bookofjoe

Gap Whitney Biennial Limited Edition T-Shirts

They go on sale at Gap stores in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. and on gap.com tomorrow.

13 artists: Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Marilyn Minter, Kiki Smith, Cai Guo-Qiang, Barbara Kruger, Ashley Bickerton, Kenny Scharf, Glenn Ligon, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Kerry James Marshall, Hanna Liden and Sarah Sze.

bookofjoe readers who made it this far are in for a treat:

they're currently available ahead of their scheduled public release.

$28–$38 right here.

Better not dither or you're gonna be on the outside looking in and paying a small fortune for one on eBay.

Sunglasses Personal Flotation Device

Floating eyeglasses retainer doubles as a protective carrying case.

"The unique neoprene construction allows the fabric to curl, creating a natural pouch that you can tuck glasses into and protecting the lenses from scratches."

Cool.

"Bright colors are easy to spot inside your pack — or in the water should your specs happen to fall overboard."

Yellow, Orange or Lime.

$14.50.

What is it?

Answer here this time tomorrow.

DoneRight Timer — '5 Timers in 1!'

Very cool.

From websites:
....................

DoneRight Timer™

• Set multiple cooking times — up to 5 items (1 for the oven, 1 each for up to 4 burners)

• Time can be added in 1- and 5-minute increments as needed

• Timers sound alert and flash light

• Timers match cooking locations

• 3.5"W x 3.25"L x 4.5"H

• Great for large meals
....................

Black, White, Red or Silver.

Requires 4 AA batteries (not included).

$29.99.

'Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens'

That's the headline of today's Associated Press story by Ariel David as it appears on page five of this morning's Charlottesville Daily Progress, my Podunk town's daily newspaper.

Though I'm not a Catholic I'm certain this breaking news comes as a huge relief to those closeted members of the church who cannot help but think there might be others out there, not of our kind.

Here's the AP article.

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.

The interview, headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.

Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."

Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo's persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has "caused wounds."

In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," he said. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."

Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."

The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

Pizza/Pie Crust Lifter

Remember that time...?

Never again.

From the website:

Pizza/Pie Crust Lifter

Grab one in each hand, then slide beveled edges under pizza, cake or pie crust — lift, carry, deposit.

• Transfer pizza to baking stone, pie crust to pie pan, or lift baked bread wreath onto cooling rack.

• Lift the heaviest cake — thick, stiff plastic lifters won’t wobble or bend

• Dishwasher safe.

$12.95.

Microsoft's got a winner: WorldWide Telescope is here

The free site went live yesterday.

"The WorldWide Telescope is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope — bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe."

I like it.

Should be a nice complement to Google Sky.

Mobile Ring — by Sylvia Goldberger

Kara Martin featured it in The Lonely Londoner, writing, "Item of the day is this genius(!!!) mobile ring by Sylvia Goldberger. You can adjust the pieces to suit you. "Wings" slide to the left and right so that you can rearrange the surface design to suit your style."

Starting at €390.