LeEMS Bean

La Machine at it again or ATTACK OF GIANT ROBOT SPIDER!

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 15:08:09 -0500

The French company La Machine has unleashed La Princess, a 37 ton robotic spider, on Liverpool. It's an awesome art installation and you can read all about it in an article in the Mail Online. One bit that gave me pause though was that it was funded with tax money--a lot of it. On one hand I can totally see a public art installation as an improvement in community life, but on the other hand, I wonder if other improvements were being passed over in favor of something easily publicize-able.

The spider was done by the designer of the Sultan's elephant and that amazing squid presented previously by Royal de Luxe.

Giant robot squid by the same designer in Tentacles tentacles on the Bean.

From the stacks...

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 12:02:49 -0500

I recently finished and finally returned Lost Cosmonaut: observations of an anti-tourist by Daniel Kalder to its owner. The time I took reading this superb book has more to do with my digging myself in deep with my to-read pile and nothing at all to do with the pacing of the book itself. I thoroughly enjoyed the view point here and the little bits of culture and invention. Kalder talks about the Russian translation of his book on his Gaurdian column here.

I've also been reading The Japanese Disease: sex and sleaze in Modern Japan by Declan Hayes. I have to admit, it is so very dense that if I were still a lazy and overloaded college student, I probably would have problems with it. As I am no longer that person, I am enjoying the massive amount of information packed into each page. I especially like how the author ties the human transgressions of all nations into an exploration of one nation. Both the big picture and the smaller one are presented here.

Finally, I get continually distracted from The Japanese Disease by reading Working IX to V: Orgy Planners, Funeral Clowns, and other prized professions of the Ancient World by Vicki Leon. This is really just to satisfy my desire for small, digestible chunks of historic trivia, and it delivers very well.

While these represent only a small part of the to-read stacks on my coffee table and surreptitiously shoved under my couch, these are the books I've been spending the most time with lately outside of my lanugage learning texts. And I recommend all three!

Thu Tran's Food Party

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:39:19 -0500

I never new canned cheese had such glue-tastic properties. This reminds me of the Strawberry Shortcake cookbook for kids that I had long ago. Obviously, the non-heated assembly of kid friendly food materials was what every kitchen should be about!

This is just the first of many merry manic episodes.

Thu Tran's YouTube Chanel

Food Party Blog

Toxic stew in the Pacific and how it's making its way back to us

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 11:59:59 -0500

Please take a look at this article in Best Life Magazine about the current state and ramifications of the landfill like plastic island in the pacific. This issue has slowly been coming to light in the past year or so, but hasn't garnered near enough attention. Though it might be our first impulse to look away--doing that will only make it worse.

Photographic magic

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:28:38 -0500

So, before photography was invented and became employed by the masses, paintings all at once strove to accurately reflect reality and make it appear a little better than it really did. Coinciding with or inspired by the advent of photography,new painting styles evolved to more accurately depict the world as a photo would, without constructing environments around the subjects and without smearing a soft focus on the uglinesses. What tickles me about a lot of current photographers is that they are using a very honest medium to lie the way painters tried to use a very untrustworthy medium to tell the truth. Photo editing has been around for long enough that people wouldn't trust what they see quite as much as with the Cottingley fairy pictures, but a good illusion is still a good illusion, even if the illusion is charactured tongue in cheek. These are some of my favorites lately.

Julian Wolkenstein fabricates powerful images by throwing a little/huge bit of the unexpected and inexplicable (via Neatorama).

Avid Liongoren expertly incorporates drawn characters into photographic backgrounds in his Project 365 continued (via Drawn!).

Joshua Hoffine captures the horror of all the things that lurk in the night and sometimes the day-time, often with inconceivable photographic realism (via Right Some Good).

Mutley James recently finished a book of his photo adaptations, Snapshots of the Abyss available for purchase on lulu.

Richard Slamanca creates some amazing images by pulling pieces from a series of pictures, combining them and enhancing them into one impossible photo (via Boing Boing). Wanna know how I know? A couple of the newest images on his site have an accompanying layout of the original photo(s).

Encyclopedia Britannica on painting in realism
Encyclopedia Britannic on photography, history of

Doris Day, say it ain't so....

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:45:07 -0500

I have a confession to make, and I am not one bit embarrassed by it. I love Doris Day movies. There is only one thing Doris Day related issue that ever irked me and it was as nonsensical as a hairstyle, until now. My Dream is Yours was captured dutifully by my DVR so that I could watch something non-TV-programming after work. Little did I know that I would spend the majority of the movie in feminist indignation.

I don't usually let the celluloid depictions of inequality between the sexes bother me. It's all culturally sound depictions of past and present beliefs after all. I don't think that fixing sexist media is possible as long as the media is simply pandering to what people want. That said, since I was four and rolled on the floor in laughter at Crissy from Three's Company's assertion that she NEEDED a man, I have exhibited a certain expectations for the single woman. I think what gets me the most easily incensed is a female character who helps others to degrade her.

Anna, quel particolare piacere (AKA Secrets of a Call Girl) was the first time that I really paid attention to the movie depictions of a woman setting the trap for herself. Perhaps the desperation of circumstances isn't adequately explained to justify someone letting themselves be so mistreated, but it was supposed to be there?

My Dream is Yours is not quite as bad as Anna, quel particolare piacere, but I was sputtering none the less. Not only does the only single and self-sufficient woman in the movie allow herself to be walked all over constantly by others, but a single mother is one of the character's doing the walking. The movie very unsubtly lets the audience know that motherhood elevates a woman above other childless and/or single women to the extent that being a man is elevating. Compound this with the single mother's obsession with getting a man. Obsession can be the only way to describe it as she jeopardizes her career and relationships to stand by a man who not only isn't there, but with whom there had been woefully little romance with to begin with. One dinner date does not a husband make!

In true Hollywood fashion, everything works out in the end and the nice guy who only walked all over the single independent woman gets the single mother. Ah, how lovely. And of course, the single independent woman might not be single for long if her end of movie hook-up with the old, old, rich boss is to be believed. Her dreams must be answered, I'm sure.

On the upside, this movie did not feature the long worn Doris Day hairdo that I really dislike. She looked great!

Encyclopedia Britannica on feminism

Is it just me?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:07:29 -0500

I stopped by 7-11 this morning to get some coffee on the way to work and saw that the slurpy machine had a dragon-fruit flavor. I don't think I walk around in a daze, so I'm surmising that the infiltration of what might previously been considered exotic Asian fruits is because of the Olympics being held in Beijing. Am I alone here? Because I don't remember seeing anything more exotic than the standard avocado and kiwi in the market and suddenly there are a plethora of spiky, colorful new foods.

I am all for more variety and say 'bring it on!' --even though it might take me a little while to try them all.

Serious Eats has a great feature called Snapshots from Asia if you wanna learn more.

Serious Eats: Dragon Fruit

Serious Eats: Dragon Eyes

Serious Eats: Sea Coconut

Serious Eats: Jackfruit

Made in Miniature

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:06:58 -0500

Not to dilute the amazingness of this art or the artists with a group post, but I can't help thinking 'Hey, that's a lot like....' when I see things. So here are some of the most amazing artists in miniature that I have come across in the past year or so. Each takes a very unique approach to interacting with these miniature scenes. Some of them are set up for globes, some for photography and some for people to stumble upon them on the street.

Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz's recent works pit miniature people against worlds of ice and snow. Some seem to be struggling against it and others seem to walk through the whiteness as if in a dream world.

London's slinkachu has been working on his Little People: a tiny street art project and currently has a solo show at the Cosh Gallery and a book out in September.

Adalberto Abbate (previously on the Bean) encapsulates human idiocy and tragedy in miniature.

Thomas Doyle's precariously perched islands of life seem like frozen time inside their glass globes. (previously on the Bean)

Lori Nix often leaves the viewer to question whether they are looking at a photo of a real situation or a construction. I picked this picture because it was one of the few that was most obvioulsy constructed. (via Made in England by Gents)

City of Silk Rail Network tower to rival Burj Dubai

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:48:02 -0500

Burj Dubai is nearing completion and is the tallest skyscraper in the world. Can any one building really hold that title for long? The Burj Mubarak al-Kabir is designed to top the Burj Dubai by 200 meters. It will be the center tower of a massively planned City of Silk in Subiya, Kuwait. Part of the plan for the City of Silk construction will be to provide a rail line that will link major cities in the Middle East and China (link to Inhabitat's article).

Of course there's got to be a plan in reserve for an even bigger tower. If London's Megatower ever gets approved, it will be the next up to top the Burg Mubarak al-Kabir's record (previously on the Bean).

Have a little knowlege on me: Encyclopedia Britannica article on skyscrapers .

Customize your life and the stuff you buy

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:16:51 -0500

While I love the revival of do it yourself everything, from clothes to furniture, I realize that all the time and effort and materials aren't for everyone. They may not even be for anyone all of the time. And that's where these options come in. I am a firm believer in loving everything you've got, even if its just a useful item. What better way to love something than to have had a hand in making it uniquely your own? Here's a quick list to illustrate just some of the things you can have custom made.

Flakes Design - by SHLDesign at Piiroinen Flakes 3-D design configurator allows you to plaster your own larger than life images on tables and chairs.

Freddy & Ma - handbag design. First choose your style, then your print, and then your trim. Finally, have a bag like no one else's.

Funnel Paper Goods - Where you can customize your calling/business cards for "business & pleasure."

Miss Brache's Customize-able clothing - is just one of the options on Etsy for a fully custom made wardrobe.

Monogram Market - choose your colors and embroidery style and customize anything an everything fabric.

Moo - anyone who uses flickr should know about moo. Put your own images on business cards, stickers, mini cards, postcards and more.

Orange Piel - will work with you and your images to create huge wallpaper murals, or just your own wallpaper print.

Pandora - favorite artists and genres for a customized online radio experience.

Phootlery - "jewelry for the foot" where you choose your sole, and your upper separately to make the shoe you really want.

Shapeways - will 3D print your own design for you.

Spoonflower - get your own fabric designs printed here. I think this is especially great for the clothes maker. What better way to up the unique value of something you have made then to make it with something you have customized?!

Tastebook - assemble your own cookbook, even add your own recipes and get the entire thing, printed and bound delivered to your door--or a friend's door as a gift.

Zazzle - stick your images on anything. From t-shirts and ties to mugs and shoes.