From the producers:
“The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns, with a special focus on the United States. All the stuff in our lives, beginning from the extraction of the resources to make it, through its production, sale, use and disposal, affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view.”

This is probably old news to you given The Story of Stuff first launched in December of 2007,  yet I’m so lame that today is the first I heard of it. For those that haven’t seen this mini-documentary, the clear information presented is well worth 20 minutes of your time. For those that have, please direct all insults about my aforementioned lameness to the comments below. Look for the book of the same title in March of 2010.

posted by: Brent Carter

January 23, 1924. Washington, D.C. “Midget.” News item, Jan. 20: “The first organized touring Coolidge Marching Club to work for the nomination of the president comes to Washington Sunday morning. It is composed of 25 European midgets, headed by I.S. Rose, New Englander and impresario. The midgets wear buttons and ribbons on which is inscribed ‘Coolidge 1925.

The image above is from Calvin Coolidge’s Presidential 1925 campaign and shows one example of the extraordinary vintage images found on Shorpy’s Photo Archive. The site which takes its name from Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner from the turn of the century, has collected thousands of high-resolution images from the Library of Congress research archive plus those submitted by Shorpy’s online members, providing a wealth of information about America’s history from the 1850s to the 1950s. Included in the collection are iconic photographs by legends likes Dorthea Lange, Lewis Hine, Walker Evans and Jack Delano. Trust us, this is one image filled internet site you won’t have to feel guilty about losing yourself in its content for hours.

November 1910. Birmingham, Alabama. “Donnie Cole. ‘Our baby doffer,’ they called him. This is one of the machines he has been working at for some months at the Avondale Mills. Said, after hesitation, ‘I’m 12,’ and another small boy added, ‘He can’t work unless he’s twelve.’ Child labor regulations conspicuously posted in the mill.” Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine.

idea by: Meghan Bainum
posted by: Brent Carter

As of today, Lawrence’s own Scott Stewart of Artstew has uploaded his entry into WNYC Radio’s Soundcheck Video Contest for the Fiery Furnaces latest single “The End Is Near.” We think it’s the best entry so far but considering the video stars The Rathaus’ founder/director B. Carter, managing editor Tricia Rock, graphic designer/contributor Scott Starrett and contributor s.a.johnson, we may not be the most impartial of judges.

You can view the rest of the entries and vote for your favorite here. If you really hustle you could get your own entry done by  the August 31st deadline.

posted by: Harold Johns III

Transmission Entertainment has just announced the lineup for the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest (F3F) which takes place on November 7th and 8th at Waterloo Park in Austin, TX. Now in its fourth year, F3F prides itself on successfully blending indie, punk, electronica, hip hop, heavy metal and comedy acts together while representing some of Austin’s most innovative businesses in what they consider to be the “most relaxed, laid back and (yet) progressive” festival environment around. F3F also strives to reunite legendary bands as well as prominent up and coming acts from around the world. This year’s edition will have the older the music geek drooling over performances by The Jesus Lizard, Shonen Knife, Mission of Burma and Danzig while Les Savy Fav, Of Montreal, GZA, No Age, Atlas Sound, The Strange Boys and Why? should have all the younger hipsters dancing their ironic little hearts out.

2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest lineup:
RATATAT – OF MONTREAL – CRYSTAL CASTLES – LES SAVY FAV – YEASAYER – MISSION OF BURMA – LUCERO – WHY? – BROADCAST – ATLAS SOUND – DEATH (DETROIT) – NO AGE – RED SPAROWES – SHONEN KNIFE – FUCK BUTTONS – TIMES NEW VIKING – THIS WILL DESTROY YOU – CRYSTAL ANTLERS – GROWING – BLACK AND WHITE YEARS – ROYAL BANGS – THE LAUGHING – JESUS LIZARD – DANZIG – GORILLA BISCUITS – FACE TO FACE – FUCKED UP – 7 SECONDS – D.R.I. TORCHE – MELT BANANA – FLIPPER – COALESCE – RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS – STREET DOGS – RUSSIAN CIRCLES NIGHT MARCHERS  – METALLAGHER – YOUTH BRIGADE – MIKA MIKO – ALL LEATHER – YOUNG WIDOWS – COLISEUM – UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND – OFF WITH THEIR HEADS – REIGN SUPREME – RAT KING – PACK OF WOLVES – ROLLER – THE COOL KIDS – PHARCYDE – GZA/GENIUS (PERFORMING LIQUID SWORDS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS) – KID SISTER BARUKA SOM SISTEMA – DJ NUMARK (JURASSIC 5) – HEALTH NEON INDIAN – MC CHRIS – SSION – ALASKA IN WINTER – VEGA – FOOT PATROL – ASTRONAUTALIS – CAR STEREO  (WARS) – THE DJ MELEE – SUGAR & GOLD LAX – PELIGROSA DJS – BETA PLAYER – DESTROYER – WHITEST KIDS YOU KNOW SKETCH COMEDY TROUPE – BRIAN POSEHN – KING KHAN BBQ – SHEARWATER – TODD BARRY – DEAD CONFEDERATE – NICK THUNE – HARLEM – JOSH FADEM – STRANGE BOYS – HANNIBAL BURRESS – JAMES HUSBAND (OF MONTREAL) – BRENDAN WALSH – CEDRIC BURNSIDE & LIGHTNING MALCOLM – CHELSEA PERETTI – BANKRUPT AND THE BORROWERS – ALTERCATION COMEDY HOUR – MOONLIGHT TOWERS – LOW LINE CALLER – NEW MOVEMENT COMEDY GROUP – AND MORE TO COME

Tickets are on sale right now, right here
Early Bird Tickets – $67.50 for a weekend pass (limited for 2 weeks)
Early Bird PIP (Pretty Important Person) Tickets – $135  for a PIP weekend pass (limited for 2 weeks)

posted by: Harold Johns III

Studio Synopsis:
In RiP: A Remix Manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.

The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil’s Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil and pop culture critic Cory Doctorow are also along for the ride.

A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org, for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film. With RiP: A Remix Manifesto, Gaylor and Girl Talk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle.

To watch RiP! free click here
Note: You have to watch the film in chapters through this link

posted by: Harold Johns III

If you’re as excited for Spike Jonze‘s adaptation of the Where The Wild Things Are as we are, every little morsel of information revealed about the film makes the release date of October 16th seem more and more like an eternity away. The most recent teaser comes from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O, who with the help of an untrained children’s choir created “Love is All,” the first single from the upcoming soundtrack. As a stand-alone single it’s far from mind-blowing but should fit in nicely with the child-like vibe of the film.

Listen to “Love Is All” free on MySpace

posted by: Harold Johns III