Andrew Hazlett // This page is a notepad for ideas, links, and things of interest to me and probably few others. My Internet home-base is at http://www.TheOccasional.org.
I am establishing a cultural commentary and curation website called The New Modern. Visit http://www.TheNewModern.net for more information.
By now, you've probably heard about this series of YouTube videos by "Mike from Milwaukee." It's more than an hour of carefully edited clips and furiously intelligent slashing and burning. In the character of a foul-mouthed rambling madman, a perceptive amateur film critic lays out exactly what is so awful about the soulless Star Wars prequel. It's perfect viewing for the holidays... a wonderfully satisfying experience for the whole family (seventeen and older).
In my experience, current forms of digital magazines either (a) slavishly ape print conventions or (b) overwhelm the reader with gizmos, animation, too many links, and disjointed fragments of digital stuff.
Mag+ is an elegant model for future digital magazines that seems to overcome the weaknesses of both approaches. It's logical, simple, but also interactive. It also looks like a perfect fit for the rumored Apple "Tablet" (now supposedly due in March 2010). Here's an interesting video illustrating the Mag+ concept:Ideally, the design, formatting, and user interface could be adapted to existing blogging/content management systems like Wordpress or Drupal. Then we'd be in business!
[via @themediaisdying]
All I know about surfing I learned from Bodhi and Johnny Utah, but this is incredible.
[I recommend muting the stupid "Xtreme" music soundtrack]
Prompted by these intriguing visuals mentioned by Steve Silberman, I went back to take another look at the work of Glenn Marshall, and his gorgeous video for a composition by Peter Gabriel.
Definitely worth exploding into full-screen HD mode, Marshall's short film employs a programming language called Processing to render music in mathematical and visual forms. Something to get lost in for a little while...
Look for "bright young things" and fresh memories of the Great War.
(via Crooked Timber)
