INTERVIEW: Yoshi Akai
Hot off the heels from Didier’s Steamthesizer article, NHQ brings you Yoshi Akai, a consummate inventor and designer whose 19th century designs usher 20th century technology with more taste than Sriracha sauce. Whether its hacking a toy to make a synthesizer out of LEGO bricks or making notes appear out of thin air (like the wireless catcher shown above), Mr. Akai’s creations boggle the eyes and inspire the mind. Yoshi took some with me to talk about his pieces, his perspective, and the invisible.
NHQ EVENT: Just Shake Ya Rump
Join us as we celebrate the birthdays of NHQ’s Angeline Gragasin and Daniel Postilnik this Saturday, March 13, 2010 at the Archer (formerly Texas) Ballroom. Featuring live entertainment by ANTIBODY DANCE, VALIS, and DJs BITFUNK and BODYWALLET! All we wanna do is zooma zoom zoom zoom and a boom boom, ya hurr?
Steamthesizer
Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me introduce you to the world of Steampunk. Steampunk is a word with many meanings, an idea that spans many disciplines. It’s one of the sneakier cultural phenomena of our age. According to a reputable source, Steampunk refers primarily to a genre of fantasy or science fiction that explores the ramifications of advanced technology on society or the possibilities, both technological or otherwise, of alternate worlds or “path-not-taken” narratives. But the bit that interests me comes almost as a footnote: “Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical ‘steampunk’ style.”
VIDEO: Shakira is the New Charo
Over the summer, all of us at the NHQ became obsessed with Charo, née María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Moquiere de les Esperades Santa Ana Romanguera y de la Najosa Rasten. “DANTHE… Jooth ay leetle beet klohther!” was on everybody’s lips, and all of our eyes on her glorious tits. Reading her Wikipedia article was a revelation in and of itself, but YouTubing her rarer appearances made her all the more alluring.

