Tag Archives: magazine

Kanye West braces for new album by previewing new songs at Facebook, joining Twitter [Update: Rolling Stone visit]

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After spending some time out of the limelight, Kanye West has returned to entertain us with his slick, emotionally-driven raps and different side of his thumping ego.  On Wednesday Kanye visited Facebook HQ in Palo Alto, California to preview four tracks from his upcoming album.  He donned a fresh suit and rapped a capella atop a table inside a fluorescently lit conference room in front of Facebook employees.  He starts with a “fun rap”, that’s the one embedded above.  It rocks.  “Kill the hypocrisy/This is an aristocracy..I’m Socrates/But my skin more chocolatey.”  The next rap is rather short; it may just be a freestyle, but it’s got a sick line in it: “Lost in this plastic life/Let’s break out of this fake-ass party, turn this into a classic night.”  The next song likely titled “Chain Heavy” is dipped in politics and contains this humorous line: “They try to tell me that aliens built the pyramids/I swear life’s on bitch on a period”; it concludes with my favorite line I’ve heard this far: “This is the making of a masterpiece/So we broke out the chains and told our master, ‘Peace’.”  The fourth song is called “Mama’s Boyfriend” and it’s an extremely emotional track about Kanye’s late mother Donde West.  In it he journeys back to the days when his divorced mother started dating other men.  “I’m my mama’s boyfriend/I’m her little husband…Keep your hands off my mama” he screams.  Apprently this track took him 33 years to write and it clearly means a lot to him.  ‘Ye drops so many uses of the n-word in this track, but he says, “I’m allowed to use it.”

Later that day he posted this message targeted to the Facebook employees:  “Many times in life I’ve had to deal with moments of doubt. And as it’s been a minute since I’ve performed any fresh material in front of an audience, this could’ve been one of those moments… but it wasn’t. Your energy was a gift so electric, so genuine, that it really helped me give my best. The energy was so inspiring I had to keep going!  I just hope you got as much from me as I got from you…which was everything!”  Be sure to look after the break to listen to all the tracks.

From one popular social network to another, Kanye finally caved in and joined the Twitterverse.  And you know what?  He actually comes across a non-egotistical funnyman.  Peep his first tweet: “Up early in the morning taking meetings in Silicone Valley.”  This was followed almost immediately by: “Lol I spelled Silicon wrong ( I guess I was still thinking about the other type of silicone ITS A PROCESS!! : )”  Then came some important news regarding his upcoming album: “The album is no longer called “Good Ass Job” I’m bouncing a couple of titles around now.”  Just confirming our suspicions, Kanye.  After giving a handful of shoutouts to various blogs for reporting his Facebook HQ visit, he started to notice how quickly he was garnering a following.  In less than two days he managed to gain a following of nearly 300,000 (he’s currently at 293,687 followers).  With tweets like these: “My thoughts on Twitter so far… at the end of the day, God damnit I’m killing this shit!!!” and “I think Twitter was designed specifically with me in mind just my humble opinion hahhhahaaaahaaa humble hahahahhahaahaaaa” you might think ‘Ye is stroking his ego again, but I think he’s actually starting to satirize himself.  He’s finally realized that he “has the power to let power go” and he’s learning from his past mistakes.  Hilarious comic (and one of Kanye’s friends) Aziz Ansari started trending the hashtag #PredictingKanyeTweets, and Kanye simply retweeted jokes that were on him.  “Damn I wish Hermes made edible snacks, Cheezits just ain’t dope enough for my mouth”, tweeted Ansari.  The fact that he’s not retaliating but instead having fun with his new lease on life through Twitter makes me believe that he’s turning a corner for the better.  But don’t take my word for it.  Follow @kanyewest and form your own opinions.

At the end of the day, it appears as if Kanye wants to begin a new chapter in his career.  After coming out of hiding he decided to tease some tracks and open up his fanbase using the power of social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter.  It’s an interesting and unconventional route to take but it’s one I can commend.  Welcome back Mr. West.  September 14 come now please.

Update: Later in the week Kanye visited a bunch of magazine headquarters including XXL and Rolling Stone.  A video surfaced on YouTube from his meeting with the latter outlet.  Look for it after the break.

[Via KWBlog; KWTwitter] Continue reading Kanye West braces for new album by previewing new songs at Facebook, joining Twitter [Update: Rolling Stone visit] →

Meet Daisy Lowe, UK Esquire Magazine covergirl

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Director Greg Williams is at it again, this time shooting for UK’s version of Esquire Magazine.  (Previously we’ve seen Greg’s work with Megan Fox and Kate Beckinsale for US’ Esquire Mag.)  Per usual, he uses a super hi-def RED camera, this time with a MX Sensor, to shoot video of covergirl Daisy Lowe that will eventually be converted into stills to use for her spread in the July issue of the zine.  Lowe is a 21-year-old English fashion model.  Watch her prance around in the video above, and check out a handful of the resulting stills in the gallery below.  [This goes without saying but the video and images are NSFW.]

[Stills via egotastic]

Playboy goes 3D

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Image: Playboy magazine

Back in the ’50s Hef assigned a photographer to shoot two nude women in 3D; but since it was so expensive to include the 3D glasses at the time the idea was scrapped.  Come this June, however, Hef’s dream will finally become a reality.  The June edition of Playboy will hit newsstands bundled with a new surprise: 3D glasses!  Playboy founder Hugh Hefner: “What would people most like to see in 3-D?  Probably a naked lady.”  Centerfold Hope Dworaczyk will pop out to readers using the packaged anaglyph (blue-and-red) 3D shades.  Says Dworaczyk, “It’s kind of like it says on the rearview mirror.  Things may appear larger.”  From having Marge Simpson as a centerfold to making the centerfold come off the page in 3D, Playboy is trying its darndest to stay relevent and different.  Circulation of Hef’s magazine has decreased from 3.5 million in 2006 to 1.5 million today.  Though I can’t imagine the addition of 3D in Playboy help sales, it surely will be a treat for long-time subscribers.

[Via MSNBC; Gizmodo]

Magazine stand of the future

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Imagine this: In the future magazine stands will be interactive on the consumer-end and communicative with your portable tablet computer.  Cynergy’s magazine kiosk concept bring that future to life today.  Using a Microsoft Surface table and proprietary software, Cynergy created a highly intuitive and seemless way to preview and purchase magazines on the go.  As you can see in the video above, it’s as simple as this: You go up to one of these “public” tables and browse a full library of magazines and sort them by category, popularity, etc.  Once you find something you’re interested in, you tap the cover to view its table of contents and preview it.  When you’re ready to buy a digital version of it, you place down your tablet device (that’s running Cynergy’s “custom designed and built” software) onto the table and it’s instantly recognized.  Your name and credit amount pops up on screen.  To take the magazine with you, simply drag and drop the zine’s cover from the Surface to your tablet.  (The visuals during this part are very neat; the zine actually appears to move from the table to the tablet without hiccup).  And now you own the magazine; it’s sitting in your digital (print) media collection on your tablet.  I can totally see something like this being implemented for tablets like the iPad and (future) color screen e-readers.  Look after the break for a second demo.

[Via BusinessInsider; Gizmodo; Engadget]

Continue reading Magazine stand of the future →

Wired is coming to the iPad, looking suh-weet

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So this is what Wired is going to look like on the iPad.  Pretty cool, huh?  Wired teamed up with Adobe to create Wired Reader, a digital version of the real-life magazine.  The UI looks stunning and the back-and-forth between pages, images, and video is very fluid.  It runs on top of Adobe’s AIR app, allowing developers to easily convert the Reader to run on other mobile devices and even the PC or Mac.  Will the iPad revolutionize the print media industry?  Hard evidence like this points towards a resounding “yes.”

[Via Wired]

Kid Cudi covers Time Out New York, is one of “Most Stylish New Yorkers”

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Rapper Kid Cudi is one of 30 “Most Stylish New Yorkers” featured in the latest issue of Time Out New York.  If you’re interested in his inspirations, where he shops, and his favorite designers click here to read the interview.  Check out the gallery below for a crop of images from the photoshoot, and look after the break for a behind-the-scenes video from the shoot.

[Via DatNewCudi, here & here; KanyeBlog]

Continue reading Kid Cudi covers Time Out New York, is one of “Most Stylish New Yorkers” →

Brooklyn Decker shines as SI’s 2010 Swimsuit Issue cover model

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DAMN.  This year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model is g-g-gorgeous.  Her name’s Brooklyn Decker, she’s 22, and this is her fifth appearence in a Swimsuit Issue.

Check out a handful of pics from the photoshoot in the gallery below, and take a gander at the behind-the-scenes video.  Click here for more pictures and video.

[Via SI]

Augment your reality: T-shirt edition

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T-Post, a monthly magazine that packs a t-shirt with every issue, celebrates their 51st issue with an interactive tee that plays the classic game of Rock-Paper-Scissors with you.  How does it work?  With the aid of augmented reality tech, of course.  All you have to do is put on the shirt, sit in front of a webcam, run T-Post’s webapp, and watch as a spooky hand flies out of the screen waiting to repeatedly play Rock-Paper-Scissors with you.  See it in action for yourself in the video above.

[Via Core 77; Gizmodo]

Rihanna covers GQ topless

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Rihanna graces the January cover of GQ Magazine, and it seems that she forgot to wear a top.  Fine by me.  In the GQ interview she talks about her split with abusive ex Chris Brown.  “It’s relieving because it was built up for so long, and all these thoughts and emotions have been running through my mind for the past eight months.  And now it’s like I finally get to let go and move on.”  She also says, “I wanted people to move on with me.”  Oh, I’m moving on with you alright.  I mean…your new album Rated R is great!  Check out an additional (and even more revealing) shot of Rihanna in the gallery below.

[Via EW; Huffinton Post]

Another ‘zine publisher joins the push towards digital media

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The publishers at Popular Magazine have joined the digital revolution in print media with their rendition of a concept tablet device displaying their magazine in a digitized form.  PopSci publisher Bonnier teamed up with design agency BERG to create this mock tablet called Mag+ that does its best to recreate the magazine in a digital environment.  Bonnier joins Time Inc.’s Sports Illustrated and Conde Nast’s Wired in the movement towards a digital future for magazines.  If this is indeed the future for magazines and even newspapers, I say bring it on.  Technology and interactivity could be long sought solution for keeping print media alive in a digital age ruled by the Internet.

[Via Gizmodo]

Address label finds fault with Esquire’s ‘magic’ issue

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Yeah so remember when I posted about Esquire’s attempt to re-energize the zine industry with the inclusion of augmented reality tricks hidden within its latest issue?  Well look what we have here.  In order to augment your reality (ie. see Downey Jr. jump around on the page) you need to point a special-coded marker to your computer’s webcam.  It looks like customers are receiving the issue with the address label covering the marker on the cover page!  WTF, indeed.

Esquire has commented on the matter.  And that can be read after the break if you so choose to do so.

[Via Gawker] Continue reading Address label finds fault with Esquire’s ‘magic’ issue →