marshallsarah

Infographics: The Best & Worst of the United States

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 23:37:07 -0400

Mother Nature Networks recently released the following infographics, illustrating superlatives of each of the states. The titles are based on the way in which each state excels and falls flat in the areas of science, nature, public health, or social justice. The state of New York excels in possessing the lowest per capita energy use, while it also has the top health risk from air pollution. Pennsylvania (where I am originally from) boasts having the most organic mushrooms. Similar interesting infographics entitled ‘The United States of Awesome’ and ‘The United States of Shame’ should be viewed as well.

Sarah Marshall Analysis of “Friday” by Rebecca Black Critical Reading & Writing II April 11,...

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:39:00 -0400

Sarah Marshall

Analysis of “Friday” by Rebecca Black

Critical Reading & Writing II

April 11, 2011

In recent years, the bar for fame is being set lower and lower. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why many names in popular music and entertainment have risen to fame at all. Many of today’s stars possess little or no true talent. Take, for example, recent Internet sensation Rebecca Black. Her new song “Friday” and accompanying music video have become viral within the last few weeks. This popularity, however, is not the result of a quality song from a genuine, talented musician. The song has garnered much attention largely due to audiences’ dislike of it. Although many acknowledge that the music is not good, it has nonetheless become extremely popular. This begs the question: how could such a terrible song become so popular? Has the quality of popular music diminished so intensely that this music is deemed acceptable? Perhaps it has.

The creation of “Friday” occurred as a gift to Black. Her mother, Georgina Marquez Kelly, contracted Ark Music Factory to produce the song and video. This was done at a cost of two thousand dollars, which was doubled by purchasing the rights to the song and video. Black’s mother has said that she decided to do this for her daughter because she wanted to reinforce the fact that things are not always easy and glamorous in the music industry. She intended to illustrate this to Black through the creation of the video. “I wanted her to see that the only glamour that comes with this career is when you go to a function and they roll out a red carpet. In a way I was hoping to discourage her, and to send the message that maybe she should have a backup plan. I thought it would be a good experience and would give her a glimpse of what it takes,” Ms. Kelly says.

Quite the opposite of giving Black a glimpse of what it takes occurred as a result of the video. Ark Music Factory posted the video to YouTube on February 10th, 2011. It did not immediately receive waves of attention. By March 11^th, 2011, a few people began to notice the video, and linked to it from Twitter, blogged about it through Tumblr, and shared it of Facebook. Social media soon took over and the video spread all over the web. The video went from about four thousand views on March 11^th to 96,316,217 at the moment.

It is quite ironic that a video that was intended to show someone the hard work that is needed to become a singer has prematurely propelled this young woman into fame. In fact, it is not apparent that any hard work on Black’s part went into the video at all. She did even not write the song herself; it was written for her by Patrice Wilson, founder of Ark Music Factory. Rather than truly working hard to draw forth her talent, Black simply performed a song that was written for her and stood in front of a green screen. This “performance” has garnered Black so much attention and ultimately fame that the purpose of “giving her a glimpse of what it takes” has been quickly been overshadowed.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this video as a cultural phenomenon is that it is extremely popular primarily because it is very much disliked. This is evidenced by the 1,929,075 dislikes and 250,537 likes, which pales dramatically in comparison. The question is, if people dislike the song so much, why do they listen to it? Why is it so popular? Perhaps they cannot resist taking a look at the video and seeing for themselves if it is as terrible as they have heard. Or maybe a percentage of the viewers secretly enjoy the song. Perhaps they do not even realize that they enjoy the song.

A bit of logic does exist that explains in one sense why the song may have become so popular. This is due to its musical structure. Although the songwriter may not be praised for his lyrics, basing the song on this structure was a smart decision in getting it to stick in peoples’ heads. The song features a fundamental four-chord progression that has been the foundation of hundreds of hit pop songs over the years. Some of these songs include “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers (also the most-played pop radio hit of all time), “Earth Angel” by the Penguins, and “Octopus’s Garden” by the Beatles. More recently, the structure has been used in the popular song “No One” by Alicia Keys. Perhaps this is contributing reason that people cannot seem to stay away from the song. They may be slightly appalled by Black’s voice (or what is left of it after the auto-tune), but maybe they secretly enjoy the song despite the voice and elementary lyrics, due solely to the musical structure of the song, which we have come to love through other pop songs.

Another explanation as to why “Friday” has become so popular is because people have significantly lowered the standards regarding what is deemed good music. There was a time when popular music was real music, when the musicians were truly talented and deserved recognition. But today, anyone who has access to the Internet can become famous, regardless of his or her talent or skills. This phenomenon may be considered a result of technology, but it may also be a result of society’s diminishing respect for true talent. Today, if something is merely entertaining, it has the ability to become extremely popular despite its quality or integrity. This has shown to be the case with “Friday” by Rebecca Black. The song is not good in many peoples’ opinions, but it is still glorified. Maybe it is viewed less as music and more as entertainment.

Whether viewers enjoy the song or despise it, watching the video and commenting (even negatively) gives undeserved attention to Black and her song. The true problem with popular music of today may not lie in the song but rather in peoples’ reaction to the song. If the general public had disregarded the song, realizing that it was something of low, it never would have become so popular. The song’s detractors could have just as well ignored it rather than viewing it and relentlessly commenting about how terrible it was. If really wanted to combat the song, as well as similar music, he or she would ignore the song and allow their focus to rest on music that comes from someone with true talent with something to say. In doing so, the power that songs such as “Friday” possess will gradually diminish, allowing the focus to be placed on music that sets high standards.

Citations

Youtube. “Rebecca Black - Friday (Official Video).” Last modified February 10, 2011. Accessed April 10, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

Know Your Meme. “Rebecca Black – Friday.” Last modified, April 10, 2011. Accessed April 10, 2011. http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rebecca-black-friday

Lewis, Randy. “Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’: There are a million good reasons you can’t get it out of your head.” Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2011. Accessed April 10, 2011. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/03/rebecca-black-friday-youtube-patrice-wilson.html?cid=6a00d8341c630a53ef014e604b0a81970c

Belkin, Lisa. “An Internet Star’s Mom Responds.” New York Times, March 25, 2011. Accessed April 10, 2011. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/an-internet-stars-mom-responds/?scp=3&sq=rebecca%20black&st=cse

Larsen, Peter. “Rebecca Black Talks About ‘Friday.’” Kansas City Star, March 31, 2011. Accessed April 10, 2011. http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/31/2765265/rebecca-black-talks-about-friday.html

Final Essay Outline

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:45:11 -0400

1. Introduction / Thesis statement

2. Brief description of video and song

3. Examples of other similar instances of cultural phenomena

How this video relates in the larger picture

4. Effect that these types of videos and songs have on the quality of or standard for today’s music and entertainment…what is deemed acceptable as music or entertainment?

5. Conclusion

update on icosahedrons

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:18:00 -0400

This afternoon I returned to the locations where I left the sculptures yesterday morning. The sculpture that I left on the wall on Eleventh Street had been replaced with a text book. After I visited the other sites, I passed this location again and the book was gone. The sculptures at the arch in Washington Square Park, Minetta Lane, and Christopher Park are no longer there. Finally, the sculpture that I left under the fence of the Jefferson Market Garden had been moved across the sidewalk and was sitting next to a large orange construction barrel. It was scuffed and speckled with dirt, so I don’t know what happened to it.

Icosahedrons in Greenwich Village

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:13:00 -0400

For the experiment of placing something in a public space, I decided to focus on an art-based project. I created five small geometric sculptures using plaster and placed in them in different locations around Greenwich Village. The project is meant to support the notion of being observant and noticing one’s surroundings in everyday life.

Wall outside of Second Shearith Israel Cemetery (W. 11th St. near 6th Ave.)

Washington Square Arch

Minetta Lane

Christopher Park (Christopher St. near 7th Avenue South)

Jefferson Market Garden (W. 10th St. & Greenwich Ave.)

Midway by Chris Jordan

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:41:00 -0400

_____

Chris Jordan is an artist who works primarily in photography and digital imaging, illustrating social and environmental problems of today’s world. Jordan has recently embarked on creating a film based on the vast plastic pollution in the North Pacific Ocean. This pollution has led to an extremely high number of deaths in birds that inhabit the area. In 2009, the artist created a collection of photographs based on this tragedy. His statement regarding the work follows.

On Midway Atoll, a remote cluster of islands more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent, the detritus of our mass consumption surfaces in an astonishing place: inside the stomachs of thousands of dead baby albatrosses. The nesting chicks are fed lethal quantities of plastic by their parents, who mistake the floating trash for food as they forage over the vast polluted Pacific Ocean.

For me, kneeling over their carcasses is like looking into a macabre mirror. These birds reflect back an appallingly emblematic result of the collective trance of our consumerism and runaway industrial growth. Like the albatross, we first-world humans find ourselves lacking the ability to discern anymore what is nourishing from what is toxic to our lives and our spirits. Choked to death on our waste, the mythical albatross calls upon us to recognize that our greatest challenge lies not out there, but in here. -Chris Jordan

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photographs by Chris Jordan

Family Businesses

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:51:53 -0400

Brizzi’s Candy & Nut Shop on Market Street

The film Everyday People, which is centered around a family-owned Brooklyn restaurant that is facing economic pressures, highlights very prevalent problems that small independent businesses must combat on a regular basis. The restaurant depicted in the film was a central gathering space for many of the neighborhood’s residents. It had been in business for generations and impacted many lives. Economic problems arose, however, and the restaurant was swarmed by offers from developers. Situations such as this begin to arise more and more in recent years. In Blairsville, my hometown in Pennsylvania, a very significant business existed for many years which had an impact on numerous residents. The business was called Brizzi’s; it was a candy and nut shop, as well as a soda fountain. Originally opened by the Brizzi family in 1926 as a grocery store, the shop eventually developed into the candy store and became renowned in the area. Brizzi’s served as a main gathering place for much of Blairsville’s youth for decades. Eventually the store closed, but the owner continued to fill candy orders for holidays until her death. My family had wanted to purchase the building for many years, and it finally went up for sale a few years ago. My parents have purchased it and are currently renovating the building. This summer we will open a bakery, Market Street Pastries, in the former Brizzi building. Through restoring the building and opening a new business, we hope to bring back the memory of Brizzi’s as well as the importance that family-owned businesses once had in Blairsville.

Market Street present-day

The Brizzi building present-day

soon to be…

Himler, Jeff. ”Blairsville’s Brizzi building cited as preservation prospect”. Blairsville Dispatch 27 May 2010. 20 March 2011 <http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/blairsvilledispatch/s_683295.html>.

breakfast during break

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:29:45 -0400

One breakfast that I particularly enjoyed during spring break was on Saturday morning. My mom made miniature muffins called French breakfast puffs, which are very light and fluffy and have a cinnamon-sugar coating on top. It was nice to have freshly-baked pastries with coffee for breakfast at home with my family.

The Mutato-Archive

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:28:00 -0500

The Mutato-Archive is a project started by artist Uli Westphal in 2006. The artist chronicles uniquely-formed fruits and vegetables through photography. In his words it is: “a collection of non-standard fruits, roots, and vegetables found at Berlin’s Farmers’ Markets.” Westphal documents the produce’s resistance to “the suppression of mutation and polymorphism in our industrial food system.” With these photographs, the artist attempts to illustrate the beauty and variety of fruits and vegetables that is absent from most grocery stores today, which generally carry uniformly-shaped, standardized produce that consumers are accustomed to. This work is particularly interesting to me because I have a great interest in gardening. For the vegetable garden that I grow at home in the summer, I search for unique heirloom varieties to grow rather than sticking with traditional, sometimes genetically engineered seeds that produce predictable results.

Below are a few of the vegetables from my garden last summer.

A feature that I believe would be very useful to and appreciated by Parsons students would be...

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:54:52 -0500

A feature that I believe would be very useful to and appreciated by Parsons students would be the creation of art supply vending machines. Sometimes when working on a project in a studio-based class, a need arises for a fresh supply of materials. Generally there is not enough time to get to an art supply store during class time, so having the ability to pick up a few materials quickly and conveniently within any Parsons building would be very helpful to many students. Local art supply stores such as Blick or Utrecht could operate the vending machines, offering an array of materials to students. Perhaps the vending machines could be organized based on medium. Supplies for painting, drawing, and three-dimensional work could each be allocated to specific machines. A few general, all-purpose art supply vending machines could exist as well, offering basic essentials such as pencils, pens, erasers, sketchbooks, and x-acto and olfa blades. As a school where art materials are always in high demand, Parsons would certainly benefit from the addition of art supply vending machines.

_______________

An example of a similar idea, but more specifically a graffiti supply vending machine: the Graffomat, is featured here and in the images below.

Strandbeests by Theo Jansen

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:09:08 -0500

Ordis 2007 from Strandbeest on Vimeo.

Kinetic sculptor and former physicist Theo Jansen has kept himself busy in the Dutch dunes since 1990 “creating new forms of life that walk on the wind.” Jansen uses plastic tubing to build these moving sculptures and says that his creations are getting better at weathering the elements. “Eventually,” he says, “I want to put these animals out in herds on the beaches, so they will live their own lives.”

Umerus 2009 from Strandbeest on Vimeo.

GREENMARKET FOOD TRUCK DESIGN Greenmarkets have become very...

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 15:02:00 -0500

GREENMARKET FOOD TRUCK DESIGN

Greenmarkets have become very popular in New York City over the past thirty years, offering local independent farms the opportunity to sell their produce and other items directly to consumers in a vast number of locations throughout the city (fourteen year-round locations in Manhattan alone). These markets also ensure that New Yorkers have access to the healthy fresh food that the region has to offer. Another possibility that would allow for the promotion of local, sustainable consuming would be the addition of a food truck at greenmarket locations that would provide healthy meals created entirely from ingredients from local farms. The food truck would source its ingredients from produce available at the greenmarkets and offer examples of refined seasonal meals that could be made with local produce, thereby encouraging the consumer to support local agriculture and create meals using local ingredients. The menu would consist solely of ingredients available during the current season and would use non-local ingredients very minimally. The spring menu, for example, would offer items such as a rhubarb-fennel salad with goat cheese and potato-leek soup, utilizing spring produce as well as cheeses from local dairy farms. Although meat is sold at most greenmarkets, it would not be included in the menu of the food truck because even local animal products cause a greater negative impact on the environment than that of produce, thus an emphasis would be placed on vegetable-based items. The truck itself, as well as its appliances, would be electrically powered. The greenmarket food truck would recycle and compost, offering both services to its customers. Additionally, the utensils and paper products used would be biodegradable. Prices would be as affordable as possible at the food truck in order to make healthy local food available to many, and food stamps would be accepted as well. Overall, the objective of the greenmarket food truck would be similar to the objective of the greenmarket itself: to provide fresh, local food to New Yorkers, inspiring the promotion of local, sustainable agriculture, which benefits not only the consumer and the farmer, but the environment as well.

(View seasonal menus)

Greenmarket Food Truck Seasonal Menus

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:38:00 -0500

When thinking about problems that some often encounter with ATM...

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:21:16 -0500

When thinking about problems that some often encounter with ATM machines, I felt that security is most likely the greatest concern. Public on-street ATM machines can pose threats to their users, as they are prime targets for muggings, especially in dangerous, less populated areas. Privacy issues often arise as well when using such machines, because very little exists in the current design of most ATM machines that allows the user to feel comfortable and unexposed. In an attempt to aid the lack of privacy and security, I propose a design that incorporates a stainless steel retractable doors and a sleek, updated version of the classic ATM. The doors, when in use, would form a circular private booth-like structure in which the user would have total privacy to use the ATM. When not in use, the doors would retract into the wall in which the ATM was installed. Thus, the machine could be used with or without the doors, depending on the user’s preference. The area around the ATM would be very well lit and have a standard, clear sign that indicated the ATM, which would be noticeable from a distance. In regard to the ATM itself, the design would be very minimalistic and sleek, with a thin base that supports the screen, which would be a circular touch screen. The options on the touch screen would be very easy to read, and could be used in a vast number of languages. There would also be an amply sized shelf below the screen, on which the user could temporarily place items, as well as hooks for placing shopping bags and purses. The shelf would also serve as an electronics charger; any electronic item placed on the shelf would receive a quick burst of charging. The ATM would also offer MetroCards and gift cards. MetroCard balances could be checked and refilled and gift cards could be purchased from participating shops at any ATM. Finally, the machine would incorporate sanitation technology which would allow the machine to be cleaned after each use.

Eco-Friendly Produce Packaging

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:48:08 -0500

Ben Huttly, an art student from the United Kingdom, has developed an innovative, eco-friendly design solution to excessive produce packaging. Using entirely biodegradable and recyclable paper, he has created fruit and vegetable labels that are not only better for the environment, but they also promote gardening. Seeds are embedded into the paper, so rather than discarding the label, one can plant it in the ground and grow produce at home. In addition to reducing waste, the packaging promotes local gardening, which is another great way to positively impact the environment. Additionally, natural cotton twine is used to package produce in this design, as an alternative to the traditional plastic twine that is commonly used. Another very innovative feature of the packaging is that the text on the labels is laser-cut, requiring no ink, which can emit dangerous chemicals into the environment.

Phone Booth Redesign

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 20:29:20 -0500

Due to the influx of regular cell phone use, the necessity of public phone booths is steadily declining. Rather than eliminating these structures altogether, some could be reworked into useful directories. Having access to transportation information is essential in cities such as New York. Thus, phone booths could be redesigned to function as bus and subway information centers. Each information center would be equipped with an interactive touch screen that would provide bus and train schedules to travelers. Specific directions could also be obtained using these information centers. Additionally, MetroCards would be conveniently available for purchase. Other phone booths could be converted to specifically Google Map centers. Using Google Maps, specific locations could be searched and the address, phone number, website, and directions would be found. Other searches, perhaps for a type of restaurant in a specific neighborhood, could be searched as well. The search results will return all of the general information, as well as reviews and more detailed information such as the specialties, hours, and even the menu. Google Maps centers would also feature a taxi calling system, with which one’s ride could be summoned with the touch of a button, arriving directly at the location of the map center. This would make for very convenient planning for spur-of-the-moment events. Finally, all information centers would retractable doors and would be climate-controlled– heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer– in order to protect the customer from the elements.

Related Articles: Verizon Sets Up Phone Booths to Give Access to Internet (New York Times)
Gallery: The Last “Superman” Phone Booths in NYC (The Infrastructurist)

RSS Article Artist Alexander Chen has turned the New York City...

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:10:00 -0500

RSS Article

Artist Alexander Chen has turned the New York City subway system into an interactive audio-visual project. The project, known as Conductor, uses the actual subway schedule (based on the 1972 Subway Map by Massimo Vignelli), first depicting trains which have departed within the last minute, then accelerating the schedule on a 24-hour loop. As the subway lines intersect, they act as a stringed instrument and produce reverberations. The video above shows a sample of the project. View it live at mta.me.

RSS Article: MoMA Acquires 23 Digital Typefaces

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 23:05:27 -0500

RSS Article: MoMA Acquires 23 Digital Typefaces

Coffee Cup Redesign

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:50:00 -0500

Upon walking around the city, I promptly became aware of the number of paper coffee cups strewn about the streets. Many were crumpled and tossed upon the sidewalks while others were embedded into the mountainous piles of snow. This observation prompted me to begin to develop designs that would encourage consumers to dispose of their coffee cups properly, namely to recycle them. Upon further research on the subject of paper cup recycling, I was stunned to discover that such cups could not be recycled. The interior of most paper cups which are intended for hot beverages are coated with plastic or wax in order to prevent liquids from permeating through. While this is beneficial to the consumer, it is the downfall for the paper cup in terms of its environmental friendliness. This coating cannot be removed from the cup, and thus prevents the cup from being recycled with other paper products. With the growing number of paper cups being used on a daily basis, estimated at 40 million, having no method of recycling these cups has become an increasingly significant environmental problem. Used paper cups not only pollute the planet when they arrive in landfills; their production also requires a immense amount of resources. The simplest and most practical antidote to this dilemma is to encourage consumers to utilize a reusable container as an alternative to ordering their coffee in a paper cup. This message would be printed on one side of a paper cup, with a related statistic on the other side. The stark, serious nature of the black text on the white of the cup is intended to encourage the consumer to truly consider the message and rethink his or her use of the paper cup and the ways in which it negatively impacts the environment.

Video

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:24:44 -0500