Ian J. Forster - For the love of media

How we self-identify and relate to other people has increasingly...

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:21:00 -0500

How we self-identify and relate to other people has increasingly become based on the products we purchase. The Times has created interactive maps for twelve metropolitan areas that allow you to see the Netflix rental habits within that city based on 100 movie titles. The resulting colorful maps are telling examples of how demographics are distributed across these cities. For example, “Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys” and “Milk” were popular exactly where the other wasn’t. A crucial flaw to this mapping system is that we are not shown how many Netflix users live in each ZIP code. Presumably, areas with higher disposable incomes were more accurately mapped by this system.

Once only known for his spectacular biking abilities and...

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:25:35 -0500

Once only known for his spectacular biking abilities and production expertise, Nick Ravich has now entered the blogispher with his debut post “On Location: Filming Art21 Educators in Southern California.” Follow Nick’s posts to see what we (the production team at Art21) are working on!

Until I feel inspired to continue this blog/reinvent it, please...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:49:32 -0500

Until I feel inspired to continue this blog/reinvent it, please direct your attention to my employer’s blog.

To raise a chicken in your backyard or not to raise a chicken in...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:48:30 -0400

To raise a chicken in your backyard or not to raise a chicken in your backyard? The NYTimes and The New Yorker seem to have contrasting opinions. Who am I to believe?!

I simply cannot wait to see this. Broken Embraces by Pedro...

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:30:00 -0400

I simply cannot wait to see this. Broken Embraces by Pedro Almodovar

Google Books is preventing me from reliving my childhood! I...

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:43:10 -0400

Google Books is preventing me from reliving my childhood! I found my favorite book, “It Could Be Worse,” (yes, it is slightly pessimistic) only to discover that the majority of it is not visible. You cannot imagine my frustration!

I’ve walked past the corner of Prince and Broadway...

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:02:17 -0400

I’ve walked past the corner of Prince and Broadway countless times but never noticed the stone etching on the NW corner. It is dated ‘84 and is reminiscent of Keith Haring’s work so I assumed it was his. I’m not the first person to make this mistake. Apparently it is the work of Ken Hiratsuka. Haring did use the sidewalks as a canvas back in his day though. It is mentioned in his biography that he created a stencil reading “Clones Go Home” and would spray paint the slogan on the border between the East and West Villages.

The fifth season of Art:21 premieres this month on PBS. What I...

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:14:52 -0400

The fifth season of Art:21 premieres this month on PBS. What I love about Art:21 and the late Egg The Arts Show is that they not only introduce you to innovative art but also provide an intimate portrait of the artist. I’m most looking forward to the Cindy Sherman episode on October 21st.

"Show the world something it hasn’t seen, surprise it with something new, and you fundamentally..."

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:30:33 -0400

“Show the world something it hasn’t seen, surprise it with something new, and you fundamentally alter its understanding of things.”

- Mark Bowden in his article “The Story Behind the Story” in October’s The Atlantic

I feel almost like a freak for noticing this. The Times and The...

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:40:00 -0400

I feel almost like a freak for noticing this. The Times and The Atlantic both did pieces on the Erie Canal recently. But the true coincidence is that they both rented the same boat, The Cayuga, for their respective journeys! Okay, maybe I am the only person who found that interesting…

Since my roommates and I are on the same Internet network, we...

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:45:03 -0400

Since my roommates and I are on the same Internet network, we were excited about the new “Home Share” feature on the latest version of iTunes. The idea of being able to transfer music directly from their libraries to my library was enticing. Sadly, we’ve been let down. Not only does it require being logged into the same iTunes account on all of the computers, it appears that you can only transfer songs purchased on iTunes.

I had such high expectation and was horribly disappointed. I...

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:12:26 -0400

I had such high expectation and was horribly disappointed. I watched Blade Runner tonight…

Films make strange bedfellows. I was surprised to read that The...

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:47:00 -0400

Films make strange bedfellows. I was surprised to read that The Rabbit Hole was made into a film. I was lucky enough to see it on stage a few years ago. But the real wonder about this project is that Nicole Kidman plays the lead and John Cameron Mitchell directs. Can you imagine if Nicole Kidman were in Shortbus? She would have made a decent Sofia.

If Ari Emanuel didn’t have so much power in Hollywood,...

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:18:38 -0400

If Ari Emanuel didn’t have so much power in Hollywood, there would certainly be a movie about Zeke, Rahm and Ari in pre-production right now. These power brothers make too good of a story for it not to be a movie. I mean, Entourage and The West Wing already reflect two of the brothers but I think a full on bio-pic is in order.

Trying to watch DTV is like watching hulu on dialup. It is...

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:50:13 -0400

Trying to watch DTV is like watching hulu on dialup. It is miserable and can’t be helped.

So exactly how many medical dramas are in the fall lineup? I...

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:04:22 -0400

So exactly how many medical dramas are in the fall lineup? I lost count.

I never heard of Don Hewitt until his death though I’ve...

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:13:14 -0400

I never heard of Don Hewitt until his death though I’ve watched his creation, 60 Minutes, for years. In an environment that favors instant, bite size news instead of in-depth storytelling, can there be another Don Hewitt? Absolutely. Audiences will always be drawn to well-told stories.

When Windows 95 arrived and introduced Microsoft Bob, I was...

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:12:47 -0400

When Windows 95 arrived and introduced Microsoft Bob, I was eight. Quite simply, I was obsessed with it. I’m not ashamed either. Years later I discovered that what I thought was the coolest game ever was actually a faux, user-friendly operating system. The things I would do for an OS X version of Bob…

"Professor Gates concurred, saying: “We hit it off right from the beginning. When he’s not arresting..."

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:50:32 -0400

“Professor Gates concurred, saying: “We hit it off right from the beginning. When he’s not arresting you, Sergeant Crowley is a really likable guy.””

I wonder what George Orwell would have said about the Internet....

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:39:33 -0400

I wonder what George Orwell would have said about the Internet. As shown by Iran and China, governments have the capacity to stem the flow of information by blocking sites or cutting off access all together. Whatever AT&T’s reasoning for blocking a site today, the power they wield is nothing short of incredible.