For some reason I got inspired to check out my old wall of CDs for some "new" (old) music to listen to at the office this morning. What I found was my collection of SPK albums which span dark German Industrial to strange politically slated 80s pop.

Gold and Poison is the later but quite enjoyable. Sheer Naked Aggression is my favorite track by far and quite timely given our political climate and the US' imperial aspirations.

— IMDB

The guys over at Rocket World have just released a limited edition set archival giclee prints depicting Titus on scooter night patrol. They are printed 17' x 22" acid free fine matte art paper. Each print is numbered and signed from an edition of 100 pcs.

Titus is part of Rocket World's Insurgents Wilderness Gruppo (IWG).

Last weekend Swayzak celebrated 10 years in the techno business with a packed out gig at Watergate club in !K7's hometown of Berlin. And this week they return with their 5th studio album Some Other Country.

Swayzak's new opus sounds mature and full. They have always loved their echo pedal, but in their tenth year of existence their dub-techno attains a new, compositional dimension and features vocals from Richard Davis (kitty-yo, Punkt) and Berlin producer and Panorama Bar resident DJ Cassy. And so James Taylor and David "Brun" Brown deliver what is their most expressive album to date. Yes, Swayzak are back, and how! Check the microsite for Some Other Country.

Just ran into Smashing Magazine today. Doug my business partner in LightPole sent over a link and the resources here are pretty amazing. I especially like the article on Free Icons.

They have a lot resources for graphics, programing, design process and UI development.

A model displays shoes by Italian designer Gianni Calignano in Rome's Auditorium hall.

Ran into a nice photo essay on the BBC this afternoon and thought I would put up a shot from Gianni Calignano's collection.

Took a cab on IPhone day, a week and some odd days ago, and the driver was playing this album. I have been listening to it ever since.

Alphaville's 1984 debut, Forever Young, deserves to be viewed as a classic synth pop album. There's no doubting that Germans are behind the crystalline Teutonic textures and massive beats that permeate the album, but vocalist Marian Gold's impressive ability to handle a Bryan Ferry croon and many impassioned high passages meant the album would have worldwide appeal. Indeed both "Big in Japan" and the touching, sad change-of-pace "Forever Young" raced up the charts in multiple continents. Borrowing inspiration from Roxy Music's detached theatricality and Kraftwerk's beats and rhythms, Gold and company hit upon a magic formula that produced here an album's worth of impossibly catchy tunes that could almost serve as pure definitions for the synth pop genre. The hits race straight for one's cranium and embed themselves upon impact. "Big in Japan" feels like a more serious cousin to Murray Head's "One Night in Bangkok," as a slow-pounding beat spars with Gold's desperate voice. "Forever Young," a stark, epic song that would become essential for every post-1984 high school graduation, drips sadness and never fails to cause a listener to nostalgically reflect on life and loss. Outside of these hits, the remainder of the songs rarely falter, mixing emotion, theater, and of course electronics into a potent, addictive wave of synth euphoria. It's likely every fan could pick his own favorite of the other should-have-been-hits, but "Fallen Angel" deserves special mention. It begins with spooky, funny warbling and icy keyboards, and then explodes and transforms into a startling, romantic epiphany at the chorus. If its lyrics are a bit goofy or juvenile, it only adds to the heartfelt love the song expresses. Alphaville stick firmly to their synths and sequencers on Forever Young, but they keep things interesting by incorporating motifs from funk, Broadway, Brazilian jazz, and even hip-hop. Even when the band takes itself too seriously, the songs' catchy drive and consistently smart production cover any thematic holes. Forever Young is a technically perfect and emotionally compelling slice of 1980s electronic pop/rock music. It's also a wonderfully fun ride from start to finish.

— Tim DiGravina, allmusic

I purchased my IPhone on Friday night from Apple Store after waiting 3 hours in line at the ATT store. ATT ran out of the 8Gb phone so I jumped in a cab went to the Apple store at Stockton and Market and only waited for 15 minutes. The guys at Apple really have their act in order. But activation is not happening. Yesterday at 1:15PM, I went into ITunes to add a new line to my existing at&t account and activate my phone. The system told me they needed more time to activate my account and that at&t would email me when they were finished setting up my account. It is now almost 24 hours later and I am still waiting for the confirmation email. at&t is closed for the weekend and so I am stuck with a very expensive piece of jewlery that does nothing but let me dial 911.

Please go visit Taken By Trees. Victoria Bergsman has four of her upcoming tracks from her new album up for listening. The album is going to be released in Europe on June 18th. The site also has a cool simple message board and a fun "Find the Story Telling Tree" page. Find the story telling tree and listen to her magical voice.

They highly recommend that you don't let your kids wear the cool hats they provide with every machine. Thanks Dell, we wouldn't have thought of that. Perhaps we will recycle them instead.

According to Variety today, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson will direct at least two of the upcoming 3D Tintin spectacles. It has not been announced who will direct the third.

Tintin was written by Georges "Herge" Remi in the 1900's. You can read more on the globetrotting reporter and his friends at the Tintin website.

What a super quirky and attention getting advertising series — it's quite silly but still poignant. Go see the site savesfbay.org and watch the mini ads and see the image gallery, then send it to a friend.

Technorati Tags: advertising, Bay Area, San Francisco

The text on this image reads: "Marshland once penetrated as far north as the corner of Mission and Seventh Streets." The black marks in the foreground are Starkweather's marks based on a map of creekbeds below San Francisco. The circles in the background are Hughen's drawings referencing light bouncing off the water. Text and images from Amanda Hughen's site (more work here).

The text on this image reads: "In 2010, an average of 425,458 people will commute to San Francisco every day." The black marks in the foreground are Starkweather's marks based on a map of commuter patterns involving downtown San Francisco and the East Bay, and the arrows and circles in the background are drawings Hughen made referencing the arrows and circles in and around Market Street (stop lights, one way signs, pavement markings, manhole covers, etc.).

Technorati Tags: art, illustration, San Francisco

I can't recall ever thinking I've got to get myself to Macy's as soon as possible, but after being intrigued by the poster on the public pay toilet I passed today at the 16th BART station entrance and then seeing a few ads fly by on the MUNI buses too I decided to look up the exhibit. The Macy's site hardly gives any inspiration or intrigue, but I found a jackpot of gorgeous images on darcitananda's flicker account (great photography!). Wow, the henna designs, the fabrics, the colors and displays all look amazing. So there's truly a first for a everything as I say "I've got to get to Macy's asap." {found flicker link through an interesting site for south Asian American women, called Nirali Magazine}

Technorati Tags: asia, inspiration, San Francisco, shopping