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Nick

A little pick me up

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Since I really need an excuse to think about it right now, I thought I’d post a few of the resort in Mexico where I will be in 17 days, the Iberostar Quetzal.

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Evidently, I'll be arriving via this gate.

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And presumably walking through these paths to my room.

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Before lounging the days away in this pool/bar.

Oh, yeah, did I mention the Mayan ruins at Tulum?

Oh, yeah, did I mention the Mayan ruins at Tulum?

Pretty freaking great. There are apparently monkeys that visit the balconies (Bella, you are getting a new friend) and a Japanese restaurant in the resort. Cave snorkeling, jungle hiking and a bar at the airport. Passport, take me away!

Listen: In This Light and On This Evening by Editors

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Sometimes I’m completely caught off-guard by the presence of a new album by a favorite band.  After listening to SiriusXM’s XMU the other day, I found myself in this position.  The band was Editors and the album was titled In This Light and On This Evening.

More surprising was the song that brought me to the new album realization, “Papillon.”  Opening with a menacing synth and snappy drum machine, the song sounds as far from “Munich” as one could expect within the range of the same band.  Tom Smith is just as monotone as ever as lead singer, but his vocals now seems to seethe and threaten. This is not “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors,” good sirs.  This is a whole new beast.

After downloading the rest of the tracks, I was further surprised and delighted by the Kraftwerk meets Joy Division nature of the album.  The title track is stark. Maybe even with a capital “s.”  My absolute favorite at this early stage of acquaintance is far and away “The Big Exit.”  Creeptastic.  The Blade Runner synth is impeccable and if it doesn’t end up with a Noir video, I’m going to be surprised.

“Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool” will bridge the gap between what Editors has become and the material that made their name.  And, for those less in favor of dramatic change, “Bricks and Mortar” should make you feel sonically safe.

Welcome back Editors.  Glad to have bumped in to you.

Listen: Science Fiction & New Media

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I don’t normally go in for podcasts (sorry, podcasters) but this episode from the smallWORLD has actually been a pretty compelling listen. So far, I’ve only gotten through the Cory Doctorow interview, but I’m definitely looking forward to hearing what Annalee Newitz has to say since I love io9 so very much (and she’s the editor.)

Things get fascinating at around 16:00 for Mr. Doctorow, when he starts talking about e-Readers and then turns completely controversial as he moves in to discussing ownership, customer-war and Apple. Good to hear an author that’s in to the idea of digital distribution being free and open and not entirely terrified of never getting paid again if/when this ecosystem comes about.

Worth your time, most certainly, whether you produce media, support producers of media or just consume the media they produce.

Update: when you hit the 53:00 mark or so, you’ll find J.C. Hutchins talking about trans-media artifacts.  This makes me beyond happy.

Blog find today: The Sartorialist

Art, Fashion, Internet by

I was browsing about this afternoon, looking at uses of Posterous, a service that had escaped my notice and was luckily pointed out to me by my coworker, Nancy (“gold star for the day,” I told her.) In this state of wide-eyed absorption, I fell on to The Sartorialist, a blog that chronicles what’s being worn on the streets from New York to Cologne to Paris and beyond. It’s like walking through the city, staring at the stylish and beautiful without all the awkward eye contact (or walking.)

As someone that would like to believe himself at least a little fashion-forward and marginally on-trend, it’s refreshing to step out of Corn Field, MD and into the world. Because we all know I’d be this guy if I wouldn’t get dragged into the back of a diesel F-250 for doing it:

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Would that I could...how I envy you, random Parisian.

Update: as if hell-bent on proving my point, I found this moments later from the local “newspaper:”

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This car game that I play

Art, Cars, Want by
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As a design geek paying absurd amounts of attention to the world of cars, I sometimes find myself wondering why I’m reading auto blog x again or paying $12 for a copy of UK Top Gear or Car magazine. It’s going to be the same thing as always: reviews of hypercars I can’t afford, pictures of vehicles that aren’t on the US market, concepts that are dolled up to the point of insanity, etc.

I keep reading. And reading. And reading.

And sometimes, like yesterday, there’s a pay-off. Audi debuted the new A8 at Design Miami – with Lucy Liu as emcee, no less – and the event was the perfect opportunity to not only gush over the gadget-y goodness of this new barge but also to put to use a crazy level of knowledge about the design direction the car takes.

First, the car. A few of my favorite images for you.

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2011 Audi A8

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Those headlights. God damn. I can't wait to see the full LED lights at night. (If I'm run over by an A8, this is why.)

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And the interior is jaw dropping in its serenity and cohesive use of shapes and materials. Blows the doors off this:

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Fuck you, 2009 A4 interior. Why are half of those buttons where they are? What's with all the chintzy looking cheap plastic? Especially since we started here:

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Soothing. Logical. Clean. Simple. (And a 2005.) Stop chasing BMW because they are the only ones that can do crazy and asymmetrical.

But I digress. Sorry about that tangent. The message I’m trying to get across here is that the new Audi A8 is absolutely beautiful. What’s more, it’s a direct descendent of a recent show car, the 2009 Audi Sportback Concept.

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I absolutely love that you can see the waterfall grille evolve its shape in this concept and find it applied in the A8. And they one upped the lights.


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I do prefer the angles and curves of the concept to the final A8, but this was supposed to pave the way for a more curvaceous (and younger) model, the A7 so I can understand the more grandfatherly finished product.

Imagine. A concept turned to reality. And my joy at paying enough attention to see it happen.

If you’d like to see more about the Audi A8, Fourtitude is carrying some of the best photos of the launch and will certainly be chiming in with thoughts soon.

I just hope that some of these innovations make their way down to the A3 by 2012.

Pittsburgh Thanksgiving

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Well, it was fortuitous that our plans brought us to PIttsburgh this year, as my mom was imprisoned at Magee Women’s Hospital for the last 12 days. Instead of seeing only Kate’s family for Thanksgiving dinner, I was quite accidentally able to see my own family, too. Imagine that!

On our way back from the hospital – where mother received her release just moments later – we decided to stop on the top of Mt. Washington. In so doing, we found this amazing scene where the rain collided with the sun. And a lovely rainbow.