Ffffound

by Ami Kealoha

by Sara Huston

An invitation-based online service, Ffffound allows members to post and share their favorite images—from '70s album covers to contemporary art and outer space nebula— from the web. Like Amazon and Netflix, the site dials up similar images for perusal according each user's tastes and interests. Members save their favorite images, creating an ever-expanding grownup version of a picture book on the web.

The truly beautiful part of the site is the sweet, almost analog (in a good way) feel. Click on “New for you!” to browse member's posts. The intercepted images can be paged through and loaded in list or tile view. I’m also happy to report it works well on iPhones; add it to your homescreen for quick access.

My favorite part of the Ffffound experience is it does not require the user to fill out lengthy profiles, so there is no commitment/obligation to update a profile. Currently, new user registration to Ffffound is through invitation only. If you want to become a member, you’ll have to find a member and hope they will share. (Thanks to KVR for sharing!)

Nine Inch Nails: Ghosts I-IV

by Tim Yu

Following in the footsteps of Radiohead and their game-changing release of In Rainbows, Nine Inch Nails have done something similar with their latest, Ghosts I-IV, by offering DRM-free download of the album at NIN.

Ghosts I-IV is an all-instrumental album that Trent Reznor describes as "the result of working from a very visual perspective—dressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams." In ten intense weeks of recording with the use of numerous instruments and arrangements, NIN is able to produce an updated sound that also maintains the edge they're known for.

Free of any contracts with major labels, NIN is offering the album at different tiers of pricing. The first nine tracks (as well as a pdf booklet and some digital extras like wallpapers and other graphics) are available for free download, but for an added $5 you can get all 36 tracks. At the $10 dollar level, you'll get all that plus two CDs in the mail. And for the die hard fans their is a $300 limited edition box set of vinyl, CDs, DVDs and rare Giclee prints, all encased in some fancy packaging. For more info and all the options visit NIN.

Iran do Espirito Santo: En Passant

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

Brazilian artist Iran do Espirito Santo has always worked with the theme of how viewers experience art. His latest show, "En Passant," continues his exploration of the subject, even rising to criticize how art is digested — too fast and without any depth, he points out.

Inside Galeria Fortes Vilaça, where "En Passant" is on show, vertical and horizontal shades of gray progress from dark to light on the walls, eventually blending in with the white of the space's walls. The lines, when looked at as an entire piece, are meant to look like a fast-forwarded blur taken from scenes at galleries and art shows like biennals and fairs as artists' works are mounted and dismounted. In the end, it doesn't provide enough time for the works to make any lasting impact.

Do Espirito Santo's use of gray harkens back to black and white photography, which fits in with his career work as bringing the user to understand art in as much of a simplistic form as possible without the pop and fizzle of distracting bright colors.

En Passant
Through 20 March 2008
Galeria Fortes Vilaça,
Rua Fradique Coutinho, 1500
São Paulo map
Brazil
tel. +55 (11) 3032-7066

Asa

by Ami Kealoha

by Sheena Sood

Singer-songwriter Asa (pronounced "Asha") was born in Paris and raised in Lagos. "Lagos is the New York of Nigeria. If you want to get anywhere in music, that's where you'll find the best opportunities, as well as the worst pitfalls," she writes. In her twenties Asa returned to Paris and pursued a career an as artist. Bringing together the best of Western and African music, her songs are a mix of humming, captivating rhythms, and a reggae feel. Her talented voice and stirring lyrics make for an uplifting sound. She cites Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, and Aretha Franklin as some of her inspirations. The name Asa means little falcon; she acquired the nickname after running away as a child.

Asa performed three live tracks on BBC 2 this past 14 February and her eponymous debut album was just released in the U.K. on 18 February. The opening song, "Jailer," begins with a catchy refrain and is one of the highlights of the album. It denounces repression and modern slavery: "You suppress all my strategy/ You oppress every part of me/ What you don't know, you're a victim too Mr. Jailer." Though most songs are in English, some include Yoruban lyrics such as "Eye Adaba."

You can purchase Asa's album from Amazon and listen via her MySpace page or her website, which also includes videos, a schedule of upcoming European concerts, and a lengthier bio.

Friends With You Mimobots

by Josh Rubin

The second crop of Friends With You Mimobots drops today and the collaboration between the character-themed thumb drive maker and the rainbow-splashed art collective couldn't be a better match. Adding three Malfis (smiling, the original, and super) as well as Mr. TTT (pictured above from L-R and in detail after the jump), the diminutive guys will store either 1GB, 2GB and 4GB your data. And, as with all editions in the Mimobot artist series, each comes preloaded with soundbytes, icons/avatars and wallpapers to complete the experience.

Limited to an edition of 2,000 each, the USB 2.0 devices start at $40 and work with both Macs and PCs. Get one (or a little family) of your own from Mimoco.

Also on Cool Hunting: King and Queen Mimobot, Mimoco: Artist Series '07, Chewbacca Mimobot, Art Basel Miami Beach 2006, Friends With You