Cold Souls

Saturday, August 8, 2009
Cold Souls is new film starring Paul Giamatti as an actor who undergoes "soul extraction" and off-beat hilarity ensues. I'm actually a bit excited about this one. Cold Souls promises to be a fun and quirky comedy. I can only hope it lives up to its premise's potential. See the trailer below.



For the NY Times review of "Cold Souls" click here.

Design + Discovery

Monday, August 3, 2009
David Carson is one of my heroes. From his work in advertising to his own Ray Gun magazine he has helped redefine the modern aesthetic and question the tenets of print media. Carson's work is challenging but engaging; alien but natural. Below Carson is taking a funny and insightful look into his work at a TED conference in 2003. I would love to hear any thoughts on Carson's TED talk or work.

To those interested, I also whole-heartedly recommend Lewis Blackwell's "The End of Print: The Graphic Design of David Carson." It surveys much of Carson's work and is beautiful to boot.

Brace Yourselves.

Sunday, August 2, 2009
A previously unreleased Brian Eno-produced album is to be, well, released. Harmonia & Eno '76: Tracks and Traces is a collaboration between Brian Eno and krautrock outfit Harmonia is set for release on September 18th. Consider yourself warned.

Just Turn It Off...

Recently, I visited a local sports-bar sort of restaurant and was appalled to find, upon a trip to the restroom, a television. Repeat: a television in the restroom.

This sort of restaurant isn't really my "thing" and this is largely why. This is a restaurant whose most prominent features were televisions. In fact, there were on the order of a dozen televisions in every direction. There was not a direction one could look that did not feature sporting events and the people of love them.

I'm not naive. I understand that proliferation of screens and channels is not considered a determent to the establishment but a benefit in the eyes of others but a television... in the restroom? Seriously? Seriously, people.

Is there anything human being can do anymore with a damned television? While one "does as nature intends" one may be kept abreast of the oh... 45 seconds or so of T.V. one would otherwise have sacrificed. Dammit! Are my pills wearing off?

I don't dislike sports and my frustration doesn't really have anything to do with programming choices. It's more the simple and ridiculous truth that the damned "boob tube" has become so ubiquitous that we won't leave long enough to urinate or wash our hands! Very little, ladies and gentleman, is that important.