061008 NEWS

/////A white girl with blue eyes - her name is Eva.//////


I've been reading the laws of simplicity by John Maeda for a part of my thesis reserach, because I am interested in the idea of interior/exterior of an object. In the first law he mentions the notion of HIDE, which is to hide all the complicated elements of a machine inside to make the exterior simple - or perhaps user friendly.

The "User-Friendliness" is convenient for the users (and friendly) but it seems like we, the users, are losing interested in what is really happening. We let things go by because the technology does all the job. The computer, I am typing on, functions in its certain ways but I don't know how it functions. I know that when I press "T" on the keyboard the letter "T" appears. I know that part of the system but I don't exactly know how it works so; whereas in typewriter you can see that the key you press pushes the letter and it hits the carbon and that hits the paper and voila, there is a letter on the paper.

As the technology advances the function of the objects become closer to the users, but the technological system becomes further and further.

Will we ever come to a point where we feel the need to learn what is surrounding us?


*SONG OF THE DAY "You're Beautiful" James Blunt*

021008 NEWS

/////THE MOMENT OF SURPRISE/////

I guess if you are sitting in your room the entire day everyday nothing really happens, meaning you don't really have anything to write about - and that's the phase I am in right now. I've been writing and writing for the research paper until last week and the rest of the time until now I have been catching up on sleep.

I've probably developed this from my "Japaneseness" but I don't really sleep all that often or never so much. I would say about 3-4 hours a day is enough to get by. Of course I catch up moment to moment (e.g. a 10 second powernap on the train, dosing off during the 10 min break from lectures etc)...Correct me if I am wrong, but is it true that you are not allowed to sleep on subways here in Stockholm!?

In Japan, where an hour one way commuting is very normal, people do a lot of things on the train - most of them sleep though. As everyday commuter, you really get in a habit of waking up at a certain stop, but me as a visitor there I can't really wake up.

So Apple came up with an iNap that apparently wakes you up when it's 100m from the destination.

Good solution, I think. - way better than this:


But what happens at Times Square or Union Square, where everyone goes off?!
Oh boy every morning there will be an annoying harmony of snoozes.

*SONG OF THE DAY - "Miami" by Will Smith*

230908 NEWS

////SLIM CHIPS = THE FUTURE OF PAPER!?/////

Since a couple of lectures ago there was a long discussion about the future, I thought I'd bring this up. It's a product design by Hafsteinn Juliusson in Reykjavik, Iceland. I guess it's vegetarian (since the papers are from trees) and low fat.

So you see now: THE FUTURE OF PAPER
*all books will be vanished because of the amazon kindle - and where do all currently existing papers go? - WE EAT THEM!


Future will always be a future and the past will always be the past:
yes, according to the current concept of time. But here - someone has come up with the new way to tell time... CORPUS CLOCK by Dr.John Taylor



I mean yes, it's mainly the new design of a clock - and I must say I am not quite pleased by this clock aesthetically, but it gives me hope, for some reason that there will someday be a day when we review the concept of time.


By the way, I have recently signed myself up for couchsurfing.com
It's a website, where people can basically meet others from all around the world, to sleep at their places. You, as a user, would meet a person you sleep with for a couple of nights online. Well, literally it is correct to state so, but no, it's mainly for travelers who are seeking more personal immersion to the culture by meeting the locals and being taken around by them and staying with them to actually see how people live. It's cheap for them anyway, because you don't have to pay anything. I think it's a great concept - I heard about this for the first time a couple of years ago from my college friend, but it was still an abstract idea. But over the summer I met a French girl in Japan, who was using couchsurfing as her main source of lodging. That was my first time meeting someone, who actually was an user of this website.

Two things I particularly find interesting:
1. With so many internet based crimes and scams occurring, how could these users decide to host a stranger, or stay with a stranger?
2.I like this give and take system, where the users host, but they are also granted that favor back as a guest when they are traveling elsewhere. With the rise of fuel surcharges and other costs of the traveling, it makes sense that the travelers are eager to save as much money as possible in other aspects. I think as a guest too though, feels comfortable staying at someone's house, for they cay say "but you can also stay at my place when you come visit!"

So to experiment this first safety point, I have searched for 5 profiles with their full names, then looked for them on facebook and messaged them and also sent them friend requests to see how they react.
My messages were:
"Hello, my name is Yuta Sakane and I am interesting in meeting up with you because I am going to ....(the city they live in)"

Are they going to add me or not?

We will see.



*SONG OF THE DAY // "My Humps" by Black Eyed Peas**

A Note to Myself 2

God = google.

www.whatgoogleknows.com


It knows where Carmen Sandiego is!

A Note to Myself 1

I was thinking where the future thinking of the future goes.
Yes, POSTFUTURISM.

F* the future, the new future is the future of the future.
(I guess that is still a part of the future.)

When one thinks of the future, it's before their own death, or 100 years or 200 years or so, when the things will most likely look completely different. But what about a day or two after your own death? Something that's beyond your future?
...something like this. Perhaps someday people will stop thinking about the future and maybe something will take over.

I think the hype of the 80's music is really what I consider the future of the future music. I think it's funny how people that weren't even alive in the 80's or were really too small to listen to music back then listen to the 80's music, including myself. It's definitely not for the reason of nostalgia. I definitely don't remember a lot from that period and I was definitely too young to appreciate gun n roses and such. WHY!? Is it just because it's the good music?

Anyways, according to wikipedia Post Futurism is really not what I thought it would be: look here


What is the future of trendspotting? There is a future to everything - and I definitely think trendspotting is becoming a little bit of a trend at least in the community bubble I live in because before I came to Konstfack I definitely didn't hear anything about it but since last year I've been hearing this term at least once a day (perhaps because I am taking a course in it!?) but yeah, where is it going to go?

EVERYWHERE, PHOTOS AT ONCE.

SEPTEMBER 25 - OCTOBER 4

Everywhere,
Photos at Once.

Photography exhibition at ShowKonstfack, Regeringsgatan 19 Stockholm


The world you see is not the only world that exists. The “now” you see is different from the “now” of another person. I have asked my friends and their friends to take a photo of the sky, one thing that is connected everywhere, at the exact same moment: September 7, 2008 at 22:00 GMT. We were all looking at the same thing at the same time, but all images surely look different from eaech other.

VERNISSAGE SEPTEMBER 25 6-9PM

How stupid of me, to organize the vernissage during the best lecture of the course, but oh wells, it's gonna be fun anyway, stop by after the lecture!

Check out the website here: www.everywherephotosatonce.com
to see the photos!

170908 NEWS

///// JAPANESE CULTURE - ZENTAI /////


Yesterday's lecture at Sing Sing (although there was a huge sign on the top floor that said "Zing Zing") was quite hm, I must say it reminded me of those workshops that I used to go to when I was a resident assistant at college. They gathered all "leaders" from all colleges in Baltimore and had lectures about how to be good leaders.

Here are some tips from HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Back then when I was attending these courses I was really bored and sleeping most of the time, but I am slowly really understanding how leadership skills become crucial for not only business people but artists.

Art business is really a people business. Fundamentally it's between the artist and the audience - and in most cases the number of the latter is larger, quite significantly. You, as an artist, are trying to convince that mass and yeah, I think that's where the "leadership" comes in. The better you are at receiving respect or the attention, the more you are likely to step the first difficulty as an artist: getting attention. The word leadership, sounds so outdated, overrated and somewhat school-like, and most of the things usually make sense on their own, but take a look at the list of points on this website and think through them a little bit! O-ye, I feel like a teacher now!

........

Apparently, because I just found out about it recently too, The International Air Guitar Championship takes place in Scandinavia - in Oulu, Finland, as a part of the Oulu Music Video Festival! I think it's a very interesting concept, although this air guitar has been around since the 70's. the period when the rock music really took over the world.

Here is the video clip of the 2008 champion, Craig "Hot Lixx Hulahan" Billmeier.


There are definitely some moments, when I think "oh, where did the guitar go?" but I guess this is the best of the best quality of air guitar, at least for this year. I wonder if the participants can really play the guitars. I think being able to play the guitar could really add to the performance of air guitar, but if you could play, why would you do the performance without a real guitar? Why on earth would someone pay so much to put together such a competiton!? These competitors are going all the way to Finland to compete (and yes, in the last 2 years the champion was Japanese) - and considering the flight expenses and all I think with that money you could easily buy a decent guitar, for sure. But that's coming from the materialistic side of me. I think it's beautiful that people are competing using "nothing but imagination." Perhaps internet was as abstract as this when it just started? I guess I will just have to go there next year to see.

Oh a side note, there was the second annual Air Sex Championship in Japan...I wonder if it has to be x-rated, g-rated or r-rated or whatever...well these people are wearing clothes and they are just "imagining."


I of course respect entrepreneurs that have created a greater good for the world and are making a lot of money, but I also really like people that are just pushing their passion, regardless of how the society views it, and spreads it to a bigger audience! I guess you cannot really be successful if you don't believe in it! Good lesson, considering it's coming from my free time observation of air guitar on youtube!



*SONG OF THE DAY // "Fantastic Fanasy" by COLEMONIKHA*

100908 NEWS

Lookin Fine!

Purple's beautiful.

080908 NEWS

/////Kräftskiva on my corridor(Sep7th)/////


On Sunday we had a crayfish party - in Sweden there is only a certain period of time in a year, when you are allowed to (or have more access to) the crayfish. Very seasonal, I like! According to this website the fish has been restricted due to pollution and over-fishing. It's a nice tradition it is, but sad that's the result of a human/nature mistake. There are more strong sense of ecology and the increase of restrictions around nowadays - so I was thinking perhaps people would react to those rules more positively if there are more limited time periods, when certain things are allowed.
"Smoke Indoor Day" would be a perfect one for me.

It also reminds me of the Earth Hour, which is kind of the opposite of the unrestricted period, but it's been making a big difference to the world.

............
NEWS NEWS NEWS

I am working on an exhibition that will be opening at ShowKonstfack, Riegeringsgatan 19 Stockholm (in Gallerian) from September 20th for about 2 1/2 weeks - called "www.everywherephotosatonce.com / sky project 2"
I have asked my friends on facebook to take photos at the exact same moment, wherever they are. I wanted to use the most common way in my generation to connect people, and see how far I can reach by asking them to ask their friends to also participate. As a lot of people do nowadays I am also losing some faith in facebook, because it's so accessible and easy that the messages from my friends are becoming less value to me. Do they really care about me if they write "hey what's up? I miss you" on my wall? I wanted to try to use this site as a tool to make people do something beyond just writing.

SO CHECK IT OUT! more details will be on www.everywherephotosatonce.com

::::::

My idea of trendspotting wasn't really to be trying to create a future, but more like thinking about the future and the past to be able to look at the present, where we live, from a broader perspective.

"Trends mean business" - states Trendspotting.com, which I found by the result of usual internet search of my lazy self, just putting ".com" at the end of the term I am looking for. Sometimes, or most of the times I an transferred into the world of pornography, but why not take the risk, the worst you can get from it can be getting sexually aroused in the library.

Our group had a meeting after the lecture today : Group Number 13 - "Future of Tourism and Traveling."
All from different countries, I think it will be a great group but of course, as a lot of the first time groupies go, I must admit there was a little bit an awkwardness at the beginning. So as the group leader (with no power) I thought I would do a little research on how to get the group together: an Icebreaker.
a decent list of icebreakers

I can't really get over the fact that the names of these activities are quite hideous but I guess they have purposefully named those so. Residentassistant.com....oh boy, I was one of those back in college.

Since these were too hm, childish (although I heard from Caroline von Scheele last semesters that people in the businessworld also do such things sometimes...!? Or did I hear that wrong!?) I thought I would try to analyze people by their behaviors.
I found this website, and oh boy, I just remembered that we will be meeting in a cafe for the next meeting!

But for those who are not in my group can just use this skills to get together with your lady friends or manfriends (that sounds wrong.) But perhaps, for people who are into online datings, which seem to be quite popular, it won't work.



RESPONSE TO THE LECTURE:
We talked a lot about the development and the current need of paper and whether it will go extinct for quite a while.
WE NEED PAPERS, some people said but I thought about what they did when humans invented papers and the writings were not on leathers and stones and leaves and whatnot anymore and if people actually voted against the development of papers. They probably did - then writings became suddenly not as durable as the materials they had been using, too light so they could lose it anytime, etc etc etc. We can say that about a lot of things : lights, electricity, food, clothes....even medications: some medications hurt people, put them under depressions and make them sad...to keep the patients alive. Is that necessary? What's more ethical? I think in order to question the existence of materials that are deeply implemented in our society, we have to have a clear knowledge of how they developed and what they have replaced, even if these took place a long time ago.

When people think of time, do they think of the presence, the future or the past the strongest?

I guess in order to predict the future I will have to study how the concept of future, or time has developed in human brain.



Last but not least, here is a hidden trend of FURRIES




*SONG OF THE DAY // "Madan" by Salif Keita*

050908 NEWS

/////Photo of me in the 60's/////


I got this link YEARBOOKYOURSELF.COM from a friend of mine and thought I would give a try. I don't know, after sitting in a lecture for almost 2 hours about future thinking, it was funny to put my present self in a 60's setting. Of course, I wasn't even born at the time and this is just creating a fake image, I could entertain myself for quite a long time. Creating a "past" that never existed. This will become a future because I am putting it on a blog, which will be viewed by people and if this photo is funny enough then it will be talked about among the viewers and that will live as a future and when they get bored of talking about it then it becomes the past.

...strange.


*Song of the Day // "Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden*

020908 NEWS

/////BEATRICE'S PINK SHOES AND PAINTED VENUSES/////




As the start of my newborn blog for the SSES Trendspotting Course, I would just like to quickly introduce myself.

Name: Yuta Sakane
Birthday: September 12, 1983 (I am accepting presents for my 25th birthday now.)
Nationality: Japanese
Spoken Languages: Japanese, English, German and nonsense
Education: Shimosakunobe Elementary School, Frankfurt International School, International School of Düsseldorf, John F. Kennedy Schule, Maryland Institute College of Art(BFA), Konstfack(MA)

---------bla bla bla.

This blog will mainly cover things that I have been reading, watching or hearing in the past and all my personal thoughts and experiences will be featured in my other blog, which is not so active.


Here are some things I am obsessed with right now:

ITC Galliard
Typeface I am in love with - I've been collecting a quite bit of books and brochures that have nice typography and I realized that most of them actually have this typeface...I have it so if you are interested let me know.

もう中学生(MOUCHUGAKUSEI)
This comedian from Japan - he's just so abstract and his voice is ridiculous. In this clip he's just going through the order you eat a Hamburger Steak. By the way, he's my age.

Food Court Musical
I have been interested in Improv Everywhere, which is a group of people who organize pranks mainly in New York City. I am actually not sure if this project is directly connected to them but this is yet my favorite prank. Well, no the execution part (it seems a little too fake) but the song is just hilarious.
----Anyone wanna plan something in Stockholm? Let me know!

Perfume
A Japanese electro pop group that went through a huge breakthrough at the beginning of this year - they've actually been singing for 7 years but being publicly recommended by some big celebrities in Japan, now they are one of the most popular groups in Japan. The tunes are quite catchy, I must say. I like it because it has so much of this typical Japanese playfulness in it but yet not too cheesy like some other bands. Let's learn the dance.


There are so many more but if I write too much at the beginning I'm probably gonna feel obligated to write really long ones in the future so I will stop here.




*SONG OF THE DAY // "Summer Dream" by Paris Match*