The Errant Æsthete

For those ardently rabid and endlessly tiresome followers of the 2008 presidential election, (and yes, count me there) this seven-part series by a group of Newsweek reporters is a not-to-missed read. What makes this series so compelling were the terms arranged in advance of the actual reporting. The reporters were granted exclusive access to the campaigns of Barack Obama, John McCain, and Hillary Clinton for a year on the condition that they wouldn’t print anything until after the election was over.

The series, of which the first four parts are currently up on the Newsweek site, is a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes political process, the trials, tumbles and tribulations surrounding these fervent, die-hard enthusiasts who pledge their fealty to the candidate born and, of course, the deliciously salacious gossip (ie. hackers and spending sprees) that is the foundation of political campaigning.

Continue reading ‘2008 Election: In-Depth Report’

Jonathon Haeber, adventurer extraordinaire of Bearings visits the exotic hideaway of Chacahua in mystical Mexico.

After hours and hours of traveling through a tiny–but newly paved–road through the South of Mexico, amidst palm trees and rickety bamboo huts we finally see the sign: Chacahua 29 km. The sign points towards a tiny muddy road surrounded by lush jungle. After a bumpy hour, we hop on to a tiny motorboat and cross a lagoon alive with mangroves, crocodiles and cranes. Up ahead, the mouth of the lagoon widens impressively and merges harmoniously with the ocean. The boat stops and we step off to Chacahua–a beautiful untouched land, a place where locals know no prejudices, an island of complete relaxation rustic style.

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Suzanne Opton’s ambiguous portraits of American soldiers are appearing on billboards around the country. Provocative or disturbing? [via Link]

 

And so it begins. The Ralph Lauren Rugby store near Union Square took delivery of its Christmas decorations on Monday and the end of the year lists have already started appearing online. So far there’s Time’s best inventions of 2008 and Amazon’s best books of 2008. [via kottke]

Wednesday was the only the fourth time that the NY Times used 96 pt. type for the headline on the front page of the paper. In chronological order:

MEN WALK ON MOON
NIXON RESIGNS
U.S. ATTACKED
OBAMA

Not surprisingly, the Wednesday edition of the Times was hugely popular. It sold out so fast, people were lined up outside the Times’ building, hoping to buy their own souvenir copy. Naturally, copies are already available on eBay for $100 or more.

Update: As it turns out, The Times used 96 pt. type for the front page headline on at least one other occasion: January 1, 2000. [via link]

As Quantum of Solace gets ready to roll out, there’s the usual glut of derisory articles about the extreme levels of product placement in the film.

There are few surprises when it comes to the big brands starring alongside Daniel Craig (Virgin Atlantic, Aston Martin, Sony, Omega, Ford and Coca Cola Zero to name a handful) but what is evident was the inclusion of a few design companies in there too, principally B&B Italia.

Unlike say Coca Cola or Sony’s instantly recognisable presence, even the most die hard design enthusiast would be pushed to spot a B&B Italia bed if Bond (or one of his ladies) was cavorting over it in a state of undress.

Consequently, Walpaper took the opportunity to track down the film’s set decorator, Anna Pinnock, to find out exactly what a brand like B&B Italia stands to gain from getting in on the product placement act and how one goes about ‘decorating’ a film set across five countries.

She takes us through her job from mood board to post-production furniture sale and explains how the film has taken a leaf out of the seminal Ken Adams sets of the 1960s and 1970s. All of which seemed like a good excuse, were one needed, to revisit some of our favourite Adams sets from the past. Click here to see highlights from the Ken Adams’ Bond era.

Q&A with Anna Pinnock,
Set Director for Quantum of Solace.

The Big Picture, the best new blog of the year, celebrates the victory of Barack Obama, no doubt Time’s Man of the Year for 2008, with some of the best photos of the President-Elect taken over the past few months. [via link]

These five smart tips from Food & Wine’s Ray Isle keep holiday wine buying simple. We like simple! [Link]

1. Buy By The Case
Finding good wine and then socking away a case of it (typically 12 bottles) saves money, as many wine shops offer case discounts of around 10 to 15 percent. It also saves trips to the store. »

2. Look For Wine Screw Caps
More and more excellent wines are being sealed with screw caps to prevent corkiness (a problem with natural corks that produces a wet cardboard–like smell in a small percentage of wines). Screw-capped wines are especially handy for large parties, because they’re easy to open quickly. »

Continue reading ‘Holiday Wine Buying: Five Smart Tips’

From mid-October until mid-November, the ultra-flash city of Shanghai is morphed into a playground for the world’s cutting-edge digital artists.

Under the banner ‘Urbanized Landscape’ this year’s festival sees more than 150 creatives at the vanguard of the electronic age transform parks, avenues, rivers and malls into interactive hubs for curious citizens.

As well as being the biggest digital event on the worldwide arts calendar, it is an increasingly important platform for fresh talent. Big names rub cyber space with those just breaking into the genre. More than half of the 2008 participants are home-grown Chinese artists who know more than most about life in a sprawling metropolis.

Philip Dodd, an eArts organiser said: ‘What the new digital technology allows us to do is reconfigure our ideas of space and geography and to find new ways of imagining cities.’ And if it’s time to redefine our ideas about the future cities of the world, there’s no place more evidently willing to embrace the new than Shanghai. [Link]

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Michael Crichton, the million-selling author who made scientific research terrifying and irresistible in such thrillers as “Jurassic Park,” “Timeline” and “The Andromeda Strain,” has died of cancer, his family said. Crichton died Tuesday in Los Angeles at age 66 after privately battling cancer.

“Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand,” his family said in a statement.

“While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us — and entertained us all while doing so — his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes.”

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Both Michael Sippey and Kane Jamison collected screenshots of media sites as they declared Obama’s victory last night. Here are the front pages of all the newspapers today…The Sun’s take on the historic night: One Giant Leap For Mankind is memorable. See also: the electoral maps. [via Link]

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the man soon to be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama.

The New York Times:

Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, sweeping away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease as the country chose him as its first black chief executive.

Mr. Obama’s election amounted to a national catharsis — a repudiation of a historically unpopular Republican president and his economic and foreign policies, and an embrace of Mr. Obama’s call for a change in the direction and the tone of the country. But it was just as much a strikingly symbolic moment in the evolution of the nation’s fraught racial history, a breakthrough that would have seemed unthinkable just two years ago.

Mr. Obama, 47, a first-term Democratic senator from Illinois, defeated Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, a former prisoner of war who was making his second bid for the presidency. Mr. McCain, 72, conceded the race in a speech to his supporters shortly after 11:15 p.m. Eastern time.

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I know. I know. Let’s get through this election first. But look what awaits on the other side: For the special Christmas edition of their creative get-together, Glug, Ian Hambleton (of Studio Output) and Nick Clement (Made Studio) have launched a seasonal competition. Creatives are invited to respond to the statement, “All I want for Christmas is…” to be in with a chance of winning some rather tasty prizes. Details here.

…(And Other Flippant Remarks Of The Upper Crust).

A bit late on this take, but so deliciously wicked from the razor tongued impresario himself, Christopher Hitchens, who, in response to the Republican candidate elect’s fumbles on how many multi-million dollar homes he owns, introduces some shamefully relevant vocabulary: a tumbrel remark (a phrase originally coined by Irish writer Joyce Cary) is “an unguarded comment by an uncontrollably rich person, of such crass insensitivity that it makes the workers and peasants think of lampposts and guillotines.” Keep an ear out.

Continue reading ‘Let Them Eat Cake…’

Throughout this arduous presidential campaign, the new online political enthusiasm has significantly affected the visual landscape of the internet. Perhaps the strangest symptom of this change is the degree to which political banner ads have invaded our web space. Whether bearing the official logos and graphic identities of the major campaigns, or the crude, cobbled typography of web-marketing firms, they have popped up almost anywhere we might go to read the news, validate our opinions, watch three-minute videos, or otherwise waste time during the workday. And for the past year or so, Teddy Blanks for designobserver has been collecting his favorites.

 Slideshow

VIDEO: Lichtenstein & Warhol

An unusually rich historic treasure trove discovered in the archives of USA Arts programs from WNET, NYC’s Channel 13, streaming episodes of USA Arts: Willem de Kooning. Martha Graham. Vladimir Nabokov. Charles Olson. Jasper Johns. And many more. [via boingboing]

Grey can be the most romantic of colours,” writes Gavin Houghton, former art director of World of Interiors. A wall painted in this chalky-textured “architectural” shade from the London-based interiors company Paint & Paper Library subtly evokes the faded glories of the French empire, while retaining enough creamy warmth to work in a modern setting. [Intelligent Life]

This. Friggin. Election. A typographic look back via none other than Andrew Sullivan.

There are likely many benefits of an electoral college voting system, but many would still like to see it dead. Because this is just crazy:

The presidency could be won with just 22 percent of the electorate’s support, only 16 percent of the entire population’s.

That is, you could lose 78% of the popular vote and still gain The White House! The insanely accurate truth. [via link]

Rarely do I choose a reviewers comment over a columnist’s editorial, but with this election so critical and this reader’s analysis so insightful, an exception. This excerpt was taken from Frank Rich’s NYTimes Sunday column entitled “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” (a worthy read).

Continue reading ‘The “Cult” of Government’

Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs
1913–2008

October 26, 2008–March 1, 2009 | Hammer Building, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913–2008 is the first major exhibition to bring together the magazine’s historic archive of rare vintage prints with its contemporary photographs. The exhibition explores the ways in which photography and celebrity have interacted and changed, with portraits from the magazine’s early period (1913–1936) displayed in conjunction with works from the contemporary Vanity Fair (1983–present). The Los Angeles presentation will be the only U.S. stop on the exhibition’s international tour. Pictured: (Above) Kate Moss (Below) Adele and Fred Astaire. Details follow.

Continue reading ‘Vanity Fair Classics 1913-2008′

He was the greatest writer of his generation - and also its most tormented. In the wake of his tragic suicide, his friends and family reveal the lifelong struggle of a beautiful mind. A heartfelt read. From Rolling Stone. Excerpt following page:

Continue reading ‘David Foster Wallace: Lost Years & Last Days’

Take it easy, but take it.”

~Studs Terkel, 1912 - 2008

Studs Terkel, Pulitzer prize-winning author whose searching interviews with ordinary Americans helped establish oral history as an important historical genre, and who for nearly half a century was the voluble host of a radio show in Chicago, died Friday at his home in Chicago. He was 96. {You will be missed.}

An antique Skippy Racer. A beautiful thing. [via link]

You’ve been procrastinating a lifetime. Meanwhile, the first African American seems likely to take over the White House. Two improbable scenarios. November 4th will take care of one. Today, the first day of November will take care of the other since November is National Novel Writing Month! (NaNoWriMo for short.) NaNoWriMo challenges you to write throughout November, piecing together a narrative until, voila! You’ve got a 175-page, 50,000-word novel on your hands. That may sound daunting, but it’s totally doable! In fact, more than 15,000 people did it last year.

If you want to go for it, {of course you do} just follow this simple plan:

* Every day, take a minute to sit down and write a story. You don’t need to have it all planned out, just write.

* Post each delicious literary morsel to your blog and tag it with “nanowrimo08.”

* When you’re hitting a wall, use that tag to check out what others are doing and gain inspiration.

* Go to NaNoWriMo by midnight on Nov. 30 to have your novel verified.

* Print business cards with your new title: Great American (or Indonesian or Argentinian or…) Novelist.