More legal trouble for Shepard Fairey

The Associated Press brought a copyright lawsuit Wednesday, alleging that Los Angeles street artist Shepard Fairey used "computerized paint by the numbers" and "copy-and-paste style" to create the highly recognized "Hope" image of Barack Obama.

The nation's oldest and largest operating news-gathering organization sought unspecific damages from Fairey, who the wire service accuses of misappropriating a 2006 AP photo of Obama when he was a senator from Illinois. Last month, Fairey filed a preemptive lawsuit seeking to have a court rule that his computerized image was a fair use of the photo snapped at National Press Club on April 27, 2006.

"Simply put, the fair use doctrine cannot be contorted to permit Fairey to wholly replicate a photographer's prescient photograph and exploit it for his own commercial benefit," the AP wrote in its New York federal counter suit. The AP claims Fairey has generated $400,000 in sales of the image, which has adorned websites, posters, stickers, shirts and buttons.

Google Turns Voicemail Into E-mail

Google is seeking to blur the line between the telephone and the computer even further with the introduction of Google Voice.

The new service weaves traditional phone features with Google's Gmail email product, allowing a person to store transcripts of voicemail phone messages in their email inbox and to find a specific nugget of information within a phone message as if trawling through a sea of emails.

The new version uses speech-recognition technology that Google developed for its Goog-411 telephone directory service, automatically transcribing voicemails into text. The transcribed messages can be forwarded as an email or SMS text message to a person's email inbox.

Google Voice will be available to existing Grand Central users on Thursday and to the general public in the following weeks.

My Bloody Valentine Announce (brief) U.S. Tour

04-18 Indio, CA - Coachella
04-21 Austin, TX - Austin Music Hall
04-22 Dallas, TX - The Palladium
04-24 Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
04-27 Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater at Qwest Field
05-28 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
05-29 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival

Kanye + Louis Vuitton = Hotness

Kanye West's new shoe collaboration with Louis Vuitton has been revealed, and while the styles are popping, the prices are a bit steep considering our current economic downturn.

Click here for more pics, prices and info.

Vice Squad

Is this what narcs look like nowadays? They can’t wear jean jackets with Zoso on the back, so now you have old dudes with “rare trainers,” “counterculture” blazers, high-end denim, articulated knees, and Offspring dreads coming up to you and asking if there’s any place around here to “score some ’erb.”

Hey everyone, it's Bob & David!

Fail of the Day

Bat For Lashes is cool

From the video to the album covers to much of the music, I'm liking it.

Not bad, Bat For Lashes, not bad.

Thigh-High Boots Might Make Pants Out for 2009

Pants might be over as we know it. Thigh-high boots emerged as the hot shoe for fall, landing so far up the leg they doubled as leg warmers. Is this designers' collective attempt to save the world from the pantless ladies everywhere (Lady Gaga and Lindsay Lohan)?

Designers even tacked on a few bells and whistles to their boots: Hussein Chalayan added garter belts, Prada made rubber waders stylish, Antonio Berardi lined his in fur, and Stella McCartney's faux-leather leggings were actually boots that pulled up to the crotch.

Even Vogue editor Lauren Santo Domingo was so enthralled by the "It" item that she created her own after designers rejected her plea for an early off-the-runway pair, and cameras caught her frolicking around Paris in her DIY boot legs.

But are we ready to embrace the implications of this phenomenon? Pants as we know them are losing popularity. And with the surge of thigh-highs, rescuing them is even further from our reach. So grab your ThighMaster and dust it off now ... things are about to get leggy. To see all of the over-the-knee boots, click here for a slideshow.

The Dalai Lama’s Speech

The Dalai Lama spoke out on the 50th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising. After the Chinese military crushed the rebellion, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee across the Himalayas to India. Since then, he said, Beijing has suppressed Tibet’s religion, culture, language and identity to near extinction. He charged that Chinese authorities viewed the Tibetan people as “criminals deserving to be put to death.” READ MORE.

Corner Me

Updates on the standard photo frame often verge on tacky—bulky digital frames, cascading photo mobiles, cheesy clip-on figurines, even photo-collaged tote bags and shower curtains. The Empire Wall Frame by Umbra gives the traditional frame a modern twist, but isn’t overly showy. The angled, stained wood frame wraps around a corner, making the most of underutilized wall space. There are enough spaces for twelve photos ranging from tiny 2.5 x 3 slots to standard 4 x 6 openings, achieving a collage effect without feeling overwhelming.

Europeans Debate Castration of Sex Offenders

Whether castration can help rehabilitate violent sex offenders has come under new scrutiny after the Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee last month called surgical castration “invasive, irreversible and mutilating” and demanded that the Czech Republic stop offering the procedure to violent sex offenders. Other critics said that castration threatened to lead society down a dangerous road toward eugenics.

Google's New Ad Network Knows Where You've Been, What You Do

Google has announced a new feature for its AdSense Advertising network — Interest-Based Advertising. Interest-Based Advertising, often known by its more Orwellian moniker, "behavior targeting," gives advertisers a way to deliver ads to users who have shown interest in related items.

In short, Google plans to track your online moves and build a collection of "interests" based on which websites you visit. For example, if you start your day on the Major League Baseball homepage everyday, Google will know that you're more likely to respond to ads for baseball paraphernalia.

Along similar lines are the "previous interaction" ads that will allow Google to show ads based on demonstrated behaviors. For example, if you put a shiny new Nikon D700 in your shopping cart, but never actually purchase it, Google will offer advertisers a way to place ads for the D700. Think of it as a way of constantly reminding you of the things you're lusting after.

Derelicte Is Upon Us, Courtesy of Alexander McQueen

The runway at Alexander McQueen's show in Paris yesterday snaked around a heap of trash. The garbage motif carried over to the styling: Models' heads were affixed with cans, wrapped in Saran Wrap, or served as balances for wheel rims and what looked like deranged manhole covers. And the nylon of one black dress was made to look like black garbage bags. So it only took Mugatu's Derelicte collection from Zoolander eight years to transcend the cinematic world of make-believe.

Prince announces 'Tonight Show' residency

Prince has announced that he will perform on the 'Tonight Show With Jay Leno' for three consecutive nights later this month.

The Purple One is scheduled to appear on the U.S. late-night talk show March 25, 26 and 27. It is the first time a musical act has performed on the show three nights in a row. The super star intends to preview songs from the two new studio albums he is releasing on March 29, 'LOtUSFLOW3R' and 'MPLSoUND'.

In addition, he is slated to perform on the show once again on May 28 to mark Leno's departure from the show as its longtime host the following day.

Shepard Fairey faces vandalism charges in Boston

Shepard Fairey pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 12 counts of vandalism in Roxbury District Count. A spokesman for Suffolk district attorney said the charges are related to the artist's Obama and "Obey Giant" stickers posted around the city.

Fairey's lawyer had said Tuesday he expected the new charges, and Fairey issued a statement saying he was not involved in the Boston postings. The statement said his art is widely available on the Internet.

The 38-year-old Los Angeles resident faces up to 3 years in jail if convicted. He's due back in Roxbury District Court on April 13.

Fairey was arrested last month over two separate vandalism cases in Boston, one dating to 2000.

Vice Squad

He sees himself as a disco snowflake version of Edith Piaf just before she killed her lover in a crime of passion but we see a pathetic old queer that has taken “fuck it” so far it’s become “I’m fucked.”

Stuff White People Like - #123 Mad Men

Television is one of the keys to a white person’s heart. A proper reference to Arrested Development or the lending of a Wire Season on DVD are considered two of the easiest and most cost effective ways of getting a white person to like you. But with both of those shows off the air, their utility is being quickly depleted. Thankfully, there is Mad Men.

Mad Men is a TV show on cable with low ratings, multiple awards, critical praise, and full seasons available on DVD. It’s no surprise white people love it. And while you could apply the previously mentioned techniques to gain white friendship, Mad Men has an entirely new world of possibilities.

The show is set in 1960 and features meticulous art direction that strives to make the show as historically accurate as possible. This veracity makes the show especially vulnerable to one of white people’s favorite activities on earth: finding mistakes. And as is always the case with white people, the harder someone strives for accuracy, the happier a white person is to prove them wrong.

“Oh yeah, it’s a great show don’t get me wrong. But you think at least one person would have know than those IBM Selectric type writers didn’t come out until 1961. I mean, it’s so obvious.”

But it is not recommended that you start searching for mistakes on the show. Doing so would require a massive amount of time spent on the internet. Also, if you point out errors that other white people missed they might be intimidated by you.

Instead, the best way to use Mad Men is to suggest or host a themed party.

When you say the words “we should have a Mad Men party,” white people will immediately latch onto the idea and begin planning. By the end of the day, they will have picked proper attire and emailed you a drink and hors d’oeuvre menu. In the days and weeks leading up to the party white people will be thinking of clever ways to make it more authentic.

Remember parties are fun, historically accurate themed parties are legendary.

During the actual event you should constantly mention how much people used to smoke and drink back then. A few white people will lament the days when they could smoke anywhere, then another white person will say something about cancer and it will get awkward. At this point you should try to steer the conversation back to cocktails and how good everyone looks.

The party should essentially run itself, however, you can severely curtail the amount of fun by saying: “I’m glad this isn’t really 1960 or else I’d be serving all of you.”

White people often find truth to be very depressing at theme parties.

Fail of the Day

Rethink Stem Cells? Science Already Has

With soaring oratory, President Obama on Monday removed a substantial practical nuisance that has long made life difficult for stem cell researchers. He freed biomedical researchers using federal money (a vast majority) to work on more than the small number of human embryonic stem cell lines that were established before Aug. 9, 2001.

In practical terms, federally financed researchers will now find it easier to do a particular category of stem cell experiments that, though still important, has been somewhat eclipsed by new advances.

Until now, to study unapproved stem cell lines, researchers had to set up separate, privately financed labs and follow laborious accounting procedures to make sure not a cent of federal grant money was used on that research. No longer. The lifting of such requirements “is just a major boon for the research here and elsewhere,” said Dr. Arnold Kriegstein, a stem cell researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. READ MORE.

With Bush Ban Gone, Stem Cell Research Will Proliferate

A strange and confused chapter in the history of American medical research ended Monday morning, when President Obama signed an executive order ending a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell lines that were developed after August 9, 2001.

The ban has been roundly denounced as hypocritical and destructive, stunting advances in one of the most exciting fields of medical research. Some restrictions will still apply, and whether research will provide much-anticipated cures is an open question — but at least the question will be answered by science, with the government's full weight behind it. READ MORE.

UK college begins testing facial recognition attendance system

It's something we never really appreciated when waltzing into class way back when, but the ability to show up at your leisure without having to "clock in" and "clock out" was awesome.

If you agree, you'll probably want to shred that application for City of Ely Community College in the UK, which has become one of the first UK schools to trial a new facial recognition technology from Aurora.

Officials suggest that knowing who is on campus at any given time helps them in case of emergency, as they can easily see if they've collected everyone into a safe area.

A swimsuit that never gets wet

Solestrom International has announced its new water-repellent nano-material. Called Sun Dry, each fiber of the new fabric is surrounded by an invisible barrier that allows water to pass through it rather than being absorbed into it. Essentially, the swimwear can't soak up liquid, is resistant to chlorine, and is rated SPF 50.

Running the gamut from black to maroon to red, the clothing is in the $29 - $99 price range. Perfect for your next trip to Rockaway Beach.

What Do Dreams Mean? Whatever Your Bias Says

Suppose last night you had two dreams. In one, God appears and commands you to take a year off and travel the world. In the other, God commands you to take a year off to go work in a leper colony.

Which of those dreams, if either, would you consider meaningful?

Or suppose you had one dream in which your friend defends you against enemies, and another dream in which that same friend goes behind your back and tries to seduce your significant other? Which dream would you take seriously?

Tough questions, but social scientists now have answers — and really, it’s about time.

Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction Tour Dates Revealed

You know, if Trent Reznor was going to go through all the trouble to link up with Jane's Addiction for an alt-rock veterans' tour, would it really have been that much trouble to turn it into a full-blown Lollapalooza '91 reunion? Is Ice-T's acting career keeping him so busy that he couldn't take a couple of months off? What about Living Colour? Or the Butthole Surfers? Those guys are probably all anxiously waiting by the phone just in case Reznor feels a sudden wave of nostalgic goodwill.

Even without Siouxsie and the Banshees or the Rollins Band, though, this NIN/JA jaunt is a beast of a tour, and we're already getting our devil sticks and "Censorship Is Unamerican" T-shirts out of mothballs. And since Reznor has written that he's ready to "disappear for a while" after this tour, this could be our last chance to experience the inevitable arena-wide hush when the first notes of "Something I Can Never Have" chime out.

The Best of NYC 2009

New York Magazine details the best of New York for 2009.

Radiohead Grammy rehearsal footage released

Daft Punk to Score Tron 2.0

Billboard confirms that Daft Punk will indeed compose the score for the film, which they report is called TR2N . Billboard goes on to say the electronic duo is planning to record the music at their studio in L.A. Yet, a publicist at Daft Punk's label would not confirm the project, referring to it as a "rumor" even after the Billboard story. Our fingers are still tightly crossed.

The only way TR2N could suck is if it takes itself too seriously (always a concern for camp-cult remakes and sequels). It's directed by Joseph Kosinski (who's done lots of eye-melting CGI commercials like this one for Nike), written by "Lost" screenwriters Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and stars "House"/"O.C." star Olivia Wilde and some dude named Garrett Hedlund, says The Hollywood Reporter. Jeff Bridges will also reprise his original role as super genius Kevin Flynn. The movie is currently being shot in Vancouver, British Columbia for a projected 2011 release date, according to IMDb.

80s nostalgia can get a bit toxic at times, so hopefully these guys can bring TR2N into the future while retaining some of the past. You know what would be a great way to do that? Hiring Daft Punk to write the music. The Oscar performance will rule.

"The Beatles: Rock Band" Gets a Release Date

Last year, it was reported that Apple Corps Ltd., the Beatles' licensing company, was teaming up with "Rock Band" developers MTV Games and Harmonix to create a new video game based on the band's music. This marks the first time that the Beatles have licensed their music for an interactive game (as opposed to, I guess, a non-interactive game). And now that game has a release date: September 9. As in: 09-09-09. Numbers!

When Apple Corps first announced the game last year, a Billboard story about it said that the game "will not be part of the 'Rock Band' franchise, but will be based on the same platform." It turns out that's not actually true, unless the game's title is grossly misleading. In any case, the game will be called "The Beatles: Rock Band". There's also a website, but all that's on it right now is the release date, a photo of a recording studio or rehearsal space, and a string of corporate logos.

You'll also have the opportunity to purchase "a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr throughout their career," a press release says. So they're making tiny plastic versions of the Beatles' guitars and stuff.

The game's publicists aren't releasing any further information, so we'll have to wait to find out what songs they'll include and how, exactly, they'll organize them, in this "unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of the Beatles."

Topps launches 3D Live baseball cards, video cards on deck

Put aside those Pokeman or Bakugan cards kids, Topps is back with a vengeance in an attempt to woo Internet bred sophisti-tots back into collecting baseball cards. Right, Topps, the company that pre-dates Human Growth Hormone abuse and packs a nostalgic smack of dusty pink sticks of chewing gum is back in the game, this time with some help from former Disney exec Michael Eisner.

Just hold the special 3D Live card in front of a webcam and watch a three-dimensional avatar spring to life -- rotate the card and the figure rotates in full perspective.

The technology provided by Total Immersion also allows collectors to drop the player into simple pitching, batting and catching games using the computer keyboard. Series 1 cards will cost $2 for a 12-pack while a buck snags a fistful of five. The 3D Live series will eventually feature video.

Oyster Wave Energy Converter puts climate change to good use

One of the Holy Grails of green power is hydroelectricity, and we've certainly seen our fair shareresearch in that department.

The newest guy on the scene is called Oyster, a collaborative effort between Queen's University in Belfast and Aquamarine Power Limited that sees something called an Oscillating Wave Surge Converter placed offshore (in depths around 10-12 meters).

When moved by waves, the device's double acting pistons push seawater ashore via high pressure flow lines, where it is converted to power using tried and true hydroelectric generators. Since the hydroelectric plant is located onshore, it is accessible for maintenance 24-7. According to the company, peak power should be around 300-600 kw, depending on the unit's configuration and location.

The first prototype is to be deployed off the coast of Orkney this summer.

Vice Squad

I don't know what all the fuss is about mermaids. They're actually fucking hideous.

Stuff White People Like - #105 Unpaid Internships

In most of the world when a person works long hours without pay, it is referred to as “slavery” or “forced labor.” For white people this process is referred to as an internship and is considered an essential stage in white development.

The concept of working for little or no money underneath a superior has been around for centuries in the form of apprenticeship programs. Young people eager to learn a trade would spend time working under a master craftsman to learn a skill that would eventually lead to an increase in material wealth.

Using this logic you would assume that the most sought after internships would be in areas that lead to the greatest financial reward. Young White people, however, prefer internships that put them on the path for careers that will generally result in a DECREASE of the material wealth accumulated by their parents.

For example, if you were to present a white 19 year old with the choice of spending the summer earning $15 an hour as a plumber’s apprentice or making $0 answering phones at Production Company, they will always choose the latter. In fact, the only way to get the white person to choose the plumbing option would be to convince them that it was leading towards an end-of-summer pipe art installation.

White people view the internship as their foot into the door to such high-profile low-paying career fields as journalism, film, politics, art, non-profits, and anything associated with a museum. Any white person who takes an internship outside of these industries is either the wrong type of white person or a law student. There are no exceptions.

If all goes according to plan, an internship will end with an offer of a job that pays $24,000 per year and will consist entirely of the same tasks they were recently doing for free. In fact, the transition to full time status results in the addition of only one new responsibility: feeling superior to the new interns.

When all is said and done, the internship process serves the white community in many ways. First, it helps to train the next generation of freelance writers, museum curators, and director’s assistants. But more importantly, internships teach white children how to complain about being poor.

So when a white person tells you about their unpaid internship at the New Yorker, it’s not a good idea to point out how the cost of rent and food will essentially mean that they are PAYING their employer for the right to make photocopies. Instead it’s best to say: “you earned it.” They will not get the joke.

Fail of the Day