Bits of history adorn the entryways of various buildings throughout New York City. The horse head in this photo is at the gates in front of a townhouse on 21st Street in Manhattan.
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Front Stoop Art Work
I was walking along 7th Avenue this afternoon and saw a young woman overseeing a digital SLR mounted on a tripod. The camera was aimed up at a building that is situated across the avenue. On the side of it, a giant mural was in the process of being painted and the camera was taking time-lapse photos of the process.
The mural was being painted by Colossal Media which “is the largest hand painted mural company in the world.” I realize now that I should have made a few photographs of my own in order to document the documentation of mural-in-progress. Next time. Instead, check out the video that I’ve included in this post. It’s a brief introduction to their work.
So, the next time you are in NYC, keep looking up and see if you can spot a hand painted mural on the side of a building. It just might be painted by Colossal.
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Sid Caeser
Sid Caeser died this past Wednesday at the age of 91. He was one of the first starts of television back in the early 1950’s. I have not seen all of his works, but what I have seen has always stuck with me. As a kid, I first saw him in the 1963 movie It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. This was back before cable television when one of the big three networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) played the movie once a year. Later, I saw some of the highlights from Your Show of Shows. It’s slapstick. It’s Vaudeville. It’s Commedia dell’ Arte. It’s hilarious.
Here is the New York Times obituary for Mr. Caesar. I have also included a short video clip of Conan O’Brien’s Salute to Sid Caeser followed by a sketch of Caeser in one of his shows.
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EarthCam
EarthCam a is a fantastic source of live feeds from a network of remote video cameras around the world. The company does a lot more than just provide live video feeds all day. But it’s fun checking out the some of the cameras.
Here is the Times Square Cam page. There are seven different video cameras from which to choose. Each camera is trained on different areas of Times Square.
So, if you need to check the weather in Istanbul or Paris or right here in Times Square, NYC, just head on over to EarthCam and pick your camera.
This is a clip from a documentary of Buckminster Fuller. The name of the doc is not included on the YouTube page. In this bit, Fuller talks about how economic systems can be based on abundance instead of scarcity.
The right audio channel has a few issues so you may want to listen to the video without headphones. If you care to see and hear Fuller in action, there are many videos of him on YouTube. Fuller was way ahead of his time, so if you are new to his work, a visit with his ideas could be invigorating if you need a jolt of a new perspective.
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Koyaanisqatsi
This is the preview for the 1982 movie Koyaanisqatsi which was directed by Godfrey Reggio. The music was composed by Philip Glass. The movie is made up of images and music. Time-lapse photography is used through much of the film to document the elements, nature and people.
I first saw this film when I was a freshman in college. I crashed a class called Aesthetics which was taught by beloved professor Larry Bakke. Due to the meditative nature of the film, some students fell asleep. I stayed awake and enjoyed the visual and musical ride. I had studied surrealistic films when I was in high school, but Koyaanisqatsi was different. At the time, I didn’t get to see the full duration of the film since it was longer than the class. It wasn’t until a few years later when I finally saw the whole thing. I watch the film again every so often.
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Richard E. Cytowic, M.D.
WHO
Richard E. Cytowic, M.D.
Neurologist
Author
Rediscovered synesthesia.
WHAT
Some of the Books by Dr. Cytowic:
Wednesday is Indigo Blue
The Man Who Tasted Shapes
Synesthesia: A Union of the Senses
FUN VIDEO LESSON
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Moon Rising 18th Street
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The Dean of American Winemakers
André Tchelistcheff was a remarkable man. He was the one person responsible for the success of the US American winemakers after prohibition. He lived from 1901 – 1994. His grand-nephew, Mark Tchelistcheff, made a documentary about his uncle titled, André: The Voice of Wine.
The documentary is complete and currently seeking funding.
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Douglas Rushkoff
Third author: Douglas Rushkoff
His blog.
His books. (15 as of this post)
Most recent book: PRESENT SHOCK: When Everything Happens Now
The Rushkoff book that I first read: Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age
Rushkoff’s perspective of the digital revolution complements those of Scott Burken and Frank Rose. Each author’s work informs the others’ works. Multiple readings are recommended. With respect to that, it’s time for me to revisit all three of their works. It will be interesting to discover new facets that time will reveal as it has been over year since I first read them.
DHAltman 
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