paperandglue.net

Bits from my Tumblr and the rest of the web.

1. SEAN’S ANTIQUE WEATHER CLOCK

My pal Sean is known for his interest in clock mods. In the past, he’s modded a thrift store alarm clock to be controlled by a joystick. This time, he’s taking an antique weather clock and hooking it up to the freakin’ internet. Oh yes. Check it out!

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2. ONE GRAND HOME TAKES ON THE BEHEMOTH

Thanks to Racialicious, I was recently introduced to One Grand Home (Subtitle: Reflections on sophisticated, affordable home design and the ethics and politics of decor) and have been appreciating Alexis’s analyses of the classism and racism that tend to rear their ugly heads in the art/craft/design blogosphere. On Monday, the target was design megablog Apartment Therapy, with an illustrated breakdown of its many incidents of race- and class-fail and the way that the blogs editors refuse to acknowledge or address these issues.

3. THE EXCELLENCE OF TUNE-YARDS, IN VIDEO FORM

Lizzyville posted a link to dublab’s video of Tune-Yards performing the song “Fiya.” The video itself is understated — just Merrill Garbus playing and singing in front of a backdrop of soft blue lights — but that’s probably what makes it so wonderful.

tUnE-YaRdS “Fiya” from dublab on Vimeo.

Tune-Yards, if you don’t know, was one of the best things in music in 2009 and undoubtedly will continue to be in 2010 and beyond (it was the soundtrack and partially the inspiration for my first Video Scrapbook back in April). Experience it on MySpace.

(One more parenthetical: I refuse, simply refuse, to render the name in tOgGLe CaPs as Merrill Garbus wants us to. I will honour many different ways of styling proper names — all caps (HEALTH) or lowercase (crys cole), but I simply will not acknowledge that anyone over the age of 14 would choose to render their name in toGgLe cAps. SoRRy.)

4. THIS WEEK IN FAT FASHION (A.K.A. FATSHION)

New blog discovery this week: Christina’s Musings of a Fatshionista (Tagline: Fashuns for the Fat & Fancy). This week, she posted some scans of a high fashion shoot by Velvet d’Amour. The model in the shoot is, of course, plus-sized (no — she’s actually fat. In model terms, “plus-size” can mean anything from a size 4-8, so let’s give this gorgeous woman credit for her actual adipose tissue!).

5. GABBY SIDIBE CONTINUES BEING AWESOME, LOOKS AMAZING WHILE DOING IT

The star of Precious is profiled and photographed in Harper’s Bazaar, and that article is profiled in People (funny how that works). She looks gorgeous, and she drops a couple of great quotes, one wise, one hilarious:

[W]hile Gabourey can pose for the camera like any seasoned pro, her confidence didn’t come as easily as it may seem. “It came late, too late in my life,” she recalls of changing her attitude. “One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl.”

“I hate yoga so much. Like if yoga was a person, I’d stab them”

The new issue of Geez magazine is out, and guess what? I have an article in it! The complete article is not online, so you’ll have to pick up a copy to read it (FYI you can get this magazine at McNally Robinson and Mondragon in Winnipeg). Basically, I wrote a love letter to another magazine, Bitch. Just a few words chronicling that magazine’s recent financial difficulties and its timely triumph over them, as well as its continued struggle for continued existence and the reasons why it’s still important and relevant as ever.

The issue is packed with lots of other great stuff, and if you need some independent verification, Geez won the 2009 Utne Independent Press Award for Best Spiritual Coverage.