Category: Culture
Between 100 and 200 video game consoles have existed over the last several decades, depending who you ask. One Wikipedia page lists 143, but doesn’t include handheld systems like Nintendo’s Game Boy and 3DS. Michael Thomasson, a noted collector of vintage games, has 108 different systems, and says his lot would be complete but for […]
We’re happy that the Coca-Cola company embraced its drug heritage in their new ad campaign. Though they stopped putting cocaine in their soda pop, they’re definitely hinting at it in their tagline. Here’s a little more realistic take on what “you’re on coke” means. (Images: Marina Galperina/ANIMALNewYork) […]
Tune in: Wide-band WebSDR is a web-based ham radio on steroids that samples the entire shortwave spectrum. You and dozens of others can tune into radio transmissions worldwide, courtesy of the ETGD amateur radio club at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Listen to Tibetan music and amateurs chattin’. Check out illegal pirate radio stations. Eavesdrop […]
ANIMAL’s Game Plan feature asks video game developers to share a bit about their process and some working images from the creation of a recent game. This week, we spoke with Evan Kice about The White Cane, a game about memory in which the protagonist’s thoughts give shape to the environment. The White Cane is a game about […]
On the map above, which shows the most distinctive artist in each of the 50 states listening preferences according to Spotify, there are a few surprises. What makes Ciara so popular in Nevada, for instance, and why is Delaware so hot on Rush? Of course, there are satisfyingly predictable states as well, from New Jersey’s […]
Last night, Spike Lee gave a talk at Pratt Institute for Black History Month that included what by all accounts was a pretty incredible section on gentrification. Listen below. The topic came up when an attendee asked Lee about the “the other side” of gentrification — a line of discussion the filmmaker was happy to […]
The Tumblr EMOCTV collects instances in which forward-thinking music turns up in children’s TV shows — everything from Mr. Rogers demonstrating an ARP synthesizer, above, to art-rock veterans The Residents performing on the Chicago public access program Chic-a-Go-Go. It’s all worth perusing, but the highlight is an episode of the French TV show Angelo Rules […]
Wes Anderson’s use of music in his films can verge on self-parody, but when he catches you off guard with a tune, the results can be sublime: think Margot Tenenbaum exiting the bus to Nico’s “These Days,” or the Darjeeling Limited brothers funereal walk to The Kinks’ “Strangers.” So approach Pitchfork’s stream of the soundtrack to The […]
Tokyo Tune Train, an awkwardly named new browser game from music hacker extraordinaire Paul Lamere, asks you to navigate a “Snake”-style path while listening to a song of your choice. If you stay on track, the song plays through, but as you screw up, it skips and glitches, with measures happening in the wrong order […]
An app based on a piece of music that doesn’t have any notes in it. It sounds like a gimmick, or a poorly placed joke about the absurdity of modern art. Get it? The app doesn’t do anything, just like the piece! On the contrary, 4′ 33″ – John Cage, released in the iOS App Store […]
