Procrastinator (some) Times Sunday 29th of September Edition

EDITORIAL

From the Internet reactions to the unfortunate anti-gay comments of Barilla's chairman, to Breaking Bad's Walter White as a role-model entrepreneur. From Asimov and Sagan's reflections on why we go to space, to a project to edit an in-vitro meat cooking book. From a study that show the three most popular (erotic) search terms per state in America, to the thoughts of Woody Allen on the Acropolis. This edition is pretty varied, and for sure you will spend your procrastinating minutes reading very interesting and fun articles. So go ahead, when it comes to procrastination, there's no time to lose!

Have a nice read and a happy Sunday.


NEWS

Photo: Hillary Clinton via The New Yorker.

The Coming Hillary Clinton Train Wreck. Amy Davison asks in The New Yorker: "Do people really think that a Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign is a good idea—for the Democratic Party, our collective sanity, even for her?" Maybe, continues Davison, "some political locomotives just move ahead, even if the wreck is predestined, and her campaign is now coming around the bend". Read full article in The New Yorker.

Image by vlads-madhouse.tumblr.com via Buzzfeed.


On Thursday gay rights groups called for a boycott of the world’s biggest pasta maker Barilla after the company’s chairman said he would never use homosexual couples in his advertisements. Read full article in The Independent, and see some Internet responses to Barilla's chairman remarks on Buzzfeed. 

 Image: Brett Ryder via The Economist.

So, tonight airs the last episode of Breaking Bad. We are going to be watching it as soon as we can and you should too, not only because is one of the best TV shows ever, but because the Breaking Bad phenomenon, is, according to The Economist, one of the best studies available of the dynamics of modern business. "A Harvard MBA will set you back $90,000 (plus two years’ lost income). You can buy a deluxe edition of all five seasons of “Breaking Bad”, complete with a plastic money barrel, for $209.99, or a regular edition for less than $80." Read this very interesting article in The Economist and if you want to leave a comment making a prediction about Mr. White and Jesse's destiny, please do so!

SCIENCE

 Photo via Brain Pickings.

Why do we go to space? "In the beginning of our space program, the answer had a lot to do with war and paranoia. But with the dawn of the space shuttle, that all changed." Explore invite us to watch the new episode of It’s Okay To Be Smart, the thoughts of Isaac Asimov on why spend money on it, and also a priceless conversation between Carl Sagan, Ray Bradbury, and Isaac Asimov on the subject. Have a look at all the links via Explore.

Photo: The Procrastinator (some) Times.

This week Adam Corner for New Scientist asks a very simple question about climate science: why the world won't listen? Surely, back in 2008, after Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth buzz the scientific and economic cases were made for political and civil actions to be taken. However, the exact opposite happened and "apathy, lack of interest and even outright denial are more widespread than they were in 2008". Apparently, when it comes to climate change, as the New Scientist points out, "communicators need to find better ways to connect with their audience". Read full article here.

 

Image via Meat the Future Cookbook IndieGogo.

This week the people from Next Nature shared with us their new project the In Vitro Meat Cookbook, a visually stunning exploration of the new “food cultures” lab-grown meat might create and their contribution to solve the world's protein crisis. "This book approaches lab-grown meat not just from a design and engineering perspective, but also from a societal and ethical one." If you want more info or you want to back-up this project, click here.

DESIGN, BUSINESS & INNOVATION

 

Photo: Richard Branson via Mashable.

Are you already planning your Summer holiday for 2014? Make sure you include "Space" somewhere in between Prague and Tokyo, because according to Sir Richard Branson, that is a possibility."Passengers will board the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) Enterprise, which recently just broke supersonic speeds in its second test flight, climbed to 69,000 feet above ground . . .  The experience won't quite be like boarding a NASA space shuttle, but it will definitely provide views you can't get on a plane." Wondering how much will this cost you? You might want to read the full article in Mashable before booking.

Image via Medium.

Welcome to Flatland. Recently in the tech community, a palpable aversion to the idea of management has been developing. This rejection of hierarchy is based on the belief that while hierarchy is good for maintaining predictability and repeatability if you are an entertainment company and you want the most intelligent, innovative and talented people working for you a hierarchic environment won't do it for them. Read this interesting article by Dustin Moskovitz in Medium.

Image: Cinder, created by the Barbarian Group in New York via Creative Review.

Thanks to Creative Review we discovered the Tomorrow Awards. "Launched in 2010 by Ignacio Oreamuno, executive director of the Art Directors Club and IHAVEANIDEA, with the intention of celebrating work that gives an indication of "where things are going" in advertising". If you want to have a look at this year's five winners click here.

 Image Wait But Why via The Huffington Post.

Why Generation Y Yuppies are Unhappy? Wait But Why, features in The Huffington Post's Blog  an interesting post about Generation Y workers, ambition, unrealistic expectations and satisfaction. I hate the paint/powepoint graphics a little bit, but some of the insights are useful if you are somehow interested in millenials. Read full article here.

CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

American (Wet) Dream. Pornhub recently published a rundown of the three most popular (erotic) search terms per state, and FlowingData’s Nathan Yau converted them into a series of stark maps. Fast Company points out that apparently Americans taste in pornography is definitely Geo-located. MILFs for instance are popular almost everywhere, except out West, and Wyoming, ever the cowboy state, has a thing for “smoking.” Read full article in Fast Company.

Photo: Far from Heaven (2002) via BFI.

To help us cope with the fact that Summer is over, Samuel Wigley shares with us in the BFI website a list of 10 great films set during the Autumn, the season when for a brief, resplendent moment, colour is everywhere, but then the leaves fall, the nights darken, and a mantle of melancholy settles over the earth in anticipation of the descent into winter. Read his list in the BFI website.

 Photo: Woody Allen via Esquire.

"Marshall McLuhan predicted books would become art objects at some point. He was right." This is just one of the interesting things that Woody Allen said in his Esquire interview in the September number. Read more about Woody's thoughts on marriage, the Acropolis, showers, sandwiches and other random but cool topics in Esquire. Also Blue Jasmine is already on the UK cinemas, have you seen it yet?

 Photo: Pelo Malo via TIFF.

Venezuela’s “Pelo Malo” (Bad Hair) has won the top prize at the San Sebastian film festival in northern Spain. The director Mariana Rondón collected the 61st Golden Shell for her project. Read full San Sebastián's article in Screen Daily, a review of 'Pelo Malo' in Variety or an interesting article in Spanish in El País.

IN DOG WE TRUST

Photo: Trotter via Instagram.

Hello dog lover,

Hope you're having a relaxing weekend! Here are some links to explore:

Bone Pugz

Graydon Sheppard's trilogy. 

Dogs with eyebrows.

Couture Dogs of New York.

Nerd tote bag.

Plus, two dogs you seriously need to follow on Instagram:

The renowned Trotter

http://instagram.com/trotterpup 

Princess Coco 

http://instagram.com/kuemanis

-

In Dog We Trust is curated by: Carola Melguizo from La Guía del Perro.

OUR WEEKLY PROCRASTINATION

Photo: Matt Brown sharing a 1856 illustration of a future airport.

 Photo: Andrew Collinge and London 2020 vision.

 Photo: Westminster Arts Reference Library books.


This week we attended Salon No. 9: London Futures organized by Antique Beat at the Westminster Arts Reference Library. Matt Brown, editor of the wonderful Londonist shared with us some very interesting archive articles, photographs and drawings with Victorian visions of future London. Daily (balloon) flights to America and India, smoking forbidden (go figure!) and even a joke about women wearing trousers. Some current predictions were shown at the end, showing an increasingly green and sky-scrapped London.

Andrew Collinge, Assistant Director, Intelligence and Analysis at Greater London Authority, and second lecturer of the night, believes that some of these modern visions might become truth as soon as in 2020. GLA recently published its new vision for the capital London 2020 (you can read it here), a very humble plan to make London "The Greatest City on Earth". Collinge paraphrased Shakespeare's famous quote: "What is the city but the people?" and pointed out that he believes that this "greatest city" is basically the "world class infrastructure" needed to host amazing people doing amazing things.

He shared with us some very interesting figures that represent challenges for the GLA, like the 3.4 million Tube journeys everyday, the 450.000 new jobs needed by 2020 and London's amazing 2012 GDP: £ 455b.

As usual, the Library contributed with a display of books related with the Salon's topic for people to have a look before and after the lectures. It was a very fun, very interesting evening, and we left the Westminster Arts Library already wanting for the Salon No. 10 to come because it sounds amazing: A Night in Old London. Read more about this wonderful event and book your tickets here.

 Image: Annie Hall's screenshot via YouTube.

Annie Hall's Late Saturday Evening Procrastination (non topical cinematographic news)

by Marie James

If like mines, you friends cry foul when you say that you've never seen Woody Allen's Annie Hall and yes we are in 2013, it's because they know about the extreme pleasure of watching, comfortably settled in the red chair of your local cinema on a late Saturday evening, a beer on your left hand and pop-corns on your right, a movie released 36 years before; the joy of the time travel and relevance of the stories in the new millennium. You'll still have the magic of the first time. And they are jealous.

No current screening confirmed. Just buy yourself a subscription to your local independent cinema and let the non-topical time call you!

TO DO (OR NOT TO DO) LIST

 

Image via ICA.

You have until the 6th of October to have a look at Gerald Cinamon: Collected work since 1958 at the ICA. A selection of designs by award-winning typographer and book designer Gerald (Jerry) Cinamon, who started working at Penguin in 1958. "The display reveals the influence of Swiss design on his work, which was unique and forward thinking during this period of popular book publishing. Cinamon produced work using bold colour and iconic typography creating signature works that defined his distinct style." More info in ICA website.

 Image: Cachetejack via Lomography UK.

This Thursday 3rd of October Lomography UK’s will be starting its First Thrusdays event in the Whitechapel Gallery, featuring work by Cachetejack, a Spanish illustration duo who have recently moved to London. They combine drawings, wood sculptures and fabric to create playful and humorous illustrations. Some of their clients include Anorak magazine, Don’t Panic and Computer Arts magazine. More info about this and other October lomoevents here.

Image via Cycle Love.

On your bike! From the 3rd to the 6th of October is all about bicycles in the Barbican Centre. The Festival includes an opening party at Hackney Downs Studios on the 4th October and all these movies. More info in Cycle Love website.

SUNDAY (SOME) TIMES

Can you tell that Germán is on holidays? ;)

More monos by Germán here.

Procrastinator (some) Times Sunday 22nd of September Edition

EDITORIAL

This week there was tons of things to do in London, but mainly we honoured both procrastination and the autumn-ish weather with a lot of indoors procrastination, that means that we watched a lot of movies, series and documentaries, and that we had the time to read a lot of things on the Internet, but we are recommending and sharing just the best. Our contributor Marie James did managed to go to a couple of LDF's events. She is sharing her experience with us and if you want to do the same for next week, please just send your article/post/critic/photo our way. 

Hope you have a nice reading and a happy Sunday.

NEWS

Photo: Bassam Khabieh/Reuters via Big Picture.

While we wait and see how the Syrian conflict unfolds, one of the world's best photojournalism blog, Boston Globe's The Big Picture publishes 23 photos showing Syrians struggle as the civil war continues. Great work being made by journalists and photographers. Nothing more to say really. Watch the photos here.

Image via Fast Company.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales, CSIRO, and the University of Sydney calculated a new measure they call the “material footprint” of 186 nations and published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently. The results? Wealthy countries that seemed to be slowing their environmental impact are actually as bad as ever. Read full article in Fast Company.

Image: faceofmalawi.com

Chinese University Asks Students to Sign 'Suicide Waivers'. City College of Dongguan University of Technology in China’s coastal Guangdong is asking students entering its freshman class to sign a document absolving the school of responsibility should the student commit suicide — a macabre sign, say some, of the growing pressures of Chinese society. Read full article in Time.