January 24, 2011
The term Large Group Awareness Training (LGAT) refers to self-help ‘training’ offered by certain groups sometimes linked with the human potential movement (a ‘new age’ philosophy founded in the 1960s) . The programs may involve several hundred people at a time for hours or days. It is common for the programs to feature an authoritarian demeanor by the trainer, and to cause physical strains on the participants from a long schedule followed by periods of release and encouragement.
By spending approximately half the time making a person feel bad and then suddenly reversing the feeling through effusive praise, the programs cause participants to experience a stress-reaction and an endorphin high. Over many hours and days the participants are physically exhausted, and made more susceptible to the trainer’s message, whether in the participants’ best interests or not. Examples of LGATs include: Lifespring, Erhard Seminars Training, The Forum, Newfield Consulting, Seres Naturales and Landmark Education.
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January 21, 2011
Pantone is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, primarily printing, though sometimes in the manufacture of colored paint, fabric, and plastics. The idea behind the PMS is to allow designers to ‘color match’ specific colors when a design enters production stage—regardless of the equipment used to produce the color.
The company provides Pantone Guides, which consist of a large number of small (approximately 6×2 inches or 15×5 cm) thin cardboard sheets, printed on one side with a series of related color swatches and then bound into a small ‘fan deck.’ Pantone recommends that PMS Color Guides be purchased annually as their inks become more yellow over time. Color variance also occurs within editions based on the paper stock used (coated, matte or uncoated), while interedition color variance occurs when there are changes to the specific paper stock used.
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January 20, 2011
K Foundation Burn a Million Quid was a performance art/ political exercise that took place in 1994, in which the K Foundation (an art duo consisting of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty) burned cash in the amount of one million pounds sterling on the Scottish island of Jura. A single house brick that was manufactured from the fire’s ashes. This money represented the bulk of the K Foundation’s funds, earned by Drummond and Cauty as The KLF, one of the United Kingdom’s most successful pop groups of the early 1990s.
The incineration was recorded on a Hi-8 video camera by K Foundation collaborator Gimpo. In 1995, the film was toured around the UK, with Drummond and Cauty engaging each audience in debate about the burning and its meaning. Later that year, the duo pledged to dissolve the K Foundation and to refrain from public discussion of the burning for a period of 23 years. Despite this Drummond has spoken about the burning in 2000 and 2004. At first he was unrepentant but in 2004, he admitted to the BBC that he regretted burning the money.
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January 20, 2011
A mashup is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another. To the extent that such works are ‘transformative’ of original content, they may find protection from copyright claims under the ‘fair use’ doctrine. Though the term ‘bastard pop’ first became popular in 2001, the practice of assembling new songs from purloined elements of other tracks stretches back to the beginnings of recorded music.
If one extends the definition beyond the realm of pop, precursors can be found in Musique concrète, as well as the classical practice of (re-)arranging traditional folk material and the jazz tradition of reinterpreting standards. In addition, many elements of bastard pop culture have antecedents in hip hop and the DIY ethic of punk.
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January 20, 2011
Archie Meets the Punisher or The Punisher Meets Archie was a one-shot comic book intercompany crossover published under two separate covers by Marvel Comics and Archie Comics in 1994. It featured the unlikely meeting of Marvel’s murderous vigilante, the Punisher, and Archie Comics’ all-American teenager, Archie Andrews. The book was written by Batton Lash, with artwork by John Buscema (drawing the Punisher characters) and Stan Goldberg (drawing the Archie characters).
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January 19, 2011
Leprosy colony money was special money which circulated only in leprosy sanatoriums due to the fear that the leprosy bacteria would infect other people. Leprosy, however, is in fact not easily transmitted by casual contact, and such transmission as there is only happens through long term, constant and intimate contact with leprosy sufferers and not contact with everyday objects used by sufferers. The system of special colony money was used between 1901 and around 1955.
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January 19, 2011
OK Soda was a soft drink created by Coca-Cola in 1993 that aggressively courted the Generation X demographic with unusual advertising tactics, including endorsements and even outright negative publicity. It did not sell well in select test markets and was officially declared out of production in 1995 before reaching nation-wide distribution.
The drink’s slogan was ‘Things are going to be OK.’ The project was cancelled by Coca-Cola just seven months after its kickoff, and the soft drink was never widely released to the public.
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January 19, 2011
The prosperity gospel is a religious belief found among Christians, primarily in the United States, centered on the notion that God provides material prosperity for those he favors. It has been defined by the belief that ‘Jesus blesses believers with riches’ or more specifically as the teaching that ‘believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the ‘sowing of seeds’ through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings.’
It is not a clearly defined denomination, but a strain of belief that runs through the Pentecostal Church and a number of mainstream evangelical churches, with varying degrees of intensity. It arose in the United States after World War II championed by Oral Roberts and became particularly popular in the decade of the 1990s.
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January 19, 2011
The purple mangosteen [mang-guh-steen] is a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in Indonesia. The rind (exocarp) of the edible fruit is deep reddish purple when ripe. Botanically an aril (like pomegranate fruit), the fragrant edible flesh can be described as sweet and tangy, citrusy with a flavour and texture similar to a peach. It is sometimes called the ‘Queen of Fruit,’ owing to an apocryphal legend of Queen Victoria offering a reward of 100 pounds sterling to anyone who could deliver to her a fresh mangosteen. An ultratropical tree, the mangosteen must be grown in consistently warm conditions, as exposure to temperatures below freezing for prolonged periods will generally kill a mature plant. Experienced horticulturists have grown this species outdoors, and brought them to fruit in extreme South Florida.
Due to restrictions on imports, mangosteen is not readily available in certain countries. Although available in Australia, for example, they are still rare in the produce sections of grocery stores in North America and Europe. Beginning in 2007 for the first time, fresh mangosteens were sold from specialty produce stores in New York City for as high as $45 per pound, but wider availability and lower prices have become common in the United States and Canada. Before ripening, the mangosteen shell is fibrous and firm, but becomes soft and easy to pry open when the fruit ripens.
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January 19, 2011
A pin-up girl is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as popular culture. Pin-ups are intended for informal display, e.g. meant to be ‘pinned-up’ on a wall. Pin-up girls may be glamour models, fashion models, or actresses. The term pin-up may also refer to drawings, paintings, and other illustrations done in emulation of these photos.
The term was first attested to in English in 1941; however, the practice is documented back at least to the 1890s. The pin-up images could be cut out of magazines or newspapers, or be from postcard or chromo-lithographs, and so on. Such photos often appear on calendars, which are meant to be pinned up anyway. Pin-ups are also referred to as ‘cheesecakes’ the male counterpart being ‘beefcake.’
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January 18, 2011
The YikeBike mini-farthing is a folding electric bicycle. It weighs 9.8 kilograms (22 lb) and when folded, it is small enough to fit in a backpack. The YikeBike was invented by Grant Ryan and designed by a team in New Zealand over 5 years. It is the smallest and lightest electric folding bicycle in the world and retails for $3595 US.
The vehicle has no chain pedal, gear box, mechanical brake, cables or levers. These functions are provided by a 1.2 kW electric motor and controller. The YikeBike has electronic anti-skid brakes. There are also built-in lights, indicators and brake lights for safety. Top speed is 15 miles per hour, and the bike can travel about six miles per charge.
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January 18, 2011
Daiwa House is Japans largest homebuilder, specializing in prefabricated houses. It was founded in 1955 in Osaka. The Emergency Disaster Vehicle o1 (EDV-01) is a Daiwa concept habitat. It is an easily transported, self-contained shelter and amenities to be deployed during a disaster.
Once in place, the top portion of the EDV expands, doubling the space. This second level is a living area with beds and a desk. The first floor is contains the necessities: a water-free toilet, functional kitchen, refrigerator, and a bathroom with shower. The unit is completely self-sufficient, using roof-mounted solar panels, ambient water-vapor condensers, and fuel cells to provide a livable space. The EDV-01 also generates its own fuel, hydrogen, through electrolysis.
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