MOVIE: One Ring Zero is a lit-rock fans dream come true. The band features Paul Auster, Jonathan Lethem, Dave Eggers and Margaret Atwood’s lyrics set to the music of trumpets, theremins, claviolas, and metallophones. Director Joe Pacheco captured the band on film and presents it now as a documentary, As Smart As They Are: The Author Project. Here's a song/video with lyrics by Michael Chabon: 7pm // Barbes [376 9th St, Park Slope] // Free......

While you’re touring New York’s Beat Generation landmarks, drop by the Grey Art Gallery to find out what the “community of disaffiliates” were doing out in San Francisco. You’ll discover through Semina Culture that they were hanging out with Wallace Berman. Instead of cutting up and rearranging his own writing like William S. Burroughs was doing, Berman published a cut-and-paste-style arts journal called Semina that showcased his friends’ talent alongside found objects. “Semina was sent......

The Department of Transportation has announced the winning design for its City Lights competition, which was meant to "seek out and identify new ideas for public street lighting" and "obtain the flexibility to apply an integrated streetlight design on a block-by-block, street-by-street, or district-by-district basis within the city's five boroughs." The winning design is from Thomas Phifer and Partners. The visualization of the design, above, shows a simple design with thin wires arms supporting......

The Department of Informational Technology and Telecommunications announced that different telecom providers will "fit about 18,000 lampposts...with cellular and high speed Internet antennaes" in a $25 million/year franchise agreement, according to the Post, which would mean more WiFi hot spots, faster rollout of 3G technology. Of course, there's some opposition, like Councilman Vallone who worries about health issues from cell antennaes and wants radiation inspection paid for by the telcom companies. ITT Commissioner Gino Menchini......

The City has announced finalists for its City Lights Design Competition, which began in January in an effort to find "new ideas for public street lighting." The finalists are: Tim G. Culbert of Atelier Imrey Culbert; Ross B. Wimer of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago; and Thomas M. Phifer of his own firm in NY. Phifer worked on Castle Clinton in some capacity. Forgotten NY's NYC streetlamp page and a New Yorker Talk of the......

New York City is holding a competition to design new street lights. Part of their objectives are "Seek out and identify new ideas for public street lighting" and "Obtain the flexibility to apply an integrated streetlight design on a block-by-block, street-by-street, or district-by-district basis within the city's five boroughs"; beyond that, it's more of a mouthful: The current city standard, introduced almost fifty years ago, consists of variations of a fabricated steel pole and Cobra......