bookofjoe

Satellite photos of Japan, after and before the quake and tsunami

Astounding.

Above and below, the coastal town of Arahama, where all the houses have simply disappeared.

The satellite images were taken by GeoEye after (top) and before (just above) the disaster.

Tim Lincecum as... John Galliano?

When I first glanced at today's New York Times T Magazine cover (above) I thought to myself, either that's really bad timing or really fast writing for a cover story, what with the designer's recent implosion.

But then I looked again and saw it's not Galliano at all but, rather, "The Freak," the San Francisco Giants' otherworldly pitching ace.

I'd say you'd win a bet if you put money on Lincecum's not having a clue who Galliano is.

Not that it matters.

Cadillac takes product placement to a whole new level

Above, a photo I snapped 11 minutes ago from atop my treadmill of South African golfer Charl Schwartzel teeing off on the 15th hole at the Cadillac [really?] Championship in Doral, Florida.

Why stop here?

Next year they ought to have the golfers tee off from on top of the car's roof.

 

Like/Dislike Stamper Set

"Even better than Facebook because it has the much desired 'Dislike' feature."

Each stamp has enough ink for 5,000 impressions and measures 3"H x 2.5"W.

$12.99.

[via Funniest Gadgets and LDJ]

SaferProducts.gov

The site went live Friday.

It's a database that makes public "the types of injury and death reports that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has gathered for years, but that have largely remained out of public view," wrote Andrew Martin in a March 11, 2011 New York Times article.

"Consumers will also be able to file complaints on the web site for all types of products except for food, drugs, cosmetics, cars and guns."

I guess we know who's got lobbying power — and money to burn to selectively keep the lid on.

Anyway, something is better than nothing in this area.

Said Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety at the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group, "They [consumers] either never find out or find out when it's too late."

Note that you can't search reports from other consumers until early April because manufacturers are allowed 10 days to respond before a report is even posted.

Note also that manufacturers and some members of Congress are trying to strip the database of financing and shut it down ASAP.

So have fun while the music's playing 'cause the band may take a break, step outside for a cigarette and start walking.

Compact cardboard furniture

Designed by Pedro Gomes,

made from cardboard and recycled polypropylene.

Comes as five flat boards for easy transport.

Apply at plpgomes@gmail.com

[via boxbank+ and coroflot]

Evgeny Kissin's ponytail

Not.

But admit it: on first glance at the photo up top, which accompanied Anthony Tommasini's March 11, 2011 New York Times review of the young Russian pianist's "astonishing Lizst program at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday night," it might indeed appear that the virtuoso has gone Karl Lagerfeld.

In black-and-white — the way I'm looking at it in the dead tree edition — the resemblance to a ponytail is even more pronounced. One plus of the Times online as opposed to the old-fashioned version is that most — if not all — of the photos are in color, as opposed to the majority being black-and-white in the paper iteration.

Color pixels, unlike color ink, don't cost a penny more.

"Nove Gonne (Nine Skirts) — Roberto Capucci

From Pia Catton's story in yesterday's Wall Street Journal: "Known for wild sculptural gowns and voluminous dresses of pleated silk, Italy's Roberto Capucci will soon be the latest fashion designer to get the major-museum treatment.

"'Art Into Fashion,' at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from March 16 to June 5, celebrates a designer who—though not a household name in America—was a major figure of the couture scene from the 1950s to the 1980s.

"With a reputation for spectacular innovation in shape, Mr. Capucci employed unusual materials, such as pebbles, raffia, plastic and even glow-in-the-dark beads. 'His dresses became sculptures almost from the beginning,' said curator Dilys Blum.

"The Philadelphia exhibit includes more than 80 works, notably Mr. Capucci's 1956 'Nove Gonne' ('Nine Skirts' [top]), which pairs a simple bodice with nine overlapping layers of skirts in red silk taffeta.

"The seductive dress made an appearance in an advertisement for the 1957 Cadillac Series 62 convertible, featuring an elegant model posing in the Roman Forum.

"Mr. Capucci's focus shifted to fashion-as-sculpture, and the designs grew ever more spectacular; in 1995, he was invited to show at the Venice Biennale art show."

Above, a selection of Capucci's designs.