Harlem Wall of Pride going condo

Better go get some photos now.

Thanks to Omar for the tip. Thanks to James T.O.P. for all you do.

How to remove data permanently from your hard drive

Most people I know have the opposite problem: their computer has somehow lost data and they had NO BACKUP. Don't let that happen to you. Hard drives are very cheap now, so maybe you can buy one just to use for backups. Also there are some online services that offer backup over the net for small annual fees. If you can't do either of those things, it pays to have a stack of blank CDs and DVDs, and every time you do significant work or add to your media collection, make a copy on disc. It wouldn't be the end of the world to have to reinstall your operating system, but it is a very sad day indeed when you lose all your photos, music, homework, and email. Hide the discs in case someone steals your comp.

But anyway, the article explains how to delete stuff you really want to never see again. Throwing it in the trash is not enough!

Banksy talks about his endangered piece in London

Pretty funny and profound stuff. It turns out the Royal Mail is the complainant and the defender claims it's theirs and it's advertising. Banksy is not amused.

On Oct. 23, the Council of Westminster in London ordered the removal of a 23 ft (7 m) Banksy mural -- reportedly his largest work in central London -- claiming that it encourages graffiti.

In an exclusive statement to TIME, the mysterious guerrilla prankster has responded to the council's decision. "I don't know what next door is complaining about -- their building is so ugly the 'No Trespassing' sign reads like an insult," the statement reads, referring to Royal Mail, a tenant of the building that has sought the mural's removal.

London to eradicate another Banksy production

Better get photos now, Londoners. The grey paint committee is on the way. The lovely anti-CCTV piece is going to be destroyed.

The Story of Stuff

A quick and engaging overview about the state of the world, who profits from our destruction, and what we can do about it.

Why pay attention to the threat of climate change?

There's no debate among climatologists about whether or not global climate change is happening. It is. The only debate is between those who hope humans didn't cause it and those who hope humans can change it. That debate is meaningless. If we might be able to change it, we have to try, because it's our survival as a species that's at stake. The only smart thing to to is to try to curb the changes before life on Earth becomes difficult or impossible for humans.

We're the last generation of people who have a chance to try before it becomes too late, because the changes are not going to be gradual or incremental. Climate changes happen when conditions tip into a new dynamic and then become inevitable.

Don't let the wishful thinking of the anti-science people lull you into a false sense of security. Climate change is not something in the far future, it's something that will make our own lives and the lives of our children very different and difficult indeed. The earlier we act to curb human pollution the less expense and disastrous results we'll have.

The first step is to get everyone on board. Spread the word.

Thanks to Roger for the heads up on this video.

Berlin wall section secretly removed over Easter weekend

We can hope the officials are telling the truth and that it's being restored and preserved, but the secrecy is suspicious. The Berlin wall is important world history and important graffiti history. Even if it can't remain in Berlin for some reason, it needs to be preserved as possible.

The New york graffiti war (wtf?)

"...as the works of popular public artists rise in value, so do the neighbourhoods around them. The work of popular street artists, inadvertently or not, spurs processes of gentrification and urban renewal. In New York, the majority of chosen works have been in the Lower East Side, a neighbourhood akin to Montreal?s Plateau, where trendy bars, vintage clothing shops, and small boutiques reign. The street art is used as a selling point, helping to reconstruct the image of the neighbourhood into one of bohemian charm, art, and culture."

Who would have thought that people would drop the broken windows litany and start kvetching that unauthorized painting causes property values to rise? Or maybe it's only stickers and stencils that are good? So ... a balance of graffiti with the street art would maintain equilibrium? I'm having trouble following the logic, if any. Except, of course, someone with little going for them but no-style splashing and a manifesto has somehow gotten fame (again). Now that I do get.

It makes you wonder, though, whether graffiti and property value are actually related at all.

If so, I guess the vigilante has the situation well in hand. Buy the local art and your neighborhood value goes up. Destroy the local art and your neighborhood remains ugly but cheap for the art-destroyers.

Maybe we should just aim for one nice, even coating of outdoor art in all our neighborhoods and stop this game now.

Stardust blows up, Las Vegas Style

Check out the link above while it lasts, because it's the high-res version and it's a beautiful building implosion performance. The youtube version below shows the view from the back of the hotel, but the pixelation makes it look like the impressionist version.