Alright, so we know what you’re thinking: Another cookie-cutter Iraq war movie. Explosions, guns, tension, half-baked and loosely interwoven love story, helicopters crashing, Matt Damon. But, hold the phone! We are quite happy (and pleasantly surprised!) to report that director Paul Greengrass’ latest offering, Green Zone, (inspired by Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s novel Imperial Life in the Emerald City) only has but half of these thriller-action clichés. And, much more substance beneath its Hollywood veneer. continue…

In a world where Michael Bay has an unlimited budget and a reality-TV show of his own, he might come up with something like Split/Second from Disney Interactive Studios, developed by Black Rock Studio. Indeed that’s loosely the premise of the game.  You are a contestant on a television show in which you race against other drivers on a sacrificial race track which is one part urban recreation and two parts obstacle course and all demolition zone. The result is a classic arcade racer feel set in the middle of what can often feel like a war-zone. continue…

This Columbian white gold, silver or platinum  ring encrusted with Andean Emeralds is the official ring of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It’s a bargain, costing between $2500 and $250 000 a piecem featuring miniature bejeweled stadiums and soccer balls.  The platinum rings are selling for a quarter million, featuring 220 emeralds. Theres only seven of these being made. Theres thirty three white gold versions for $70 000 having only thirty six emeralds and a few South African Diamonds tossed in for good measure. The World Cup MVP gets a ring for free but only one of the mid-ranged white gold ones.  Sucks to be him.

[Reuters]

This is the most x-treme confection conflation in the illustrious history of food and food-like products. Its organic sustainably farmed bacon and I know you’re already on board but wait, theres more. Its got a touch of Vermont maple syrup flavouring. But wait.  Theres more. It’s in convenient on-a-stick lollipop form. But wait! THERES MORE! It’s also double Caffeinated for that extra punch to the brain you’ve been looking for. Ambrosia is for peasants. This is truly the food of the gods.

[Lollyphile]

Check out Caleb Larsen’s work. He’s got this one project; an unassuming black acrylic cube (I love it already) which perpetually attempts to auction itself off on ebay. As Caleb writes:

Combining Robert Morris’ Box With the Sound of Its Own Making with Baudrillard’s writing on the art auction this sculpture exists in eternal transactional flux. It is a physical sculpture that is perptually attempting to auction itself on eBay.

Every ten minutes the black box pings a server on the internet via the ethernet connection to check if it is for sale on the eBay. If its auction has ended or it has sold, it automatically creates a new auction of itself.

If a person buys it on eBay, the current owner is required to send it to the new owner. The new owner must then plug it into ethernet, and the cycle repeats itself.

It’s an interesting piece. One wonders if any robots are bidding on it.

[Caleb Larsen]
[A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter]