This is the latest article on New York Times: Foursquare
Now, after witnessing a friend on a "getaway country weekend trip" frantically texting her whereabouts to this service, I still do not quite get it. What is the lure of this thing?
And why would I want everyone and their grandmother (plus the weird and nasty grand-uncle and the lurking strangers) know where I am, 24 hours of the day? I use Twitter, but this thing escapes me.
It is tough trying to make it out from the shadows of a more famous spouse. Just ask Simone de Beauvoir. Accomplished writer and philosopher on her own right, but forever known as "that Sartre´s woman".
Karen Elson is by no means without her own merits. Internationally known model and a founding member of a New York- based political cabaret troupe The Citizens Band, she has by far resisted the urge to just lay back and stand by her man. After all, Jack White can surely stay busy for the both of them. And two little kids in the life can be, well, draining to the best of us.
Despite all the expected comparisons to her husband and to the league of other singer-songwriters out there, she recorded an album. The Ghost Who Walks. And it is pretty darned good. Here is a sample:
That red hair. What I would not give to get it. And Jack White too, while we´re at it.
Here is a link for an article about Karen and her music:
This movie must have seemed like such a good idea on paper. On all the papers of the numerous writers apparently involved with this soup. Too many cooks in the kitchen?
After just seeing this flick, I am still mesmerized at who/what/how could have ruined such a good idea. After all, if Twilight-saga has proven anything, it is that women are the new force to be reckoned with when it comes to pulling audience to theaters.
The basic idea is simple:take an everyday middle-aged lady (sorry, Cam..) put him in an airplane adventure with a handsome and mysterious stranger (Cruise), who just happens to fall in love with you and be rich and resourcefull at the same time. Escapism for the ladies, no?
For some reason, "Knight and Day" just does not manage to deliver. Is it a comedy, thriller, action-movie or black parody? The audience gets lost somewhere in between several doses of roofied out Cameron Diaz- a joke that is repeated far too many times to be funny even the first time. Drugging out a woman and kidnapping her several times? Serious case of stalkerism, not romanticism. And whoever thought Tom Cruise still looks good on a beach without a shirt on should check their vision prescription- the man shows his age, and looks old next to still fresh and athletic ms. Diaz.
Anyway, here is the trailer, if thinking about seeing this mess:
According to recent press release by optenet, pornography makes up an astonishing 37 % of the total content online. This makes porn the predominant material on the Internet, and makes us earthlings seem quite the naughty bunch. Online role playing-game websites (RPGs) have also increased by 212 %. I suppose the future of immersing oneself completely into a "pseudo world" of porn and Warcraft is not far ahead us. Hello, Matrix.
On a side note, the study also states how websites with terrorism content have increased 8.5 %.
Douglas Coupland, the treasure of Canadialand. A poet, academic, artist, writer. Described as the one of the great satirist of consumerism (# ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6201326/Generation-A-by-Douglas-Coupland-review.html). The man, who we can all thank for the term "McJob". How the mighty have fallen.
Now the great thinker is doing what? At the ripe age of 48 (he turns 49 in December), Douglas has resorted into hawking clothes. Yes, you read it right. Mid-life crisis of the thinking man or just plain old money-hungry? At a recent Ideacity -conference in Toronto (18.6.2010), mister Coupland together with a canadian retailer The Roots unveiled his designs for an upcoming collection. Looking visibly uncomfortable, he explained how this project just seemed so different and refreshing. Maybe, and maybe there was also money involved. There always is. Don´t let the artistic images and sideways glances fool you. This is plain marketing. The clothes themselves? Not worth mentioning.
Interestingly, on his website (www.coupland.com) there is no word on this "exciting new opportunity". Feeling a bit of shame, are we?
Yep, what to do with all that free time and money? How about your own movie starring you as the Batman!
That is exactly what Aaron Schoenke did, and the result is pretty impressive. Technology nowadays is cheap - without the need for special effects anyone can make their own movie and distribute it over the net. Filming of The City of Scars took 21 days and mere 27 000 dollars - a lot for most of us mere mortals but pennies regarding action movie budgets. Feeling inspired?
And it is that time of the year again. Steaming summer and the third hot serving of True Blood has arrived.
Who ever has not had a peek on this series yet, should check it out by now. The show creator Alan Ball has cooked up an intriguing mix of Southern comfort, hot nights, sneaky vampires, black comedy and sex. Of course, sex. One male friend of mine commented the show as something for the ladies- not his cup of tea. Well, I don´t know about that. There is something primal and enticing in the world it creates; people with passion, flare and spunk. The sound of crickets in the oozing Louisiana heat makes one hot and bothered by just looking at the screen from your couch. One female friend of mine confessed to watching the show every time she wants to get "in the mood". I did not ask further questions. No need to. Vampire Bill can come and knock on my door anytime.
Here is one of the minisodes for the upcoming season. By the look of it, it is going to be even more outrageous and weirder than before. Just how we like it.
Poor StiegLarsson. The Swedish crime reporter handed his 3 manuscripts in a plastic bag to the publisher in 2004. Shortly after he died of a heart attack while climbing the stairs to his office, never witnessing the humongous success his writings have garnered around the world. He was only 50 years old.
Conspiracy theorists are speculating that his death was not an accident, but a carefully orchestrated murder. The man did have a large collection of haters among the criminals he exposed in his writings, but a murder has not been established. link
His tales on the sidelines of the celebrated Swedish well-fare system paint a barren image: all is not well within the bureaucracies of a country priding itself on its abilities to take care of the weak and vulnerable. What is a girl to do among men who hate women? She takes the law on her own hands and tattoos the sins of the fathers on its skin.When a woman becomes nothing but an object and a fetish in the boys´game, she shoots back. Where it hurts. Without condoning violence in the real world , this is the kind of sassyness and attitude that a lot more females need. Instead of always adjusting and silencing our voices in the midst of bare injustice and misogyny, maybe we should say it out loud as it is. After all, being a good girl is awfully overrated.
The inevitable movies based on Larssons´ books were made, with a brilliant casting of NoomiRapace on the lead role as Lisbeth Salander. The American version is on the making, and Daniel Craig is rumoured to be playing the male lead. David Fincher is directing the bound-to-be washed-out version of the original, and young Hollywood starlets are competing for the part of Lisbeth. The problem is, the original is so good, that there does not seem to be any sane reason to remake this. Why ruin something that works? Because the Americans can´t read subtitles? Oh please.
Here is the trailer for the original and only real version of the first movie in the trilogy:
Ah, the wild ones. The Peter Pans, infuriatingly immature, yet always exciting, inspiring, interesting, oozingly hot and never returning our calls. (Unless for the one thing. ) The bad boys. Something tells me that a guy looking like a deep-ocean mop is growing in his head is not good company, yet the image of this creature ignites a longing.
If one has not seen "Get him to the Greek" yet, you better.
Not as funny as "Sarah Marshall", but close. Who can not but laugh at this creature above
singing "Inside of You" while gyrating the floor?
Some people say as woman, I should not laughing at this type of humor. I say heck with it, I like and laugh at whatever I choose.
One critic, whose name unfortunately has escaped me, did make a valid point though: how come these screwball-comedies in the style of friends-going-on-a-trip-that-is-obscenely-funny-and-just-wrong are not starring women? Are women not funny when they go completely bonkers? There is only one "Absolutely fabulous", after all. And that show was British and ended eons ago.
Oh well. Here is the trailer as a roudie:
Ah, the more studies I read about the effects of hormones on our character, the more I am inclined to believe that we are all more or less slaves to biology and evolution. Makes one sad, especially if you want to believe on the rational human being, a par head of the rest of animal kingdom.
New study by the Utrecht University in Holland here has demonstrated the significance of oxytocin and testosterone in regulating our feelings of trust. When women were given a dose of testosterone, they were inclined to be less trusting of strange men by looking at their photographs. (Oxytocin, on the other hand, has been previously linked to increase people´s desire to hand over their money to strangers. )
According to the Dutch researchers, it appears that testosterone in humans motivates rational decision-making, social scrutiny and cleverness, the apparent tools for success in a modern society.
What can we determine from this? Men are more rational and clever by nature? *sigh*
By now everyone and their grandmother has heard of "The Bachelorette" (ABC), Ali Fedotowsky.
Well, not really, but kind of. We live in a strange, strange world, when the once so private act of finding one´s love has turned into a full-on media spectacle, processed and cleaned for our voyeuristic pleasures. The competing bachelors are pre-selected, probably with an eye for visual candy and cleaver sound bites. This is what the TV needs (and our short-spanned attention). But is that the kind of man Ali needs?
Little birdie told me, that Ali´s boss at Facebook had to sign all kinds of confidentiality agreements regarding the show a long time ago. As in before she was in Bachelor, competing for the heart of Jake Pavelka. Maybe she did not leave the Bachelor because she _had_ to return to work, but because she knew greener pastures are awaiting. Remembering Pavelka, that is not a surprise. That permagrin is still haunting me in sleep.
Oldie, but a goldie. This is one of those Ÿoutube-videos, that just won´t die. I remember briefly dating a frenchman once: they are just as one would imagine, terribly rude yet irresistable. Why put out the inevitable and small talk ´till you die? Just blurt it out, and if it does not work out, move to the next one. Some one is always bound to bite the bullet.
Somewhere out there Charlotte Gainsbourg is feeling uncomfortable.
As pepperspray is surprisingly illegal (!) in many countries, what is a girl to do?
Carry a samurai-sword on those long, dark walks home from the theater? A much needed male companion is often not present, so the second best thing is to come up with creative and easy ways against those lurking dangers in the shadows. A friend of mine suggested this to me actually, years ago, and I still find safety in this small maneuver. As the pic demonstrates, just take key, wrap it tightly in between your fingers, and walk home with a ninja-attitude (minus the sword). When met with danger, the idea is to hit the key to the adam´s apple (or anywhere that hurts).
Haven´t been forced to act upon possible shadowy figures with my trusted key yet, but just in case.
