Secret Codes, High Value Treasure and National Security

Also in the January 2010 issue of Wired, was a cool story about a former employee of the National Reconnaissance Office, the US agency that manages the nation's spy satellites. Clues and codes led authorities to the man and the classified materials he stole from his employer.

Crazy - check it out HERE.

High Speed Rail Travel in the U.S.

I really want bullet trains in America. Why is it so damn hard to make this happen! Check out Wired's 'brief history' of high-speed rail HERE.

Chinese Tale of Internet Obsession

The January 2010 issue of Wired featured a really sad story of a boy sent to a facility in China to deal with his internet "obsession." Heartbraking and thought-provoking.

Check it out HERE.

Can you Vanish Completely in this Digital Age?

That's the question Evan Ratliff of Wired magazine tried to answer last year as he embarked on a journey to shed is identity and challenge readers to find him - worth a $5k prize. If you haven't read this or heard about it, you should read this story. It's really interesting and speaks volumes on how extensively our personally identifiable information is shared and completely traceable.

The article was originally published in the December 2009 issue and can be found HERE.
Wired set up a unique URL to track Evan's journey and offer clues: http://www.wired.com/vanish/

Moroccan Escape

 

You know those magazines you find in the seatback pocket in front of your tray table on an airplane? Well they're pretty good for letting you know what movies will be shown, how to navigate random airports in Europe (Amsterdam Schipol anyone?) and sometimes feature really interesting content - mostly related to travel.

In the March 2010 issue of Delta Sky Magazine, a few good articles caught my eye. The first is great list of top sites and activities in Morocco's main cities and beyond.

(Unfortunately the website no longer features links to the full articles anymore - per a Delta spokesperson: "Effective with our July 2011 issue we have redesigned deltaskymag.com to offer more information on destinations and what to do when you get there. We’ll continue to promote top getaways, contests & offers and Sky extras including behind-the-scenes videos and other content such as our Profile features and Special Sections but no longer have current or past issues of the magazine online." However! They were kind enough to offer sending PDF versions of the files so I can post them here. I've pasted the images which should enlarge so they're legible once you click on them.)

Check out an extra photo gallery HERE.

Bottega Veneta - 2011/2012 Ad Campaign in Venice

I was on NYMag.com today and noticed a big ad for Bottega Veneta featuring what seemed like a beautifully shot behind the scenes video of their fall photo shoot in Venice. Turns out I was right and the video featured Creative Director Tomas Maier recounting the "art of collaboration" with esteemed photographer Robert Polidori. The video is in fact pretty amazing combining the beauty of Venetian architecture, Bottega Veneta designs and enchanting instrumental accompaniment.

Check out the video and get more info HERE. More info from the press release below:

The ad campaign was shot on location in March of 2011, at the Palazzo Papadapoli, a 16th-century building situated on the Grand Canal in Venice. It is the latest in Bottega Veneta’s one-of-a-kind creative collaborations featuring the talents of outstanding artists The Fall-Winter 2011/2012 collections center on extraordinary detail and unusual construction. 


Robert Polidori is a world-renowned photographer of rooms, architecture, and other human environments. His photography career began when he photographed the restoration of Versailles. He has since addressed a wide range of subjects and locations, including the aftermath of Chernobyl, Castro’s Havana, and the legacy of war in Beirut. In 2006 he was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to photograph New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The resulting exhibition drew the largest audience ever to attend one of the museum’s photography shows. He is a staff photographer for The New Yorker and his work is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.


Polidori works with a custom-built large-format camera to take pictures filled with voluminous, voluptuous detail. His images capture a sense of time passing, of humanity and history revealed in what people leave behind. The emotional and temporal dimensions that Polidori brings to his detailed images are what led Bottega Veneta Creative Director Tomas Maier to approach him for the Fall-Winter campaign. “What is unusual about Robert’s work is that it both documents and interrogates,” says Maier. “His attention to detail creates layers of meaning that extend beyond the formal beauty of his images. I was interested in seeing what would result if he turned his lens on Bottega Veneta’s design and the brand’s roots in the Veneto, specifically Venice.” The shoot, which took place over two days in Venice, was the first time that Polidori had been commissioned to shoot with models. “Robert brought this great energy and open-minded sense of adventure to the shoot,” continues Maier. “It was a genuinely exciting collaboration.” Robert Polidori joins a long list of renowned artists who have contributed to the creation of Bottega Veneta’s advertising portfolio.

More on Polidori HERE.

Brussels, Belgium - Next

Nat Geo also did a feature on 48 hours in Brussels, Belgium. It's not just a city for chocolate, beer and mussels (if you eat that) - there's a lot more to this destination and seems like it's worth a trip. (Probably a good hub for a Euro tour, too.)

Check it out HERE.

Best Biking Cities

Also in Nat Geo Traveler's March 2010 issue was a list of the top North American cities for biking. Among the top destinations were New York City, Portland, Montreal and D.C. We can now join the ranks of Amsterdam, Munich and the top European capitals. The article has links to most of city sites with more info including bike routes and info on bike-share programs like Montreal's Bixi.

Check it out HERE.

Buenos Aires - Latin Passion, European Sophistication

Nat Geo Traveler did a great feature on Buenos Aires, Argentina focusing on the food, culture, architecture and sights of the South American capital. I used to think South America wasn't a place I wanted to visit, but I'm slowly changing my mind...

Check it out HERE. Great photo gallery HERE.