Monthly Archives: November 2012

East Window And Communion Table Paisley Abbey Renfrewshire Scotland
Tour Scotland video of the communion table and the Great East stained glass window in the Abbey on visit to Paisley, Scotland. This window depicts the ascended Christ by the stained glass artist, Dr. Robert Douglas Strachan, born 26th May 1875, died in Aberdeen in 1950. He was considered the most significant Scottish designer of stained glass windows in the 20th Century. Schooled at Robert Gordon #39;s, he studied art at Gray #39;s School of Art in Aberdeen, at the Life School of the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, and the Royal Academy in London. From 1895 to 1897 Strachan worked in Manchester as a black and white artist on several newspapers, and as a political cartoonist for the Manchester Evening Chronicle, until ill health forced him to return to Aberdeen. Although Strachan was interested in Futurism, Cubism, and Vorticism, his work shows little influence of this. Strachan often composed his windows in areas of pure colour which were then defined by areas of silvery white. His largest commission was to design the windows for the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle.From:tourscotlandViews:1 0ratingsTime:00:51More inTravel Events

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East Window And Communion Table Paisley Abbey Renfrewshire Scotland - Video

Let #39;s Roleplay Fallout 3. OOC Session 1
This is just a brief video answering a few OOC questions, explaining the importance of truthful editing, and showing the recent level up that was edited out a few videos back. [Keywords: Let #39;s Play Fallout 3 Bethesda RPG Role Playing Infernocanuck Post-apocalyptic Retro-futurism ]From:infernocanuckViews:272 18ratingsTime:08:08More inGaming

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Let's Roleplay Fallout 3. OOC Session 1 - Video

Phonique - Where the Party #39;s At
Taken for the compilation "Crosstown Rebels Present Rebel Futurism Session One" http://www.discogs.comFrom:felka28Views:1 1ratingsTime:05:14More inMusic

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Phonique - Where the Party's At - Video

Schuh Shoes Intergalactic - Taking you Back to the Future
Presenting the exciting new Schuh collection for AW12! Intergalactic, planetary. Planetary, intergalactic. Retro futurism takes hold as echoes of space age fashion rattle through the Intergalactic collection at schuh. White, clean and minimalist, a 60 #39;s imagined 2012 takes star spangled shape with iridescent materials, mirror shine metallics and sequins. Give the look an on trend edge with futuristic silhouettes and sixties inspired ankle boots. Check out the fantastic collection here: http://www.schuh.co.ukFrom:SchuhTVViews:1 0ratingsTime:00:38More inHowto Style

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Schuh Shoes Intergalactic - Taking you Back to the Future - Video

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Steven Sinofsky presents at Microsoft's New York City launch event for Windows 8 on October 25, 2012

Slates Farhad Manjoo is worried over Windows honcho Steven Sinofskys abrupt departure from Microsoft. He or at least whoever wrote his headline says that its terrible news:

But now Sinofsky is suddenly gone. And while I bet his departure will make Microsoft a nicer place to work, Im not sure that harmony is what the company needs now. Under Ballmer, Microsoft has long operated like it doesnt care about the future, missing the rise of the iPod, touchscreen smartphones, and modern tablets. Now, thanks to Sinofsky, its finally got a chance to break with that sorry past. So he was a jerk. So what? With Sinofskys departure, Microsoft is rudderless at a time of intense competition. He was the firms most thoughtful executive, certainly more perceptive about technology than Ballmer. Sinofsky had a firm vision about where the PC industry should go. Ballmer does not. AsMichael Pusateri quipped on Twitter, The wrong Steve is leaving Microsoft.

Manjoos piece is a good read, and I agree that its not a given that a more peaceable, collaborative Microsoft will produce better products, but Im not as alarmed over Sinofskys departure as Manjoo is. For one thing, parts of Microsoft not under Sinofskys purview, such as Xbox and Windows Phone, are doing interesting things. (In fact, Windows 8s new interface radical departure from Windows Phone though it is was borrowed from Windows Phone.) And Julie Larson-Green, the new technical lead for Windows, was one of Windows 8s creators; she wasnt just a foot soldier executing Sinofskys ideas.

One other nitpick on Manjoos story. He says:

Under Ballmer, Microsoft has long operated like it doesnt care about the future, missing the rise of the iPod, touchscreen smartphones, and modern tablets.

Seems to me that Microsoft has always been interested in the future and often pretty savvy when it comes to figuring out what product categories will matter. Where its often stumbled, badly, is at doing the stuff that makes Apple, well, Apple: figuring out how to put together hardware, software and services into polished products that consumers love. (Exhibit A: The Tablet PC, which was conceived and released early in the Ballmer era, which began when he became CEO in 2000.)

Sinofskys Windows 8 and Surface are unquestionably a wildly ambitious attempt to catapult Microsofts most important product into the future but we still dont know whether consumers will bond with them any more than they did with the Tablet PC and other past failed Microsoft attempts at futurism. Thats why I think that the jury is still out on Sinofskys legacy. Which makes it tough to gauge the size of the hole he leaves behind.

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Did Microsoft’s Vision Just Walk Out the Door with Steven Sinofsky? Maybe Not

The famous lithograph by artist Marcel Duchamp entitled "Monte Carlo Bond", also known as "Obligation Monte Carlo", is now available at AffordableArt101 Fine Prints online gallery.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) November 14, 2012

Art dealer Roger Walton of AffordableArt101 Fine Prints, owner of the online art gallery selling the print, says "There is something about this piece that always makes people a little bit crazy! It's a great conversation piece. Collectors get excited about it."

"I think the portrait is the reason for this," continues Walton, "the way Duchamp stares right at you. Slightly ridiculous and a little sinister at the same time, it captures the viewer's attention. This was the photo by the legendary photographer and artist Man Ray, who was also Duchamp's friend."

The portrait, indeed, has sparked much interest and commentary over the years. The substance on Duchamp's head has been variously described as shaving cream, or soapsuds, molded into the shape of either a rooster's comb, or a satyr's horns, or perhaps an even darker creature.

The history of the piece is fascinating: in 1924 Marcel Duchamp hatched a scheme to "break the bank" in the casinos of Monte Carlo by using a system for betting on roulette, with investors to be offered shares in the enterprise. Duchamp set up a joint stock company with plans to raise 15,000 francs for the venture, and planned to issue bonds to investors. The original issue called for 30 bonds, but far fewer were ever produced. The bonds themselves (in their first incarnation) were mixed media collages mounted onto cardboard. Thus was born Marcel Duchamp's "Obligation Monte Carlo". Almost none survive; one specimen resides at MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art in New York) and another was auctioned at Christie's for $1,082,500 in 2010, realizing long after the artist's death the large gains he never achieved from the project during his lifetime.

The second incarnation of this work is as a lithographic recreation, executed by Duchamp in 1938 and published the same year by the Parisian art revue XXe Siecle. Approximately 1200 copies (or "impressions", as print collectors prefer to say) were printed. A lithograph is a type of print, and because of Duchamp's creative involvement in the process, this is considered to be an original work of art, even though multiple impressions were printed.

Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) was a French artist who had enormous influence on Modern Art, being influential in the development of Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism and Dada art. Among his best known works are the painting "Nude Descending a Staircase" and "Fountain", a sculpture of a urinal that was one of his famous "Readymades". "Monte Carlo Bond" is also a Readymade.

Walton makes a further point on this theme, saying "This Marcel Duchamp lithograph marries art with commerce, as Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst would later do. I think you could consider Duchamp the first Pop Artist."

AffordableArt101.com is part of a growing trend of online galleries offering art for sale exclusively on the internet, giving stiff competition to traditional "bricks-and-mortar" galleries. According to Walton, "With lower overhead costs, we can offer the same pieces as other art dealers, but at much lower prices." The online gallery features many styles and genres of original art prints, including Cubism, Surrealism, Dada and Pop Art prints. "It's been a great season for new acquisitions," says Walton, "we have some incredible Picasso, Chagall, Matisse and Miro prints for sale. You can find us online at http://www.affordableart101.com.";

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Miami Gallery Acquires Rare Marcel Duchamp Print

With Black Ops 2, Treyarch finally "gets" Call of Duty. It's taken a few goes. First came World at War, a disastrous step back after Modern Warfare, then Black Ops, which was bloated, incomprehensible and dull.

This time round, though, Treyarch's nailed it, capturing everything wonderful and fun about CoD in one fell game.

Near-future

The near-future aesthetic is a masterstroke, freeing the game up to be as wacky as it's always wanted to be while simultaneously renovating the CoD-standard brown/grey/green colour palette.

Black Ops 2looks gorgeous; the environments resonate a believable futurism, like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, where recognisable architecture is dolled up with LCD screens on everything. The weapons, too, look absolutely stunning, sleek M8 rifles and blocky TAC pistols with holographic scopes and neon tinted iron sights.

It's details like these that really make Black Ops 2's visual design. Stop to look around, and the entire game is popping with neat, semi-plausible touches.

Speedometers are projected on the inside windscreen of cars; civilian and military clothing has a slick digital-era look. Compared to the relentless muddy sepia of past Call of Duty games, Black Ops 2is a work of real flair, dripping in colourful near-future chic.

The 2025 setting also makes for some seriously fun toys - Wing Suits will prove a fan favourite. Jet-powered, mechanical hang-gliders, Wing Suits feature heavily in Black Ops 2's campaign, allowing you to arrive at the starts of levels looking like Optimus Prime.

There are invisibility cloaks, too, though they're only used by enemies, and QuadroCopters, hovering, pesky drone things with machineguns stuck to them.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Review