My Idea of Fun

May Th’ Force B With U (+VW) For anyone who’s a...

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:13:00 -0800

For anyone who’s a sucker for Star Wars, or small children, or both:

VW put up this irresistible ad today, and it’s already gotten over 300,000 views (or is that vws?) — all of them well-deserved, at least a dozen of them mine.

This 1-minute ad delivers more tension and wonderment than the entirety of George Lucas’ 3 prequels. The kid acts rings around Hayden Christensen. So does the dog. And the jar of peanut butter.

Go ahead, try not to laugh your head off with glee at precisely 0:53.

AW, DOGZ IZ CUTE Beautiful footage of dogs being dogs… in...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:57:00 -0800

AW, DOGZ IZ CUTE

Beautiful footage of dogs being dogs… in slow-motion, at 1000 frames per second. Set to a triumphantly ambient (ambiumphant?) score, reminiscent of Sigur Rós.

A bit sad that the brightest minds of our generation are working on puppy chow ads, but that aside — AW, DOGZ IZ CUTE!

Quite possibly inspired by: Pleix’s “Birds” video, for Vitalic’s Poney Part 1.

Exhaustion NYC sculptor Joshua Allen Harris makes vibrant,...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:46:00 -0800

Exhaustion

NYC sculptor Joshua Allen Harris makes vibrant, eye-grabbing street beasts from garbage bags, tape… and subway exhaust.

I love how fresh and modern these works feel, even though all of these ingredients have been around for at least 50 years. (Garbage bags: invented in 1950. Duct tape: 1942. NYC subway exhaust: 1904!)

Beauty quote: “The city decides how it’s going to animate the sculpture.”

Don’t Sing That Tune! Singing “My Way” in a...

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:55:00 -0800

Don’t Sing That Tune!

Singing “My Way” in a Filipino karaoke bar… can get you killed.

From today’s NY Times:

The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.”

The actual reasons are more prosaic and incidental than premeditated, but the article is a fascinating slice of modern Filipino culture.

iCarly: Woh, Dude Carly Fiorina, the forced-out CEO of HP, is...

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:21:00 -0800

iCarly: Woh, Dude

Carly Fiorina, the forced-out CEO of HP, is seeking the Republican nomination for California Senate. If she gets it, she’d be running against Barbara Boxer.

However, she’s not helping her chances by greenlighting what is certainly the most tripped-out, bizarre campaign ad in recent memory.

Watch ‘til 0:30, then skip to 2:20, where it gets REALLY BIZARRE.

But it gets even better when you replace all that talking with Pink Floyd.

Once again, Fiorina was once one of the most powerful women in American business, and a top economic advisor to the McCain campaign. Just keep that in mind.

And beware the Demon Sheep.

Lego Brainfu** Do you like Legos? How ‘bout chiptuny...

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:33:00 -0700

Lego Brainfu**

Do you like Legos? How ‘bout chiptuny techno? And old-school video games?

Then you’re gonna love this Ice-Cream-Sundae-of-Awesome. It’s like a Boing Boing reader’s wet dream.

It’s from Sweden. I’m guessing that doesn’t surprise you.

John Garnevicus An all-5-vowels groom marries a bride named...

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:26:00 -0700

John Garnevicus

An all-5-vowels groom marries a bride named “Vowels.”

Signs and portents. The End Times approach.

Rogue Diva Peter: Uh, I don’t like my job, and, uh, I...

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Rogue Diva

Peter: Uh, I don’t like my job, and, uh, I don’t think I’m gonna go anymore.
Joanna: You’re just not gonna go?
Peter: Yeah.
Joanna: Won’t you get fired?
Peter: I don’t know, but I really don’t like it, and I’m not gonna go.
— Office Space (1999)

If I were the citizens of Alaska — who elected Sarah Palin to serve a four-year term as governor — I’d be pretty pissed that she’s decided she doesn’t feel like coming to work anymore.

Or, maybe I’d be relieved.

Video Mashup: Muppets And Hip-Hop A few things you may not...

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Video Mashup:

Muppets And Hip-Hop

A few things you may not notice if you haven’t watched this impeccably produced mashup of Bert & Ernie and M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” approximately 250 times, as I have:

0:05: As Bert and Ernie jump around to the beat, a boombox is visible in the background. (Well, it’s really a table radio, but this was the early 70’s.)
0:09, 1:14, 1:18: Various characters are playing horns and trumpets, mimicking the sampled horn section on the track. (You can hear those horns in their original context, in the first 8 seconds of this hella-fierce Sam & Dave video.)
0:18: As Ernie says, “Take chains off! Take rings off! Bracelets is yapped, everything off!”, he looks at his hands, then wiggles his fingers.
0:30: As the doctor shouts, “Clamp ‘em down,” his hand is clamped down on Ernie’s wrist.
0:38: As Bert says, “Keep a rugged dress code,” he looks at a character in a hardhat, then down at his own shirt.
0:40: Right after Bert says, “Always in this stress mode,” he gets visibly startled by Ernie popping out behind his chair.
1:07: The instruments that Bert and Ernie are playing — a kick drum and a snare drum — are the two main instruments in the boom-bap beat of the song.
1:22: Notice the faraway voice, and how well it matches with the groggy Bert being awakened in the background.
1:25: It could also be argued that the growly bleats at the very end are those of the sheep, seen moshing at that very moment.
Hell, M.O.P. even look like Bert and Ernie. And it goes without saying that Ernie is lip-synching the little guy (Lil Fame), while Bert takes the big guy (Billy Danze).

There are mounds of Muppet mashups out there — Coldplay, Master of Muppets, and of course the brilliant Sad Kermit series — but this is the genre’s Citizen Kane.

Day in the Cloud An online scavenger hunt. On a plane. Courtesy...

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:28:00 -0700

Day in the Cloud

An online scavenger hunt. On a plane.

Courtesy of Google and Virgin America: A team on an SFO-LAX flight is up against a team on an LAX-SFO flight — answering crafty clues using only Google Apps and Virgin America’s free WiFi.

I have been invited to be a part of the SFO team.

On Wednesday, June 24th, at 6am, I will board a Virgin America flight from SFO to LAX, Google my a** off, and achieve geek nirvana.

I have invited my friend, game-design rockstar Jane McGonigal, to be on my team as well.

Want to go up against us? You can play from the ground. Check it out here.

It’s on.

Earworm d’Hui: Catchiest Chorus Plain White T’s is...

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:02:00 -0700

Earworm d’Hui:

C atchiest Chorus

Plain White T’s is the young emo-punk-pop-lite band who hit it big last year with the frustratingly undeniable acoustic ballad “Hey There Delilah.” I opened for them last year at the Ottawa Bluesfest, and their audience was full of 12-to-15-year-old girls, who eagerly mouthed every word of their songs by heart. It was, as they say, made of awesome.

I’m sure it was (made) painfully clear to the band how useful another “Delilah” would be for their follow-up album, and damn if they haven’t hit it out of the park — with the Beatlesque “1 2 3 4.” Curse you, Silly Pop Song, for burrowing into my brain so!

The lyrics are as vapid as bottom-of-the-bag cheesepuff-dust, but oh, that chorus.

There’s only
1 thing 2 do
3 words 4 you
I love you

There’s only
1 way 2 say
those 3 words
And that’s what I’ll do
I love you.

So simple — the stuff of high school yearbooks and text-messages — you wonder why no one thought of it before. Paul McCartney in 1965 would have killed for that chorus. A line stretching back to the casually tossed-off wordplay of Cole Porter and George Gershwin.

Durned kids. Get off my lawn.

Your Jetpack, Sir …my manservant would say, as I descend...

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:23:00 -0700

Your Jetpack, Sir

…my manservant would say, as I descend into the BeyondCave, deep below Beyond Manor, accessible only via a secret passageway hidden behind my study full of many leather-bound books.

Top speed of 63 MPH, can fly 8000 feet above God’s green earth. On sale this summer from Martin Jetpack. You don’t even need a pilot’s license — just $100,000. Anyone wanna go in on a timeshare?

Yes, it’s bulky, it’s not exactly Iron Man-sleek, but it’s a jetpack, for God’s sake. Like, in real life. Jeez, some people are never satisfied. Everything’s amazing, and nobody’s happy.

(via Neoseeker)

Soy Tu Aire A hauntingly beautiful interactive music video (it...

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:23:00 -0700

Soy Tu Aire

A hauntingly beautiful interactive music video (it means “I’m Your Air”) from the Spanish group Labuat. It literally draws you in.

It takes a minute to load (the Play button will replace the Spanish text in the middle), but it’s worth it.

(Hint: wave your mouse around, and hold the button down.)

Do the Duckzilla! Whoever greenlighted this sugary-beverage...

Fri, 22 May 2009 12:01:00 -0700

Do the Duckzilla!

Whoever greenlighted this sugary-beverage commercial should get a Big. Fat. Raise. Hit the HQ button for High Quality!

And the subtitles are in Gotham! Where my font geeks at?

Fortunate Birth Two views on how blessed we are to be part of...

Thu, 14 May 2009 00:04:00 -0700

Fortunate Birth

Two views on how blessed we are to be part of this grand manifestation.

The first is by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, son of Chogyam Trungpa:

In the kingdom of children
Every one of you is this child,
An innocent being
Who jumped out of heaven
And landed in Shambhala.
Fortunate birth is who you are —
Everything is perfect in your world…

Be dharmic now,
Be powerful now,
Be benevolent now —
Not for me, not for others —
But because that is your blood.
When you feel privileged, use it.
When you feel ashamed, pounce.
Consume that hesitation —
It’s only a flicker of your imagination…

Consume this hesitation of not knowing.
Never doubt,
Only walk forward.
Love everything,
For that is why you are here.

The second is by Kurt Vonnegut, from Cat’s Cradle:

God made mud.
God got lonesome.
So God said to some of the mud, “Sit up!”
“See all I’ve made,” said God, “the hills, the sea, the sky, the stars.”
And I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around.
Lucky me, lucky mud.
I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done.
Nice going, God.
Nobody but you could have done it, God! I certainly couldn’t have.
I feel very unimportant compared to You.
The only way I can feel the least bit important is to think of all the mud that didn’t even get to sit up and look around.
I got so much, and most mud got so little.
Thank you for the honor!
Now mud lies down again and goes to sleep.
What memories for mud to have!
What interesting other kinds of sitting-up mud I met!
I loved everything I saw!
Good night.
I will go to heaven now.
I can hardly wait…

Many thanks to Wes Nisker for bringing these words into my life.

Photo by paper_wings(butterfly)

The Bomb Haiku This world of ours — Standing on the roof...

Wed, 13 May 2009 23:38:00 -0700

The Bomb Haiku

This world of ours —
Standing on the roof of hell
Gazing at flowers.

Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)
Translated by Robert Hass / Wes Nisker

Bicycle Parkour You know parkour, where people do all sorts of...

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:17:00 -0700

Bicycle Parkour

You know parkour, where people do all sorts of acrobatics around city buildings and stuff? Check out what Danny MacAskill can do on a bike!

He’s like the Banksy of bicycling. Worth watching all the way through. It actually elicited gasps and a tear-of-joy or two. It might be the bewitching music — “Funeral” by Band of Horses. They were on right after me at Coachella two years ago… very nice folks.

UCLA Phonetics A jaw-dropping treasure trove for any collector...

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:46:00 -0800

UCLA Phonetics

A jaw-dropping treasure trove for any collector of languages. Recordings, hand-written scans, and word lists for every language from Waray-Waray* to Yindjibarndi** to Malayalam*** to Crow.

Shown above: Kirike, from Southern Nigeria. Wanna hear it?

See also: The Rosetta Project and Omniglot.

* Spoken by 3 million people in Eastern Visayas, Phillippines.

** Spoken by a few hundred people in Western Australia.

*** Spoken by 37 million people, mostly in southern India. (Palindromic!)

GOP Running Mate From The Onion’s Our Annual Year: Area...

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:12:00 -0800

GOP Running Mate

From The Onion’s Our Annual Year:

Area Woman Becomes Republican Vice Presidential Candidate

WASILLA, AK—In a dramatic capper to a year that already saw her son’s hockey team go to district finals, a successful remodeling of the den, and her scoring of front-row tickets to a traveling production of the Broadway smash hit Les Misérables, Wasilla resident and former beauty queen Sarah Palin, 44, was chosen as the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. The mother of five, who enjoys attending church potluck dinners with husband Todd, an unemployed commercial fisherman, reportedly “jumped at the chance” to become the second most powerful person in the country. “Oh, what a nice thing for [GOP running mate] Sarah [Palin],” said Debbie McInnes, who met Palin two years ago at an advanced step aerobics class at the Wasilla YMCA. “She’s such a good person, and so pretty! I think she’d be super-enthusiastic to take on that job.” Although Palin ultimately never got the chance to come within a heartbeat of ruling a global superpower and its 300 million citizens, she said she was happy enough to have beaten out the other potential Republican VP candidates, including a Nebraska receptionist and a congresswoman from Ohio with more than 20 years of political experience.

Wouldn’t be so sad if it wudn’t so true. (via kottke)

Eoghan Quigg Who is Eoghan Quigg? Harry Potter’s new...

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:43:00 -0800

Eoghan Quigg

Who is Eoghan Quigg?

Harry Potter’s new classmate in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, who lures Hermione away from Ron
The 3rd-place finisher in this year’s X Factor (the UK’s version of American Idol), who lured a fellow contestant away from her hometown boyfriend
Teenage Irish playboy, millionaire grand-nephew of Zorba the Greek actor Anthony Quinn (whose real last name was Quigg), who lured Vanessa Hudgens away from High School Musical co-star Zac Efron

Click through for the answer.