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August 29, 2007
Film. Hannah Takes The Stairs
Film. Hannah Takes The Stairs: This film is a bit like She's Gotta Have It meets Annie Hall. It's an office romance centered around Hannah, a self-absorbed post-grad who doesn't know what she wants.
The characters in this movie love to talk. It's really the film's best feature. All of the dialogue sounds natural - the characters mumble, stammer and spew non sequiturs. At times the realism can be too awkward to watch. The film does provide some unique insights on modern love. Sure, there are a few quirky indulgences, but overall Hannah Takes The Stairs is an exciting piece of smart cinema.
Dork recommends Hannah Takes The Stairs. View trailer [Here]
Posted by james at 09:34 PM
August 24, 2007
Link Heavy. File Magazine
Link Heavy. File Magazine: We love how this website describes itself: "FILE magazine is not a photoblog, photo challenge/contest, or group photo album. We leave the Kodak Moments to the family album, the glossy fashion spreads to Vogue, and the photo finishes to ESPN."
FILE combs the world to curate online galleries of the most unexpected imagery out there. Here's a description of one of our favorites, Endless Summer. "These images are part of a series shot in Florida last year. I've explored the backyard of a state only known -- at least in Europe and Canada -- as a haven for aging sun lovers. Far from the crowds, the endless theme parks, and the postcard spots, I wanted to gently scratch the varnish and reveal my imaginary Florida."
You can view images from Endless Summer [Here]
Posted by james at 06:12 PM
August 23, 2007
Art & Design. BackJumps #3
Art & Design. BackJumps #3: Everyday Flickr and the Wooster Collective deliver inspiring photos from all over the world. A friend forwarded us a link to wooster that took us to flickr. When we landed we saw the above pic and many more. Talk about a stencil! Justusjonas is serious about his photo uploads.
The pics are part of Backjumps. Sorry for the lack of detail on this one, the description is in another language, but it appears that Backjumps is a magazine focused on art culture. Their photos are definitely worth checking out. There are several collections that will occupy your clicking time.
View photos from Backjumps Issue #3 on Flickr [Here]
Posted by taj at 03:28 PM
Art & Design. Murakami & LV
Art & Design. Murakami & LV: Kanye isn't the only one partnering with Murakami. Check out the latest collaboration between the ubiqitous artist and Louis Vuitton. Supertouch recently penned an article about their partnership.
From Supertouch: "It’s been officially confirmed that a corporate LOUIS VUITTON shop will be situated smack dab in the middle of TAKASHI MURAKAMI’s forthcoming retrospective exhibit at LA’s MoCA (Oct 29—Feb 11), the appropriately named “© Murakami.” A first for an American museum, the company owned and run shop will offer limited-edition handbags and small leather goods featuring Murakami designs including the ones shown below at prices ranging from $875 to $920."
Read more about the Murakami and Louis Vuitton collaboration [Here]
Posted by taj at 02:46 PM
Art & Design. Street Art in Shibuya
Art & Design. Street Art in Shibuya: In our daily trip around the interwebs we came across this article in Ping Mag. It's a well written piece about a new gallery in Shibuya that features street art. Be sure to check it out.
From PingMag: "For sure, you can spot graffiti all over the Shibuya streets – some people may see the tags as nothing but scribbles on the wall, others truly value them as street art. The latter have found a haven in a recently opened gallery in Shibuya’s Center Gai. GALLERY SCENE aims to promote young and upcoming street artists. The gallery space is pretty close to Shibuya Station, and is an initiative by non-profit organisation KOMPOSITION. PingMag talked to its director, Motokazu Terai, about his new project."
Read more about Gallery Scene in Shibuya [Here]
Posted by taj at 02:22 PM
August 21, 2007
People. Shepard Fairey
People. Shepard Fairey: Fecal Face is one of the best art sites on the web. Their plethora of interviews and well written articles keep us coming back time and time again. They recently posted an interview with Shepard Fairy - street artist and activist.
As reported on Fecal Face: "Back in the mid 80's there was a skateboard subculture growing fueled by punk rock, grimy skate magazines, and the youth who participated in it. Shepard Fairey was among them. For some it was a passing phase that lasted a year or two, for Shepard it became culture. He has moved from the early underground world of skateboarding and punk rock into the lowbrow counter culture world of propaganda street art and beyond. In his mid 30's Shepard Fairey is still holding true to his core punk rock values while applying it to his own street art campains, gallery shows and various other international art causes around the world. With dark undertones of pop culture irony, and underlining hints of hope and prosperity. You can not deny the timelessness of his work and the message behind it. "
Read more about Shepard Fairey at FF [Here]
Posted by taj at 09:55 PM
Gadgets. Canon EOS 40D
Gadgets. Canon EOS 40D: We recently entered the prosumer market for photography. Dork was pointing and shooting for a while, but we made the official jump to a DSLR a few months ago. It's awesome. We entered with an entry level Nikon, and now we're hungry for more.
As seen on Uncrate, Canon is releasing a new jam that has the photo-world excited. As reported: "Canon has upped the ante again with the EOS 40D ($1300; Sept.). This mid-range competitor to Nikon's D80 packs an enhanced 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, a DIGIC III image processor, and a 3-inch LCD screen in a new magnesium alloy body. Other features include the ability to shoot 6.5 frames-per-second, a top shutter speed of 1/8000 of a second, and a redesigned nine-point Autofocus sensor." Yow!
Canon makes another strong run at the photography world [Here]
Posted by taj at 09:37 PM
August 20, 2007
Events. My Favorite Things
Events. My Favorite Things: Our buddies at Rude are back with another session of MY FAVORITE THINGS at APT. To celebrate, the guys asked us to come up with a list of our favorites. It was a lot harder than we thought, but in the end we think it's an accurate account of the things we love the most. Be sure to check it out after the jump.
Here's some more info on MFT: "We’re back in the bassment, as MY FAVORITE THINGS returns to APT next Tuesday, August 21 courtesy of your friends at Rude and PUMA. We’re keeping it all family this month as residents Tyler Askew and Big Bang hold it down all night, with the help of Taylor McFerrin. Back from Cali, hosts Ibrahim Abdul Matin and Tchaiko will be in the house to get things going. Upstairs, our brother DJ Junior from Philly will be dropping some tunes to celebrate the release of his new “Excursions” compilation alongside Spymusic’s Probe DMS."
Dork recommends this event. You can find more info [Here]
01 Wejetset.com
02 Black Moon’s “Enta Da Stage”
03 Whole Foods Market: Bowery
04 Flickr
05 Netflix
06 Manhattan (Woody’s best film)
07 30 Rock
08 Rootdown Radio
09 Rice: Dumbo (The best steamed shrimp dumplings ever)
10 The Office (The funniest thing on television)
You can read other charts [Here]
Posted by james at 06:09 PM
Media. Websites with Great Photos
Media. Websites with Great Photos: If this post was a recipe it would say 2 parts photography and 1 part the functional use of photography. Whether online or in print, strong photography can go a long way. But, functional photography - now that's the real grand slam. Last week a friend was showing us how a photographer took a picture of a shaving razor. It showed all the dimensions and brought a two dimensional item into 3D. Tutorialblog has a nice piece on the top ten sites who effectively use great photography. Be sure to check it out below.
Here's a little information about their site: "Tutorialblog was started in 2005 to provide Photoshop Tutorials on various techniques and effects. It was acquired in 2006 by Kooc Media with aims of taking it forward and becoming a usefull resource for beginner and intermediates alike."
Read more about the top 10 websites that use photography effectively [Here]
Posted by taj at 10:57 AM
People News. 50 Manifestos
People News. 50 Manifestos: We often look at other graphic art for inspiration. Sometimes we also look to the written word for help getting our creative muse in the room. Recently we stumbled across this great collection of company manifestos. Hello inspiration - welcome!
From Icon: "The diversity of London’s people is matched by the diversity of its built environment. The city includes within its boundary world heritage sites and radical contemporary architecture, industrial estates and skyscrapers, stately parks and deserted marshes, quiet suburban streets and bustling town centres, medieval alleys and Georgian avenues, all grouped round one of the world’s great rivers. All of these elements contribute to London’s unique character, complexity and charm, and all demand to be respected as the city changes. Design for London wants London to be a city that works for all its people, for its economy and for the environment."
Read more Manifestos from Icon [Here]
Posted by taj at 10:44 AM
August 15, 2007
Gadgets. Transit Transfer Training Ipods
Gadgets. Transit Transfer Training Ipods: This post is a shout out to Marsha - the person who has a gazillion iPods, a gazillion tunes and a gazillion crashes. LOL! Currently one of her trusty iPods is loaded with songs, but she can't get them off because her computer crashed and the hard drive was restored minus the tunes. So now, her iPod acts as if it's one big cd. We hope our latest find helps you!
From Wired: "Dumping your entire music collection onto an iPod is a simple, one-click process. But what about getting your music off an iPod? You'll find that's not so easy. Apple's iTunes software only lets you put the music onto the player, and not the other way around. The iPod/iTunes combo was designed with this restriction built in to prevent piracy and illicit trading. However, there are a number of legitimate reasons you might need to transfer songs from your iPod to your hard drive. For instance, if that fateful day arrives and your PC hard drive crashes, you can restore your music collection without re-ripping dozens of CDs."
Read more about Ipods and restoring your music [Here]
Posted by taj at 12:09 PM
Gadgets. The Mixtape
Gadgets. The Mixtape: Before downloading and the internets - their were mixtapes. Back in the day our friend Shale would go to the vinyl shop, tape all the Bside remixes and deliver them to us on a nice cozy Maxell 90 minute tape. Those were the days. I remember the first time I heard all the Souls of Mischief remixes to '93 til Infinity. Music was so personal then. Oh well - Yay! Future (kind of).
As reported on Gizmodo: "Some days you wake up and you just do not want to go on. You miss the touch of plastic that audiocassettes used to fill your life with. Well, the Mix Tape USB, by Suck UK should go a little way to help. No pricing information is available yet, but we are sure it will be worth it; just think..."
You gotta love mixtape flashbacks [Here]
Posted by taj at 02:32 AM
Media. Damages
Media. Damages: The summer indulgence of reality tv is getting a little stale. That's why we're really enjoying our latest find - Damages. About two thirds of the Dork team have law degrees so being into a legal thriller may seem a little cliche, but we love it nonetheless. If you haven't seen it yet - get ready - it's viral like Heroes and Lost.
Here's a brief summary of the show: "Damages is a legal thriller set in the world of New York city high stakes litigation. The series, which provides a view into the nature of power and success, follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) - the nation's most revered and reviled litigator - and her bright, ambitious protege Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) as they become embroiled in a class action lawsuit targeting the allegedly corrupt Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), one of the country's wealthiest CEOs." The summary may feel obvious, but trust us. The way they tell the story, the style of the cinematography and their plot twists make this show very interesting.
Dork recommends Damages. Watch on FX - Tuesdays at 10.
Posted by taj at 12:49 AM
August 14, 2007
People News. Woody & Bergman
People News. Woody & Bergman: It's hard to write an essay about the impact of someone else's life. How do you determine which aspects are significant? I think the struggle to do this when someone has died is reflective of how hard it is to decide what is important while you're alive. What's your life's work? What's most important? How do you balance ambition with being content. All of these are tough questions. Recently Woody tackled these hard questions when he wrote a masterful piece about Ingmar Bergman for the New York Times.
As written by Woody: "I got the news in Oviedo, a lovely little town in the north of Spain where I am shooting a movie, that Bergman had died. A phone message from a mutual friend was relayed to me on the set. Bergman once told me he didn’t want to die on a sunny day, and not having been there, I can only hope he got the flat weather all directors thrive on."
Read more about Bergman through the pen of Woody [Here]
Posted by taj at 02:40 AM
Habitat. Olle Lundberg's Cabin
Habitat. Olle Lundberg's Cabin: Home is the habitat. It's where we house our inspiration, safety and comfort. We look forward to the day when we can design our home from top to bottom. We're thinking about amazing locations, shapes, colors and textures all day. Imagine a place that you can truly get lost. Chances are your vision won't be too far off of Olle's design and architecture (maybe it was - but ours wasn't - ha!).
As reported by Apartment Therapy: "When we think about escapes, we think of Olle. Olle Lundberg, the remarkable architect, salvage junkie and erstwhile Ikea designer, not only lives on a ferry boat in San Francisco harbor, he has a cabin up north (Cazadero, Calif.) that we'd die for. Below are more pics of the woody, simple, airy and largely reused environment he's created for relaxing when not working with head cases like Larry Ellison..."
Read more about Olle Lundberg's Cabin [Here]
Posted by taj at 12:06 AM
August 13, 2007
Link Heavy. Kanye's Graduation
Link Heavy. Kanye's Graduation: He's a designer. And, with that title Kanye confidently ventures into the realms of audacious creativity. Don't try to pigeon hole Mr. West - he'll fight it every time. In his eyes he's much more than just a rapper, fashionista or another flamboyant celebrity. He's multi-dimensional in times where one dimensionalism is celebrated.
As reported by the Observer: "Criss-crossing the globe, meeting Tokyo street kids and British royalty, Kanye West is in a hurry to change the face of hip hop. Luke Bainbridge hitches a lift on the roller-coaster ride." Check it out below. Also - don't forget to listen to Barry Bonds - he and weezy are unstoppable right now. [Here]
Read more about Kanye's build up to Graduation [Here]
Posted by taj at 11:12 PM
August 08, 2007
Habitat. Big Modern Prefab
Habitat. Big Modern Prefab: One day we'll convert the dork office into a cool prefab modern structure. Until then, we'll drool over structures like the one pictured above. The structural balance matched with the sophisticated colors make this home visually stunning. MocoLoco wrote a nice piece about it*.
From MocoLoco: "Royal Home’s Q series architects Kohn Shnier have built a very large lakeside prefab in Ontario’s tony Lake Muskoka region. Muskoka is fairly traditional, the prefab guest house stands out not only for its modernist design but also for it’s "French farmhouse" layout - the bedrooms are downstairs and the living spaces up, the kitchen is on the top floor."
Read more about the Big Modern Prefab [Here]
Posted by taj at 03:14 PM
Art & Design. Kawasaki
Art & Design. Kawasaki: No time like the present. Things have been moving so fast over here. We apologize for the slow upload rate. We're going to be back at full swing soon. We meant to post about this a few weeks back. Our friends at NOTCOT posted a great piece on Audrey Kawasaki.
From NC: Here are some pics from "...Audrey Kawasaki’s latest being shown at Lineage in Philly. It’s been a little while since we’ve had some good eye candy from her shown here, and i couldn’t help myself when i saw her aquatic themed pieces, so here’s a little something to get your creative juices running..."
View more of Audrey's work at Lineage and online at NOTCOT [Here]
Posted by taj at 01:54 PM