Lookbookis the new social networking site for folks to share their sense of fashion. I admit that I was blown away when I first checked it out. Most of the people are beautiful enough to be models (many ARE professional models), the photographs are class, and most of all, the threads are consistently rad.
In addition, it was startling to see people’s comments following the “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all” saying. I was expecting I might see a few snobby sorts posting “OMG! Kill yourself or burn that dress…“ , but I didn’t see even one!
All I saw were “Loveeee love love it!” and “You’re the most adorable thing!“, and the like. I suppose friendly fashion has arrived.
On a more personal note, I was inspired to see such a wealth of creativity. A huge number of the folks on Lookbook are also artists, musicians, stockists…, and will often have links to check out their sites or blogs. Does the site provoke vanity? Yes, and sometimes it’s taken to extremes, but I think that factor pales in comparison to the friendliness of community and creativity that exists on the site. Glad to have found it.
I opened up my mailbox to find this sweet piece of mail in my “Junk or Safe” section!
At first I have to admit that I thought it was hilarious, but then the globally aware side of me kicked-in and I realized how telling this is of the economic disparity that exists between the U.S. and many other countries.
In Russia, this might be an alright deal as the average daily income in Russia for 2008 was $32 (1). Crazy to think that if one worked 8 hours a day at minimum wage in the U.S., that would be $58, about 45% more per hour.
SO, that got me to think’n, “Is this junk mail from an actual Russian con, or is it some zany and brilliant underground campaign from a humanitarian group to raise awareness about the income disparities that remain despite the current economy in the U.S.?” I’ll never know, but I’m kind of flattered to think this might have been from Brad Pitt or Bono. Awesome.
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(1). $32 number came from dividing monthly income ($640) that was found on Wikipedia by 20 working days per month.
I heard about websites popping up with people posting candid shots from Google Street View, so I checked it out, and there are some really funny shots out there. My favorite is the one below. To me, it’s not the assault rifle alone that makes it golden, but that the man is wearing a sweet Harley Davidson sweater and is strolling down a street in South Dakota. Ah, the Dakotas.
Well, I just wanted to check back in and say that the music is still going really well and the excitement for the new batch of songs is still in the air; more so than before actually. It’s been a bit slow since I was sidetracked by needing to find a new part-time job, but I was able to pin down my dream-part-time-job, so all is back on track again. Thanks, and I hope to be back in touch soon!
My cousin Matt Bethancourt (Mouse & the Billionaire) has been working on a new synth instrument called the Gesture Controller for his masters thesis at Parsons in NYC. He’s wrapped the degree now, and as far as I know, it’s still being developed to the max.
Below are a couple videos of the GCe2 (Gesture Controller: Exploration 2), and I know he’s working on the GCe3 already. Also, when I hear the sounds coming from the GCe2, they remind of something The Avalanches might use for a live set, so I’ve also put some Avalanches videos in the mix to check out.
I was looking at pictures of Bolivia today, and that country looks gorgeous.
Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat on earth. It's also one of the flattest places on earth, so after it rains, the floods transform it into a giant mirror.
As far as I know, there is only 1 regret I managed to generate during my college years at Arizona State University- I would have liked to have seen more guest lectures.
The university managed to book amazing humanitarians, artists, and scientists to stop in for a bit and speak with students, but I always felt I had too much work to be able to take a break. Cool enough, a friend told me about a crew called TED (Technology Entertainment & Design) that hosts talks done by creative folks and then posts them online each week. I’ve been enjoying them and catching up.
I’ve realized I don’t have the money to fully restore the old 1984 Mercedes diesel I bought, at least not past it’s internal mechanics. The oxidized paint will remain, the cracks in the dash can stay their course, and the upholstery will keep it’s sun-faded charm. I’m an artist, and when it comes down to it, my art is what I want to be spending my money on.
What might be the cheapest way to still class it up a bit? Hmmmm……add some class-A magazines to the back-pouches in the seats, yeah?
I spent the past few months reading up on 1980’s Mercedes diesels. Presenting the latest project…
Restoring a 1984 Mercedes-Benz 300D and (hopefully) converting it to biodiesel.
After asking my mechanic friend Ben (co-creator of The Northern Fury), about what would be the least expensive car for a financially-strained artist to buy and maintain, he suggested…
Introducing Scott Teplin, another illustrator I stumbled across and really enjoy! In some ways, it presents a feeling of nostalgia from the days when I would sit in my room and look through Where’s Waldo? (or for those outside of the U.S. - Where’s Wally?) books for hours at a time.
