life on europa, europa?

tsunami effects on the earth

shroud of turin could be older than dirt

the OG of MDMA

james cameron says "let's do this"

usher drops music scraps, j.lo invokes the 3 second rule

ok. i'm dunzo. your turn.

this post may be a little premature for this blog's short attention span... but on february 12 the new christo work the gates will be unveiled in central park.



"The 7500 Gates, 16 feet (4.87 meters) high with a width varying from 5' 6" to 18 feet (1,67 m to 5,48 meters) will follow the edges of the walkways and will be perpendicular to the selected 23 miles of footpaths in Central Park. Free hanging saffron colored fabric panels suspended from the horizontal top part of the gates will come down to approximately 7 feet ( 2,13 meters) above the ground. The gates will be spaced at 12 foot (3,65 meter) intervals, except where low branches extend above the walkways allowing the synthetic woven panels to wave horizontally towards the next gate and be seen from far away through the leafless branches of the trees. The temporary work of art The Gates is scheduled for February 2005, to remain for 16 days, then the 7,500 Gates shall be removed and the materials will be recycled."

--
it's gonna be dooooope. we should check them out from ground level and then find a great rooftop vantage point - any ideas? maybe the met?

if you haven't already seen these -
so. fucking. cool.








the email that's been circulating with about 25 of these pics says these sea creatures were washed up on the shores of phuket after the tsunami hit. which actually isn't true.

but the photos are totally real. they were taken on a 2003 expedition to explore the deep sea life of the tasman sea. so if you're as freaked out and fascinated as i am - you can check out all kinds of unbelieveable photos and descriptions of what they found on their site: creature feature. worth some time. and there's a bbc article about the expedition here.

also, coincidence? or brilliant viral marketing?
james cameron's new IMAX film aliens of the deep came out today. i missed my appointed showtime today due to technical hangover difficulties. so i'm looking for someone to drag uptown with me next weekend (you'll have to be willing to hold my hand during any octopus close-ups.) more info here.

why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why ?

i just watched the first episode of the american remake of the office. it's been slipped a roofie and date raped word for word and shot for shot. only the names, accents, and cultural references have been changed. tim = jim. dawn = pam. gareth in the territorial army = dwight the volunteer sheriff. redundancies = downsizing. steve carrell even tries to copy brent's voice and delivery for some of the jokes. it hurts. i need to go watch some original episodes quick just to get the nasty taste out of my mouth.

(if you haven't seen the BBC version, you might not want to watch this. it could ruin the joy of the real thing.)

Just a reminder. The Bravery, this Saturday, North Sixth.
You can hear them at http://thebravery.com/
(They just won the BBC newcomer award this year that Franz Ferd won last year).
Who's in?

more pictures from my 30th birthday blizzizzle can be found here.

(luckily i have absolutely no desire to forget my birthday because there are, literally, tens of thousands of photos floating around. you would think it was being documented for time-life, or animal planet. and so for those who actually have day jobs, dial-up and/or lives, don't worry i'll eventually make a compilation highlights page for more palatable digestion. just TiVO this page and check back...)

beck was kind enough to make this video about my birthday. please enjoy. in win media or real player
(that's no unicorn, that's pappy.)

30 years ago today, Jacquie Osman was crying a lot, sleeping a lot, and going potty all over herself. After last night, she might be doing the same thing this very moment.

Pictures from the wonderful Queen Osman's 30th birthday extravaganza can be found here. Get 'em while they're hot.

I recommend clicking "View Slideshow" for your best viewing pleasure. Please turn off all electronic devices. And enjoy the show.

red bean bun, yummy yum yum
in my tum, with oscillococcinum

http://www.right-thinking.com/images/uploads/bradjenang.gif

meet the new NME garde...
all british. and on tour together, whenever possible.

bloc party : little thoughts (live on radio1)
the futureheads : meantime
kaiser chiefs : oh my god

so hurry up and catch them pre-jumbotron and $2 bill concert - kaiser chiefs @ northsix, feb. 12; futureheads @ bowery, feb. 22 (will likely sell out in the next few days sold out); all three @ sxsw, march 17.

>pc people: right click and choose save target as
>mac people: control click and select download to disk

Labels: mp3some, music

all manskes keep quiet.

bloc party are churning out the videos. maybe too fast. watch.
little thoughts
so here we are
helicopter

(i drafted this a while ago, so i'm not sure if all these links still work.)

call her 626.379.6161! and then
come get some drinks tonight!
the room.

http://www.humanorchestra.com/philharmonic.html

I've been writing for Newsweek Budget Travel and they just sent me an email looking for pitches about trendy roadside motels. Here's an excerpt:

"As you know, there's been a trend toward breathing life into kitschy old motels around the country. Think . . .Palm Springs. We're looking for the best, affordable, newly modern ones out there, with the coolest sense of style, the niftiest authentic original touches, and the most interesting stories about the people who poured their hearts into refurbishing them. "

Anybody got any ideas on this one? About all I can offer is to get photographs under the nose of the photo director which could lead to an assignment on this particular story.

Thanks, y'all

Bret

I don't know if people are checking the blog anymore, but i have sort of a scary question. Thus far i've known two sets of people to be in the vicinity (India and the Maldives) of the tsunami, and tracking them down has been a group effort. It occurred to me that this is sort of a travel-to-south-asia crowd and that we should make sure we're all accounted for. So sound off, or you face an onslaught of worried phone calls and emails.

I'm back from my Texas vacation. I'm feeling good. And social. And I haven't seen most of you for well over a month. Let's drink. And talk. And laugh about good times. And make some more good times. It's a new year. Let's start this bitch off right. ready? break.