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Thursday, August 21, 2008
Thursday Top 5
An Epic Conversation with Cory Doctorow and John Scalzi, Part 1 An conversation between Cory Doctorow, (technologist, author, and BoingBoing mainstay) and John Scalzi (sci-fi author and noted purveyor of Whatever). The video editing is a bit annoying. Actually, I like all of it except the incredibly annoying, loud intro music. They also use it between cuts. Laaaame. Oh, if you are interested, part two of the video is here.
“This I Believe” by Robert A. Heinlein This short piece makes my cry every time I read it. The Heinlein Foundation recently found a recording of the original radio broadcast for Edward R. Murrow’s radio show in 1952, and posted an MP3. www.heinleinprize.com/rah/thisibelieve.htm
Caduceus Cellars Tool’s Maynard James Keenan has a winery. www.caduceus.org
Waxing the winker A couple guys go to LA’s (apparently) famous waxing salon Pink Cheeks. Yeah, um, definitely NSFW. And btw, “anal bleaching?” Ew. www.current.com/items/89138614_waxing_the_winker
Posted by espd at 8:19 AM |
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Sunday, August 03, 2008
Hey "New York's finest," don't forget: You work for us
On July 25 a New York City rookie cop assaulted a bicyclist participating in a Critical Mass ride. According to the New York Times, Officer Patrick Pogan has sworn a statement that the cyclist, Christopher Long, rode straight at him. Clearly, the video (seen below) shows another story. Meanwhile, Long has been charged with attempted assault of a police officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.
This is why cops get a bad name. This is why people hate cops. The New York City Police Department needs a reality check. Perhaps forcibly making all officers learn the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights might help. Protest is not a crime. Bicycling is not a criminal activity. Assaulting a protester is a crime.
Hiring rookie cops who have anger management problems, gigantic chips on their shoulders, and the barest possible understanding of the concept of civil rights should be a crime, and the bureaucrats that do it should be put in jail.
Here's a second video that shows some of the tactics (and incompetence) of the NYPD in dealing with Critical Mass.
"Green" graffiti makes paint-free protests Photo gallery of culture jamming and graffiti techniques that don't rely on spray-paint. news.cnet.com/2300-13838_3-6242898-1.html
Posted by espd at 8:03 AM |
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Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday Top 5
Where the hell is Matt? 2008 Matt has simply the best job in the world. It's hard not to be overcome with a general love of the entire planet while watching this video. Yes, even an old curmudgeon like me. And wait for the scene from Gurgaon, India, at 2:33 — it's simply the best.
Christian the lion Two guys raised a lion cub but then had to release him into the wild when he got too big to keep. After a year they travel to Africa to have a little kitty visit. Er...big kitty visit. More about the interesting reunion is available on Snopes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVNTdWbVBgc
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Sunday, July 20, 2008
Jerry Levitan meets the walrus
In 1969, then-14-year-old Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon's hotel room and convinced the Beatle to do an interview about peace. Thirty-eight years later, Jerry and director Josh Raskin have produced an animated short film using the recording as its soundtrack, and featuring the pen work and digital illustration of artists James Braithwaite and Alex Kurina.
WineLibraryTV.com This Gary guy is nuts about wine. And just generally a little nuts. Check out his popular podcasts on WineLibraryTV.com. And here he is on Conan. WineLibraryTV.com is a pretty cool site, as is its sister site, Corkd.com.
Tag Galaxy An entertaining way to browse Flickr tags. www.taggalaxy.de
30 minutes of '80s cartoon openings Wow. The cartoons of the 1980s really were terrible (except Inspector Gadget, he was awesome). www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bto7l3cKhvk
Jyoti, the smallest girl in the world She stands just 1ft 11in tall and the average two-year-old would tower over her. But Jyoti Amge is 14 years old. www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2008/04/06/
The Big Picture The Boston Globe's website, Boston.com, has started a new photoblog with amazing, large-size news photos from around the world. So much better than the tiny front-page photos you see on most news sites. www.boston.com/bigpicture
Bill Scott Former Yahoo Bill Scott (he's now with Netflix) gave this talk at CNET about a year ago, but I was glad to watch this video again for a refresh. If you're a web developer or user experience designer, it’s chock-full o’ really good things for for you to know. His personal website is very, very useful too, and if you're not already aware of and using the YUI Interface Library, it's a must-see. Video presentation: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1285664
How to Enjoy Sushi Now that I've watched this awesome instructional video, I'll be prepared to visit Japan! www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C5SbdCPmck
StartCooking.com This site's great for people like me, who never really learned to cook. Plus it's attractively-designed, professionally presented, and features well-edited videos. www.startcooking.com
Lunch inside the 12 Galaxies You ever wonder about that guy who walks around San Francisco every day with a black protest sign that makes no sense? Meet Frank Chu. www.eightyfourfilms.com
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Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thursday Top 5
Pixar – A Human Story of Computer Animation A long (101 minutes!) but really interesting panel discussion at the Computer History Museum featuring the guys who invented texture mapping and alpha channels back in the early 1970s. They would later do early computer graphics for some films you may have heard of (like the original Star Wars) and go on to found a little animation studio you also may have heard of: Pixar.
Am I Not Pretty Enough? I usually detest this sort of talent show crap, but these guys deserve props indeed. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzashX3FglM
Top 5 update: Donnie Hoyle unmasked Back in March I told you about the hilarious "You Suck at Photoshop" tutorials by Donnie Hoyle. Time magazine last week revealed the creators of the series as Troy Hitch and Matt Bledsoe. www.time.com
Posted by espd at 7:02 AM |
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thursday Top 5
Penguins Linux ad
Buy n Large From aerospace to food services, robotics to watermills. Now that's a global corporation. Ten points if you can figure out why this site is humorous. www.buynlarge.com
Five dangerous things you should let your kids do I guess I was lucky. I got to do all of these things as a kid. Although it wasn't spears, it was Jarts (later banned), and the I didn't do the driving bit until maybe 13 or 14. www.ted.com
"Lemme finish" In an interview with an Irish TV correspondent, Not-My-President Bush shows just how much of an idiot he is. "History will judge what I'm about." www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fze2J2Ve9is
English Russia A blog of Russian interestingness. Apparently written by actual Russians, since the English is a little broken here and there. www.englishrussia.com
We Can Solve the Climate Crisis Al Gore has launched a $300 million climate change initiative, one of the most ambitious and costly public advocacy campaigns in U.S. history, according to the Washington Post. When you play this video, notice the W in "we." How much do you want to bet it's going to flip over and become "me" if you go to the site and join in? www.wecansolveit.org
"Amateur" by Lasse Gjertsen I'm pretty sure I posted this a couple years ago, but it's such a classic I had to repost it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzqumbhfxRo
The fierce Humboldt squid When Jason sent me this description, at first he was playing an April Fool's joke on me. But the Humboldt squid is real. "A mysterious sea creature up to 7 feet long, with 10 arms, a sharp beak and a ravenous appetite, has invaded ocean waters off Northern California. Packs of fierce Humboldt Squid attack nearly everything they see, from fish to scuba divers." www.kqed.org/quest/television/view/774
Grolsch Gardens This is a really innovative branded game built with Flash. It's sort of a noir detective story; you have to collect clues and items and the story unfolds. You'll need a lot of time to play it, but it's really engrossing...or would that be engrolsching? www.grolschgardens.com
Posted by espd at 4:37 PM |
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Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Tales of Mere Existence
Lev Yilmaz uses a great low-budget animation technique: He films himself drawing his cartoons in realtime, but from underneath, through a glass pane. So he has to write all the dialog in backward letters. It's an effective technique, and it must speed up the animation process tenfold or more (no stop-frame necessary).
But it wouldn't be worth a lick if the narratives themselves weren't downright funny, and Lev's certainly are. You can see more of his work at Ingredient X, or all his videos on his YouTube page.
Note: Most of them are clean but a few contain "strong language." This one's clean:
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
Thursday Top 5+1
Symptoms: Increased heart rate, fits of laughter... What if two members of the crew of the TV show "Scrubs" fell in love?
Don't try this at home Filming a slap in the face, then slowing it down to 4,000 frames per second. www.collegehumor.com
"Guardians" by George R.R. Martin Jason enthusiastically told me about this story he read a decade or two ago, and he was finally able to track it down online. It's by the fantasy and sci-fi author George R.R. Martin, and it touches on, among other things, the science of ecology. I really liked this story; it would make a good one-hour TV episode. Maybe Sci Fi Channel is listening? cerclefantastique.free.fr
Do the Test How many passes does the team in white make? www.dothetest.co.uk
Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband: "Dream Big" I never heard of this band before, but I like this song. Almost-but-not-quite too country for me.
Postcrossing This site takes good old-fashioned penpals into the Internet age. Users from countries all over the world have exchanged nearly 1 million postcards (real ones, not e-cards) using this site. www.postcrossing.com Flickr stream of some of the postcards: www.flickr.com/groups/postcrossing
You Suck at Photoshop Tutorials can be boring, but Donnie Hoyle's seven (so far) Photoshop tutorials provide, um, maybe a little too much insight into Donnie's life. www.youtube.com
Metal Knight Rider Because the only thing that could make Knight Rider more badass is if the intro song was redone metal-style. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDs3GItNPo8
I've been busy so I didn't have time to post a Top 5 last week. So here's a double dose of distractions for you.
What if humanity disappeared? This Sunday, the National Geographic Channel premieres "Aftermath: Population Zero," which imagines what it would be like if humans suddenly disappeared from Earth (coincidentally, they chose Velma's birthday for the date on which human history ends). Pets will starve, dams will break, electricity will shut down and nuclear plants will eventually melt down. And that's just in the first few months; they continue to forecast out to 230 A.H. (after humans). Using CG and cleverly edited real film footage, National Geographic has created an altogether frightening and fascinating vision. Since we don't have cable Velma and I can't watch it, but I'll Netflix this someday if it gets released on DVD. There's an interactive timeline and several preview video clips on the web. channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/aftermath/
The Wasmopolitan Cavalcade of Recorded Music Legendary producer Don Was has a show on the new online video source My Damn Channel, and so far he's got interviews with and/or performances by Ozzy Osbourne, Slash and Duff from Guns 'N' Roses, Sass Jordan, Jill Sobule (performing in an LA furniture store!), Sweet Pea Atkinson, and Lori McKenna, along with some up-and-comers. The Ozzy interviews contain some of the most interesting questions Ozzy's gotten in years (in this way, Don Was could kick Bob Coburn's ass), and they even briefly discuss the long-forgotten duet Ozzy did with Madonna on Was (Not Was)'s 1983 album Born To Laugh at Tornadoes. www.mydamnchannel.com/explore.aspx?channel=59 I also liked this rock–reggae band — Common Sense: www.mydamnchannel.com/channel.aspx?episode=570
The trouble with Steve Jobs Fortune has named Apple number one on its 2008 list of America's Most Admired Companies. Among the magazine's coverage, editor at large Peter Elkind uncovers some facts behind Apple's stock backdating scandal and 2004 surgery that saved Steve Jobs from cancer. money.cnn.com/2008/ There's also a separate interview with Jobs: money.cnn.com/galleries/
Facebook and privacy Much has been made over the last year about Facebook's privacy policy and terms of service. I happen to think most of this sharing is benign, but there's no question that it could be used (as could nearly any information) for the wrong purposes. While this video's outline of corporate and government relationships to Facebook are a bit tenuous, it provides some interesting insights that all Facebook users should be aware of. www.albumoftheday.com/facebook/
Does Google have a Master Plan? As if the Facebook video wasn't enough, this video contend that Google is secretly cooperating with the CIA and collecting your personal information for purposes that are possibly more nefarious than just simply serving up relevant text ads. I'm not sure how much of this I buy, but I'll look into the allegations of Robert David Steele, the former CIA agent. The video, btw, is worth watching if only for the terrific design. masterplanthemovie.com
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Thursday, February 21, 2008
Thursday Top 5
Time-lapse video: Making a digital portrait of Thom Yorke
How to make bread lol! I like this comment: "Add baking to the list of typical hobbies for gay, white, disco ninjas." www.poetv.com/video.php?vid=24479
Declaration of Romantic Intent When you truly (euphemism for attraction) someone, nothing says it like a form letter. bureauofcommunication.com
iminta My pal Aaron Newton launched his new site a little over a week ago, and it's garnering some good reviews. It's a social-web aggregator allowing you to keep track of you and your friends' activity on a bunch of services like Yelp, Digg, Twitter, and YouTube, but do it all in one place. I helped Aaron a bit with some graphic advice early on. www.iminta.com
Clark and Michael I don't know how to describe these webisodes. They're just funny. You might recognize Michael Cera from Juno or "Arrested Development." You gotta start at Episode 1 though. www.clarkandmichael.com
Harmonica + Beatbox: Final Cut I think I posted a video of this guy, Yuri Lane, a couple years ago. Amazing skillz. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHUuqsSCn5g
20/20: "Stupid in America" Oh man, it gets worse. The whole Miss Teen South Carolina thing led me to this "20/20" episode. It takes about ten minutes before you see some hope: Some of the alternative schools, where teaching actually happens (shocking!). Oh bog, this makes me want to vote Libertarian again. www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfRUMmTs0ZA
Voice of Bart Simpson gives $10 million to Scientology I don't know what's more appalling, that she gave that much dough to the lunatic cult, or that she earns $250,000 for every episode of "The Simpsons." www.pagesix.com
Posted by espd at 9:38 PM |
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday Top 5
Music for one apartment and six drummers
The Koepp and I (A Play in Two Parts) An interesting post by screenwriter Josh Friedman, who wrote the early script versions of "War of the Worlds," about how a completely different writer got all the credit. hucksblog.blogspot.com
Not Martha My favorites are the enews.org logo cupcakes! Well, that's not what they call them, but that's what I call them. www.notmartha.org
Stabbing at Leia's (Uncensored) Not precisely safe for work, but only because there's a little strong language and a sort-of adult situation. Best part's when the cops arrive. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOwXIarEpzI
Jim Houser interview A typically conversational Fecal Face interview with illustrator Jim Houser. The best part is the ton of pictures of his home/workspace. www.fecalface.com/SF/
The Small Stakes I have this Death Cab for Cutie shirt I really like, and it was designed by Jason Munn, who has churned out some amazing posters and designs over the past five years from his Oakland studio. www.thesmallstakes.com
Consumer Consequences An interactive game that asks, "What would the world look like if everyone lived like me?" You may have played games like this before (sometimes it's more like a quiz), but this one is notable in that it allows you to compare your answers at the end to other people's, including some American Public Media personalities. Thanks to Ynnej for the link. sustainability.publicradio.org
The Superest An ongoing character illustration battle between Kevin Cornell, Matthew Sutter, and occasional guest artists. www.thesuperest.com
WGA Strike: A Love Story The Writer Guild strike continues, but the writers keep writing, while the networks give you reruns and game shows. youtube.com/watch?v=EodzF_orJQY
Watch your (fo)odometer How many miles does your food travel from field to fork? Presented in an interestingly animated fashion. youtube.com/watch?v=p4RCyxgz97g
Posted by espd at 9:00 PM |
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Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thursday Top 5
Microsoft's Seadragon/Photosynth Blaise Aguera y Arcas of Microsoft Live Labs demos Seadragon/Photosynth, some incredible software that's capable of assembling static photos into zoomable, navigatable spaces.
