| Insomnia's Friends 20 most recent entries |
Been working hard to finish up my projects. I have a bunch of cartoons that I've been submitting to the New Yorker which I might collect together in a book. The Bible Project is coming along nicely. The kids book is drawn and just needs to be colored. I have a bunch of dirty comics that I did for the Onion that could make a good little book. And if the Too Much Coffee Man Omnibus is finished - just a tiny bit of polish and it'll be printed.... lots of good stuff. In the meantime
Food, refreshments and massage will be available.
New work by Renetta Sitoy The Royal NoneSuch Gallery is excited to present The Names Project, new work by Renetta Sitoy. The artist collected from memory over 500 names of people from her past and created a mixed media installation that explores the mind’s limitations in re-creating histories, as well as the extent to which the internet can aid and extend one's memory.
Genevieve Quick presents Scopes and Scapes, a combination of carefully crafted sculptures and drawings exploring past and future ways of looking. In Building it Up to Tear it Down, Lacey Jane Roberts presents a large scale, hand-woven, colorful razor wire and cyclone crank-knitted fence through which she seeks to reclaim and re-imagine the industrial fence and the use of craft through her work. Andy Vogt presents Gray Area, a large architectural intervention capturing a moment of light as it traverses the gallery windows and crosses from the exterior to the interior. Exhibition Dates: January 8, 2010 – February 20, 2010 Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 12 – 6 pm Opening Reception: Friday, January 8, 2010, 7 – 9 pm Artist Talks: Friday, January 8, 2010, 6:30 – 7 pm
The audience is encouraged to bring food donations to the theater to benefit The Haven Food Pantry. Collection barrels are located in the lobby. Friday, Jan. 8, 7:30 PM; Saturday, Jan. 9, SaturYAY! Performance 11:00 AM. MORE INFO: http://www.pleasantoncivicarts.org ** 925-931-5361 Presented by City of Pleasanton Civic Arts Presents Series
January 9, 2010 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Sports Basement, 610 Old Mason Street, San Francisco, CA, 94129 across from Crissy Field. The Golden Gate National Parks contains more endangered species than any other National Park in continental North America. This is certainly cause for celebration, but also for concern. The Golden Gate National Parks Endangered Species Big Year is a race against time to observe each of the 36 endangered and threatened species found within the Golden Gate National Parks, while taking 36 discrete conservation recovery actions that will help prevent these species from going extinct. It is a free competitive event where the person who sees and helps the most species between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010, will win the Big Year. Celebrate the incredible diversity of life around you by taking part in the Big Year and get to know these species while helping them recover. Go online to www.wildequity.org and signup for the Big Year and go to the calendar to see the upcoming Big Year trips and activities. The 2010 Golden Gate National Parks Endangered Species Big Year begins January 1, 2010 The kick-off celebration is January 9, 2010 at 1pm-3pm at the Presidio Sports Basement, 610 Old Mason Street, San Francisco, CA, 94129 and followed by a walk to see the threatened Snowy Plovers at Crissy Field. It is free and open to the public. If you want to make a day of it, you can also join us for a morning bike ride with the San Francisco Bike Coalition to see even more of the Park’s endangered flora and fauna. The ride begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Bazaar Café on California Street at 21st Avenue, San Francisco.
Huh. Last Thursday, DARPA announced a workshop for Transformer. That is, their flying car program. "The objective of the Transformer (TX) program is to demonstrate a one- to four-person transportation vehicle that can drive and fly, thus enabling the warfighter to avoid water, difficult terrain, and road obstructions as well as IED and ambush threats" Sounds like something as small as a Jeep, but as easy to shoot out of the sky as a Helicopter. The Sphere goes on to recount the not-so-brief history of failed and embarrassing flying cars. We'll see what some government money does for the situation, but I think they've got it wrong: instead of making cars fly, how about they put road going wheels on jets? [Gov via Sphere, above, the Moller Flying Car]
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Great. I feel so much more secure now. [Boarding Area via Runway Girl]
По последним сведениям в Большой город не придет Новый год.
There is a quack, self-serving, and silly search-related OpEd in Monday's NY Times that would be amusing, if it weren't so indelibly dumb. In it the founder of a company, Foundem, in the search business alleges that search company Google should be investigated and forced to do a better job of highlighting firms like his. Gosh, what a shocker. Someone in search with minimal web traffic -- Compete says Foundem gets a little less web traffic than The Fortune Cookie Chronicles does, which is to say around 1,700 a month -- wants someone in search with a lot of web traffic, Google, to send his company buckets of visitors. Amazing. The OpEd goes downhill from there. We get a litany of silly complaints, like the idea that Google doesn't innovate, that it just buys stuff from others, and that Google's Maps and other products have hurt other companies. Yeesh. I'll say this really slowly: Consumers want products that work together, simplify our lives, and solve problems. For this nitwit to want to throw us back to a world where we need point products -- maps here, directions there, product search there, email over there, etc. -- as some sort of full-employment act for me-too companies that can't get web traffic on their own merits is batshit nuts. Of course, there is a second level of stupid to this piece, and that goes to the NYT itself. It took until the fourth paragraph of the piece until we find out that the OpEd author is, you know, conflicted in that he himself runs a search company (albeit one with negligible traffic). Not only that, he has an axe to grind, as he goes on in paragraph four to arm-wavingly allege that Google "disappeared" his site from its results. Really? Google went out of its way to make a tiny product search company in the U.K. disappear? That would be a great story if true (and one that the NYT still should have disclosed at the OpEd outset). Trouble is, Google doesn't "disappear" other much larger product search companies, as a quick search for "canon prices" will show you. Up pops shopper.cnet.com, pricegrabber.com, and so on, as well as, of course, Google's own product search site. And no sign of Foundem. A conspiracy though? Disappeared? No. As a critical piece in Econsultancy makes clear, Foundem's traffic troubles are mostly its own. To Google, Foundem's collection of pages looks more like a link directory, the sort of search spam that a good search engine should ignore, not highlight. The product data on its sub-pages are pulled from merchant feeds, with vanishingly few reviews or other useful, fresh content that Google's search bots like to slurp. Here is a closing quote from the Econsultancy piece on the subject of why Foundem does poorly in Google:
Nicely put. So, let's summarize: The NY Times has run a silly editorial by a self-interested search company founder who would like his site to get more traffic, but hasn't gone to the trouble of building something useful. The only scandal I see here is that apparently NY Times OpEds over the holidays are vetted by malnourished monkeys. post a comment
Yousra and Peter will be interviewed by BATS Improv Company member Kasey Klemm. The interview will center on life in Iraq and how improv combats cultural isolation and brings together students from different regions. The interview will be followed by a performance by Yousra and BATS improvisers. Donations will also be accepted that evening to benefit CARE International, a leading humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting global poverty. More online at www.care.org
MORE INFO: Brent Sverdloff ** http://www.improv.org/Box-Office/Perform
Images can be downloaded here: 300 dpi http://www.comedyonthesquare.com/press/j
MORE INFO: Fred Anderson ** http://www.comedyonthesquare.com/new_yea
Artists include: Abys, Adee, Anti, Atlas, Aware, Axis, Bees, BizR, Blame One, Bugs, Chez, Chip, Defie, Destroyer, Dment, Dytch, Esel, Faze, Gena, Haste, Hex, Kasl, Match, Naka, Newa, Nicnak, Obses, Pastime, Quake, Romes, Sarrow, Sibl, Style, Task One, Timber, Tunks, Vows, Werm, Wesk, Zone, and more...
On Saturday 2 PM to 11 PM: Special Tribute to Dave Warren. Guests are flying in from around the nation to celebrate the legacy of the man who fought to keep alive the memory of Whitney's Playland. On Sunday, January 3rd: Winter Delights and New Year's Celebration All attractions will be in full swing. Celebrate the New Year with the Muppets! Play the New Year's Resolution Game. Match up the resolution with the famous celebrity - win prizes. The special events of Winter Delights and New Year’s Celebration are in addition to all of Playland's regular attractions. Guests pay one low price to enter and can play all day: $10 for children and seniors, and $15 for general admission. Playland-Not-at-the-Beach is a nonprofit Museum of Fun. Designed and built entirely by volunteers, the 20+ interactive exhibits celebrate the magic and history of America's bygone amusements -- circuses, carnivals, magic, side shows, penny arcades, amusement devices, pinball arcades, haunted houses, and beautiful art everywhere. Our goal is to educate newer generations about the bygone days and allow those who remember Whitney's Playland and the Sutro Baths the opportunity to recapture the glorious sights and sounds of that marvelous era.
Lehrer has written for The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Nature and is a Contributing Editor at Wired, Scientific American Mind and National Public Radio's Radio Lab. This event is co-sponsored by the Commonwealth Club of California and the Harvard Club of Silicon Valley. MORE INFO: http://www.paloaltojcc.org ** info@paloaltojcc.org ** 650-233-8700 Presented by The Oshman Family JCC
An exhibition of Bay Area artists working by hand by choice Curated by Sarah Drasner In the past century, the art world has expanded its horizons to a point beyond the traditional craft of drawing, painting, and sculpture to embrace all media and modes of working. One no longer needs to spend the long hours and time-consuming measures that used to be so intrinsically tied to making an art work. Why, then, do many artists choose to fawn laboriously over their pieces rather than make their point quickly through the use of new media? What compels them to use their own dexterity rather than an array of available technologies? Compelled highlights the work of 18 artists who are driven to make work that is both tedious in it’s execution and crafted with an obvious devotion to materials. Less obviously, these artists do not regard the process by which the work is made to be an end in itself, but rather a necessary means of communication. Artists: Nicholas Bohac Seth Curcio* Sarah Drasner Nina Elder Robyn Engel Adam Friedman* Cameron Hockenson Claire Jackel Mary Anne Kluth Carling McManus Mimi Moncier Susannah Prinz Sarah Ratchye Jana Rumberger Jen Stark Jill Sylvia Jamie Spinello *Root Division Resident Artist Opening Reception: Saturday, January 9th, 7-10 pm Sliding Scale Suggested Donation: $2-$20 Exhibition Dates: January 6th- 23rd, 2010 Gallery Hours: Wednesdays- Saturdays, 2-6 pm (or by appointment)
Mark Warren Jacques, Timothy Karpinski and Nas Chompas Opening Reception: Saturday, January 9, 2010, from 7-11pm. Through: January 30, 2010 and open to the public. Gallery Three is proud to present Mark Warren Jacques, Timothy Karpinski and Nas Chompas this January. These three Portland based artists combine distinctive designs and mediums with a common stream of consciousness. Their collections of new works convey extremely personal artistic directions. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, January 9th 2009 from 7-11pm. About the Artists Mark Warren Jacques’ world of shapes and lines transfer his core energies, emotion and thoughts in a connected abstraction. People, ideas and feelings are represented as triangles and circles. His ink and acrylic pieces are loose and very aesthetic working with a happy color palette (depending on his mood) and concentrating on composition. Mark Warren Jacques shows across the country and is a partner of Together Gallery in Portland, OR. He spent a short period of time at the Columbia College of Art and Design in Columbus, OH, but left to study under painter John Piper. During his apprenticeship, Jacques learned the technical side of art, but more importantly, he learned how life is reflected through visual expression. Timothy Karpinski’s works on paper and wood portrays charming childhood experiences and playful moments. He creates delicate, vintage looking pieces with pleasant pastel colors that effectively whisk the viewer to a place where the heart is full of joy and imagination. His work incorporates painting, drawing, hand-sewn detailing, layering of materials and even wood works. Every piece of art is a direct reflection of his fascination with love, struggle and understanding. Timthy Karpinski received his BFA in graphic design and painting from Castleton State College in Vermont. He has exhibited in galleries such as Thinkspace Gallery in LA, Together Gallery in Portland, and at Aqua Wyndwood Art Fair in Miami. Nas Chompas art embodies an earthy spirituality and organic quality often representing inspiration from childhood fables. He paints with gouache on paper, deliberately integrating fine line work and attention to detail, creating greater depth and composition. While woodsmen linger in the natural scenery, industrial structures such as windmills and barns appear a bit crooked, abandoned and covered in moss. His works disregard size orientation providing a world of magical giants and folklore to the viewer. Nas Chompas continues to grow in his artistic career. When not touring with his band called The Nurses, he spends his time drawing and painting. He’s exhibited with group shows throughout Portland and in galleries such as Soldier Design in Cambridge, MA, and Gallery Six in San Francisco. Please join us for the opening of three very ambitious artists at Gallery Three on Saturday, January 9th 2009 from 7-11pm. This exhibition will be on display through January 30th and is open to the public.
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death New works by Morgan Slade Opening Reception: Saturday, January 9th 2010, from 7-11pm. Through: January 30th, 2010 and open to the public. The Shooting Gallery is proud to present Fist of Fear, Touch of Death, new works by Morgan Slade this January. This body of work confronts the viewer with sexually appealing imagery that questions the fundamentals of American consumerism, advertising and fetishism. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, January 9th 2010, from 7-11pm. Morgan Slade alters digital photographs of scantily clad women wearing high school mascot heads with paint, pen and pencil. He transforms straightforward images to chaotic madness. His pieces prey on primitive natural instincts with a youthful aesthetic appeal and bright, vibrant colors. By defacing exceptionally attractive people, Slade aesthetically changes his figures to appear flawed in some manner. He creates visual metaphors of consumerism, advertising and technology by inventing his own symbols or by appropriating familiar icons. Slade’s artistic process involves painting his photographs onto archival digital proofing prints. He then sands down the paper to appear aged and weathered. He builds up layers of collage, gloss gels, gold leafing and allows the paint to move throughout the piece resulting in drips and splatters paint. While overtly combining preexisting methods, styles and techniques his painted photographs are stylistically unique. Morgan Slade received his BFA in photography in 2002 from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. He has shot for several magazines including Swindle, Anthem, Juxtapoz, OUT Magazine, Western Interiors and Design and many others. Morgan has exhibited both photography and mixed media work in several galleries, including solo shows at Copro Gallery, Billy Shire Fine Arts and most recently Aqua Wynwood Art Fair in Miami. He has also worked in the publishing industry, heading US production for fine art book publisher TASCHEN. The opening reception of Fist of Fear, Touch of Death, new works by Morgan Slade begins on Saturday, January 9, 2010 from 7-11pm. The exhibit will be on display through January 30, 2010 and is open to the public. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||