The Weekly Roundup: 1.8.2010

Hipster Quests for Psychotropic Frog
If watching a heroin-chic guy in the tightest black pants wander around the Amazon looking for a fabled frog with psychotropic venom sounds like your kind of entertainment, you need to watch this movie. It's actually pretty interesting for what sounds like a documentary version of just another stoner flick. Hamilton is surprisingly knowledgeable, ballsy, and in possession of some ill documenting skills. Apparently, he's also a high school friend of my cousin, a fact that gives me never-ending amusement.
The Sapo Diaries (Part 1)
The Sapo Diaries (Part 2)
The Sapo Diaries (Part 3)

Quilts by Luke Haynes
Luke Haynes makes quilts that epitomize the use of textiles in art. I made my first quilt when I was ten, but I'm still a complete amateur. I would give anything to be this good at quilting. Pieces like this blend art and domesticity, which was frequently the original intention of crafts. Fine art is all well and good, but there is something about the seamless integration of art into everyday, useful objects that speaks to me. Anyway, I see his work as a contemporary expression of this ethos. Kudos to Luke Haynes.

[Man Stuff #4] Elk Head

Gustave Doré
You've probably seen prints of Gustave Doré's work before. He did illustrations for some popular editions of The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, and Paradise Lost by John Milton. I just put a name to these iconic images this week, however. The detail in his engravings is remarkable. They almost seem illuminated from within, and capture the acute emotions of the subjects. If you're interested, Art Passions features a great Gustave Doré Art Collection.

The Neophyte (1877)

Naked Wolf Girl
A friend of mine posted this on his tumblr, Brother Sundance. I was so struck by the image I decided to go hunt down the photographer. His name is Ryan McGinley. While the amount of nudity in his work is considerable, almost flirting with the obscene, it remains firmly planted in the provocative. Though the series this specific photo is from is not on his site, there are some other interesting collections, like I Know Where the Summer Goes.

'Beach Ball' of Dark Matter
Perhaps it's due to the fact that I was raised on Star Trek, but I love me some quantum physics. I remember being sorely disappointed with that lack of literature on quarks in my middle school's library. For the intro-level Astronomy class I took in college, I tried to write a paper on string theory. Ridiculousness ensued. My fascination with the subject does not necessarily mean I understand any of it's complex mechanics or physicists-speak. Thankfully, NPR breaks these things down to layman's terms for me, and includes a pretty picture.
Astronomers Map Dark Matter 'Beach Ball' by Nell Greenfieldboyce

LA Times Offers Personalized News
The LA Times has this option that allows you to get personalized news, not customized, but personalized, which with the right technology is even better. Basically you take a very unique personality test powered by Visual DNA. The test asks you questions about your interests, activities, and personalities, but instead of picking a written response, you pick a image as your answer. There's only about ten questions, but when your done you get a personality profile, and the homepage of the LA Times is personalized to you. My results were dead on point, and I found a lot more interesting articles than usual. Moreover, they covered a diverse range of topics, while still appealing to me. Scientists recommend the Obama administration reject all strip mining, which is good environmental news for one of my favorite states, West Virginia. A federal report finds systemic flaws in juvenile detention facilities, which is why I support prison reform. And, a gallery of photos from a new book about innovative, functional tree houses. Ah, pure, sweet news media awesomeness!
Pressure builds against mountaintop coal mining by Tom Hamburger
3 in 25 juveniles in detention are sexually abused, study finds by Nicole Santa Cruz
Book preview: 'New Treehouses of the World'

The Muppets - Bohemian Rhapsody
This made me smile. Play me out, Dr. Teeth!


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