A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth (terrestrial globe) or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon. It may also refer to a spherical representation of the celestial sphere, showing the apparent positions of the stars and constellations in the sky (celestial globe). The word "globe" comes from the Latin word ''globus'', meaning round mass or sphere.

Terrestrial and planetary

A globe is the only representation of the earth that does not distort either the shape or the size of large features; flat maps are created using a map projection that inevitably introduces an increasing amount of distortion the larger the area that the map shows. A typical scale for a terrestrial globe is roughly 1:40 million.

Sometimes a globe has surface texture showing topography; in these, elevations are exaggerated, otherwise they would be hardly visible. Most modern globes are also imprinted with parallels and meridians so that one can tell the approximate coordinates of a specific place. Globes provide the best view of Earth today.

Celestial

Celestial globes show the apparent positions of the stars in the sky. They omit the Sun, Moon and planets because the positions of these bodies vary relative to those of the stars, but the ecliptic, along which the Sun moves, is indicated.

A potential issue arises regarding the "handedness" of celestial globes. If the globe is constructed so that the stars are in the positions they actually occupy on the imaginary celestial sphere, then the star field will appear back-to-front on the surface of the globe (all the constellations will appear as their mirror images). This is because the view from Earth, positioned at the centre of the celestial sphere, is of the ''inside'' of the celestial sphere, whereas the celestial globe is viewed from the ''outside''. For this reason, celestial globes may be produced in mirror image, so that at least the constellations appear the "right way round". Some modern celestial globes address this problem by making the surface of the globe transparent. The stars can then be placed in their proper positions and viewed ''through'' the globe, so that the view is of the inside of the celestial sphere, as it is from Earth.

History

The sphericity of the Earth was established by Hellenistic astronomy in the 3rd century BC, and the earliest terrestrial globe appeared from that period. The earliest known example is the one constructed by Crates of Mallus in Cilicia (now Çukurova in modern-day Turkey), in the mid-2nd century BC.

No terrestrial globes from Antiquity or the Middle Ages have survived. An example of a surviving celestial globe is part of a Hellenistic sculpture, called the Farnese Atlas, surviving in a 2nd century AD Roman copy in the Naples Museum, Italy.

Early terrestrial globes depicting the entirety of the Old World were constructed in the Islamic Golden Age. One such example was constructed in the 9th century by Muslim geographers and cartographers working under the Abbasid caliph, Al-Ma'mun. Another example was the terrestrial globe introduced to Beijing by the Persian astronomer, Jamal ad-Din, in 1267.

The oldest surviving terrestrial globe is credited to Martin Behaim in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1492. A facsimile globe showing America was made by Martin Waldseemueller in 1507. Another early globe, the Hunt-Lenox Globe, ca. 1507, is thought to be the source of the phrase "Here be dragons". Another "remarkably modern-looking" terrestrial globe of the Earth was constructed by Taqi al-Din at the Istanbul observatory of Taqi al-Din during the 1570s.

An unusually high proportion of vintage 20th century world globes feature the Australian town of Birdum, which no longer exists but once held an important position at the end of the Northern Australian Railway.

Manufacture

Mass-produced globes are typically covered by a printed paper map. The most common type has long, thin gores (strips) of paper that narrow to a point at the North Pole and the South Pole. Then a small disk is used to paper over the inevitable irregularities at the poles. The more gores there are, the less stretching and crumpling is required to make the paper map fit the sphere. From a geometric point of view, all points on a sphere are equivalent – one could select any arbitrary point on the Earth, and create a paper map that covers the Earth with strips that come together at that point and the antipodal point.

A globe is usually mounted at a 23.5° angle on bearings. In addition to making it easy to use this mounting also represents the angle of the planet in relation to its sun and the spin of the planet. This makes it easy to visualize how days and seasons change.

Notable examples

The Unisphere in Queens, New York, at 120 feet (36.6 m) in diameter, is the world's largest global structure.

Eartha, currently the world's largest rotating globe ( in diameter), at the Delorme headquarters in Yarmouth, Maine The Mapparium, three-story, stained glass globe at the Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston, which visitors walk through via a glass bridge. The Babson globe in Wellesley, Massachusetts, a globe which originally rotated on its axis and on its base to simulate day and night and the seasons

The giant globe in the lobby of The News Building in New York City.

The Hitler Globe, also known as the Führer globe, was formally named the Columbus Globe for State and Industry Leaders. Two editions existed during Hitler's lifetime, created during the mid-1930s on his orders. (The second edition changed the name of Abyssinia to Italian East Africa). These globes were "enormous" and very costly. According to the New York Times, "the real Columbus globe was nearly the size of a Volkswagen and, at the time, more expensive." Several still exist, including three in Berlin: one at a geographical institute, one at the Märkisches Museum, and another at the Deutsches Historisches Museum. The latter has a Soviet bullet hole through Germany. One of the two in public collections in Munich has an American bullet hole through Germany. There are several in private hands inside and out of Germany. A much smaller version of Hitler's globe was mocked by Charlie Chaplin in ''The Great Dictator'', a film released in 1940.

Gallery

See also

Armillary sphere

Cartography

Dymaxion map

Emery Molyneux

Google Earth

NASA World Wind

Johannes Schöner globe

Virtual globe

References

External links

ppmglobe - generate strips to glue onto a sphere

3D VRML globe

3D Java Globe with coastlines, parallels, meridians, etc.

Category:Map types

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name	Daniel Bennett
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth date	November 27, 1979
origin	Rochester, New York
instrument	Saxophone, flute
occupation	Performer
label	Bennett Alliance
website	danielbennett.net
notable instruments	}}

Daniel Bennett (born November 27, 1979) is an American saxophonist who lives in Manhattan. Daniel Bennett is best known for his "folk jazz" music. Bennett contends that his music is "a mix of jazz, folk, and twentieth century minimalism." Jon Garelick of the Boston Phoenix wrote, The music has given them a broad fanbase in both jazz and folk circles. The drummerless trio has performed with musical pioneers like guitarist Bill Frisell, Charlie Hunter, saxophonist James Carter, percussionist Billy Martin (of Medeski, Martin, and Wood), saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, David Fiuczynski (of the Screaming Headless Torsos), Denison Witmer, and Tooth and Nail recording artist Joy Electric. Daniel Bennett is also known as the founder of Bennett Alliance productions. The Bennett Alliance Music Fest is a national jazz and folk festival held annually in Rochester, New York. The Bennett Alliance Concert Series is a monthly music series held at the Cambridge YMCA Theatre in Boston. In 2006, Bennett Alliance expanded into a record label, releasing albums for the Kode, the Furr Project, and Daniel Bennett Group.

The Rochester years

Daniel Bennett was born in Rochester, New York. He first picked up the saxophone at the age of 10 and began playing professionally in 1998. At that time Bennett was an undergraduate music student at Roberts Wesleyan College. Daniel Bennett worked with Rochester jazz artists like bassist Ike Sturm, pianist Joe Santora, Sean Jefferson, and drummer Ted Poor. In 1999, Daniel Bennett was introduced to the music of Steve Reich and Philip Glass. He began to write music for larger ensembles that infused jazz and minimalism. This led to collaborations with new music artists in Rochester, as well performances at major Rochester venues like Six Flags Darien Lake, the Rochester Lilac Fest, Shewan Hall, and the George Eastman House.

The Boston years

In 2002, Daniel Bennett moved to Boston to receive his Masters in Saxophone Performance at the New England Conservatory. Daniel Bennett studied saxophone with Jerry Bergonzi, as well as classical saxophonist Ken Radnofsky. During that time, he also met drummer Bob Moses, who encouraged Bennett to pursue his own path towards "folk jazz" music. In 2004, Daniel Bennett met folk guitarist Chris Hersch. Hersch was performing fulltime in bluegrass groups around Boston.

The two began performing Bennett's original compositions in clubs and various hall around Boston. The duo released a self-title EP in March 2005. Three months later they added bassist John Servo to the group. After a year of travel, the Daniel Bennett Group released "A Nation of Bears", on the Bennett Alliance label. The album was released in April 2007. Bennett used repititious melodic ideas over shifting, odd-metered chord structures. The compositions were in stark contrast to the atonal music often associated with avante garde jazz. Frank Deblase of Rochester City News wrote, The direction of Daniel Bennett's music has changed dramatically since his Rochester days. Most of his compositions feature transparent saxophone lines over minimalist guitar patterns. Daniel Bennett also performs his music on flute at many concerts. The group has maintained the original line-up for three years and Daniel Bennett rarely adds drums to his music.

In February 2007, the Daniel Bennett Group expanded into a full quartet. The new lineup featured classical guitarist Brant Grieshaber, as well as bassist Jason Davis. Most notable was the addition of drums to the group for the first time in three years. Percussionist Rick Landwehr joined the group in May 2007. The newly formed quartet found its audience in the Boston art scene, performing at venues like the Cambridge ArtCentral Festival, DTR Gallery, Fox Hall Studios, The Beehive, and the Judi Rotenberg Gallery. In the summer of 2008, the newly-formed quartet also collaborated in double bill performances with guitarist Bill Frisell, saxophonist James Carter, and indie rock group Zyrah's Orange. In the fall of 2009, the group began an eight month artist residencey at the famed Liberty Hotel (formerly the historic Charles Street Jail) in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood.

The New York years

In the summer of 2010, Daniel Bennett moved to New York City where he enlisted a new cast of musicians that included guitarist Mark Cocheo, bassist Mark Lau, and drummer Brian Adler. In the winter of 2011, the Daniel Bennett Group organized the popular "Jazz at the Triad" concert series at the Triad Theatre on Manhattan's upper westside. The Daniel Bennett Group currently curates and performs in this ongoing concert series. Supporting artists on the series have included Charlie Hunter, Steve Kuhn, and Greg Osby. The concert series quickly garnered critical acclaim throughout the New York media. Jim Macnie of the Village Voice raved,

In the winter of 2011, the Daniel Bennett Group released the much anticipated new album, Peace and Stability Among Bears. The album was the third installment of the Bear Thompson trilogy.

Discography

We Are Not Defeated (2004, Tri-Head Productions) A Nation of Bears (2007, Bennett Alliance) The Legend of Bear Thompson (2008, Bennett Alliance) Peace and Stability Among Bears (2011, Bennett Alliance)

News Articles on Daniel Bennett

Insite Magazine (February 2, 2008) Boston Phoenix (May 29, 2008) Boston Phoenix (June 2, 2010) The Boston Globe Progression Magazine JazzReview.com AllAboutJazz.com (November 22, 2009) The Village Voice (May 18, 2011)

External links

Daniel Bennett Official Homepage

Category:1979 births Category:Roberts Wesleyan College alumni Category:American saxophonists Category:Living people

name	Wong Fu Productions
residence	Los Angeles, California
birthname	Wesley Chan ()April 27, 1984Ted Fu ()October 26, 1981Philip Wang ()October 28, 1984
yearsactive	2001–present
alma mater	University of California, San Diego
headquarters	Alhambra, California
website	http://www.wongfuproductions.com/ }}

Wong Fu Productions is an Asian American filmmaking group composed of Wesley Chan (born April 27, 1984), Ted Fu (born October 26, 1981), and Philip Wang (born October 28, 1984). The trio met at the University of California, San Diego in 2004 and produced a number of music videos and short films released on their website and later YouTube before establishing a professional media company, Sketchbook Media, after their graduation. Their works have been featured at a number of national and international film festivals, including the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival.

As of August 2011, Wong Fu Productions' YouTube channel has over 900,000 subscribers, more than 18 million channel views, and over 100 million upload views. They are the 18th most subscribed directors on YouTube, 53rd most subscribed YouTube partners, and the 55th most subscribed of all time.

History

According to Philip Wang, Wong Fu Productions was unofficially established in 2001 during his high school junior year. Wang mainly utilized his family's digital camcorder to film school projects in collaboration with classmates. In his first year as an undeclared freshman at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Wang and his friends released a music video of Justin Timberlake's song "Señorita". It was the first music video produced by Wang and, although he did not actively promote it, the video was quickly circulated among other fellow college students. The video was circulated in its original computer file format because it was released prior to the advent of the video sharing website YouTube.

In 2004, Wang met classmates Wesley Chan (graduated from Mills High School in 2002) and Ted Fu through a school production, and the trio began working on small scale projects in their spare time and for class assignments. They did not originally consider filmmaking as a career when they entered university; Chan explored an interest in animation, Fu had been a student in mechanical engineering and Wang considered a career in economics. After graduation in 2006, the three moved to the Los Angeles area and continued their venture under the professional name Sketchbook Media.

Notable productions

Wong Fu Productions was initially known for its independent music videos of contemporary hit songs such as Maroon 5's "Sunday Morning" and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours". Wong Fu released its first major short film called ''Yellow Fever'' on January 25, 2006. The film, which satirized the topic of interracial dating between Asian Americans and White Americans, brought Wong Fu into recognition among many college students in the United States.

''A Moment with You'', the group's first feature-length film, premiered on June 3, 2006, at their alma mater. It was also screened at the San Diego Asian Film Festival on October 18, 2006. The film revolves around two neighbors who share similar romantic situations, in which one person in each relationship cannot let go of his or her past. "A Moment with You" was promoted through a screening tour at high schools and universities around the United States and Canada. In a review for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's student newspaper ''The Tech'', Tina Ro wrote, "Despite its large Asian fan base, Wongfu's [''sic''] movie has a cast of equal numbers of Asians and Caucasians. Furthermore, all the characters were shaped by their own characteristics rather than by their race, a refreshing concept for a movie." According to ''The Daily Texan'''s Katherine Fan, ''A Moment with You'' featured a "more mature, introspective mood than their previous work."

Following the success of ''A Moment with You'', Wong Fu was approached to create a second film called ''Sleep Shift''. However, the project was abandoned after producers disagreed with casting an Asian male in the film's lead role. Since the end of its first tour, Wong Fu has created music videos for rising artists and continued producing short films. The group's merchandise line, which included original T-shirt designs, was launched in conjunction with the 2007 film ''Just a Nice Guy''. The short film ''The Spare'' was featured at the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, and two additional short films—''At Musing's End'' and ''A Peace of Home''—were shown at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Short Films Corner. In September 2009, Wong Fu released the short film ''Poser!'', a mockumentary on the history of the peace sign.

As of November 2009, Wong Fu Productions has created more than 130 short films and music videos. Because the group does not require a fee to view its films, it gains a salary from being a YouTube partner, draws profits from merchandise sales, public speaking on university campuses, and music video production for rising Asian American artists.

International Secret Agents

In addition to the group's filmmaking career, Wong Fu Productions has organized a series of multidisciplinary concerts in California. The concert series, International Secret Agents (ISA), featured musical disciplines from urban dance to deejaying with Asian American guest artists such as Far East Movement. Additional guest performances included ''America's Best Dance Crew'' champions Quest Crew and Poreotics and singers–songwriters David Choi and Kina Grannis. According to Chinese American rapper Jin, "ISA is about self-branding and viral marketing — using YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, and the Internet to promote yourself as an artist." He asserted, "We as artists are aware of this and make ourselves available [on these mediums]." Far East Movement member Virman Coquia said, "We want to give back to the community to show that Asians can have an influence today in the U.S." Additionally, Coquia believed that ISA presented the opportunity to present Asian American talent as cool and mainstream.

The first ISA concert was held in September 2008 at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse in Los Angeles. A second concert was held in March 2009 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, and both events were attended by a sold-out crowd. The concert returned to Los Angeles in September 2009 and was sponsored by department store J. C. Penney. In 2010, ISA was held in New York City for the first time. Wong Fu has also expressed interest in holding future ISA concerts in Washington, D.C. They also had another ISA concert in Los Angeles on September 5th. Playing up the name "International Secret Agents," The LA leg of the 2010 ISA Concert was filled with surprises as secret guests like Nick Cannon showed up to join the performers on stage.

Impact

Short films released by Wong Fu Productions have received, cumulatively, millions of views, and the group has several thousand fans. According to Wang, the group's website received 5,000 daily hits in 2009. He expected the audience size to grow "as online video becomes part of everyday life for the up-and-coming generation of movie-watchers" but believed that movie theaters will not become obsolete. University of Southern California digital media expert David Wertheimer also believed that "Wong Fu's use of new media to tell their community stories and build a business is the wave of the future." The group's success has allowed for growth in the popularity of Asian American comedians who promote themselves primarily through YouTube, such as Kevin Wu (KevJumba), Ryan Higa (Nigahiga), Christine Gambito (HappySlip), and David Choi. Although grateful for the group's success and popularity, Wang said, "Some people who go to film school, they'll make something great but it's only seen by like, two hundred people [...] It's kind of not fair."

In a feature by CNN, newscaster Ted Rowlands reported that Wong Fu's primary audience were "young Asian Americans who often can't find accurate depictions of themselves in mainstream media". Through its films, Wong Fu Productions hoped to break the different stereotypes of Asian Americans.

Despite this goal, Wong Fu's films were inspired by the members' life experiences rather than racial experiences. The group also does not promote political messages through their works but, rather, raises "many APA issues that we feel would fit our brand and image." They are often considered role models for Asian Americans aspiring to enter the entertainment industry. In response to this, group member Ted Fu said, "We actually didn't set out to be the 'heroes' of Asian Americans. It just happened by accident. But now that we're given this huge responsibility, almost, I feel like it's our duty to take it seriously." Wong Fu presented "one of the most antipicated workshops" on sustaining an independent production company at the 2008 Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association Midwest Conference. They were also the keynote speakers at the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association 2010 West Coast Conference, which was hosted at their alma mater, UC San Diego.

Notes

References

External links

Wong Fu Productions official website

Wong Fu Store

Sketchbook Media official website

Category:American film directors of Asian descent Category:American Internet personalities Category:Companies based in Los Angeles County, California Category:Companies established in 2006 Category:Entertainment companies of the United States Category:Film production companies of the United States

Casino Versus Japan (sometimes Casino vs. Japan) is the recording name for Erik Kowalski (born May 5, 1973 in Wisconsin), a United States-based electronic musician who produces intelligent dance music (IDM).

Influences

Erik Kowalski started with recorded episodes of ''Miami Vice'', sampling Jan Hammer's music, sampling and playing them over the backdrop of other musical genres. More samples were collected from a range of sources and mixed with other homemade recordings. Kowalski taught himself piano in high school, along with guitar and drums, and began putting together simple songs.

Early work and releases

Recording guitar-based, ambient/experimental music as Radiogate in 1996 and 1997, Kowalski matured in the underground electronic music community in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He worked at Atomic Records and also wrote for the alternative fanzine ''Milk Magazine'' to stay informed on developments within many styles of innovative music. In early 1998, he approached Mike Bailey of the local electronic label Star Star Stereo with some demo tapes, and shortly thereafter, released his self titled debut ''Casino Versus Japan''. This subsequently led to live performances (including several dates opening for Low) with Charles Wyatt (Charles Atlas) accompanying Kowalski on guitar. In January 2000, ''Go Hawaii'' was released on CD by Wobblyhead (later on double-vinyl LP by City Centre Offices, 2001). By the summer of 2002, the track "It's Very Sunny" was used in a Hummer television commercial. His third album ''Whole Numbers Play The Basics'', followed in September, 2002 on Carpark Records. The song "Manic Thru Tone" was used in MTV's "Choose Or Lose" campaign in the fall of 2002.

Collections and collaborations

''Hitori + Kaiso 1998-2001'', a collection of unreleased tracks, appeared in 2004. The album was compiled and released by Attacknine Records from a large archive of material initially presented as a gift to Nick Huntington of Freescha, and not intended for public release. Huntington enthusiastically encouraged a release, however, which also resulted in the 2010 collection ''Night on Tape'', another batch of selected tracks from same archive. Casino Versus Japan and Freescha released a Split EP together in 2004.

Discography

Albums and Collections

''Casino Versus Japan'', CD (1998, Star Star Stereo)

''Go Hawaii'', CD (2000, Wobblyhead) 2x12" LP (2001, City Centre Offices)

''Whole Numbers Play the Basics'', CD and LP (2002, Carpark Records)

''Hitori + Kaiso 1998 - 2001'', Double CD (2004, Attacknine)

''Casino Versus Japan'' [Reissue] (2010, Moodgadget)

''Night on Tape'' (2010, Attacknine)

Singles and EPs

"Via", 10" (Wobblyhead)

"Silver And Gold" b/w "64 Colors" Split 7" w/ Am Boy

"Casino Versus Japan + Freescha" [Split] CDEP/12" (Wobblyhead)

References

External links

Carpark Records

Wobblyhead

Official MySpace Page

Attacknine Records

Category:1973 births Category:American electronic musicians Category:Intelligent dance music musicians Category:Living people