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April 30, 2005
jest for pun (April'05)
April '05 BlogThoughts
Every calendar's days are numbered.
April 30, 2005 in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 29, 2005
Magic Feathers by James W. Reid
This lavishly illustrated large-format art book by James Reid - is the first major publication in the world devoted entirely to this magnificent ancient art form. It focuses on the aesthetic beauty of the feather textiles and three-dimensional objects, unparalleled in their artistry and sophistication, that were created for the elite of the ancient Andean world between approximately 500 BC and 1550 AD.
Son of a British Army Officer and UN diplomat, and of an American mother, James Reid was educated at England’s 600 year old Winchester College, at Princeton (BA), the Ecole de Sciences Politiques ( Paris), Stanford (MA), and with doctoral studies at the University of Buenos Aires.
The author, internationally recognised as one of the leading authors and scholars on the textile art of ancient America, focuses on:
- The characteristics and chronology of the major featherwork-producing cultures of ancient Peru, and the geographical features of the area.
- Technical facets of feather textile production, including: sources of the feathers; different types of feather objects; creation and construction; dating and cultural attribution.
- The religious, political, social, psychological, economic and communication roles of the feather textiles in ancient Peruvian life.
- Design concepts and the meaning and importance of the motifs and shapes employed.
- The parallels to be drawn between ancient Peruvian feather textiles and Modern Art.
He is the author of eleven major books, which contain introductions by HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Mario Vargas Llosa and such internationally renowned archaeologists as Federico Kauffmann-Doig. He has presented his books personally, in official ceremonies, to the Presidents of Brazil and Peru.
In addition to numerous other publications( scholarly articles and museum catalogues, et al.,), he has been guest lecturer at US universities ( Princeton, Yale, Syracuse), and such institutions as the Americas’ Society, New York; the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; the Israel Museum, Jerusalem , and numerous South American institutions. He was recently invited by Germain Viatte, Directeur du Musee du quai Branly – French President Chirac’s huge new museum, ten years in construction( due to open in 2006) – to lecture in Paris, and to author a 100 page catalogue.
A linguist in seven languages, Colonel Reid is an elected member of New York’s prestigious Explorers Club as the result of his expeditions to, and accounts of remote areas of the world. An artist who studied in Paris, he has exhibited his paintings internationally – primarily in France, the US and South America.
An excellent Feather book though not so feather-weight (11 pounds)
April 29, 2005 in Art, Books, Columnists, History, Travel | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 28, 2005
Andy Borowitz: identity theft shocker
IDENTITY THIEF RETURNS IDENTITIES DEEMED WORTHLESS by Andy Borowitz
'Losers,' Fumes Angry Hacker
An identity thief who has stolen over half a million identities over the past two years returned all but four of them today, declaring the identities "totally worthless" and "an enormous waste of my time and hard work."
The computer hacker, who spoke to reporters via conference call today, said that "in all my years of stealing identities, I have never come across a bigger collection of losers."
He said that he had spent months hacking through the security firewall of one of the nation's largest financial institutions, hoping to reap billions of dollars for his efforts, but after sifting through the stolen identities he found that they were "little more than a garbage dump of unpaid college loans and overdue Blockbuster bills."
"Everybody's running around worried about identity theft these days," he added. "All I can say is, don't flatter yourself by thinking you have an identity that's worth my time."
In San Diego, at the annual convention of the National Association of Hackers and Identity Thieves, some of the nation's most prominent cyberthieves complained about what they called a serious decline in the number of identities worth stealing.
They called out for financial institutions to institute measures that would warn or "tag" particularly worthless identities, enabling hackers to focus their energies elsewhere.
"You go through these so-called identities, and you realize there are millions of Americans out there who literally have no life," said one identity thief in attendance. "No wonder the Star Wars movies do so well."
Elsewhere, the Labor Department reported that unemployment surged by 300,000 this month but attributed the increase to lawyers fired by Michael Jackson.
April 28, 2005 in Columnists, Humor | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 27, 2005
Dancer's Journal, A
From your seat in the front row, you can enjoy a performance of "Appalachian Spring," choreographed by Martha Graham, the founder of modern dance. But this Flash site offers more than a front-row seat -- it gives you a backstage pass to the preparation required to mount a modern dance production. This interactive exhibit chronicles the pre-performance world of dancers in the Martha Graham Dance Company, the oldest modern dance company in the world. Open the locker of Jordy Kandinsky, the company's "newest member," and you've got access to her journals, filled with annotated programs, notes, memos, and background material. But most impressive of all, you can watch and listen as members of the company, including Martha Graham herself, perform. Take your seat; the orchestra is about to warm up.
April 27, 2005 in Art | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 26, 2005
Art In Cities
Never mind what's hanging on the walls of the Prado or Met. How about that sticker on a lamppost in Stockholm, wall mural in Cape Town, or luminescent graffiti in San Francisco? For a real dose of global artistic zeitgeist, the funky designs adorning public and private property on metropolitan streets could be as illuminating as a visit to the MOMA. At least, that's the theory behind the Galerie De Meerse's -- Hoofddorp's (Amsterdam) "Art in..." series, an annual project exploring subcultural artistic _expression. From Tehran to Jerusalem, Sao Paulo to Lima, New York City to Salt Lake City, attempts to keep artistic malcontents coloring within the lines loses out to the world-as-canvas ethic. So check it out; for some, art in Paris doesn't just mean the Louvre anymore.
April 26, 2005 in Art | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 25, 2005
Bathtub Art Museum

April 25, 2005 in Art, Humor | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 24, 2005
CocktailDB
With its clean, effective design and its thousands of recipes, CocktailDB is a tremendously fun resource for tipplers of all stripes. The site's plentiful photographs and exhaustive collection of essential barware make this much more than a searchable recipe archive. Armchair bartenders can browse by drink type, ingredients, and all manner of specifications. No idea what to do with that bottle of crème de cassis? Try any of 56 recipes containing this black currant-flavored liqueur. You're free to find just the right julep or hunt down the appropriate member of the prolific Daiquiri family. The Top Ten Drink Choices confirms that the dreaded Apple Martini refuses to loosen its grip on the country, but also offers some hope in the intriguing Monkey Gland. Finally, submit to the Mixilator to receive supercomputer-crunched cocktail-mixing instructions: "Shake violently with hoar frost and look of intense concentration."
April 24, 2005 in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 23, 2005
Vendee Globe
It's been called "the Everest of the sea," although that may seem like an understatement. A single-handed sailing race around the globe, without stops, without assistance. On November 7, 20 navigators set out on 20 single-hulls, in a race that will last more than 100 days and cross over 24,000 miles of open sea. Trace their route from France to the Cape of Good Hope, eastward to Cape Horn, and northward to the finish line. Onboard, the skippers capture their experiences on video, watch for changes in the weather,
and plan their strategy for the win. You're invited to share their adventure and challenges as they try to conquer this watery Everest.
April 23, 2005 in Fun, Games | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 22, 2005
American Garden Museum

April 22, 2005 in Art, Fun, Info | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 21, 2005
YaGoohoo!gle
The ultimate search engine: YaGoohoo!gle.
April 21, 2005 in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack