June 22, 2007
Inelegant design.
Ready to work some yellow magic? No, not like that.
The Simpsons Movie website just went live. In 12 languages, apparently (including non-American English).
Bumbo
[Video] Ready-Set-Bumbo. Ready-Set-Bumbo II. "No babies or dogs were hurt in the making of this film."
SACCHARINE TRUST!!!!1!!!1
Flashback to some '80s punk scene shit.In true punk demeanor this is just an excuse to post some (mike watt) U-Tube.
The Art of the YouTube Music Video
There are a lot of special people out there making special music videos for their favorite songs.
This tribute to Don't Fear the Reaper is particularly... moving.
Marvel at the mid-90's VCR-edited version of Toto's Africa.
There are some great Star Trek slash music videos out there. (1st link possibly NSFW).
Then you have these guys, breathing new life into classics with some serious lip-synching skills.
post-gabba cossack meltdown
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Mefites love cover versions. But are we ready for The Legion of Rockstars? To wit: "1) A bunch of people put on noise-canceling headphones. 2) They all listen to the same song and play along. 3)The results are recorded and set to the original music video. 4) Hilarity ensues" (myspace, via).
Why do you like Lou Dobbs so much?
Significant Others by Zach Galifianakis (Includes NSFW fashion, non sequitur fashion shoot. [more inside])
Public Domain Photos
Public Domain Photos [via mefi projects]. An extraordinarily rich resource for free stock photography.
The 5 Biggest Pricks in Congress
Rudy Autio, RIP
Rudy Autio, the Matisse of the ceramics world, has passed away at age 70. Born in 1926 to a Finnish family in ethnically diverse and bustling Butte, Montana, Rudy went on to study ceramics with Frances Senska at MSU. There he met future ceramics titan, Peter Voulkos, and became founding residents of the Archie Bray Foundation. Because of their revolutionary work, the 2 of them helped bring recognition to a field that had previously only been considered craft. Autio's giant torso-shaped vessels are often decorated with post-impressionistic horses and dancing women, but he also ventured into printmaking, tapestry design and murals. According to Ken Little, "If the ceramics world had a Mount Rushmore, it would be Peter Voulkos, Rudy, Paul Soldner and Don Reitz."
Smells like elderberries
The Times reports: Lily-livered milquetoasts trying to suffocate the British insult. In case you illiterate turkey-buggering colonials have comprehension troubles, consult this handy glossary and usage guide.
There's water in them there tanks...
"The business is definitely an art, the men are craftsmen..."(YT) NYC's rooftop water tanks are a unique and often overlooked part of the city. Watch as one goes up (its worth the 10 minutes for the money shot at the end): "New York, is water tanks, yes."(YT)
"New York, which has thousands of cylindrical wooden rooftop water tanks with conical roofs, couldn't exist without them." Its the only city with its own section under Wiki's water tower page.
Smoke Rings are COOL
It takes something truly exceptional to be both impressive and completely useless, simultaneously : Let's face it, smoke rings are cool and sometimes mysterious. (Maybe just not 5 min. and 31 seconds worth of cool and mystererious). Amaze the kids and without lighting up! (zerotoys.com YouTube video) Naturally occuring vortex rings are even cooler. The inventor in the first link, (Aussie Peter Terren of the previously mentioned tesladownunder.com) shows more on vortex ring launchers) and has also recently discovered both YouTube and MeFi. Keep up with his latest geekiness on his What's New page.
A Month of Sundays
A Month of Sundays. Seattle's The Stranger sends 31 writers to 31 houses of worship.
2001: An Adapted Odyssey
Scans from Jack Kirby's comic book adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Here are some scans of his sketches as well. You can read more about the adaptation here and here. (via)
Lessig moves on.
Lawrence Lessig moves on Lessig has spent the last 10 years fighting for IP reform and open culture, He's decided to focus on fighting what he calls "corruption" (with quotes)... the pernicious effect that moneyed interests have in crafting and controlling public policy.
Finally, I am not (as one friend wrote) "leaving the movement." "The movement" has my loyalty as much today as ever. But I have come to believe that until a more fundamental problem is fixed, "the movement" can't succeed either. Compare: Imagine someone devoted to free culture coming to believe that until free software supports free culture, free culture can't succeed. So he devotes himself to building software. I am someone who believes that a free society -- free of the "corruption" that defines our current society -- is necessary for free culture, and much more. For that reason, I turn my energy elsewhere for now.
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