sundance

Green tech finds (2/10/11)

Pyramid power, flying yachts, and solar soup… your green tech finds for the week.

• Rent a Volt: St. Louis-based Enterprise Rent-a-Car now offers the Chevy Volt for rental at its Ontario, California branch.
  
  
• The case for building efficiency: Energy efficiency measures aren’t as sexy as solar panels, but Heather Clancy shows how they’re paying off… which makes the Obama administration’s Better Building Initiative a smart move in today’s political climate.
  
  

Drinking Bud

In news of the only-seen-in-the-movies variety, Canna Cola is set to launch THC-infused soda drinks in the US in the coming days. Sold not at 7-11 but rather at medical marijuana dispensaries across the country, and with flavors like Sour Diesel, Doc Weed, Canna Cola, Grape Ape, and Orange Kush, they’re anything but medical in [...]

Neon art: Beauty/Buy/Eat

The Internet was loving this neon art blogged by Kottke. Titled “Operators Are Standing By,” Jean Bevier created this piece that flashes between “Buy” and “Eat” in the word “Beauty.” It works on so many deep levels. Speaking of GIF images, I may have mentioned this before but it’s worth mentioning again how much I [...]

Naked News: Man boobs are taking over the world

• Breast reduction surgery…for men increased 28% in the U.K. last year.
  
  
• On a possibly related note, a new study of single people shows gender roles reversing, with women desiring more independence in relationships and men more keen for marriage and kids.
  
  

Faces of people flying

When people fly, they always focus on the vast view out of their small passenger window and often their photographs reflect that. In the limited confines of a commercial airplane filled with dour passengers looking ahead there aren’t many photographic opportunities except for that sunset or cloud formation, which would be brilliant and unique if [...]

Tweet from the grave

The 20 best concept designs of 2010 were recently named by the Red Dot Design Museum. Some really smart ideas made the list, like A-Check by Jung Eun Park (pictured below), a thermometer-like device you can insert into food to see if it contains common food allergens like milk, eggs or nuts – a must-have for eating out.

By far the strangest design to make the top 20 is the E-Tomb, “a tombstone that allows mourners to access the deceased’s online life and leave messages, anecdotes, pictures and logs that can be shared amongst family and friends.” Maybe this should be the grave marker for those who are definitely going to hell, because I can’t think of a better form of never-ending punishment and eternal damnation than all those meaningless tweets about Kanye West’s latest misstep or another one of Lady Gaga’s pantsless public appearances following you to the grave. In other words, make sure to untag yourself from any unsavory party pics on Facebook because your children and your grandchildren might just see it one day and stop leaving you flowers.

Urban beekeeping project aimed at Philadelphia’s underserved youth

As an educational tool, beekeeping has a lot to recommend it: students keeping hives get a direct education in the complex relationships of natural systems, and insight into food production. Added lessons may focus on bees’ creation of around $15 billion in added crop value, or the fact that “about one mouthful in three in the diet directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination.” And, finally, they’ll pick up a skill with economic value as demand for local honey is very strong.

The Woodland Community Apiary in Western Philadelphia plans to teach all of these lessons and more as a part of its youth beekeeping project.

New York Fashion Week coverage!

We’ve got you covered for New York Fashion Week.  Are you ready for the run down? Check back each day for our exclusive New York Fashion Week coverage beginning this Friday and all weekend over on Full Frontal Fashion, including show reviews and exclusive photos. Watch all of our exciting fashion films and series over [...]

The king’s real speech

THE KING’S SPEECH, a biopic starring Colin Firth playing the role of King George VI has been nominated for an impressive 12 Oscars. For those that just woke up from a Rip Van Winkle nap and have not heard of this film, the story centers around his relationship with a speech therapist who helps him [...]

Sexual harassment in stock photo form

The Hairpin has a hilarious collection of sexual harassment stock imagery up on their site right now. By this here I don’t mean to make fun of sexual harassment in the workplace. What I am poking fun at is the HR teams that created these campaigns, the actors who hammed it up way too much, [...]

George Washington’s beer recipe

From the New York Public Library’s Manuscripts and Archives division is this handwritten beer recipe written by George Washington, our founding imbiber. If you can’t read his olden time cursive writing here’s a translation: To Make Small Beer Take a large siffer [Sifter] full of bran hops to your taste. Boil these 3 hours. Then [...]

Robin Williams solo show at PPOW gallery

Robin Williams (no relation to the actor) is one of those rare artists who is enjoying her youth as well as a fair amount of recognition, especially when you consider the fact that she had her first solo exhibition just three years ago and is only 26-years-old. Her latest solo exhibition, “Rescue Party” is technicolor bright and dreamy and strange, and it’s on view now at PPOW’s new location in NY.

Brits to offer green jobs training nationwide

Here in the US, community colleges are often at the forefront of training for emerging career fields… and we’ve seen that happening with various forms of green technology. That happens on a system-by-system basis here; in the UK, however, they’re taking green job training nationwide with the launch of the new National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies.

Best 3-minute argument for gay marriage ever

Passionate, eloquent, convincing, short and to the point — this is a defense of gay marriage made for the Internet. Zach Wahls,  a 19-year-old University of Iowa engineering student, spoke out before the Iowa House of Representatives last week against a resolution which would end civil unions in that state by describing his life with [...]

ORGASM INC will raise a stink

I probably know less about female orgasms than anyone on the planet—even former boy band members–but Liz Canner knows a lot about them, even more than pharmaceutical companies do.

In fact, when she took on a job editing erotic videos for such a company’s drug trials in their attempt to market a female Viagra, Canner’s intellectual G spot was awakened and she realized the bizarre situation she’d landed in needed to be a documentary.

The strongly executed result, Orgasm Inc, is an alarming look at the way big business tries to manipulate the public by creating diseases, then marketing the supposed cure.

On the eve of the film’s February 11 opening in New York and Chicago (before it goes to L.A. and DVD), I spoke with Canner about her orgasmic achievement.

Vimeo of the Week: Tahrir Square, Cairo, Feb 1 2011

Tahrir Square, Cairo, Feb 1 2011 from Oliver Wilkins on Vimeo. The world is watching Egypt. Television news and newspapers are covering the uprising daily, hourly. Yet it was the above film, shot on February 1, 2011, is the most powerful image I’ve seen of the protests. In it a series of signs, and the [...]

Boy behind the Darth Vader mask

The cute Volkswagen “mini-Vader” commercial which aired during this year’s Super Bowl gained a lot of buzz leading up to, during, and after the game. The nation did a collective “awww” when Max Page, 6, the child actor behind the Vader mask was revealed. The Internet was also quick to point out Max’s mini-resemblance to [...]

Pixar cast reunion for Vanity Fair

To accompany a recent spotlight in Vanity Fair of Pixar, the powerhouse animation studio produced this reunion picture of all alumni of Pixar films. The image was inspired by J. R. Eyerman’s iconic photograph of moviegoers watching a 3D film. Pixar’s Bob Pauley and Guido Quaroni discuss the challenges of composing this picture from getting the tone (“They don’t live in the same world, so we had to achieve this without making our teeth hurt.”) to the technical scale right.

Swords to plowshares: Vets train for sustainable agriculture careers

According to the USDA, half of all US farmers will likely retire in the next decade. You might expect recruitment of new farmers to occur with organizations like the Future Farmers of America, or the 4H Club (and it is)… but the military? Yep… numerous programs around the country are targeting veterans for training in sustainable agriculture.

Still Faithful

I really have my sister Angie to blame for my homosexuality. Maybe not entirely. But I am sure she had a hand in it. Because the year was 1987 and she was a George Michael die-hard. She made me, and our entire house, dance to Michael’s album Faith. Looking back through time it’s obvious that Michael and I were nelly, nelly queens in 1987. But that was a different time. And a different place. And the world’s most famous homosexual was actually a straight sex symbol.

Naughty ABC books

Ross Horsley’s debut book “My First Dictionary” is essentially an appropriation of the of the 1977 “The Giant Picture Dictionary for Boys and Girls.” He uses the same G-rated illustrations but adds his own adults-only definitions. For example, the original picture for Nine is of nine Valentine’s Day cards. Horsley’s text reads, “Heather has nine Valentines. One from each of the seven boys she slept with this week. And two girls.”

Pretty weak in terms of shock value and imagination. It’s nowhere near as brilliant as Shel Silverstein’s 1961 “Uncle Shelby’s ABZ Book,” which relies less on cringe-inducingly obvious sex-related humor a la Horsley and more on Silverstein’s trademark deviously clever black humor. Both books are explicitly for adult eyes only, but Horsley’s audience apparently still thinks discovering that a woman is a lesbian is shocking and hilarious whereas Silverstein adult readers are, well, adults.

A saucy — but not too saucy — Valentine’s Day gift

We know that some of you probably have the kind of relationship with your partner, friends, siblings — even parents? too much? — where a trusty Rabbit Habit, or perhaps even an oversized, double-ended dildo, is an acceptable Valentine’s Day present. And then there are those of you who’d like to move beyond chocolates, but [...]

Egyptian protesters’ improvised helmets

Over at this German news website is this photo gallery of the various improvised helmets and protective gear worn by Egyptian protesters to protect themselves against pro-Mubarak forces. [Via]

THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE, out now on Criterion

Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski made THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE towards the end of his long and illustrious career, and while fans will see similarities to his earlier works in terms of pacing and mood, VERONIQUE marked an arresting departure towards a deeply meditative, supremely metaphysical space. Though VERONIQUE offers little in the way of plot, it’s a hypnotic and thoroughly moving masterpiece.

Skeletor Saves!

I am really excited to be curating my first ever art show! Benefitting the Ali Forney Center in NYC, a homeless shelter for gay, lesbians, and trans youth, the show will feature the art of some well known folks from music, fashion, porn, and art. We’re calling it Skeletor Saves, as all the artwork must be inspired by He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the homoerotic toy and TV series from the 1980s.

Official info on the night is below as is the list of contributors. Mark your calendars. Get some art. And help some gay kids in NYC. That a Win-Win! Info:

Skeletor Saves is a collective charity show with work from top artists based on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. All proceeds will benefit the Ali Forney Center in New York City, a shelter for homeless gay, bi and transgendered youth.

Sponsored by Slick It Up and Aaron Cobbett and curated by Brian Moylan, Bradford Shellhammer, and David Mason

April 7 2011, 7-10PM Headquarters Studios, NYC