http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/index.htmlBlog Newsencarlo@carloblackmore.comCopyright 2007 Carlo2007-06-26T12:24:15-04:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:23:43 -0400carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-06-26T12:24:15-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-78http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-78the pedigree of each logo that would emphasize at least the design industry's concensus. Is their graphic matrimony mere coincidence, or is it further evidence that you can tell a lot about a company – or in this case the relationship of two companies – by their branding? I've always felt that Verizon's logo looked disjointed, harsh, and clumsy. And when Sprint refreshed their old logo, I was left disappointed with their choice of a traffic-yellow, weird arrow/wing logo. And what is the deal with all the traffic colors? Traffic colors are great for grabbing attention – initially – but how long could someone tolerate even their closest friend constantly yelling and grabbing attention, let alone their wireless provider? So should it be a surprise that Sprint and Verizon wouldn't see eye-to-eye with Apple when it came time to discuss terms for a joint venture? Well, Apple being a company that almost religiously believes in words such as elegance, simplicity, friendliness, elemental and instinct (all perfectly represented by their round apple logo), it wasn't a surprise to me. The partnership between Apple and AT&T is visually natural and almost seems destined. Especially considering how until recently the AT&T brand was all but erased from the marketplace, only to be surprisingly resurrected on the heels of a SBC–BellSouth-Cingular merger. Some may consider it oversimplistic to base such conclusions on something as superficial as a logo; but I would ask them not to overlook the fact that high-profile corporations, especially providers of consumer goods, give exhaustive attention to developing their brand and corporate identity. Often the process will involve every level of corporate leadership, even right up to the CEO. Good designers (again, my subjective opinion) believe that, when done right, logos should capture the essence of a company. But even when done wrong, bad logos still reflect an important side of their company – the dysfunctional side. []]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-06-14T15:33:35-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-77http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-77Curbed, Gothamist, and Brownstoner to cite a few. I have a few snapshots of the ads in my NYC photo album – I'll keep tracking down more posters as I come across them, and upload them to my album.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-05-25T11:58:11-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-76http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-76Jordin Sparks (not to mention just as many sometimes more popular runner-ups); music videos are now filmed (oops, I mean recorded) in crystal-clear digital high-definition allowing every body feature, color, backdrop, angle and sound to be manipulated in mind-blowing ways; and... ....Michael Jackson is still outselling Gwen Stefani, The Pussycat Dolls, Nickelback and Bon Jovi.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-03-23T15:54:16-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-75http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-75carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-03-09T19:25:29-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-74http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-74carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-03-02T11:54:22-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-73http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-73read in the NY Times about Al Sharpton's family connection to Strom Thurmond through slavery as a form of covering debts. Now that's "Wow". []]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-02-20T18:46:30-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-72http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-72DRM letter response to Steve Jobs' Thoughts on Music letter: Dear Fred, I appreciate your attempt to open the scope of the DRM (Digital Rights Management) matter to encompass all digital entertainment content. And as valiant as your claim to pursue a DRM system that increases value to the consumer may be - there are two elements that your philospohy seems to be blind to. Elements that I think make Steve Jobs' letter more valuable in the grand scheme of the future of the industry... 1) Most of us consumers may not want exactly one-size-fits-all, but we do want as close to that as we can get. It's just easier and "feels" more economical. Plain and simple - no fancy technology roadmaps needed to figure that out. All long-term research proves this. Try to nickel and dime us, we'll look for a way out, legally or otherwise. 2) Music is very different to us consumers than other digital content! Music touches us in a far more fundamental way than moving images do. If you fail to understand this distinction then you already have failed at understanding the value-difference between music and other content. Apple seems to be the only major company that grasps (or is willing to hint at grasping) that at the end of the day, we consumers see musical content as belonging to only two parties - the artists and the audience they perform it for. Deep down we really don't care about Warner or Universal or Sony or who contractually owns what. As long as corporations claim to be the true owners of creative content which they don't literally create - we consumers will continue to not fully honor their claim to ownership of that content. We know better. To us, music is intangible and not equivalent to a Gucci bag that can garner a higher vaue for the genuine article as opposed to a knock-off. To consumers, the value in music, is not the hard-content. And as a result copy-protection of that hard-content will always be organically challenged, legally by the likes of Independent labels and illegally by the likes of illegal downloaders. There will always be people willing to acquire illegal content (even pay for it), even if it's lower quality. And that content will always somehow be available to the masses. You'll never be able to beat the illegal market because you can't beat human ingenuity. Enter Steve Jobs' suggestion... Why not use the power of technology and the Internet to replace the black-market rather than trying to outdo it. Removing DRM restrictions, removes the need for illegal downloads and the supply of illegal content. See what happens. Maybe you'll actually have to start making money creating something on your own for a change. []]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-02-07T18:08:48-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-71http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-71BecomeanMM.com and created an M&M version of myself. I must admit, of the hundreds of interactive teasers and websites that I've visited during my career as a designer, this one is probably the best executed. It worked smoothly – kept me interested the entire time – had a wide variety of user-options – and even had several other playful options just waiting to be explored (which I haven't had sufficient time to play with yet). So of course I will keep everyone in the loop as to how my Times Square visit goes, but for now, without further ado, introducing Carlo M&M...]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-01-27T19:53:00-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-70http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-70carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-01-24T19:38:11-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-69http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-69carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-01-19T15:35:27-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-68http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-68carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-01-17T19:21:58-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-67http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-67carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2007-01-04T12:13:13-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-66http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-66carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-12-27T11:33:37-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-65http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-65'Brown v. The Board of Education', A Girl Like Me is a high school student's documentary showing NYC children faced with the same experiment. In 2006, what happens when you ask a group of black children to choose between a white baby doll and a black baby doll?]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-12-21T14:06:36-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-64http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-64and more, Google's creativity maybe connects most warmly during the holidays or special occassions when they present cute cartoon treatments of their logo on the www.google.com homepage. It's actually a lot of fun scanning through their past logo creations such as St. Patrick's Day 2006 or Halloween 2002. Even though this month's Christmas logo is a little too boring for my tastes – I think the world of an earlier logo this year in January that honored Louis Braille's birthday...]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-12-12T11:48:57-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-62http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-62a MacNN article about the decline of iTunes Store purchases and the comments of readers attached to the article... I think it's sad when people say ONE dollar is too much for ONE song. But I also think there are reasons behind the stinginess. I think it's part of the same trend that vinyl and cd albums eventually fell prey to... DEEP DOWN PEOPLE HAVE STOPPED BELIEVING THAT THE MUSIC (the art of it) IS EVEN WORTH A BUCK. I think we've had enough. I think we watch the American Idols and others parade around; then we hear the guy in the subway with enough soul to sing one note that would put an entire Billboard #1 album to shame; and deep down it hits us! What have I been paying for?? Why am I giving any amount of money to Universal for crap, when this guy in the subway is offering me his golden voice for just a quarter? I don't care if it's 9million bitrate - it won't make Paris Hilton or the majority of mainstream music out there sound any better. Eventually people get tired of tired music; sick of sick music; and start to treat bad music badly. So I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that people find no fault with carelessly downloading and copying music for free. But even in the case of good music - why the desire to copy music so rampantly people? Why all the crying about DRM? Buy all the real cds you want - you still need to rely on computer software or technology to play it or copy it. You say you don't like a company's DRM rules - but yet you love that same software to import and copy a store-bought cd as many times as you want? Now that seems just plain greedy and ungrateful. And read the fine print on your cds - even the legality of copying store-bought cds has become an issue (outlined in this Duke Law review). This battle over digital copyright and user-friendly technology is not a new issue. Right now, record labels are fine-tuning ways to put an end to our free-loading ways. To make cds just like dvds. To block us from burning copies of store-bought cds, and they've already done it with various albums. The Register also published an article with an interesting review of the legal issues involved in copying and downloading. For the most part, I think we've become greedy and ungrateful consumers - and true, the record companies aren't giving us any reason to change. But I fully appreciate Apple's efforts to get us all to Think Differently. But that's just my song.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-12-10T22:15:40-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-61http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-61carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-11-16T12:26:45-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-60http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-60carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-11-14T13:19:22-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-59http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-59Ultimate Symbol website is selling a book and cd of all official symbols. It shows little thumbnails of all the symbols, helpfully divided into categories, so you don't have to actually buy anything just to get a taste. We designers are such teasers!]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-11-13T18:58:18-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-58http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-58calling them thieves? Why would you still provide music content and programming for non-Zune consumers (on iTunes which is for iPods only) to hypocritically enable their so-called theft of music? Since when do companies that build music-playing devices, owe portions of the product sales to a record company? Did Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo, Technics, Kenwood, etc ever owe money to Universal because their products play 8-tracks, LP's and CD's that belong to Universal. And were we all stealing music back then too? This strategy setup by Microsoft and Universal is obvious. They are setting up this model in hopes of compelling Apple to offer a similar percentage of iPod sales in order to keep Universal's business. But they seem to be forgetting one thing... no one has bought a Zune player yet! And given the track record of every device that enters the market trying to copy Apple's iPod – there won't be many people buying it. So 1) Universal ends up with very little leverage (if any at all) over Apple; and 2) Microsoft ends up with that much less money to market Zune against iPod, in-turn weakening Universal's leverage against Apple even further. These people must be geniuses or something! Thankfully for us, Universal's threat comes in the form of an inferior device and brand. The Zune player follows Microsoft's long legacy of clumsy, forgettable, confusing solutions. Thankfully for us, beauty chases away ugly. Apple has brought truly beautiful design to the masses. And now that we've tasted it – we have no reason to go back to using boring, complicated devices, built by boring complicated companies more interested in copying for profit than creativity. I think Universal is hoping the other major labels – Sony and Warner – will follow their example. I think the labels are noticing all the Indie labels popping up on iTunes, and worried about ever getting back some of their piece of the pie. Heck, and not just Indie labels, all the private individual musicians uploading their songs to iTunes too. Poor little greedy record companies! Thanks to Apple, producing and distributing quality music has become almost as easy as taking a picture and using Snapfish to share it. And I think that's what really scares Universal. As it becomes easier for us to create and share on our own – the less we need someone else to do it for us. Especially a greedy, hypocritical someone else.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-11-09T21:32:27-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-8.html#unique-entry-id-57http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-8.html#unique-entry-id-57carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-11-09T16:24:18-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-8.html#unique-entry-id-56http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-8.html#unique-entry-id-56carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-11-08T12:31:12-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-8.html#unique-entry-id-55http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-8.html#unique-entry-id-55dead tie in the Senate of 49 to 49 between Republican and Democrat seats. the final 2 remaining seats are still being contested in Virginia and Montana, where the Democrat challengers are narrowly leading in polls that are all but final. By law, there will likely be recounts in each state due to the tight results. But the fact that Democrats are so close to victory in Virginia and Montana is practically a victory unto itself. Thank you to everyone that voted – Democrat and Republican alike. And for all who have the right to vote but didn't – you missed out on being a part of landmark history. Read more about the results of last night's election here in the NY Times.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-10-24T22:02:35-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-7.html#unique-entry-id-54http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-7.html#unique-entry-id-54carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-10-10T11:24:32-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-7.html#unique-entry-id-53http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-7.html#unique-entry-id-53carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-09-25T21:10:22-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-52http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-52carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-09-19T14:08:05-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-51http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-51carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-09-11T17:57:15-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-50http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-50New York Times article on Britain's opposition party Conservative Leader, David Cameron... ----------------------------------- He assailed the messianic view of the war on terrorism expressed by Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush, saying he was “skeptical of grand schemes to remake the world” and asserting that western policy had lacked “humility and patience.” He also attacked the notion that counterterrorism is “a single struggle between single protagonists. The danger is that by positing a single source of terrorism a global jihad and opposing it with a single global response — American-backed force — we will simply fulfill our own prophecy.” ----------------------------------- If only we hadn't declared complete and unconditional independence from the Crown back in 1776. If only we had included some measures of exception for unforeseen times of shallow, block-headed stupidity overtaking Captiol Hill. []]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-09-11T15:29:12-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-49http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-49sibling harmony; humming bird blessings; the patient Julia; reunions with old friends; debates with new friends; Emeril, Rachel and Bobby oh my; over-zealous hors-d'oeuvres; Frank Sinatra serenades; air guitar concerts; playing in the wet evening grass; pizza-baguettes; apple pies; late-night jamming; line-backer sisters; later-night mundanity; soft cereal; YouTube and crazystuff; airport stories; Thruway traffic; hypothetical weddings; more traffic; hypothetical honeymoons; chicken tenders & dipping sauces; traffic again; and a lone giant fake evergreen tree. Sergio, Andrea, Aidan and Sydney are 4 of the dearest magical people I know. If a picture is worth a thousand words – here are thousands of proofs of their potion in action.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-09-05T21:31:31-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-48http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-6.html#unique-entry-id-48carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-22T16:52:09-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-5.html#unique-entry-id-47http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-5.html#unique-entry-id-47recent quote. Hmmm, it is a shame though that this painfully valid argument comes from a man whose own voice is one of the most flawed vocal instruments in modern music. I HEAR YA Dylan! I really do. But goodness c'mon, if we only loved Music for beautiful quality and clear tone you would've been a long-dead fad decades ago. But like I said – even though I'm apparently only hearing you with compromised fidelity – I hear ya... ...thank goodness words by themselves still count for something.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-09T16:08:02-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-5.html#unique-entry-id-44http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-5.html#unique-entry-id-44"Teaching Remedial Decency", on the lack of core decency within the American military and current White House administration. "There's no way to teach someone not to shoot an unarmed woman or child. If somebody doesn't already know why they shouldn't murder a baby, it's not clear that a refresher course will help.... The problem with brushing up on core values is that if you don't know them by a certain point you can't learn them." I'm not sure if I believe in some innate deadline for learning value and decency – but it is obvious that our current crop of leaders (and therefore maybe the majority of constituents that elect them) lack the basic morals that foster respect and decency towards all people; even those who don't think, vote, or live as they do. Another example of this deficiency was displayed by Senator John McCain last night on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. When asked for his opinion of the Middle East crisis between Israel and Hezbollah – he argued on behalf of Israel's actions that there is no "moral equivalency" between the 100 Israelis killed by Hezbollah intentionally, and the 600 Lebanese killed by the Israeli army by accident. He went on to enlighten us of the greater impact Israel's 100 has on its smaller population (I guess it's good to see his outspoken empathy for at least one minority group). I don't care what political party you align yourself with – whether your flag has stars or crescents – whether you're an elephant or jackass or both – WE (all of us) are in a SAD place when the organized killing of hundreds of people is rationalized away in percentages and ratios as accidents or collateral damage. 28 Civilian deaths from just one raid in Qana, Lebanon last Sunday included: one 75-yr old, one 68-yr old, one 65-yr old, one 55-yr old, one 45-yr old, one 45-yr old, one 39-yr old, one 31-yr old, two 30-yr olds, one 25-yr old, one 17-yr old, two 12-yr olds, two 10-yr olds, two 9-yr olds, three 7-yr olds, two 6-yr olds, one 4-yr old, one 3-yr old, one 2-yr old, and one 9-month old. That same weekend Hezbollah launched a record 156 rockets into Israel – no Israelis were reported killed. Three days later Hezbollah launched a new record of 230 rockets into Israel killing one person. It has never been more clear why Martin Luther King, Jr. insisted in the power of non-violent resistance. For generations, minorities in America stood against this country's oppression, bigoted laws, atrocities and murders without once resorting to firing a rocket or dropping a bomb. King didn't draw his line on a map or with a flag, he drew it with plain ol' human decency. We miss you Martin.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-07T10:37:46-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-5.html#unique-entry-id-43http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-5.html#unique-entry-id-43The Dave Matthews Band is quite familiar with the powers of seduction and inspiration. The magnificent quintet rocked my soul from 8 to 11 Saturday night on Randall's Island. Like pied-pipers, they lured the entire audience over a cliff of lullabies and ballads and "crash"ed us into the waves of their perfectly melodic jazz-rock anthems below. Weeeeeee! was the sound I seem to recall hearing the crowd scream on our way down. Here's what we got to hear during our fall... One Sweet World [] Crash [] Grey Street [] Idea of You [] Hunger For the Great Light [] Pig [] What Would You Say [] So Right [] Cortez the Killer (with Warren Hayes) [] Dancing Nancies [] Warehouse [] Rhyme and Reason [] #34 (with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) [] Ants Marching [] Sister [] Slow Rider [] Stay In a different display of seduction and inspiration – in October 2001 – Apple first announced at a special event the release of the very first iPod (which I still have - one of the nicest presents I've received from a boss). I remember being at my desk at D'Arcy Advertising following Steve Jobs' presentation online. There was speculation of Apple getting back into the PDA business to compete with PalmPilot by bringing back a better version of a retired device – the Newton – which had failed 7 years earlier before PDAs were popular and when cell phones were still a novelty. By 2001, after returning to Apple, Steve Jobs had been performing miracles for computing with the releases of the iMacs, iBooks, G2 and iTunes; so perhaps Newton could be resurrected too. Apple events like this one had now earned a reputation for expecting the unexpected. In front of everyone, Steve began talking about how important music is and how nothing in the market even came close to satisfying what people really want – technically or stylistically... and in his signature style of "oh by the way" anti-climactic drama he digs into his pocket and pulls it out. The iPod. And just like that, a company and brand that was the love of only a few geeky artists, designers and musicians, became an overnight star to the world. []]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-04T15:35:06-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-5.html#unique-entry-id-42http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-5.html#unique-entry-id-42(photos courtesy of this week's NY Times and Metro) This week, I finished reading Barack Obama's book Dreams of My Father. By the way it's great to see that he has joined the iTunes ranks and is offering a perodic podcast from his new office as the State Senator of Illinois. His book was an eloquent insight into his life's journey from Hawaii to Indonesia to New York to Chicago to Africa as the son of a black father and white mother from Kenya and Kansas. It stirred in me a reflection of my own struggles about the shade of my skin and the tree from which my family branches. It reopened dialogues within me that I have repeatedly left unfinished. So much so that I have to wonder why it seems instinctive for me to take notice of newspaper photographs? Am I just an observant artist by nature or have I become a scrutinizing minority by nurture? Why am I tempted to critique society's dictionary and draw attention to all the associations of the word black with bad and the word white with good. Why do people prefer to be caught in a little white-lie as opposed to a bad one. Why is there no such term as black-lie? Is there some inside joke I don't know about that would mock me... "hahaha, c'mon Carlo, what other color would a bad lie be?" Why does it stand out to me that every kid growing up knows what color hat the bad guy wears and what color hat the hero wears. Why does it draw my attention every time I see a young black girl get on the train with her cream-faced baby doll, yet I constantly keep missing the young white girls on the bus who are cradling their brown-faced dolls? And why does any of this matter for anything? Perhaps all of that will have to wait for another day – whew! – can't you feel the mercury creeping higher just from all the black text in these paragraphs? Ahhhh - that's better. Well, thankfully today seems to be the beginning of relief for Gotham...]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-31T16:33:43-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-41http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-41Sarah McLachlan's "World on Fire" and Paris Hilton's "Stars are Blind". World on Fire spends its 4 minutes illustrating the alternative benefits of a music video budget ($150,000); in a world where mothers work all day for the same amount of money I make in the time it took me to type this article – just to send their sons to school. Stars are Blind spends its 4 contemplating the cosmic scale involved in earning Paris Hilton's beach-perfect companionship and adoration – "real love" as she calls it. A contrast of even greater proportions on any scale, is the 12,000 reviews on iTunes that Stars are Blind has received so far, compared to World on Fire being reviewed a whole 17 times to date. Well, perhaps that's perfect. Because more and more on this planet, it feels like our last hopes are coming down to 17's having to make a difference against 12,000's.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-28T17:24:14-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-39http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-39JesusforJews was able to throw a wrench at Julia and I so quickly is beyond me. These Christians have apparently caught on to the latest trick in advertising and marketing – when you need a fresh angle all you have to do is... reverse the words in your name... Oh, also ditch the old-fashioned bible-font, and add some hip NYC subway graphics, and you're on your way to a marketing campaign that no one can refuse! One question though – when does the Jesus for Jews for Jesus campaign launch?]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-27T16:53:55-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-38http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-38Damien Rice, and followed by Fiona Apple – the park was filled with unadorned ethereal vocals and musicianship. Julia and I camped out on this little hill of grass behind the stage. And for the hour or so, the melodies bounced through the trees just passively enough to make it seem like the city had switched to some enlightened society of music listeners who had made it law for contemplative soulful minor chords to always accompany pedestrians on their midtown commute home. I don't know what it was – maybe running into Yayoi Kobayashi (oops, I mean Mrs. Yayoi Pellerin), and her new husband, on the same patch of grass, or maybe meeting up with Julia's friend Sonel and her boyfriend Matt – that made the evening feel so omnipresent and perfectly in harmony. As if this was the way weekday evenings should be spent every week. Old friends, new friends, a park, an Apple, some Rice.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-25T11:06:44-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-37http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-37iCal can be found in Wired magazine. But throughout the past year, Apple has proven its genius beyond just one elegant detail of iCal. From the introduction of "cool white" into the visual sense of the planet; to the meteoric rise of the Apple i -brand. From the announcement of the first video iPod; to the expansion of iTunes to include a growing library of movies and television programming from every major network. From natural synergies with the likes of a href="http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipodyourcar/" target="_blank">BMW (and now almost every major automaker), Motorola, and most recently, Nike; to slugfests with major music industry labels to protect their level playing field pricing on iTunes . From consistently raising the bar of innovation with new Mac software; to quickening a pace of PC/Windows assimilation that was already leaving Microsoft in the dust and stumbling towards obsolescence. All of these developments have been playing out like an epic Greek drama, complete with tragedy, redemption, ceremony, deities, villains, heroes, and even chorus (that's my role). And it has been quite an act. Stay tuned for what promises to be a fabulous show.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-24T21:55:51-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-36http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-36When approached for comments after losing a crown which seemed certain to be hers – Miss Uranus broke into a flood of tears and heartfelt protest, which cannot be repeated here... there was no translator available. Scandal continued – when immediately after Miss Uranus bounced of the stage Miss Puerto Rico fainted. There really are no words for the spectacle that is the Miss Universe Pageant (produced and owned by Donald Trump). Without wanting to insult the many women of the pageant who are probably very beautiful in ways that the pageant could never do justice to – I mostly direct my comments to the people who first established and continue to sell this event to our society... 1) I would like to see proof that the other worlds in the Universe actually declined an invitation to the pageant. 2) On what grounds were "Miss Galaxy" and "Miss Solar System" rejected as a name for the pageant? 3) Donald Trump is not allowed to spend any further money on Miss Universe while any of his new properties fail to meet New York City's Green Building Initiative standards.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-21T18:35:43-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-35http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-35Microsoft has announced that before the end of 2006 (probably for the holiday season) it will take on the daunting task of launching a device to rival Apple's iPod. "Zune" will be a media device player that will also work seamlessly with an online service similar to iTunes. HAHAHAHahaa! My goodness... WHAT on earth is a Zune??? C'mon Microsoft, how do you plan on making a dent into the culture, genius and cachet that has become the realm of Apple and iPod? How can you even hope to create an experience that has won fans the world over for it's cool and simplicity factor? From the get-go, the name "Zune" makes absolutely no sense on a consumer level next to Microsoft's other lifestyle offerings – MediaCenter, XBox, Origami, et. al. Compare that to Apple's consistent, easy-to-understand positioning – iMac, iBook, iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, iPod. If you have a game console called XBox; why not name your media or music device XMed or XClip? The very announcement of yet another hopeful Microsoft product, while its long-awaited new operating system Vista still only delivers delays and cutbacks, seems to confirm the eminent doom of Zune. Bill, Steve, or whoever is in control out there in Redmond, have we learned nothing from the cunning mysterious, last-minute, surprise events that have become synonimous (if not predictable) with Apple's new product launches? Apple has set a new benchmark for creating hype – and even more important – getting everyone else to believe that hype by delivering on it. Microsoft's inability to quicken pulses, satisfy hopes, execute the obvious, and empathize with the intangibles of organic elegance and basic consumer perception is what persists at Microsoft and holds back the lumbering giant from ever becoming a star, idol or icon. But ya gotta love how they keep trying :)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-20T15:12:44-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-34http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-34www.fueleconomy.gov I put together this image of oversized SUVs and ultra-efficient cars to illustrate and imagine the potential for our nation's roads if we ever decided to take over-dependence on gasoline seriously. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS (per year) 3 Hummers = 31 tons 4 MINIs = 25 tons 4 Prius (not shown) = 14 tons 6 SmartCars (electric) = 0 tons ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So apparently Toyota has reversed its reversal - and found its way back onto the road toward electrics and true-hybrids. Rejoice! Toyota had seemed to be making fabulous strides forward in emissions reduction when it introduced its Toyota Prius hybrid car – and thankfully that progress seems to be back on track. When you compare Toyota's efforts to US automakers continuing to make lazy legislation and persisting to be the odd-ball in the march to smarter technology – as shown by the arrival of the new cute and tiny electric DaimlerChrysler SmartCar in the U.K. (while even the gasoline version still remains absent in the U.S.) – it becomes more horrifying and obvious that the problem seems to be with us the American people, plain and simple. And not with alleged economic concerns or some phantom costs of technology!!! What is wrong with us? See if you can make any clear and actionable sense out of our President's position on energy consumption and conservation. Also, a description and breakdown of vehicle Emssions Standards.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-19T11:46:12-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-33http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-33"This is what a Feminist looks like". Of course me being me, I didn't want to wear such a bold statement without possessing more substance on the subject. So the last couple of weeks my research into feminism led to discovering a branch of feminism known as Ecofeminism. I also received a book titled "Ecofeminism and the Sacred". I had no idea that there was a movement that articulated the state and woes of humanity and nature so richly and competently. The fact that ecofeminism is not more at the forefront of political and social discourse is what gives rise to my anger and confusion. Deep down I have thousands of words and images brewing – in need of emittance. But right now the flood of perspective is a little overwhelming. Something needs to done and said and sang and echoed. But by whom? And when? And at what cost?]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-17T10:29:11-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-31http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-31quesadillas, jazz, Meryl Streep, sun-tan lotion, a bottlecapper and a Crobar all have in common?... They were all part of my great weekend. When a weekend starts off with listening to live jazz at the Kitano you know it's gonna be a good weekend! The Kitano really knows it's jazz and just for good measure they throw in some pretty good quesadillas with a chipotle dip. The Devil Wears Prada is a good movie and worth watching on the big-screen. Not for any mind-bending special effects or the such; but seeing Meryl Streep pull-off a flawless performance of a risky and tricky character is quite a sight to behold and deserves all the vertical and horizontal attention a movie-screen offers. Unfortunately, Crobar's performance for Topher's birthday night, was not as flawless. Stef's friend did his best to party the night away at one of NYC's premier party spots – but Crobar was not up to the challenge. We had fun in the hip-hop room and the main dance floor, but the music never reached that next level of funk and groove that keeps you going for hours. My favorite part of the weekend though was going to Lido Beach with the BFF Crew (Julia, Lauren and Allison). I'm a simple man, the ocean, the sand, Julia in her yummy Banana Republic bikini, that's pretty much all I really need to enjoy a Sunday afternoon. Sure, I could throw in the BBQ wings, Guinness, and Ralph's Apple Crumb ice; but that's really just bonus stuff :)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-13T12:47:55-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-30http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-30Blewish Entertainment's "July 4th Weekend" home-movie... you put a whole bunch of work into producing a cool home-dvd with soundtrack + title screens + sound-fx, et cetera; then burn several dvds. Only to realize afterwards that you left out scrolling credits at the end and a perfect opportunity to overlay a penguin clip onto Stef's Jeopardy scene, grrr. There's always something that you forget to do when the doing is made so simple and enjoyable I suppose. Why couldn't dvds be wi-fi enabled so I could just wire the revision straight to the individual dvds now? C'mon Apple, get workin' on that.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-12T19:23:30-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-29http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-29SpongeBall SquareSets of NY Urban Volleyball league and Playas of BigCity Volleyball league have been so kind to let me join their rosters this Summer. So far SpongeBall is off to a great start with a 3-0 record and Playas is off to a shakey start with a 0-3 record — but I expect that to improve drastically as the team coalesces.
STAY TUNED on this page for score and match updates. Karate at SEIDO has taken a fabulous turn and Julia recently decided to give it a try — having her smiling face glowing in the dojo may turn out to be the best and most satisfying surprise of the Summer... at least that's what the odds in Vegas are listing :) And to continue the athletic theme... World Cup football (also known as soccer in America) concluded this past weekend. Italia upset France in a final that was decided by penalty kicks (5-3). There's nothing quite like seeing the East Village pubs overflowing with folks cheering at every approach or corner kick. Especially when those cheers are in French and Italian. ZiZou, many think that you let France down — but we feel your pain — or perhaps Marco Materazzi of Italia is feeling a little more pain :)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-05T16:40:39-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-32http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-4.html#unique-entry-id-32Newsday: where several interviewed NYC residents were quoted as saying... "My favorite thing about America is the opportunity to do and be anything you want EXCEPT be a criminal or break the law of course." And guess what the one thing these people would change about America was? "Absolutely nothing!" They think it's fine just the way it is. "So far, so good" one 81 yr. old woman was quoted as saying. Well thanks to the red, white and blue, I had the opportunity to spend my weekend with a slightly less brain-washed crew. 3 days in Long Island, spending quality time in Long Beach, Lido Beach and a BBQ at Lauren's place, conversing on topics such as penguin mobility, video camera LED specs, gymnastics, culinary techniques, etc. Top that Newsday Granny!! Stepping out of character in honor of the star-spangled weekend, I lugged around a digital video camera to captured some the days' moments to remember the grandeur a little better. And sufficiently in character, I've published an edited version of the video at Apple's iTunes music store. Enjoy Besides celebrating the Independence of this perfect nation in the arms of my girlfriend – there were plenty of other fireworks to go around. Courtesy of luminous souls such as Sam (when she wasn't watching World Cup), Nanna (and her 7 foot tall tales), Gunny Scarfo, and the man the myth the legend, Mukesh Vasvani.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-23T10:16:04-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-28http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-28GORILLA-HUNGARIAN 2 for the Division 6 crown. Expect solid all-around strategy from both sides of the net - with a slight 'ed'vantage to Gorilla.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-21T10:55:00-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-27http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-27carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-17T16:33:05-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-26http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-26carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-17T15:59:45-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-24http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-24GORILLA MANICOTTI vs Tuesday Nights With Henri At PS 163 (97th Street & Amsterdam Ave.)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-10T12:16:50-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-23FOOD FIGHTERS TAKE A BITE OUT OF MANICOTTI LYCEE, NY (AFP) - There was an upside, then there was a downside then there was an upside again. Last night before their game, the Gorilla Manicotti team players witnessed a stunning upset for first place rival Hungarian Billionaires Club. Losing two of three games to Gorilla’s next week opponent Net Assets, the Bills set the stage for Gorilla to take sole possession of first place. “Looks like you guys won the division,” admitted Hungarian Jim to Arthur after their second game. Then it was time for Gorilla to claim their prize: division supremacy. Prancing on the court, knowing their division rivals had dropped two, Gorilla went into the first game confident that they would mop the floor with the Food Fighters. However, they weren’t prepared for an opponent that brought such team spirit with them. The first game started out fine. Gorilla had built up a decent enough lead to not be concerned. However, the Food Fighters slowly chipped away, and got louder with each point they took from Gorilla. Gorilla attained match point, but could not finish. With a chance to put the game away, Joey put up a bad serve and turned the ball over. On the ensuing possession, Food Fighters took the game 16-14. Tremendously disappointed with their efforts, Gorilla got the fires in their bellies lit for the second game. They put together the kind of beating that should have been handed out in all three frames. Winning it by a score of 15-6, Gorilla pounded their opponents and gave them what they deserved. A good solid loss. However, the spirit of the Food Fighters last night was indomitable. Psyched about taking one from the mighty Gorilla, they were pumped for more action. However Gorilla once again got the better of them. Playing like a well-oiled machine, Gorilla bumped, set and spiked everything that came to their side. It was the kind of team play that makes you sit back and say, “boy, that’s team play.” The victory was solidified and the final score read 15-11. With 2 losses from the Hungarians, Gorilla Manicotti moves into first place once again by themselves. A happy ending for all parties involved. The playoffs are clinched. But what about the bye? NOTES & QUOTES: Next week, Gorilla will face a formidable opponent in Net Assets, who knocked Hungarian Billionaires out of first place. Carlo took pre-game footage with his kickarse camera. At the end of the very late night, he was heard asking the team, “Anybody need sugar?”]]>