sundance

Arsenic, Lead Found in School Supplies, Cars, Child Car Seats

Tests for toxic chemicals in ordinary school supplies, children’s car seats, vehicles and pet products have detected lead, arsenic and heavy metals, according to the nonprofit Ecology Center that analyzed the products.

A BRIGHT STAR is back: Jane Campion

I confess that I’m a long term fan of film director/writer Jane Campion. Her work has staying power for me – everything from her short films PEEL and A GIRL’S OWN STORY, and their stylized but penetrating look at relationships, to her later more sophisticated and moving THE PIANO. However her last film IN THE CUT was disappointing. I say this reluctantly because I deeply appreciate how headlong and with what boldness Campion throws herself into every project, so when one of these experiments fail, I don’t take any pleasure in it. I just want to see her move on. And now that it’s been six years since that Meg Ryan debacle, I was a little concerned. Would she make another film and how would she get it financed in today’s climate? Would she have to compromise with a big name star who was just not quite right? Thus it’s with relief and pleasure that I saw BRIGHT STAR at its preview this week.

The Visual Acoustics of Julius Schulman

If the name Julius Shulman doesn’t immediately ring a bell, what about names like Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, Pierre Koenig, or Mies Van der Rohe? Julius Shulman documented them all. But he did more than just take pictures of famous buildings.

Major Lazer’s major video

Major Lazer “Pon De Floor” from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo. I was brought on board SUNfiltered to bring a gay voice to the blog, so I hope the above video for the song “Pon De Floor,” by Major Lazer, doesn’t seem out of place with my other posts. After all it is a riotous video depicting [...]

Wild Beasts, Two Dancers

I tried to read a book the first time I listened to Two Dancers, the latest album from Leeds-based band Wild Beasts, but as soon as the bass crept in, followed by a precise, tribal beating of drums, I put my book down and listened to the whole album. And then, when it was over, I listened to it again.

David Byrne’s perfect city

It’s odd to me that I am linking to two Wall Street Journal stories in as many days but I just ran across this funny little video they did accompanying David Byrne, he of Talking Heads fame, to Brookyn via bikes. Byrne was a judge in a citywide competition to design new bike racks for New York City. He was so into the project that he designed his own. Included are giant shoes, dollar signs (for the Wall Street area natch) and dogs. The video is cute.

Compatible carpooling

Carpooling is a great way to cut both your transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, and your gasoline spending. You probably associate it most with commuting to and from work: a few co-workers get together and agree to share costs (and the headaches of driving in rush hour traffic). But what about trips into town for a museum visit, or a ballgame, or shopping?

Bianco Footwear gives your feet that naughty feeling.

We’ve heard of penile orgasms, clitoral orgasms, g-spot orgasms, p-spot orgasms, and even nipple orgasms…but orgasms for your feet? Maybe that’s what the foot fetishists are all on about… (That, or we’re totally missing the point of this commercial.) Feet Orgasm [illegaladvertising.com]

Muzorama

Muzorma “is a short 3D animation film based on the universe of french illustrator Muzo,” and is surrealist mayhem at its finest. There are a lot of more light-hearted moments, such as the snail bike, that made me chuckle. However, keep watching until the very end, where the film concludes on a slightly creepy note. [...]

Food comes alive in this music video

Matilda Tristram created this whimsical and playful stop-motion animated music video for band Omo. Playing with food never seemed so fun! I especially like the jump roping meatball. Omo – Oversized from LOAF on Vimeo. [Via]

The Wizard of Oz at 70

The Wizard of Oz turned seventy this year. The film continues to cast its spell on both children and adults. It has staying power that’s unheard of in Hollywood. And rightfully, in celebration of this big birthday, Netflix will on October 3rd stream the film for free for 24 hours.

Bloggers as fashion muses

The Wall Street Journal, a paper not necessarily known for its fashion coverage, had an interesting article recently about the influence bloggers now have over big name fashion designers. Where in recent years political bloggers have received more and more credit and credibility for their writings, and audience numbers, style bloggers not so much. Until now.

Time for a global warming wake-up call?

OK, quick quiz…

1. What’s the status of the ACES bill in Congress?
2. What’s happening in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7-18?

If your answer to both questions was “I don’t know” (and “What the hell is ACES?”), you’re probably not alone. Here in the US, climate change and clean energy legislation has taken a back seat to the health care debate. Even as we approach the Copenhagen Summit, where the follow-up to the Kyoto Treaty should be rolled out, much of the world seems to have hit the snooze button on the climate crisis. Global alliance TckTckTck thinks it’s time for a wake-up call…

Sniff: Interactive digital dog

Created by Karolina Sobecka and software design by Jim George, SNIFF is a light projection of a 3D dog that also happens to dynamically interact with the viewer. As you walk down the street you are approached by a dog. He is on his guard trying to discern your intentions. He will follow you and [...]

Body Worlds is going XXX

When last we mentioned Body Worlds, the international exhibition of skinless cadavers with their muscles, nerves, and tendons intact displayed in various theatrical poses, people were in a huff over one pair of corpses caught in flagrante delicto (specifically, in the Reverse Cowgirl position). Well, we’re assuming since there’s no such thing as bad publicity, [...]

Sydney International Food Festival campaign

As a celebration of the region’s diverse cuisine offerings, the Sydney International Food Festival is taking place next month. While I love gourmet food as much as the next gourmand, the “wow” factor about this festival is the ads, which feature flags from around the world created using food from that area.

Fight climate change: eat more meat

Huh? Isn’t meat production one of the major causes of global warming? Well, yes… but according to Lisa Hamilton, author of Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness, eating meat raised under the right conditions can actually help mitigate climate change.

Mexico: A nation of world records

Our neighbor to the south, Mexico, has an unquenchable thirst for world records. The New York Times recently composed this slide show documenting some of their ridiculous feats. 13,000 people dancing in the streets recreating a Michael Jackson video? In Mexico. The world’s largest meatballs and cheesecakes? Baked in Mexico. And the biggest pair of [...]

Extremely Hungary

From the people who brought you the Rubik’s cube, the ballpoint pen, Wassily Kandinsky, and last, but not least, the safety match, comes Extremely Hungary, a year long celebration of all things Hungarian. The New York happenings kicked off with the beginning of fashion week with an interactive shoot outside the Grace Building. In fact, [...]

Notebook and ballpoint pen animation

BBDO Mexico created this video concept of a world where all material objects are made from notebook paper sketched with a blue ballpoint pen. What paperless world? Very neat concept, but with all that paper flying around it doesn’t seem to be very green! SCRIBE MUNDO DE PAPEL from ladies on Vimeo.

10 things you probably didn’t know about hermaphrodites

photo by dalbera

The South African runner Caster Semenya recently withdraw from a competition amid speculation about her sex. The rumor is that she is intersex — or a hermaphrodite, as they used to say in the olden days. If it’s true, then it’s too bad she withdrew, as we would have loved to see the world of international athletics try to wrangle this one. After all, it’s not like they could force her into the operating room in order to compete. Plus, it’s a subject rife with misunderstanding and stubborn rumors, and the more people talk about this stuff openly, the better. For now, we’ll try to clear up a few things as best we can:

Steak house or gay bar?

JRs? Social House? The Dug Out? Do these fine establishments sound like your local gay bar? Or your neighborhood steak house? Hmm. Since you’re only one day into the week and already cruising blogs rather than focusing on your work, I suggest this site as a way to spend (waste) your time. It lists the [...]

Musical birds on the wire

A photograph of a cluster of birds resting on electric wires was published in a local newspaper, which then captured the attention of Jarbas Agnelli. Using the exact location of the birds on the wire as notes, Agnelli created this musical video. He ended up being interviewed by the same newspaper that published the original [...]

Father of the Green Revolution, Norman Borlaugh, Dies at 95

Norman Ernest Borlaug, the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner for developing high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat used to prevent famine in developing countries throughout the world, died Saturday in Dallas of cancer. He was 95.

Multidrug-Resistant Staph Found on Puget Sound Beaches

Samples of sand and water from five beaches around the Puget Sound have tested positive for a multidrug resistant form of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. This potentially fatal strain of staph is resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it.