Queens, Children’s Hospital in Boston, signage in scenic Hudson

Ecofab (fabric/solvents)
Windsor Fireform, LLC

§

Clodagh
Interior Design
www.clodagh.com

Other Projects: uses materials like fiber optics, LEDs, bamboo, washi paper (for walls), recycled materials, biophilia (plants), solar panels, “Sumac” (weaving culture in Armenia), went to Africa to employ and sustain beading culture

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, www.usgbc.org)
LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability)

§

Sam Hecht & Kim Colin
Industrial Facility
Industrial Design, London
www.industrialfacility.co.uk

Sam Hecht use to work for IDEO, but left to start this company, which design primarily for Muji. They pride themselves on building working prototypes rather than digital prototypes.

Current projects include networked objects, like: Mixi (camera cellphone enclosure that uploads photos easily to Japanese Social software using stickers/physical tags), more info on Mixi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixi, http://mashable.com/2006/07/08/mixi-japans-biggest-social-network/), Cellphone with LED light display that could also be used as an alarm clock.

Other Projects: http://www.industrialfacility.co.uk/if.html, Muji coffee maker, Muji fan, Magnetic knife rack, and knife for Taylor’s Eye Witness, Flex Lamp for Droog

LuckyBite (electronics design, more info here: http://open.bbc.co.uk/labs/2006/london/luckybite/)

§

Cao Perrot Studio
Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot
Landscape Design
www.caoperrotstudio.com

They use recycled materials in their design. Glass Garden and Lullabye garden uses 9 to 9.5 ton of recycled crushed glass to create texture.

Other Projects: http://www.caoperrotstudio.com/projects.htm, Bill Massey for public art titled Cocoons, 100 Hearts (made with the scarcity of deaf coconuts due to genetically engineered foods), Medici Fountain, Nantucket Rose, Jardin des Hespérides (lantern/perfume garden)

§

Chilewich
Sandy Chilewich
Textile Design, New York
www.chilewich.com

Created “plynyl,” innovative processes of woven vinyl to make placemats, tableware, floor mats, car mats, carpeting and bags.

Other Projects: She’s famous for “Ray bowls” and “Ray trays,” and “Harry-Carry” named after her two sons.

§

Patrick Jouin
Product designer, France
www.patrickjouin.com

Designs experimental chairs using ABS rapid prototyping.

§

Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle
Fine Artist and Professor at Art Institute of Chicago

Motto: “Not utility bur futility.”

Keywords: information, science, arts, sculpture, media, McArthur fellow, fabrication, abs rapid prototyping

Translated X, Y coordinates of a glacier in Ottawa to recreate a mesh iteration of an iceberg (Buckminster Fuller inspired). Some of these sculptures scrape weather data and broadcast it online. 3D data of clouds to create cloud sculpture (“Cloud Prototype #1”)

Other Projects: DNA fingerprint in New Bronx Library, Cryogenics sperm bank, El Nino Effect, Bullfight ring with IR sensors that look for aliens, Nocturn/white poppy sculpture/surveillance, bullet-proof umbrella (made of kevlar), Robert Oppenheimer media installation in purgatory, Colin Powell/sand toilets/misinformation of biological and chemical weapons

§

Franz von Holzhausen
Mazda, Orange County

Rebranding of Mazda using Japanese terminology like “nagare,” which means “flow.” They use single-side hydro fluid stamping to form hoods.

Other Projects: taking scraps of leather and stamping them to create a larger swatch of materials, single-side hydro fluid stamping used to create automobile hoods, working with Nike to redesign material

§

DDCLAB (acronym for design, development and concepts)
Robert Crivello and Savania Davies-Keiller

Appareil Design, New York
www.ddclab.com

They try to use high-tech and eco-friendly textiles to create appareil. They use some materials made out of soy and corn, organic cottons, dye fabrics with fermented persimmons, pomegrante and other fruits. David Bowie, Lauren Hiill and Lenny Kravitz are some clients. Materials are natural fibers, man-made fibers, and fusion of natural and man-mad fabrics. They use Tyvek (lycra-fused recycled paper, material like FEDEX envelopes). Some polyester and polyethylene materials help keep body temperature, resists abrasion, and not crushable. Use metal-woven fabrics, called “enox,” to resist electromagnetic waves. They line all the pockets of their appareil with enox so that as you pass and RFID tracker, it can’t take your personal information, also resists cell phone waves. Other materials used are Abacca (Japanese Tyvek, extremely thin and light in weight), bamboo fabric (has texture of linen), silks dyed in mud, spider silk, solar panels, and leather fused with lycra to give leather elasticity.

Thery’re experimenting with making “liquid cocktails” that have aromatherapy and antibacterial properties (like aloe, mint and sage), and they are trying to fuse this into cotton (not sure what their process is about).

Other Projects: Dupont (sponsors their research), Nike, Gap, Reebok

About a couple of weeks, we went to a Karaoke/No-re-bang place in Koreatown on 32nd street. Somewhere, up two flights of stairs after we ate dinner at a Korean B.B.Q. place that uses wood charcoal on their table ovens. It's on the North side of 32nd Street. Some tips: take blk/wht photos so you look like rock stars in Rolling Stones magazine, and have a list of songs ready.

What's a No-re-bang? In Korean, it means "singing room." You can rent a private room, order food and drinks and sing your hearts out. These photos were taken by David Sleight.

The videos sometime tell a different story.

By the way, fans of Cher, we couldn't find any songs by her in their book.

Just went to South Street Seaport Saturday night. Lots of shopping during the day, and a couple of museums, plus TKTS is there if you want to buy Broadway tickets. Bodies: The Exhibition is on. On Saturday nights, there is Salsa dancing. I'm not sure if it's every Saturday night (during the summer), but it's definitely free.

...wait to serve at the Webbie's Awards ceremony at the Cipriani on Wall Street.

I keep seeing people take photos, fans posing like they're fighting Miguel Cotto. Lots of ambient buzz around this venue. Ever since I watched Ron Howard's Cinderella Man, I was alway interested in a boxing match at Madison Square Garden (historical). Anyway, as CNN reports "Miguel Cotto retained his WBA welterweight championship with an 11th-round stoppage of Zab Judah." What does welterweight mean?

Madison Square Park

Just went to this event, and hit three places before closing. I had some Brunswick Stew (by Proclamation Stew Crew, recipe below), Babyback ribs, and a pulled-pork sandwich. I wanted to try the deep fried pie, but they closed.

More of the stainless steel trees that I saw in St. Louis.

Could this be the secret to good smoked barbecue?

Here's their recipe for the Brunswick Stew (10 quart recipe, make it for a party)...

5.5 lbs. deboned chicken(thighs are better)
6 oz. white meat (fatback), ground or chopped
4 lbs. white potatoes, cut up french fry size is OK
2.5 lbs. yellow onions, chopped
1.5 qts. cruched tomatoes
2.5 qts. small green butterbeans (limas), drained
1.5 qts. white shoe peg corn, drained
1 stick of margarine
1/4 oz. black pepper (season to taste)
1/4 oz. red pepper (season to taste)
1.5 oz. salt (season to taste)
1.5 oz. sugar (season to taste)

Prepare your potatoes and onions ahead of starting the stew so that you can stir continuously. Continuous stirring is necessary for the this consistency to call it a stew and not a soup.

Put the chicken and white meat in the pot; cover with water; bring to a boil and cook until chicken starts coming apart; add potatoes, onions and 1/4 of seasonings; bring back to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft; add tomatoes and 1/4 seasonings; bring back to a boil and cook 5 minutes; add drained butterbeans and 1/4 seasonings; bring back to a boil and cook until butterbeans are soft; add drained corn, margarine and balance of seasonings; cook about 10 to 15 minutes and then enjoy your stew.

email: jdclary@brunswickbox.com

Anyway it was good, and it was better with hot sauce!!!

Facebook Meetup was organized by Amit Gupta, who wrote the Amazin' Wishlist application, and is founder of the startup Photojojo. Also a special guest showed up at the first NY meetup.

Recognize this face?

Mark Zuckerberg showed up in New York because of his sister's graduation.

I saw a couple of ITPers there. A holler out to Jadie and Cat! Two out of 4 females including myself. More about what I thought at this link: http://nyu.facebook.com/profile.php?id=835967.

I'm very proud of our Kermit Soufflé.

Grand Central Terminal

Seven decades of films use New York City backdrops. You can watch the movies on the Turner channel. This exhibit is based on the book Celluloid Skyline.

I'm back in New York.

Anyway, I spotted this brilliant marketing campaign, probably for The Simpson's movie coming out this summer. The 7-Eleven store on 42nd Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues) has undergone a transformation for this month. Kwik-E-Mart is the fictional convenience store of The Simpsons. The ads in the store are mostly of fictional products in The Simpson's and the characters look like they're shopping. Needless to say, this store was crowded! So many people buying Slurpees.

They're selling collector type bobble heads and t-shirts, so if you're a fan, run to the store. If not, maybe you could sell them on Ebay.

Check out Citysol festival, a festival about green energy, art, music, and education. My friends Angela Pablo (seen below in the photo, demonstrating the Electric Garden) and Megan MacMurray, former ITPers, have a project called Garden Electric that they created in a Tom Igoe's Sustainable Practices class.

You can learn more about solar and biodiesel power. If you bring your electric bill and switch to a green energy package with ConEdison Solutions, you can "receive free Brooklyn Brewery beer! ++ Bring your own reusable mug/glass and receive $1 off Brooklyn Brewery beer!"

Located along the FDR between 18 & 23rd streets - stuyvesant cove park (sat + sun will be better, as there's more programming on those days like music and workshops)

So if you go to Dunkin' Donuts, they are heavily promoting the Simpsons Movie by selling these donuts, the same donut that Homer poses with in this movie poster.

And if you get a case of them, you can get these ringtones with Homer crying, "D'Oh!"

Thomas Jefferson made several copies of the Declaration of Independence, and one of these copies is on exhibition at the New York Public Library. And it's free to see it (I ♥ NY). It will be on exhibition to the 5th of August. I might go today.

About three months ago, I watched a special on PBS about the preservation of the original because it was written on pig skin, which is not archival at all. The government spent approximately $5 million on the design and construction of the vault for this document (the show covers this process). There's even some humor. At one point, someone suggested to put tiny silicon pebbles to in several cavities of the case to secure it from moisture, but that notion was rejected over and over again. Anyway, it's worth watching.

EMC's spinoff VMware [VMW] went public today in the NYSE. Said to have opened at $29 and closed at $51.

This is my first time at this sample sale, and I saw a lot of good stuff. Some examples, Michael Kors brown leather boots (originally in the 400's for $59), Diane von Furstenberg swimsuit (was $165, now $29), and necklace from Lee Angel (was $130, sold for $5).

Here's the info:

Metropolitan Pavillion
125 West 18th street
Close to the 1 train

August 24, 2007, Friday 9-8pm
August 25, 2007, Saturday 9-8pm
August 26, 2007, Sunday 10-6pm
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Next door was the Hermes sample sale where they were selling an umbrella for $300, unbelievable!

It continues today (August 25, 2007) in Thompson Square Park at 3pm, more info. It's free and the jazz music is great performed by talented jazz musicians. Yesterday, Lezlie Harrison, Marc Cary, Chico Hamilton and Cassandra Wilson performed. Cassandra Wilson was a surprise guest at the last minute, and substituted Abbey Lincoln. Today, Todd Williams and Maurice Brown perform instead of Marc Cary and Lezlie Harrison. Listening to hamiltonia by Chico Hamilton (track 8, "arroyo"). I was disappointed that I didn't have a chance to buy Marc Cary's CD. :(

Lezlie Harrison, Roy Hargrove plays the trumpet

Marc Cary

Chico Hamilton

Cassandra Wilson, Jonathan Batiste on the piano (up and coming, he's going to Julliard)

to the Ground Zero site. I just watched "Building on Ground Zero" on Nova, and then visited the site. For more photos, please visit my flickr site. If you need higher resolution version of any of the photos, don't hesitate to email me through my flickr account.

Only in New York will sell every seat to the movie Helvetica. There was an ITP "designers" reunion at 8:20 pm last night. The movie was great in exhibiting pro-Helvetica and anti-Helvetica sentiments. Liked how the movie presented the historical and cultural contexts of helvetica and graphic design in general. Super designers from the older and current generations gave their two cents. In the end, the director, Gary Hustwit and type designer Tobias Frere-Jones made a special appearance. The director was down-to-earth and honest. He admitted that he was approached to direct a movie on the font Times New Roman. I really liked the movie, and would probably watch it again to see David Carson, who will make a special appearance today. I was a big fan of his work in Ray Gun magazine.

If you go, do pick up an "I hate Helvetica" or "I love Helvetica" pin.

Gary Hustwit and type designer Tobias Frere-Jones
Photo Credit: Lia Bulaong

Jane and Tim in this photo, among other ITPers that went, Pollie, Dmitri, Dan, Ahn (Mang), and Lia. It was really great to see them.

I just went to Digital Life on Saturday. There are some cool new products, and "wait until they come up with the next model" products. Btw, if you are going to buy and M-Audio product, you could receive 20% of all their products if you buy through Amazon.com using this discount code: MAUDIO20 by October 5th.

I really don't understand the appeal to these digital frames, and it just isn't environmentally sensitive to the use of power. I wasn't to impressed with the resolution and color of these photos. I would stick to print photographs.

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I also wasn't impressed with the Nokia knock-off of the iPhone. The N95 is still bulky, but has a 5 megapixel camera and free GPS. But don't most phones have free GPS. I think I'm going to hold on to my Blackberry Pearl for another year. And the o/s interface wasn't impressive either.

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Microsoft has a new mobile phone, which has a touch interface, but it's not as smooth as the iPhone. The os might appease PC users though. One model is quite bulky, but it is still lighter than the Nokia.

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This camera seemed to impress everyone. The size of it is similar to a mobile phone, but it takes digital video, takes 12 megapixel photos, and plays mp3's with a 3 hour battery. If only they could stick mobile capabilities. Manufactured by Panasonic. Uses interchangeable SD cards, and works on both MAC/PC os systems for a reasonable $328.

The new SIMS game looks a bit like Second Life (3D graphics):

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This is called Headplay, and it's basically a visor that you wear that plays movies from a compact flash card. Pretty pricey, $500. It is more immersive than most players, but the quality of the movie looks less stellar than iPod quality. Difficulty with focus features. It's funny when people where this, it looks like they look up. Not sure about audio, if you have to wear that separately.

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I was really excited about playing Ms. Pacman, but became quickly disenchanted playing this game on an iPod. Maybe I'm old school, and used to a joystick controller, but I couldn't get into this game. The circular sensor gives this game an awkward feel. Even up, down, right, left arrows would have given a lot more satisfying experience. Maybe it's better on a mobile phone, like Nokia.

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I was pretty impressed with the hardware design of "Xyber Technologies Fan-less Cooling System." The electrical components are embedded in a gigantic heat sink, and there are metal tubes to carry the heat away from hotter chips. The only thing is, will users get used to leaving their computer or stereo systems on, using more energy? The rep did say they left all four demos on since Thursday to prove their point. I can imagine several ways of carrying heat away from high-powered LED lights.

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Novint Falcon is a 3D console joystick. The x and z-axis movement was pretty impressive. Slightly uncomfortable, but Nick really liked it. Maybe it's a girl/boy difference.

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WowWee robot moves pretty smoothly, and the controls are just as smooth. Was going to take video of it, but I ran out memory. I could see how kids could get engaged with technology playing with this bot.

The Municipal Art Soviet of New York
457 Madison Avenue at 51st Street
September 25, 2007 - January 5, 2008

Even though the Idea 2007 conference was sponsored by The Information Architecture Institute, the speakers were really diverse, ranging from artists/designers to developers/engineers, and public agencies, such as hospitals and New York City's non-emergency number, 311. A lot of the speakers were ITP alums or teaching at ITP. I'm working on a wiki with my extensive notes, and will publish the link here (TK TK TK). Missed some really good presentations, but for the entire list, please visit http://ideaconference.org/program.html.

Here were some of the speakers:

Rachel Abrams (who currently teaches a mapping class at ITP) - I just caught the end of her presentation on taxis.

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Frank Lantz, area/code (also teaches at ITP)

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Brad Paley, Information Esthetics

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Hasan Elahi, artist (he was a guest speaker at one of ITP's Friday seminars)
He's working on a pretty cool project titled Tracking Transcience (will have more of the backstory in my notes.

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Chenda Frutcher, The City of New York's 311 line, (alum of ITP)
Couldn't take photos of her presentation, sorry (will have a section of her presentation in my notes). I enjoyed her presentation because she works and designs around real-world problems.

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Fernanda Viegas & Martin Wattenberg, Many Eyes, open source data visualization site

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David Rose, Ambient Devices, founder of the Ambient Orb

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Mike Kuniavsky, Founder of ThingM and Co-founder of Adaptive Path
RFID Wine Rack

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Jake Barton, Local Projects (teaches thesis at ITP)

Digitally mastered and playing at the theater. This movie was one of my favorite science fiction films. This theater is super cool. Each stall of the bathroom has it's own sink (Ladies' room). I am tempted to see "Enchanted," the 3D and live action version of Snow White. Okay, maybe not, I just watched the previews.

Theater is packed, if you like complete silence, watch it on a weekday. Pretty awesome in the theater. They probably had to fix this movie to renew their copyright.

Selling hot dogs for charity (not sure what charity). Couldn't really find the line to buy a hot dog, but if you want to go, they're on the corner of 6th Avenue and 48th Street, right in front of the Fox Building. Other celebrities include Gene Simmons, Tito Ortiz, Lennox Lewis, and Vincent Pastore (Sal from The Sopranos).

All photo taken by Andrew Famiano with his iPhone.

Before it gets cold (October 28th was the date they listed on their site), check out the scene on the rooftop at The Met. They have a bar, and some art that make you wonder how they were transported to the rooftop.

They are also having an amazing exhibition on tapestries, Tapestry in the Baroque: Threads of Splendor In some of the pieces, you can see the process of sketch paintings to these enormous tapestries. This exhibition ends on January 6, 2008.

Attention, all ITPers, you must see this exhibit if you like electronics, lighting, and/or physical computing. Ingo Maurer uses some new materials that have been exhibited at the Material Connexion. Two of my favorite pieces are his uses of conductive film to create an LED light table/bench and flexible circuit board to create light patterns on wall paper.

If you like designing or using solderless breadboards, go to this exhibit, it'll give you many ideas on how to layout your electronic components. If you like industrial design, go to this exhibit to be inspired by his use of materials and play with physics (specifically the tornado piece that has a magnet) and optical illusions (love the hologram light bulbs).

The printed and digital materials about this exhibit doesn't even convey the fraction of this experience. If you like magic, go to this exhibit.

I went to the screening of Close to Midnight, a movie that Rob Ryan from ITP produced. There were a lot of good shots, the story was based on actual events, and the music was pretty cool. The theater was pretty packed. Congrats Rob!

For more info, click here.

Only in New York...

My friends, Cliff and Ziggy called me up early this afternoon to tell me to go to this installation. They wouldn't tell me anymore details but that it's on the corner of Delancey and Essex, in Lower East Side... 117 Delancey

So Cliff and Ziggy met me, and decided to go through this installation a second time. First of all, it looked like part of the regular market scene, but there's a line that you have to wait to sign a release before getting a ticket to go in.

Found out from what of the staff members that it took 10 people in three weeks to set it up, and that everything after the Chinese restaurant is fake.

Tomorrow is the last day. Cliff and Ziggy advise to see it early before there are crowds of people.

Mike Nelson
A Psychic Vacuum

Move over The Big Idea and The Apprentice...

Nick's dad, Ron, just recommended this fabulous venture show, called Dragon's Den on Fox. Of course, it takes place in the U.K. and everything is in pounds. But it's interesting to see what products make it, and how people pitch their ideas. One American sits on the panel, and seems to be the techie.

Like this show that most other business shows because you can get an idea of how and if an idea is creative or not based on if the vc's put there money where there mouth is. Also, you can learn some business strategies, such as using figures when you pitch (e.g. Peter gave one of the examples). So far, from the two episodes that I've watched, I noticed that NYU Stern's lectures are right on target, especially professor Glen Okun's suggestions on what pages are most important in a business plan. Most of these vc's really invest in passionate people (vc's taking the role of mentors) or the innovative product (making sure the logic is there). Ron also told us this advice, but it's more prevalent in the actions in this show.

I was able to attend this (part I) forum on Propaganda Then and Now: What Orwell Did and Didn't Know at the New York Public Library. Among the panelists were Konstanty Gerbert, Masha Gessen, Jack Miles and George Soros. Orville Schell was the moderator, who authored What Orwell Didn't Know: Propaganda and the New Face of American Politics (released November 5, 2007). I was a little disappointed that George Soros didn't sign my book. However, I enjoyed his presentation on cognition, perception in periphery versus subconscious, and the danger of "News-speak," a term that Orwell uses, and bringing truth back to the news. There were some interesting questions were asked like "thoughts on strategizing propaganda used in financial markets." I often wonder about that when I read news stories about "the price of oil barrels." Anyway, I wish I went to the other talks forums: "deceiving images, the science of manipulation (part 2)" and "solutions, the future of political landscape (part 3). Will post my notes on my wiki.

Kind of a peculiar note, they were broadcasting this on Second Life.

Urban Center Books, The Municipal Art Society of New York

I found this design bookstore that covers just about every design book or magazine, even if you're searching for something so obscure. This reminds me of Hennessy and Ingalls (design/architecture/art/photography bookstore in Los Angeles, located at one of the cross streets of Third Street Promenade). I stumbled upon this bookstore, while I visited the Jane Jacobs exhibition (457 Madison Avenue at 51st Street). Clay Shirky's Network Effects class introduced Jane Jacob's book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. The exhibit is amazing, which I'll probably post later, but to give you a hint, Jane Jacobs is the New York version of Eleanor Roosevelt.

This store has books on different materials (glass, metal, concrete, building structure, lightweight/mobile), typologies (medical, offices, healthcare, restaurants, retail, pools/spas, sports/leisure, high rise), construction (concrete, wood, facades), sustainability, architecture, photography, typography, urban planning, foreign (books from Japan, Germany, etc). I asked if this store is permanent, and it is. They just have longer hours during the Jane Jacobs exhibition.

Here are some sample books:

Common Cents

Common Cents Penny Harvest grew from one child’s desire to feed the homeless...

Reminds me of the movie, Pay It Forward. This is probably the most successful installation I've seen, where people collectively donate to the pool. Every person that walked by must have thrown change into this pool of pennies. Since 1991, this organization has raised at least $5.9 million since 1991. 71 million pennies weigh at least 2 tons and is worth at least $711,000.00. There are some prized if you can guess how many pennies are in the pool.

So far Penny Harvests have hit 5 states, including NY, Colorado, Florida, Tennessee, and Washington.

You can even vote on which cause you want the Penny Harvest to donate to:

I was pretty impressed with how progressive ABC network was with their broadcast of the New Hampshire Debates. In an effort to get the youth involved, they integrated Facebook into their program. At first, I thought it was because Microsoft owned NBC that they were involved with Facebook, but I don't think they own ABC. Nevertheless, I watched both parties address issues. My only criticism was that the moderators should have asked the same questions to all candidates of both parties, even though their intention was to bring up questions that posed weaknesses to each of the parties. Anyway, it was interesting to watch the Facebook polls on television, a convergence with traditional media with the web.

For some reason, I thought Ron Paul presented the strongest arguments, and I thought Mitt Romney appeared superficial. I agreed with Bill Richardson's strong stance on Pakistan, and second Hillary Clinton's views on foreign policy. In any case, my vote will probably go to the candidate who best addresses the national health care issue, and issues that affect aging Baby Boomers. That's because my mom is paying ~$800.00 per month for insurance, which seems pretty excessive.

Also at Kshitij, Nick Sears exhibited UltraOrb, which was his thesis project:

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Globe4D exhibited was this globe where you can move through a fourth dimension, time. Makes learning about climate change engaging.

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Pyromania is a really amazing Israeli dancing team that uses fire in their acts.

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Jimmy Wales (one of the most influential people) of Wikipedia introduced the Wikia.

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Magician Jason Latimer performed some unique tricks using laser technology.

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Astrophysicist, Professor and Author of The Physics of Star Trek, Lawrence Krauss. Interesting theories that challenge some of Einstein's theories.

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Dr. Eric Drexler, an expert in the field of nanotechnology, encourage the use of sensors and computing in materials (i.e. roads that are composed of solar panels).

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Robogarage exhibited robots that move almost as smooth as humans.

If you are interested in social computing, collective action by groups, sociology of groups, and group dynamic, then this is the book for you. Download his podcast from BusinessWeek.com.

This book is clearly written, succinct, and relevant and current of the technologies we use today. Each chapter is composed of a story to demonstrate the psychological theories, but the difference, these aren't controlled experiments from the 60's (residue from my undergrad studies in psychology). Reading the first chapter reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point, basically comprehendable to lay people like me.

Anyway, I'm a little biased because I had Clay Shirky as a professor twice.

Yesterday, a friend of mine invited me to join a pool for March Madness. I've never heard of March Madness, let alone ever watched a basketball game, so I decided to check this event out.

To begin with, CBS's Bracket Manager allows you to feel confident in making your decisions. When you mouse over each school, there is a call-out box that gives you odds and a little blurb-summary about the team (e.g. all team members are freshmen or the team has a new coach). And you just pick for each region, until you get down to 4, then 2, then 1.

So when I logged in to my fb account, CBS already asked if I wanted to add their app. The primary profile page (i.e. first image below) lists the top 5 favorite and despised teams. Fortunately, you can see how many fans, but the flip-side is that 3 out of the 6 schools are on both lists: favorite and despised. They are named by the team and not school, but the brackets are by state, not team, so you do have to click on the link, which takes you to the school/team's page. Each team/school has their own page (i.e. second image below), which lists all team members, stats, scoreboard, schedule, trash talk, etc. Unfortunately I wasn't able to brag about my brackets because of technological difficulties (maybe a broken link between CBS brackets with fb account?)

This page updates dynamically to tell you which schools played, which schools won, and even a photo of some plays.

I found out that Barack Obama picked North Carolina to win the NCAA championship on this page.

If you're involved in a pool, you can see dynamic updates as to who is in the lead, the estimated best score, etc.

How has this changed my behavior? Well, I spent about a half an hour trying to transfer my brackets from my account in CBS to my fb account. Then I was simultaneously watching two or three games at a time, and refreshing my brackets and standings page. I've been looking up how I could HAVE increased my odds (Vegas bets--this is too late, of course because these brackets closed at noon Thursday).

And LAST, more importantly, I am engaged. This photo is just...

Go see it, it's probably one of the best Broadway shows. I love the production design and more importantly the story (a prequel to the Wizard of Oz). I only wish I thought of the story first. It's about the good and bad witches, but there is an interesting spin on who is the heroine.

My only caveat is to buy tickets that cost a little more. We sat in the balcony, so I can see the tape and markings of where the actresses/actors have to stand.

March 27-30, 2008

Pier 94...
12th avenue + 55th street
E+C, 1 or 9 subway
Noon to 8 pm

Today is the last day.

These are the lines, but to bypass the first one, buy the tickets online. There are two separate lines, but the other one is much shorter. I say it's worth the money and the time (waiting in line) if you're an aspiring artist.

Really wanted these pieces by Robert Crumb, one of my favorite illustrators. I can't afford them, but if you can, I think they're a steal. It would be a great investment because he has a lot of history, and there's even a museum of his works. There's a great documentary about him titled Crumb. I just love the cross-hatching and detail of these illustrations.

Price: $22,000.00

Price: $22,000.00

Price: $18,000.00 [This is the one I would have purchased. I love his daughter's work too, which I think was featured in Ghost World.]

Price: $18,000.00

I will post up links to my Flickr set here later today.

I've seen so far is KÀ. One of Nick's clients recommended this show, and it is fantastic. I've seen Mystère, which was impressive, but KÀ is probably the best I've seen so far. The stage rotates, so the dancers look like they are climbing a wall while dancing at the same time. The set design, and tech is amazing (which took approximately 2 years to develop), but what makes KÀ better that some of the other shows is the story. It kind of has a manga look, and it's a story about a brother and sister who are separated. This is the newest of the Cirque Du Soleil shows, and is playing at the MGM Grand. I also recommend getting the documentary, which isn't sol on Amazon. It's about the making and production of this show.

This will probably be the next one I see. I hear it's in water. Btw, we saw poker pros Daniel Negreanu (@ Bellagio) and Phil Ivy (@ The Mirage).

Here are the pieces that caught my eye. My friend made an observation that I like the technology and process of art, which is somewhat true.

For LED light lovers, I like this for it's optical illusion appeal. Although it's art, I imagined as a cool floor for a shower, so when you step in the depth of the floor is infinite.

More LED art. This is a man that is more than life-size. You can see lots of processors and components on the peg-board like background, all painted black.

Walked by this, and liked the texture that these layers create.

I like the construction of this sculpture...

I like that this is silkscreen and acrylic on canvas, and both media using black...

By Elaine Sturtevant, Warhol Black Marilyn

This set was all from the same gallery. These first two pieces use yarn and thread to create art.

Close-up:

Entire painting:

Close-up:

Entire painting:

This piece looked ephemeral. I was really interested in the media, which is Plexiglas, acrylic, and mixed media. Artist name is Kibong Rhee, and the piece is titled Wet Psyche.

This piece looked effortless (made out of nails):

I took a ceramics for two years, and was amazed with the different techniques used on this vase:

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This was my absolute favorite painting by Jason Martin, titled N-Bulu, oil on aluminum. I took three photos that don't really give it justice...

Lately I have been trying to find new ways for finding books that aren't mainstream or related to "how to do... design" books, and I think I may have found my answer. Typically, I've use Amazon's "Friends that like this book may also like this book..." but it's great for books about technology (i.e. you're friend might recommend a book about that type of technology you're looking for). I read in Utne that people tend to search for new books by attending readings at indie book stores, but how to get onto a mailing list of that sort is always skeptical. I found a solution, which is attending some events to NYPL LIVE. I've been to three so far, and they've always been excellent. The first event I attended presented Chris Anderson and Lawrence Lessig, which featured Anderson's book The Long Tail: Future. Last year, I attended "Part 1: Propaganda Then and Now: What Orwell did and didn't know" which featured George Soros and Orville Schell. In both cases, I knew at least one of the speakers (Lessig and Soros), which drew me in. Yesterday, I signed up to attend event based on the title of the program, Against The Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob(which is the title of the book being promoted) and really didn't know what to expect. The speakers were Lee Siegel (the author of the book and former journalist), Nicholson Baker (author of various books about libraries), and Heidi Julavits (editor of Believer magazine). All three had great points on the differences between bloggers and journalists, user-created/user-generated media, echo effect and internet culture. I wondered where Mr. Baker was when I was doing my thesis last year. Mr. Siegel also mentioned futurists Stephen Johnson (seen him speak in Red Burn's class) and Malcolm Gladwell (author of Tipping Point and Blink). I ended up picking two books from this talk.

The next event I bought tickets for is in June, where Salman Rushdie is going to promote his new book The Enchantress of Florence. NYPL LIVE sells tickets first-come-first-serve basis, so I was able to get a ticket today.

I just recently watched Spamalot. I think I probably watched a couple of Monty Python movies in my life, and wasn't privvy to the storyline. Anyway, this was okay. Clay Aiken plays Sir Robin, and there were some lines relevant to American Idol and ex-governor Spitzer to make it more current. The set design wasn't as sophisticated as some of the other musicals and Broadway shows I've watched, and the atmosphere was like watching a high-school play because the humor appealed to a grand group of high schoolers (sitting next to us) that were hee-hawing at every boob and camel-toe joke.

But in the end, my overall opinion was that I like it, probably because of the "Find Your Grail" medley, some snarky bits, and it's originality. I would definitely watch this before seeing Wicked, and/or KA. I watched this after, so my expectations were higher.

This is the first time I have ever been to Comicon. It was crowded and pretty fun. There are a lot of kids dressed in character, you get to see the latest games, and see how marketers promote these blockbuster movies coming out this summer (will talk about these later). I even saw a Christie's booth (?!?), but most of the exhibitors are from publishing, gaming, toy, and film industries.

Speaking of blockbusters... all the film and gaming people came out to promote they're movies. Let's see... Robert Downey Jr. is going to be Iron Man, Edward Norton plays the Incredible Hulk, Star Wars and Indiana Jones sequels will be coming out this year.

So in November, a group of us were playing poker in the lobby of our building. Along came this 16-year old who asked to join us. He was playing very aggressively, and beat out all of us. Later that evening, he claimed that playing Magic was the reason why, since all the "battles" he was involved in forced him to read the state of the opponent with speed. Of course we had no idea what this game was, and what it entailed. It's beyond trading pogs or baseball games. There are a complex set of rules with characters, and you go to these underground places (think Rounders), and play real people with real cards a game similar to the card game "war." So this kid went upstairs to retrieve his duffle bag of card characters, protected in vinyl, organized neatly in a binder. As he gave us a demo and explained the cost of each card, I could make the connection of him playing poker to Magic. Some cards are word $150, and can range into the thousands. When I asked him about the honor system of purchasing some cards online, like Ebay, he said he never bought any counterfeit cards. Some cards, like the older edition which prove to be more valuable, can look Photoshopped, since they don't have a special seal or watermark on it. Interesting... maybe this community believes in integrity, which is what he mentioned several times throughout the night. These cards are made out of paper, but I think the value of the card is determined by the illustrator and character.

Anyway, I saw this game again at Comicon, and other copycats, including Call of Duty and World of Warcraft are following suit.

There were some people who dressed like their favorite characters. I guess everyone wants to be a super hero/heroine. Anime costumes were more popular. Some of these I know, but some of these I don't know.

A couple of Japanese companies were promoting Victorian fashion.

Interesting exhibitors at Comicon...

Record/audition your scream at the Spiderman booth.

Get an autograph by your favorite comic illustrator at DC Comics (though I saw a guy bring in a case of comic books to sign, so the line may take awhile).

Try out My Beating Heart at Android8, which is designed by ITP alum Yury Gitman. It is strangely meditative. I ended up buying one to test. Reminds me of MIT robotic seals. Android8 has other cool toys and characters that are new.

So many people visiting this booth selling LED-lit samurai swords and ninja stars.

Play video games.

Win prizes (there was a really long line for this).

Find a job at TokyoPop. They were interviewing and reviewing portfolios of illustrators and writers.

Watch this guy finish this illustration.

DC Comics and other publishing companies want to tap into the manga market. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Vertigo all have th manga look now.

So do Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys.

Loved it!!!

Anyway, it was crazy here in New York opening weekend for the movie Sex And The City. I was buying several tickets for a group viewing for Saturday night on Friday night, and when I called each theater for a 7:30-8:30pm showing, every show was sold out in almost every theater in New York City. Finally, I found a theater with tickets for 5:30pm, and when I stood in this long line, it seemed like everyone was buying tickets for the next day as well, since every show was closed, even the midnight ones.

It seemed like every girl was decked out in designer labels and stilettos. I have to say it was definitely an event. Lots of product placement in the movie. I am curious as to what the sales numbers are. Could it be the equivalent to Grand Theft Auto for girls? I hope so because women do have purchasing power.

p.s.
There was one discrepancy (with the hair) that made it look like the script supervisor made a tiny faux pas, but whatever, I'm probably watching it again anyway. :)

For jazz lovers, check out Birdland this month. Last night, Saxophone Summit [Ravi Coltrane/Dave Liebman/Joe Lavano/all sax players, Cecil McBee/bass, Phil Markowitz/piano, and Billy Hart/drums] played some songs from their new album Seraphic Light and some work from the late John Coltrane. As a novice to jazz music, I recommend seeing live performances, especially with more of the experimental genre.

Tickets are $40 for orchestra seats and there is a $10 minimum purchase for drinks/dinner. I was impressed with the food too (had the scallops plate and stuffed pepper with mushroom risotto).

I was fortunate enough to find this indie theater through NYU Ticket Central. I watched Reasons To Be Pretty by Neil LaBute. I've been following his works via film and theater for approximately one decade now (In The Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors, The Shape of Things). Most of his works are a little dark, but his new play that just came out actually has a sliver of a silver lining, which is a "coming of age" tale. Love his note in the program, which he expresses that he wishes he was a "braver person," and continues to sympathize and admire the protagonist, Greg. I was impressed with the cast (i.e. Piper Perabo, Thomas Sadoski, Alison Pill, Pablo Schreiber). Subscription prices are reasonable, click here for more information.

MCC Theater at
The Lucille Lortel Theatre
121 Christopher St
New York, NY 10014

Schedule:

Fifty Words
By Michael Weller
Sept 10-Oct 25, 2008

The Break of Noon
by Neil LaBute
Jan 14-Feb 28, 2009

Coraline
Based on the Novel by Neil Gaiman
May 6-June 20, 2009

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Other recommended theater picks from my friends include: Xanadu (within 2 weeks) and 39 Steps (Alfred Hitchcock).

Finally... I get to see Radiohead at All Points West, which is a music festival on the East Coast, comparable to Coachella in California. I had an opportunity to go to a Radiohead concert at the Hollywood Bowl 5 years ago (box/front row), but because I had AT&T (and the service was spotty) that I never received the calls (4x) from my friend (it was a last minute thing). Hence, I don't have an iPhone or use AT&T.

Anyway, this should be good because this May at Coachella, Prince reappropriated Radiohead's song "Creep," and some listeners took video of him, and uploaded it on YouTube. And then Prince told them to take the video down. Then Radiohead got involved, and said it was there song, and to leave it up. Well they're playing tonight and tomorrow night. Also Ben Harper is playing there as well.

It's 11:45pm, and I can still hear people protesting on Wall Street. Earlier today, there was a rally of people not supporting this almost $1 trillion bailout. If you want to see photos, check out my Flickr account. James Nicholas Sears took these photographs. Tim McNerney was also present at this demonstration.

Back half of line:

Front half of line:

There was a long line, but it moved fairly quickly. We met some new acquaintances. Lots of press were down on Wall Street interviewing voters (NY TImes/various foreign television networks).

BTW, if you vote, you can get a free tall coffee at Starbucks!

Ever since Citibank announced their plan to layoff 53k people earlier this week, the price of Citibank fell as low as $3.16. I don't know if this is a fire sale, but if you have a couple of hundred dollars, you can buy 100 shares. At one point, this stock was valued at $40. But if you're thinking about buying, I would read some of the discussions here. If you're thinking of making a quick profit, they're talking about the short sellers ban.

Just went to this talk about "interviews" related to research process, which I thought was pretty valuable, and was glad I didn't miss. There were 4 speakers:

Elisabeth M. De Morentin, Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute of Design
She presented some research on the Apple Store Experience, particularly about iPod nano.

Clive Thompson, Contributing Writer for New York Times Magazine and columnist for Wired magazine
He spoke about interviewing the Netflix competition to improve the accuracy of movie recommendation, and the discovery through interview (that six indie movies were causing the algorithmic problem, particularly Napoleon Dynamite).

Jason Severs, Principal Designer, frog design
He presented ethnographic research for a couple of products (e.g. remote control, and Neutrogena Exfoliator device).

Gary Hustwit, Director of Helvetica and currently Objectified (coming out this Spring)
He spoke about replacing the word "interview" with "conversation," which helped people to be more natural (versus over-rehearsed), and the importance of facial cues.

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I believe Adam Greenfield, author of Everyware, Design Director of Nokia, Former Faculty at ITP and Steven Heller (Author and Art Director) will be speaking at the next Dot Dot Dot event.

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I saw a lot of ITP Alumni, including a couple of ITP Faculty (Kate Hartman, Rob Faludi, and Robert Fabricant, also Creative Director at frog)

I wasn't able to attend the first one, but here were the speakers:
Tom Bodkin, design director, New York Times

Jake Barton, founder and principal, Local Projects

Andrew Sloat, graphic designer and videomaker

Christopher Fahey, founding partner, Behavior; forthcoming faculty, MFA Interaction Design

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Check out StartHere, one of the sponsors... They raffled out StartHere notebooks--if you had 3 dots (Dot Dot Dot) on the back of your raffle ticket, you would have won one of these prizes.

I can't wait to see David Fincher tonight at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of at Jazz at Lincoln Center (I've been wanting to check out this venue for awhile), hosted by Film Society of Lincoln Center. He's going to speak about his new movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I've already read up on the production which affected his decision of writing a second screenplay, and making of the movie from articles in the New York Times [You can find the links through Delicious I'm sure]. More about this event, here.

Btw, that photo above was one of my favorite scenes in the movie.

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They also showed Zodiac, which I'm going to have to rent via Netfix. That movie went under my radar. Just from the thumbnail on this page, it looks like some 70's movies like Network.

I'm not really sure how I got on their mailing list, but I'm thankful that I'm on it. A couple of years ago, I went to several events hosted by CIC and saw Khoi Vinh from the NYTimes and Avenue A Razorfish (in 2006?)

Now that I have more time, I plan on going to more of these events. Here is one coming up. I'm not sure if it's free or if there's a nominal fee. Actually I double-checked and it is free ("FREE PANEL OF LEADING DESIGNERS OFFERED THIS MONTH!!"):

THE ART AND DESIGN OF "UGLY BETTY"
Presented with the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. Don't miss this outstanding panel featuring the creative design team behind the award-winning ABC hit series "Ugly Betty."

DATE: Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

LOCATION: The Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.
Katie Murphy Amphitheatre at The Fashion Institute of Technology, D Building (corner of 27th & 7th Avenue).

SILVIO HORTA - Executive Producer/Creator
PATRICIA FIELD - Costume Designer
MOLLY ROGERS - Associate Costume Designer
MARK WORTHINGTON - Production Designer
ROBERT BERNARD - Graphics Designer
RICH DEVINE - Set Decorator

MODERATOR: KATHERINE OLIVER

Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
RSVP to rsvp@film.nyc.gov by Monday, January 26.

For more information about these programs, visit http://www.nyc.gov/film.

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Here are other events, but I'm not sure if these are free:

Magazines: Survival of the Fittest
Learn from leading editors and publishers what the future holds for the magazine industry, why fitness magazines continue to thrive in a down market, and tips for getting your foot in the door.

Election Coverage 2008
To learn what went wrong and what went right during the 2008 presidential election year, tune in to hear from leading political journalists, including Matt Taibbi from Rolling Stone, Hendrik Hertzberg from The New Yorker and Rachel Sklar from The Huffington Post. Get an insider's perspective on the ups and downs of what became one of the most exciting and unpredictable political contests, maybe ever!

Richard Price: From Novel to Screen
Famous for his gritty and realistic exploration of urban life in America, Price's work attracts comparisons to Saul Bellow, Tom Wolfe and David Mamet, and his recently published novel, Lush Life, has been widely praised for its realistic dialogue, sharp and witty observations and keen eye for social detail. Price joined us last October for a frank and hilarious talk about his amazing career writing for the movies. He also gave lots of valuable advice and moral support to the aspiring writers in the audience. Price's screenwriting credits include: The Color of Money, Sea of Love, Clockers, Mad Dog and Glory, Ransom, Shaft and HBO's The Wire.

Wow, as we inch closer to the presidential inauguration on January 20th, I'm seeing more and more comical "Bushisms," from art exhibitions and Facebook pages to random generators on a major publication site. This is probably one of the funniest links, published in the Guardian. I found it in the ITP mailing list posted by a politically savvy alum.

I think it's brilliant because I've already clicked it like 7x (i.e. It's probably more lucrative than a slide show/photo gallery or video, and cheaper to produce), and they're business side is probably counting how many clicks for future ad sales. I can visualize the editor asking writers to come up with 3-5 Bushism quotes at the editorial meeting, the producers entering quotes into an automated database, and the photo/video departments completely uninvolved. What's even funnier is the Google ads below in the lower right module, however, I'm not sure if it's real, since it stayed static through 2 clicks. But maybe it's real?

We'll see how long his legacy will last when his brother, Jeb Bush, runs for President in year 2016. Fox News is already starting his PR. Hopefully people will remember then, the ailing economy and corrupt-corporate-mess this Bush is leaving behind, but I doubt that.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post if the Google ads in the lower right module were real (i.e. because the links stayed static for two clicks) in the Guardian's Random Generator Tool of President Bush's quotes. And someone from the Guardian emailed me this:

They were real (the reason they didn't change with each click was because it was javascript within the webpage that changed - not the webpage itself).

This post is for all the geeks and nameless bloggers that people do read your blog, ha!

I <3 FDNY, NYPD, Coast Guards, Paramedics, et. al.

Need I say more? As a NYC-transplant, I love watching everyone pulling together collaboratively to remedy the situation. Photo above was taken by James Nicholas Sears at Battery Park, NYC. And yes, that's the tail.

At first I thought the story about birds sounded ludicrous, but when we went out there, we saw a flock of them flying around the area.

If you want to see more photos, check out my Flickr photos, we took the D700 out for a run with a Nikon 70-300m, 5.6 lens. I'm satisfied the D700 is great with low light. All photos taken by James Nicholas Sears...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkinggirl/sets/72157612620227474/

Geotags:

Google Maps
http://tinyurl.com/usaircrashphotolocation

Google Earth
http://jamesnsears.com/temp/photo_location.kmz

I went in with the mind set of not taking notes for all four speakers, which is why I just brought my iPhone and no tablet.

But at the end of Rachel Abram's talk, and in the middle of Soo-in Yang's talk, I decided to not be lazy, and start taking notes. I've seen Rachel speak at an IDEA event in 2007 and an AIGA/Apple event last year [a link to my notes last year]. She spoke about how her many diciplines have added to her interaction design, and showed some of her research of the taxi system. Soo-in Yang is an architect who created this physical interactive sculpture that reacts to information about air quality via mobile phones. It was a public art piece in South Korea (look at photos below). He also collaborated with Rob Faludi and Terence Arjo on another project.

Last, was this music composer, Phil Kline, who started Unsilent Night, an event that happens on Christmas Eve, and started with a couple of people in NYC, but has grown to thousands in many other cities. You can see his video on YouTube.

A slide from Adam Greenfield's Presentation

Adam Greenfield, who taught at ITP, and wrote the book titled Everyware also spoke at Dot Dot Dot, and now head of design direction at Nokia. He researches many ubiquitous computing systems. I can't cover everything he spoke about, but if you want to see some of his presentation slides, visit my Flickr set. Here are some of the highlights that you can look up or read about in his new book The City Is Here For You To Use:

UNStudio with Arup Engineering: Galleria West, Apgujeongdong in S. Korea

u-Cheonggyecheong: Instead of cleaning the stream, they wrapped it in media.

Tom Armitage, Making Bridges Talk: What if the London Bridge could Twitter?

u-City New Songdo: totally networked, and can track everything down to tagging soda bottles with RFID tags that can automatically credit your account even if you throw it in trash. Every action is recorded and mediated. This project is still a work-in-progress.

Massive simultaneity: The 1K Project

MITsenseable city lab/New York Talk Exchange (NYTE)

Mosaic of Singapore mall: A photo that shows a lady moving through a mall physically, but this mosaic also shows a layer of secondary information--who is on the other end of her mobile phone. We should think about cyberspace (Being on phone is like being in cyberspace) when we think about designing the physical space.

Stamen Design: Oakland Crimespotting
Think about constraints in analysis (e.g. Taxonomy of police department is already a constraint (e.g. categorizing rape).

iPhone/Flickr: Geotagging/Search urbanism, browse urbanism, make urban API. If we check the weather before we go out, we are conditioned to that networked information, hence Adam calls this a "network overlay." Contemplate how this "overlay" reflects every decision we make (i.e. real-time info).

I've also added Adam Greenfield's blog to my RSS Feeds and Google Reader.

I'm in Dublin, Ireland to document some work at the Lightwave Exhibition in the Science Gallery at Trinity College. This exhibition is trying to bridge science and art. Already, there a couple of ITPers showing their works: James N. Sears, Nurit Bar-Shai, and Lori Napolean.

Nick is showing his second design of The Orb, which now plays videos and Processing apps, and still images. Right now, Jonathan Cousin's data visualization is currently on The Orb.

Nurit Bar-Shai collaborated with other artists and MIT to show live video feeds of cellular interactions and the Northern Lights, of course separately.

Lori Napoleon created an interactive sculpture called "Scintillator." The sculpture is composed of tetrahedral shapes, and changes color when you touch it.

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Later, I will try to post photos on Flickr. Feel free to ping me if I forget.

I just went to a laser performance by Dmitry Gelfand and Evelina Domnitch. This was pretty amazing, but unfortunately I couldn't take photos. Here's a link to a video...

They have three colored high-powered lasers in red, green and blue, which is refracted and projected over a circular flat tray with soapy solution. When they manipulate the solution, beautiful textures are projected. There was a grainy texture, so I had to ask how they achieved that. They told me that they just densely packed the bubbles together, playing with the surface tension and properties, such as hydrophilic/hydrophobic surfaces of the bubble. What is seen is a visual and elegant light show, sometimes the light bubble film looked like peacock feathers. If you have an opportunity to see this show live, I highly recommend it.

The artists (from left to right) Evelina Domnitch and Dmitry Gelfand.

Lêbonê Project: Lighting Africa with Off-Grid Energy
In partnership with Harvard University/Lêbonê Solutions, Professor David Edwards, Huga Van Vuuren, Ralph Borland & Richard Kirk

They can produce electricity from soil, using microbial fuel cell technology. Overnight, they were able to produce at least 5V.

This project would complement the Kennedy Violich Portable Light Project (more info here).

I am so lucky that I got tickets for this event. I have probably seen Lawrence Lessig (founder of Creative Commons) talk twice before. Steven Johnson spoke in Red Burn's class at ITP in 2005, and co-founded the community site [www.outside.in]. Also, he is coming out with a new book titled The Invention of Air. Just from the title, I can see how it's relevant to Lessig and Fairey. Here is the video of him talking about his new book. I've also been a big fan of Shepard Fairey's works since Obey. All three will be at this event, hosted by NYPL, and co-sponsored by Wired magazine.

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding Shepard Fairey (known for the popular Hope posters depicting Barack Obama and Obey). Apparently Fairey is being sued by AP Reuters for referencing a photo he used for the Hope poster. Read the article from Wired magazine.

Photo Credit: Boing Boing

Milton Glaser writes his point of view on this matter in Boing Boing. Milton Glaser designed the Bob Dylan album cover, and was popular for his "I ♥ NY" identity.

What I think is interesting is all these remixes of Fairey's works. You can see people using Fairey's style and aesthetic for the Hope poster on their Facebook profile, but instead of Obama, it's them. Here is an article from Wired magazine of fans of the movie Dark Knight using Fairey's style on a photo Heath Ledger's Joker.

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If you like Shepard Fairey's works from Obey. You may like Robbie Canal as well. He did a lot of posters of political figures.

Open event and I think it is free. The Korean-American Scientists Association is sponsoring. Found this on the ITP list.

Date: April 4, 2009
Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: Davis Auditorium
4th Flr. Schapiro Center (CEPSR), Columbia University

till parsing through all these videos, but if you want to watch more videos, visit IgniteNYC on YouTube, click here:

Matthew Burton's Presentation "Hacking with Spooks: How to Code For the CIA From Your Basement"

Perry Chen's site Kickstarter (pretty awesome site)

Luke Dubois' "A More Perfect Union"

Baratunde Thurston's "...I Learned From Being @the_swine_flu"

Andy Maskin's "Bring On The Dancing Horses"

Rachel Sklar's "How I Learned to Love Giving Away My Money Online"

Kevin Slavin's "Dollhouse Earth"

Please register ASAP, by logging on to www.cencom.org, e-mailing info@cencom.org, OR calling (212) 686-5005.

Video Technology: Eye on the Future
Tuesday, October 13
6:30 to 8:00 pm

With advanced technologies changing the rules at mind-boggling speed, how do chief technology officers keep up with the ever-evolving landscape? Leading technology pros reveal how they select new formats and platforms in an effort to stay ahead of the game.

Michael Dunn, Chief Technology Officer, Hearst Interactive Media
Rajiv Pant, Vice President, Technology, Condé Nast Digital
Evan Schectman, Chief Technology Officer, @Radical Media

Sponsored by Microsoft

Presented w/ NYU's Steinhardt Department of Media, Culture and Communication

NYU, Kimmel Student Center
Silver Board Room, 914
60 Washington Square South



Advertising: Branded Content
Tuesday, October 20
6:30 to 8:00 pm

With advertisers being forced to adapt to digital and social media, the emphasis shifts to branded content. Learn how TV everywhere is the new reality and which new technologies the networks are using to involve the audience.

Jack Myers, Editor and Publisher, Jack Myers Media Business Report and MediaVillage.com
Aimee Duell, Director of Activation, PHD
Guy McCarter, Managing Director, Green Room Entertainment
Kurt Brokaw, Professor of Advertising, The New School
Moderator: Christopher Vollmer, Partner, Booz & Company; author, Always On: Advertising, Marketing, and Media in an Era of Consumer Control

Sponsored by Microsoft

Presented w/ The New School's Department of Media Studies and Film

The New School
Theresa Lang Student Center
Arnhold Hall, 2nd Floor
55 West 13th Street

I went to the Cooper Hewitt on Saturday because it was free (Thanks Target for sponsoring). Unfortunately, I wasn't as impressed with the exhibition (Design USA) as I was 2 years ago (Design Life Now). It wasn't as comprehensive, and they didn't feature anyone new. Also, I felt like most of the work that was exhibited, I've seen before (e.g. IDEO, Google, etc.), and that maybe they were selected because they were "donors." Maybe the participatory aspect produced the very pedestrian results (I hope not).

I thought it was interesting because they offered the ipod touch tour. It is free, and you exchange your ID card with an iPod touch. You can view a slide show, listen to the designers talk about their work and process, watch videos and comment on each piece. I thought it was organized digitally, but I wasn't engaged. I was more interested in the items displayed in the store. If you do go, I highly recommend the Eva Ziesel video. She is definitely a master. Massimo Vignelli NYC subway map and Milton Glaser Bob Dylan poster are design classics.

I did like the Design for a Living World exhibit. I thought the photographs printed on aluminum was unique, and the lighting on that medium made the images look dynamic. Some of the tiled photos made an interesting collage.