Kodak Bankruptcy a Grim 'Kodak Moment' To Forget

The Kodak bankruptcy and restructuring has been finalized and the company that's emerging, one full year after initially filing for court protection, isn't the one we all remember.

It's drastically leaner and, not so much about cameras or capturing images anymore, Kodak's focus will now be on commercial and package-printing instead.

Founded in 1880 by the king of cameras, George Eastman, his Rochester New York based behemoth expects to be up and running at 100 percent again by early September 2013, a spokesperson has promised. 

But this required shedding numerous jobs, facilities, and even its own legacy to accomplish, and, truthfully, there's little solid evidence that a smaller version of the corporation will fare any better in the digital era.

The digital dilemma is what ultimately led to the demise of Eastman's empire, and the Kodak bankruptcy was predictable from the moment the new photo technology arrived.

Add also the paperless quality to modern picture-taking, and it's easy to understand why Kodak's customers vanished virtually overnight.

Still, without waxing too sentimental here, there really is nothing quite like the shutter sound of a Pentax K1000 35mm, single lens reflex. Nor anything that compares to spending hour upon happy hour developing film and photos in a darkroom...

Maybe then Kodak company heads should reconsider their current strategy and cater their business to the millions of old time diehards in the world who still vehemently believe that photography -- from creating negatives to glossy sepia tone finishes -- is truly a fine art.

One that can't be imitated in just an instant.

Age-defying Venus of Willendorf dons star-spangled bikini

Although evasive as ever about her actual age, Venus of Willendorf apparently doesn't mind baring all when it comes to enjoying a day at the beach.

As demonstrated in the photo below, the voluptuous 20,000-something fertility goddess was recently sighted sporting a teeny weeny patriotic bikini which left nothing to the imagination.

The immodest two-piece stars-and-stripes ensemble was in fact fashioned exclusively for the world-renowned sex-symbol by Americonic Art, and, as expected, the prehistoric beauty did it justice.

So eat your heart out, Sports Illustrated.

Asked if the scantily-clad icon of art history had any qualms about exposing her full figure in a public area where hundreds of Barbie wannabes and the muscle-bound typically hang out, Venus of Willendorf just shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"I'm one of kind," she bragged, sending up a cloud of sand and a mini tidal wave as she darted past the gaping throngs and into the salty ocean. "They broke the mold when they made me," she unabashedly added.

Burst, the lady probably means -- have a great day at the beach, everybody!  

Best pizza in New York City NOT Pizza Hut

The world's best pizza comes from New York City, not Pizza Hut as far too many American consumers seem to think.

 

Granted, fast food joints like that may now hold a monopoly on the healthiest junkfood ever known to man. But, as most of us have learned the hard way, mass production and availability are not true measures of greatness.

 

Save your pennies, take a trip, and gamble on any tiny hole in the wall, from Queens to Little Italy, and you'll see what I mean: New York City KNOWS how to pound, flip, and bake a pizza pie like no other.

In fact, for this former Brooklyn resident and lifelong fan of fresh oven-baked cheese, dough and tomatoes, mentioning Pizza Hut offerings in the same breath or sentence with NYC's, almost seems sacrilegious.

Because that's not just a matter of comparing apples to oranges...

It's the difference between buying a Ford or a Ford Mustang.

OUT OF THE BOX: Converted Dumpster is Home Sweet Home

A Brooklyn man's converted dumpster takes dumpster-diving to brand new heights, serving as his no frills crashpad and home-away-from-home for whenever he comes to New York City.

New York's apartment rents and hotel rates are utterly astronomical, as everyone who's ever lived or visited there already knows, and unfortunately these continue creeping ever skyward, pricing most of humanity out of the market.

So to offset the high cost of travel and accommodations, designer Greg Kloehn, a frequent guest in the Big Apple, came up with enough cash for an economical solution that is nothing short of artistic.

He bought an old garbage dumpster and -- no rubbish -- converted it into a mini estate.

For those interested in following suit, $2000 was the total ticket-price for the stinky container. Not counting all the necessary renovations which cover everything one would need to subsist, including a kitchen sink and working toilet.

In fact, Kloehn's electrified converted dumpster, although somewhat cramped inside, even sports a wet bar, kitchen nook, lounge deck with umbrella, and a set of wheels should he ever have to relocate.

No doubt about it, Americonic Art, proud maker for over two decades of the gorgeous White Trash Collection of repurposed garbage, is pretty envious of this rugged dude's ingenuity. Despite that his little home is ... well ... kind of homely in appearance.