In case you were bored and wondering ...

WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF THE ARTS? The transition team of President-elect Barack Obama is keeping a firm hand on any appointment news, but the buzz in art-and-politics precincts has the new administration seriously considering the idea of an official White House Office of the Arts, overseeing all things having to do with the arts and arts education. The new arts czar wouldn't be a cabinet-level position -- too complicated and too limiting, say insiders -- but rather a liaison with the president with real access to funds and power. Who might fill the post, which would be a CEO kind of job? One possible candidate could be Agnes Gund, former president of the Museum of Modern Art and founder of Studio in a School. The idea of such a position has been floating around for some time. In its 2008 "10-Point Plan," for instance, the U.S. Conference of Mayors suggested the establishment of a cabinet level secretary of culture and tourism. And though the Obama campaign didn't specifically mention such a post, it was the first to have an in-depth arts platform (developed in consultation with Americans for the Arts), which actively painted the candidates as "champions of arts and culture," urging the creation of an "artist corps" trained to work in low-income schools, among other projects. Stay tuned. _artnet
NOTE TO OBAMA: HOW ABOUT A SECRETARY OF THE ARTS? Last November, music producer and songwriter Quincy Jones mentioned to John Schaefer during an interview on the New York radio program "Soundcheck" that he thought President-elect Barack Obama should create a Cabinet-level position of secretary of the Arts. "One of the next conversations I have with President Obama is to beg for a secretary of the Arts," he told the WNYC talk-show host. Jaime Austria heard about Jones' comments and thought that was a great idea. So Austria launched an online petition <http://tinyurl.com/55jl4l>. So far, more than 63,000 people have signed, with "spread the word" e-mails recently making the rounds on the Left Coast._LATimes

For those that would prefer to have pictures included when looking things up in the dictionary:
http://www.thephotographicdictionary.org/home.html

Fat Cars ... in case all the obese people weren't enough:
http://www.geekologie.com/2009/01/bigger_the_better_artist_makes.php

Snowflakes under a microscope:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2009/jan/07/1?picture=341408044

Catch of the Day ... trash collected from the beach and packaged like food ...
http://shapeandcolour.wordpress.com/2009/01/07/surfrider-foundation-catch-of-the-day/

I think someone forgot to use the instructions to put that chair together:
http://www.dezeen.com/2009/01/08/cozy-furniture-by-hannes-grebin/

bored? got jury duty? create art!
http://jurylaw.typepad.com/photos/juror_art/index.html

from books to sculpture ... a good way to recycle those old math, science, and history books:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/4209077/Book-sculptures-by-photographer-Cara-Barer.html

house plan cut out:
http://curbed.com/archives/2009/01/07/olafur_eliasson_wrote_the_book_on_crazy_floorplan_porn.php

Billboards, those ugly things that canvas the roads ... at least these make you do a double take:
http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/01/05/clever-and-creative-billboard-advertising/

An old art and culture magazine from the 90s makes a comeback via the internet:
http://www.indexmagazine.com/

Typing, working, typing, reading, reserching, typing, working more ... apparently it creates hostility towards the computer:
http://i513.photobucket.com/albums/t335/ubermnd/seehowhardIwork-1.gif

acrobats of the urban circus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1vDPcXTRIs

mathematical roots of architecture anyone?
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/greg_lynn_on_organic_design.html

Polo(d)roid your digital photos ... coolest thing ever:
http://poladroid.net/index.php

Why do I have barely any time to do art and some people can make models of a city out of jell-o?
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/stunning-models-of-san