Saturday, July 21, 2012

That sync'ing feeling



Another really good lip sync vid from Jimmy Slonina, this time it's the Screamin' Jay Hawkins classic, "I Put A Spell On You". Some serious mime skills on display, a bit like watching a Joe Cocker on meth. [bOING bOING]

And for no good reason, results of the 2012 L.A. Beard and Mustache Competition, with a gallery of photos, naturally.

"Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Friday, July 20, 2012

...and a smile



A Lonely Island production I hadn't seen, "Great Day" has a light and lively bounce featuring a cheery cokehead who sings about yet another fabulous day in his wonderful life. Lesson learned, yeah.

And just asking for it, morons post photos of their credit cards on Twitter. Maybe they all have LifeLock (?).

'Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent.' - Ambrose Bierce

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Unbearable emotion



Remember Teddy Ruxpin bears? Or maybe you saw Seth MacFarlane's new movie...? In any case, Severe Enterprises whipped up this art project that uses 80 of them to stream emotional content buried within that sea of noise we call the Internet.

Also, a little challenge for your color recognition expertise. Or try this more challenging (annoying?) test of dragging and dropping colors to arrange them by hue order.

"The purpose of human life and the sense of happiness is to give the maximum what the man is able to give." - Alexander Alekhine

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Just win, baby



This experimental robot from Japan never loses at Rock, Paper, Scissors mainly because it cheats, using a camera to see and react to its opponent's impending in the blink of an eye. [Gizmodo]

And sort of on the topic of cheating, imagine What Celebrities Would Look Like If They Were Average Americans without the benefit of personal trainers, hair stylists, etc.

"You must lose everything in order to gain anything." - Brad Pitt

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Over easy



Ever wonder what happens when you crack an egg under water? Me neither, but the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences shows all in this aptly titled short clip, "The Egg". Nature is fun, learning is good.

And Bad Questions for Yahoo Answers is a compilation of questions, apparently being asked by bored and ignorant kids.

"Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by fighting back." - Paul Erdos

Monday, July 16, 2012

Honest lies



Magician Marco Tempest shows us the magic of truth and lies (and iPods) using an application he wrote to sync videos across multiple devices, which — lest you think he's cheating — he borrowed from audience members just moments before the show. And this was from a TED talk, so you know it's quality stuff.

And on the topic of deception, What Junk Food Should Actually Be Called features junk food amusingly renamed to something closer to the truth. [Gizmodo]

"We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Not hungry



This clip of a clam apparently eating salt on a table looks unnatural, but for good reason. It turns out, according to this bOING bOING post, that they don't have giant tongues.

And We Know What You're Doing is a constantly-updating wall of idiocy, featuring people without enough sense to stay mum about hating their boss, being hungover, doing drugs, etc., on Facebook.

"There is nobody so irritating as somebody with less intelligence and more sense than we have." - Don Herold

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Chatterbots



The website Cleverbot showcases some awkward conversations of the not-too-distant future — I especially enjoyed "The morning after" — with AIs and avatars talking to each other about life, the universe, and who really knows what else.

And some patriotic fantasy art featuring figures from American history kicking butt and taking names (?). Teddy Roosevelt vs. Sasquatch, Thomas Jefferson fist-fighting a gorilla, Ben Franklin vs. Zeus, George Washington Zombie Hunter — all fodder for potential summer blockbusters.

"Always remember that the future comes one day at a time." - Dean Acheson

Friday, July 13, 2012

Existential indignation



The third episode in the Henri series, "Henri 3, Le Vet", finds the cat protagonist lamenting the many indignities suffered during visits to the "doctor".

And these animal footprint shoes might make fine footwear for winter wrongdoers of all ilks.

"I do believe that if you haven't learnt about sadness, you cannot appreciate happiness." - Nana Mouskouri

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Unnatural extensions



Redubbing pop music to the vocal stylings of the undead is a common thematic put to especially good use in this (death metal version of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream").

And Birds With Arms lives by a single, simple credo — Photoshop human arms onto birds and send 'em in. [bOING bOING]

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is." - Albert Camus

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Future shock



Twenty years later, prescient but cynical filmmaker Jeremiah McDonald has a conversation with his 12-year old self via a video he recorded in 1992. Refreshingly unsentimental, as B3TA puts it.

Also forward thinking, a birth plan by hipsters who likely would make the world's most annoying parents.

"The future has a way of arriving unannounced." - George Will

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Adaptation



Another venture from College Humor, this one an action-packed parody trailer for a somewhat more grown up, live-action movie version of Dora the Explorer featuring Ariel Winter (the smart kid on "Modern Family"). [Mashable]

And an artist created these famous movie scenes in the style of a traditional children's picturebook.



"Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves." - Ernest Dimnet

Monday, July 9, 2012

Tweet and low



Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson on NBC’s "Parks and Recreation", recently reappeared on Conan to redux a somewhat amusing segment in which his manly character reads the tweets of teen celeb-ettes in monotone deadpan. [Mashable]

And from street vendors to civil servants to the well-known, an artist's goal is to draw every person in New York.

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." - Mark Twain

Sunday, July 8, 2012

But will it toast?



And how to amaze your dining companions by slicing a bagel into geometric wonderment to create a Mathematically Correct Breakfast. Next project, möbius strip bacon...?

And artist Kumi Yamashita's "Constellation" series of portraits are amazingly made from a continuous single piece of thread wrapped around nails hammered into a wooden board. [bOING bOING]

"Perfectionists are their own devils." - Jack Kirby

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Thy quill be done



If you know someone with an out-of-control email signature block — hopefully not you — Declaration of Email Signatures is a somewhat amusing video, just in time for Independence Day. [Mashable]

And from illustrious past to confounding present, the American Hipster channel on YouTube profiles our country's current cutting edge. Heaven help us.

"Life without liberty is like a body without spirit." - Khalil Gibran

God bless America.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Let the good films roll



A neat bit of animation, this Tim Burton filmography, and quite a tribute, as well.

And another alphabet movie quiz, this one for famous comedies.

Also, see if you can identify 100 years of movies from Paramount in this iconic poster.

"The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude." - Aldous Huxley

Monday, July 2, 2012

Don't weight



Apparently the Shake Weight finds few admirers when you shake one out in public, as this prankster/videographer's footage attests. [Mashable]

And also somewhat deceptive, "Blow Job Portraits" aren't what you think. Completely safe for work and everywhere else.
"Justice is always violent to the party offending, for every man is innocent in his own eyes." - Daniel Defoe

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Clutch



Billed as inspiring and epic moments that embrace the idea of "now or never", though I'm not sure what the guy with the milk carton is doing in there.

And let's say you've got an essay to write and someone's snooping around, hecking up on you... well Essaytyper is here to help make you look like you're working. Just pick a subject and go.

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." - Bill Cosby