“One question for technology boosters—maybe the crucial one—is why, during the decades of the personal computer and the Internet, the American economy has grown so slowly, average wages have stagnated, the middle class has been hollowed out, and inequality has surged. Why has the information revolution that is supposed to be as historically important as the industrial revolution coincided with a period of broader economic decline?”

GEORGE PACKER in his article CHANGE THE WORLD

Silicon Valley transfers its slogans—and its money—to the realm of politics.

Something to consider between the dynamics of class, work, employment,  policy, government in the Bay Area.

Interesting read.

Solid Nepenthes Lookbook: ”TOTTORI” Directed by Masumi Sakamoto

Summer Island Ryokan Adventures.

An Irreverent Guide to Japanese Men’s Magazines featured in the NY Times 

Window with Fake Newspapers @ La Biennale de Venezia 2012

Dutch artist Mark Manders on his Fake Newspapers.

“I covered all the windos of the entrance with fake newspaper. Like a thin layer of skin, the outside world is separated from an inner world.  

I cannot use real newspapers because my work would then be linked to a certain date and place in the world. All of my works appear as if they have just been made and were left behind by the person who made them. There is no difference between a work made twenty four years ago or just a single day ago. Like the words in an encyclopedia, they are linked together in one big super-moment that is always attached to the here and now.

The newspapers consist of all the existing words in English language. Each word is used only once. 

In this exhibition, I only use a small portion of the words that are in the these papers: cup, bone, chair, table, head, newspaper… The photos in the fake newspapers are taken in my studio and are mostly of studio dust. I try to avoid including language in the pictures”

It’s art Dad.

Razzle Dazzle Camouflage is the best.

Dazzle Camouflage Canoe (for Peter) / 2008 / c-print / 45 x 60 inches by CARRIE SCHNEIDER

Killswitch is a game that was supposedly created by Soviet gaming company Karvina Corporation in 1989. Only limited copies of the game were produced (between 5,000 to 10,000 copies) and it was very popular among Soviet gamers. The game itself was a pioneer in the survival horror genre. You had to choose between two characters, a girl or an invisible demon. The goal of the game was to navigate through an abandoned coal mine while battling demons and coal monsters. As it was hard to navigate the game with an invisible character people choose to complete the game with the girl character. Unfortunately, No one ever completed the game with the demon, because upon beating the game all trace of it would be erased from your hard drive.In 2005, an unopened copy of the self-deleting game surfaced on Ebay where it was promptly bought for $733,000 by a man from Japan named Yamamoto Ryuichi. Ryichi had planned to document his play through of the game on YouTube. The only video Ryuchi posted was of him staring at his computer screen and crying.

Revolver Summer 2013 Lookbook up

We’re fans of Carlos Chavarria’s Work 

Our friend and artist Dennis Hoekstra is featured in the upcoming issue of Modern Painters. Some b-roll shots of his latest work and NYC Studio.

Always fun to see friend’s studios and work expanding.

See an original by Dennis at Ken Ken!

Brave Young - How Each Friend Departed

Heavy gorgeous song for a sunday start.

File this in magical places to visit.

Agoshima - if this place has any surf - we’re headed. 

“Aogashima is a tropical volcanic island in the Philippine Sea, it is 3.5 km in length with a maximum width of 2.5 km. It is administered by Tokyo despite being located approximately 358 kilometres (222 mi) south of Tokyo. The caldera is occupied by a secondary cone named Maruyama. As of 2009 the island’s population was 205.

‘The history of human settlement on Aogashima is uncertain. Most of the people in Aogashima are Japanese. The island is mentioned in Edo period records kept at Hachijō-jima, which record volcanic activity in 1652, and from 1670-1680. An earthquake swarm in July 1780 was followed by steam rising from the lakes in the Ikenosawa Caldera. Further earthquakes in May 1781 led to an eruption. In April 1783, lava flows from the Maruyama cone resulted in the evacuation of all 63 households on the island. During a massive eruption in 1785, some 130-140 of the population of 327 islanders perished.’ - Wikipedia

Source / wikipedia entry

Certificate of Final Completion.

A very expensive and stressful piece of paper to get.

Done and back to making ramen!

LIGHT SHOWERS

Photographs by Dominic Santos

OPENING and ZINE RELEASE

MARCH 29th 2013    7-10pm

MUSIC by Tomorrows Tulips

Our friend Chris runs this little gallery. Sick little space. Go support!

Geoffrey B. Small EVJO1 Suit

“A suit designed to last for over 25 years, the EVJ01 is hand cut with ultra-light suplux super 210s fabric woven by Fatelli Pizcenza, the world’s oldest woolen mill, founded in 1733, pure silk lineings from Como, real horn buttons from Parma, Italy. The interior construction has no glue, no fusing. Instead its soft structure is achieved with over a thousand invisible canvas hand-padding stitches in the lape and collar. Its 20 button holes are made by hand in pure silk Bozzolo Milano Reale threads and require 3 hours of expert work on the button holes alone. The hand dying process requires over 10 hours of painstaking work. Built with a total of 100 working hours in a small workroom in Venezia - the suit is pre hap the most comfortable and most valuable designer suite in the world today”

Sonya Park - Arts & Science.

Something to strive for - slow and steady.

Welcome to the Mission!

Watch a thief on Camera Steal from our Chef’s Car!!!!!

Catch this fucker!

Beer + Balls! You can’t go wrong.

Starting this Sunday for Brunch!

We’re offering alcoholic Boba featuring the @BobaGuys

Alcoholic Boba flavors include:

Japanese Traditional Breakfasts coming Sunday 2/17/2013 to Ken Ken Ramen.

A traditional Japanese-style breakfast consists of steamed rice, miso soup, and various side dishes. Common side dishes are broiled/grilled fish, tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), tsukemono pickles, nori (dried seaweed), veggie dishes, and so on. We love making home made Japanese breakfast and we thought we’d share that love with the Mission!

Taking a break from noodle making all week - we’re offering Japanese Brunch starting this Sunday!

This week’s brunch menu features!

Sunday Brunch Set 

Salmon Course Brunch  $13.00

Salmon Shioyaki / house cured salted salmon

Tamago Yaki - Japanese Traditional Egg Dish

Atsuage, Daikon Nimono // fried tofu, daikon

Miso Soup with wakame & tofu

Nori - seasoned sea weed

Tsukemono - Japanese pickles house made in 30 year old nukazuke

Side orders @ $5 

Kabocha Nimono - Japanese pumkin nimono

Snow White Salad Yukke Style - daikon, jicama, nagaimo, raw quail egg yolk

For Vegetarians we also offer a beautiful Veggie Main consisting of  Grilled Eggplant in a miso / shoyu glaze

Open from 11 to 4pm - Sunday @ Ken Ken Ramen

Take a break from noodles and start your week right with a traditional Japanese healthy breakfast.

We’re also serving Boba Guys Drinks and the new Alcoholic Boba Guys Drinks we’ve been working on!!

Alcoholic Boba Drinks Featuring Boba Guys

- Boogie Beer (Sake + Beer + Guava + Beer + Boba)

- Ipanema ( Sake + Beer + Passion Fruit + Beer + Boba) 

- Spiked Jasmine - (NIGORI Sake + Jasmin Milk Tea + Boba)

- Black Milk (Kuronama + Sake + Boba Guys + Dash Of Frozen Vanilla Frozen Kustard)

Super fun way to start your week right.

Homemade Frozen Custard Desserts by our friends Frozen Kuhsterd!

Gothic Summer Camp.

Practice Vampire Yoga.

Won Hundred Black Bjorg Button Tunic

“I thought that was interesting

that all the places that are at my disposal right now,

the only place i find comforting is there, on that one chair closest to the corner.

I went there again, because it felt safe and calm.”