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Montag, 22. November 2004 |
The m:50, Voodoo's new carbon fiber laptop. 
Can[base ']t seem to find a photo of this one anywhere (we[base ']re sure one will turn up shortly), but Voodoo has just broken
through the carbon fiber barrier with the m:50, their new ultraportable laptop which[base ']ll have a 12-inch LCD screen, up
to 2GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 100GB hard drive. The big deal about using carbon fiber is that it lets you build
superlight laptops that are just as strong ones with metal casings, and there have been rumors for months that
Apple will use carbon fiber in the next version of the
PowerBook. Looks like Voodoo beat them to it
4:37:45 PM 
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Mobile Baby Toy. For when you don't want to deal.. 
The Mobile Baby Toy turns your cellphone into a temporary diversion for your little monster child. Basically,
it locks your phone into a mode in which your little bundle of joy can press keys to trigger sounds and pictures that
will delight him or her for three minutes at least, until he or she drools all over your antenna, because we can pretty
much guarantee your phone will end up in that baby mouth, as it tastes better than anything that could possibly be
displayed on that little screen. Available in English, Finnish, Russian, and German.
4:37:09 PM
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PowerFilm rollable solar-powered battery charger. 
PowerFilm have created a roll of solar material that allows one to recharge cellphones, cars, and other rechargeable
electronics with a rollable solar panel. They[base ']re made by Iowa Thin Film Technologies and are available in three
sizes with varying power outputs. The largest, at 12 x 73-inches, will put out 1.2 Amps and only weighs 1.9
pounds. Available connectors include cigarette lighter, battery chargers, and daisy chain connectors.
Prices start at about $150. MMmmm. Sun juice.
[Via TRFJ]
[Engadget]
3:32:21 PM
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VoWiFi Clunks Along.
VoIP over WiFi (VoWiFi) is the technology that allows calls from wireless Internet phones to any computer or
telephone anywhere. The technology is finding major use in the health care market, where the workforce is extremely
mobile. Companies such as SpectraLink and AirMagnet are creating VoWiFi networks, but the phones themselves are
larger and considered much clunkier than the cellphones of today. However, you can bet that if the big boys figure
there[base ']s a revenue stream here, those phones will come down in size very quickly.
[The VoIP Weblog]
3:28:57 PM
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Keep your eyes on the prize, Jared Leto. 
Dear Jared Leto,
Hey, we[base ']re totally addicted to our cellphones, too, but, c[base ']mon! Can[base ']t you stay focused on the topic at hand for a just
few minutes? Or how about this: you can edit Engadget for a few weeks, and we[base ']ll hang out with Scarlett Johansson.
Sound fair? And we promise we[base ']ll leave the Treo at home, too.
Sincerely,
Engadget
[Engadget]
3:14:56 PM
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Scott Blake and Barcode Art. 
Nebraska-based artist Scott Blake has been utilizing barcodes to construct
artwork imagery since 1998. He is soon releasing a mini-book that details his ongoing project. The
Bar Code Art book is a little 7x7 inch, 10 page book features writings and images of his work. A must see to
believe[sigma]this stuff is way great.
From The Bar Code Art Book
Scott Blake began working on his innovative style of digital pointillism in 1998, remixing common barcodes into
extraordinary images. Bar Code Jesus is the first large scale portrait the artist rendered using thousands of
UPC symbols. He has since barcoded 30 cultural icons from Elvis to Oprah. Utilizing a subversive process Blake creates
a personal statement by liberating the content of others. Experimenting on and off the computer, he has made paintings,
videos, and net art based on barcodes. Blake embraces the black and white palette, to design art that resonates with
the binary language of computers. His illustrations transmit a series of zeros and ones to machines, but impart a
deeper message to the viewer. Bar codes are the universal icon for the computer revolution. They symbolize our desire
for efficiency, supply of commodities, and method of communication. Blake analyses the essence of modern technology to
reveal its boundaries. Bar Code Art shows what the digital world is made of.
Also check out the recently uploaded video of
Blake[base ']s TechTV interview.
[The Art Weblog]
10:39:06 AM
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Madonna Pay Up for Guy Bourdin Rip. 
It[base ']s very rare that I get to link or quote something from my very guilty pleasure
Eonline.com so imagine my excitement when I get to
announce the following[sigma]
Samuel Bourdin had sued Madonna for blatantly scamming his dad[base ']s pictures to create her video. When he filed the
claim in September, he said that the video was an exact reproduction of at least 11 photographs that had been published
in French Vogue from the mid [OE]50s to the late [OE]80s
Madonna has now [base "]reached an agreement[per thou] with Samuel Bourdin, son of the late-photographer Guy Bourdin and will pay
him his rightful copyright $$. Apparently S. Bourdin saw Madonna[base ']s [base "]Hollywood[per thou] video as a blantant rip-off of his
father[base ']s work. Madonna[base ']s camp says no wrong doing was intended and, since she[base ']s the queen of re-invention and
appropriation, I would imagine that[base ']s close to the truth.
(Image is not from the Hollywood video. It[base ']s from the W Magazine photo shoot by Steven Klien which wound up soon
after on the walls of Dietch Projcts.)
[The Art Weblog]
10:37:19 AM
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Art Blogs and the Future of Art Criticism. As I[base ']m sure you know, especially since you are reading theartweblog, blogs devoted to contemporary art are becoming
more relevant. The information and opinions within these art blogs are not only making art more accessible, but they
are creating some much-needed discussions in the process. Taking advantage of the instant, easy, and freeing nature of
blog writing, art bloggers are bringing crucial art topics to the forefront. And now the reader isn[base ']t just limited to
wading through to the back of some print art magazine to find out minimally descriptive texts of art exhibitions, they
are able to read actual opinions and theories regarding contemporary art daily and brought right to their home.
A recent post on abLA discusses why
Artforum.com does not include more reviews on their website and, in particular,
why they don[base ']t include more reviews from cities outside of New York on their website. It[base ']s not as if there isn[base ']t
anything worth writing about in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Chicago and it[base ']s not as if there aren[base ']t dozens of writers
who wouldn[base ']t jump at the opportunity to write about them. So what gives? Why isn[base ']t Artforum.com taking advantage of
their stature and using the online format to their advantage? I ask these questions now but it won[base ']t be too long until
they are irrelevant because art blogs or art magazines who [base "]get it[per thou] will eventually make those lagging behind obsolete.
It[base ']s going to be a situation where publications either embrace the web or start to fall by the wayside.
Ultimately, what art blogs will do is provide more information to readers and give more credibility to artists,
galleries, and museums. Art blogs will become known for exposing new talents to the world with a critical eye who
otherwise may go unnoticed. They will question and explore happenings that major publications may never go near; and
they[base ']ll address them first. Because their nature does not include one editor and a handful of writers hidden inside
offices who won[base ']t go to certain galleries because they are [base "]too far away[per thou] or no one important has deemed them worthy,
blog writers will begin to represent the vastness of the art world. Art blogs are also not limited to having to sell
ads or making dealers happy; bloggers have freedom to write exactly what they want to write because they are working
for themselves. Major print publications are too bound by the need for advertising that they become overly conservative
in their essays and reviews.
Younger collectors, artists, gallerists, dealers, writers and general art-enthusiasts are already embracing the blog as
a viable written media. It[base ']s an honest way to portray what one sees, likes, dislikes about the art world and the things
within it. It[base ']s simply more interesting to read about how an exhibition made some feel and think (good or bad) rather
than just a dull description. As time continues to develop the solidity of art blogs, I predict that people will tire
of the mundane articles in art magazines, realizing they had been fooled into thinking they were worthy, and will look
towards blogs as the place to get up-to-date interesting and accurate information.
For art blogs I like, see the Blogroll.
[The Art Weblog]
10:36:17 AM
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Targets and Trophies @ motel, Portland. 
Portland has a growing young art scene full of small galleries and emerging artists. One of the most unique is
motel (half store, half gallery) that seems to specialize in new artists who
employ design and craft. I love nearly everything shown there.
On Thursday, motel opened a new show called Targets and Trophies featuring the works of Ky Anderson (NY)
and Kim Hamblin (PDX).
This stunning exhibition of multi-dimensional works explores the dialogue between hunter and hunted. Anderson[base ']s
balsa-wood sculptures offer a delicate, architectural rendition of the traditional hunter[base ']s trophy. Informed by a
fascination with [base "]the relic[per thou] these airy constructions displace the order of the natural world as flesh and fur become
hollow wood skeletons. In their stunning and unique simplicity, these pieces inspire wonder and curiosity. This
exploration is as much personal as conceptual, representing the culmination of a process to conquer the images and
ideas that have haunted Anderson[base ']s work and thoughts for years. By making these into trophies she attempts to
master them once and for all while preserving their essence. Hamblin provides bold textural pieces incorporating
found objects and images, nails, sheet metal, and other ephemera. Positing the viewer as the hunter, she plays
with questions of who holds the power of life in his hands. Employing a keen sense of iconic symbolism, Hamblin crafts
a series of visual puns to flirt with our presumptions of [base "]the target[per thou]. The resulting works range from cute and
colorful to contemplative and sentimental. Ultimately, Targets and Trophies is an unapologetic exploration
of conquest by two deft, innovative artists.
motel is located at: NW COUCH ST, BETWEEN 5TH & 6TH in Portland, OR
[The Art Weblog]
10:35:38 AM
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Art Websites - Hot Topic. Blogger discussions create more discussion:
Tyler Green from MAN posts today about
certain art websites that are, how to say delicately, lacking in effectiveness. Most are major institutional sites for
Artforum, LACMA, and other museums. Galleries are mentioned to but that might be too big of an obstacle for even us to
tackle! In reference to Artforum, he details more on some of the issues I take with their website.
My current gallery website beefs: not having the current exhibition information up on the site (with images) AND not
having the gallery[base ']s exhibition schedule posted. I want to know what[base ']s coming up so I can prepare to get
excited!
[The Art Weblog]
10:32:51 AM
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Evah Fan. 
Last week I picked up two little paintings by Evah Fan that I had purchased from an April show at GR2. I was quite
excited about seeing her work in person and got there as soon as my gallery closed to make sure I got the pieces I
wanted. After looking for only a few minutes (honestly, that[base ']s all it takes for me to decide which piece is
the piece for me) I raced to buy the two works you see here because I sensed there was a guy following me and
coveting the same pieces I was; and I was right!
I[base ']m really happy with my two little paintings. They are the epitome of what I like[sigma]something cute mixed with something
a little naughty. Take the painting on the top - little toilet paper guys with black eyes, butts, sunglasses, and even
blood. It[base ']s on this great cardboard-type paper and definitely makes me smile.
The other painting also follows the cute-but-sick theme as a little girl curls up with her panda as they poke a pile
of poo. Certainly not making waves in conceptual art practices, but the cleverness and light-heartedness of these works
has a place in the art world for sure.
[The Art Weblog]
10:32:13 AM
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Amy Cutler. 
My latest art obsession is with artist Amy Cutler. This Brooklyn artist is currently in a slew of exhibitions:
solo show of paintings at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art (MS through July 11) and a piece in the Brooklyn Museum
in [base "]Open House: Working in Brooklyn. Recently her work was shown at Leslie Tonkow
Artworks + Projects (just ended on the 12th) and the Whitney Biennial. All this with more major exhibitions on the
way.
Culter[base ']s narrative, detailed, and slightly bizarre paintings have me capitivated. I cannot wait to see some in
person.
Check out her interview on Artnet in
addition to a review on Artnet in
regards to her show at Lesie Tonkow.
Image: Sugar Foot, 2004 (Gouache on paper)
[The Art Weblog]
10:31:18 AM
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A New Way of Selling Art?. With art auctions having recently garnered much attention and higher-than-expected sales, the question on some
people[base ']s minds is whether or not the artist will/should get a commission from that sales. In the case of contemporary
art, I believe that whether or not an artist actually gets a commission is too hard to determine. State laws, ownership
issues, etc. all play into this. But, though the owner may get an instant monetary benefit, a living artist stands to
benefit for the rest of their career. Granted, auctions are tricky and sometimes things go for more than they should
but, in its essence, the market is determing the price. So though said collector will receive a onetime payment of
$500,000 the artist can now sell numerous works for around that price.
What led me to this topic was something that Sean sent my way about an
artist organization who wants to change the way art is
sold:
The mission of the prodigal art organization is to create a free flowing assimilation of art into society. We
believe this can be accomplished by reversing the way art is currently sold. Instead of artist[base ']s locating buyers of
their art, and charging that single buyer for everything the art encompasses, including time, materials, marketing and
storage, artist[base ']s choose to give the art away for free. Then, whenever the art is sold in the future, 50% of the profit
collected from that sale is sent back to the artist. This process is expected of anyone else down the line that owns
and sells the art for profit.
If you read the rest of their statement you[base ']ll realize that there are many loop-holes in this mission. One, they
aren[base ']t factoring in a gallery at all which means that they aren[base ']t artists on a gallery-representative level. Second, if
it[base ']s an artist selling the work why would you rather take the change of maybe seeing a 50% return years from now
rather than a 100% return now? And if you[base ']d take the 50% why aren[base ']t you showing with a gallery who[base ']s job it is to
sell/promote your art? Third, art has value. Yes, it should be enjoyed and I guess if you[base ']re never going to sell or try
to sell anything having it up in someone[base ']s living room for free might be satisfying but it just seems a little sad to
give it away. Fourth, if you[base ']re that concerned about the resale, why don[base ']t you have the collector sign something
upfront that states that if they ever re-sell your piece, you get a commission? And finally, I don[base ']t believe that art
that won[base ']t sell and is being given away for free will likely ever see the secondary market.
[The Art Weblog]
10:30:15 AM
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The Nokia Neo. 
There[base ']s no built-in hard drive to store lots of music or anything, but check out the Neo, Nokia[base ']s new iPod-esque
cellphone which has a scroll wheel instead of a regular keypad. Don[base ']t know much else, like when it might come out or
what the resolution of the built-in digital camera is, but if we had to guess, we[base ']d wager that you use the scroll wheel
to navigate, dial numbers, and write out text messages the same way you would with the
Nokia 7280 and its NaviSpinner controller.
[Thanks, Arnon]
[Engadget]
10:04:08 AM
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Gizmodo in Tokyo: Akihabara Zero.  This
is my hotel lobby. You select which cylinder you would like to be
freeze-dried in for the night, and the lady in back there administers
the seaweed-derived brain emulsion.
Or, uh, actually, that's the Nissan Experience showroom in Ginza.
They actually had a couple of cars there, too, but they were sort of
lame. I was hoping for a Fairlady Z, at least, if not an older Skyline,
but it was not meant to be. I need to figure out where they keep the
good cars in this joint before I go. I'd love to see some blown out driftu rides in person.
We went to the Apple store in Ginza, but let tell you something:
it's an Apple store. Except for the admittedly cool aluminum-clad
building (or at least that's what it looks like), the store itself is
no different than any one anywhere else. If you want to see a picture
of that, consult Herr Google.
Then we went to Akihabara. [Gizmodo]
10:03:34 AM
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The failure of junking junk ads.  Around a billion adults worldwide are classified as overweight. Of these, 300 million are clinically obese.
Something has to be done - and what we got last week was a White Paper
that proposed taking radical action against the advertising of junk
food on television. The paper threatens to ban such ads on TV before
the 9pm watershed. Both advertising agencies and client marketeers have
expressed considerable disquiet over the moves. Adland is
perplexed that a ban is even being contemplated: there is no evidence
linking advertising to obesity. Advertisers and their agencies see the
freedom to communicate the benefits of their products as a right they
will fight hard to protect. Bans are not only ineffective. They can be
counter-productive by damaging consumer choice, information, and
competition. Very little consideration appears to have been
given to the true consequences of a ban. Britain enjoys an extremely
high standard of children's TV programming. As around 70 per cent of
the funding for this programming comes from advertising, poorer
programmes would be an inevitable consequence of the ban. (THE INDEPENDENT, UK)
[Eyebeam reBlog]
10:03:09 AM
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Bono, Apple, and the marketing of U2. 
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the new disc due Tuesday, is
generating more buzz than any release this year, thanks in part to the
coolest TV ad of the season. Fueled by the pulsating new single
Vertigo, the latest spot for Apple's ultrahip iPod digital music player
puts the 26-year-old group back on top of the pop-culture heap.
The Irish quartet, which has sold 120 million albums and won 14
Grammys, also has cut deals with three TV networks for new tunes to be
heard on episodes of Fox's The O.C., CBS' C.S.I. and NBC's Saturday
Night Live (with a performance scheduled for last night).
Atomic Bomb is expected to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's album chart,
and Vertigo, a strong contender for song of the year, has become the
most downloaded track on Apple's popular iTunes Web site. When
U2 finally decided on a corporate partner after years of largely
avoiding such tie-ins, its choice was a savvy one. Rather than
attaching its name to a seller of soft drinks, cars or perfume, with
the primary focus on those products, not music, Peterson is impressed
that U2 chose Apple, which can deliver the band's overflowing catalog
of rock anthems, including Pride (In the Name of Love), Sunday Bloody
Sunday, With or Without You, I Will Follow, Desire and Mysterious Ways,
to a new generation of listeners. (THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC)
[Eyebeam reBlog]
10:02:52 AM
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The sausage factory. 
The digital sweatshop
When Long Hours at a Video Game Stop Being Fun
By RANDALL STROSS
CHARLES DICKENS himself would shudder, I should think,
were he to see the way young adults are put to work in one semimodern
corner of our economy. Gas lamps are long gone, and the air is free of
soot. But you can't look at a place like Electronic Arts, the world's
largest developer of entertainment software, and not think back to the
early industrial age when a youthful work force was kept fully occupied
during all waking hours to enrich a few elders.
Games for video consoles and PC's have become a $7 billion-a-year
business. Based in Redwood City, Calif., Electronic Arts is the home of
the game franchises for N.F.L. football, James Bond and "Lord of the
Rings," among many others. For avid players with professional ambitions
to develop games, E.A. must appear to be the best place in the world.
Writing cool games and getting paid to boot: what more could one ask?
Yet there is unhappiness among those who are living that dream.
Based on what can be glimpsed through cracks in E.A.'s front facade,
its high-tech work force is toiling like galley slaves chained to their
benches.
The first crack opened last summer, when Jamie Kirschenbaum, a
salaried E.A. employee, filed a class-action lawsuit against the
company, accusing it of failure to pay overtime compensation. He
remains at the company, so I spoke with him by phone last week to get
an update. He told me that since joining E.A. in June 2003 in the image
production department, he has been working - at the company's
insistence - around 65 hours a week, spread over six or seven days.
Putting in long hours is what the industry calls "crunching." Once upon
a time, the crunch came in the week or two before shipping a new
release. Mr. Kirschenbaum's experience, however, has been a continuous
string of crunches.
Crunches also once were followed by commensurate periods of time
off. Mr. Kirschenbaum reports, however, that E.A. has scaled back
informal comp time, never formally codified, to a token two weeks per
project. He said his own promised comp time had disappeared altogether.
At this point, he said he would be glad to enjoy a Labor Day without
laboring, or eat a Fourth of July spread at some place other than his
cubicle, pleasures he has not enjoyed for two years. The company said
it had no comment on the lawsuit, but it is likely to argue that Mr.
Kirschenbaum's image production position is exempt from the laws
governing overtime compensation.
A few days ago, another crack opened - one large enough to fit a
picture window. An anonymous writer who signed herself as "E.A. Spouse"
posted on the Web a detailed account of hellish employer-mandated hours
reaching beyond 80 hours a week for months. No less remarkable were the
thousands of comments that swiftly followed in online discussion forums
for gamers and other techies, providing volumes of similar stories at
E.A. and at other game developers. (See previous post)
I learned the identity of the E.A. employee described in the
anonymous account and spoke at length with him in person late one
night, adding a third shift to the day's double that he'd already
worked. He seemed credible in all respects, in his command of technical
detail, in his unshakable enthusiasm for the games he works on - and in
his pallor.
For around $60,000 a year in an area with a high cost of living, he
had been set to work on a six-day-a-week schedule. On weekdays, his
team worked from 9 to 10 (that is, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.), and on
Saturdays, a half-day (that means 9 to 6). Then Sundays were added -
noon to 8 or 10 p.m. The weekly total was 82 to 84 hours.
By tradition, Silicon Valley employers have always offered their
bleary-eyed employees lottery tickets in the form of stock options.
E.A.'s option grants, however, offer little chance of a Google-like
bonanza. An employee who started today with an options package like
that of the E.A. worker just described (and who stayed with the company
the four years required to fully vest) would get $120,000, for example,
if the share price quadrupled - and proportionally less for more modest
increases. The odds of a skyrocketing stock grew much longer this
month, when the company said competition had forced it to cut prices on
core sports titles.
Still, the company is a generous warden: free laundry service, free
meals, free ice cream and snacks. The first month, the E.A. employee
recalled, he and his colleagues were delighted by the amenities. But he
said they soon came to feel that seeing the sun occasionally would have
had more of a tonic effect.
Copyright 2004
Any company which will do your laundry wants you to stay at work.
It's not generousity, it's a sweatshop with a smile. The best company
is one which lets you go home at a reasonable hour.
EA isn't stupid. Kids would kill to work for them and they know it.
Once someone leaves, they fill that job quickly. They never lack for
candidates.
The only problem is that they are leaving themselves open to
whopper legal suits. Seven day work weeks aren't legal, even for
salaried workers. When people start to crack, lawyers will be droping
suits all over the place. In the end, these working conditions are
counter productive.
Yet, when we talked about unions, many of these people sneered and
spouted libeterian theory. They didn't want other people to make money
for not working. Did they understand unions? No. But they sneered at
them all the same.
Hopefully, some of these folks will get a clue, either now, or in the hospital when they take ill from stress.
[Eyebeam reBlog]
10:01:34 AM
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use the linksys nslu2 as an itunes server.
the linksys nslu2 is a fun thing to hack around with, not only can you change the firmware and do things like telnet
to it, but with this guide it can act as an itunes server and stream music to any of your computers running
itunes.
[Eyebeam reBlog]
9:56:23 AM
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How They Get You: 'History of the Credit Card'. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with Frontline reporter Lowell Bergman about The Secret History of the Credit Card, a new documentary by PBS and The New York Times. The film traces the rise of America's credit card industry and raises concerns about some if its business practices. [Eyebeam reBlog]
9:55:17 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Joerg Rheinboldt.
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