Author: Christopher Jobson
Colossal is the brainchild of Christopher Jobson, an erstwhile web designer from Chicago. It features innovative design from an array of sources—including architecture, advertising, technology, and community art projects. Recent examples include a man who nonchalantly carves entire objects out of a single piece of wood (and, it must be noted, is not this guy), a 3D printer pen, a San Antonio underpass beautified by chandeliers composed of recycled bicycle parts, and an animator’s ingenious command of Vine’s six-second video format. Jobson’s finds often have a playful, DIY approach that inspire as well as impress.
Reviewer: Danielle
No, this is not about a newly formed Rice Liberation Movement or a deal at the local Chinese restaurant. FreeRice.com is a website that allows you to put some rice where your mouth is! Yeah, that does sound a lot like eating but, really, this is even better. You play a simple (and highly addictive) word game, expand your vocabulary (for fun and bragging rights!) and, oh yeah, get to help feed the world through the World Food Programme.
Every right answer you get automatically donates ten grains of rice to the World Food Programme. That may not sound like a lot but since its inception, the site has donated almost 100 billion grains of rice and adds millions more every single day all based on, in my opinion, people wanting to beat their previous score (level 49, you haunt me so!) and help the world a little bit.
If vocabulary enhancement isn’t your cup of rice, there’s a subject tab at the top of the page so you can play games ranging from chemical symbol recognition, to basic math, to geography, to art identification. So, geek out, click away and help feed the world’s most needy!
I recently found the Mississippi Hill Country Blues musician Junior Kimbrough and I’m excited to have found another style of Mississippi Blues. Kimbrough simply uses the steady repetition of a single chord with a drum accompaniment that creates a driving, rhythmic beat. You add his vocals to the mix and have some powerfully hypnotic music. The African influenced drumming adds an interesting dimension to the blues and I’m looking forward to finding similar country blues artists. Junior Kimbrough’s albums can be found here.
Author: The National
The Ohio-based Indie band The National is known for their melancholic and somewhat somber lyrics, but vocalist Matt Berninger has admitted in a recent interview that they “have never been cool” — oh, but I beg to differ. Their sixth and latest album is full of thought-provoking lyrics, regret, and secret concessions that are tied up together with visceral rhythms and beats. It’s an atmospheric record that you could take on an introspective road trip and get lost in; my favorite so far is “Sea of Love”. Trouble Will Find Me is available through SWAN.
Author: Julian Jarrold
I am a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. I will even go so far as to say that Rear Window, which is on the AFI’s top 100 list, is my favorite. But after seeing The Girl,a movie based on the supposed events that occurred when Tippi Hedren was hired for The Birds, I was taken aback. How can someone who’s known to be a cinematic genius be so cold, calculating, and predatory? And why would Hedren put up with it? No matter what you believe regarding Hitchcock’s character, it’s fascinating to see how the relationship between Alfie and Tippi crashed and burned. Plus, Sienna Miller’s portrayal of Tippi Hedren is spot-on and definitely worth noting. The Girl is available to Hitchcock fans on our new books and DVD shelf.
Reviewer: Danielle
Have you ever looked up on a clear night and felt the pull of the universe upon your very soul? Have you ever lost yourself in the depth of the darkness weighing down on you from above only to see a pinpoint of purplish-blue light emerge, sparkling, from behind a formerly invisible cloud and, instantaneously, felt yourself become one with everything around you? Have you ever looked at a star and watched it slip slowly beyond the horizon and realized that that very star actually died billions of years ago, before the Earth was even born, and pondered the immensity and utter fleetingness of time itself?
Okay, maybe that was just me but, hey, space stuff is cool, right? This website from NASA has a daily archive of the most awe-inspiring pictures from across the universe dating back to 1995. Yes, that means there are over 6500 pictures to look at. But, hey, what else do you have to do at work, right?
Now that spring is finally here (with the exception of this cold weekend) we can enjoy the Forest Preserve District of Cook County again! Their website has a lot of great information on all of the trails, picnic areas, and nature centers in the surrounding area. There are plenty of outdoor activities for the whole family on their Events page. You should read the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan to see the exciting plans for the local preserves. I would also recommend signing up for the Forest Way newsletter.
Author: Phoenix
France is noted for many things—garish palaces, fine cheeses, and carefully calibrated surliness, for example. It is not, however, known for rocking. There’s a reason for that, as most contemporary French rock sounds like anemic, warmed-over grunge with a wannabe Freddie Mercury on lead vocals. Generally speaking, there is a lot of bravado, wailing, and angst; but little to recommend.
That’s why Phoenix is such a puzzler. They’re French, they’re really good, and they’ve even managed to write a hit single about Franz Liszt. Their latest album offers the poppy, layered, deconstructed-then-reconstructed numbers that one would expect, as well as more experimental songs that suggest a mad scientist on the loose. It’s available from SWAN.
Author: David Sedaris
Reviewer: Jennifer
Pretty disappointed by Sedaris’ last compilation of fictional essays “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk,” I was reservedly excited about his latest release. Luckily, Sedaris returned to mostly personal essays, an area in which he shines. I was able to see Sedaris speak at the Auditorium Theater last November, so some of the stories were familiar, but all ranged from amusing to hilarious, filled with Sedaris’ trademark wry commentary on his family, life as an expat in both England and France and the banal trials of growing older. I highly recommend this title, along with most others in his collection, all of which are available at Acorn.
Author: Marco Polo
I’ve been interested in Marco Polo since I read Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino a few years ago. In Calvino’s fictional account, Marco Polo describes the beautiful, but impossible-sounding cities of Kublai Khan’s empire to the aging Khan. Calvino’s descriptions, which are alternately picturesque and unimaginable, have stuck with me. Marco Polo’s account is interesting not for the writing, but because it is (allegedly) true. His account of his travels from Venice to Shanghai and back are not to completely trusted, but they are enjoyable in the same way as Herodotus’ Histories. The illustrations in The Travels of Marco Polo: The Illustrated Edition make it worth the read. You can find our copy on the New Books Shelf and through SWAN.
Author: Mary Lambert
This is a new book I picked up on the new shelf this week. Lambert is a British decluttering consultant. The book was a quick read with helpful questionnaires, pictures, blog entries, monthly goals, and a variety of areas in life to consider in the realm of decluttering. Personally, I am not sure I could really get myself down to 100 items, but I am in the process of trying to declutter my home. It’s not easy, but with baby steps, I believe it can be done. (On a side note, the city of Oak Forest is having their city-wide garage sale on Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. It’s a great way for people to declutter their homes. Of course, it may mean more clutter will enter the buyer’s home, but one must use discernment!)
This website presents an inquisitive, curatorial view of the internet. Recent posts cover a Muddy Waters/Rolling Stones concert from the Checkerboard Lounge (as well as Keith’s musings on his band’s cultural appropriations and a “bitter” John Lennon), Geoffrey Baer’s new series called Ten Buildings That Changed America, and a hypnotic, whimsical video tour of 1927 London. Additionally, Open Culture offers extensive, up-to-date resources for finding the best online freebies, from MOOCs to textbooks to educational tools for kids.
