FridayArts.net

This drawing was done initially on my Oekaki board. I brought it in to Photoshop, hoping to jazz it up. Didn’t really do much–just touch ups. But do check out the OK BBs link on the side bar.
Wishing you all the best. Have a happy and safe holiday. This is an Oekaki drawing, something I haven’t done in a while. The java applet seemed to be working better in my Safari browser (though still not working in Firefox) since an update on my java came around. Good to be drawing something.
It was a good year. I travelled to many wonderful places (I also have so much back log of posts–from the Italy, France and Philippine trips) and so glad to have met so many good people. I hope to see them all again soon.
Be well and here’s to the new year, [...]

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

Whew it’s a bit of a mess in here. I’ve got a bunch of paintings going on at once, a few drawings, some side work, some toy design.. everything is piled on top of everything else, and it is all due yesterday. Hooray!
Have a safe and happy holiday, may you not get into any serious fist fights.

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

In a society obsessed with the shiny and new, The Cool Hunter has
become the reference point of choice for the latest in what’s hot
tomorrow. Everyone wants to know what’s hot, because ‘hot’ products and ideas sell.
Sign up for our (http://www.thecoolhunter.co.uk/?dosubscription=1)free weekly newsletter (?dosubscription=1) so you’re always in the know! Because being in the know – makes you so much more interesting.
We’ll be taking a short break over the Xmas holidays and will return on Monday 7 January.

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

Our first in a series of cool hunter books (books/THE-COOL-HUNTER-SIGNS-BOOK-PUBLISHING-DEAL/) to
be published by Harper Collins Publishers (US). First of the rank is “The World’s
Coolest Hotel Rooms”, which will be launched in April 2008, along with
our online hotel booking service. The book has been designed by Sydney based design studio, War Design, (http://www.wardesign.com.au/) who also created the cool hunter logo and branding.

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
WALL•E – Trailer 2What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? Academy Award-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”) and the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios (“The Incredibles,” “Cars,” “Ratatouille”) transport moviegoers to a galaxy not so very far away for a new computer-animated cosmic comedy about a determined robot named WALL*E. After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL*E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE.  EVE comes to realize that WALL*E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home).  Meanwhile, WALL*E chases EVE across the [...]

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Persepolis – Trailer 2The poignant story of a young girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It is through the eyes of precocious and outspoken nine year old Marjane that we see a people’s hopes dashed as fundamentalists take power – forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands. Clever and fearless, she outsmarts the “social guardians” and discovers punk, ABBA and Iron Maiden. Yet when her uncle is senselessly executed and as bombs fall around Tehran in the Iran/Iraq war, the daily fear that permeates life in Iran is palpable. As she gets older, Marjane’s boldness causes her parents to worry over her continued safety. And so, at age fourteen, they make the difficult decision to send her to school in Austria. Vulnerable and alone in a strange land, she endures the typical ordeals of a teenager. In addition, Marjane has to combat being equated with the [...]

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Hancock – Teaser 2There are heroes… there are superheroes… and then there’s Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility – everyone knows that – everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough – as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn’t the kind of man who cares what other people think – until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet [...]

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

Rhizome is dedicated to the creation, presentation, preservation, and critique of emerging artistic practices that engage technology. Our programs, many of which happen online, serve and spotlight an incredibly dynamic community of artists and innovators year-round. At the end of each year, we turn back to you, our readers, participating artists, critics and entrepreneurs, and ask that you support us by becoming a member during our annual Community Campaign, which ends midnight December 31st, 2007. This year, our goal is $30,000–an amount required to produce our online programs in 2008 and develop them in the directions that our community has asked for. Greater online participation, expanded editorial coverage, larger commission grants–we can only fulfill these important requests with your support. Please become a member today for $25–or make a higher-level donation and receive an exciting limited edition artwork as a thank-you gift. Besides these perks, becoming a member will provide [...]

Original post by ana otero and software by Elliott Back

“And the total arsenal of entropy
already at war within it.” — Tales from Ovid, Ted Hughes
My work involves acquiring, through mechanical apparatus, units of cultural information and involving them in my creative process–much like the collage artists of the past, but with digital information. I edit it to create new meanings, ones that are unique, if the content is not. This art form needs to be preserved in a time where ‘opportunities for consumers’ blatantly violate our
privacy for the purpose of making money and aquiring power over information. I wonder whether an artist with some stock in his name would reject a piece like this, or chalk it up to the digital debate.
“You represent that the thumbnail image and the other metadata that you provide to us do not infringe the intellectual property rights of any other person, that you have the rights to authorize Rhizome.org to include [...]

Original post by Rhizome.org Artwork and software by Elliott Back

IPicons are unique visual avatars for every internet protocol address on the planet. The goal of the project is to give people a visual representation of their net presence that can be easily identifiable by themselves and others. Their appearance is a direct abstraction from the numeric values in their IP address. Each time someone visits the project, an icon is made and added to the collection.
Each segment of an IP address pertains to a certain property of its corresponding icon. Since each segments numeric value is between 0 and 255, it is an 8-bit byte. This is the same range of values used to describe color to a computer. The first segment is red, the second segment is green, and the third segment is blue. This establishes the color of the icon.
The fourth segment is the byte that determines the pattern for the given icon. Since the segment [...]

Original post by Rhizome.org Artwork and software by Elliott Back

Getting over Baudrillard white noise – 2007 video sample WMV file 1.77 meg. Installation video, television, chair, set table, glass and jug of water.
So Baudrillard is dead, even if he might dispute it and conceivably like Borge’s magically divine cat in El Sur 1: he is living in an ever present and eternal future.
Now here, in the context of this 2007 Future Brisbane exhibition, it possibly makes no sense to go back to 1995 to contemplate the future, but are we not a composite of the memories of experience and I wonder if it is this that guides us to at least expect and be comforted that there will be at least one or hopefully a series of futures to come. Perhaps contemplating another Baudrillard is it simply this, that like Banville’s narrator’s Dr. Browne “The long habit of living indisposeth (him) for dying” 2:
Of course as I understand [...]

Original post by Rhizome.org Artwork and software by Elliott Back

“It`s my birthday today. I woke up this morning without anyone who sung for me. So instead I made a program that will start to play the birthday song every birthday at 08:30 every year. I never have to wake up without anyone singing on my next birthday.
The website is just a countdown to my next birthday, 08:30 the 21 of december next year it will start singing”
Two years later I made this program interactive. I realised I was not the only one in need for this program. You can make your own program for your birthday…welcome

Original post by Rhizome.org Artwork and software by Elliott Back

Ask a child what their favorite subject is at school, and chances are
they?ll say recess. It?s the one time during the day when they are
almost absolutely free to make decisions for themselves ? from who to
play with, what to play, and where to play. And as children grow, the
social dynamics of who can play where shifts and an age-based pecking
order ensues.
The Netherlands-based design team at Carve (http://www.carve.nl/) integrate
architectural expression into their playground design thereby
generating unique play experiences for children of all ages. Don?t let
the kids know, however that the Carve team strives to encourage a
cognitive process ? even during free time. This new equipment and play
structures stimulate decision-making, group and continuous play (use of
the same equipment in varying way) encouraging children to climb, hang,
swing, skate, slide, run, jump, vault, hide.
One of Crave?s creation in particular, the wall-holla, has received
special notoriety as it was nominated for the Dutch [...]

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

It isn’t exactly comfy and it rattles like heck, but it?s YSL (http://wwwyslonline.com) so
we?ll be duly agog. The Plexiglass vests for Yves Saint Laurent
Spring/Summer 2008 collection are the handiwork of Stefano Pilati, the
man never afraid to experiment and try something new.
The 40-plus head
designer of YSL used to be Tom Ford?s right-hand man at the YSL Rive
Gauche ready-to-wear collection. He has also designed for Giorgio
Armani and Miu Miu. We hope the plexiwear is just a Pilati thing but it
appears that ? and we are not yet sure we?re going to like it ? big
logos are back across brands. One more thing to endure in 2008. By Tuija Seipell

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
The Orphanage – TrailerThe Orphanage, presented by Oscar-Nominee Guillermo del Toro, centers on a Laura (Belén Rueda from The Sea Inside) who purchases her beloved childhood orphanage with dreams of restoring and reopening the long abandoned facility as a place for disabled children.  Once there, Laura discovers that the new environment awakens her son’s imagination, but the ongoing fantasy games he plays with an invisible friend quickly turn into something more disturbing.  Upon seeing her family increasingly threatened by the strange occurrences in the house, Laura looks to a group of parapsychologists for help in unraveling the mystery that has taken over the place.Directed by: J.A. BayonaStarring: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Geraldine Chaplin, Montserrat Carulla, Mabel Rivera

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Quiet City – TrailerJamie is lost.  She’s come to New York to visit her friend Samantha, but Samantha is nowhere to be found, and now Jamie is alone in the city. Charlie just quit his job, and isn’t sure where he’s going next.  Their paths cross late at night on an empty subway platform, and from this chance encounter an unlikely connection is formed.  Together they share twenty-four hours drifting from late night diners, to city parks, to abandoned apartments, to a party and art gallery deep in the heart of industrial Brooklyn.  Delicately realized with generous humanity by its cast and crew, Quiet City offers hope for intimate connection in a world that grows larger by the day.Directed by: Aaron KatzStarring: Erin Fisher, Cris Lankenau, Sarah Hellman, Joe Swanberg

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
The Amateurs – TrailerDown-and-out divorcee Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges), with the help of his five motley friends, brainstorms a genius idea to make their dreams come true. They are going to rally their small town to produce an amateur adult film!  They think they’ve found the road to fame and fortune, but their fantasy quickly turns into a hilarious misadventure as they encounter more than a few bumps in the road. Their good natured attempts lead to the creation of the most un-adult, adult film ever.  See how THE AMATEURS bring an entire small town together, in the biggest comedic disaster turned boffo box office success.Directed by: Michael TraegerStarring: Jeff Bridges, Ted Danson, Lauren Graham, Joe Pantoliano, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Look – TrailerThe Post-9/11 world has forever changed our notion of privacy. There are now approximately 30 million surveillance cameras generating more than 4 billion hours of footage every week in the United States. And the numbers are only growing. The average American is captured over 200 times a day – in department stores, gas stations, changing rooms, and even public bathrooms. No one is spared from the relentless, unblinking eye of cameras hidden in every nook and cranny of day-to-day life. Shot entirely from the point of view of the security cameras. Adam Rifkin’s LOOK follows several interweaving, storylines over the course of a random week in a random city. A high school English teacher tries his best to be a decent husband; a department store floor manager uses the warehouse for more than just storage; a Mini-Mart clerk has big dreams; a lawyer struggles with a [...]

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Alvin and the Chipmunks – Trailer FA global treasure that has delighted three generations of fans, comes to the big screen for the first time. The live-action/CGI motion picture event brings together the celebrated history of its beloved characters – Dave Seville and singing chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore – adding a new comic sensibility and edge. The squeaky-voiced trio and Dave Seville made recording, broadcasting and merchandising history – selling 43 million albums, winning several Grammys, and headlining an animated prime time series, numerous TV specials, and a top-rated Saturday morning series seen in over 100 countries and translated into 40 languages.Directed by: Tim HillStarring: Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Strange Wilderness – Trailer 1Animal enthusiast Peter Gaulke (STEVE ZAHN) and his sidekick Fred  Wolf (ALLEN COVERT) host an ailing wildlife TV show “Strange  Wilderness,” which is in a steep ratings decline. Desperate to save the show, Peter hatches a Hail Mary scheme to find the one animal that could truly turn the show around and change the nature show landscape forever- Bigfoot.Directed by: Fred WolfStarring: Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Jonah Hill, Ashley Scott, Justin Long

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

In the mid-nineteenth century, when Bavarian peddler Morris Levi
Strauss and Latvian tailor Jacob Youphes (Davis) started to create
tough work wear for California coal miners from ?denim? cotton imported
from the Provençal city of Nimes, they had no idea how far and wide
denim?s popularity would reach.
Most certainly they could not have imagined the veritable Versailles
created late this fall solely for the purpose of displaying denim in
the magical city of Istanbul. Located in a traditional Ottoman
building, the denim showroom was designed by New Zealand architect
Christopher Hall.
The showroom?s best feature is the lighting created by Beirut, Lebanon-based, PSLAB (http://www.pslab.net). The
firm of 40 designers, architects, craftsmen and engineers focuses on
researching, designing and producing custom lighting for a demanding
clientele in Europe and the Middle East.
At the Istanbul denim showroom, PSLAB took its inspiration from the
constraints of the old space and created an exciting environment that
also works. Custom suspended fixtures, positioned on two parallel
lines, [...]

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

Lebanon-based architect George Chidiac of George Henri Chidiac Architects (http://www.gcharchitects.com) has designed yummy Waterlemon Juice bars (http://www.h2o-lemon.com/)
in Kuwait, Bahrain and Lebanon. When he created the all-white curved
Waterlemon in a Beirut shopping mall, he approached Beirut-based PSLAB (http://www.pslab.net/) for the development of custom lighting for the tight space that has no natural light.
At the time, PSLAB was experimenting with cold-cathode lighting tubes
and so the lighting concept for Waterlemon ended up utilizing them. The
concept was inspired by the curve shape and involves strip lights of
varying length depending on the intensity and type of light needed.
Each slit houses linear cold cathode and custom directional projectors
equipped with GU4 lamps. The lighting concept ? by principal lighting
designer Dimitri Saddi with Rana Haddad and Pascal Hachem ? won the
International Association of Lighting Designers? Award of Merit. By Tuija Seipell

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day – Trailer 1A sophisticated and heartfelt comedy. In the 1939-set romantic tale, Miss Guinevere Pettigrew (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand), a middle-aged London governess, finds herself unfairly dismissed from her job. An attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse (Academy Award nominee Amy Adams). Within minutes, Miss Pettigrew finds herself swept into a heady high-society milieu – and, by the end of the day, discovers her own romantic destiny.Directed by: Bharat NalluriStarring: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciarán Hinds, Shirley Henderson, Lee Pace

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Semi Pro – TeaserWill Ferrell stars in Semi-Pro, an outrageous comedy set in 1976 against the backdrop of the maverick ABA – a fast-paced, wild and crazy basketball league that rivaled the NBA and made a name for itself with innovations like the three-point shot and slam dunk contest. Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder who used the profits from the success of his chart-topping song “Love Me Sexy” to achieve his dream of owning a basketball team. But Moon’s franchise, the Flint Michigan Tropics, is the worst team in the league and in danger of folding when the ABA announces its plans to merge with the NBA. If they want to survive, Jackie and the Tropics must now do the seemingly impossible – win.Directed by: Kent AltermanStarring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin, Maura Tierney, Will Arnett

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back

 
Pride & Glory – Trailer 1Edward Norton and Colin Farrell star in “Pride & Glory,” an authentic, gritty and emotional portrait of the New York City Police Department. The film follows a multi-generational police family whose moral code is tested when one of two sons on the force investigates an incendiary case involving his older brother and brother-in-law. The case forces the family to choose between their loyalties to one another and their loyalties to the department.Directed by: Gavin O’ConnorStarring: Edward Norton, Farrell, Jon Voight, Noah Emmerich, Jennifer Ehle

Original post by Ronnie and software by Elliott Back