OBAMA!!! More on the election later, but in the meantime, enjoy the new Franz Ferdinand track (finally!).
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
How Does This Work?
Check out the album cover for the new Animal Collective record. Upon first glance, it's all wavy-gravy, Dead-esque. Stare at it for a moment and it stops.
They threw a bunch of perceptual psychology at us in undergrad, which I've clearly forgotten, but this stuff never fails to amaze me. If anyone remembers how it works, please let me know...
In the meantime, enjoy the mindtrip...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Experiments, not mine sadly.
I thought this was really cool and you guys might find it cool too.
It's an art project started by a former PhD student in my lab (he's now a posdoc at Stanford) and it seems that he's been doing a bunch of these little art experiments on the side. Maybe you've heard of it, it's already 2 years old, but www.onethousandpaintings.com is sort of a commentary on the art market - like how a Jackson Pollock which is completely abstract is worth millions, but my random doodles are worth nothing (to the untrained eye), however if Pollock copied my doodles, his would be worth millions even though the content is the same.
To test this, he removed all the content from his paintings and just painted numbers: from 1 - 1000, so that there would be an element of uniqueness, but that those numbers would also determine price.
ex.
For painting 40, the price would be 1000 - 40 = 960 USD
However, you'd get a discount based on how many paintings have already been sold, a 90% discount if less than a hundred have been sold, 80% discount if less than 200 have been sold, etc.
In 2 years he's sold 789 paintings so far, and has started another project where he paints and sells art bonds.
Anyway, I thought it was a really neat experiment and worth a blogging.
You can watch him talk about it at a Google talk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIbyLlnKk9s
His accent is very Swiss in case you were interested, he sounds exactly like the other Swiss Germans in the lab (who sound nothing like the Germans or the Austrians).
Check out more of his projects:
http://www.onethousandpaintings.com/home/
http://www.365specialdays.com/home/
http://www.aharef.info/static/htmlgraph/
The last one is particularly cool, and below is a screenshot of our blog in graph form.
As of 22/10/2008, 22:04 o clock, this is the state we are in:
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Ra Ra Say Yeah!
Not that it ever really stopped me in medical school, but having some more free time on my hands these days has certainly revived the ol' concert calender. It's been quite fruitful so far with great shows by Grizzly Bear (at the oldest synagogue in DC, no less!), the Silver Jews, and Cut Copy. But, in the past few days I've gone to two shows that stand out as nothing less then remarkable.
Sunday night, I ventured out to the Black Cat to see Ra Ra Riot, a band that released their first LP The Rhumb Line a few months back to very positive reviews. It's a record that I have returned to again and again recently (almost as much as the new Okkervil River record, The Stand Ins) for it's sound that is nothing short of joyous. The band is clearly grounded by the dual stringed attack of the cello and violin which certainly lends a great deal of emotional depth to the band's sound. The lead singer sounds eerily similar to Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend, to which Ra Ra Riot has been compared to numerous times by the press.
After suffering through what only could be described as ridiculous noise (the opening band, Walter Meego), Ra Ra Riot came on stage, and I was immediately struck by how young they looked. They could not be any more than a year or two out of college (the band met at Syracuse) and they launched into their first song, jumping around onstage, smiles on their faces, singing along (a la Arcade Fire). They were exuberant. They were clearly enjoying themselves and seemed enamored by the fact that they were playing for such a large crowd and were being broadcast on NPR, no less!
I stood there watching the show and couldn't help but wonder if this was what it was like to see a band like REM straight out of college, touring off of their first record. Not that I'm making any comparisons to REM's sound, but there's something about Ra Ra Riot that leads me to believe that this band has something special. Maybe it was their energy on stage or maybe it's the strength of their album, but I really hope it works out for these guys. They've been through a lot (they lost their drummer to an apparent drowning accident recently) and seem to have drawn a lot of their energy from out of that tragedy.
They closed the show with a song that might be a new tune...at the very least, it's not off of their record. But, it was a great closing song that got the crowd dancing, and should be a sign of only good things to come.
You can listen to a recording of the show on npr's website here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95519776
Now, last night, I went to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at a TINY venue in DC called DC9. Apparently, CYHSY decided to play a series of shows at small clubs in Baltimore, DC, and Philly. There were probably around 150 people at the show (for reference, the set up was similar to the Earl, but maybe a third of the size) and we were definitely crammed in, fighting to get as close as possible to the band who were practically on the same level as us.
And they rocked. Maybe it was the size or how close we were to the band, but I've seen these guys two times previously, and they never sounded as loud and strong as they did last night. I can only describe it as what I assume early hardcore punk shows were like - when the music was so loud and propulsive that it drew the crowd into moving and dancing. During songs like Yellow Country Teeth and Tidal Wave of Young Blood, everyone was moving and going crazy...you could seriously feel the floor shaking.
They also played about 6 new songs, which all sounded really strong. Though I enjoyed their last record, Some Loud Thunder, the album was generally weak compared to their self-titled debut. But, I'm so excited now for the new record. Though, talking to the bass player after the show, we learned that they haven't begun recording the new record, so who knows how long it will be before it comes out. But, if it sounds anything like last night, it's sure to be awesome.
And awesome is what we aim for.
Sunday night, I ventured out to the Black Cat to see Ra Ra Riot, a band that released their first LP The Rhumb Line a few months back to very positive reviews. It's a record that I have returned to again and again recently (almost as much as the new Okkervil River record, The Stand Ins) for it's sound that is nothing short of joyous. The band is clearly grounded by the dual stringed attack of the cello and violin which certainly lends a great deal of emotional depth to the band's sound. The lead singer sounds eerily similar to Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend, to which Ra Ra Riot has been compared to numerous times by the press.
After suffering through what only could be described as ridiculous noise (the opening band, Walter Meego), Ra Ra Riot came on stage, and I was immediately struck by how young they looked. They could not be any more than a year or two out of college (the band met at Syracuse) and they launched into their first song, jumping around onstage, smiles on their faces, singing along (a la Arcade Fire). They were exuberant. They were clearly enjoying themselves and seemed enamored by the fact that they were playing for such a large crowd and were being broadcast on NPR, no less!
I stood there watching the show and couldn't help but wonder if this was what it was like to see a band like REM straight out of college, touring off of their first record. Not that I'm making any comparisons to REM's sound, but there's something about Ra Ra Riot that leads me to believe that this band has something special. Maybe it was their energy on stage or maybe it's the strength of their album, but I really hope it works out for these guys. They've been through a lot (they lost their drummer to an apparent drowning accident recently) and seem to have drawn a lot of their energy from out of that tragedy.
They closed the show with a song that might be a new tune...at the very least, it's not off of their record. But, it was a great closing song that got the crowd dancing, and should be a sign of only good things to come.
You can listen to a recording of the show on npr's website here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95519776
Now, last night, I went to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at a TINY venue in DC called DC9. Apparently, CYHSY decided to play a series of shows at small clubs in Baltimore, DC, and Philly. There were probably around 150 people at the show (for reference, the set up was similar to the Earl, but maybe a third of the size) and we were definitely crammed in, fighting to get as close as possible to the band who were practically on the same level as us.
And they rocked. Maybe it was the size or how close we were to the band, but I've seen these guys two times previously, and they never sounded as loud and strong as they did last night. I can only describe it as what I assume early hardcore punk shows were like - when the music was so loud and propulsive that it drew the crowd into moving and dancing. During songs like Yellow Country Teeth and Tidal Wave of Young Blood, everyone was moving and going crazy...you could seriously feel the floor shaking.
They also played about 6 new songs, which all sounded really strong. Though I enjoyed their last record, Some Loud Thunder, the album was generally weak compared to their self-titled debut. But, I'm so excited now for the new record. Though, talking to the bass player after the show, we learned that they haven't begun recording the new record, so who knows how long it will be before it comes out. But, if it sounds anything like last night, it's sure to be awesome.
And awesome is what we aim for.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Zurich
Just a few pics of Zurich at it's nicest looking - winter is fast approaching and it's probably all downhill from here in terms of weather.
Downtown Zurich
School
Lobby
Where I pretend to do "science"
Downtown Zurich
School
Lobby
Where I pretend to do "science"Tuesday, September 30, 2008
First Post: Morocco
Hey David and the Internet,
Just got back from Morocco or else I would've posted sooner.
Saying it was awesome does a really poor job of illustrating what I experienced, so just as soon as I figure out how to use this thing I'll put up pictures.
We started in Marrakech, thrice the capital since the 9th century. Even it's name is pretty damn awesome.
Marrakech.
It sounds so other worldly, and in fact it really was. Morocco's unlike anything I had ever seen before. Maybe it's because we were there during Ramadan, all the restaurants were closed during the day meaning we had to stuff our faces during breakfast and rush home along with the rest of the city at sunset.
Maybe it's because the pace of life in the ancient medina (old section of the city) hasn't changed since centuries ago - there were actual blacksmiths in the iron works section of the souk (market), next to the wood carvers, weavers, and water sellers (who actually sold water! but only to tourists as everyone else couldn't drink till sundown) - all in a setting straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.
The Souk.
It could've been the call of the muezzin five times a day blasting from the hundreds of mosques throughout the city, or the fact that the traditional djellaba on a short squat person would turn him into an Ewok (not on a Moroccan though, as they are all tall, slim, long-limbed, very attractive, and very friendly).
Fes was equally stunning, maybe even more so.
Fes at dawn.
Only Istanbul and Cairo's medinas are larger than the one in Fes, but Fes is distinct in that the pace of life has not adapted to tourism. Case in point, caravans of mules are herded through the tight alleys forcing the Japanese tour groups to hug the walls in fear for their cameras.
Just one of the 9,500 alleys in Fes.
They did in fact sell ass-less chaps.
Just got back from Morocco or else I would've posted sooner.
Saying it was awesome does a really poor job of illustrating what I experienced, so just as soon as I figure out how to use this thing I'll put up pictures.
We started in Marrakech, thrice the capital since the 9th century. Even it's name is pretty damn awesome.
Marrakech.Maybe it's because the pace of life in the ancient medina (old section of the city) hasn't changed since centuries ago - there were actual blacksmiths in the iron works section of the souk (market), next to the wood carvers, weavers, and water sellers (who actually sold water! but only to tourists as everyone else couldn't drink till sundown) - all in a setting straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.
The Souk.Fes was equally stunning, maybe even more so.
Fes at dawn.Only Istanbul and Cairo's medinas are larger than the one in Fes, but Fes is distinct in that the pace of life has not adapted to tourism. Case in point, caravans of mules are herded through the tight alleys forcing the Japanese tour groups to hug the walls in fear for their cameras.
Just one of the 9,500 alleys in Fes.While preserving their way of life is super important, I wouldn't have minded if they decided to modernize their tanneries. It was interesting to see how leather is treated - long bath in ammonia to remove the hair, a couple days in pigeon droppings to soften it up, a final treatment in vegetable dyes to give it color - but it did leave a large area of the medina smelling of feces.
Anyway, while there's a dearth of concerts in my future, there should be more adventures coming soon. I head for Zurich on Thursday and I'll let you know all about it.
Monday, September 29, 2008
represent...
So, as you all know, I have a bit of a fascination/obsession with my hometown of Baltimore. So, I wanted to share this video from a band named Wye Oak (on Merge records...Paolo, they actually just did a stint opening for your beloved Dodos).
The video features the streets of Baltimore (mainly areas around Hopkins undergrad campus where I
did my postbac year) and I really dig the song. They're sort of folksy, sort of indie, sort of awesome.
It's great that the Baltimore scene is really blowing up...with bands like these guys, Dan Deacon, Beach House, etc.
And, of course, lets not forget about the Wire and the Baltimore Club music it has brought to national attention.
I mean, who would have thought that Rolling Stone would name Baltimore the best Scene of 2008?
They even give a shout out to the Golden West and the best brunch ever. Fuck the Flying Biscuit or the Highland Bakery.
Yeah, I said it....Nothing touches the French Toast at the Golden West.
Nothing. And that's Baltimore for you.
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