jorge.cortell.net

via APM.

Although I can not embed it (the author has disabled the option) this video by Japanese performer and CGI artist Kagemu is really worth looking at. Enjoy. (Via Nebula).

A couple of weeks ago I received my new Lytro camera. Although it is an incredible technology, and allows things that were unthinkable until now, so far I am mixed.

Pros:

• Compact and discreet
• Extremely easy to use
• New ways of taking pictures
• Novelty
• Supercool “focus later”

Cons:

• You have to get used to a different way of thinking and framing a shot (square! and distance)
• Low performance under low light (although better than my crappy Samsung Galaxy IIS camera)

Check out this online gallery. Click on different areas of the image, and see how it re-focus. Note: the “magic” happens in some pictures, while it does not in others, because it depends on the depth and elements in the shot. I do definitely need more practice.

I guess my old DSL can relax for a while. Big and heavy, but it is still the king when it comes to quality photographs.

Saturday was one action packed day.

First, off to Brooklyn Flea Market (Fort Greene this time). Sure enough, the subway is a mess like any weekend, but one gets used to it. With a punishing sun, the first thing upon arrival is to hydrate (limenade, although I was tempted to try something they called “orchata” which was not, since it was made from coconut and rice), and eat something (palak dosa, and zucchini cheese pupusa… I missed Mimi&CoCo‘s teriyaki balls or TheRegalVegan treats). Then a stroll through tons of vendors (from all kinds of objects made from recycled vinyl, to vintage clothing and antiques, or vinyl records where I heard of the awesome The Meters) among the crowd, made basically of hipsters and mainly US tourist.

After a while, back to the island, first a stop for some tea at cozy The Tea Spot, and then off to have an early dinner at a wonderful Tibetan restaurant called Tsampa (absolutely delicious food, and a nice atmosphere).

But the real “discovery” of the day was the Japanese supermarket Sunrise Mart. From Dragon Ball soda to green tea cakes… they got it all! So I left with a bunch of stuff (Calpico, sanshoku dango, gyokuro tea, kohara uji kintoki, shrimp cup noodles… even wasabi mame!) and a big smile ^_^

As I head for the shower at the gym, wondering if I should stay longer on the bike, lift more weights, or try a new boxing class, I find the real meaning of strength lying right there in front of me.

Picture.

Question: why do I have to cross the street on my way home?

Debate.

Some people enjoy shopping. Some enjoy the action, other the object, others the fantasy of being able to “acquire” that which they feel (or society made them feel) they “lack” (beauty, strength, appeal… whatever).

Last week, while at the SoHo, I found myself enjoying window shopping. The design. Pure art. Beauty.

The citizen platform #15MpaRato is preparing legal action to take Rodrigo Rato to court.

Today they started asking small Bankia stockholders to file an anonymous report, so it can be used in a lawsuit.

Here is their news release [ES]:
http://15mparato.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/accionesparato/

Here is their website:
http://15mparato.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/accionesparato/

Here is their twitter:
@15MpaRato

Hashtag:
#accionpaRato

If you know any Bankia stockholder, ask him/her to contact:
15mparato@gmail.com

Good luck!

Last Saturday I went to the MET for the symposium “Michelangelo and His World in the 1490s“. Presented by some of the most distinguished Michelangelo’s scholars, there was a lot of in-depth info on this very exceptional artist. Here are some of the most curious trivia I learned:

• He was an exceptional painter and art forger from a very early age (when he was 12 years old he forged and smoked to make it look old, church paintings) and that’s why his father enrolled in an art studio at 13, even though the minimum age was 14.
• He had an “art factory” (sorry, Andy or Damian, he was there first), designing and sometimes drawing “blockbusters” which were later drawn in 20 or 30 copy or version runs.
• He was the first to depart from “realism” in color: he often painted “blocks of color”, for strength and dramatic effect.

I networked a bit to discuss some scholarly work I am doing on Michelangelo (more on that in a few months) and then went to the subway. On the way there I found a church, with a quote I always considered interesting beyond the obvious reasons (food for thought):

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I like to contrast it with this other quote:

We must accept that which we can not change, and change that which we can not accept.

So I went to Madison Square park. Across the street, Worth Square, there are a ton of food stands (Madison Square Eats, until June 1st), one of the many NY Street Festivals that show up everywhere with the wonderful weather we are enjoying right now. I grabbed some arancini and casatta (the lobster roll and canoli will be next), headed for the park and enjoyed the meal al fresco with squirrels all around.

May 18th, on my way to the subway, outside my office.

Look at the pictures. The making of the circus. Draw your own conclusions (and yes, the third one is a journalist on top of a wooden box to make her look taller).