David Lidsky's Blog, page 4737

Dennis Hopper's Art Will Be Jeffrey Deitch's First Show at MOCA

Well, newly appointed MOCA curator Jeffrey Deitch didn't take all of our advice for reinvigorating Los Angeles' museum scene, but he did pick a feel-good blockbuster for his first show. Deitch's curatorial debut will feature the work of painter, photographer, and filmmaker Dennis Hopper, as curated by painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel. Hopper's photographs of his Hollywood cronies and a rapidly transforming Los Angeles--like this one shot through the windshield of his car in 1961--were...

AT&T Joins Crowded Local Reviews Game With a Familiar App Name: Buzz

Another day, another local business finder/recommendation service, though this one's coming from a source you might not have imagined: AT&T. It's launching AT&T Buzz, which has been in private beta for a while to the public. And, yes, it's another service named "Buzz."

That's not quite so smart, perhaps: AT&T's is likely to be dwarfed by the other two big companies busy with Buzz-named products--Yahoo's Web content finder system Buzz and Google's social network Buzz, which doesn't seem to be...

Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Patagonia, and Otis Fashion Students Dress Us for 2030

Cargo pants? So 2010! How about a cargo evening gown? A group of students from Otis College of Art and Design believe that kind of utilitarian, multi-functional fashion is what we'll all be draping around our shoulders 20 years from now. Under the mentorship of Isabel and Ruben Toledo (local designers best known for designing Michelle Obama's inaugural attire) the students worked in partnership with outdoor clothing company Patagonia to imagine clothing made for our near future, with...

What's Your Government Hiding? Google Knows

Perhaps stung by yesterday's open letter from 10 countries criticizing its privacy policy, Google has announced it is to release information on government requests to hand over data and censor information. David Drummond, the firm's chief legal officer, believes that that "greater transparency will lead to less censorship." At the same time, Google's VP for Global Communication and Public Affairs, Rachel Whetstone, reiterated company policy for its sites across the world.

According to the...

SixthSense's Pranav Mistry Uses Cameras to Read Gestures

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BODY LANGUAGE: Say good-bye to your remote, your joystick, your mouse. Soon you'll be waving your fingers to control everything from TVs to thermostats. Gesture technology may be a multibillion-dollar market by 2015. | Photograph by Bob O'Connor

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Pranav MistryResearch Assistant, MIT Media LabCambridge, Massachusetts

Mistry, 29, invented SixthSense, a platform that uses a small camera to read and follow users' gestures.

"In computing, everything happens inside this rectangular screen. I want...

Plagued by Lawsuits, McAfee Founder Hunts for Cures in Belize

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SWAMP KING: McAfee (and his airboat pilot Ruben) near Lamanai, in the Belizean interior | Photograph by Rob Howard

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DR. FEELGOOD: McAfee and Allison Adonizio (at their lab in Belize) have moved from developing natural antibiotics to searching for a female Viagra. | Photograph by Rob Howard

John McAfee, the antivirus-software pioneer, says he's lost most of his fortune -- but doesn't care. To the contrary, he now hopes to give something back by deriving antibiotics from jungle plants in Belize...

Following John McAfee Into the Heart of Darkness

As I stepped from the rickety wooden dock onto John McAfee's motorboat, I felt like I was in a scene straight out of Heart of Darkness. Here I was, a visitor in a strange land, embarking on a journey up a tropical river in search of the truth about a larger-than-life figure living in self-imposed exile.

"Are we going to find Kurtz?" I joked.

[twistage 3f29459e47c74:]

McAfee laughed and gunned the engine. The mood turned more Apocalypse Now, as he cranked the boat up Belize's twisting...

Say Hello to BlackBerry 6.0: Overhauled Browser and System-Wide Multitouch

With a 43% market share, RIM's BlackBerry OS is the most popular smartphone OS in America. They don't get as much attention as Apple or Google, largely because the OS has been a bit stagnant in recent years, but its popularity is not waning. Boy Genius Report got their hands on a preview of the next version of the OS, 6.0, and some of the changes are important and welcome--but don't expect BlackBerry to change its focus from enterprise.

The aesthetics of the BlackBerry OS aren't too different...

Coca-Cola Faces Anger From Shareholders About Use of BPA in Cans

[image error]Bisphenol-A, commonly called BPA, is a chemical used in many plastics that in recent years has been found capable of leaching into liquids when used in liquid containers like plastic bottles. It has also been the subject of large-scale recalls, since the FDA discovered it causes all sorts of medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and diabetes. Many organizations have recalled products using BPA, including Nalgene, Whole Foods, and Eden Organics, but one in...

The Hip 3-D Shades of the Future

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Photograph by Jeff Harris

Moviegoing is adding a dimension, and so are 3-D glasses: style.

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In 1952, Bwana Devil, a film about two man-eating lions, became the first 3-D feature film to hit theaters. How far we've come: Improved technology, wider availability, and Avatar have ignited a 3-D revolution. How far we've not come: Those glasses are still mostly hideous and uncomfortable.

Paper frames aren't extinct -- Tennessee-based American Paper Optics still stamps out 150 million a year, for...