Ronit Baranga

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Ronit Baranga is an Israeli artist whose sculptures and tableware range from creepy to whimsical and hit every rung in between.  Her creations give inanimate objects life, with mouths, fingers and faces.  All strange and nameless.

Baranga studied Psychology and Hebrew Literature, but realized art was where her love lay.  After graduating Haifa University, and Tel Aviv University with her degrees, she migrated to Bet Berl College to begin her studies of Practical Art. Ever since, she has been shooting out impressive works of art. Unfortunately Baranga has only shown in Israel and Italy so seeing these works up close is not yet a possibility for most of us.  I’m sure the photos of these pieces are nothing compared to viewing them in person.

Liquor Tips(y)

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In reverence to the fact that today is Friday, I’d like to talk about liquor. Liquor, as you and I both know, is great.  Fantastic. Superb. But there’s a way to make it better. Continue reading →

Around the web: weird and wonderful news

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Servicey
The little bastards have done nothing but piss you off all day anyway.

  • Wired reports a study that found that the combined computational power of every computer on Earth is equal to one human brain’s processing power. In terms of storage, our total storage capacity is equal to the amount of data in one adult’s DNA.
  • The Pentagon has issued a DADT repeal plan. Hallelujah! The full document is available at the previous link, the PowerPoint presentation put together by the Marine Corps command is here, courtesy of OutServe.
  • Officials in Fort Wayne, IN are inexplicably reluctant to name a new government center after former four-term mayor Harry Baals.
  • Police arrested a man in South Pasadena after he climbed a tree to, he claimed, escape a pack of pumas. Yes, he was drunk. No, there are not roaming packs of pumas in South Pasadena, to the best of my knowledge at least.

Enjoy your Friday, Crasstalkers! Just not quite that much.

You can’t go back UPDATED

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The new Gawker will not brook dissent.  Nor will it tell you who took your star away.

This is a sign of maturity and respect, and not petty at all.

UPDATE: Remy Stern was behind my unstarring.  Here’s our brief back-and-forth:

Dear Remy,

I just lost my star, and I don’t know why. I also can’t see who unstarred me.

Here’s the offending comment: http://gawker.com/#!5757998/a-day-in-the-life-of-gawker-media?comment=36955123:36955123

I’d like an explanation, if it’s not too much trouble.

Thanks,

[redacted], aka Thunderclees

*****

I did.

Listen, we’re all frustrated with the new design and its gazillion tech issues. No one is more frustrated than us, since we have to use the system all day to post stories (and the back-end has just as many issues as the front) and we’ve been inundated with emails telling us how much we suck. We didn’t design it. We didn’t build it. But we’re gritting our teeth, trying to get through it, and looking forward to all the fixes that the tech team has promised us. Complain all you want in the comments of that post. But if you’re going to suggest people leave the site and go elsewhere, you’re not keeping your star. (If you’re abandoning the site, you won’t need it any longer anyway!) We’ve been through enough.

Remy Stern  |  Gawker.com
[email protected] |  (646) 912-8984

*****

Hi Remy,

Thanks for your reply and your candor. I didn’t realize that saying I was leaving was tantamount to encouraging others to do the same, but thanks for letting me know.

Best,

[redacted]

Afternoon Numbers

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The markets remained relatively calm today with the DJIA gaining 43.97 (.36%) to end at 12,273.26.  The NASDAQ ended up 18.99 (.68%) at 2,809.44 and the S&P500 finished at 1,329.15, up 7.28 (.55%).

Trading was generally upbeat on news of Mubarak’s resignation but that optimism was tempered by worries of decreased productivity as Crasstalk replaced Crosstalk as a leading timesuck among white-collar employees.  Productivity is expected to decline in the coming weeks as the Crasstalk brand expands into other areas, including Facebook and Twitter.

Comment was unavailable from most major analyst firms as their receptionist staff was, fittingly enough, commenting on Crasstalk.  Open thread below.

Crasstalk Ambient Mix Numero Uno

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trippy earth

Hey guys! So I’ve climbed aboard this rusty, noble vessel of a blog as we sail into uncharted waters. It’s been a hectic week, so we could all probably use an audio chill pill, right?

Accordingly, I made a lil’ playlist that just scrapes the surface of the vast, soothing, tropical, haunted world of ambient, electronic, and “h-pop” (hypnagogic pop) music. All sorts of moods, seasons, and eras are used as inspiration, but they all share a submerged, Dad’s-old-VHS quality. The magic of these songs lies not so much in their ability to recapture a specific moment in time (i.e. mom’s old workout tapes, early software infomercials, TV theme song intro music) but rather in the ways they evoke our spiritual nostalgia of the half-remembered past–and the ones who do it best make music that’s never boring and clear of schlock (unless they’re incorporating kitsch into their overall sound, but I’d like to think it’s done artfully). In fact, unless you’re predisposed to disliking this sort of abstraction, I’d say it’s pretty damn beautiful.

Anyway, here’s where you download. Some of these tracks are weirder than others. Playlist below, if you’re curious ahead of time.

  1. Dylan Ettinger – “The Waterfront”
  2. Kohwi – “Tides”
  3. Ducktails – “Roses”
  4. Outer Limits Recordings – “Plastik Child”
  5. James Ferraro – “Killer Nerd”
  6. Skyramps – “Flight Simulator”
  7. Skyramps – “Dripping Water Hollows Out a Stone”
  8. Emeralds – “Science Center”
  9. Monster Rally – “Cuban Velvet”
  10. Oneohtrix Point Never – “Returnal”
  11. Rangers – “Woodland Hills”
  12. Matrix Metals – “Flamingo Breeze”
  13. Stellar OM Source – “Fantazia”
  14. Stellar OM Source – “Dynamic of Here”
  15. Stellar OM Source – “Rites of Fusion (feat. Oneohtrix Point Never)

It’s not like I’m am “ambient music expert” or anything–there’s just so much out there that few people have heard. So go on, give it a whirl. Who knows, maybe there’s a musical secret waiting to be discovered by you in this playlist! I’ll make more if there’s any interest, and please please please make recommendations if you have. Sharing is caring, etc.

ETA: If you want a preview of general aesthetic at work here:

JAMES FERRARO – LAST AMERICAN HERO, Pt. 3 from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.

What’s next for Egypt?

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I am cautiously optimistic regarding a new government in Egypt. I am extremely worried that the military will step in to fill the void. I’m not the only one:

“I hoped for a peaceful transition of power which followed the law, so I am worried about this move. This is what the people want, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for them. This is a very worrying time and the people who are celebrating now should stop treating this like a soccer match. They just wanted to get the president to step down, but they weren’t thinking about the ramifications. The army must give an exact declaration of what they will do. The only legal authority now is from members of parliament. If the army says that they will dissolve our parliament then we will have no constitution, no government and no vice-president. I’ve just been out onto the streets and everyone is waving flags and sounding horns. Most of my friends are not happy about this, because we don’t like the idea of the army taking power. We don’t need another 60 years of military rule.”

– Maged Salib, Cairo

(via BBC)

Phone envy

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I am so behind the phone times, it’s not even funny.  OK, laugh at my Motorola RAZR if you will.  I don’t mind.  It’s been a great phone for lo these many years, but it’s starting to tell me that quitting time approaches.  Fritzy screen, no battery life, dropped calls (relating to the fritzy screen, I’m sure).

All the cool kids seem to have these smartphones where they can play games and watch movies and start their cars.  That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?  My RAZR can make calls and send texts.  Not a real multi-tasker.

My carrier is Verizon, which informs my choice of phones.  Now, before you say some other carrier is better / cheaper / faster / a “sure thing” on the first date, let me tell you that I’ve tried a few different carriers and for me, Verizon is the winner.  Your mileage may vary.  Please consult your physician.

The contenders for the New Miss Manbadly Phone 2011 Award are:

Motorola Droid X

This one is a festive little performer, isn’t it?  HDMI output, records 720p video, 4.3″ display, bluetooth and wi-fi.

Ignore the product website, coded by Satan in Flash with some of the most annoying visual and audio effects available.  At least one can turn the audio off on that website.  Too bad the vertigo-inducing spinning phone effects can’t be quelled, too.

.

HTC Droid Incredible

Same Satanic product website as the Droid X, so I guess that evens the playing field.

Also has bluetooth and wi-fi, with the added bonus of bluetooth stereo connections.  That’s fun.

Also acts as a speakerphone, which is a must as far as I’m concerned.  As far as I can tell that feature is missing on the Droid X.  Has a camera but no HDMI output.

.

Apple iPhone

Ha ha, just kidding.  I wouldn’t buy an iPhone.  I own an 5th gen iPod shuffle and that’s enough Apple for me, thanks.

So, kids, I open it up to you.  Recommendations?  Thoughts?  I’m more concerned with features and reliability than cost at this point, so if you’ve got stories, share ’em!