Everything must go
Artist sells his possessions then tracks them down
Anthony Augustine
All My Life For Sale & Temporama
— www.allmylifeforsale.com
— www.temporama.com
— Artist John Freyer’s purging of all his possessions
was much more than just a rejection of consumerism and an exploration
of the power of online auction sites such as Ebay. Started in
2000 as a way to catalogue his possessions, the project grew to
include the auctioning off most of Freyer’s belongings,
a hardcover book, a reading tour and a number of art exhibitions.
Freyer’s quest to document the whereabouts of the items
that have been purchased and to find out more about the people
who have purchased them is also significant. Although everything
has been sold — including the domain name for the site —
you can head to the travelogue site Temporama to see how Freyer
visited some of the items that were sold. While the site is no
longer updated, it is an interesting documentation of his adventures.
Turning the Tide — blogs.zmag.org/ttt
— You don’t need a degree in political science to
understand that MIT professor and reluctant political icon Noam
Chomsky is one of the most outspoken and critical opponents of
many of the injustices occurring worldwide. In a recently launched
blog Chomsky engages topics ranging from Bush and the economy
to Iraq to problems in the Middle East — all with the same
sharp analysis and undeniable style that have made him one of
the most widely read and respected non-mainstream political pundits.
The Untitled Project — www.siberart.com
— Photographer and digital artist Matt Siber’s Untitled Project strips all the text from images he takes in various urban settings, revealing a world devoid of marketing slogans, directions or any from of written communication. What’s left are the visual cues, logos, shapes and icons that permeate our everyday life.
You Send It — www.yousendit.com
— If you have ever been unable to send your friends copies
of your digital photos from your weekend getaway, or had an e-mail
bounce back because the file you were sending was too large, use
this storage tool to keep your attachments online (for up to a
week). This way everyone can access the attachments without you
having to send seven separate emails.
The Oracle of Bacon — www.cs.virginia.edu/oracle
— Developed by computer science students at the University
of Virginia, this highly addictive site is based on a simple yet
highly difficult concept: Pick any actor or actress who has been
in a movie and try and link them to Kevin Bacon. The higher the
number, the more skilled you are. With the average Bacon number
sitting at 2.944, you are going to have to dig deep if you want
to impress your friends. The students have also developed four
other games of this type, including one called Star Links which
uses movies or TV to show connections between actors and actresses.
Anthony Augustine is a freelance music and pop culture writer
who spends way too much time in front of the computer. He also
hosts a weekly two-hour electronic music program on CKUW 95.9
FM Got a site you think he should see? E-mail him at phase1radio.com. |
Uptown
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