One of the rare non-Apple laptops seen in an otherwise cool park full of cool people
Image by Ed Yourdon
This woman was typing away on a laptop computer ... alas, it was not an Apple Powerbook. But maybe she doesn't know any better. Just think: if she had been typing on a Mac, her photo probably would have been published a thousand times by now!
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Late in the afternoon on the last day in March 2009, I walked into Bryant Park, which is located behind the New York Public Library, between 41st and 42nd Street, facing Avenue of the Americas. There were several people reading and basking in the sun, a couple people typing on their laptop computers, and one chess game underway. I spent about half an hour wandering around to see what looked photo-worthy, and then wandered off to get some dinner...
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Note: even though this photo was taken in March 2009, Karen Bryan claims to have published it in a Nov 13, 2008 blog titled “'The Future of the Travel Blog' Presentation, Travel Blog Camp, London 11 November 2008." Back in the "real world," the photo was also published in an Apr 22, 2009 blog entitled "Greenify Your PC!." And it was published in a May 1, 2009 blog titled "Our New Toolbar Helps You Go Green." Then it was published in a Jul 8, 2009 blog titled "Five ways to maximize freelance writing income." And it was published in a Jul 16, 2009 blog titled "Facebook Your Way to Universal Healthcare in The Atlantic. More recently, it was published in an Aug 6, 2009 blog titled "Loudoun County Puts Development Applications Online, Earns National Accolades." And it was published in an Aug 17, 2009 Lifehacker blog titled "What Email Service Do You Use?" It was also published in a Sep 4, 2009 blog titled "http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/want_to_blog_for_changeorg"
More recently, it was published in an undated (Oct 2009) blog titled "How to Fix Common Laptop Problems." And it was published in an Oct 21, 2009 Brazilian blog title " Custo é o diferencial na hora de escolher uma plataforma de blog." It was also published in a Nov 3, 2009 blog titled "What Do You Want Students To Do?" And it was published in an undated (Nov 2009) blog titled "Sedentary Runners." It was also published in a Nov 9, 2009 blog titled "Keep Your Health Club Members Coming Back By Allowing Them to Book Appointments Online." And it was published in a Nov 27, 2009 blog titled "Degrees of Presence IV: My experience." It was also published in a Dec 2, 2009 blog titled "Internet Linked to Intellect."
Continuing on, it was published again in a Dec 13, 2009 blog titled "Las ciudades del mundo más conectadas con Internet." It was also published in a Dec 14, 2009 German blog titled "Modisch immer Online auf MySpace Fashion." And it was published in a Dec 18, 2009 blog titled La primera red 4G del mundo se estrena en Suecia, whose URL Flickr is not allowing me to embed -- but it's www dot tuexperto dot com slash 2009/12/18/la-primera-red-4g-del-mundo-se-estrena-en-suecia/
Moving into 2010, the photo has been published in a Jan 5, 2010 Fast Company blog titled "What Women Want: Facebook Ads!", www-dot-fastcompany-dot-com/blog/maccabee-montandon/upswing/rise-fan-girls. And it was published in a Jan 11, 2010 blog titled "Caen las disqueras, sube la música." It was also published in a Jan 15, 2010 blog titled "School Lunches and 'Home' Work: Friday Finds." And it was published in a Jan 20, 2010 blog titled "Welcome to Mobility Hacks." It was also published in a Feb 2, 2010 blog titled "Thanks for Visiting." A week later, it was published in a Feb 9, 2010 blog titled "Większość polskich internautów korzysta z internetowych multimediów."
And the beat goes on: the photo was published in a Feb 17, 2010 blog titled "What does Matador mean to you?," as well as a Feb 17, 2010 Polish blog titled "Informacja stanie się walutą." On Feb 18, 2010 it was published in a blog titled "School uses laptop webcams to spy on students." And I discovered that it was published in an undated (Mar 2010) German blog titled "Einführung," which seems to provide an online service for Germans who want to learn to speak Italian. It was also published in a Mar 24, 2010 Mexican blog titled "Uso de software ilegal en el mundo." And it was published in an Apr 14, 2010 Italian blog titled "Le donne sfruttano il lato oscuro di Facebook," as well as an Apr 14, 2010 blog titled "10 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Laptop." About a week later, I found it on an undated (Apr 22, 2010?) blog titled "Ask the Readers: Your Favorite Online Resources." It was also published in an Apr 22, 2010 blog titled "The Evolution of a Blog." And it was published in an undated (Apr 2010) Mahalo-dot-com blog titled "Ask any question, any time." It was also published as an illustration in a May 12, 2010 Romanian(?) Gadgets blog, with the same title as the caption that I put on this Flickr page; and it was also published on May 12, 2010 in a blog titled "Definition of a Truly Mobile Job."
On May 17, 2010 the photo was published without any title or description on a Technologeek site. And on May 26, 2010, the photo was published in a Spanish blog titled "Buscar Pareja," and also a Norwegian blog titled "Her handler du best på nett." On May 30, 2010, it was published in a blog titled "What is the best laptop?." And on Jun 2, 2010 it was published in what appears to be a Polish blog, titled "Yahoo! grozi lokalnym mediom. Będzie walka o reklamodawców." It was also published in a Jun 10, 2010 Rent Laptop Computer blog, with a title that was a slightly bizarre variation on the caption that I used for this Flickr page: "ONE OF A SINGULAR NON-APPLE LAPTOPS SEEN IN AN DIFFERENTLY COLD PLAY GROUND FULL OF COLD PEOPLE."
On Jun 12, 2010, the photo was published in an Italian blog titled "Libri di donne: scarichiamoli gratis dalla rete." And on Jun 16, 2010 a cropped version of the photo was published in a Spanish blog titled "Encuentros en Sevilla: los mejores sitios para ligar." It was also published in a Jun 21,2010 FixALaptop blog titled "Where can I download a new free camera software for toshiba vista laptop?" And it was published in a Jun 23, 2010 blog titled " per unit community college fee gets some support." It was also published in two Jun 28, 2010 blogs" "Where to Write Out of the House," and "Why It’s So Easy to Spend Too Much Online." And it was published in a Jun 29, 2010 blog titled "What Women Want ... Online."
Moving into the second half of 2010, the photo was published in an undated (Jul 2010) blog titled "Study: Pro-Eating Disorder Sites Use Graphic Material to Encourage Anorexia, Bulimia." And it was published in a Jul 2, 2010 blog titled, "Do We Even Need Proper Food Critics?" It was also published in a Jul 7, 2010 Laptop PC Computers blog, with the same title as the caption that I used for this Flickr page. And it was published in a Jul 11, 2010 blog titled "Mute Teenager with Autism Finds Voice." It was also published in a Jul 15, 2010 blog titled "Facebook: A haven for cheaters?" And it was published in a Jul 22, 2010 blog titled " 7 Key Steps to Starting a Small Business Online TODAY!", as well as a Jul 23, 2010 blog titled "freelancer. ser ou não ser?" It was also published in a Jul 27, 2010 blog titled "Best Business Ideas for College Students." And it was published in an Aug 3, 2010 Computers & Electronics blog, with the same title as the caption that I used on this Flickr page, as well as an Aug 3, 2010 blog titled "No Link Between Social Media Use, Students’ Grades; Plus: Can Twitter Get You into College?" It was also published in an Aug 11, 2010 Buy Laptop Guide blog titled "apple laptop???????????????" as well as an Aug 11, 2010 blog titled "Why Aren't You Earning Your Online Psychology Degree?" It was also published in an Aug 12, 2010 blog titled "Sleep is for the Weak." And it was published in an Aug 16, 2010 blog titled "It's Time Once Again for Back to School Week." It was also published in an Aug 30, 2010 "Money Saving Mom" blog titled "10 Ways to Protect Your Identity Online," and an Aug 31, 2010 blog titled "Great Advice on Protecting Your Identity Online!!." And it was published in a Sep 7, 2010 blog titled "Strategies for Curating Online Reading Sources."
Okay, so now Labor Day has come and gone, and the publications continue on into the fall. On Sep 13, 2010 the photo was published in a blog titled "Continuing the Blogging for Money Conversation," as well as a Sep 13, 2010 blog titled "best five laptops with high configurations?" It was also published in a Sep 15, 2010 blog titled "Concurso de ensayo: España después de la crisis." And it was published in a Sep 18, 2010 blog titled "10 Must-Haves to Travel Nomadic." It was also published in a Sep 21, 2010 blog titled "AVODAH Introduces a New National Blog." And it was published in a Sep 24, 2010 blog titled "Five Helpful Travel Blogging Tips," as well as a Sep 24, 2010 blog titled "Laptop Reviews:How about getting free laptop with mobile phones?" and a Sep 24, 2010 blog titled "Laptop Reviews:Apple Macbook: Just Like We Wanted." It was also published in a Sep 30, 2010 blog titled "Prima di Comprare Ci Informiamo Su Internet, Sempre di Più," and a Sep 30, 2010 blog titled "SEO Copywriting Basics You Need to Know." It was also published in an Oct 8, 2010 blog titled "Online Masters’ Degree – What are the Subjects to opt for?"
Moving into the final two months of the year, the photo was published in a Nov 8, 2010 blog titled "Freelance Your Writing? Try Plr." And it was published in a Nov 10, 2010 Best Laptop for the Money blog, with the same title and detailed notes as what I had written here on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Nov 11, 2010 blog titled "Las relaciones de pareja y el trabajo," as well as a Nov 11, 2010 blog titled "Why You Should Start a Blog: Three Important Reasons to Consider." And it was published in a Nov 12,2010 blog with the curious title of "Overhating [sic] problem in laptops." It was also published in a Nov 17, 2010 blog titled "It's National Unfriend Day: Who Goes First?" And it was published in a Nov 18, 2010 Polish blog titled "100 Mb/s bez kabla od Polsatu. Będziemy mieli najlepszy Internet na świecie?," and another Nov 18, 2010 blog titled "La netiqueta." It was also published in a Nov 21, 2010 blog titled "Virtuelle Adventskalender." And i was published in an undated (late Nov 2010) blog titled "Different Methods to Work From Home and Make Money Online." It was also published in a Nov 26, 2010 Lifehacker blog titled "Planhacker: Best Occasional Use Prepaid 3G Broadband Deals," as well as a Nov 26, 2010 blog titled "Going Internet-Lite." And it was also published in a Nov 26, 2010 blog titled アメリカ旅行でも仕事環境を準備するお話。at linker.in/journal/2010/11/mobile-trip.php. It was also published as an illustration in an undated (late Nov 2010) Writer's World blog.
In the final month of 2010, the photo was published in a Dec 8, 2010 blog titled "The Brief History of Apple Laptops." It was also published in a Dec 9, 2010 blog titled "A Guide To Online Dating In New York City." And it was published in a Dec 10, 2010 Smookey blog with the same title and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Dec 15, 2010 Dutch "Joop" blog titled "EU-surfer beter beschermd tegen ongewenste reclame." And it was published in a Dec 16, 2010 blog titled "mi date un sito per comprare online?" It was also published in a Dec 17, 2010 blog titled "Ma con POSTEPAY posso comprare nei negozi? o posso solo comprare su internet?" as well as another Dec 17, 2010 blog titled "What are tips on how to avoid players with online dating? What should I look for in the profile?" and yet another Dec 17, 2010 blog titled "Pranzare di fronte al computer fa mangiare di più." It was also published in an undated (late Dec 2010) blog titled "Q&A: mi potete cosigliare un sito per comprare trucchi, pennelli ecc online?" It was also published in a Dec 26, 2010 New Home Businesses blog, with the same title as the caption that I put on this Flickr page. And it was published in a Dec 29, 2010 blog titled "How An Entrepreneur Create New Products At Lightning Speed."
Moving into 2011, the photo was published in a Jan 2, 2011 blog titled "Q&A: how could i make money online free?", as well as a Jan 2, 2011 blog titled "How to know which SEO software suits your search engine optimization needs?" It was also published in a Jan 4, 2011 blog titled "Online Degrees: A More Affordable And Flexible Higher." And it was published in a Jan 5, 2011 blog titled "Legitimate Paid Surveys – How to Earn Money Online from Home Starting Today ." It was also published in a Jan 9, 2011 blog titled "ciao raga ho un amica che vorrebbe comprare un cell su e bay, sevondo voi e sicuro?" And it was published in an undated (Jan 2011) "Forward SIngles" blog, titled "Медиите за Forward Singles (3)." It was also published in a Jan 19, 2011 blog titled "Getting A Degree In Sports Marketing." And it was published in a Jan 21, 2011 blog titled " Evoquer publiquement sa réussite, ses revenus internet, ou pas…" It was also published in a Jan 27, 2011 blog titled "http://interaktywnie.com/biznes/newsy/domeny/home-pl-tworzy-gielde-domen-18993." And it was published in a Jan 30, 2011 blog titled "Q&A: do I have an eating disorder?"
The photo was also published in a Feb 3, 2011 blog titled "AWP 2011 Panel Post: How To Get Beyond “Using Social Media” & Become A Social Artist Instead." And it was published in a Feb 4, 2011 blog titled "Thanks for Visiting." It was also published in a Feb 7, 2011 blog titled "Consommation et Affirmation de soi : quand le numérique détrône l’automobile." And it was published in a Feb 8, 2011 blog titled "Zoosk To Lead Online Dating Space." It was also published in a Feb 15,2011 blog titled "Unable to meet enrollment goals, CSU may have to return state funds." And it was published in a Feb 18, 2011 blog titled "Google’s travel deal faces regulatory turbulence." It was also published in a Feb 19, 2011 blog titled "MIT Entrepreneurship Review: Designing Customer Surveys That Work: Focus On Value," with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. It was also published in a Feb 23, 2011 blog titled "Digitale bouwstenen." And it was published in a Feb 27, 2011 Eliminate Debt Working from Home blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. And it was published in an Apr 23, 2011 blog titled Laptop Reviews – Best Mini Laptop 2011
The photo was also published in a Mar 4, 2011 Chilean blog titled "10 formas de organizar mejor tu tiempo." And it was published in a Mar 5, 2011 blog titled "Local High School Uses Digital Textbooks." It was also published in a Mar 7, 2011 blog titled "La crisis dispara la tasa de ocupación de la mujer mayor de 45 años." And it was published in a Mar 11, 2011 blog titled "Une table ronde autour des tendances du eCommerce." It was also published in a Mar 14, 2011 PC Gadgiator blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. And it was published in a Mar 15, 2011 blog titled "New Cyberbullying Study Reveals that Students Bullying Are More Likely Insecure, Negative Towards Teachers." It was also published in a Mar 22, 2011 blog titled "How to Speak in German: 3 Unusual Facts for Beginners." And it was published in a Mar 24, 2011 blog titled "Cum abordezi o tipa pe Facebook."
Moving into the month of April, the photo was published in an Apr 7, 2011 blog titled "Download Sucker Punch Movie-The Story of A Young Courageous Girl." It was also published in an Apr 17, 2011 blog titled "Keeping JSP Development Alive." It was also published in an Apr 19, 2011 "Moscow News" article titled "Попались в женские сети." And it was published in an Apr 23, 2011 blog titled "Laptop Reviews – Best Mini Laptop 2011." It was also published in an Apr 27, 2011 blog titled "Planning For Content Delivery, Consumption and Context." And it was published in an Apr 28, 2011 blog titled "¿Eres una mujer PANK?" It was also published in a Jun 6, 2011 blog titled "This question is for bloggers who make money blogging?" And it was published in a Jun 9, 2011 blog titled "New York City Adds Free AT&T Wi-Fi to Public Parks."
It was also published in an undated (early Jul 2011) blog titled "Advantages of Online Degree Programs." And it was published in an undated (mid-Jul 2011) MagForWomen blog titled "Read This Before Getting Into An Online Relationship." It was also published in a Jul 18, 2011 blog titled "Is technology making us stupid?" And it was published in a Jul 28, 2011 blog titled "Back-To-School Laptops that Don't Sacrifice Quality for Cost." It was also published in a Jul 29, 2011 blog titled "Travel Blogger, una nuova professione?" And it was published in an Aug 10, 2011 blog titled "Russian Storybooks Good for Beginners Learning the Language?" It was also published in an Aug 11, 2011 blog titled "Study Reports More Girls than Boys Cyberbullied." And it was published in an Aug 26, 2011 blog titled "Social networking helps students perform better, professor says," as well as an Aug 26, 2011 blog titled "Los amores en tiempos de internet." And it was published in a Sep 17, 2011 blog titled "La etopeya personal." It was also published in an Oct 3, 2011 Cool Best New Technology Gadgets images blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page. And it was published in an Oct 15, 2011 "Surviving College" blog titled "PROPERLY COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR PROFESSOR." It was also published in an Oct 21, 2011 blog titled "Disruptive News 21 Oktober 2011," and an Oct 21, 2011 blog titled "UC online instruction pilot sparks excitement, controversy." And it was published in a Nov 2, 2011 blog titled "Going Pro, at BlogWorld Expo 2011." It was also published in a Nov 22, 2011 blog titled "Virtuelle Adventskalender." And it was published in a Dec 9, 2011 blog titled "Es viernes ¿cuánto tiempo pasas conectado?
Moving into 2012, the photo was published in a Jan 2, 2012 blog titled "What would be the job title or the industry for these computer skills? , as well as a Jan 3, 2012 blog titled "looking for a part time job in west philadelphia pa?" It was also published in a Jan 9, 2012 blog titled "Personality Types and Blogging: How Personality May Affect Your Writing, as well as a Jan 12, 2012 blog titled "single mens in chicago, il? gonna moves there to start dating?" And it was published in a Feb 10, 2012 blog titled "Sleep Disorders News : 1800 – 2000 words regarding sleep disorders on insomnia. HUGE TASK ASSIGNMENT. HELP HELP!?
It was also published in a Feb 21, 2012 blog titled "If You Give a Gen-Y a Computer…" And it was published in a Mar 12, 2012 Fast Company blog titled "5 Tips To Retaining Star Gen Y Talent," at www-dot-fastcompany-dot-com/1823890/5-tips-to-retaining-star-gen-y-talent, as well as a Mar 20, 2012 blog titled "Le recrutement via les réseaux sociaux sera la tendance 2012 (étude Viadeo)." It was also published in an Apr 10, 2012 blog titled "The One Where I Turn Writer." And it was published in an Apr 14, 2012 blog titled "Are You Old Enough for Facebook?" It was also published in an Apr 27, 2012 blog titled "Nude Photo of Female Agoura High School Staffer Ends Up On Facebook." And it was published in a May 10, 2012 blog titled "Quiero ser Freelance ¿cómo empiezo?" It was also published in a May 17, 2012 blog titled "What Facebook Teaches Us About Time," as well as a May 30, 2012 blog titled "9 Studies That Show Women Rule Social Media." And it was published in a Jun 10, 2012 blog titled "Women's Studies Should Include High-Tech Mastery," as well as an undated (late Jun 2012) blog titled "La netiqueta."
In the final month of 2012, the photo was published in a blog titled "Does Twitter Improve Education?" And it was published in a Dec 6, 2012 blog titled "Single To SoulMate." It was also published in a Dec 7, 2012 blog titled "Do You Belong to an Online Community?" And it was published in a Dec 11, 2012 blog titled "漂流する彼女。 ," as well as a Dec 11, 2012 blog titled "Calling all Delaney cousins! It was also published in a Dec 12, 2012 blog titled "Status Changing Strain," as well as a Dec 12, 2012 blog titled "Sabies que… pots estudiar de franc a la Universitat de Harvard?", and also a Dec 12, 2012 blog titled "Buscar trabajo fuera de España como alternativa."
Technicolor TMBG
Image by Chris Devers
It might be cool if the iPhone camera were doing these false color "broken Nintendo game" effects intentionally, rather than at random, by surprise, when you least want it to do so. Oh well.
Posted via email to ☛ HoloChromaCinePhotoRamaScope‽: Technicolor TMBG.
• • • • •
Via the Regent Theatre's web site:
A Special Family Show with . . .
They Might Be Giants
Benefit Concerts for Boston By Foot
Sunday, May 23 at 12pm and 3pm
Both shows sold out - thank you!
They Might Be Giants will be performing two special shows especially for families. These are full band, full length performances. Both shows are to benefit Boston By Foot, the non-profit group giving guided walking tours of Boston for over 33 years. All concert goers can also use their ticket stub to get a free tour from Boston by Foot, including Boston by Little Feet tours for kids, during the upcoming season. All profits will go to BBF. http://www.bostonbyfoot.org/
They Might Be Giants Biography
HERE COMES SCIENCE!
For alternative rock legends They Might Be Giants, rave reviews from the likes of Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Pitchfork, NPR and beyond might not be that unexpected, but we're not talking about their regular gig here. Sure, TMBG have sold millions of records, are multi-Grammy winners and have even composed a musical accompaniment for an entire issue of McSweeney's, but these most recent accolades are for the work TMBG has created for children and--as the reviews attest--no other band swings as effortlessly from adult music to children’s fare and back again with the artistic and commercial success of They Might Be Giants.
John Flansburgh and John Linnell's latest CD/DVD is Here Comes Science (Idlewild/Disney Sound). It's an ultra-vivid crash course through topics that in lesser hands could easily put kids to sleep. With rock anthems and electronic goodies crafted to amuse, intrigue and deliver the 4-1-1 on evolution, solar system, photosynthesis, the scientific method and more. Following Here Comes the ABCs and Here Come the 123s, Science is geared for older kids and it introduces ideas in a way that not only inform but will stay in your head forever.
While it may seem like an odd move for a duo recognized as the progenitors of the American alternative rock movement, it really all makes perfect sense. From their earliest days with Dial-A-Song through their online music distribution, TMBG have always challenged rock's status quo and gone out of their way to take their music to brand new audiences, and by the looks of things, they’re having a lot of fun doing it their way. The Giants use every bit of fan interactive technology by connecting with kids via regular podcasts and including a DVD of delightful animated interpretations of their songs with each Here Comes... album.
The band is constantly working on new music, new projects and touring--sometimes with 2 shows a day. Founders John Flansburgh and John Linnell, along with their long standing live combo of Dan Miller, Danny Weinkauf and Marty Beller, show no signs of swapping one successful gig (adult music) for another (children’s music). Rejoice people of Earth--there’s just that much more for us all to enjoy.
Question: You once said in an interview that TMBGs knew what you didn’t want to do with your music geared for kids: You didn’t want to tell them how to behave or write songs that are educational. But these songs are quite educational, and in fact, you have a science consultant on this record. Did you make a conscious decision to really teach something on Here Comes Science?
John Linnell: I think it’s still a record you can listen to for enjoyment, and that’s real important to us. I am perfectly comfortable with the idea of something that is pure entertainment, but I don’t think there is any need for something just purely educational from us. My sense of this record is that it is mostly fun, musical and interesting and it happens to have lyrics that talk about science.
Question: Did any Children’s books or albums make an impression on you when you were a child? Because now you’re making that impression on children.
John Flansburgh: We get that question a lot, and it’s a valid question, but speaking for myself, I feel like we have something to contribute to kid's music because what we're doing is actually lacking in the general culture. Generally, our stuff is not really coming out of any amazing experience with the kid's stuff from the past. Our childhood was during the really golden era of classic pop and singles. Those songs weren't really designed for kids, but the power of it spoke to us and a lot of other kids quite directly.
Curiously--although I see the obvious connections--we didn’t really grow up with all of the progressive kids stuff of the 70's. We were that micro generation of glitter-rock young teens listening to Alice Cooper and David Bowie and we totally missed the boat on Sesame Street and School House Rock and Free To Be You and Me. But even being a bit too old for it, you could tell there was something cool about that stuff. Basically the cartoons of our generation were either super-violent, like Spiderman, or the really simple-minded Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
Question: Which one of you was the science student? Either or you? Neither of you?
J. Linnell: Specifically into science? I would say we were both middling students in school, but philosophically we are both, as adults, very pro-science. We like living in the post-enlightenment era in history. Are we still living in the enlightenment or is it over now, I can’t tell? Are we in the “en-darkenment” now?
J. Flansburgh: I think we’re actually in to the “gee whiz” part of science--all the scientific phenomenon that sparks your imagination. We certainly aren't academics, but there is something remarkable about the world of science and there are ideas in science that just send your mind reeling.
J. Linnell: One the things that is exciting about it is that it makes you realize that things that are true, that can be proven, aren’t always intuitive. There is a difference between what seems to be the case and what turns out to be proven to be the case, and that’s really exciting. The world isn’t always what it seems to be and it makes everything more wonderful in a way. You have an experience of the world, walking around, and then science provides knowledge about the world that is not always anything like the experience.
The history of scientific discovery is partly revealing things that you don’t always experience directly, it’s bizarre in a way that so much of what we know is stuff we can’t always experience directly, like molecules and galaxies.
Question: Does that make it easier or harder to write about Science?
J. Linnell: Well, both. There is a point that you do reflect that you’re trying to explain something preposterous. And luckily, I think kids know the whole world is strange and preposterous, but as they get older, they get used to the idea that there are facts they just have to take someone’s word for.
Question: Considering you guys once used an answering machine to showcase your material, how amazed are you that you have all of this media at your disposal – podcasts, internet, video, etc…how has it changed the way you work?
J. Flansburgh: We enjoyed having an easy-breezy, loose reputation in terms of getting our music out to people. It was very great to be the one of the few acts in the United States who wasn’t preoccupied with getting on the radio or a cash return on our music. Of course now there is almost no end to the free stuff, and it is cool to see how much you can get in to the world, but with the most popular videos on YouTube being cats jumping into a box or people getting pushed down escalators, part of me worries that all this electronic media is just in the service of turning our culture into an endless episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos.
J. Linnell: A lot of what the technology suggests to people is the democratizing of culture and the notion of interactivity kind of caught fire online early on. What’s weird for John and I is that we were never interested in either one of those things. We actually like the idea of controlling what we are doing and we like the old fashioned idea of there being quality control on culture, that you would get the “good stuff” and there would be a way, through a critical apparatus or institutions, that would deliver the good stuff and filter out the bad stuff. It feels like the big problem nowadays is that everything should be available to everyone at all times and the result is a lot of garbage to wade through…not to sound like an 80 year old man! (laughs)
Question: With your accompanying DVD, how did the directors and animators come together? Are they the same people from Here Come the 123s? How much creative control do you give the animators with your songs?
J. Flansburgh: We are the producers on all the animated material and we select the artists we collaborate with pretty carefully. We've been involved in a lot of television and video projects over the years and that was very good training for these projects. There is an expression in rock video production: “Good. Fast. Cheap. Choose two” It’s a very unreasonable thing to expect everything to come together on a tight budget. Our strategy is to give the animators a relatively long lead time so they can do something that will be a good portfolio piece for them and something cool for us. And although we’re on a tight budget, we can offer a large amount of artistic freedom, and that gives us the opportunity to work with the most creative people out there.
Question: For this tour, you’re doing both “kid” and “adult” shows, sometimes 2 in one day. How is it different when you perform in front of kids versus when you perform in front of adults?
J. Flansburgh: Whatever pretensions you might have about your performance get totally re-calibrated when you’re playing for kids–playing a kid show is probably a bit closer to being a school teacher than being a rock star. There are also a lot of parents in the audience and we address them as well which kind of breaks forth the wall of "kiddie-ness."
Just to address the questions we always get: “how is it different writing a song for kids or writing for adults?” or “performing for kids and performing for adults?” Well, there is a real overlap, but there are meaningful differences too. A good song works in a way that is kind of irreducible whether or not it’s for kids or adults. If a song has a strong melody or an interesting concept, it will animate any audience, but in performance, kids have a really short attention span, so keeping things moving is important. Routinely the confetti machine gets the biggest response of the day. That will keep your ego in check.
Although in the past, “Clap your Hands” and "Alphabet of Nations" worked for adults, by and large the kid stuff stayed in the kid show just because it's, well, for kids! (laughs). But with "Here Comes Science" a lot of the songs work good in the adult show. and that’s unusual. “Meet the Elements,” “My Brother the Ape,” “A Shooting Star is not a Star,” and “Why Does the Sun Shine” slid into the adult show without any second thoughts, and “I Am a Paleontologist” is totally rocking live.
Question: What’s next for They Might Be Giants?
J. Flansburgh: We’re working on a rock album right now, but we have so much touring interrupting our effort it's hard to know when it will get done, so the real answer is we're going to be spending a lot of time on a tour bus trying to figure out how to get the WiFi working!
Our children’s book collaboration with Pascal Campion, Kids Go, just came out at the end of last year on Simon & Schuster. It's actually a very beautiful project and a fulfillment of a dream of mine. When we were approached, I wanted to do an actual picture book, which very few people get to do, and it was exciting to realize that dream. A good picture book is something that really stays with you.
Technicolor TMBG
Image by Chris Devers
It might be cool if the iPhone camera were doing these false color "broken Nintendo game" effects intentionally, rather than at random, by surprise, when you least want it to do so. Oh well.
Posted via email to ☛ HoloChromaCinePhotoRamaScope‽: Technicolor TMBG.
• • • • •
Via the Regent Theatre's web site:
A Special Family Show with . . .
They Might Be Giants
Benefit Concerts for Boston By Foot
Sunday, May 23 at 12pm and 3pm
Both shows sold out - thank you!
They Might Be Giants will be performing two special shows especially for families. These are full band, full length performances. Both shows are to benefit Boston By Foot, the non-profit group giving guided walking tours of Boston for over 33 years. All concert goers can also use their ticket stub to get a free tour from Boston by Foot, including Boston by Little Feet tours for kids, during the upcoming season. All profits will go to BBF. http://www.bostonbyfoot.org/
They Might Be Giants Biography
HERE COMES SCIENCE!
For alternative rock legends They Might Be Giants, rave reviews from the likes of Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Pitchfork, NPR and beyond might not be that unexpected, but we're not talking about their regular gig here. Sure, TMBG have sold millions of records, are multi-Grammy winners and have even composed a musical accompaniment for an entire issue of McSweeney's, but these most recent accolades are for the work TMBG has created for children and--as the reviews attest--no other band swings as effortlessly from adult music to children’s fare and back again with the artistic and commercial success of They Might Be Giants.
John Flansburgh and John Linnell's latest CD/DVD is Here Comes Science (Idlewild/Disney Sound). It's an ultra-vivid crash course through topics that in lesser hands could easily put kids to sleep. With rock anthems and electronic goodies crafted to amuse, intrigue and deliver the 4-1-1 on evolution, solar system, photosynthesis, the scientific method and more. Following Here Comes the ABCs and Here Come the 123s, Science is geared for older kids and it introduces ideas in a way that not only inform but will stay in your head forever.
While it may seem like an odd move for a duo recognized as the progenitors of the American alternative rock movement, it really all makes perfect sense. From their earliest days with Dial-A-Song through their online music distribution, TMBG have always challenged rock's status quo and gone out of their way to take their music to brand new audiences, and by the looks of things, they’re having a lot of fun doing it their way. The Giants use every bit of fan interactive technology by connecting with kids via regular podcasts and including a DVD of delightful animated interpretations of their songs with each Here Comes... album.
The band is constantly working on new music, new projects and touring--sometimes with 2 shows a day. Founders John Flansburgh and John Linnell, along with their long standing live combo of Dan Miller, Danny Weinkauf and Marty Beller, show no signs of swapping one successful gig (adult music) for another (children’s music). Rejoice people of Earth--there’s just that much more for us all to enjoy.
Question: You once said in an interview that TMBGs knew what you didn’t want to do with your music geared for kids: You didn’t want to tell them how to behave or write songs that are educational. But these songs are quite educational, and in fact, you have a science consultant on this record. Did you make a conscious decision to really teach something on Here Comes Science?
John Linnell: I think it’s still a record you can listen to for enjoyment, and that’s real important to us. I am perfectly comfortable with the idea of something that is pure entertainment, but I don’t think there is any need for something just purely educational from us. My sense of this record is that it is mostly fun, musical and interesting and it happens to have lyrics that talk about science.
Question: Did any Children’s books or albums make an impression on you when you were a child? Because now you’re making that impression on children.
John Flansburgh: We get that question a lot, and it’s a valid question, but speaking for myself, I feel like we have something to contribute to kid's music because what we're doing is actually lacking in the general culture. Generally, our stuff is not really coming out of any amazing experience with the kid's stuff from the past. Our childhood was during the really golden era of classic pop and singles. Those songs weren't really designed for kids, but the power of it spoke to us and a lot of other kids quite directly.
Curiously--although I see the obvious connections--we didn’t really grow up with all of the progressive kids stuff of the 70's. We were that micro generation of glitter-rock young teens listening to Alice Cooper and David Bowie and we totally missed the boat on Sesame Street and School House Rock and Free To Be You and Me. But even being a bit too old for it, you could tell there was something cool about that stuff. Basically the cartoons of our generation were either super-violent, like Spiderman, or the really simple-minded Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
Question: Which one of you was the science student? Either or you? Neither of you?
J. Linnell: Specifically into science? I would say we were both middling students in school, but philosophically we are both, as adults, very pro-science. We like living in the post-enlightenment era in history. Are we still living in the enlightenment or is it over now, I can’t tell? Are we in the “en-darkenment” now?
J. Flansburgh: I think we’re actually in to the “gee whiz” part of science--all the scientific phenomenon that sparks your imagination. We certainly aren't academics, but there is something remarkable about the world of science and there are ideas in science that just send your mind reeling.
J. Linnell: One the things that is exciting about it is that it makes you realize that things that are true, that can be proven, aren’t always intuitive. There is a difference between what seems to be the case and what turns out to be proven to be the case, and that’s really exciting. The world isn’t always what it seems to be and it makes everything more wonderful in a way. You have an experience of the world, walking around, and then science provides knowledge about the world that is not always anything like the experience.
The history of scientific discovery is partly revealing things that you don’t always experience directly, it’s bizarre in a way that so much of what we know is stuff we can’t always experience directly, like molecules and galaxies.
Question: Does that make it easier or harder to write about Science?
J. Linnell: Well, both. There is a point that you do reflect that you’re trying to explain something preposterous. And luckily, I think kids know the whole world is strange and preposterous, but as they get older, they get used to the idea that there are facts they just have to take someone’s word for.
Question: Considering you guys once used an answering machine to showcase your material, how amazed are you that you have all of this media at your disposal – podcasts, internet, video, etc…how has it changed the way you work?
J. Flansburgh: We enjoyed having an easy-breezy, loose reputation in terms of getting our music out to people. It was very great to be the one of the few acts in the United States who wasn’t preoccupied with getting on the radio or a cash return on our music. Of course now there is almost no end to the free stuff, and it is cool to see how much you can get in to the world, but with the most popular videos on YouTube being cats jumping into a box or people getting pushed down escalators, part of me worries that all this electronic media is just in the service of turning our culture into an endless episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos.
J. Linnell: A lot of what the technology suggests to people is the democratizing of culture and the notion of interactivity kind of caught fire online early on. What’s weird for John and I is that we were never interested in either one of those things. We actually like the idea of controlling what we are doing and we like the old fashioned idea of there being quality control on culture, that you would get the “good stuff” and there would be a way, through a critical apparatus or institutions, that would deliver the good stuff and filter out the bad stuff. It feels like the big problem nowadays is that everything should be available to everyone at all times and the result is a lot of garbage to wade through…not to sound like an 80 year old man! (laughs)
Question: With your accompanying DVD, how did the directors and animators come together? Are they the same people from Here Come the 123s? How much creative control do you give the animators with your songs?
J. Flansburgh: We are the producers on all the animated material and we select the artists we collaborate with pretty carefully. We've been involved in a lot of television and video projects over the years and that was very good training for these projects. There is an expression in rock video production: “Good. Fast. Cheap. Choose two” It’s a very unreasonable thing to expect everything to come together on a tight budget. Our strategy is to give the animators a relatively long lead time so they can do something that will be a good portfolio piece for them and something cool for us. And although we’re on a tight budget, we can offer a large amount of artistic freedom, and that gives us the opportunity to work with the most creative people out there.
Question: For this tour, you’re doing both “kid” and “adult” shows, sometimes 2 in one day. How is it different when you perform in front of kids versus when you perform in front of adults?
J. Flansburgh: Whatever pretensions you might have about your performance get totally re-calibrated when you’re playing for kids–playing a kid show is probably a bit closer to being a school teacher than being a rock star. There are also a lot of parents in the audience and we address them as well which kind of breaks forth the wall of "kiddie-ness."
Just to address the questions we always get: “how is it different writing a song for kids or writing for adults?” or “performing for kids and performing for adults?” Well, there is a real overlap, but there are meaningful differences too. A good song works in a way that is kind of irreducible whether or not it’s for kids or adults. If a song has a strong melody or an interesting concept, it will animate any audience, but in performance, kids have a really short attention span, so keeping things moving is important. Routinely the confetti machine gets the biggest response of the day. That will keep your ego in check.
Although in the past, “Clap your Hands” and "Alphabet of Nations" worked for adults, by and large the kid stuff stayed in the kid show just because it's, well, for kids! (laughs). But with "Here Comes Science" a lot of the songs work good in the adult show. and that’s unusual. “Meet the Elements,” “My Brother the Ape,” “A Shooting Star is not a Star,” and “Why Does the Sun Shine” slid into the adult show without any second thoughts, and “I Am a Paleontologist” is totally rocking live.
Question: What’s next for They Might Be Giants?
J. Flansburgh: We’re working on a rock album right now, but we have so much touring interrupting our effort it's hard to know when it will get done, so the real answer is we're going to be spending a lot of time on a tour bus trying to figure out how to get the WiFi working!
Our children’s book collaboration with Pascal Campion, Kids Go, just came out at the end of last year on Simon & Schuster. It's actually a very beautiful project and a fulfillment of a dream of mine. When we were approached, I wanted to do an actual picture book, which very few people get to do, and it was exciting to realize that dream. A good picture book is something that really stays with you.
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