(via Phrases We Owe to Shakespeare – English Muse)

(via Streetsy: Notorious Banksy strikes again. We’ve al…)

Over on Moby, there’s a bunch of speculation related to some off-topic, pro-Kindle commentary that has been coming in as blog post commentary through their queues. Given that a whole string of these appear to have listed the same exact URL, despite coming from various IP addresses, I have little doubt that they were indeed being astroturfed (a term for individual reviews or comments which are actually orchestrated by a single entity in order to achieve the illusion of spontaneity or grass-roots support). What I do doubt, however, is that Amazon would be behind such a campaign.

As somebody who used to manage the customer review process for Amazon (many moons ago) and with significant knowledge (I worked there 9.5 of the last 12 years) of the internal policies and practices of the company, I will state unequivocally that there is no way that any Amazon employee found “fostering” spurious astroturfed reviews, let alone submitting them themselves, would keep their job. I’m not going to say that it couldn’t happen because, hey, let’s face it, some people are incredibly clueless – but I will say that there is no way that this would be condoned. In my opinion, anybody perpetrating that offense, or paying somebody to astroturf on their behalf, should realize that their job at Amazon is in jeopardy.

Oh, and by the way, I love my Kindle 2. ;^)

I’m quite excited to see all of the advances in ebook technology being shown off at CES this week, especially since they stand to move us a lot further down the path of a paperless society. Personally, I wouldn’t mind never using paper again. I get bummed evry time I shop and am handed a receipt.

While I think Amazon has done an admirable job coming at the problem of digital reading from the purpose-built device side of the equation, it’s clear that current Kindle displays are inadequate for certain types of reading – comic books, textbooks, interactive content, magazines, etc. This is precisely who the new blio reader software backed by famous futurist Ray Kurzweil looks so promising. It comes at the problem from the side of massively available computers and because of that, I think it could really take off. Check out this demo of the software running on Windows.

The following concept video from Bonnier Research and Development is also exciting as it specifically lays out some very solid concepts for taking magazines digital. Watching videos like the ones in this post lead me to believe that we will be reading our periodical content much differently within the next 1-2 years.

Content providers, please adopt these so that we don’t have to use the horribly inefficient postal service to deliver dead trees end up being tossed into a recycle pile.

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

And finally, I can already hear some of the complaints from you cantankerous buggers about backlit screens and how it increases eye strain. On the one hand, I agree with you; I own a Kindle and I read on it whenever the format is suitable to that device. I also read A TON on my computers: RSS feeds, news sites, magazine articles, Wikipedia, etc. I just find the current crop of e-ink devices to not be entirely satisfying for these types of reading. Even this, however, appears about ready to change. Check out this demo of a new color reader technology, called Mirasol, coming to the market from Qualcomm.

Compelling several videos, aren’t they?

Beethoven image borrowed from Wikipedia

Ludwig van Beethoven was born on this day in 1760. After you read this post, go here to learn the life and times of the man. The one excerpt of the Wikipedia article that I wish to call out tells about the constant ringing in his ears and eventual hearing loss:

As early as 1801, Beethoven wrote to friends describing his symptoms and the difficulties they caused in both professional and social settings (although it is likely some of his close friends were already aware of the problems).^[50] Beethoven, on the advice of his doctor, lived in the small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt, just outside Vienna, from April to October 1802 in an attempt to come to terms with his condition. There he wrote his Heiligenstadt Testament, which records his resolution to continue living for and through his art.^[51] Over time, his hearing loss became profound: there is a well-attested story that, at the end of the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to be turned around to see the tumultuous applause of the audience; hearing nothing, he wept.^[52] Beethoven’s hearing loss did not prevent his composing music, but it made playing at concerts—lucrative sources of income—increasingly difficult. After a failed attempt in 1811 to perform his own Piano Concerto No. 5 (the “Emperor”), he never performed in public again.

I went to Benaroya Hall last night to hear three chamber music selections composed by Beethoven. A personal aside – I didn’t go just to celebrate Beethoven’s birthday, I actually bought two tickets last week to force myself to find a date.  I won’t keep you in suspense…the woman I asked declined but the good news is that I didn’t go alone.

If you haven’t been to Benaroya Hall, even the Recital Hall as I did last night, I would say an event like this one was easily worth the $19 per ticket. Oh, to see the violin lead the other musicians the way a conductor would. Periodically, the second violin would peek over when it was her time to jump back in with the first violin. To watch their heads jerk and their torsoes dip in anticipation of a strong upward stroke of the bow.  The swings of tempo and varying strengths of the notes purposefully grab you and take you for a joyous ride.

I remember being taught as a child that there is no difference between the violinist and the violin: when the note is strong, the body is positioned as such; when the mood is like a summer breeze, the musician is a willow tree that gives himself to the wind.

There is no sound I have ever experienced like a stringed instrument. And when I am privileged enought to witness three, four, or five on stage with a clarinet, bassoon, and horn, that makes me smile and I am truly happy. From the first note, I was smitten. The symphony and I will meet again soon.

I would like to introduce you to Seb Barnett. She is a multi-talented artist who you can meet this Friday during the Center on Contemporary Arts (CoCA) 2009 Art Marathon at the Fremont Abbey. Seb uses her art to convey and release her emotions. The images that appear when she closes her eyes, thus the pieces she creates, have their own illuminating language. The Puget News is fortunate enough to get into her mind and behind her eyes as she prepares for this Friday’s event.

Seb Barnett, ladies and gentlemen…

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Seb, have you done anything like the Art Marathon before?

Nope!

What are you doing to prepare for the event?

Well, I’m looking around my studio at what I can bring with me, wondering what is reasonable to pack around, also looking through sketchbooks and looking for inspiring imagery. I’m really excited because I don’t usually let myself do art just for the hell of it, and this time I’m not limiting myself to the idea of “it has to fit in a body of work, or it has to be within this subject.” Its going to be a lot of fun.

Do you have an idea in your head as to how the 24 hours+ is going to shake out?

I’ve got an idea of how it will go for me as a person, but not how it will go for the whole situation. I haven’t done the marathon before, so it’s going to be interesting. I know I’ll hit the “what the hell do I do with this?!” point a few times, get frustrated, set it aside, then look back at it later. There will probably be some wandering around and most likely getting inspired by fellow artists. I’m really looking forward to being around others while they work. Its great energy we get going when we’re all working in one space.

How did you get involved in this year’s event?

I’ve been involved with other shows with COCA and David Francis was considerate enough to contact me with an invite.

I am most drawn to the pieces that have an alluring blend of sweetness, sensitivity and subtle gruesomeness to it. I am referring to works like The Burden of Knowing (oil painting), Kimono (illustration), The Violinist (illustration), and Don’t You Want To Be Like Us? (comic story). These pieces come from your imagination. What is your process of imagining these “scenes”? How do you put yourself in the state of mind to envision these pieces?

The Burden of Knowing is about when I starting [sic] getting intuitions about people I cared about and the harsh things in life they would go through. I couldn’t tell them because it wouldn’t change the situation and maybe in telling them I would change the course of their lives to something less desirable. Not to mention I lost a few friends in trying to warn them of the paths they were on. Nothing changed other than they no longer wanted to speak with me. It was a burden I started taking on silently.

Kimono was an illustration for a book called “Full Metal Kimono” The main character was a lady by the name of “spirit of the mountain.”

"Kimono" by Seb Barnett done in water color, ink, and gouache on paper

The Violinist was also a book cover, and that was one of the stories in the book.

Don’t You Want To Be Like Us was about the rejection I felt as a teenager because I wasn’t interested in fitting in to most groups, and so I did not feel like I belonged.

For the most part my art is me desperately needing to express an emotion that threatens to overwhelm me. When I put it into art it becomes its own object, and no longer eats at my mind so desperately. The imagery just turns out to be a stream of consciousness, I think in imagery, not words, and just closing my eyes for a moment leaves me with imagery that could be expressed through art.

Seb Barnett's "Bonding" done in ink on paper

The most captivating piece is Bonding . It is your most complete execution of an idea, from imagination to image on a page, and is filled with so much love and emotion. That piece was done a while ago. Why have you not done more of this type of work?

Its really funny to me that you think Bonding is one of the more captivating pieces I’ve done. In my opinion its rather simple. I’ve done more of that kind of work, but not bothered to scan it in.

Mark here. I’ve got to respond to this one. Bonding may be simple and it’s because of that simplicity that the illustration is successful. The clean and crisp aesthetic works so well. And the composition creates visual depth. When I see metal, flesh, and a rose petal done this well I want to continue to look. I want to explore. I can’t help but make up a story for these two. All those simplicities are positives for Bonding.

What do the birds say and what does The Girl Who Spoke With Birds say to them?

The Girl who Spoke with Birds was illustrations for a short story, it was never said what she said to the birds. Just that it was terribly sad, and that she couldn’t say it with human words.

Thanks much to Seb Barnett for giving up her time just days before the big Art Marathon. Seb, we look forward to talking with you at the event. We wish you well and you should know that you have our collective support.
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TPN invites you to come along for the ride. I’m bringing my sleeping bag and pillow along with my camera!

The Marathon begins Friday at 9 a.m. with an Auction on Saturday at 6 p.m.

The Fremont Abbey is going to be abuzz with energy! It’s not that big of a place and it’s gonna be fun. Support the artists by bringing them food and non-alcoholic beverages. Once the wee hours of the night come around, they’ll be thankful that you left them some goodies.

Take a bus or carpool since parking will be tough.

Send your event photos to mark [at] thepugetnews [dot] com. Of course, you are welcome to leave a post-event comment here at The Puget News.

I paid Logo Design Guru to develop a logo for this site. I told them that the site was for “Passionate discussion about the art, literature, technology and culture from the Pacific Northwest.” Knowing that the goal is to build a site that we can all communicate our appreciation for all aspects of artistic endeavor, which of the following do you like the best?

My logo choices

I can only choose 2 for further rework so let me know your favorites and any changes you’d suggest. Thanks so much!