Last night was a riot.
“Do you like A$AP Rocky? I’ve been a big Rocky fan ever since the release of his Youtube video, ‘Peso’. Before that, I really didn’t understand any of his work. Too chopped, too screwed. It was on ‘Peso’ where A$AP Rocky’s presence became more apparent. I think ‘Bass’ is his undisputed masterpiece. It’s an epic meditation on swagger. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of his style. Christy, take off your robe. Listen to the brilliant ensemble arranged by the track’s producer, Clams Casino. You can practically hear every nuance of every sample. Sabrina, remove your dress. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this mixtape hits a new peak of professionalism. Sabrina, why don’t you, uh, dance a little…”
Pure gold. Excited for the show this week.
# clarity of thought
# context
# aesthetics
# being a human
# my impeccable collection of electronic music
# the quality of orange juice I’m about to consume
Over the weekend NYT published an engrossing article, laying out in fascinating, sometimes depressing and heartbreaking detail China’s role as the manufacturing superpower at the cost of middle class jobs in the U.S. by way of dissecting Apple as the primary case study. Those details have profound and far reaching implications for the future of global economy and America’s tech innovation in particular. While it’s common knowledge that everything is made in China, what some may not realize is that it’s not due to cheap labor rather China’s ability to “scale” at a breakneck speed and breathtaking manner that no other country in the world can match. And when it comes to manufacturing high volume consumer electronics, that’s where it counts:
Apple executives say that going overseas, at this point, is their only option. One former executive described how the company relied upon a Chinese factory to revamp iPhone manufacturing just weeks before the device was due on shelves. Apple had redesigned the iPhone’s screen at the last minute, forcing an assembly line overhaul. New screens began arriving at the plant near midnight.
A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company’s dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day.
“The speed and flexibility is breathtaking,” the executive said. “There’s no American plant that can match that.” […]
“They could hire 3,000 people overnight,” said Jennifer Rigoni, who was Apple’s worldwide supply demand manager until 2010, but declined to discuss specifics of her work. “What U.S. plant can find 3,000 people overnight and convince them to live in dorms?”
This is a must read. If nothing else, to get the details behind first iPhone’s benchmark-setting all glass, scratch resistant screen. Speaking of which, that last bit you’ll get you.
Speaking of action B-movies, I saw Haywire last night. Suffice to say it’s a purely self-indulgent, masturbatory take on the genre. Plots, details, dialogues were utterly forgettable and often disorientating. (5 people walked out just from our the row…my best guess: to go see ‘Contraband’ instead.)
It’s essentially an experimental action movie, that hard core Soderbergh fans will feel right at home with. There were some beautifully shot location scenes. Playful camera work and long cuts were an homage to old timey classics. But the best part was watching an awkward Gina Carano interact with an A list casts and then on the flip of a switch transformation into a deft UFC style mixed martial artist (that she really is). This contrast was oddly fascinating.
And then there was that brutal Michael Fassbender fight scene. If your’e someone with soft spots for Fassbender prepare thyself. What you’ll witness won’t be pretty.
