The Hairy Prone Companion

Why I hate facebook

2011-11-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

To all my reader(s), if you are wondering why I don't facebook it is because everytime I try I get messages like this or I inadvertently send everyone I know a message that their ex is searching for them. I log in so infrequently, the Malware is piling up at the login. Enlightening prose is not currently available. Please try again later.

Wrong, Again.

2011-11-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

The Maurizio Cattelan retrospective is up at the Guggie NY and press is everywhere, especially on the net! I wrote a book about his work back in 2005, and was interviewed about it by Drew Martin of The Museum of Peripheral Art.

R.I.P. Andy Rooney

2011-11-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

America's cushiest job just came to an end. We'll never forget you, Andy Rooney. You were the original video blogger.

America F**K Yeah!

2011-11-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

Another reason why America can't have nice things: Jian Sword Dancing. This must be how brother and sister work out their differences of opinion while visiting Gummy Yoko-Specs. The dog looks particularly psyched.

Le Filtrage

2011-11-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

Watch as noted French philosopher, Pierre Camembert, expounds on the transcendentalism of lane splitting as he commutes through London. Pierre was forced to emigrate to the land of potato-based foodstuffs when the Gendarmerie reminded him that filtering is, still, technically illegal in his native La Rochelle.

Le Filtrage - Free Riding from Oli333 on Vimeo.

Nanowrimo!

2011-11-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

I'm doing it! writing a novel in 30 days. 1662 words a day. Here's how: I am using two awesome programs that are both free (they have iPad counterparts that cost $ but not much) Mindnode a super easy mind mapping software for macs and MyWritingSpot a web based private blog that one can access on any computer. So far I have over 2k words per day... but it is only day two. Cheer me on!

Real Art

2011-10-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to say which Graduate Art School the above image is supposed to advertize, but I will say that the above portrait of the budding artist fills me with inertia. When did Art School (Or for that matter the art world) become such a parody of itself that it is no longer entertaining? The best comment overheard on the above image was that since the artist above weilds a drill, she must be responsible for screwing herself.

Peter Bagge, libertarian curmudgeon author of "Hate" comics sums it up pretty well in Reason Magazine under the alias of Mr. Grumpy .

Banks are burning...

2011-10-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

From the Los Angeles Times:

An L.A. artist who has taken to portraying banks afire via oil paintings has been visited not once, but twice, by the LAPD, who asked him if he "hates" banks and plans to act out his masterwork.

Well, maybe a interest by the boys and girls in blue is a Midas touch, because now the banks-ablaze paintings of Alex Schaefer, a 41-year-old from Eagle Rock, are going for big bucks on eBay.

In fact ...

... one of them is seeing bids of more than $10,000 on the auction site: This one (and you gotta love a title like "Chase Burning"):

In 1968, Ed Ruscha painted the LA County Museum On Fire, and today well, it is the banks.

Double Helix?

2011-10-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

I found these spiral staircases outside a Con/de - struction site in Malibu. They look so sculptural just by turning them sideways. Duchamp had it right: you don't need to do a lot to make something look like art.

Sometimes all it takes is tilting your head.

coffee mold

2011-10-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

I could do a blog to book of photos of the mold cultivated in coffee cups abandoned in my garage. Some terrific colors and textures here, no?

Teryaki 'n Stuff

2011-09-25T09:14:00.001-07:00

Teriyaki makes everything better. In Pasadena there is a great marquee pronouncing, "Teriyaki Nails," still, I can't believe this business failed!

Only in a smart car

2011-09-25T00:28:00.001-07:00

At my last trip to IKEA I figured out how to flip the seat on a SmartCar all the way down flush to the drivers seat making the interior like a postal route truck. Above a Home depot worker helpfully adds the required red flag.

Write the caption

2011-08-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

Saw this broken window discarded on the Los Angeles streets the other day, and it seems to express a whole lot more than it says on the surface.

If you lived here...

2011-08-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

If you lived here... You'd be sorry now. A new feature at the H.P.C.
I have been checking out some real estate pages lately just getting a feel as to whether we ought to take advantage of the low low prices available in Los Angeles in this new economy. And I've found some treasures:
Listed now for just over a quarter million dollars, is this fine property on E.Claremont Street in Pasadena CA.

Here's another deal in Pasadena: $120,000 at 278 Stanton street. They have done a nice job staging it for resale, but it still looks like a fixer upper to me.

China puts US on eBay

2011-08-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

BEIJING – Showing its impatience with the debt ceiling stalemate in Washington, China today took the extraordinary step of putting the United States of America on eBay.

In Beijing, the Chinese Finance Ministry said that it had considered waiting until August 2 to see if the US would ever pay back its multitrillion-dollar obligations, but ultimately decided to cut its losses.

With no bidders in the first 24 hours on eBay, China admitted that it would be challenging to unload the US, but it still held out hope that a buyer would step forward: “We’ve got our fingers crossed for Zuckerberg.”

At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said that he understood China’s decision to sell the US, but warned that a buyer would have to turn up on eBay before August 2: “After that, the Internet gets shut off.”

From the The Borowitz Report

Blame The Squire Right Brigadier Archedeacon of West Blogosphalia

2011-06-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

Shopping for items formerly owned by The Reverend Prebendary Viscountess of Pipsqueak? Southebys is her eBay!
Art Info has posted the auction house's "Title" pop-up menu; an exhaustive list of royalty preambles useful in summoning your next alibi.

No Exit

2011-06-02T18:14:00.001-07:00

I love institutional signage. I just hope no one gets confused here in an emergency as to where the exit is; it is clearly well labeled.

Tangible language

2011-05-26T15:50:00.001-07:00

Here's an awesome blog with assorted language-based art. "Language to be looked at and/or things to be read. Above is made by Kelly Mark. I wonder how big it is?

Will your pets be saved?

2011-05-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

After the Rapture, will your pets be saved? For only ten bucks, you can register them here!

Caucasion Hide?

2011-05-16T13:53:00.001-07:00

Chloé may wish to rename the color of this dress.
"Nude", um, may be a little, well, you know...

Gulp

2011-05-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

However much intended, this is still poetry. Super big gulp meets Hangover II. What really caught my notice was the fact that someone was too embarrassed to bring it into the Doctor's office, outside of which I found it abandoned.

Thorazine. It does a body good.

2011-05-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Vintage ads from Mental Hospitals Magazine rule.

"All I wanted was a Pepsi!

Just one Pepsi.

And she wouldn't give it to me.

Just a Pepsi."

Biker bar of the Month:

2011-05-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

You know those signs about the healthy habit of washing hands after using a restroom- especially for employees- especially at restaurants?

Well, what would you do when you visit the literally brick (dana-na-na na) house ajacent to the lunchcounter at which you just ate, and are greeted with this sink in which to wash up? I kind of hope that the cooks at Reyes Creek Bar and Grill in Maricopa CA, where I took these pictures just wipe e'm on the back of their trou real good.

Actually, the food was pretty good especially the Build-A-Burger which you can get with Bacon, Tri-tip, and a fried egg on it, served by a topheavy bartender who calls everyone "Darling," and smokes while taking your order. To get there, one has to cross many flooded roads, making it the perfect campground for someone, say in the witness protection program, provided that the three or more Swastikas burned into the bar don't turn the appetite.

Hafo/SaFo goes live

2011-05-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

That does it, some things in HaFoSaFo are too awesome for the Hairy Prone Companion, and so I am announcing a splinter blog of local reporting starting in about five minutes, when I push the "Publish Post" button.

Our neighborhood is defined by a landmark sign which has been featured in literature, and music. Named by Kelly Coyne (Mrs. Homegrown) of Root Simple, let this be the dawning of a new town. Our town. HaFoSaFo.

HaFoSaFo.com

Terrorist backlash or the Ghost of Christmas Past?

2011-05-05T15:04:00.001-07:00

Osama is dead, but we can't let up our vigilance for a second:

Santa may be still at large.
Never fear, our best and brightest boots are still on the ground.

Below is an unedited email I received from our boys in blue.

Advisory Message has been issued by the LAPD - Central Area.
Tuesday May 3, 2011 4:41 PM PDT
Bomb Squad Responded to 1st and Alameda Sts for suspicious device in a tree.
HE SAW SOMETHING; HE SAID SOMETHING
Around 12:30 pm today, May 3, 2011, a man was walking along 1st Street, east of Alameda Street, when he noticed a red object hanging from a string in a tree on the parkway. The man, a former-Marine, thought the top of the device resembled a hand grenade, while the exterior of the object appeared to be a red apple. Remembering the LAPD message of "See something; say something," he immediately called police. Using a specialized cannon, bomb technicians shot and broke apart the apple, which turned out to be made out of styrofoam, and later concluded there was NO explosive inside.
"After closer examination, it appears the object was a type of ornament, perhaps left over from the holidays," said Lt. Paul Vernon. "Even though there was no explosive, the former Marine did the right thing in reporting it. Better to be safe in these cases."
Traffic on Alameda Street was reopened at 3 PM, and 1st Street traffic was opened by 3:30 PM.
Summary prepared by Lt. Paul Vernon, 16:30 hours.
For full details, go to https://local.nixle.com/alert/4686658/?sub_id=371356.

Osama Dead

2011-05-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

Above is the screenshot following President Obama's announcement from the White House that Osama Bin Laden was dead. It seems more profound to me than an On Kawara Painting.

Steal like an artist

2011-04-11T17:07:00.001-07:00

This is a pretty inspirational powerpoint talk on why artist's steal. Guess what? Like it or not you are probably already a thief, and an artist. Just for reading this, which I stole from HERE

Denial; what is wrong with America.

2011-04-07T15:34:00.001-07:00

Moving can be many things, but never is it fun. I passed this mural on the outside of a BOX CITY on Westwood in Santa Monica. It pretty much summarizes my problem with the positive psychology movement. Some things just can't improve through performative denial.

On the other hand I suppose it pays to be up beat when you are anticipating living out of a cardboard box. Literally. Welcome to your New Home:

Which Labrador are you?

2011-04-07T15:33:00.001-07:00

Relational Aesthetics Explained

2011-03-31T09:21:00.001-07:00

Strong Ali G-style language (read NSFW) used by Hennesy Youngman in the above learnin' sesh 'bout some dudes who set up soup kitchens in galleries. Plus, introducing my next hero, Sexysaxogram Man, AKA Sergio Flores King of the Careless Whisper. Guilty feet have got no rhythm.

Did someone say Plutocracy?

2011-03-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

In case you are wondering what Plutocracy looks like check out the self-made documentary by fashion designer Bijan at Bijan.com under the tab About Bijan. Owner of the most expensive shop in Beverly Hills, the Iranian Designer has made entire wardrobes for the past four US Presidents, and well, he'll tell you himself...

Five-finger Prince

2011-03-30T15:50:00.001-07:00

Richard Prince finally got sued by a French photographer, Patrick Cariou for "appropriating" 41 images from a book of Rastafarian images that Cariou had compiled after 6 years of fieldwork. Prince did fiddly things with them like paint out the eyes, and collage in a guitar, but apparently not enough to transform or parody the original to please Court Judge Deborah Batts. Prince and Gagosian Gallery have been ordered to give all copies of Prince's appropriations to Cariou, even the 13 that they have sold already for 17 million.

I wonder what the long tail of this case may be. Will a less creepy artist like John Baldessari get into trouble as a result of this decision, or is this just an isolated case against a gallery as arrogant as Gagosian and an artist as inarticulate as Richard Prince (above). In any case, it looks like plutocracy ain't as popular as it once was.

Huff post has an interesting interview with Cariou here.

Easter Bunny?

2011-03-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Someone left a mystery box on my doorstep March 1st, maybe this is why we have so many eggs prior to easter: the March Hairy Prone Companion!

Chicken Little

2011-03-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a little guy just starting to get out of his egg.

Once all the feathers dry out, they seem to have the markings of a chipmunk. More likely, these eggs were laid by a chicken who just leaped into our yard about a month ago. She has been with us ever since, but isn't so much into brooding. She was fine to leave that up to the silkies.

Here is the proud Mother and her Other Mothers

So far, it looks like we have three new healthy chicks!

Signs of spring

2011-03-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Our chickens hatched an egg! Looks like the neighbor's rooster got busy that day he ran into our yard, about a month ago. Now we have even more hairy critters...

Postcards from Google Earth

2011-03-10T13:39:00.001-08:00

Google Earth does cool things to bridges. Clement Valla has posted a great collection of screenshots called Postcards from Google Earth that are really awesome. (best seen with firefox browser)

Urban Homestead

2011-02-28T11:03:00.001-08:00

Urban Homestead, urban homestead, URBAN HOMESTEAD! Urban Homestead. Urban homestead? Urban Homestead. Join the day of Action: “Urban Homestead”: Trademark Complaints and Misinformation Lead to Improper Takedowns.

Pencil vs Camera by Belgian artist Ben Heine

2011-02-24T08:26:00.001-08:00

Part MC Escher, and part Vic Muniz, Ben Heine had got a simple method for making really funny and beautiful art, the kind that even your kids will understand. It motivates me to play with SketchBook Pro, a digital drawing program from Autodesk. There is a free version SketchBook Express, available for Mac on the App Store if you are all up to date and running with the SnowLeapards. If you can, with a clean conscience, tell them you are in college, Autodesk will let you have a three-year free access to all their software! Including AutoCAD, Maya, etc. just join the Education Community!

Shinya Kimura

2011-02-01T09:39:00.001-08:00

Shinya Kimura makes nice motorcycles. His shop is out in Azusa and he has a beautiful collection of builds on his website that include a 1914 Excelsior, some old Harleys, Yamahas, etc. Below is a 1957 Triumph build called "Needle".

Shinya designed the bike below from what apears to be a brand new Ducati Superbike:
Giant Robot is curating a show called Zen Garage which is on display at the Japanese American National Museum, 369 East First Street, Los Angeles, California 90012. One of Kimura's builds "Spike" constructed from a 1946 Harley Davidson is on display until Feb. 13. The thing actually breathes visible fire. I am so psyched to check it out this weekend!

Invisible

2011-02-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

INVISIBLE from Steve Lambert on Vimeo.

Steve Lambert makes good text.

I Wrote a Book!

2011-01-24T13:42:00.000-08:00

OMG, I wrote a book! Seeing it on Amazon gives me a kind of a kick. All you Hairy Prone Companions out there, feel free to review and comment all you like. It is better to be talked about than being a deaf mute locked in a sound proof room, as my aged relatives never said. Well, check it out, and if the price seems a little stiff to you (!), email me, and I should be able to extend the HP Companion's discount to anyone who promises to comment on the Amazon site. Don't feel like you have to read it or anything, It would be enough just to blurt out whatever comes to mind.
Guess I had a book inside me afterall. More info is available at the publisher's site: VDM

Sarah Palin, Skunk Hunter

2011-01-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

Is there anything more sad than the loyalty of a long abused family pet? Maybe this:

Good-Bye Oak Grove.

2011-01-13T11:30:00.001-08:00

Daryl Hannah protested at a candle light vigil outside the Arcadia Woodlands, soon to be know as the Arcadia landfill. Despite many alternatives, and a huge public outcry, LA's Department of Public Works decided to bulldoze 11 acres of the national park, including at least 179 Oak Trees because they needed a sand pit to empty out silt collecting behind the Santa Anita dam.

If you have ever been up there, it is pretty clear that there is lots of area in which they could have dumped this sand, but a hasty decision was made, and now in less that 24 hours, irreplaceable trees hundreds of years old are being chipped just for being in the way. Local bloggers have covered the atrocity pretty well here at the Arcadia Patch, to include some of the video shot by veteran tree sitter John Quigley.

Artist Andrea Bowers was one of the four people sitting in the trees when the forest got leveled all around them. I have yet to hear how police "negotiated" the protesters down yesterday evening, but it is a shame that more consideration and attention was given to the alternatives the Dept. of Public Works must have had. To chop down one oak tree, a civilian is fined at least $1600.00. Furthermore, they could have harvested that wood instead of chipping it. Sadly, due to bad bureaucratic policy, everyone lost yesterday.

Flashmob in Brussels

2011-01-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

"I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride it where I like." Freddy Mercury would be proud. Click here to play video of a flashmob last August in the Brussels train station.

Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree

2010-12-29T17:16:00.001-08:00

I don't know what is more depressing, the fact that someone designed, manufactured (in China) and marketed Charlie Brown's pathetic Christmas Tree, or that no one bought any. Now that Christmas is past they are on sale for half-price. Good grief!

Lexicography is sexy

2010-12-23T11:51:00.001-08:00

Marina Orlova makes me want to take English as a second language. Despite a heavy accent, she teaches Etymology and Philology in a series of videos on the net, all while looking like a pornstar. Technically SFW, and educational, she might be able to keep the attention of some folks who go to sleep in grammar class. Ever wonder about the origins of Christmas? or Mistletoe?

109 cats in sweaters

2010-12-13T14:26:00.000-08:00

109 Cats in sweaters; exactly what the internet is for. I dare you to look at all of these and not once laugh.

Fresh Kittens

2010-12-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Thinkery has harvested a fresh crop of kittens from the hood. Anyone want one?

Halleluja!

2010-12-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

All I want for Christmas is a flash mob. This one happened in a mall near Niagara-on-the-Lake, a few weeks ago. Proof that the best things in life are not only not things but also free... even in the mall food court.
Click here to cheer up.

HaFo/SaFo

2010-12-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

Good to see our local landmark is getting some recognition. Boing Boing reposted Kelly's Coyne's awesome post from Homegrown Revolution. I just want a t-shirt now. Our no-man's land between Silver Lake and Echo Park has been contetiously nicknamed "The Snake Pit" (during the Rampart Police Scandal), or "Baja Silverlake" (by real-estate brokers claiming it as a peninsula technically within the zip code. It looks like Echo Park, but real Echo Parkays tole me I's best not to be Frontin' wid 'em, Yo. So where do we live? HaFo/SaFo! (Happy Foot/Sad Foot)

Dressing The Dog for Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T14:58:00.001-08:00

I can't swear for sure which way the above critter is facing. The Huffington Post has the 13 most-adorable-dogs-dressed-as-turkeys Contest results posted HERE.

Skid Row Bucket Gardening

2010-11-11T13:58:00.001-08:00

The new smart community garden is mobile. Check out these folks teaching the homeless in Skid Row how to grow their own on rooftops in Downtown LA. Not only are they growing food, but also catnip for sale to local pet salons. Too bad Prop 19 didn't pass, or they could be growing something with much more street value. LA Times has an article on the project here.
Yep, that's Anne in the picture.

Garfunkel and Oates

2010-10-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Gotta shout out for my new favorite musical talent; the duo Garfunkel and Oates. Check out their videos here most of it is NSFW so best to plug in the headphones if you are at work. Especially I Don't Understand Job!

This is the Army... Game.

2010-10-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Why join, when you can play for a quarter? I saw this arcade game in The Burbank Fuddruckers. The website has a disclaimer "The presence of logos, URLs or other information identifying private companies or other non-federal agencies does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense." but there is a direct link to a recruiting office. There is something really weird about this. I smell abuse of tax funds.
Even more F**d up, is the Graphic Novel you can read online: now two issues strong:

Foreclosure Garden Coverage Airs Nationwide

2010-10-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Anne Hars was on KCRW this Saturday talking about her Foreclosure Gardening project!
Listen to the interview on Good Food here (scroll forward to minute 50.30)

Remember this story from back in April?

Stop lookin at my Moms!

2010-10-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

This little pistol of awesomeness shamelessly stolen from Boing Boing
Like most of this blog...

Hairy Sitting Companions

2010-09-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

I ran across this awesome portrait of a dog and his human.
Just look at it!

Color IQ

2010-09-27T13:41:00.001-07:00

Ever wonder if you are a little bit color blind? X-Rite has a test to test your color IQ- and compare it to others in your age range. Just rearrange the blocks in order of hue.

[Half Speed] Judge Judy: The Toliet

2010-09-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

Half speed video makes everyone sound wasted. Then again, maybe everyone already was wasted.

Want

2010-09-13T22:49:00.001-07:00

Someone buy this bike so I don't have to- Call Chris at 213-500-4626. It sits by the dogpark in Silverlake teasing me. First it was 5k, next week it was 4.5 this week 4k. This economy is really sad when a 76 Triumph 750, running and registered can't sell for that. This bike is really clean. Some non stock add ons here and there Like a funky car oil filter spliced in, but the engine shows no signs of leaking.

Unhappy Hipsters

2010-09-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

"They’d become the people they’d never wanted to be: bitter, witholding, consumed by the trappings of upper middle class life. In other words—their parents."

This, and some thirty-something pages of snarf-inducing captions to modernist lifestyle images found at Unhappy Hipsters.

I LOVE WORK

2010-09-01T09:22:00.001-07:00

Somedays I have to just say, I LOVE MY JOB. Above is an image taken by my co-worker Lillian Elaine Wilson as I work on Walker Evans' little known African mask photographs. Lillian has been shooting in traffic (her camera {this being Los Angeles and all}) and has a show up now at Irene Carlson Gallery in The University of La Verne.

Electric Fixie

2010-08-27T15:35:00.001-07:00

I don't know if this is behind the curve, or over the top, but it seems like an unlikely enough mash up to be kind of cool. An electric fixie is being manufactured in Austrailia by Solarbike and sold in the USA for $1890.00 by EzRider. Solarbike has a page where they list all the failed attempts they have made to charge their lithium batteries using solar panels. Having been ripped off by Chinese companies so you don't have to, and spending thousands on burning up lithium batteries, they do offer two functional system for $1150-$1590. There is no doubt that you will be the only one on your block with this rig, but actually it kind of makes sense. With the electric assist you don't really need all those gears...

Inter special love

2010-08-15T10:16:00.001-07:00

the Fig thief... But she does do her part grooming the dogs.

Harley-Davidson

2010-08-04T08:25:00.001-07:00

I love this ad from 1931: "Join the good fellows who spend their play hours on Harley-Davidsons - free as skylarks, and as gay."
Here's another one from 1962:Not quite the Sonny Barger image portrayed in Hell's Angel or Ruben "Doc" Cavazos in Honor Few, Fear None. Reputation aside, I still want one.

Nice work if you can get it

2010-07-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what passes for an expense for a Military Contractor?
David H. Brooks, Chairman and CEO of a body-armor firm reportedly used his expense account to pay for "pornographic videos for his son, plastic surgery for his wife, a burial plot for his mother, prostitutes for his employees, and, for him, a $100,000 American-flag belt buckle encrusted with rubies, sapphires and diamonds."
Brooks made it rich through fat military contracts, was obsessed with the idea of creating a "memory-erasing pill," and badgered a veterinarian for help designing one. This and other revelations of his taxpayer-funded eccentricities in a NYT bombshell today.

Solid Potato Salad

2010-07-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the Contortionist Ross Triplets scat about "Solid Potato Salad," you can't rightly say you have seen one of the freakiest videos on the internet.

Stupid, but not that stupid.

2010-06-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

Errol Morris writes eloquently on why this world is full of so much stupidity in his 5 part New York Times interview The Anosognosics Dilemma. Opening with a story of a bank robber too stupid to know he is stupid (he rubbed lemon juice on his face and thought it made him invisible), it leads to a study of what Donald Rumsford famously touted as "Unknown unknowns." Self-delusion in everyday life. Anosognosia is defined as a condition in which a person who suffers from a disability seems unaware of or denies the existence of his or her disability. [11]

Retard Art

2010-06-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

Check out this interview with Chris Sharp speaking about what he terms "Retard Art", like say a 2x4 with pictures of cars glued to it.

I have heard this trend called many things: Jens Hoffman dubbed it "Unmonumental," opening the Newest New Museum of Contemporary Art in NY with just enough to showcase the architecture without too much distraction. Me, I call it derelique. The conversation is with Joseph Leiberman, Not the Vice Prez, but the creator of the piece above titled "Hypoxic Event." Sharp brilliantly summarizes the Diesel ad campaign "Be Stupid" in one paragraph:

"As for the Diesel ad—yes, it is most maddening. Anytime I saw it in a recent trip to New York, I was consumed with a kind of outrage and humiliation. Why is that? I think it was because it made me feel quite powerless. Because it, as a marketing strategy, seemed so invulnerable and straightjacketing. But what made it so invulnerable and straightjacketing? A diabolical, understated awareness that it is telling “us” to do something “we” are already doing (taking it for granted that “we,” whoever “we” are, are all willfully and gleefully on the short bus, thereby creating this scenario of bogus complicity); moreover, we were doing it because it was supposedly the last form of resistance available to us (i.e., Josh Smith), and now Diesel has colonized even that corner of the room (normally reserved for, yes, the dunce), depriving us of that last precious modicum of imbecility. And what’s worse, Diesel knows it—knows that this is being taken away and that this knowledge, which functions as ersatz irony, supposedly makes it okay and absolves them of the act."

You can read the whole interview here: http://www.artlies.org/article.php?id=1888&issue=66&s=0

Jesus struck by lightning

2010-06-17T09:59:00.001-07:00

Dear God,
Please show us a sign to let us know if we are going in the right direction.
Thanks,
-the evangelical Solid Rock Church.

High Speed Video awesomeness

2010-06-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Watching the incredible digital slow mo camera stuff from Intellectual Ventures is like being in shock, without any of the danger. Water balloons and fire breathing slowed to 1/50 real time. 6000 frames per second.

Louis Armstrong's Death Metal "What a Wonderful World"

2010-06-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

Dig The Residents' Version of Elvis Presley's "Teddy Bear"? Check this out. Louis is Back from the Dead!

Interview with Drew

2010-06-04T11:25:00.001-07:00

Drew Martin, the artist who we last hosted at the Thinkery interviewed me about my artwork on his blog, the Museum Of Peripheral Art. Check me out!

Gang tour bus???

2010-06-03T08:52:00.001-07:00

For the last six months, an L.A. company, LA Gang Tours, has been offering tours of the city's hottest gang spots, including the county jail, the birthplace of the Black Panther Party and a lab where graffiti artists ply their trade. The tours are priced at $65 and, along with seeing the sights, polo shirt-wearing tourists can also take photos with reformed gang members and ask them questions about the thug life. To make sure tourists get a taste of the gang life without all the pesky violent crime that can mar a rating on Yelp or TripAdvisor, Lomas has negotiated a cease-fire agreement with the gangs, guaranteeing that the tour bus can roll through the streets of South Central without risk of a carjacking or drive-by shooting.

Blurb book of Thinkery show

2010-05-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

UNDER THE HOOD by Drew Martin | Make Your Own Book

Drew Martin at the Thinkery

2010-05-20T08:37:00.001-07:00

Many thanks to Drew Martin of the Museum of Peripheral Art for his weekend exhibition at the Thinkery. Expertly and locally sourced, with a bare minimum of infrastructure, Martin's project showcased the vision and perspective of the artist and the personalities of his subjects rather than the hackneyed inverse. Too often high profile galleries exhibit artists for their forceful personalities, as they tackle loaded topics too politically correct to criticize. Martin and Miles, his photo assistant (seen above,) flew into Los Angeles, and shot 200 images in the neighborhood of the Thinkery between breakfast and lunch, developed the film at a local pharmacy, and exhibited them all on a clothesline that evening. His subjects were all invited to take their own pictures for free. Black and white books will be available online as a yearbook of the time and place.
See more here at the MOPA

What oil spill? medtiation as active denial

2010-05-11T12:51:00.001-07:00

Carl Fuermann who works in the University of Colorado’s registrar’s office claims to be able to use his telekinetic powers to fix things - like his friend's Flip camera - using only his meditation practice and intentional experimentation. Flip may want to contact him to save a bundle in customer service, but it may be too late, as Carl is currently, um, at work, trying to seal the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The basic concept is to try and get as many people to visualize that the valve is actually functioning and is working and closing." Isn't that the job of BP's PR? It stands to reason that if you can fix a cheap consumer good, you must be able to extend your dominion beyond the scientists and engineers and their silly robotic submarines. Meanwhile, can you concentrate real hard and see if you can get me into the classes I want next semester.

From Colorado Daily

LA is # 1

2010-04-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

LA Wins Again! Still the Nations #1 smoggiest city, admits the LA Times, with an average of more than 140 days a year of dangerous ozone levels, the American Lung Assn. reported Wednesday in its annual assessment.

New Cuyama

2010-04-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Rode to New Cuyama this weekend. Nice sign.

Low Ri Duh.

2010-04-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Saw this bike parked outside Atlantis Motors on Sunset. It actually has a license plate, and I saw it drive away. It has one mirror, a dental mirror welded onto the left handlebar. Triumph twin motor. The seat is about 16 inches off the ground, (without any weight on it...) Wow.

Foreclosure Gardening

2010-04-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

What to do with that Bank-Owned Property that has been collecting empty beer suitcases and thistles? Why not plant a Cut-And-Run Garden? Let's face it, the paperwork and legal bureaucracy that it would take to establish a community garden in any of these plots is harder than just doing the planting and watering. And, I haven't seen the bank doing much to occupy, sell, or maintain these properties.Rather than seeing this land deplete all of our property values due to poor stewardship and neglect, some locals are planting what has come to be known as a Cut-And-Run Garden.Since the South Central Gardeners were shooed away from Los Angeles two years ago, it became clear that even protected community gardens were not really that protected. Far better to diversify the risk by planting on several properties. If one gets shut down, cut your losses and run. If one doesn't get shut down, well then cut your veggies and flowers and run. These days the Victory Garden may not be possible, but it is never too late to cut and run!

IPad; best cat toy ever?

2010-04-14T12:51:00.001-07:00

If you won't buy one for yourself, for god's sake, buy one for the cat. Yes, Apple has made a cat toy even more expensive and more captivating than earbuds. I recommend scratch proof film for this one.

Thinkery rises again

2010-04-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Drew Martin, Director of the Museum Of Peripheral Art will be exhibiting peripherally at the Thinkery on May 15th. His last Under the Hood project focused on his local New Jersey neighborhood, culminating in a Garden Party and beautiful Print on Demand Book.
Drew is an amazing photographer of people, but what is more amazing is his ability to meet people and have them open themselves up to him instantly.
The coolest thing about this project is that all the pictures are going to be taken 24 hours before the show, and then the subjects are going to all be invited to the exhibit. "The neighbors are all invited to come, have some wine & cheese, etc. and are all supposed to take their pictures home with them at the end of the show or, if they choose, destroy them on the spot."

insane cat love

2010-04-12T16:03:00.001-07:00

Write your own captions here folks - but if you ask me, them cats is getting into a little hanky panky.

Vintage motorcycle rally Sunday-

2010-04-08T16:41:00.001-07:00

Atlantis Motor Corp. in Silverlake is havin' a party 12-6 on Sunday April 11 on Sunset. There will be Photos of Motors, over 100 Vintage bikes, and a keg of Beer. Rumor has it the Cretin Motorcycle club will be there too...

Zombie Jesus

2010-04-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend commemorated Jesus Christ's miraculous resurrection, otherwise known as Zombie Jesus Day . It was pointed out to me that Christ is the original Zombie, back from the dead, to consume your brain. I don't know why it never occurred to me to put together the Easter Bunny and all those pastel colored eggs with the flesh ripping undead before, but thanks to someone on the Uncyclopedia... it seems obvious.

Teabonics brings Engrish to America

2010-03-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought the English Language had been through the wringer with the site Engrish.com, a warehouse of bastardized Asian/English signage, but apparently the Tea Party has brought the tradition home, liberating all from proper spelling and diction with the introduction of an entirely new dialect: Teabonics. This flickr set has so many horribly badly misspelled protest signs (all stammering to make their xenophobic points about education) that it's hard to believe they aren't intentional. Someone tell me this is an April fools joke, and not just a bunch of fools in April.

@ MoMA

2010-03-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Breaking new ground, MoMA's Department of Architecture and Design have "acquired" the @ dingbat to their collection. It is a curious time when conceptual art actions and April Fool's pranks come so close together, it can be hard to tell the difference. For instance Jonathon Keats project Plant TV written about in this week's New Yorker is both absurd and provocative. He has made a video for plants who might like to travel, but lack the means. Visitors are encouraged to bring their houseplants into the gallery to watch a 6.5 minute video loop showing "a beautiful Italian sky, which passes into night, complete with romantic Italian moon, and then returns to dawn." Keats got his start making Porn for Plants - titillating moving images of bees pollinating Zinnias.

EEG By hand

2010-03-29T09:33:00.001-07:00

Build your own EEG at Machine Projects using Arduino electronics and Open Source software.

5 Cute Black Chicks

2010-03-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are my new hairy companions. They say, "eep, eep."

first sign of spring

2010-03-16T16:51:00.001-07:00

Bigwig the house hen's chicks are starting to hatch! Bigwig the already famous Chickitten from the story on KCal, has finally produced a natural brood thanks to some free love from Rooster Charlie (he's the cock-eyed one below on the right)I am sure we will have more to follow - maybe even video of the actual hatching!!!

Please don't talk during the film

2010-03-10T22:02:00.001-08:00

Alrighty, that does it, I am never going to a movie in Los Angeles again. Not only is it annoying to listen to kids talk all the way through it, apparently it can be deadly to tell them to behave. The LA Times reported today that a man was stabbed in the neck with a meat thermometer for trying to get some lady to stop talking ON HER CELL PHONE during a screening of Shutter Island.

The front fell off.

2010-03-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

This YouTube Video of Australian Comedy duo John Clarke and Brian Dawe is more deadpan than the YesMen. It reminds me of the quality standards for certain automobile manufacturers.

Poop Tea

2010-03-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Authentic Haven Brand in San Juan Capistrano is selling manure teabags. Haven manure teabags are sold online here, 3 for $12.95, 9 for $21.95.
There are other brands of manure tea, owner Annie Haven says. Some sell worm casting tea, chicken manure tea. Some sell it in large bags, but pre-brewed tea doesn’t last because it loses nutrients, insists Haven. “I’m growing my green business in this brown economy.”
Oh, and don't drink it: it's fertilizer for your lawn.

WANT

2010-02-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

Your JetPack has arrived: If anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas, this is the ultimate commuter rig. So what if it only gets 10 miles per gallon? The first commercially available jetpack is on sale from Martin Aircraft Company, in Christchurch, New Zealand for only 50,000 pounds, or $76,265.00, US. Best part is, you don't even need a licence!

$11,590 dog collar

2010-02-17T08:58:00.002-08:00

A dog collar that belonged to Charles Dickens has fetched $11,590 at a New York City auction. The leather and brass collar is inscribed with Dickens' name. It had been estimated to sell for $4,000 to $6,000. The buyer's name was not immediately disclosed. The collar was auctioned Tuesday at Bonhams New York's sale of dog art. Like many Victorians, the author of "David Copperfield" and "A Tale of Two Cities" was fond of dogs. Last year, an ivory-and-gold toothpick that belonged to Dickens sold for $9,150 at auction.

-- Associated Press

Freud & Hitler connection

2010-02-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

According to the Telegraph, Sigmund Freud was a patron of Adolph Hitler's painting. Richard Westwood-Brookes, from Mullock's auctioneers, is selling the painting with a pre-sale estimate of up to 10,000 pounds. On the reverse are the Italian words: "Studio Medico Sigmund Freud Vienne." The vendor is from Italy and the sale in Ludlow, Shropshire, takes place on March 2.

La Casa Del Tunnel

2010-02-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

Anne & I participated in the show Pe rforming Public Space this weekend just over the border in Tijuana at La Casa Del Tunnel. It is so close to the border, the Gallery literally used to have a tunnel under it. We set up an Oxygen Garden and a touch-screen kiosk with information about which plants can help clean the air and reverse the Oxygen to Carbon dioxide transformation that human beings tend to perform. The info is up on the web here, and is based on B.C. Wolverton's research for NASA. Basicly, they figured out one could keep a human alive for a really long time in a really big bell jar (or space station), if they had a certain number of the right kind of plants. We first heard about this info from the TED talk below from Kamal Meattle who has applied this research to a large HVAC system for office parks in India.

A Defense of Loose-Synapsed Moments: Towards a Typology of Convergences

2010-02-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

Lawrence Wescheler is speaking at The Getty on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 4:00 p.m. in the Museum Lecture Hall and I am totally going. I am still lecturing at cocktail parties to fascinated audiences about his last talk on Vermeer in Bosnia (2004). This one is called:
A Defense of Loose-Synapsed Moments:
Towards a Typology of Convergences
Reservations are required and this will probably fill up. Email reservations@getty.edu for free tickets.
From The Getty's blurb: __________________________________________________________________

For the past decade, in the National Book Critics Circle Award winning "Everything that Rises: A Book of Convergences," and in the ongoing contest that book spawned on the Mcsweeneys.net website (google: Convergence contest), Lawrence Weschler has been exploring the way images (principally, but poems, musical themes, etc. as well) set a context for the reception of subsequent instances. We see by way of what we have already seen. We create by our entire prior sensorium. In this talk, Weschler will consider a spectrum of such convergent effects, from apophenia (the tendency of humans to see patterns where none exist) through co-causation, fractalization, influence (forward and backward, direct and unconscious), homage, apprenticeship, allusion, quotation, appropriation, cryptonesia (verbatim appropriation without realizing you're doing so), through outright plagiarism... Fun for the entire family.
Lawrence Weschler's book Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences will be for sale at this event. The author will be available to sign books after the event.

Vigilante renegade sign bandit

2010-02-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

Laist.com covered an interesting bit of street art- someone has been putting fake violations stickers on Fuel Outdoor's Poster sized signs that break the 2002 city off-site sign ban.

Tibby Rothman caught up with the actual renegade sign bandit for an interview at LA WEEKLY