Happy All Hallows Eve (Friday),
Well it's a different kind of casualty Friday -- chock full o' fun -- with Halloween and just this side of Election Day. So we get McCain vs. Obama one last time, in a...dance-off??? Whatever, woe is us (in just a few short days).
Last dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVvmrum3cUA
Master Prankers
The Daily Tube review: "Foresight is an invaluable virtue in a prank war, such as this. When faced with a fellow master pranker, you must invariably stay one step ahead of the game..."
http://www.thedailytube.com/video/13579/master-prankers
Chessmation
Clay-animated chess pieces battle it out in a match of escalating violence and morphing, a really creative visual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXM3wrIhcwY
Hand-done and random
Generate a a not-so-scary hand-drawn monster with just a click. No effort or artistic ability required.
http://www.thearthole.co.uk/monstergenerator/index.htm
QuOteD
"Do you realize if it weren't for Edison we'd be watching TV by candlelight?" -- Al Boliska
Hallow3Dn
Since Halloween is upon us, better enjoy these 3D pumpkin carvings quick. They're all excellent, but "Predator" is exceptional.
http://www.villafanestudios.com/pumpkins.htm
Friday game: Purina Bowl
Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, you might well enjoy this.
http://www.brandextract.com/catbowling/default.asp
Soft Drink Can Generator
Create your own brand of carbonated sugar water.
http://www.says-it.com/can/index.php
Quizbang: Smart or stoopid?
http://www.flashbynight.com/test/
Planning ahead
And finally, check out this Daily Photo Aging Project -- 17 YEARS of the nasty things. Don't worry it only takes a couple of hours. (No, not really.)
http://www.danhanna.com/aging_project/p.html
Famous last words
"The advantage of a classical education is that it enables you to despise the wealth that it prevents you from achieving." -- Russell Green
Happy Halloween and have a good weekend,
vW
Friday, October 31, 2008
Carving it up
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Pick one
Que pasa,
One last shot at debates, seeing as the election is (finally) just days away. Obviously, the Penguin is a Republican.
Batman vs. The Penguin: The Debate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l63SRpGXBHE
Chimpanzee rides Segway
What else need be said, other than asking yourself whether he looks more dorky or less than a human rider.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pFv8CAniYQ
Hush... Google knows what's best for you
Some time back I posted what turned out to be part one of a web micro-series. In this installment, watch as a poor, unsuspecting dude places his love life in the hands of the all-knowing Google SMS. The beep of an incoming text has never sounded so ominous. Part III is pretty decent, too: Google My Maps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0LfUhUK678
Designate
Need help deciding?
http://www.godesignate.com/
QuOteD
"Well done is better than well said." -- Benjamin Franklin
Port of Call: Bathtub
"It's so funny that model makers spend all that effort on making models look real, then CGI replaces them and all-of-a-sudden it's cool to make reality look like a model." And/or try The North Wind.
http://vimeo.com/1789964
Book-a-Minute
No time to read Clifford The Big Red Dog to Junior tonight? No problem. Cliff Notes look like War and Peace compared to these babies.
http://www.rinkworks.com/bookaminute/
Game break: Click Click
Click your way through; tougher than you think.
http://www.bored.com/games/play/304/Click-Click.html
Unique bridges
Not the bridges you normally see in these kinds of lists.
http://deputy-dog.com/2008/08/26/9-amazingly-unique-bridges-you-may-not-have-seen/
Famous last words
"If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read 'President Can't Swim'." -- Lyndon B. Johnson
War in,
vW
Friday, October 24, 2008
Minor improvements
Happy Friday to you,
Finally -- John McCain is getting some much needed help for his campaign, turning to famous Hollywood directors for help with his attack ads. (Thanks Raygun)
Attack of the Directors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8fXaJmDbsY
Hallowindow
Behold animation that some dude created and projected onto his window last Halloween. Neat trick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0XnJDcyezI
Pop rock?
Never mind the song -- the popup book concept is the thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXM5LGfpmrE
Questionable activities...
Swing low, sweet 360
Like watching a pendulum go back and forth but more entertaining, this guy succeeds in his quest.
Candid Cannon
Imagine the excitement of large explosions without the danger of real explosives. Sawdust + air = blammo.
QuOteD
"Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps." -- Emo Phillips
And in the kitchen...
Cooking with balls
Those Serbians either will eat anything and/or have a great sense of humor.
Antique Big Mac
Don't belive everything you read (especially on the internet), but this is impressive if true. I'm considering testing for myself. I don't want to wait 10 years, but you'd think a few weeks would tell you something.
Mantyhose
Any guesses as to this bizarro atrocity?
http://www.e-mancipate.net/
Game: Five minutes to kill...
...yourself.
http://www.adultswim.com/games/game/index.html?game=fiveMinutes
Auto pit stop
In the future, robots will automatically fuel our cars. Of course, this is assuming we can still afford fuel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fxhE16B7Bc
Famous last words
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell
Enjoy and have a good weekend,
vW
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Heads up
Hola amigo,
Well it didn't take long and the maker of the 'literal Aha' video has a new one up. This time Tears For Fears gets the treatment...
Literal "Head Over Heels"
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6342db2270
McCain on drums
Here's a solution to beef up interest in what any talking head has to say -- attach to someone doing something cool, like a drum solo. Most clips on the web are too long, but not this one.
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1884021
Yes We Carve
Grab change by the stem -- display your Barack O'Lantern.
http://yeswecarve.com/
Quick hit: 10 Funniest Law-Firm Names
http://www.oddee.com/item_96480.aspx
QuOteD
"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber." -- Plato
Hit by crisis
Good bye letter from a hedge fund manager. Give him some credit, I guess...? (Thanks Joe)
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2008/10/17/hedge-fund-manager-goodbye-and-f-you
Laid off by Lehman
A former broker at Lehman Brothers explains how life has changed over the last month.
http://themessthatgreenspanmade.blogspot.com/2008/10/laid-off-by-lehman.html
Game break: Blocks with Letters On
Dull name, great game. Push the blocks round a maze until you get them to spell a word. And look for animations when you complete a level.
http://www.kongregate.com/games/Morpheme/blocks-with-letters-on
Slide on
And finally, the magic of the "Chariots of Fire" theme is so powerful that it can dignify almost anything -- even cats slipping and sliding on their asses across a polished floor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfuWtTf2kqM
Famous last words
"Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it's important." -- Eugene McCarthy
Sayonara till tomorrow (or whenever),
vW
Friday, October 17, 2008
Future waves
Good Friday to you,
Could interactive movies be the future of film? Or does any amount of work while viewing no longer qualify it as entertainment? (Warning: profanity and violence, but what would you expect?)
Outbroken
http://www.survivetheoutbreak.com/
Digital Conversion PSA
With the impending switch from analog to digital video, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has released this informative PSA on just how easy the conversion will be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuiGJ8hUWLc
No Competition At All
A Turing test run by computers themselves. I'm not sure about this bit, but as one commenter wrote, "Looking at the current progress humanity makes, humans will fail the Turing test before computers will pass it."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zFwsmI95xw
Inspect this gadget: Mobile bar
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/09/18/evolution-mobile-bar.html
QuOteD
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." -- Vernon Sanders Law
Don't say it
Song with an amusing-ish compendium of things you don't say to your wife. Tim Hawkins tells it like it shouldn't be. I didn't really find this funny because my wife told me so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK2OakMoW_c
You fell asleep watching a DVD
Self-explanatory(?), I guess.
http://youfellasleepwatchingadvd.com/
Quick pic: Anti-Theft Lunch Bag
http://www.skforlee.com/independent_work/lunch_bag.html
Friday game: Causality
Can you figure out how to kill all of the stickmen?
http://www.bored.com/games/play/273/Causality.html
Human Slinky
And finally, for some reason or another, the "Human Slinky" performs during basketball half-time at Creighton University.
http://view.break.com/457715
Famous last words
"You kids today have it easy. When I was a kid everything was HUGE. My dad was nearly four times bigger than me. You couldn't even see the tops of counters ... Then gradually everything became smaller until it was the manageable size it is today." -- Bizarro comic strip
Enjoy and have a good weekend,
vW
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Letterally
Take On Me (literal)
Flipping things around a bit, check out this take on the classic 80s A-HA tune -- singing the video. I foresee a sizable list follow-ons.
http://www.videosift.com/video/Take-on-Me-Literal-Video-Version
World's Most Creative Alphabets
There are so many crazy ways to write the ABC's...a great creative exercise gathered from the portfolios of artists, photographers and design students around the world.
http://reubenmiller.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/21-unexpected-a.html
Simpsonize yourself
You'll need a good head shot.
http://simpsonizeme.com/#
The Art of Moneygami
Art guaranteed to be worth a buck.
http://art.commongate.com/post/The_Art_Of_Moneygami
QuOteD
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." -- Mark Twain
Hats off
Attention hat enthusiasts. The fashionistas wouldn't pass up a chance to wear something stupid on their heads. Gear up for next year and see if you can outdo these ladies. Amateurs beware...
http://www.bestweekever.tv/2008/06/20/the-top-10-silliest-hats-in-england/
Scams of the week: Hoping to make internet millions this week...kash for kittens.
I need a cat(?) - a request for money to buy a kitten? C'mon, nobody needs a cat.
Buy my cat a tranny - poor Bubba is a transgendered feline, at least according to his worried human 'mom' and a psychic, so please send money for the gender reassignment surgery (s)he so desperately needs.
Game break: Xwung
Swing the wrecking ball to fend off hostile blue squares. Damn blue squares. Always looking to start something, aren't they?
http://www.lofiminds.com/blog/static.php?page=xwung
Clear and present: Goatee saver
Finally -- an alternative to duct tape for this men's grooming need. Can also be used to make cookies.
http://www.goateesaver.com/
Famous last words
"Nothing has done more to make us dumber or meaner than the anonymity of the Internet." -- Aaron Sorkin
Ciao for now,
vW
Friday, October 10, 2008
Piecemeal
Greetings on a Friday,
Random pieces make good in this track, which is made up entirely of comments solicited from YouTube users. A lyrical masterpiece, as you might expect. What's the song mean? He has no earthly idea. But I guess that's the thing about great art -- you just can't define it.
Marty's YouTube Comments Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywXUaklEx-s
Don't Assume
Animated video on the classic theme of frustrating your expectations of a dirty rhyme.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/460854
Mash it
Amuse yourself with this DIY video mashup tool.
http://beta.mashface.com/
Del's Beautiful New Wooden Machine
American ingenuity at its best: A very intricate contraption that produces...absolutely nothing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7ziwuIpnVY
QuOteD
"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." -- Peter F. Drucker
Cat vs. printer
Mild-mannered cat is unnerved by a laser printer and starts bashing it. Worth it, for his increasingly-alarmed facial expression.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REQRHdMRimw
Quick pic: ...and you thought you had a bad job (Thanks K-man)
http://vinweasel.posterous.com/and-you-thought-you-had-a-bad
Friday Game: Powers of Estimation
A couple of tests of spatial and temporal "intelligence" -- Eyeball it and Time it.
Strange Neighbors Make Strange Fences
Spiders weave webs, and humans build fences. And some of them more interesting than the actual stuff they enclose.
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/08/some-of-worlds-strangest-fences.html
Famous last words
"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly." -- Woody Allen
War in and have a good weekend,
vW
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Doom and gloom
Aloha,
Rough news days we've been having lately. And it doesn't seem to be getting any better...
Recession Blocker
Tired of reading all the doom and gloom of the credit crisis and US economy meltdown? Keep your consumer confidence high with this handy site, which acts as a filter to block crash-related words. Ignorance is bliss, I once read.
http://www.recessionblocker.com/
Weatherman blooper
It's the sudden off-on-off outburst that makes this. It's like, "Hello and welcome to the Tourette news."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=965dWZuSsVo
Talking, er, head
Perfect comic timing as the reporter remains blissfully unaware of the enormous wobbling "apparatus" being carried out of the house behind his back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0po1WRIIMg
QuOteD
"No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up." -- Lily Tomlin
Cow runs wild
Drunken woman terrorizes her neighborhood dressed as a cow. I'll let you fill in your own joke here: ______________________.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0930082cow1.html
Burning mercury
Burning some mercury compound could possibly be the most disgusting thing ever. And another reason to be glad we don't have Internet smell-o-vision.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIIcovOOqAE
Quick pic: Nature makes a funny
http://scienceblogs.com/scientificactivist/2008/09/nature_makes_a_funny.php
Game on: Z-Rox
This hurts parts of the brain you didn't know you had.
http://www.kongregate.com/games/EvilDog/z-rox
Good advice
And finally, in these trying times we all could use a good investment strategy. (Thanks Wendell)
- If you had purchased $1,000 of Delta Air Lines stock one year ago, you would have $49 left.
- With Fannie Mae, you would have $2.50 left of the original $1,000.
- With AIG, you would have less than $15 left.
- But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drunk all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling refund, you would have $214 cash.
- Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle. It's called the 401-(k)eg plan.
Famous last words
"My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition." -- Indira Gandhi
Over and out,
vW
Friday, October 3, 2008
Feelucky
Google into Google
Here's an amusing quasi-nerdly clip that shows how far IT has come. Apparently the two dudes are Richard and Sal from the Howard Stern Show. (Thanks Paul)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fet0SCt7uGg
Lucky me
A compilation of lucky moments involving cars, motorcycles, basketball players, soccer players and even bank robbers...
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6iy21_la-chance-compilation_fun
Rush to judgment
Don't judge a book by its cover. Or do. Entertaining quiz if you want a real-quick diversion.
http://www.judgeby.com/
The Waldo Ultimatum
From a troupe called The Imponderables; nominated for Best Web Clip in the 2008 Canadian Comedy Awards. Amusing if you like doin' the mash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg4ztJ32iPI
QuOteD
"My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to 99 cents a can. That's almost $7.00 in dog money." -- Joe Weinstein
The Ball is Back
It's that time of the year -- The Secret Policeman's Ball -- heralded in by a little animation.
http://www.protectthehuman.com/videos/the-ball-is-back-
Quick pic:
inevitable and painful
Game break: Buckets & Balls
http://www.bored.com/games/play/239/Buckets-Balls.html
Street Art: Joshua Allen Harris' Inflatable Bag Monsters
Amazing what you can do using only tape and garbage bags.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=PH6xCT2aTSo
...and a bonus: more 3D Street Art
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4806282165812861319
Famous last words
"I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite." -- G. K. Chesterton
Enjoy and have a good weekend,
vW