The world’s biggest watch event opens to the public Thursday in Basel, Switzerland, on the back of a bumper year thanks to Asian demand for luxury timepieces. Hublot, a subsidiary of French luxury goods group LVMH, will use the high-profile event to unveil “The $5 million” a watch comprising no less than 1,282 diamonds. “This is the most precious watch ever created by Hublot and its long-standing partner, Atelier Bunter in Geneva,” said Hublot. The piece is the result of 14 months work, including that of a “master-cutter” from New York who fashioned the largest stones. Jean-Claude Biver, president of the watch company, said it would be difficult to make a more expensive watch “because the surface of the watch is limited.” The watch will be displayed under very tight security, a company spokeswoman said, and only select Baselworld attendees will even be allowed to view it.
I’ve posted quite a few videos about the comings and goings of YMCMB, and I’ve been asked quite a bit about why that is. It’s not because the YMCMB crew is one of the biggest names in music, but because it just seems that when they party, they do it bigger than anyone else right now, and I just enjoy watching them. Check out Birdman’s birthday party at Liv in Miami.
Dance is something that people have used to express feelings and emotions for eons. It’s my JOB to make people dance, and although I’m proud that I’m good at it, I can still admit that I don’t know all there is to know about the history of dance. The video below goes through the last 100 years of popular dance in about 100 short seconds. Check the method.
Earlier today, I was doing a little work for a P.R. company I’m interested in, when a welcome distraction came my way. The commercial above is for Internet Explorer 9, and is the usual Microsoft show off piece… with one major exception. The soundtrack for the commercial blew my mind for a second. I had no idea that the ad company behind this commercial would pick such a unique song for a project like that.
The song in question is titled “Too Close” by Alex Clare. Its an incredible infusion of unique drums, a country-ish bass, and in certain parts wild dubstep riffs possess the entire song, making it a mix unlike anything I’ve heard in quite some time. Check the official video for “Too Close” below
People sometimes get into a certain mood where they enjoy breaking things. Weather your angry, frustrated, or just feeling destructive, getting a chance to just destroy something is often a (not suggested) fast way to get your issues out. I’m not sure how mad Philip Heron and James Adair must have been to create this video, but regardless of their motives, it’s pretty entertaining. Check the method.
Urwerk’s latest version of the UR-110 Torpedo is the UR-110 ST. It has a steel front plate engraved with horizontal grooves and coated in black AlTiN, coupled with striking yellow numerals and indices. The time is shown on the right side of the watch. Three hour satellites follow a vertically arced line, graded from 0 to 60 minutes, in a downward motion. Planetary gearing keeps the satellites and their arrow-shaped “torpedoes” in parallel formation as they take turns to indicate the time as they pass the 60-minute track.
A documentary that goes behind the counter and into the life of a man who’s been called the greatest sushi chef in the world is set to open in New York Friday. Tucked away in an underground Tokyo subway station is an unremarkable-looking 10-seat eatery called Sukiyabashi Jiro which serves Michelin-starred sushi by 85-year-old Jiro Ono, the first chef in Japan to earn three Michelin stars. In trailers for the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi, filmmaker David Gelb captures the deft, economic movements of Ono’s hands as he shapes and molds the rice for his sushi and lacquers the fish with gentle brushstrokes. Sushi and sashimi are presented on black marbles slabs and diners eat in a hushed silence that speaks of their reverence for the ceremonial experience and the master sushi chef. The film is not just an ode to sushi and the octogenarian’s unrelenting pursuit of perfection, but also explores the father-son relationship and succession as the eldest son Yoshikazu is slated to take over the legendary restaurant.
26 year old photographer Nicolas Evariste hails from Granville in Normandy (France), and started photography in 2006. He was quickly attracted by black and white and square format and carries a strong interest in landscape photography of his area, and in macro and in animals photography too. His collection titled “Dark Zoo” is a very impressive look at animals with a very simple theme.
Amex has recently unveiled previously unseen footage of Jay Z performing his Black Album cut “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” during his gig at Carnegie Hall back in February. This further serves to whet apetites for his upcoming interactive concert at next weeks SXSW and, of course, for the UK based readers his ever approaching Watch The Throne tour. It has also recently been announced that the superstar will be headlining BBC Radio 1′s Hackney weekend. Excited is an understatement.
I’ve never really been much of a herb lover, but I can never skip over a good trinket when I see one. This wallet-friendly innovation in herb grinding is stainless steel, thin, and incredibly discreet, the credit card herb grinders might just revolutionize how you grind your herb. To get one, click here.
New York based practice Grzywinski+Pons collaborated with Veracity Development to complete ‘The Nolitan’, located in the Grace Nolita neighborhood of New York City. Set to open its doors to the public on August 1, 2011, this will be the area’s first boutique hotel. The venue will hybrid luxury and domestic comfort prioritizing access to the immediate surroundings to present an authentic local experience along with modern accommodations, amenities and food. In addition to the conventional reservation, a personalized profile will give employees ample time to prepare for individual needs before their arrival. with only fifty five rooms, the limited capacity ensures a personalized stay for all guests. A variety of room arrangements provides visitors with the fitting option to acclimate quickly and venture into the neighborhood with rentable bicycles and skateboards. A glass facade at ground level along with several balconies ensures a constant visual connection to the urban landscape. Floor to ceiling windows ensures unobstructed views of the skyline with channel glass to maintain privacy. A comfortable lounge area with a contemporary library welcomes guests in the lobby. The landscaped rooftop becomes a year round destination for residents and guests with shaded terraces and outdoor fireplace.
Edmond Li, owner of Veracity Development has stated:
‘With the Nolitan Hotel, I hope to share this place with citizens of the world, while creating a hub for the neighborhood that year-round residents can enjoy. The Nolitan Hotel is both a luxury boutique property and a neighborhood place where everyone will feel at home.’
Sometimes it boggles my mind how artists can just sit and wait on a good party track. I’ve had the song ‘Ayy Ladies’ in rotation in my DJ sets and in my car for months and months, so when they chose to release the video a few days ago, I was a bit stunned that they waited so long before pushing the song to its full potential.
If you’re a comedy nerd like me, then you probably have a lot of friends who don’t share the same interest in comedy as you do. If you do, please share them with me. Truth be told, most of my friends would much rather watch Teen Mom reruns when they decide to stay in on a Saturday night rather than a new episode of Saturday Night Live, which typically leads to me watching SNL in my room alone. It’s not easy trying to convince your friends or roommates to forgo watching that same Disney movie that they’ve had in the DVD player for weeks again to instead watch an In Living Color marathon with you, but sometimes it’s necessary.
The same goes for live comedy. If you’re anything like me, then you’ve probably missed some amazing live shows solely because you couldn’t convince any of your friends to go with you. Going alone is a totally viable option. However, you can only do that so many times before it makes you feel like a complete friend-less loser (or maybe that’s just me). Eventually, you’re going to have to cave and drag your non-comedy friends along with you, and I’m here to help.
Convince your friends that [insert comedian/comedy show here] is famous. Telling your friends that you want them to go see Donald Glover isn’t going to be enough to get them to agree. Instead, approach the subject as “he’s on Community and in some movies which you probably haven’t seen.” And you’ve already caught their attention. Nobody wants to see somebody they’ve never heard of, but everybody wants the chance to see somebody famous. That’s just how the cookie crumbles.
“Is it [the comedy show] funny?” Sometimes you’re going to be fielded that question by your friends. Since they see you as the comedy expert (presumably because you’re the only one of your friends who always has John Mulaney’s The Top Part in your car’s CD player instead of “Shelby’s Power Hour Mix ’07!!!”), they are going to enlist your expert opinion on the situation. The only answer, obviously, is, “Of course it’s funny. Would I really want to see it if it wasn’t?”
Do something that they want to do either before or after the show. Go to Starbucks or Pinkberry with them afterwards, watch Glee with them and don’t complain about it, buy them a drink at the bar, just do something to thank them for coming with you. Adversely, if you have no soul like me, then you can also use this to guilt them into coming with you using the “But we ALWAYS do what you want to do!” routine. It’s probably better (and nicer) to go with the former, though.
Start basic. If you want to start indoctrinating your friends into the wide world of live comedy, don’t take them to an amateur improv show because chances are they will never want to go to another show ever again. They didn’t ”get” any of it and now your taste in comedy is forever seen as weird and your opinion can never be trusted again. Those shows are for true live comedy aficionados only. Skip the amateur improv showcase and instead take them to a stand-up show. Stand-up is universally more relatable to everyone, even if they don’t consider themselves as being into comedy. Chances are they’ve all heard at least one Dane Cook routine, so making them sit through your favorite stand-up comic should be cake.
Chloroform them and carry them into the comedy show with you. (Please don’t do this.)
If none of those tips work, then you have insufferable friends who have no concept of humor and you should probably find a new crowd to hang with. Or you could just go without them and revel in the fact that you’re having more fun without their complaining about having to miss a new episode of Jersey Shore anyway. The plight of being interested in something that only a very small niche of people are into is tough, but the best way to get through it is by surrounding yourself with like-minded people. They are out there, you just need to find them. Or chloroform them. (Again, don’t chloroform them.)
Samsung, among other companies are always trying to create the next wave of future tech for the public. The CES show is a place where all those companies come together to show the best of what they have, and the 2012 show, Samsung went above and beyond with their ‘Smart Window’. Check the method below.
Designed by London-based graphic designer Stephen McCarthy, this project involved turning a whole newspaper into purely pictographic form. The main piece of content from each page was distilled down to a concise pictogram. The newspaper in question is The Sun from 15.09.2011. Check the method.
Ferrari has recently released a new video with the F12 Berlinetta hitting the track, after the supercar was officially presented to the public at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
The newest supercar in Ferrari’s lineup, the F12 Berlinetta, 599 GTB’s successor is once again placed into the spotlights, and after the automaker showed us just a day before how the model came to life, this time the F12 Berlinetta is going around the track, proving its skills, its racing pedigree and revealing that wonderful engine sound.
The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, which is the fastest ever road-going car made by the company, is powered by a 6.3 liter V12 engine, developing a total output of 730 horsepower and 509 lb-ft of torque, out of which 80 percent is available from only 2,500 rpm. Ferrari says that the F12 Berlinetta can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.1 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 8.5 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 340 km/h.
According to the Italian based automaker, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is a result of the collaboration between Ferrari Styling Centre and Pininfarina. More details on the newest Ferrari supercar will be announced close to its launch.
As a person originally from the east, when you go to a different area of the country, and get really immersed in their style of music, it can be a little hard to get used to. When I landed in the Bay Area in 2005, it was the height of the “Hyphy Movement”, and they music I’d hear was like alien music, but over time I got used to it and even found some favorite songs. The point of that entire little trip down memory land I just took is to make the point that no matter how used to Bay music I am now, I would have loved the song ‘Function’ regardless. There’s just something about the energy of this song that transcends the place it was made and makes it just a fun song to listen to. Check out the official video below.
Now, for all my car people, (Including Yum Yum), we all know that as impressive as the Nissan GT-R may be… it never stood a snowball’s chance in hell against a Veyron. That being said, I’m not sure if the folks who made this video honestly tried to see which was faster, but everything said and done, this just turns out to be a very impressive amateur commercial for the Bugatti.
The video has a very “Top Gear”-esque style to it which makes it more impressive than your average handy-cam street racing flick. Check the method below.
British manufacturer of super-luxury motor cars Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has unveiled the Phantom Series II at 2012 Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. The series II comprises Phantom Saloon, Phantom Drophead Coupe and Phantom Coupe featuring enhanced design, drivetrain and technology. The Phantom II features “significant improvements in design, drive-train and technology,” Rolls-Royce says. Phantom Series II family of cars are powered by V12 direct injection engine and mated to a new 8-speed automatic gearbox, while its rear differential enhance the driving dynamics. The interior gets a new sat-nav system with 3D maps and the new and larger 8.8-inch screen is connected to an improved camera system to aid maneuverability of the vast machine. Fuel consumption is said to be about 10 per cent better than the current 17mpg and CO2 emissions are reduced from 388 to 347g/km.
Most everything that has ever gone up on this site has some sort of importance, relevance, significance, or purpose to me or anyone who contributes to this blog. The Flying Fortress Trooper however is a unique piece… my assistant emailed me over some pictures, and we agreed that it just generally looks cool… That’s the only thing we could really make of it. There are only 50 of them in circulation, and these little guys were designed by Chris Faber, and Florian Flatau.
Andrew Atroshenko was born in 1965 in the city of Pokrovsk, Russia. Accepted as a gifted child in 1977 into the Children’s Art School, Andrew graduated with honors in 1981. Two years later, Andrew entered Bryansk Art College, and in 1991 was accepted at one of the most prestigious art schools in the world, the St. Petersburg Academy of Art. In 1994, Andrew began taking part in exhibitions such as St. Petersburg Artists in Reutlingen, Germany, the exhibition of a group “Academy” in St. Petersburg (1996), and “Teacher’s memory” (1997). After graduation from St. Petersburg Academy of Art in 1999, Andrew was invited by a New England, US based art group “Bay Arts” to take part in their exhibitions and activities, spending that entire year in the United States into the Millennium.
According to Andrew,
“This year in America gave me more as an artist then all eight years of my formal studies in the prestigious Russian academies. I am a descendent of farmers, and I was impressed by the New England’s landscapes, and how a man in America avoids harming its environment. After seeing Royo and Pino at Artexpo New York 2000, I suddenly realized what direction I want to take my art in. After staying for a year in the United States, I spent two years in Russia perfecting my art.”
It’s very crucial that if you chose to watch this video, you watch it in its entirety.
(For those who watched the movie)
“The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?” – Bob Marley. Unfortunately most people are only familiar with that quote because of the Will Smith movie ‘I Am Legend’, but no matter where you heard it, or IF you’ve heard it, its a statement from one man that reflects an unyielding desire to make a positive difference. Jason Russel, the spear head of the “Kony 2012″ movement seems to have that same desire, and the same passion to make a positive difference, and the world is just starting to find that out. In the video, Russel makes the point that when someone is invisible, they’re crimes may go un-noticed, and that shedding light on Joseph Kony and his actions are the best first step in getting something done. So please do what you can to spread the word about this movement, share this link – http://wp.me/pHo18-5sB with anyone that you can, or any other link in reference to the video above, and lets help make a difference to someone.
S
(For those of you who chose not to watch the video.)
The man in the photo above is Joseph Kony. An African tyrant that is not a dictator, freedom fighter, or political menace. He is a man who simply will do whatever it takes to keep the power he has gained. One of my staff members was unable to finish watching the video because some of the images and emotions discussed can be quite intense, and I understand that not everyone has 30 minutes of their undivided attention to devote to the film above RIGHT this second. This hopefully however doesn’t mean that you’re not willing to help out.
KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice. Joseph Rao Kony, born 1961 in Odek, Uganda is a guerrilla group leader, head of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a group engaged in a violent campaign to establish theocratic government based on the Ten Commandments throughout Uganda. The LRA say that God has sent spirits to communicate this mission directly to Kony.
Directed by Kony, the LRA has earned a reputation for its actions against the people of several countries, including northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Sudan. It has abducted and forced an estimated 66,000 children to fight for them, and has also forced the internal displacement of over 2,000,000 people since its rebellion began in 1986.As a result, in 2005 Kony was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court at the Hague, but has succeeded in evading capture since.” If you have it in your power, ask someone if they know about the crimes of Joseph Kony, or if you’re already familiar with the issue, take the time and tell someone else.
S
(For everyone.)
The ‘Invisible Children’ organization is responsible for the Kony 2012 film, and the actions taken to get government officials to respond to the acts of crime in Uganda. Their project however is not without a bit of public backlash, especially in reference to what happens after Kony is removed from power. Steven Van Damme, the protection and policy adviser for the whole of eastern Congo is currently based in Goma. Van Damme said his organization is concerned about potentially violent consequences for the local Ugandan population from the Kony 2012 campaign.
“In general, we’re concerned [about] the catastrophic consequences for the local population,” Van Damme said. “We’ve seen in the past, over and over again, how there’s been a lot of retaliation by the LRA, the burning of villages, maiming people, a lot of killings, with little military success.”
According to Van Damme, military operations targeting Kony would present a host of risks. “They should take into account the protection of those people living in the areas where those military operations would take place, and at the same time [we're] concerned about the fact that Kony has surrounded himself with a lot of civilians around.
“The LRA is able to operate in that part of DRC because it is a remote area, because it’s cut off, because it’s isolated. There is very limited infrastructure, very limited amount of roads, schools, hospitals, very limited communications. The state authority is very weak and is absent. … There’s a lack of political acknowledgment of the presence of the LRA in the area.”
Van Damme said the challenge of helping people impacted by Joseph Kony and his LRA forces requires focus on issues that are bigger than one man.
“What we want to highlight is the lack of development in the area that we’re talking about, where people have a lot of concerns – including the lack of access to hospitals, roads and schools – with this impacting massively on these people,” Van Damme said. “And so, any solution has to look at wider development in the area, and that seems to be where there’s a lot less attention and a lot less funding and political support.
“The LRA problem goes way beyond a purely military solution and has to tackle all of these matters that basically boil down to a very underdeveloped region.”
Aside from the potential consequences of removing Kony from power, ‘Invisible Children’ has also come under fire about some of its techniques. There is no question that Joesph Kony is ruthless, brutal and quite possibly the embodiment of pure evil, but some of the ways ‘Invisible Children’ have gone about their campaign are under scrutiny. A blog on Tumblr titled, “Visible Children,” offers a critical review of the organization. There are several potential issues that would be backers and donors should be aware of prior to parting with hard earned funds or assisting in spreading their message.
Here are a couple of the allegations levied against Invisible Children:
Last year the organization raised $8,676,614 and only 32% of these funds went to direct services. It appears that a large majority of their funding went to pay staff salaries, transportation expenses and film production. Charity Navigator rates their accountability and transparency 2 out of 4 stars. This is due to the fact that the organization has not undergone an external audit of their funds.
Invisible Children supports direct military intervention, and their funding is said to support the Ugandan government and other military forces. The Ugandan army has been accused of rape and looting, but they are still defended by Invisible Children.
So weather you chose to take action in this digital war to find and stop Joseph Kony, or your opinions differ from the general consensus, just remember to do what you can to keep yourself as informed as possible about this issue and others.
The most epic party movie in recent memory has cashed in over $26,971,731 at the theaters as of this morning. For those of you who have seen the movie, are probably aware of the impressive soundtrack that plays throughout the film, and it was that same soundtrack that inspired the Project X PartyCasts. DJ Jeff Phantom and I have been getting together since before the films release to put together and hour or so of some of the newest potential party songs on the market. The second release dropped 2 days ago on SoundCloud, but incase it was too hard to find, we figured we would put up on this blog for the world to see. Both the first and the second pod casts feature Hip Hop, Electro, Moombahthon, House, and a slew of different artists putting out music for the masses. Take a listen to either the first (below) or the second (above) by just clicking play.
