Thursday, April 30, 2009

ABC Will Add Its Shows to Hulu

Three of the four big broadcast networks now own stakes in Hulu, the popular video Web site.

ABC Enterprises, a unit of the Walt Disney Company, announced Thursday that, as expected, it would join NBC Universal and the News Corporation as a partner in the joint venture. Hulu, a remarkably fast-growing source of streaming TV shows and movies, will soon add ABC episodes to its online library.

The deal gives Hulu another boost in the race to be the top destination for TV shows online. NBC and Fox shows are already available on the advertising-supported site.

Yoko Ono to send acorns for peace to world leaders

Considering my brother had the task of actually acquiring the address' for all 123 world leaders set to receive said gift, I thought the least I could do was post on this. Plus, it's a pretty awesome project.

Yoko Ono is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of 'Acorn Peace' - when she and John Lennon planted acorns for peace in 1969 - by contacting 123 world leaders and encouraging them to think about world peace.

Ono will send the leaders two acorns each, in a transparent box with the inscription "Acorn Peace by John And Yoko, Spring 2009".

In 1969, Lennon and Ono carried out a similar stunt and received several letters of thanks from world leaders in response.

Lennon later referenced the stunt in The Beatles' song 'The Ballad Of John And Yoko', when he sang:

"Caught the early plane back to London/Fifty acorns tied in a sack/The men from the press said, 'We wish you success, it's good to have the both of you back'".

Ono is set to display the original letters the couple received from world leaders on Imageinepeace.com to mark the continued plight for world peace.

Mother's Day is May 10th

Click here to view a plethora of gift ideas, or at the very least, remember to send a card. Come on people!

'Japanese Goth' Takes You to Fashion’s Darker Side

Japan's Gothic Lolita, a fascinatingly elaborate mix of traditional Lolita looks and Gothic punk, is featured in a new book hitting shelves next week, aptly titled Japanese Goth.

Victorian-inspired clothes mixed with dark makeup, anime inspiration, lace, and hats made out of hair define the movement in terms of fashion, all of which fills the pages of the new tome. "Gothic culture in Japan doesn't mean listening to Bauhaus and wearing all black," says author Tiffany Godoy, a Tokyo-based fashion writer who co-created the book with Ivan Vartanian. "It explores core elements of Japanese culture like the supernatural, fantasy, folklore, religion, eroticism, gender, beauty, and performance, among others."

And though the fashion speaks for itself, these inspirations propel the movement. "I'm trying to understand why their style is so different from anywhere else in the world," Godoy says. "There are so many elements that come into play: the island culture and mentality, isolationism, the shift of culture from pre– and post–World War II. I want to truly reflect the culture and ideas of the various scenes."

Click here to see how the Gothic Lolita is reflected with a preview inside the book.

Mad Men's Fake Sexist Commercial



The website leads to a site that quickly reveals itself to be about Mad Men, with the oddly literal tagline "Advertising In The '60s" and an explanation that sexist ads were part of the game back then. It's a little less subtle than necessary, but I guess they don't want to offend any delicate lady sensibilities.

Previewing the Met’s 'Model As Muse' Exhibition

Models define eras in fashion and pop culture as much as clothing and designers do. Each decade has its icons, and the Models As Muse: Embodying Fashion exhibit, which opens at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art next week, features photographs of models from 1947 to 1997.

The fifties are the age of haute couture; the sixties display the "Youthquake," with photographs of Peggy Moffitt and Twiggy; and the rise of all-American models like Jerry Hall dominates the seventies portion. The late eighties and nineties chronicle the rise of the supermodel — Linda, Naomi, and Christy — while the mid-nineties see the shift to grunge heroin chic, as epitomized by Kate Moss.

Can't wait to see that much beauty in one place? Click here to preview the exhibition.

The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion, May 6, 2009 – August 9, 2009. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, at 82nd St. (212-535-7710); T–Th (9:30–5:30), F, S (9:30–9), Su (9:30– 5:30), M (closed).

The 100mpg Hummer H3

Raser partnered up with FEV to turn the famously non-environmentally sound gas guzzler around.

The prototype boasts an E-REV power train engine, and three lithium ion battery packs under the rear of the vehicle. The batteries provide enough juice for about 40 miles, when the range extender starts up, providing an additional 400 miles -- averaging about 100 MPG -- before it needs to be plugged in again.

The company is looking to start up low volume production by 2011, though there is no word on possible pricing at this time.

Modern Spin

We can't say we've given much thought to the state of the exercise bike design, but we're definitely digging the Ciclotte concept that was just exhibited in Milan. Details are light, apart from a note that it's almost entirely made of carbon fiber, but hopefully designer Luca Schieppati is working on bringing it -- and that crazy road-faring version on the left -- to market soon.

Vice Squad

Yes, she’s a bit Eurotrashy. But is there anybody alive looking at this that doesn’t want to just sink their teeth into her perineum and wave her around in the air like a great white does to a baby seal on Discovery Channel Shark Week?

Hey everyone, it's Bob & David!

Fail of the Day

Monday, April 27, 2009

G.E.’s Breakthrough Can Put 100 DVDs on a Disc

General Electric says it has achieved a breakthrough in digital storage technology that will allow standard-size discs to hold the equivalent of 100 DVDs.

The storage advance, which G.E. is announcing on Monday, is just a laboratory success at this stage. The new technology must be made to work in products that can be mass-produced at affordable prices.

But optical storage experts and industry analysts who were told of the development said it held the promise of being a big step forward in digital storage with a wide range of potential uses in commercial, scientific and consumer markets.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Announce Spring American Tour

04-29 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
04-30 Paris, France - Bataclan
05-02 Hasselt, Belgium - Polsslag Festival
05-03 Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
05-04 Milan, Italy - Magazzini Generale
05-06 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
05-08 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Medis
05-10 Tel Aviv, Israel - Ramat Gan Football Stadium
05-23 Quincy, WA - Sasquatch Festival
05-26 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
05-27 Detroit, MI - Clutch Cargos
05-28 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
05-30 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
05-31 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Club
06-02 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
06-03 Kansas City, MO - MO - The Beaumont
06-06 Mountain View, CA - Live 105 BFD
06-12 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-26 St. Gallen, Switzerland - Open Air St. Gallen
06-27 Evreux, France - Le Rock dans tous Ses Etats
06-30 Vienna, Austria - Open Air
07-01 Prague, Czech Republic - Roxy
07-03 Belfort, France - Eurokeenes Festival
07-04 Werchter, Belgium - Werchter Festival
07-05 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-07 Hamburg, Germany - Docks
07-10 Balado, Scotland - T In The Park Festival
07-11 Dublin, Ireland - Oxegen Festival
07-31 Jersey City, NJ - All Points West
08-29 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
08-30 Reading, England - Reading Festival

In Memoriam

Vice Squad

I used to think leg men were fags but every once in a while you see a pair of stems that makes you understand why the 1950s won’t shut up about it.

Hey everyone, it's Bob & David!

Fail of the Day

is a Musician and Copywriter living in San Francisco, California.