Street artist Bansky’s newest piece is a departure from his signature medium. It’s not a painting at all. It is a fake pet shop called The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill. At this store, chicken nuggets dip themselves into sauce, and fish fingers circle in a glass bowl. The purpose of this exhibit is to question “our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming”, but as serious as that sounds, there is humor—however dark—in this display of animatronic “animals”.
Tag Archive for 'video'
A message for the presidential candidates: Asians vote, too.
This is a new campaign ad for John McCain. Apparently, the McCain camp believe that if you hear “McCain is right” enough times, you’ll think that McCain is right and that Obama is not ready to lead. The first part is basic psychology and marketing. The second part is illogical. So much for straight-talking.
In nearly all those clips where Obama was agreeing with McCain, Obama was actually critising McCain. Obama was noting a point of agreement before continuing to what he disagreed.
Also, Brad Listi, who was live-blogging the debate, predicted that this type of advertising would happen. I’m not surprised either.
Last Thursday, Microsoft released a new type of ad—”I’m a PC”. There are rumors that the commercial was made on a Mac, but that fact (or not) is negligible. The point of the commercial is not to promote Microsoft or denounce Apple. It is to show that PC users are more than the frumpy, bespectacled office man shown in the “Mac vs. PC” ads by Apple. This is not a hit on the Mac OS. This is a hit on Mac culture.
I like this ad. The message is clear. It’s not overdone. I like that it’s positive. There is no Mac-bashing—while there is the Windows-bashing in the Mac ads. But what I especially like and admire—and appreciate—is how Microsoft is reclaiming its image. Microsoft dominates the market, but has had little interest in its branding. It’s interesting—and refreshing—to see Microsoft finally taking control now.
Matt Damon has a few things to say about the Republican vice-presidential nominee as well.
What I find fascinating about Sarah Palin is that everyone is talking about her—from feminists like Gloria Steinem to celebrities like Lindsey Lohan. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone thinks that the nomination is important—one way or another. Whether or not you like Palin as the Republican VP nominee, you can’t deny that there is lots of talk, lots of people speaking up, lots of people talking about policies—like the Bush Doctrine—or what makes someone qualified for VP or the power of women in American society.
Blogging is the new aphrodisiac.
(via Greg Laden)
Every Friday, I used to post links that I found during the week that I haven’t yet posted. Then my summer jobs started, and my time slowly turned more to research than feeds. I’m nearing the end of my research, so I’ve had some time to collect interesting news. So here’s to Fridays.
(You can also be sure that most of these came from Laurie.)
- State of the Web: Summer 2008. A hilarious pictorial look at the Internet. Because we Internet junkies live off Twitter and Firefox and Facebook and our iPhones.
- Meet Yoda, the four-eared cat. Kitty’s doing well and is perfectly healthy, but his ears still look like a bad Photoshop job.
- Magpies are self-aware. There is evidence with mirror tests that magpies are aware of their own bodies.
- White supremacists hope an Obama win will prompt racial backlash. There is a small population in the United States that believe a “white revolution” is long overdue, and Obama is just the trigger for it.
- In a generation, minorities may be the majority. America is growing more ethnically diverse due to higher birth rates among minorities and immigration. (Those poor, poor white supremacists.)
- Paris Hilton responds to McCain’s campaign ad. McCain said that you shouldn’t elect celebrities for president, like Barack Obama or Paris Hilton. Let’s see what Paris has to say about that. (McCain, you have been p4wn3d!)
- Russian judge rules sexual harassment okay because it ensures humans to breed. I thought that sexual harassment prevents future generations.
- The United States take third place in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The IMO is an annual event for pre-collegiate students. The US team has done well in the past but often competes closely with China and Russia. That said, first and second place this year go to China and Russia, respectively. (Those math problems remind me of those fond high school days.)
- Growth factor receptor governs neurogenesis and sensitivity to antidepressants. There is a direct link between a receptor found on the hippocampus and the effectiveness of certain antidepressants—SSRIs and tricyclics—that exert their influence through neurogenesis. This study may change the view on depression as an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. If the symptoms of depression can be alleviated with neurogenesis, then depression may be a mild degenerative disease.
Nine years later, JibJab still has it.
(via all that glitters)
What happens when you give a girl a chance? She can change her community and her life.
Learn how to contribute at GirlEffect.org.
(via Laurie, Servant of Chaos)
This is the last scene of my favorite adaption of a favorite play. Some lines have been cut and rearranged for continuity. The ending has been changed. But the spirit of the scene has been left intact (mostly). I love Eliza’s transformation—how she stops asking for sympathy, stands up for herself, and walks out. Hiller’s performance couldn’t be better. (Audrey Hepburn can’t match.)
Also, Leslie Howard is absolutely dreamy. Forget Ashley Wilkes. Henry Higgins is one of his best performances.
But I wish Shaw had kept the original stage ending. In the play, Eliza walks out and doesn’t return, leaving Higgins looking very pleased with himself and the strong woman he created. The point is that a proper woman isn’t someone with genteel manners or speech; she is independent and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. But people like romance, so in the movie (and many other interpretations), Eliza returns to Higgins, presumably to fetch his slippers—but sometimes, also, to throw them in his face.
