So, I have yet to see The Social Network, but I did recently re-watch Hackers and I'm interested to see how differently the two films portray computer nerds. In Hackers, as in Tron before it, neon lights and fancy (for the era) computer animations represent the ethereal, magical world of files and servers and make computing look totally awesome. Moreover, the Hackers geeks themselves are pretty cool: they're really attractive, dress in nineties eclectic mod-punk couture and rollerblade from underground techno club to underground techno club with their souped-up laptops. They're also cool because they're rebellious, but principled. They hack into systems to carry out whimsical and harmless pranks until they uncover a corporate programmer's sinister plot to embezzle a large sum of money, cause an environmental catastrophe and blame both on innocent high school hackers (you don't get a more luscious technovillain than that). For these computer geeks, technology allows for a more egalitarian (or perhaps just anarchical) society — the little people don't have to be pawns in powerful men's games anymore.

The computer geeks in The Social Network are a slightly different breed. Zuckerberg and his cohorts are similarly interested in breaking down the (collegiate, social) hierarchy of power with their computer knowledge, but in hopes of reestablishing it and installing themselves at the top. It's an interesting shift in perspective, and I think this rather trivial comparison could actually act as a jumping-off point for a larger discussion about the web, society, revolution and innovation.

By the end of the 19th century, cities throughout Europe faced a crisis: They were literally drowning in horse manure. Thought leaders of the day knew it to be a forgone certainty that dealing with the waste of horses was going to be the most pressing concern for urban planners of the 20th century...

Of course, cars solved the horseshit problem.

The Future of Cities and Transportation | GOOD Magazine | 08.02.2010

Nikola Tesla remains an intriguing figure because of his genius, but also because of his idiosyncrasies and the incredible (in the truest sense of the word) circumstances surrounding his rise to prominence. Photographs of Tesla's lab seem like something out of a steampunk fantasy, and the "nonsense" in the drunk history video about Edison electrocuting animals is actually completely true. 

It's little wonder that a country on the cusp of a major energy crisis, and in need of creative, progressive solutions, would be fascinated by a figure like Tesla.

There's something really beautiful about the background landscapes and cityscapes from old cartoons. Their saturated colors and high-contrast light effects are reminiscent of paintings by Hopper or Hockney. A lot of the cartoon shorts were set in theaters, music halls, and movie sets, and some of the backgrounds are stage backdrops — an artist's rendering of an artist's rendering of the landscape. Also, absent the character cels, these landscapes can feel strange, distant and lonely or, alternatively, they can feel iconic — acting as theindex to a beloved cartoon character. 

In any case, I'm incredibly glad I stumbled upon this fantastic, comprehensive blog: animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com

We feel that we are making our own decisions, but many are by design...

In the weeks preceding Halloween, I discovered quite a bit of music, art, and film that combines horror with humor. A few weekends ago, I went to see Dead Man's Bones at 6th & I Synagogue — a venue that provided the perfect staging for the show. The band, fronted by Ryan Gosling and accompanied — in this instance — by the Howard University Choir, performed doo-wop inspired pop songs about monsters, ghosts, and the undead. Their single "My Body's a Zombie for You" is representative of their light take on spooky themes, while their music video "Dead Hearts" ventures into slightly creepier territory.

I feel like over the past week or so I've seen a lot of things I think of as caricatures in one sense or another. The Sunday before last, I went to the Philip Guston exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. Influenced by cartoonists like George Herriman and R. Crumb, Guston utilized unsettling caricatures of people (Klan members, himself, his wife) and objects (books, irons, cars) in his controversial later works. There is something uncanny about these works - something simultaneously familiar and foreign, corporeal and surreal. The complex and sad comics of Chris Ware, my favorite working artist, achieve this same strange tone. Watch the NGA video about Guston for more of his story.

Last Tuesday I went to see Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros (my musical fix du jour) at Jammin' Java in Vienna. It was an excellent performance though, lamentably, the crowd lacked the band's energy... In any case, Alex Ebert, formerly of Ima Robot, has affected various stage personas that seem to be caricatures of what a front man for a particular style of music should be (see him in Ima Robot versus Edward Sharpe) — both the punk/dance Alex Ebert and the indie/folk Alex Ebert are grotesques.

I spent Labor Day weekend at party central, Dewey Beach, Delaware, a caricature of spring break-style abandon. I felt like everyone there was playing up and playing into the debauchery that the town represents — not that I think that's a bad thing... it certainly made for fun.

Finally, last night I re-watched R. Kelly's hip-hopera masterpiece Trapped in the Closet, in which all of the characters (whether intentionally or unintentionally) are caricatures. It must be seen to be believed, and preferably accompanied by Kell's in-depth commentary.

This past Friday I went to see The Flaming Lips at Merriweather Post. I know a lot of people who've seen them in concert, and the performance certainly lived up to my expectations (hamster ball, costumed dancers, balloons, confetti, trippy visuals). However, I went to see Black Moth Super Rainbow earlier this summer, and I was honestly more impressed and excited by their low-tech showmanship. They used many of the same sensationalistic gimmicks (video projections, a hairy suit), but with a little more edge. Perhaps it was just that the Flaming Lips show lacked the intimacy of BMSR's, but I simply wasn't as energized by the performance. Don't get me wrong; it was still a rockin' show, I'm just spoiled by all the great acts I've seen lately.

Saturday morning, I took a small road trip to Harper's Ferry, WV to go "white water" tubing, which is basically an excuse to feel slightly more active while socializing and imbibing cheap domestic beer. There were moments of excitement — tubers paddling frantically to catch runaway coolers, beers tipping perilously in the midst of rapids, butts colliding violently with submerged rocks — but all in all it was a relaxing good time and a great end to the summer.

So this has been a week filled with carnage, commencing on Saturday with a viewing of District 9, a great sci-fi flick that incorporates all of the action, special effects, violence and social commentary one could hope for. It was also gory as all get-out, and I spent a lot of time being disgusted by the alien "prawns" and all of the ickiness going on. I was, however, not too nauseated to be really impressed by the graphic design done for the film. They developed really plausible branding and signage for use within the production and as marketing surrounding the release. Sunday, the carnage continued with an urban water gun/capture the flag battle on Vernon St. in Adams Morgan. Though my team won, individually I was the biggest loser... my clothes took hours to recover, and my dignity may never...

Afterward, I once again faced prawns, this time in a crayfish and shrimp etoufee at Eatonville on 14th. I highly recommend sipping a mint julep on one of their rocking chairs.

There was a brief lull in the violence until Thursday when I went to see Tokyo Gore Police at the Freer Gallery (part of their amazing Asia Trash! film festival). I would list all of the awesomely gory and twisted things that take place in the film, but they are all extremely NSFW... I would simply suggest a google image search when you're safely at your home computer...

I got the chance to see DC United face off against Real Madrid yesterday, the most well-attended home match in the American team's history... There weren't any big surprises; Madrid won pretty handily, though perhaps not as handily as was expected. It was a great game to watch regardless, and two of the biggest names in the game were on the field - soccer icons Cristiano Ronoldo and Ricardo Kaka - so there was plenty to be excited about.

On a design-y note, I think Real Madrid's logo is pretty sweet... especially as compared to United's.