The video below is our way of sharing with you what it is that we do at Aspecks – a reintroduction to the Aspecks clothing line if you like. This video takes the viewer through the process of how we take an image and an idea from the computer screen through to seeing it actually printed onto a garment. All of our designs mean something to us – an ideal, a concept, a belief – and these are represented in both the image and the text used on each design. So for example the Higher Levels t-shirt attempts to metaphorically represent ‘aspiration’. It includes an image of a man climbing a coconut tree and the slogan “Reaching for Higher Levels” to drive home the message conveyed by the imagery. The World Peace t-shirt is fairly self-explanatory whereas the Global-Social Chameleon t-shirt is basically an attempt to represent those individuals who feel like they can adapt to any social situation anywhere in the globe at any time, but we will address this concept fully in a future post. Anyway take your time to check out the video and see the creative process in action and check the Aspecks Clothing Section to take a closer look at the t-shirts.

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“A black man, a purple man, a martian man can run the country….as long as he does right by the people.”

The interview below took place on the BBC’s Newsnight programme the week of President Obama’s election in November of 2008. Although this is only an abridged version of the interview, when you watch the full interview, it should be clear to all that Jeremy Paxman (the interviewer) is inferring that the topic of conversation was above Dizzee’s intellectual capabilities (even though I do like how he calls him “Mr Rascal”)! In truth I think Dizzee more than holds his own (even if he could have been better briefed - Aspecks is available for such tasks!), he clearly appreciates the positive effect the election had and understands the importance of having a President who is mixed race, who can be held up as a symbol of unity.

‘Mr Rascal’ also makes some interesting points regarding political parties and appears happy to admit his slight ignorance of their activities and importance to the political process. He also reveals his apathy towards politicians (not exactly a revelation but one that reflects a wider public sentiment), effectively stating that they are all fairly similar irrespective of party allegiance and that every now and again you might get a ‘genuine one’. However, he then points out that change occurs when everybody comes together to make a difference and that whilst a high-profile individual such as Obama can have a morale boosting effect, it is the people, the community who can affect real positive change in society.

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Two friends meet up in a city to do a pre-planned activity.  Afterwards, they are hungry and hence decide to try the all-you-can eat restaurant that they come have come across on their way home (although it is empty at what should be a busy hour). It has been a good day thus far and so they are in a boisterous mood when they get into the restaurant and proceed to eat heartily.  After a few trips back and forth to the buffet table their hunger is satisfied.  They sat loafing for a few moments (as you do when you have eaten your fill) and debated whether to leave or to go for some dessert.  Both agreed that they had eaten enough and decided to leave. This is where it gets interesting: Before they could get up, they saw the manager point to their table from a distance and send a waiter over. read more…

Apathy;

What is it?

What feeds it?

Why should I care about it?

It’s just nothing!

What is it?!

How can I fight nothing?

Aww… forget it.

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K’naan is serious. Make sure you check out his album Troubadour. The work he does as an ambassador for African culture and specifically a voice for Somalia in Hip Hop is unparalleled. We previously referenced his intellectualism in the form of his opinions in our piracy post but this shines more light on his depth as an artist. We know it’s cliche to say that you haven’t experienced a piece of music until you have seen it performed live, but it’s true in this case. See over the jump for footage and pictures  from his London show last week where ASPECKS was in attendance.

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The Desertec Foundation was created to serve as a hub for the DESERTEC concept which seeks to work towards creating a global alliance to ensure security of energy supplies. Their premise is simple, every year, each square kilometre of desert receives solar energy equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of oil. Increasingly it makes perfect sense to take advantage of the most plentiful supply of energy we have available to us. In fact as the map below shows, if less than 1% of the world’s deserts were covered with concentrating solar power plants we could easily produce as much electricity as the world currently uses.  (Check the link to a video featuring designer Katherine Hamnett, apparently CSP might be good for the economy too!)

Moreover, 90% of the world’s population lives within 2700 km of a desert and it is certainly not the stuff of science-fiction to suggest (as Desertec does) that much of the EU, the Middle East and North Africa (EUMENA) area could be supplied with solar electricity produced in the desert. Especially when you consider that with High-Voltage Direct-Current (HDVC) transmission lines, electricity losses are only about 3% per 1000 km. Consequently if we include the small amount of AC/DC conversion losses) we can say that electricity may be transmitted from North Africa to the UK with less than 10% loss of power. This means that it is both feasible and economic to transmit solar electricity for distances of 3000 km or more!

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Granny has got some moves!!!! 

Especially for a seventy year old. We love the point she makes that anybody should be able to do anything regardless of the prevalent stereotypes associated with various sub-cultures. The fact that she takes it seriously and has skills gives even more credence to her point of course.

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The above video is of Metallica’s “Call of Kutulu” from their 2007 Symphony & Metallica performances where they played with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Although they have been one of the world’s biggest heavy metal bands for the last twenty-five years this was not the first time that Metallica and the Orchestra had combined forces, in fact this song won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Metallica first worked with acclaimed film composer Michael Kamen in 1991 when he wrote the string arrangements on “Nothing Else Matters” before coming together again in 1999 and 2007 for a series of concerts with the Symphony Orchestra.

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Wanlov has been busy. He recently completed the Culture Caravan road show, which was an 8-city tour of Ghana featuring free live music and theatrical performances from some of hip-life’s most prominent artists.

He’s also released a free mixtape called Kubolor & Friends for your listening pleasure. The footage below is of a rehearsal for the Culture Caravan.

Check his myspace for stuff from Wanlov including details of his upcoming performances near you.

Previously: Kubolor Style

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This is a quick easy recipe to make jollof rice and chilli simultaneously (they can be eaten together or used for separate meals). It’s nothing fancy; a bachelor’s endeavour, but we hope it will be the first of many diverse recipes to be shared here on aspecks. Please send in your contributions (preferably with pictures) to aspecks@gmail.com 

Required Utensils: Stir fry wok or large frying pan and a cooking pot

Ingredients:

Cooking Oil

Chicken pieces (or breast slices) seasoned to your taste

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