Sculptor plugs Greek classics into iPod Age

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — With an iPhone, Zeus could have saved time to call on lightning from the heavens — so says California-based sculptor Adam Reeder, who seeks to merge classical Greek iconography with 21st century gadgets.

“Art is what we use to talk about our time,” said the 33-year-old artist, whose unabashed aim is to fuse western civilization’s antiquity with its newfound technologies.

The sculptor did so with the mythological Greek nymph Pan, replacing a trademark flute with Apple Inc’s iconic music player and headphones.

“He’s still a musician, he’s still dancing, but now he’s listening to his iPod,” Reeder said.

Big Blue dreams of a big green battery

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Spike Narayan watched a Tesla electric sports car rocket from zero to 60 mph (100 kph) in less than four seconds and knew batteries would be the next big thing.

“It’s hard to understand you’re not in a gas powered Porsche,” Narayan said as he recalled the demonstration outside IBM’s Almaden Research Center in the heart of Silicon Valley.

“Your head snaps back from the speed.”

The vision underscored the importance of battery power to Narayan and other IBM researchers who led a future-of-batteries conference that ended Thursday at the center.

300 Dates in 24 Hours? No sweat.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Francesca Salcido went on 300 dates in 24 hours without breaking a sweat.

Her encounters with aspiring beaus happened online at SpeedDate.com, a US start-up built on a belief that it doesn’t take more than 90 seconds to find a life partner.

“We may be using webcams and Internet technologies, but you’re still trying to find that chemistry,” SpeedDate co-founder Dan Abelon told AFP. “And if it isn’t there, you just move on to the next person.”