Our “MCI Network” (i.e. familiy and friends) have been hard at work crankin’ out the media recently. First up is TechTV’s Catalog of Tomorrow, a sorta Whole Earth-styled survey of up-and-coming science and technology. I contributed a bunch of pieces to this, along with other pals of Street Tech like Cory Doctorow, Mark Frauenfelder, Tiffany Lee Brown and Howard Rheingold.
Speaking of Cory and Mark, they’ve got new books of their own. Cory’s first sci-fi novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, has generated quite a buzz. I can’t wait to read it. Mark’s book, called Mad Professor, is a guide to weird and wacky kitchen experiments for kids. He wrote AND illustrated it. If you’re a fan of Mark’s happy mutant retro-futuristic humor and drawing style, you’ll love this book.
And last, but certainly not least, my wife Pam’s band, Thievery Corporation, has released their third recording, The Richest Man in Babylon. It’s their most ambitious project to date, with a planetful of different sonic moods and textures. Pam plays on two tunes, the delirious Arab/India-inspired “Far East” and the shagadelic “All That We Perceive.” Other stand out tracks include the beautiful Lamb-like “Heaven’s Gonna to Burn Your Eyes,” with Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini, and “Meu Destino,” a Brazillian number with the highly underrated DC-area jazz great Patrik De Santos.