Getting The Picture

Paying Attention:  Stunned by the big prices being paid at auction for fine art? A Picasso [ “Les Femmes d’Alger (Version ‘O’)] was sold this year for $179.5 million .  At the same auction, a sculpture by Giacommetti went for $141.3 million (with fees).  The fine art world is quickly becoming a very wealthy neighborhood. But there is an …

The (Secret) History of Back To The Future

Paying Attention: In the midst of all the hoopla about what Back To The Future has been to the American Culture (spurred on, no doubt, by the October 21, 2015 future date seen in the film series second part) we might have forgotten what Back to the Future might have been, if another actor, Eric …

Everything Old is New Again

Paying Attention: From Bloomberg.com, a great, short video on Rod Embry and his company, which turns about 6 to 8 restored and upgraded Porsche 356s a year. Are they restored precisely to be the way they were when they left the factory? Not. Rod doesn’t do that. He makes a modern 356, updated for the times we live in. …

The Big Burn

Paying Attention: The West has been burning…all through the summer and into the fall. It’s a combination of things: malicious people, capricious nature, an historical drought. Nature has its’ own way of setting the record straight and right now nature is mad. Presented today–for your enlightenment and education–is a terrific  documentary on forrest fires. Watch this, …

SONY Puts On A Show

In a move reminiscent of the major new product introductions that Apple started and perfected under Steve Jobs, SONY has just finished a huge new product event at the IFA 2015 Conference in Berlin. The IFA is one of the world’s leading trade shows for consumer electronics and home appliances, and the scheduling–today, one week …

The Color of Money

Paying Attention: For years, a collection of Pantone color swatches marked the difference between highly professional art directors, designers, and painters and their amateur counterparts. Pantone is a company in the color business, and, early on, they were smart enough to provide a quantitative component to the qualitative judgement of “color”.  This is done through …

The Art of The Movie Trailer: The Martian

Paying Attention: Matt Damon and Kristin Wiig are the stars in a new space epic coming in October, about an Astronaut who is left behind on a mission to Mars– a very frightening possibility for everyone but the screenwriter and director. Here’s the first movie trailer for The Martian. It’ll give you plenty to think about.

Transitions: Frank Gifford (1930-2015)

View image | gettyimages.com Paying Attention: Frank Gifford died Sunday at his home in Greenwhich, Connecticut. Gifford was both a very talented  college athlete (he was an  All-American running back at  the University of Southern California) and an outstanding and versatile pro football player who became an 8- time  Pro Bowl player (at three different positions: defensive …

The Secret Season: Three Great Championship Events in 30 Days

  Unless you follow the “minor sports” closely, you may not be aware that we have just passed through international sports’ greatest season: that stretch of time that runs from the middle of June until the end of July. During this short, thirty day period at the beginning of Summer, three of the world’s greatest …