The Wired article points out that there'd have to be a standard that everyone would agree upon, which I'm sure would create the usual battles between competing formats (hello, VHS vs. Beta, HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray, etc.) but the idea seems obvious and brilliant at the same time. You can read more about Better Place at their own website.
From the Kimbell Art Museum press release: "Michelangelo’s painting of The Torment of Saint Anthony, described by his earliest biographers, has been acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas. Its purchase was announced Wednesday, May 13, 2009, by the Kimbell’s newly appointed director, Dr. Eric McCauley Lee. Executed in oil and tempera on a wooden panel, this work is the first painting by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) to enter an American collection, and one of only four known easel paintings generally believed to come from his hand."
Read more about the painting and acquisition on the museum's website. Some people would disagree as to the provenance of the painting. Read more in the NYTimes, which also has a slideshow of detailed images.
A little while ago, Simone asked me about my favorite iPhone games. Here are the games that I've most enjoyed thus far (and with which I have been most impressed), in alphabetical order. Each of these games has given me hours of entertainment, and I stil go back to them, though I am at an impasse on a few. I'll only get further if I devote some serious time to learning either how to drift or memorizing choreography.
Baseball Superstars. I got hooked after playing the lite version. Create a batter or pitcher and play through seasons, building them up. Or choose a team and play both batter and pitcher as you race towards the pennant. I tend to enjoy batting more than pitching; I'm still trying to work up towards some of the super batting abilities.
Dance Dance Revolution. I couldn't believe how excited I was after playing the demo version of this game. I couldn't wait to get the release. It doesn't disappoint. The gameplay is fun and addictive and the graphics match up to what I have come to expect from the franchise. Unfortunately, I've reached a point where I really have to study the songs and memorize the moves if I want to get past the levels I'm on. No dis on the game itself, more of a dis on my lack of game.
Fastlane Street Racing. My favorite driving game on the iPhone thus far. I had tried a few others, but this wins, hands down. The physics feels exactly right, and the turning the wheel/iPhone driving interface is fantastic. It's not an easy game, however, as the time limits leave little room for error. And I still haven't quite mastered the drifting techniques I'll need to beat one particular race track with a hair-pin turn, the last track I have to beat to get to the next level.
Real Soccer 2009. My cousin made me buy this because he wanted to try out the head to head play over a wifi network. After playing a game against him I was hooked and spent an entire Sunday trying to play through an entire season. Amazingly detailed, with a good selection of different types of kicks and ball handling tricks, the game is a surprisingly rewarding soccer game. That said, I still couldn't seem to run the plays I wanted to, and ended up using a few simple moves over and over in my attempts to get to the goal.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour. One week before this came out I bought this other highly-recommended golf game that I found really annoying (mainly because of the sounds and the characters). TIger Woods blows that one out of the water. It took me a little while to figure out how to finesse the controls (mainly because I just wanted to whack the ball as far as I could) but now I find myself often relaxing with a nice round of 18 holes while riding the subway, or just before bed. That is until I shank the ball into the water, destroying my otherwise under-par round.
On June 8th, BAM will present Forough Farrokhazad's short film The House is Black along with Shirin Neshat, who will present excerpts of her own films as well as a current work in progress. Produced in 1962, the film was little seen outside of Iran, but has since been regarded as many to have ushered in the New Wave to cinema in Iran. The screening and talk are part of BAM's Muslim Voices Festival. Tickets may be purchased on the BAM website. The main page for the event can be found here.
It's even more trippy if you drop it into yooouuutuuube .
A recent photo in New York magazine reminded me of Jurgen Chill's overhead shots of German prison cells. More of his photography can be found at his website, including his overhead shots of bordello rooms.
Who puts those bubbles on ads in the subway and elsewhere? Well, one of them is Ji-Lee, who writes, well, you can read the manifesto yourself on his site.
