Wider Angle: Links for 5.14.07

The beautiful art of Mars-1 was on display at Jonathan Levine Gallery in Manhattan and almost every piece sold. [via Design Is Kinky]

"May 14th is the official deadline for cable modem companies, DSL providers, broadband over powerline, satellite internet companies and some universities to finish wiring up their networks with FBI-friendly surveillance gear, to comply with the FCC's expanded interpretation of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act." They're in ur internets, stealing ur emails.

Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) have introduced a bill called the Internet Radio Equality Act of 2007 to help save Internet radio from the Copyright Board's decision to kill it with impossibly high royalty payments. "If passed, the bill would overturn the decision of the Copyright Royalty Board and replace it with a rate mandated by Congress—7.5 percent of total revenues. This is the rate currently paid by satellite broadcasters like XM and Sirius, but the CRB's decision meant that small webcasters could actually owe more in fees than they earn in revenue, and some of the fees would be retroactive to 2006." Someone send those men some cake and ice cream.

Shiny Toy Guns will be at the new Highline Ballroom in NYC on June 25. This is the video for their tune "You Are The One."

From the mind of House of Cosbys comes Kosbees on Acceptable.tv.

A long article about the incredible amount of plastic in the ocean and what it's doing to animals, humans, and the planet. "A vast swath of the Pacific, twice the size of Texas, is full of a plastic stew that is entering the food chain." I first read about this in Harper's a few months ago and now it's made its way to a mag published by Men's Health. Hopefully the information will continue on its trajectory and becomes common knowledge within the year.

This may come as a shock, but some U.S. Senators who made the new prescription drug bill more friendly to industry and less friendly to consumers were paid millions of dollars by drug companies. "The 49 senators who voted against drug importation received about $5 million from industry executives and political action committees since 2001 — nearly three quarters of the industry donations to current members of the Senate..."

In one of the funniest recorded pot brownie experiences ever baked, a police officer believes himself to be dying from the marijuana. "'I think we're dying,' he said. 'We made brownies and I think we're dead, I really do.'" [via fark]

I wonder if the military engineers building arpanet ever imagined transmitting videos of choreographed group ottoman humping. One of those timeless questions. [via kottke]

Fewer and fewer New York City cabaret licenses are being issued to venues, and more are closing down than opening, thus ensuring the imminent death of NYC nightlife. (For those not from here, you need a cabaret license to allow people to dance in your venue - no license, no dancing. Period.) Grassroots movements like the free spirited New York Dance Parade (this Saturday, May 19) are aiming to bring dancing back to the people! They can take my freedom, but they'll never take my robot.

You love Helvetica. It's OK. We all do. But sometimes we need a change. [via digg]

The Design Blogfest is this Friday at The Apartment in NYC. Starts at 7pm, with Cool Hunting, Curbed, Treehugger, Crib Candy, and others attending.

What Last.fm has done for music, they also want to do for videos. The personalized radio service aims to build a library of every music video ever created to make custom channels for users.

If you have stuff you like and a clever roommate, don't sleep with your roommate's girlfriend.

The ceiling height in a room greatly impacts the sorts of ideas one develops. "When people are in a room with a high ceiling, they activate the idea of freedom. In a low-ceilinged room, they activate more constrained, confined concepts."

If you're studying logos, check out Logo Lounge's article on the hot trends in logo design for 2006.

The cost of widening Britain's M1 has ballooned to more than £21m per mile, raising the total cost of the project to £5.1bn, making it the most expensive motorway in the Britain's history.

Regina Lynn explores the politics, emotions, and legalities surrounding virtual rape. "If it is a criminal offense to sexually abuse a child on the internet, how can we say it is not possible to rape an adult online? But I have a hard time calling it 'rape,' or believing it's a matter for the police. No matter how disturbed you are by a brutal sexual attack online, you cannot equate it to shivering in a hospital with an assailant's sweat or other excretions still damp on your body."

In an unexpected move from Radar, they've published a beautiful photo series documenting restricted places from Taryn Simon's new book.

Sound Revolt gave my new mix compilation a rather good review, giving it 5.5 out of 6. "I don’t know if it’s my sentiment to everything that smells of Fortier, or maybe the incredible technical skills of Mautner, but I go along with this album extraordinarily well."

Sometimes you need a stupid Family Feud moment. If that time is not now, save this clip for later.

Labels: Links