MEMOS TO PRINCE

Sasha Frere-Jones and Ben Greenman "decided to write a series of memos imagining what art directors would have said to Prince over the years."

Great sentence: "I am familiar with your proprietary spelling system. (U always make me smile!)"

Thanks to hellatightshit.

DAILY 'YE

Not that Nick Cave, I guess.

Kanye revels in "soundsuits" (via Loudreams), which are wild. More here. Also, check these Larare's. Impractical, but aesthetic.

And: Cassie feat. The Dream MP3, doing it right at some punk disco in outer space. I'd give it a cursory A-.

THE FUTURE OF POWER

Nevada should be a giant solar farm. Better than secret military bases and meth labs.

I read two articles today that reminded me of my trip to Israel, where almost every metropolitan property hosts rooftop solar panels. It's confusing why this isn't more of a standard in the US, especially in climate-similar areas (like much of California).

Read this: How to Power the Entire Country With Renewable Energy: Fun With Maps Edition. Pretty good overview (with cool maps!) of non-fossil energy sources:

As you can see almost every single square inch of this country is suitable for home scale geothermal heat extraction. That means that if you wanted (and could afford to do so) you could almost certainly heat your home fuel free from the ground.

Then this: Corn Ethanol Uses 300% More Water Than Previously Thought. Via Technology Review.

The more time passes, the worse corn ethanol looks. Too bad it's subsidized through the wazoo and historically, agricultural subsidies have been almost impossible to repeal...

You can't know too much about this.

THE DARK SIDE OF DUBAI

This article is insane. First, a Bangladesh-ian "worker" building the "67th floor" of a new skyscraper:

"You have to carry 50kg bricks and blocks of cement in the worst heat imaginable ... This heat – it is like nothing else. You sweat so much you can't pee, not for days or weeks. It's like all the liquid comes out through your skin and you stink. You become dizzy and sick but you aren't allowed to stop, except for an hour in the afternoon. You know if you drop anything or slip, you could die. If you take time off sick, your wages are docked, and you are trapped here even longer."

Next, an native born Emirati, living tax-free, education paid for, relishing the glossy spectre of a free state:

He says the lack of political freedom is fine by him. "You'll find it very hard to find an Emirati who doesn't support Sheikh Mohammed." Because they're scared? "No, because we really all support him. He's a great leader. Just look!" He smiles and says: "I'm sure my life is very much like yours. We hang out, have a coffee, go to the movies. You'll be in a Pizza Hut or Nando's in London, and at the same time I'll be in one in Dubai," he says, ordering another latte.

Then, a blacklisted Emirati dissident:

Why is the state so keen to defend this system of slavery? He offers a prosaic explanation. "Most companies are owned by the government, so they oppose human rights laws because it will reduce their profit margins. It's in their interests that the workers are slaves."

Essential reading from The Independent via the Dish.

I WANT THIS

It would be so much more fun to use the word "spigot" if I had this.

From Design2009's Etsy page.

"KOZO1 / table lamp - is made of galvanized iron parts and an original innovative – on/off tap light switch (developed at the studio), combined with the electronics needed for it to house a 40watt light bulb, KOZO1 is a unique functional light designed for a wide range of indoor life scenes and atmosphere."