Superheroes make us stronger

New study suggests that superheroes influence man’s self-worth and physical strength!

And meanwhile a real superhero in the streets of Brazil.

Only in Brazil

Elections are coming up in Brazil and a few familiar names are running for office.

Put a bird on it

Adam Doyle's birds.

Tom Poulson's LEGO birds.

Colored pigeons during the Venice Biennale, by 
Berlin-based artists Julian Charriere and Julius von Bismarck.

Boys on Gaga

"GaGa's going to produce a really good greatest hits album in about two years' time, isn't she?... And in many ways, that's the best achievement of all in pop music. To have an excellent greatest hits album." 

Neil Tennant

New monkey

A new monkey discovered in Africa.

Beaches

Late-summer at The Beaches.

Skies

Amazing sky pictures by Eric Cahan. 

Elysium

Maybe if this were the Boys’ last album, it would all make sense. But why they decided to take things down several notches after the breath of fresh air that was Yes, is anybody’s guess ("We tend to react to our own last album," Neil says.)

Much has been made of the fact that they recorded this album in L.A. with Kanye West’s producer.  However, neither of these facts really matter sonically in the results. If anything, the record sounds recycled somehow, the Pet Shop Boys sampling their “early stuff” and then saying they never think about it.

Elysium is over literal and over earnest, with just a few life-savers (Neil Tennant still writes the best sardonic lyrics, even though two songs here are apparently just lines he heard from taxi drivers and pop stars.) But their attempts at pop balladry are downright excruciating: boring “Breathing Space”, cringe-worthy “Hold On” and trite “Give It A Go”, plus insufferable “Winner” (never thought I would have to resort to words like these when referring to their songs…)

Amon Tobin

The Brazil-born, England-raised and Montreal sometimes-resident electronic musician brought his amazing machine for a second stop in Toronto. And it was indescribable.

The hero of the night, in his space suit.

Bat-Toronto

via fuckyeahtoronto

ELA in danger

The Canadian government’s plans to shutter the Experimental Lakes Area is causing widespread concern among scientists. 

“In a world facing unprecedented effects of global climate change, we can ill-afford to abandon a facility that offers the unique combination of long-term monitoring and the capacity for ecosystem-scale experimentation.”

Save ELA.