Stars of the Lid - The Atomium part one

jillsies:(via beaded eagle)

manymany:Isaac Schell

A Providence, Rhode Island artist was arrested day by mall security as he left the secret apartment he’d built almost four years ago, in an unused utility space in the mall’s parking garage. The apartment which had no running water (they used mall bathrooms) did include “a sectional sofa and love seat, coffee and breakfast tables, chairs, lamps, rugs, paintings, a hutch filled with china, a waffle iron, TV and Sony Playstation 2,” according to the Boston Globe.

This is old news, but awesome nonetheless. He lived in the mall for 4 years and no one noticed in all that time?

aaronleaf:

Granta 17: While Waiting for a War | Magazine | Granta Magazine

Except when he gets sued for calling Shirley Temple a whore, Graham Greene’s war journals are pretty boring. The best part of this Granta, and among the best things I’ve read anywhere, is an excerpt from Teresa Torańska’s Them, a series of interviews with Poland’s former Stalinist leaders. It’s a glimpse into the minds of the powerful and the absurdity of totalitarian propaganda. Here’s an excerpt:

Jakub Berman: Whenever we went to Moscow after the war, Stalin would invite us to supper, followed by a film. It became a custom, and our visits never ended without a meal together. Dinner would start late in the evening and last until morning. The food and drink were exquisite. I particularly remember a delicious roast of bear meat. Bierut always sat next to Stalin and I sat next to Bierut. Stalin propose toasts… Then Stalin would put on a record, mostly Georgian music, which he loved. Once, I think it was 1948, I danced with Molotov [laughter].

Teresa Toranska: You mean with Mrs Molotov?

Berman: No, she wasn’t there; she’d been sent to a labour camp. I danced with Molotov—it must have been a waltz, or at any rate something simple, because I haven’t a clue about how to dance—and I just moved my feet to the rhythm.

Toranska: As the woman?

Berman: Molotov led; I wouldn’t know how. he wasn’t a bad dancer, actually and I tried to keep in step with him, but for my part it was more like clowning than dancing.

Toranska: What about Stalin, whom did he dance with?

Berman: Oh, no, Stalin didn’t dance Stalin turned the gramophone: he treated it as his duty. He never left it. He would put on records and watch.

Toranska: He watched you?

Berman: He watched us dance.

Toranska: So you had a good time?

Berman: Yes, it was pleasant but with an inner tension.

Toranska: You didn’t really have fun?

Berman: Stalin really had fun. But for us those dancing sessions were good opportunities to say things to each other which we wouldn’t be able to say out loud. That’s when Molotov warned me about being infiltrated by various hostile organizations.

Toranska: Did he threaten you?

Berman: No, it was called a friendly warning. Molotov took the opportunity—or perhaps he’d arranged it himself since after all he was the one that asked me to dance—to mention a few things which he thought would be useful to me. I made it clear that I understood and didn’t say anything in response.

jennilee:

ctc usb drop

This execution was created to allow young Americans to experience what a trip to Canada would be like through the eyes of their peers. To create the content, we sent a young couple to three major Canadian cities: Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. We then told them to pose as tourists and have as much fun as they could while capturing it all on their digital camera and camcorder.

The images and video footage were loaded on to 1000 USB keys, along with MP3s of Canadian indie bands and an authentic travel itinerary outlining the details of their trip. The keys were then scattered throughout selected neighbourhoods in the key market of Chicago. This was done in such a way as to make it appear as though their owners had lost them.”

In order to maintain authenticity, no Canadian Tourism branding was included either on or in the keys. Instead, imbedded links would appear when playing MP3s and, when clicked, would take a viewer to a Canadian Tourism Commission landing page (www.unknowncanada.com), which gave other target-specific options for things going on in Canada and also allowed us to track the success of the drop.

via objecthistoryawareness

This is clever but it’s also totally disgusting. If I could vomit on the CTC for this, I would do it.

thepublics:

A billboard stood against the backdrop of San Cristobal hill in Lima, Peru, Thursday. (Mariana Bazo/Reuters)

Josephine Foster - All the Leaves Are Gone

Holy Christ, Betty is such a fox. Want those paaaaaants!

towerofsleep:

All the Leaves Are Gone

New mix for fall! Photo by the lovely Jen Gibson.

Tracklist

1. Neil Young - look out for my love
2. Chad Vangaalen - soak in visions
3. Thee Oh Sees - the river rushes (to screw MD over)
4. Fresh & Onlys - happy to be living
5. The Mantles- don’t lie
6. Nite Jewel - we want our things
7. The XX - you’ve got the love (Florence & the Machine cover)
8. Solange - stillness is the move (Dirty Projectors cover)
9. Lindstrom & Christabelle - lovesick
10. Dam-Funk - brookside park
11. Atlas Sound - walk a thin line
12. Girls - goddamn
13. Tickley Feather - trashy boys
14. Little Dragon - a new
15. Four Tet - love cry (Joy Orbison remix)
16. Fever Ray - here before (Vashti Bunyan cover)
17. Mountain Man - animal tracks
18. Yellow Fever - hellfire
19. Real Estate - suburban beverage
20. Josephine Foster - all the leaves are gone

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Totally listening to this when I get home. And hey, I took that photo!