A litÂtle David Sedaris on your mobile device? Yes, please!
Last week, Hachette DigÂiÂtal released David’s Dairy, a new app that brings six aniÂmatÂed short films inspired by David Sedaris’ diary to your Apple and Android devices. The films are short — most run about 45 secÂonds. They’re charÂacÂterÂisÂtiÂcalÂly quirky and artÂfulÂly designed. And the comÂplete app costs runs only $1.99. But, at minÂiÂmum, you get the longest video in the colÂlecÂtion here for free and then this:
Bonus MateÂrÂiÂal: In our colÂlecÂtion of Free Audio Books, you will find two readÂings by David Sedaris. Here they go:
“The Mouse and the Snake” from SquirÂrel Seeks ChipÂmunk: A ModÂest BesÂtiary — Free MP3
“SoluÂtion to Saturday’s PuzÂzle”from When You Are Engulfed in Flames - Free MP3
And, you can always downÂload a comÂplete David Sedaris book (in audio) by takÂing advanÂtage of Audible.com’s Free TriÂal offer.
William F. BuckÂley famousÂly said that he flogged himÂself to get through Atlas Shrugged, and now you can too in grand style. This week, PenÂguin released Ayn Rand’s politÂiÂcalÂly-influÂenÂtial novÂel as an iPad app. It will run you $14.99, but it brings togethÂer “the clasÂsic, unabridged text and a treaÂsury of rarely-seen archival mateÂriÂals,” includÂing origÂiÂnal manÂuÂscript pages, video of Rand’s talks, audio lecÂtures eluÂciÂdatÂing the book, a phoÂto gallery, and the rest. And, oh hapÂpy day, the app lets you share quotes from Atlas Shrugged on FaceÂbook and TwitÂter too.
If Atlas Shrugged isn’t your cup of tea, if you’re lookÂing for a difÂferÂent kind of medÂiÂtaÂtion on freeÂdom, then PenÂguin might have someÂthing else for you — the bible of the counter culÂture, Jack KerÂouac’s On the Road, is now availÂable as an “ampliÂfied” iPad app as well.
The online docÂuÂmenÂtary web site SnagÂFilms recentÂly unveiled a new verÂsion of its iPad app, which makes 80 great docÂuÂmenÂtaries availÂable on yet anothÂer media platÂform. You can already watch the (genÂerÂalÂly high qualÂiÂty) films on Snag Films’ web site for free, though in this case “free” does entail being forced to watch a brief but soul-drainÂing adverÂtiseÂment toutÂing the social welÂfare iniÂtiaÂtives of GoldÂman Sachs.
For balÂance — and perÂhaps some uninÂtenÂtionÂal irony — SnagÂFilms adds the disÂclaimer “the views and opinÂions expressed in this film do not necÂesÂsarÂiÂly reflect those of GoldÂman Sachs,” and the colÂlecÂtion feaÂtures docÂuÂmenÂtaries like the NationÂal Resource Defense CounÂcil’s HuntÂing for Oil, MorÂgan SpurÂlockÂ’s Super Size Me and the anti-capÂiÂtalÂist NaoÂmi Wolf docÂuÂmenÂtary The End of AmerÂiÂca. But, of course, many of the othÂer films go well beyond polÂiÂtics. Some of our favorites include LoveÂcraft: Fear of the Unknownand episodes of Carl Sagan’s CosÂmos.
Also worth checkÂing out: The NationÂal Film Board of CanaÂda offers a simÂiÂlar iPad app for downÂloadÂing and watchÂing its excelÂlent online colÂlecÂtion. It housÂes over 1,ooo films and includes clasÂsics like Claude Jutra’s My Uncle Antoine (1971) and the loveÂly 1965 docÂuÂmenÂtary Ladies and GenÂtleÂman, Mr. Leonard Cohen, plus newÂer gems like Ryan, an Oscar-winÂning aniÂmatÂed short from 2004. NFB makes its films availÂable in sevÂerÂal othÂer forÂmats as well, includÂing iPhone, Android, and BoxÂee.
SheerÂly Avni is a San FranÂcisÂco-based arts and culÂture writer. Her work has appeared in Salon, LA WeekÂly, MothÂer Jones, and many othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow her on twitÂter at @sheerly
LookÂing to design apps for the iPhone or iPad? StanÂford UniÂverÂsiÂty now has a course online that will help you do just that.
SimÂply called DevelÂopÂing Apps for iOS, the course feaÂtures 20 video lecÂtures (the last installÂment was uploaded just this week) and, someÂwhat fitÂtingÂly, they’re all availÂable on Apple’s iTuneÂsU.
Paul HegarÂty teachÂes the course, and he assumes that you have expeÂriÂence proÂgramÂming in C, and some familÂiarÂiÂty with UNIX, object-oriÂentÂed proÂgramÂming and graphÂiÂcal toolkÂits.
You can find DevelÂopÂing Apps for iOS in the ComÂputÂer SciÂence secÂtion of our big colÂlecÂtion of Free Online CoursÂes, along with two preÂviÂous StanÂford app develÂopÂment coursÂes, both called iPhone AppliÂcaÂtion DevelÂopÂment.
Through next April, you can visÂit “Abstract ExpresÂsionÂist New York,” – an exhibÂit at the MuseÂum of ModÂern Art (NYC) that looks back at the work of JackÂson PolÂlock, Mark Rothko, David Smith, Willem de KoonÂing and many othÂers. If you can’t make the trip, then you can do the next best thing. Fire up your iPad, downÂload the free app creÂatÂed by MoMA, and start watchÂing a slideshow of 60 paintÂings curÂrentÂly on disÂplay in “AB EX NY.” All images are preÂsentÂed in high resÂoÂluÂtion, and the app also feaÂtures 20 videos creÂatÂed by the curaÂtors, each of which conÂcenÂtrates on indiÂvidÂual painters and their techÂniques. And did I menÂtion that the app is free? (via Arts Beat)
Now the big quesÂtion. Will readÂers pay $4.99 to have the pleaÂsure of readÂing each weekÂly issue on the iPad? That’s $234 over a year. Or will you be stickÂing with the print subÂscripÂtion that runs a coolÂer $1.00 per week? You’ll find me in the latÂter camp until they work out a more senÂsiÂble annuÂal pricÂing scheme — someÂthing that, accordÂing to recent reports, may be right around the bend.
The new FotoÂpeÂdia HerÂitage app for the iPhone and iPad lets the world come to you. (DownÂload here.) DrawÂing on 20,000 curatÂed phoÂtos takÂen by thouÂsands of phoÂtogÂraÂphers from the FotoÂpeÂdia comÂmuÂniÂty, this FREE app lets you visÂit (at least virÂtuÂalÂly) 890 UNESCO World HerÂitage sites. In a matÂter of minÂutes, you can move from Notre Dame in Paris, to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, to Machu PicÂchu in Peru, to the Great PyraÂmid of Giza in Egypt. You get the picÂture. And speakÂing of picÂtures, it’s worth notÂing that all phoÂtos are released under a CreÂative ComÂmons license. A very nice touch. Let me finalÂly menÂtion that the app has some smart mashup feaÂtures, includÂing maps showÂing the locaÂtion of each site, plus Wikipedia entries offerÂing backÂground inforÂmaÂtion on each locaÂtion. You can start downÂloadÂing the app right here. (Many thanks to Jane for callÂing this out.)
A quick heads up: Today the NationÂal Film Board of CanaÂda released a free iPad app (downÂload it here), proÂvidÂing users free access to thouÂsands of docÂuÂmenÂtaries, aniÂmatÂed films and trailÂers. All films (includÂing some in 3‑D) can be streamed over Wi-Fi and 3G wireÂless netÂworks. And you can even downÂload and watch a film offline for up to 48 hours. If you don’t have an iPad, nevÂer fear. The NFB also makes these films availÂable via a free iPhone app and, of course, its web site too.
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