Новости за 20.03.2015

Paglen’s work fascinates because it sometimes strains credulity and partly because it challenges viewers’ tolerance for the notion that sharpness in social or political critique can qualify otherwise unprepossessing stuff as “art.” Inside a thick cube of clear acrylic, an ironic reference to minimal sculpture’s boast of intellectual transparency, Paglen and Appelbaum have placed custom electronics that create a Wi-Fi hotspot through which gallery visitors can log on to the Tor network that encrypts Web searches and other communications. Читать дальше...

Odd crash on Bernal Hill was lust-relatedTwo young folks in a Honda Civic did not climb Bernal Heights Hill aiming to fly a kite, according to San Francisco police. The Bernalwood news site has gotten to the bottom of a head-scratcher of a Honda crash that happened early Monday on the summit of San Francisco’s Bernal Heights Hill, beyond an access gate that was left with a busted lock and near the radio tower. Apparently, they did it all for the nooky. First came the wreck, which was initially a bit of a mystery. Читать дальше...

Peter Cowie, the British film scholar, has been doing a series of Flashback articles for the Criterion Collection’s web site in which he recalls the many great filmmakers he has known.  His latest is on Francois Truffaut.

Mom’s online-dating help leads to a perfect match In 2012, after completing a master’s of business abroad, Nicole Mendez returned from London and Shanghai and moved in with her parents in Los Altos. The transition was somewhat jarring, but she landed a job at Cisco as a communications manager. Because work was all-consuming, her social life was not so great. A friend signed her up on a dating site, but she was daunted by sifting through online profiles, so she let her membership languish. During those first few months back home... Читать дальше...

When federal agents destroyed video footage of a mentally impaired woman waiting in line to enter California from Mexico with drugs strapped to her body, they said they were just following routine procedures. What they also destroyed, according to a federal appeals court, was the drug prosecution. Saying the action amounted to bad-faith erasure of evidence that might have shown defendant Estefani Zaragoza-Moreira had been coerced into transporting the drugs, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals... Читать дальше...

Refund that vanished into thin air finally arrives The airline is insisting that we must book and take a flight by the end of February; otherwise, we will lose our ticket credit. If an Expedia representative said you could get your money back, then you should have received a refund after sending your mother-in-law’s death certificate. [...] US Airways would offer any passenger a ticket credit, so it wasn’t really doing you any favors. Expedia should have processed the paperwork with US Airways as it promised ... Читать дальше...

Grilled fresh fish and excellent Chilean wine at an outdoor table, watching Pacific Ocean waves crash over lava rock outcrops. Local guides take you to the key sites, and everything to see and do around town is a short walk. Only a Rapa Nui refrigerator magnet. The five-hour plane ticket from Santiago and the services and supplies we purchased on the island. The selection at the complimentary breakfast buffet was limited — unless you like chocolate flakes. In advance, review the different theories about the island’s history.

The quarter-zip pullover (non-hoodie) is a nifty invention, a top that works over another shirt or by itself, and that can be worn with shorts, jeans or slacks. Most of mine, however, were some form of polyester that was too warm a lot of the time and that inevitably would snag. The new SJ Qzip men’s pullover from the secret-pocket gurus at Scottevest is made of DuPont Sorona fabric that feels more like your favorite old cotton T-shirt — breathable, soft and light. The material is light and breathable... Читать дальше...

Recently I heard from someone who took his girlfriend on one of my recommended hikes near Mürren, Switzerland: I convinced Emily to get one last photo of the view together before it got dark, even though we were both tired and hungry — and she very much wanted to relax and have a nice meal. Couples embrace while walking the banks of the Seine River in Paris or meet along the Via dell’Amore (“Pathway of Love”) in Italy’s Cinque Terre. After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom are practically... Читать дальше...

In 2010, architect Andrea Ponsi published a unique and by many readers treasured introduction to the city where he has lived and worked since 1989: “Florence: A Map of Perceptions.” In Florence I concentrated on the tactile qualities of materials and bodily sensations derived from the perception of spaces related to human scale and the experience of walking or going on the bicycle. In San Francisco I looked more in depth at contemporary architecture; that gave me the opportunity to consider themes... Читать дальше...