Sunday, July 31

Artistic Odds and Ends, July 2011

   1. "Art That Speaks Volumes: 12 More Book Artists"
     <http://weburbanist.com/2011/06/27/art-that-speaks-volumes-12-more-
        book-artists/>
   Artists using old books to make new art. See also:
      "Literary Love: 12 Works of Book Art & Architecture"
     <http://weburbanist.com/2011/03/07/literary-love-12-works-of-book-
        art-architecture/>

   2. "ART ~ Map Illustrations"
     <http://ingriddabringer.wordpress.com/map-illustrations/>

   3. "Selected ~ 2011"
     <http://anothersight.com/Selected/gallery.html?Submit=Selected>
   Famous works of art with their subjects 'cut out'.

   4. "Art from Coins"
     <http://staceyleewebber.com/STACEY_LEE_WEBBER/HOME.html>

   5. "The Coolest Locksmith Shop in New York City"
     <http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=3534>

   6. "Micromachina"
     <http://www.behance.net/gallery/MICROMACHINA/1022673>
   Models of mechanised insects.

   7. "DRAWINGMACHINE"
     <http://www.eskerex.com/?p=464>
   Draws patterns using a pen connected to a couple of large swinging
   weights (aka pendula).

   8. "positioning systems I - falling objects"
     <http://vimeo.com/24491037>
   441 water drops arranged on omniphobic material.

   9. "Amazing Long Exposure Roomba Photography"
     <http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/amazing-long-exposureeee-roomba-
        photography>
   The illuminated trails of robot vacuum cleaners.

Sunday, July 17

Brendan Benson - A Rough Guide

   From Wikipedia:
   "Brendan Benson is an American musician and songwriter. He sings and
   plays guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He has released four
   solo albums and is a member of the band The Raconteurs".
     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_benson>

   According to AllMusic, Benson is "a Michigan-born songwriter who
   occupies the rockier end of the power pop spectrum (more indebted to
   the Who than the Raspberries, that is)".  Other influences include the
   Kinks, T. Rex, the Beatles, and Paul McCartney's solo work.  Read more
   at:
     <http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brendan-benson-p182734/biography>

   I found his music via The Raconteurs (aka The Saboteurs), one of Jack
   White's side-projects (that's Jack White of The White Stripes).

   Benson's official website:
     <http://brendanbenson.com/>

   The links in the guide below are to YouTube movies and Soundcloud
   tracks.  Apologies for any ads that may appear during playback on
   YouTube.  If you can, I suggest installing ad-blocking software :)

   The "rough guide" ...

   1. "House in Virginia"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BGEHmFbwSA>

   Benson's debut album, "One Mississippi", was released in 1996.  It got
   positive reviews, but wasn't a commercial success.  I agree it was a
   promising debut.  Some songs perhaps are a bit too cute, but they all
   generally show potential.  Only one song, "Crosseyed", had an official
   video.  But I've chosen "House in Virginia" as my personal highlight.
   Other noteworthy tracks include "Tea", "Me Just Purely", "Emma J" and
   "Cherries".

   2. "Tiny Spark"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hniX0LLSVak>

   After the release of his debut, Benson toured and performed with other
   bands for a few years.  Then in 2002 he got a new label and his second
   solo album, "Lapalco", was released.  This is the official video for
   the opening track from "Lapalco".  It's classic guitar pop.

   3. "Metarie"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kAqP5ZL4jE>

   The album's second track has a laid-back start, with Benson singing over
   an acoustic guitar and accompanied by occasional flourishes of
   atmospheric synth.  Eventually the chorus kicks in and the song builds
   to a full band piece.  There was an official video made, but as it uses
   a different mix of the track, I've picked a fan-made clip using the
   album version.

   4. "Folk Singer"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWXcSGLhOrk>

   Released as an EP, this uptempo song is fueled by distorted guitar.  It
   has a cool putdown line delivered girlfriend, "She said 'stop pretending,
   you're not John Lennon'".

   "Good to Me", "You're Quiet", "Eventually", and "Life In The D" are some
   of the other great tracks on this very solid album.  Like the debut,
   many of the songs were co-written and co-produced by Jason Falkner.
   Unfortunately, it wasn't a big commercial success either.

   5. "Spit It Out"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Niwr1wOAaMA>

   Benson's third album, "The Alternative to Love", was released in 2005.
   The opening track, "Spit It Out" was released as the first single.
   Another slice of classic guitar pop, it was also his first song to chart
   in the UK.

   6. "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYzzOkpRCHA>
     
   Another single and standout track from "The Alternative to Love".  A
   song about star-crossed love, it has great melodies.  The partially
   animated video incorporates some dark humour that matches the lyrics.

   7. "Flesh and Bone"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtE6h_mY1rI>

   Like "Metarie", this song starts out as a mellow acoustic guitar number
   which gets fleshed out at various times with strings, synth and vocal
   harmonies.  The track ends abruptly on the album, leading straight into
   the next one ...

   8. "Get It Together"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrRYOvhuxdk>
     
   This is a rocking, power pop song.  Overall, another solid album that
   critics appreciated.  But commercial success continued to elude the
   talented Benson.  Other highlights include "The Pledge", with its
   Spector-esque wall of sound, "Biggest Fan", and "Alternative To Love"
   (which reminded me a bit of Gomez).

   Around that time, Benson and long-time friend Jack White formed The
   Raconteurs.  The group's debut album, "Broken Boy Soldiers", was
   released in 2006.  I'll probably write more about The Raconteurs in a
   future Rough Guide.

   9. "A Whole Lot Better"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRjLF9IKZmU>

   Benson's fourth solo album, "My Old, Familiar Friend" was released in
   2009.  This time, he enlisted renowned British producer Gil Norton
   (Pixies, Foo Fighters, The Triffids).  The opening track is a straight-
   out retro-inspired rocker, and was the first single from the album.

   10. "Gonowhere"
     <http://soundcloud.com/brendanbenson/gonowhere>

   More retro pop, this time a slower tempo adding synths and piano.

   11. "You Make a Fool Out of Me"
     <http://soundcloud.com/brendanbenson/you-make-a-fool-out-of-me>

   A nice, McCartney-esque ballad, complete with strings.

   12. "Misery"
     <http://soundcloud.com/brendanbenson/misery>

   To wrap this guide up, my favourite track from the album.  It neatly
   encapsulates Benson's style of power pop, with its plaintive verses
   building seamlessly into singalong choruses.

   Another consistently good album.  Other great songs include the Motown-
   styled "Garbage Day", the reflective "Lesson Learned", and the upbeat
   and catchy "Poised and Ready".  Benson has posted most of the album's
   tracks to Soundcloud, so check them out at:
     <http://soundcloud.com/brendanbenson>

Sunday, July 10

How TV Ruined Your Life

     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_TV_Ruined_Your_Life>

   A great six episode series which uses (mostly dark) humour to state the
   obvious: television has ruined our lives.  Be warned that Brooker's
   style of humour is described as "savage and profane, with surreal
   elements and a consistent satirical pessimism".  I particularly liked
   episode three, which among other things takes a swipe at reality shows
   and minor celebrities.

   Links to individual episodes on YouTube:
   1. "Fear"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q74PNnL4E8>
   From hysterical public information films to grisly crime dramas, terror
   spills out of almost every channel. As Charlie explores TV's approach to
   fear, you won't know whether to laugh or scream.

   2. "The Lifecycle"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wSbXEDzHHY>
   From kids shows to Countdown, TV has something to infuriate anyone of
   any age.

   3. "Aspiration"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP6L5S14ygY>
   From Dallas to Grand Designs, television continually rubs desirable
   lifestyles in your face, making you feel inadequate in the process.

   4. "Love"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjF932SFoCc>
   Charlie Brooker argues that TV has warped our expectations of romance
   with a toxic combination of Blind Date and rom-coms. Do 'soulmates' even
   exist?

   5. "Progress"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu06U0vr6mk>
   From the moon landings to Blake's 7 to CSI: Miami, Charlie Brooker
   argues that television has warped our relationship with technology.

   6. "Knowledge"
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBkIep88Cg8>
   Charlie Brooker traces how TV's notion of knowledge has changed from
   bespectacled experts to celebrity presenter drivel.

   You can watch them all one after the other, followed by some related
   pieces...
     <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q74PNnL4E8&playnext=1&list=PLC35092CD7C3F2ED2>

Sunday, July 3

Mini-Reviews of Books Read, June 2011

   Mini-reviews of books I read last month: a couple of novels, including
   probably the most violent book I've ever read, plus two non-fiction
   books.  All worth reading, though "Blood Meridian" may not be to
   everyone's taste.  Regarding "Simplicity": the process of writing
   reviews is an attempt to try to describe the books and express my
   thoughts as clearly and concisely as possible.  Unfortunately, I
   rarely muster the necessary skill and time to achieve those goals.


   1. "Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West"
      by Cormac McCarthy
     <http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Meridian/dp/0679728759>

   This novel is set in the mid-1800s in south-western US and Mexico.  It
   starts with the story of the Kid, a teenage boy who has run away from
   his home in Tennessee.  In Texas he witnesses a preacher get slandered
   and slaughtered by a mob.  Later he gets into a bar fight.  He joins an
   "irregular" army, which goes to Mexico only to be routed by Comanches.
   This last event is described almost completely in a single page-long
   sentence.  The Kid survives but finds himself in a Mexican jail.  There
   he is recruited into "Captain" Glanton's gang, hired by the local
   authorities to collect the scalps of Apaches who have been raiding
   Mexican towns.

   Included in this ragtag bunch is the tall, hairless, almost superhuman
   "Judge" Holden.  Lawyer, self-proclaimed "scientist" and philosopher,
   the Judge talks eloquently to the men about nature, destiny, morality
   and war.  He says: "War is the ultimate game because war is at last a
   forcing of the unity of existence. War is god".  Later he adds: "Moral
   law is an invention of mankind for the disenfranchisement of the
   powerful in favor of the weak".  The men may start out in awe of the
   Judge, but eventually they become wary of him.

   This is an extremely violent novel.  The brutality of the outlaws is in
   stark contrast to the breathtaking beauty of the natural surroundings
   which bear witness to their acts of horror.  Disturbingly, the story is
   based on historical accounts of the real Glanton gang, which rampaged
   through Texas, Mexico, Arizona and California.

   Despite the violence, I found it a compelling story rich with imagery.
   McCarthy's writing is distinctive and poetic.  While reading I was
   reminded of characters in his other novels.  The lawless Glanton Gang
   reminded me of the outlaws in "The Road".  The Kid reminded me of the
   tragic young runaway in "All The Pretty Horses".  And the ruthlessness
   of the Judge reminded me of the uncompromising Anton Chigurh in "No
   Country For Old Men".


   2. "The Laws of Simplicity" by John Maeda
     <http://www.amazon.com/Laws-Simplicity/dp/0262134721>

   This book describes ten laws of simplicity for business, technology, and
   design.  There are also three keys to achieving simplicity in the
   technology domain.  The laws include: reduce, organise, time, learn, and
   context.  These are summarised by the tenth law, "The One: Simplicity is
   about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful".  The book's
   website provides an overview of the laws:
     <http://lawsofsimplicity.com/tag/laws>

   This slim book includes many relevant examples, such as the evolution of
   the iPod scroll wheel and buttons and Google's search UI.  But, as some
   reviewers have pointed out, the author suffers from a failure to follow
   his own advice.  The author admits he trimmed down the number of laws
   down to ten, but even then there are still too many to remember easily.
   Also, the use of cute acronyms for steps or techniques actually
   complicates things: SHE -> "Simplify, Hide, Embody" (Reduce); and SLIP
   -> Sort, Label, Integrate, Prioritize (Organise).  These acronyms don't
   always appear to be related to the law.  That said, the book has some
   good, albeit obvious, advice.


   3. "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks
     <http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Mistook-His-Wife/dp/0684853949>

   This is an eye-opening book, written by noted neurologist Oliver Sacks.
   Drawing from many cases over his career, he describes his patients'
   struggles with various neurological disorders.  While the cases are
   generally tragic, there are moments where some patients are able to
   transcend their condition and express themselves artistically or
   otherwise.  The cases also help readers get a better understanding of
   what's happening to sufferers of various conditions, such as amnesia,
   Parkinson's and Tourette's.

   Sacks references some of his predecessors, such as colleague and mentor,
   Russian neuropsychologist and developmental psychologist Alexander
   Luria.  He's written other books related to his work, including
   Musicophilia which I read and reviewed in 2009.


   4. "Dance Dance Dance" by Haruki Murakami
     <http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dance-Dance/dp/0679753796>

   This is the followup to "A Wild Sheep Chase".  Set four years later,
   the narrator still hasn't come to terms with the disappearance of his
   girlfriend, Kiki.  He confesses: "I've lost and I'm lost and I'm
   confused".

   He suddenly feels the urge to return to the Dolphin Hotel on Hokkaido,
   where he last saw Kiki at the start of his "wild sheep chase".  When he
   arrives he discovers the quaint old hotel has been replaced by the
   imposing Hotel Dauphin, headquarters of a global chain of luxury hotels.
   There he meets two people who will have a big impact on him.  First, he
   meets Yumiyoshi, a receptionist at the hotel.  He falls in love with
   her, but fears she too will eventually "disappear".  She tells him about
   the time she inadvertently discovered a secret floor in the hotel.

   He also meets Yuki, a young girl who's been abandoned by her absent-
   minded mother and international photographer.  She just took off on
   assignment in Kathmandu, leaving her daughter alone at the hotel.  Since
   the narrator is about to return to Tokyo, Yumiyoshi asks if he can take
   Yuki back home with him.  He finds out Yuki's parents are divorced, so
   rather than leave Yuki alone he takes her to her father's home.  Her
   father happens to be a writer of bland best-sellers, named Hiraku
   Makimura (an anagram of Haruki Murakami in case you missed it).

   This novel features elements of the supernatural.  Yuki has some latent
   psychic abilities, and the narrator "sees dead people".  The Sheep Man
   returns in a few scenes, being a bit like a spiritual totem for the
   narrator.  In one of their "encounters", the Sheep Man says: "No
   promises you're gonna be happy... So you gotta dance.  Dance so it all
   keeps spinning".

   As expected, there are other familiar Murakami references, such as music
   (classical and classic rock, with the Eighties rock and pop preferred by
   the teenager) and cooking.  It also shares several themes, such as loss.
   Overall, I found the characters and themes were more satisfying than
   those in "A Wild Sheep Chase".