Asia Today: Chinese Fashion Designers Enter Online Luxury Market; Take Prada and Gucci to Task This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate. ... the ... Chinese designers are coming into the spotlight in China's fast growing fashion world and every time you watching Asia today ... I'm joined by a light and style editor here in Asia and to buy ... Colorful Umbrellas Magically Float in Mid-Air Flickr photographer Patrícia Almeida recently shot these great photos of a wonderfully whimsical umbrella art installation in Portugal. Like something out of a fairy tale, the umbrellas look almost like they're magically floating in mid-air. As she writes, "In July, in Águeda (a Portuguese town), some streets are decorated with colorful umbrellas. I felt like a kid, amazed by all that color!" She calls it Umbrella Sky. Love this kind of outdoor art. Update: According to the Daily Mail, this installation is an initiative by the council in Agueda, Portugal and is a part of an art festival called Agitagueda. In addition to those photos, here are some by Diana Tavares. Gorgeous, isn't it?
Study proves plausibility of new pathway to lifes chemical building blocks For decades, chemists considered a chemical pathway known as the formose reaction the only route for producing sugars essential for life to begin, but more recent research has called into question the plausibility of such thinking. Now a group from The Scripps Research Institute has proven an alternative pathway to those sugars called the glyoxylate scenario, which may push the field of pre-life chemistry past the formose reaction hurdle. The team is reporting the results of their highly successful experiments online ahead of print in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. "We were working in uncharted territory," says Ramanarayanan ("Ram") Krishnamurthy, a Scripps Research chemist who led the research, "We didn't know what to expect but the glyoxylate scenario with respect to formation of carbohydrates is not a hypothesis anymore, it's an experimental fact." A New Pathway Eschenmoser and Krishnamurthy began developing the experiments to test the hypothesis. Success
Charles Eames on Design: Rare Q&A from 1972 by Maria Popova A lucid reflection on the role and culture of design by one of the most iconic and influential designers of all time. Legendary design duo Charles and Ray Eames shaped the mid-century modern aesthetic and influenced the voice of design for decades to come. They were also prolific filmmakers, perhaps best known for the iconic Powers of Ten film. In this fantastic Q&A from 1972, found on the excellent compilation The Films of Charles & Ray Eames and reproduced here in House Industries’ typography journal, Madame L’Amic of the Musee des Art s Decoratifs in Paris asks Charles Eames 29 questions about design, covering everything from the balance between form and function to the role of computers in creativity to the impact of influences. His answers are a timeless treasure trove of wisdom and insight on all that design is and should be. I’m particularly taken with this bit affirming remix culture and combinatorial creativity: [Is design] a creation of an individual?
Banksy - Guerilla art wrapped in mystery and controversy [35 pics] Banksy Truck Photo credit: Banksy Banksy, an anonymous England based graffiti artist, political activist, film director and painter, is probably the most popular, yet most mysterious, urban street artist in the world. He has become an internationally known as a subversive graffiti artist – yet manages to maintain a secret identity. However, many newspapers assert that his real name is Robert or Robin Banks. He has dozens of celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera. Hint: Use “J” and “K” keys (after the page finish loading) to navigate from picture to picture. Banksy art: Picnic At the guerilla artist Banksy’s L.A. show in 2006, Angelina Jolie spent nearly $400,000 on three pieces of his work. Banksy art: Laugh now but one day we’ll be in charge Banksy art: The bad artist imitate, the good artist steal Photo credit: Banksy Banksy street art: escaping Banksy art: Maid Banksy art: Choppers with pink ribbon Banksy art: Flowerchucker Photo credit: Banksy
Just How Risky Is Entrepreneurship, Really? Posted on Harvard Business Review: January 30, 2012 8:40 AM There are two views on entrepreneurship in America: the first (largely feigned), that it is a pure virtue like freedom of speech or religion, and the second (real) attitude that it is largely a game for the naïve. Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Michael Dell make fine fodder for commencement speeches, but when parents and career counselors thrust graduates into the job market, the default isn’t entrepreneurship, it’s corporate serfdom. Entrepreneurship is a deviation, an occupation for heroes, heroic for the reasons it can’t be recommended: it’s just too unsafe. But the conventional position is nonsense; building new companies is far more sensible than the practical will admit. First, entrepreneurship is not riskier than working at a big bank or law firm, a fact vividly underscored by the de facto nationalization of the banking sector and mass layoffs of the last few years. Not everyone is suited to join a new company.
From Frida Kahlo to Freud, Finger Puppets of Cultural Icons by Maria Popova Unibrows for fingers, or what Einstein’s ‘do has to do with silent film and the Cuban Revolution. A little over a year ago, I came across a line of literary action figures that quickly became a reader favorite. (Let’s face it, the Brontë Sisters power dolls render one powerless to resist.) Now comes a series of finger-puppets-slash-magnets from the folks at Philosophers Guild, depicting cultural icons across the arts (Warhol, Van Gogh), science (Einstein, Freud), politics (Gandhi, Che Guevara) and beyond. Ranging from the delightful (Come on, it’s Frida Kahlo. Andy Warhol Vincent Van Gogh Sigmund Freud The Buddha Charlie Chaplin Mahatma Gandhi Che Guevara Sherlock Holmes Shakespeare Albert Einstein Frida Kahlo Donating = Loving Bringing you (ad-free) Brain Pickings takes hundreds of hours each month. You can also become a one-time patron with a single donation in any amount: Brain Pickings has a free weekly newsletter. Share on Tumblr
Street Art: Bite Your Spray Can! & Illusion Last year, I featured the fantastic outdoor murals of Smug, since then, he has continued to do quality work which can be viewed here. See also: “Bald Eagle, Yoda and Friends.” Top: Photo © SmugOne. Photos © SmugOne Link via Street Art Utopia How to See Yourself As Others See You Edit Article Edited by bbyrd009, IngeborgK, Teresa, Flickety and 18 others It is common, and commendable, to be curious about how others see you in general, or in specific situations. The more insight you have in this area, the less time you are apt to lie awake at night, wondering. It is quite possible to see yourself exactly as other people see you; however, this takes courage, and the development of some insight. "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." Ad Steps 1Understand that other people are your mirror. 6Continue seeing yourself as others see you throughout life. Tips You don't need to assume that you are completely smothered by the negative trait that you dislike in another. Warnings Much unconscious mirroring is happening all the time; it is more pronounced in our close relationships and we are mirroring others just as they mirror us.
Making of Streamschool A little girl has an adventure with water as she travels from a small brook to the sea. A tale of growing up based on a Hungarian poem. Streamschool was my graduation film in BA Animation at Moholy- Nagy University of Arts and Design. The production was only two months long because at the same time I was attending an animation course called ASF (Animation Sans Frontieres) and the rest of that term was really short. When I had the final idea in mind I asked my friend Kati Egely to do the backgrounds for my film (she makes beautiful pictures and puppets using different textiles). THE 2 MONTH PRODUCTION with DRAGONFRAME After the tests the production has started. My aim was to make all the effects in stop motion instead of using computer generated ones. My biggest inspirations in the animation style and mood were two films; the well known Her morning elegance and another great cut-out music video called Hello Antenna. LATER ON...