bookofjoe

"Lest We Forget" — Dan Tague

Wrote Mark Jenkins in a June 23, 2011 Washington Post review of New Orleans-based artist Dan Tague's show "The Kids Are Alright" at Civilian Art Projects in Washington, D.C.,

"Tague folds a dollar bill as many as 100 times until it spells out an unexpected phrase."

Shades of William Burroughs' cut-ups.

 

Solar Dog

"A solar panel on the dog's collar

powers a motor that

makes the tail wag."

$18.95.

Long-time Iowa State Fair Official Butter Sculptor Norma "Duffy" Lyon is dead at 81

Below, excerpts from T. Rees Shapiro's obituary in today's Washington Post.

Norma "Duffy" Lyon, a renowned butter sculptor whose cow statues and creamy depictions of John Wayne, Tiger Woods and Elvis attracted millions of visitors to the Iowa State Fair for more than 40 years, died June 26 at a hospital in Marshalltown, Iowa, after a stroke. She was 81.

Mrs. Lyon, an Iowa cattle farmer's wife, was pregnant with her seventh child when she became the official Iowa State Fair butter cow sculptor in 1960.

Every year since, tens of thousands of fairgoers have lined up to glimpse Mrs. Lyon's signature butter cow and other dairy creations.

Mrs. Lyon’s other works included a butter statue of country entertainer Garth Brooks, a butter rendition of Grant Wood’s painting "American Gothic," and a butter Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

She sculpted a cheddar cheese cow for David Letterman’s "Late Show" and created butter busts of Matt Lauer and Katie Couric for the "Today" show hosts.

Mrs. Lyon said she was most proud of a life-size reproduction of Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" [top, with the sculptor]. The sculpture of Jesus and his 12 disciples was made with 2,000 pounds of butter.

Mrs. Lyon sculpted the butter cow in a large, refrigerated room whose temperature never exceeds 40 degrees. On average, the cow calls for 600 pounds of butter, which is enough to spread across 19,200 slices of toast.

Mrs. Lyon retired from cow sculpting in 2006, passing the knife on to her protege, Sarah Pratt.

"People treat me like a queen sometimes," Mrs. Lyon said in 1996. "Little kids get pretty awe-struck. But I'm just an Iowa farm wife."

Mrs. Lyon was a 1951 animal husbandry graduate of what is now Iowa State University. During one winter there, she and her sorority sisters won a campus-wide snow sculpture contest. Encouraged by her friends, she took sculpting classes under the tutelage of Danish-born artist Christian Petersen.

During the last presidential election season, Mrs. Lyon made a 23-pound butter bust of then-candidate Barack Obama.

At a campaign stop in Iowa, Mrs. Lyon presented the sculpture to Obama, who said to her that his ears appeared too big.

Mrs. Lyon insisted that as much as she liked him, her artwork had to be true to form.

During the last presidential election season, Mrs. Lyon made a 23-pound butter bust of then-candidate Barack Obama.

At a campaign stop in Iowa, Mrs. Lyon presented the sculpture to Obama, who said to her that his ears appeared too big.

Mrs. Lyon insisted that as much as she liked him, her artwork had to be true to form.

Star Trek Car Emblem

Think outside the automobile space.

As it were.

5.5" x 2".

$9.99.

[via Nuclear Toast]

Population Density Map of the People's Republic of China

[via ChartsBin, whose interactive version of the map is far more informative than the snapshot above.]

Apple Newton: iPhone 1.0

Apply within.

[via Fancy]

South Korean way of making popcorn

[via Las Lentejas, nopuedocreer and Bits & Pieces]

USB Mini Turntable

From the website:

............................

Why just listen to your music when you can scratch it, jam it, tweek and twerk it?

This Mini USB Turntable plugs right into your computer for instant DJ action on the small scale.

Plug into your computer and attach headphones or let it play out loud.

Play any playlist you want and let your fingers make magic.

Fully stocked with real scratching sounds and sound effect buttons, volume controls, and tempo variance.

Features:

• Each package contains a lithium battery, USB cord, and audio jack for music player connection to the turntable.

• Plug into a computer to charge the battery — once it's charged, you may use the turntable freely with your iPod or other MP3 player.

• Approximately 2" long x 2" wide.

.............................

$23.99.