We begin with that part of the language which defines a town or community. These patterns can never be “designed” or “built” in one fell swoop- but patient piecemeal growth, designed in such a way that every individual act is always helping to create or generate these larger global patterns, will, slowly and surely, over the years, make a community that has these global patterns in it.

http://downlode.org/Etext/Patterns/index.html 

Despite the urgency of climate change, many people are not taking enough action on the issue, partly because people are too busy talking about and waiting for tomorrow’s solutions! However, across India, we found many people are already implementing climate solutions, not only to prevent global warming but because it makes financial and ecological sense.

http://www.indiaclimatesolutions.com/road-tour-solutions

New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/opinion/15friedman.html?em

Howe and Ringwald thought the best way to do that might be a climate solutions road tour, using modified electric cars from India’s Reva Electric Car Company, whose C.E.O. Ringwald knew. They persuaded him to donate three of his cars and to retrofit them with longer-life batteries that could travel 90 miles on a single six-hour charge — and to lay on a solar roof that would extend them farther.

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 5, they drove the cars on a 2,100-mile trip from Chennai to New Delhi, stopping in 15 cities and dozens of villages, training Indian students to start their own climate action programs and filming 20 videos of India’s top home-grown energy innovations. They also brought along a solar-powered band, plus a luggage truck that ran on plant oil extracted from jatropha and pongamia, plants locally grown on wasteland. A Bollywood dance group joined at different stops and a Czech who learned about their trip on YouTube hopped on with his truck that ran on vegetable-oil waste.

At Rajpipla, in Gujarat, when they stopped at a local prince’s palace to recharge their cars, they discovered that his business was cultivating worms and selling them as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers.

I met Howe and Ringwald after a tiring day, but I have to admit that as soon as they started telling me their story it really made me smile. After a year of watching adults engage in devastating recklessness in the financial markets and depressing fecklessness in the global climate talks, it’s refreshing to know that the world keeps minting idealistic young people who are not waiting for governments to act, but are starting their own projects and driving innovation.

“Why did this tour happen?” asked Ringwald. “Why this mad, insane plan to travel across India in a caravan of solar electric cars and jatropha trucks with solar music, art, dance and a potent message for climate solutions? Well … the world needs crazy ideas to change things, because the conventional way of thinking is not working anymore.”

November 14, 2008 - January 17, 2009

James Cohan Shanghai Gallery

James Cohan Gallery has invited Dutch sculptor Folkert de Jong to create an exhibition for its new Shanghai location, which opened July 10, 2008. Folkert de Jong is best known for his theatrical, narrative-based installations. His life-sized sculptures presented in tableau-like arrangements, take on the themes of war, greed and power. These provocative sculptures are surprising for their unorthodox choice of materials—sculpted out of industrial Styrofoam and Polyurethane insulation foams. De Jong’s figures embody a grotesque horror and macabre humor that is reminiscent of the work of the 20th century European artists Georges Grosz and James Ensor.

This new body of work entitled Thousand Years Business as Usual consists of three new sculptural tableaux. The conceptual underpinnings of the exhibition relate to Darwin’s theory of “survival of the fittest.” De Jong’s work applies Darwin’s evolutionary theory beyond the natural world and into an exploration of the competition between global entities. Using this scientific theory and his startling imagery, Folkert de Jong attempts to illuminate the notion that the delicate balance of power between nations can evolve into a pattern similar to that of the natural environment. In Thousand Years Business as Usual, Folkert de Jong examines the many paradoxes inherent in what humans attempt to control and what is ultimately not in their power to control. These concepts provide fertile territory for De Jong’s singular brand of expression.

http://www.jamescohan.com/exhibitions/2008-11-14_folkert-de-jong/press-release/ 

BEIJING, China (CNN) — A married Chinese businessman who could no longer afford five mistresses held a competition to decide which one to keep.

The businessman and his spurned mistress met in Qingdao, pictured here last August, local media report.

But the contest took a fatal turn when one of the women, eliminated for her looks, drove the man and the four other competitors off a cliff, Chinese media reported.

The spurned mistress died and the other passengers were injured, the reports said.

Police initially thought the car had plummeted off a mountain road in eastern China on December 6 by accident. Then they learned of the contest through a letter the dead woman had left behind, the Shanghai Daily newspaper said.

The 29-year-old woman, identified only as Yu, was a waitress when she met the businessman at a restaurant in the coastal city of Qingdao in 2000.

At the time, the businessman, identified only by his last name — Fan — was married and had four other mistresses, according to the Peninsula Metropolis Daily newspaper in Qingdao.

The women knew of one another, but none elected to break up with the man and give up their rent-free apartment and a 5,000 yuan ($730) monthly allowance, the reports said.

When the economy soured, the businessman apparently decided to let go of all but one mistress.

He staged a private talent show in May, without telling the women his intentions. An instructor from a local modeling agency judged the women on the way they looked, how they sang and how much alcohol they could hold, the Shanghai Daily said.

The judge knocked out Yu in the first round of the competition based on her looks. Angry, she decided to exact revenge by telling her lover and the four other women to accompany her on a sightseeing trip before she returned to her home province, the media reports said.

It was during the trip that Yu reportedly drove the car off the cliff.

Fan shut down his company after the crash and paid Yu’s parents 580,000 yuan ($84,744) as compensation for her death.

The four other women left him, as did his wife when she learned of the affairs.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/17/china.mistress.contest/index.html 

Science Machine from Chad Pugh on Vimeo.

a condensed time lapse of screenshots over a several month period. Total physical drawing time is close to 40 hours and I’d add an equal amount of time for concept time and readying the print. A screenshot was taken every 5 seconds, which resulted in a full 18 minute video shown above

http://www.williamhundley.com/cheeseburgers.html

http://www.williamhundley.com/cheeseburgers2.html

“Atari Light”, 1999 by Pierre Huyghe. Computer game program interface, joysticks, halogen lamps.

“Get the native tongue.”

Advertising Agency: Diamond Ogilvy, Seoul, Korea
Creative Director: Kyoungjoo Lee
Art Directors: Dabok Kim, Jihye Kim
Copywriters: Yujean Bahk, Howard Han
Chief Creative Officer: Wain Choi

via http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/2009/02/korea-university-institute-of-foreign-languages-tongue/ 

Upcoming designer and friend in W+K Shanghai.

http://www.hi-id.com/?p=2365#more-2365

http://www.adgabber.com/video/video/show?id=546804:Video:127547

Fairey has referred to what he does as “referencing.” There’s certainly plenty of precedent for making reference to older artwork in new ones. How does one distinguish between plagiarism and reference?

The process of looking back at the past is very accepted in our business—the difference is when you take something without adding anything to the conversation. We celebrate influence in the arts, we think it’s important and essential.  But imitation we have some ambivalence about, especially because it involves property rights. It probably has something to do with the nature of capitalism. We know that in other cultures, Chinese culture for instance, imitation is seen as a tribute, because you wouldn’t bother imitating trivial works. But in those cases the influence is acknowledged and the skill required is obvious.

For myself—this is subjective—I find the relationship between Fairey’s work and his sources discomforting. Nothing substantial has been added. In my own case, when I did the Dylan poster, I acknowledged using Duchamp’s profile as an influence.  I think unless you’re modifying it and making it your own, you’re on very tenuous ground.  It’s a dangerous example for students, if they see that appropriating people’s work is the path to success. Simply reproducing the work of others robs you of your imagination and form-making abilities. You’re not developing the muscularity you need to invent your own ideas. 

http://www.printmag.com/design_articles/MiltonGlaseronShepardFairey/tabid/492/Default.aspx 

Founded in 1998 by a Dutch duo consisting of artist Mark Manders and graphic designer Roger Willems, ROMA Publications functions as an independent publishing project based in Amsterdam. It is conceived similarly to an exhibition that would evolve with time as one publication leads to another, while serving as a platform of exchange between a growing number of artists, designers, writers, poets and institutions. Published in editions that range between 2 and 150 000, every issue has its own rule of distribution based on the specific content of the projects: they can be given away for free, only exhibited in gallery spaces, or sold online or in bookshops.

http://www.rosab.net/spip.php?page=article&id_article=11 

http://www.sensebrand.com/blog/

Item: X Exhibition —— 07 Graphic Design In China
The International Judges Nomination Exhibition
Type: VI System
Design: SenseTeam
Period: 2007－2008
Client: Shenzhen Graphic Design Association & LOOOK

项目：X展 —— 07GDC 平面设计在中国国际评审提名展
类别：品牌识别系统
设计：SenseTeam
时间：2007－2008年
客户：SGDA 深圳市设计师协会 & LOOOK

X Exhibition Documentary X 展工作视频 from SenseTeam on Vimeo.

Milkxhake is a young Hong Kong-based design unit co-founded by graphic designer Javin Mo and Interactive designer Wilson Tang in 2002, mainly focuses on graphic and interactive mixtures.

In 2004, Javin was invited to join FABRICA, the Benetton Research and Communication Center in Italy. He was also the art director of FABRICA quarterly magazine FAB launched between 04-05. In 2005, he re-initiated Milkxhake with Wilson as one of the most energetic design collective based in Hong Kong.

Their works have been selected for numerous design competitions including Tokyo Type Directors Club Awards (04/06) and Hong Kong Designers Association Awards (05/07) with gold, silver and bronze prizes. In 2006, Javin was awarded as the Young Gun 5 from the New York ADC. In 2007, they also received merit from 86th New York ADC and British D&AD Awards. Their works have been widely published in international design magazines and journals.

http://www.milkxhake.org/ 

The latest Chinese graphic arts / illustrations / art collections.

Edited by Javin Mo, “3030 New Graphic Design In China” was published by Chinise publisher, 3030 Press. This book is a collection of graphic design by young artists from mainly China.

The number in the title “3030″ was taken from the name of 3030 Press, and 30 artists who were born in 1970’s to 1980’s are introduced in this book. They offer over 3pages for each artists, so that you will not miss their talents while you are looking through their posters, book designs, illustrations.

http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives/2008/12/3030_new_graphic_design_in_china.html 

And here’s where all the other “not writing” work comes in: I don’t write for myself, I write to be read. It is a social act, shaped and informed by others and meant for others. But after four novels of my own, I began to realize that hardly any of us knows how to read. The times we live in are actively hostile to reading, because text is a powerful political space with profoundly disruptive potentials. We are taught, instead, to consume books; we are taught to identify them with the author; we are taught to clarify their ambiguities and resolve their paradoxes; we are taught to “master” a text by aligning it with what others agree to be true; we are taught to hold our meanings provisionally, as just “my interpretation.” But my writing — a lot of writing — doesn’t work that way. Writing is a social space for new relationships and new meanings, unresolved ones full of paradox and flux, and with no room for mastery. It isn’t about me; the text is a site of socially negotiated meanings that change as we change.

Task:
While everyone seems to be on the search for the God-Particle I looked for the basic elements of the classic comic characters.

 http://www.rainbowmonkey.de/pr-40_cartoon.html#1

The White Knot is the symbol for marriage equality. 

It takes two traditional symbols of marriage—white and tying the knot—and combines them in a simple way to show support for the right of gays and lesbians to marry. All loving couples deserve the same legal rights, benefits, and respect that civil marriage bestows.

Visibility is the goal. See where White Knots are appearing across the U.S.

Whether you are gay or straight, please show your support by wearing the Knot and telling people why you are wearing it. Wear your White Knot to work, to school, to your place of worship. Together, we will keep the topic at the top of people’s minds and keep the conversation going.

Blood In Blood Out aims to reveal the system and
terminology of heraldry formed and maintained by
the precursors of today’s graphic designers: the heralds …

this is fucking amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hySoCSoH-g8 

UC Berkeley is offering a new course for 2009 on the “art of competitive StarCraft”, as well as how to enjoy the game.

As yet, the course is not listed on the UC Berkeley website, however it is confirmed real, with the linked website due to be revamped, as the course is generating massive publicity.

The students enrolled in the course will meet once a week for two hours, and will go into detail on how war is depicted in the game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, and there will even be a chance at the end of each class to show off a student-submitted replay of a StarCraft match.

The outline of the course is as follows:

Week 1: Orientation / Competitive Gaming Industry Overview / StarCraft Boom in Korea
Week 2: Units, Strength, Weakness, Attributes, Stats
Week 3: Fighting Micro and Unit Use
Week 4: Army Movement and Positioning
Week 5: Expo and Macro
Week 6: Building Placement and Base Layout
Week 7: Scouting and Counters
Week 8: Harass
Week 9: Overloading the Enemy, Multi-plays
Week 10: Economic Basis, Micro vs Macro
Week 11: Timing and Evaluation of Resources
Week 12: Deception
Week 13: Mindset and Series Play
Week 14: Tournament

For this first year, there are only 60 seats available, but UC Berkeley students get first choice. A revamped website will be available at www.berkeleystarcraft.com, within the week.

via http://www.neowin.net/news/gamers/09/01/30/uc-berkeley-offering-starcraft-course

Many citizens might notice the construction digital road signs on the side of the road while driving, indicating important information such as road closures or traffic delays, but what if the sign included information such as “Zombies ahead” or “this sign has been hacked”.

These digital road signs can be compromised as easily as breaking into them. A viral video shows the possibility of future sign hacking with a laptop and a Nokia N95. A user has posted pictures of how to break into the digital road signs on www.i-hacked.com, teaching users how to access and change the sign information. The news post on i-hacked.com mentions that the digital road signs can be easily tampered with by using the text entry device and scrolling down to enter the desired text.

Another YouTube viral video user has posted videos of himself hacking digital road signs and even a train station screen to display whatever he wants on it. The videos are fake but do show what the future might hold for this type of hacking. Users at MIT might be to blame for the digital road sign tampering in Boston, after posting pictures of the hacked road signs on the web site.