January 2011

Jan 20, 2011 China’s Poverty Line

Stefen Chow investigates the definition of China’s poverty line. Chow photographed food items that could be purchased for RMB 3.28 (49 cents), which is the daily income of those earning China’s official poverty-level wage of RMB 1,196 per year. Chow says, “This is not an emotional analysis of what it means to be poor. It...

Jan 20, 2011 Luk-thung Baby

"To write about a place as an outsider can veer on the dishonest. Everyday experiences that pass as mundane or simply unnoteworthy get analyzed, recast in our own image, or simply observed with removed amusement." --Chris Menist, the Bangkok-based British DJ behind the recent Soundway Records compilation The Sound of Siam: Leftfield Luk-thung, Jazz and Molam...

Jan 19, 2011 The Bacon Candle

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Jan 19, 2011 Road Train Technology Brings Autopilot Into Your Car

Enjoy being in cars but hate the hassle of watching the road and holding the steering wheel? The road train autopilot system could bring us cavalcades of remotely driven cars. The system really is like a train - a specially designed truck is at the front of the convoy, and it's the only vehicle a person...

Jan 19, 2011 Chris Bangle: Great cars are Art

Jan 19, 2011 Book Of Art

"A simple idea well executed" Check out their shop: Book Of Art (link) ...

Jan 19, 2011 Add Dash of Silicone for Virus-Free Water

Researchers have come up with a simple recipe that turns a common disinfectant into a potent virus killer—and they’re putting the recipe out into the public domain. Adding silicone to titanium dioxide dramatically increases its ability to degrade aerosol- and water-borne viruses. Full details are reported in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. “If you’re using titanium...

Jan 18, 2011 What’s better than Jim O’Rourke singing enka?

Everybody's talking about Jim O'Rourke's recent appearance on Japanese TV, but what's even better than a nervous, apologetic white man learning to sing one of the most popular enka songs in recent history? Marty Friedman of Megadeth shredding on the variety show "Chubo desu yo!" while  Sakai Masaaki cooks up some ebi fry. The clip starts with...