Category Archives

General Entertainment

Almost as good as Dan Akroyd

Movies, Rant, Unexplained by
  • Comments Off on Almost as good as Dan Akroyd

What was it about the casting of Ghostbusters?  It seems all of the most eccentric people somehow made their way into the 1984 film.  We have Dan Akroyd serving up diamond filtered vodka in crystal skulls and ranting about UFOs and now Bill Murray giving a 1982 speech that sounds like something from the Unabomber:

I guess we know that the right actors were chosen, at the very least.  And that Bill Murray’s apparent befuddlement over the high tech world of Lost in Translation was authentic.

Wear the room

Architecture, Art, Fashion by

The gays over at Tom & Lorenzo have turned their wit and fashionable eyes towards designer Mary Katrantzou. afro her Spring 2011 collection, Katrantzou was not just inspired by amazing examples of architecture – she turned her models into walking representations of it. Behold the lampshade skirt, the curtain scarf and the flower arrangement armband! I’m a fan, how about you?

Forgive my skepticism

Cars, News by

VW of America has named Jonathan Browning as their new chief executive of US operations.  For a bit of backstory, Browning had been part of GM Europe between 1981 and 1997 and then head manager of Jaguar in the UK between 1997 and 2001 before returning to GM Europe in 2001.  I don’t doubt that Mr. Browning is a fantastic executive and has probably earned his appointment but I’m very skeptical of GM management as a rule, especially when it comes to producing vehicles that American buyers are actually interested in.  Hopefully his British and continental experience will keep VW of America on track with importing German cars instead of designing them all to a price for sale exclusively in the US.

This doesn’t bode well, though.

The genius of Clarke

Books, Technology, Television by
  • Comments Off on The genius of Clarke

Anyone who knows me knows that I love both a good science show and the thoughts of Arthur C. Clarke with equal vigor.  Therefore, this 1964 BBC program, Horizon, with an interview of Arthur C. Clarke is exceptional:

Was Arthur C. Clarke ever wrong?  And, more importantly, was Arthur C. Clarke ever young?  I swear he looked the EXACT same even when he died just a short while ago!

(io9)

Brilliant

Art, Movies, Music, Technology by
  • Comments Off on Brilliant

Artist François Vautier decided to create still of every frame in Blade Runner, lay them out in a grid and then film them all with a virtual camera. The end result (set to Vangelis, of course) is nothing but stunning. I especially like that Deckard’s photo manipulation scene dialogue was included to great effect.

(io9)

Experience: “The Wilderness Downtown” by Arcade Fire

Art, Internet, Music, Technology by
  • Comments Off on Experience: “The Wilderness Downtown” by Arcade Fire

I’d normally say “Watch” for something of this sort, but Arcade Fire went entirely HTML5 extravaganza on us with their new project in support The Suburbs.  Appropriately, my own experience of this Google Maps-enabled mix of audio, video, text and on the fly graphics wouldn’t work with the childhood address I provided it so I used Kate’s suburban home instead.  I think it came out for the better because trees bursting through the ground and birds swooping down from the skies are pretty much par for the course back in the wilds of my home.

Anyway, if you have five minutes to be amazed by the possibilities of HTML5, “The Wilderness Downtown” is more than worth your time.

Car maps

Art, Cars by
  • Comments Off on Car maps

Jalopnik has posted up a very handy (and I suspect anger-fueled) guide to the geography of the automobile.  As a pretty big car design lover I was surprised by how many terms I didn’t know.  Gotta keep your strakes, tumblehomes and cowls straight, you know.