SEARCH

Even we here at Plexipixel didn’t know employee Jordan Kotzebue and brother Travis were working on NBC’s ‘Heroes’ online comic. Jordan is a fantastic artist, so to hear this news blew us out of the water! Congratulations guys!

Please watch the interview with Jordan and Travis on KING5.com!

Check out the Kotzebue Brothers website too!

Here are two more fabulous shows to check out this weekend. When you are in Belltown at Arbito’s show (see posting down the page for details), be sure to check out Freddi C at BLVD Art Gallery on Friday night.

Also, on Saturday, go to OKOK Gallery in Ballard and see Kathleen Lolley’s softly rendered paintings. Her style is haunting yet endearing.

Images: Top - Freddi C, Bottom - Kathleen Lolley.

My sister, Mahasti, and her dance partner, Lisa Yasmeen, (top - pictured left to right) as well as friend of Plexipixel, Mary Woodring (in red), will be dancing at a benefit this weekend.

The event is a fundraiser for the YMCA Partners with Youth Campaign this Saturday, Feb. 17th from 6-8 pm. It takes place at the University Heights Center at 5031 University Way in Seattle. The funds will help homeless kids attend day camp and classes.

There will be a silent auction featuring a grayscale Mr. Bumper toy by Jim Woodring. It is 1 out of only 1oo made in this colorway(We only have pictures of the color ones). The other grayscale toys won’t see the light of day until Comic-Con.

It’s been a sad month. We just lost Joe Barbera, and now Iwao Takamoto, creator of Scooby-Doo has died. Takamoto was vice-president at Warner Brothers at the time of his death.

See BBC and Cartoon Brew for more on the incredible life of Iwao Takamoto. May he rest in peace.

Plexipixel doubled its size in 2006, adding a whole lot of brains and a whole lot more opinions. And while we all relish the new creative energy funneling in, we aren’t going to lie to you. What really kept us going was mind candy. Movies, games, TV, music… you name it, someone here loved it. Here’s a little sample of what we dug in 2006.

Hands up if you love the Nintendo Wii. Yes, it’s unanimous. Whether getting sore arms from playing it or sore feet from waiting in line to track one down, we obsessed over the little white box thats taken the world by storm.. That’s not to say we didn’t find time for other games too—everything from old school Super Mario to Geometry Wars to Animal Crossing DS to Guitar Hero II helped us kick our work stress.

Apparently the real world can’t hold a candle to the enchanted land of Tamriel: Ian H is sure his system lies when it reports that he played 140 hours of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Allen is close behind, with 65 hours (and counting) under his thumbs.

Jesse R spent hours convincing us to see the cinematic masterpiece that was Snakes on a Plane. Most of us wisely ignored him, and enjoyed big dollar spectacles like X-Men: The Last Stand and Pirates of the Caribbean. Milk-comes-out-your-nose sendups like Talladega Nights and Borat delivered laughter, and Shortbus and Little Miss Sunshine kept us feeling indie.

Local art and music sustained us during months of rain, snow and windstorm-induced power outages. Our brains exploded with the awesomeness of Plush You, the annual celebration of all things plush, Suite 100 Gallery’s Made You Look art opening, and Ellen Forney’s “I Love Zeppelin” multi-media extravaganza. A Fantagraphics retail store opened in Georgetown, providing much needed entertainment to the South end. Decibel Festival ruled.

Nitro rocks. Plain and simple. Almost as much as PartMan PartHorse, Keane, Neko Case, Thai Beat A Go-Go, Girl Talk, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Ghostface Killah, DJ Spooky, Tim Hecker, The Slackers, and Liars. And when all else failed, we had Crunk Hits. Hwwaaaaat? Ho-kay! Yeeee-ah.

As 2007 rolls in, we have our fingers crossed for Barack Obama, riveting new seasons of Lost, American Idol and Heroes, and the magic of Spiderman 3 and Transformers the Movie. Amie S and Lisa S hope to clear some of the Microsoft acronyms out of their brains. So long, IW, BDM, LMK, WRT, CIL and WTF. We’re also looking forward to weddings: Plexi founders Vicky T and Matt R are tying the knot, and Paola R and Ian H too.

All of this wouldn’t be nearly as exciting if we weren’t also keeping busy with a full platter of fantastic and creative projects. Here’s hoping for more of the same in 2007. We’ll be sure to tell you all about it.

(props to Tizzy A and Ian R for doing all the work on this puppy!)

May the Godfather of Soul rest in peace. We will miss you!!!

The Art and Science of Japanese Robots - An Evening with Tim Hornyak
 
09.20.067:30 PM - 9:00 PM 
Free members / $4 public 
JBL Theatre, next door to SFM in EMP 
325 5th Avenue North 
Seattle, WA 98109 
 
“A fascination with robots pervades Japanese culture, from cartoon shows to consumer toys to corporate engineering research. While in the West, robots are seen as threatening—think of the “Terminator”-style tales of technology out to destroy its human creators—in Japan, robots are far more commonly seen as partners, cooperating with the humanity whose image they wear. And several companies, including Honda, Sony, Fujitsu, and JVC, have spent millions in developing robots who return the investment not through money but by serving as technological ambassadors to the public. Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots (September 2006, $26.95) explores the reasons behind Japan’s unique affection for robots, and looks at the surprising direction in which robo-mania is taking the country.

Science and technology journalist Timothy N. Hornyak takes readers on a fascinating and beautifully-illustrated tour through the robot kingdom, interacting with the latest technological pets and playmates, interviewing the engineers and designers currently creating the inhabitants of tomorrow, and even visiting the Osaka RoboCup, where every year teams of robots from across the world face off in games of soccer. Along the way, Hornyak reveals several different factors that have played a part in Japan’s enthusiasm for robots.” 

Have you seen this awesome article about designer toys in Seattle? It has a big up to Shawn Wolfe in it, too.  Yay to Jim Woodring and Ms. Kristin “Schmancy” Rask for all the local call outs!  It’s so nice to see super awesome folks in Seatown supporting each other.  I feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

P.S. We can’t wait to meet Mr. Bumper!

In Japan the slang for “comb-over” is “baakodo” (aka “barcode”). Watch this video from Design Barcode, Inc. for super cute animation, innovative business idea, and biting play on a certain hairstyle for men.

Raping?  Ouch!