Info design for movies
This is quite amazing.
About Primer, I think it's just a bad movie. You really have to be super concentrated to understand a single thing that's happening in that movie. You can't even watch it with a fucking beer in your hand.
My name is Yann (project post)
But I guess everything is cool now that I live in NYC.
One fun fact: I had all sort of hair styles:
And beard styles:
jay-z
But there's one person in the whole world that does. It's Jay-Z. He just has this face that fucking scares the hell out of me. Every time we stare at each other, I can hear him saying:"..........................i'm jay z............................."
it's in his eyes.
the twilight zone anniversary
say happy birthday to The Twilight Zone. it turns 50!
"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call 'The Twilight Zone.'"
— Rod Serling
such a poet.
here is the link to the article. thanks to Neatorama. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090929/ap_on_re_us/us_twilight_zone_at50;_ylt=AszlnrnUJIVWLJ9N9GtdI7Ks0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTM4dWh0dGg0BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwOTI5L3VzX3R3aWxpZ2h0X3pvbmVfYXQ1MARjcG9zAzEwBHBvcwM3BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDNTB5ZWFyc2xhdGVy
video: to hug the mountain
Captain Kirk is climbing the mountain,
Why is he climbing the mountain? x4
To hug the mountain,
to envelop... that mountain. x4
that mountain. x2
He wants to make love to the mountain.
Why do I climb the mountain?
Because I'm in love.
connecting a circular neon
After months of struggle trying to find a diagram on the internet, an electrician in Satwa showed me how it's done.
And today, the diagram is finally available online :)
a new species
The Bristol Zoo put up a panel board in front of the restaurant for a new species called Homo sapiens.
It reads:
After a gestation period of nine months, humans usually live in their parents’ nest for around 16 years. While the parents are out foraging for food, juveniles are looked after in large groups by other adults.
In adolescence, the offspring adopt a more nocturnal lifestyle and engage in ritualized activities of drinking fermented liquids and dancing to rhythmical sounds, which scientists believe help them to find a mate.
track of the week
A pusherman is someone involved in the sale of illegal drugs. aka drug dealer.
in funk.
quote
- Goooood, gooooood.
- Yes it is good. Well this is the worst kind of badness that I've feeling.
- Kill me master! Kill me!
- Not now Vincent, we have work to do!
Quote from a hilarious film called Time Bandits by Terry Gilliam.
trailer: avatar
Yesterday, I went to the first worldwide screening of the AVATAR trailer in Paris. The new James Cameron film. (release date: 18th december)
The 15 minute trailer I went to was free and open to the public. There was a fairly long queue, I was hoping for a bigger crowd, but thankfully there wasn't just trekkies and jedi knights dressed up as normal people.
Anyway, the previews were fucking awesome. They handed us 3D glasses, the experience was unbelievable. After 15 minutes of some movie clips, I was sweating so much and my heart was beating so fast I couldn't even remember what I've just seen.
I've never seen a movie with such intensity and quality.
Here's an article that writes that in december, james cameron will change the face of cinema... forever.
link, via dailymail.
vacances
mountain bike lebanon 09
on social networking
oh ow
dear Michael
He was a hero to us youngsters, we grew up with his cds in our disk players. He was a pioneer in many ways, a powerful performer and song writer.
Unfortunately, these last years were pretty hard for him, loosing a lot of money, cases turned against him, etc..
I guess he was away from his music and from what he expressed in his songs about the world and about people, he was under too much stress, living in the ugliness of our society and dying in it. That's what our society can do to gods.
I was chatting with Eric not long ago, when he told me: "maybe he'll rise from the grave like in thriller?" :0
Anyway, we know he'll live through his music and his fans and forever will be in our hearts.
One of my favorite songs: Heal the World - indeed.
home
Below is the press conference of the movie.
It's a must see. must see. musssst see.
the movie website:
http://www.home-2009.com/us/index.html
youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/homeproject
wrong yet real
There is some kind of misplacement between us and the digital world. The Web, the blogs, the social networking communities, all of those are supposedly a representation of ourselves, yet it still doesn't feel like it. Somewhere in this strong connection we have with technology, there is an untied knot.
Maybe I am pointing out a problem that doesn't exist. I don't know. I just feel that we as human beings are using our screens too much, and have forgotten the wonders that can be seen through an extended field of vision, and the wonders that can be achieved by actually doing things and not letting things do them for you.
Our lives are so artificial, so limited. I have absolutely no idea on what will the future do to us. What new beings will we become. We have now followed a definite path. We cannot go backwards. We aren't creating technology, it is creating us. Transforming us.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but this hype, this excitement towards using digital means for communicating is really bothering me. It all feels so wrong. help.
movie reviews
However there are 2 of these that stand out considerably: Encounters at the End of the World and Man on Wire, which happen to be 2 incredible documentaries. The first one is about why and who are the people who go to Antarctica (i watched it 3 times), and the second is a documentary about Philippe Petit, a funanbule who walked on a wire between the twin towers in 1974.
They are both very different in styles. I know not alot of people like to watch documentaries, but they are sometimes types of movies that can really keep you on the edge of your seat, especially having narrators such as Herzog and Philippe Petit.
Watch them and you won't regret it.
uWakeboard
Carl and I spent this weekend building this super cool site for their new wakeboarding lessons off Montreal. I am really proud of this site.
http://uwakeboard.com/
G-Earth: Ile Amsterdam
so coooooooool.
belle partie
final space project
New title: The Nose Knows Not
As the modern city grows, it redefines what smells good and what smells bad.
I am exploring the evolution of smell in context of the growth of the city. In today’s architecture and interior design, we can clearly see the rejection of natural smells and odors: white walls, smooth surfaces, shininess, ventilation …
Artificial smell is created to represent what is new and clean and some odors that were previously considered to be pleasant have now become repugnant. We can see the rise of the skyscraper as a way to escape the ‘dirty’ streets. Towers also give a sense of hierarchy. The higher we are the more important we are.
But also this causes us to live further and further away from the natural world. In previous times, structures were close to the grounds where bodies, beasts, sex and feces lived which were considered to be a resource in pharmacy and cosmetics.
“The industrial age elevated whiteness and cleanliness beyond hygienic import to the status of moral values.”
Anna Barbara - Invisible Architecture: Experiencing Places Through the
Sense of Smell “Death/Entropy”
The result is that we start to live in a very artificial world secluded from what exists beyond our walls. The city has become a waste dump. Furthermore we loose our relationship with nature as it becomes less tangible.
It is interesting to think of how our world and us humans would deal with pollution and waste at a large scale. When the outside world becomes uninhabitable, where will we go? Will we live indoors? Find another planet?
Richard Goldstein illustrates well this pessimistic view of our future in The Logical Legend of Heliopause and Cyberfiddle. He shows that the only way to regain our senses of smell and touch is to reconnect with the tangible world.
Tommaso Filippo Marinetti said in his Manifesto (1910):
“The realm of life has become the realm of ‘non-life’; It is a world of death. Death is no longer represented by stinking feces and corpses. Now it symbols are clean, gleaming machines; men are no longer attracted to fetid latrines, but to structures in glass and aluminum.”
Through a structure inspired by Le Corbusier's Villa Savoie, Donald Judd's installations and the Monolith in Kubrick's Space Odyssey, I am building a tall structure where I let the users explore and smell through the protruding ducts odors that have left our lives, maybe forever.
Maxime Chaya reaches the North Pole
He is the only Lebanese to have conquered the Everest, the South Pole and yesterday the North Pole. His courage, determination and perseverance should be a lesson to not only our country, but the whole world.
visit his blog.
Bravo and thank you.
artist: Dan DiMattia
Check out his gallery, it's fantastic.
disappears into the blackness
David Attenborough has the most captivating voice. He can put so much intensity in the most dull words he'll leave you on the edge of your seat.
Check this out:
If Twitter were a person
C'est un article que j'ai trouver sur Neatorama contre le concept de Twittering. The author gives a very humanistic view on the act of twittering.
But as Twitter's popularity wobbles at the tipping point between faddish distraction and worldwide obsession, it's worth wondering how much of this "connecting" is simply hastening the erosion of our already compromised interpersonal skills. Are we tweeting because we truly want to communicate with a select group of true friends, or because typing has replaced talking and indiscretion has been stripped of all negative connotations?
article
video - mtv cribs arabic
It's been a while since i've seen such a funny clip. This is absolutely hilarious.
Eric and Carl, you guys will love it.
artist site - Michael R Allison
Michael R Allison
Don't pay attention to his site. I know it sucks. Look at his work.
There is beauty that flows within the cold lifeless ducts.
oh and, DON'T CLICK THIS!
New School craziness
We arrived on 13th street and 5th avenue, the Parsons building's main entrance was blocked, and the were cops everywhere. Literally. We had to rush upstairs as we were a bit late. We kind of missed some of the action even though we could see out the window the other building being occupied and infiltrated by the police.
I suggest you watch the videos on this article by the NYTimes. And read the article if you're interested with what's going on with my school.
video - Olgu's motion graphics homework
Made with a green screen using a green blanket, edited with After Effects using Keylight.
NYC Pillow Fight 2009
I found out the same morning around 10AM on Neatorama.com
This year it was staged on Wall Street at 3PM. I woke up Olgu and Jason around 2:15 and we headed downtown. When we got there, a hot Red Bull chick offered us some cans - We were now ready.
Armed with our cameras, we waited to jump into the mayhem. Unfortunately, we didn't have any pillows. In the crowd, people were shouting: "Get them!! They don't have pillows!! OH WAIT! They're wearing glasses!" XD
Here is the video I edited the same night - SAVOR!
google ∃ place - Altay (Russia)
I found a beautiful region around the "Altay" or "Altai" mountains in Russia. It's located a few kilometers from the intersecting borders of China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia. We are here in the dead center of the continent of Asia. A region that has been rarely explored by tourists. I guess it's because it's such a vast region, with very few villages, and tough weather. But that wouldn't be a reason not to venture in the arms of mother Nature.
Once again, there are no words for describing beautiful landscape, and definitely no words describing the actual experience. So i'm going to cut down on description and leave you guys with pics from the ingenious API "Panoramio" embedded in GEarth.
Road towards the Altai Mountains
The Ukok plateau in the middle of the Altai chain, explorers on their horses.
blog news
I am going to have short theme posts that are going to appear every week.
Here is the list:
- Artist Site of the Week.
- Google Earth Place of the Week.
- Video of the Week.
Now doesn't that sound wonderfully exiting?
Empire of the Sun, "Walking On A Dream"
It's incredibly catchy and the shots of Shanghai are fabulous as well as the characters.
Oh and sing along if you can !
Walking on a dream
How can I explain
Talking to myself
Will I see again
We are always running for the thrill of it thrill of it
Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it
On and on and on we are calling out and out again
Never looking down I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me
Is it real now
When two people become one
I can feel it
When two people become one
Thought I’d never see
The love you found in me
Now it’s changing all the time
Living in a rhythm where the minutes working overtime
Catch me I’m falling down
Catch me I’m falling down
Don’t stop just keep going on
I’m your shoulder lean upon
So come on deliver from inside
All we got is tonight that is right till first light
when i grow up
This one cannot be described into words. So you'll just have to watch it!
where have all the good sperms gone?
I found it hilarious so i'll pass the laugh to you guys as well.
dessin automatique
Ca fait un peu commercial, mais bon. C'est gai, simple et joyeux.
Anyway, I wanted to share with you a scan I found in my files. It was a drawing I did with my eyes closed listening to Tchaikovsky's Andante Con Moto - i think. - or another song by him. But I remember resting my head on the table for about 12 minutes, and letting my hand dance with the rythm of Tchaikovsky's notes.
I remember I was pretty pissed off that day, I think it helps to do stuff like that when you're in a bad mood, or just really stressed.
Even though it doesn't look like anything, it's interesting to glance at it when the song ends. It remains as some kind of an art piece - or can be seen as a graphic score of a musical arrangement.
connoisseur
The most common connoisseurs are for wines, painting, cinema, coffees, chocolates and rocks.
But if YOU ought to be a connoisseur about something, anything. anything at all. What would be that specific field of study that you are sooo passionate about and would like to know absolutely everything about it ?????
I would like to be a connoisseur of coulds, stars, or trees.
what about you?
spring break
Obviously we don't have similar dates in terms of holidays, but i hope you all carried out your exams successfully. I did not do so well. But I will catch up quickly.
Enough bullshit. Let's talk about real bullshit :)
I have been reading about the history of spring break and found out it dated back to Socrates and the Greeks. Not very surprising. Basically, it's taking a big break from work, and getting drunk and drugged and fucked.
I want to dedicate this spring break to nature. I know it's corny and geeky, but really. If you think about it, spring is when flora gets to blossom again after a long and tough winter.
I want to dedicate this spring break to a tree. The tree of Ténéré. I don't know if you've already heard about it, but it was the most isolated tree on the planet. I've been browsing though Nigeria on GoogleEarth and stumbled upon the site where the tree lived before it was run down by a drunk truck driver in 1973. There was no other tree around it for 400km!! People really though it was a magical site. It really shows the power of mother nature's love for our blue planet. Today, an ugly metal structure takes its place to commemorate the tree.
I find this incredible. Really. I really recommend looking at the article on Wikipedia. it's soooo interesting.
This photo was taken in 1961.
Anyway, have a good spring break.
La maison en petits cubes
I just watched it, and cried. It is the second animated film that made me cry. The first one was Wall-e.
This film is has a rare and magical sensitivity that deserves a lot of attention. Beautiful.
- watch it!
voici un link sur un article interessant concernant le cinema japonais aujourd'hui.c'est assez court.
citation
Frédéric Beigbeder dans "Vacances dans le Coma"
the reader
Je suis aller donc voir The Reader. J'ai trouvé l'histoire bof, mais bien adapté. Par contre les scènes sont magnifique. La musique aussi. Le rythme du filme est juste parfait. Et Kate Winslet est une déesse du cinéma. Je vous le conseille absolument si vous êtes d'humeur a voir un film avec de belles scènes, de bon dialogues et relations entre personnages, et aussi, si vous aimez lire :)
oscars
If Slumdog was released after the Oscars, I'm pretty sure Dark Night would have gotten the trophies it deserved. But Slumdog really was a masterpiece. I really enjoyed it. Having lived in Dubai, also traveled to India, I could really connect with the movie and it was pretty emotional. Danny Boyle has an awesome editing style that makes you dive in the heart of the movie. A must see.
As for the others, I have missed the Werner Herzog documentary, one of my top next movies to watch. And I really want to watch that Japanese foreign language film: the Departure.
Ok, one last paragraph. There was one thing that blew my mind during the show. If you guys noticed, after they made the announcement for the best picture category, they showed a video montage of the movies that were nominated. It was the best montage I've seen in my life. Absolutely magnificent. I can't describe it in words. If I find it (I hope I will) I'll definitely post it on this blog for you guys to see.
What a lovely night.
the cigarette is dead
I don't know who's behind it, but I found a site, entirely flash based, with an incredible intro video, on the cigarette.
It explains in the intro video how the cigarette is becoming a thing of the past. And when you enter the site, you can browse through posts on a time-line on people who have stopped smoking. You can even say something about your smoking situation and it will be added to the site's time-line.
Really amazing information design. Everything is so neat and intuitive :)
www.thecigaretteisdead.com
jasmine pearl tea
tell me what you think!
songs that give you chills
That's when you know it's a song you can relate to, or just because it's beautifully composed.
Whoever reads this post, post a comment with the 5 songs that give you chills coz they're so good.
Here are mine:
Flash - Queen
Let the Sunshine in - HAIR soundtrack
Hey Jude - Beatles
Jack-A-Lynn - Jethro Tull
La Sagrada Familia - Alan Parsons Project
humans are among us
Have you ever thought of being the intruder from their point of view?
These are taken from an ad campaign for the sci-fi channel.
photos on google earth
Simply amazing.
But best of all, you can actually post pictures on location! with an API called Panoramio (panoramio.com) just upload pics from your camera to the location on google earth!!
One thing I like about this amazing option is that if you've been somewhere where no one has taken any pictures before, you can be the first one to show the world what this place looks like.
I've posted some pics in Lebanon around Bcharre, and some in Dubai around the beach. And i'm sure there will be more to come.
stand by me
beautiful video.
I think this is one of the most powerful songs ever written.
actually, I should try to find and post: 'the most powerful songs ever.'
creative thinking
J'aimerai partager un link avec vous.
Le projet s'appelle "Interactive Photo Hunt". Un gars a décidé de créer un jeux d'images ou il faut trouver la différence entre les 2 photos. Mais ce qui est intéressant et vraiment original, c'est qu'il a utiliser Youtube pour créer les niveaux du jeux.
--> Savoir utiliser un service tel que Youtube et le modifier de façon a créer quelquechose de totalement différent, est vraiment très très original. Et je pense que les personnes qui peuvent 'think outside the box' comme ca, y'en a pas beaucoup.
J'ai pu arriver jusqu'au niveau 18. C'est pas évident.
I like the music too.
TRY IT!
www.boingboing.net/blog/interactive_photohu.htm
and enjoy :)
forgotten vids
Here are some of them. The most hilarious ones.
I)
This is an audio track from our band practice. We can clearly remember George's attitude and Carl trying to settle the tension down.
here's the link.
II)
Two videos at George's sleep over. We were really really young, you can tell by our voices.
link1
link2
III)
Finaly, THESE ARE CLASSICS!
link1
link2
twilight eyes
J'ai pris un screen shot chaque fois que le personnage regarde de coté, dans les disques 4, 5 et 6 de Twilight Zone Season 1. Puis j'ai fais un montage.
Et voila ce que ca donne.
Link
Vu de loin, ca ressemble a des vidéos, et c'est beau visuellement. Mais j'aime bien l'effet que ca donne quand on regarde de près. On peut très bien ressentir c'est quoi être acteur.
web 2.0
Mon prof nous a montrer cette video en classe hier. Elle définit exactement ce qu'est l'internet aujourd'hui et touche aussi sur le futur.
enjoy.
L'art chez les grands
Alors pourquoi est-on que de plus en plus attirés par la grandeur de l'oeuvre? Pourquoi doit-on toujours agrandir? c'est vraiment débile quand on y pense.
C'est aussi ce qui se passe avec tout le monde aujourd'hui. Ces gens relèvent beaucoup trop la tete, pour faire face a une échelle qui n'est pas proportionnelle a lui-meme.
Tout ce qui est du détail est en train de disparaître. Il n'est plus important. Il n'existe plus. Un exemple: Dubai. Ou sinon, dans les galleries de Chelsea, aucune oeuvre n'arrive sous nos yeux. La gallerie Gagosian a besoin de murs de 40m de haut et elle fait la taille d'un terrain de foot. c'est completement ridicule. Et les artistes ne sont-ils plus inspirés par Frida Kahlo, Jiri Kolar ou Nicolas de Stael? Ces artistes peignaient sur des toiles de 45x30 cm et fesaient des oeuvres magnifiques.
Nous devenons moins impressionnés, moins sentimental, les 'petites choses' ne font plus la différence. Notre seuil d'émotion grimpe rapidement. Imaginons un jour ou nous serons plus impressionnés par rien .. Parce que nous ne pourrons plus construire et créer plus grand.
citation
C'est assez intense:
"Comme je suis rarement aimable, quoique toujours polie, on ne m'aime pas mais on me tolère tout de même parce que je correspond, si bien a ce que la croyance sociale a aggloméré en paradigme de la concierge d'immeuble que je suis un des multiples rouages qui font tourner la grande illusion universelle selon laquelle la vie a un sens qui peut être aisément déchiffré."
Je dois avouer que je ne comprend pas tout. Mais c'est bien écrit, avec seulement 3 virgules.
National Geographic photography
Surtout celles prises en plongée.
link
George tu va aimer.
le déclin de l'empire écriturien
Depuis que les claviers peuplent cette planète, l'écriture n'existe plus. Plus personne ne sait écrire comme auparavant. Et même le peu de gens qui savent, hésitent souvent sur l'orthographe d'un mot. On écrit, on pense et on parle en abrégé aujourd'hui.
Les pauvres jeunes.
Et tous ça a cause du progrès incontrollé de la technologie. Les responsables n'ont pas imaginés que ca détruirait la finesse et la beauté de la langue. Ce n'est pas notre SpellCheck sur word qui va nous enseigner, ni notre thesaurus.com qui va enrichir notre vocabulaire.
Je me souviens maintenant du 'Piège Diabolique' de Blake et Mortimer, ou Mortimer voyage dans le futur lointain et découvre la ville de Paris en ruine suite a une guerre nucléaire. Il se balade dans les reste des stations de métro, et voit sur les panneaux écrit: 'Pari' et 'Ver la Saine'. L'auteur montre alors à quoi ressemblerait notre langue et écriture plus tard, si on continue comme ca aujourd'hui.
L'imagination de cet auteur est vraiment incroyable. Une bonne lecture.
citation
- Slogan publicitaire américain.
tiré de 'Vacances dans le coma' de Frédéric Beigbeder.
citation
Voici une citation assez marrante.
Un jeune bourré débat avec ses amis dans la rue devant une boite de nuit:
" Seule demeure la societe de masturbation. Aujourd'hui le monde entier se branle ! C'est le nouvel opium du peuple ! On n'est jamais mieux servi que par soi-meme ! [...] Elle vous tuera tous. La masturbation c'est le contraire de la vie. C'est une petite jouissance fugace, une ejaculation triste, un abandon débandant. Elle nous tue tous a petit feu. "
Dans tous ses livres, Beigbeder fait toujours un portrait parfait de la societé moderne. Il la comprend tres bien.
first words, first post
Donc voila pourquoi j'ai choisi ce petit titre.
Je ne sais pas si j'ecrirai mes articles aussi formellement, puis je suis sure qu'il y a deja enormement de fautes d'orthographes. On m'a dit que tenir un blog n'est pas facile. il faut que sa devienne une routine. Mais en meme temps, j'aimerai que ce blog soit un endroit ou je pourrai écrire mes pensées de mon activité quotidienne, d'enregistrer un processus mental qui pourra plus tard me servir. J'ecrirai aussi peut- etre mes idées de court métrages et autres petites histoires..
enfin, enjoy.