« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »

December 28, 2007
Friday Videos - Dec 28th
»

Jingle Cats

The Bear

STP Furries
It's only three but it's better than nothing, right? I hope everyone has a great New Years celebration and gets to enjoy some time off.

Thanks for reading - it is much appreciated.
02:29 PM » [ Comments (3) ]

December 27, 2007
Rounding Out 2007 Mix
»
Closing out 2007 Mix
I've compiled a mix of the majority of my most listened to / favorite songs from 2007, you can download it here. Given that there is always a ton of music released in a given year I decided to make this one two discs - covering all my bases. This obviously made the selection process a bit easier but I still stand by every selection made.

It should be noted that I did omit music that isn't slated for release until 2008. Vampire Weekend and The Big Sleep are good examples of music that I listened to a ton 07 but don't actually become official until 08, so they'll have to wait until next year.

As always, I am sure that I forgot something obvious and when it strikes you that you can't believe I didn't include X artist, just drop me a line and let me know.

» Various Artists - Rounding Out 2007 Mix

09:44 AM » [ Comments (2) ]


Movie Roundup - 2007
»
No Country For Old Men
The indieWIRE Critics Poll does a great job of breaking down all the movies from the past year and ranking them into several sub-categories of their strongest parts (Best Actor, Support Actor, Director, etc). It actually serves as a huge list of movies worth taking note of for future viewings of past releases (i.e. I never saw "The Assassination of Jesse James" - I need to correct this) and also gives some insight into a handful of movies yet to be released that the screeners already caught ("Southland Tales" as #18 Best Film of the year?).

Using that list and this one as my own guide for personal favorites I compiled a Best Of Movies list for myself, though it is by no means complete as I have a serious problem with remember all the films I saw in a particular 365 day period of time. In no particular order:
  • No Country for Old Men - Finally a dark quality release from The Coen Brothers. After "Ladykillers" I was really worried that they'd fallen completely off.
  • The Host - though released in South Korea in 2006 this did not make it to the US until 2007 so it counts. I am not typically a fan of the "monster movie" genre but this is a giant exception and superbly done. I actually really need to see this again.
  • Once - Everything works so perfectly here - the lo-fi camera work, the music, the sincerity of the songs, the non-actors doing a great job, etc. This is more of a date movie than a lazy Sunday afternoon viewer but it hits in all the right places.
  • Away From Her - the story of a man coping with his wifes bout with Alzheimer's isn't exactly a pick-me-up kind of film but it was rather powerful in a number of a ways. Strangely, you never see movies made about people in the later years of their life unless it's some ridiculous over-the-top comedy. Fortunately this movie is not.
  • Live Free or Die Hard - probably the most absurd action movie I've seen that didn't let the audience know how absurd it was being. I mean, John McClane personally rides on a fighter jet and wins! Granted, it's gotten away from the small setting that made the first film such a success but whatever - it's an action movie that is meant to entertain, and entertain it did.
  • 3:10 To Yuma - granted it's got a few loopholes and oddball characters but it was a well done remake and I saw it with my Dad, so the viewing experience made it more pleasant and, thus, ranked higher on my list.
Addendum: aka - How Did I Forget These?
  • Hot Fuzz - I actually didn't get to see this in the theatre but loved every moment of it when I rented it. Almost flawless.
  • Lars and the Real Girl - Admittedly, I think I enjoy just about anything that Ryan Gosling is in. Overall this was amusing, sad, a bit weird and while entirely unbelievable - pretty touching too.
  • Children of Men - I think most film critics consider this a super late 2006 release but for the movie viewing world this was super early 2007. Any dark, post-apocalyptic film with fantastic cinematography will always make my list.
I am sure there are lots of other quality movies that I watched and a number of just acceptable ones, neither blowing my mind or disppointing me - Knocked Up, Superbad, Blades of Glory, Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Movie, Ratatouille, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Great World of Sound, D-War, Darjeeling Limited, Before the Devil Know You're Dead - but maybe not worthy of the best of the year.

What did I obviously / accidentally omit?
09:32 AM » [ Comments (12) ]


LOST returns
»
LOST
For better or worse, LOST is returning on Jan. 31st (Thursday nights) for a total of sixteen episodes (though probably more like eight because of the writers strike). ABC has released a new trailer to get you pumped up about it. Honestly, the trailer works - it looks like things are really happening but then again that can be said of every other commercial / trailer that has ever aired for LOST. So, who knows? The shortened season could be a great thing for the show but since they got cut short in production because of the strike I've got a feeling it's going to leave viewers seriously adrift.
08:58 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Uh.. Thanks
»
Um Thanks
The Christmas season is winding down and the new year is quickly approaching on the horizon. This is the time of year that you're probably cleaning house, thinking about some vague resolutons and wondering what to do with some of the weirder gifts you may have received. Uh.. Thanks? asks that you document any of the odd presents you received and let them know your feelings on it. If people respond, there should be some real doozies on there.
08:48 AM » [ Comments (2) ]

December 21, 2007
Friday Videos - Dec 21st
»

The In-House Carol

Golden Girls Intro (Alternate)

The Snuggler

Everyday Normal Guy - NSFW

Blue Man IRL

That's What Friends Are For

Wolf: The Movie

Amish Drifting
Happy Holidays and all that. I hope you all get to enjoy some time off work and relax with family and friends. I may be posting during the duration but expect things to be slow until 2008. Take care.
12:18 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


Entopic Phenomena
»
Entopic Phenomena
The Entopic Phenomena photoset is nuts! The 'floating' fabrics certainly have an air of another world about them - obviously very ghostly. Personally I think it works best when you've really no idea how the effect was achieved and not so much when you can tell.

Regardless, most of the pics are worth staring at for awhile. Via Geoff.
11:26 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Rich Aucoin - Personal Publication
»
Richard Aucoin
Rich Aucoin has taken on the daunting task of writing an entire album that not only stands on its own as a listening experience but intentionally syncs up with the 1966 classic "How The Grinch Stole Christmas." He's put the entire experience online here and from what I've seen, it's a great match. I can't imagine the process of actually writing and recording something of this nature so you gotta give credit purely for making it through those steps.
11:10 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Mattias Inks
»
Baroque
I posted about the works of Mattias Adolfsson previously but hadn't been clued in to the wonders of his blog / portfolio. The baroque style as applied to modern concepts is pretty much perfectly executed. I love the combo of highly detailed mixed with a bit of haphazardness.
11:00 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


2008: Year of the Movie
» According to this list it appears that 2008 could quite the great year for movies. There's the obvious:
  • The Dark Knight
  • Be Kind Rewind
  • Choke
  • Cloverfield
  • Indiana Jones
  • Iron Man
And there's the not so obvious (at least to me):
  • Richard Kelly (The Box)
  • JJ Abrams (Star Trek XI)
  • Pixar (Wall-E)
  • Darren Aronofsky (The Fighter)
  • David Fincher (Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
I'm sure I'm missing something in there but that's a helluva list to start with!
10:49 AM » [ Comments (4) ]

December 20, 2007
All We Seabees
»
All We Seabees
Way back in September, during Next Big Nashville, I was given a 3-track promo CD from local outfit All We Seabees and have been enjoying it ever since. I have been meaning to post about it since then but time constraints, laziness and a host of other excuses kept me from doing it. But with the rainy weather and impending winter moods it feels all too appropriate to finally bring the tracks to light.

I often get a bit of a Decemberists vibe from the vocals on the more upbeat tracks like "Lady Alaska" but since I'm not really that familiar with the Decemberists catalog, that's a fairly ignorant statement. Overall, there's a melancholic vibe to these songs that should provide a worthy backdrop to a cold night of your choice. I give "Black Girls" my vote for the most impactful track, though it is certainly the most withdrawn and sad.

But without further ado.. after almost 3 months of meaning to share this, snag these All We Seabees tracks.
» All We Seabees - Black Girls
» All We Seabees - Lady Alaska
» All We Seabees - Painter

02:36 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


The Real Value of Music
»
Real Music
WIRED has a great interview between David Byrne and Thom Yorke discussing their take on the tactics of Radioheads In Rainbows release, the music industry, ecological footprints and various other topics. Most of the conversation is Yorke's take on things and not as much insight from Byrne (makes sense, he's the interviewer not interviewee) but they bother offer some solid gems in terms of what they perceive as music appreciation and how the music model is changing, somewhat.
02:04 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


Hulu Invite
»
Hulu
I will be perfectly honest in saying that I had zero idea what Hulu was until about 3 minutes ago but, apparently, it's a high-quality streaming video endeavor from NBC and FOX to get people watching their content online. At the very least it's worth checking out just for the heck of it. So, go sign up for their limited private beta and see what you think. Via Daniel.
01:50 PM » [ Comments (6) ]


Art and Design
»
Cabanon Press
I know I've seen the works of Cabanon Press before but it seems like there's a ton more of it there now that I hadn't seen previously. Regardless, check it out. The works in Tom's Shed are some of my favorites, particularly these Charactes For An Epic Tale.
100 Erased Lincolns
It goes without saying that 100 Erased Lincolns is easily one of my favorite things that I've seen in awhile. However, the works of Barrett Stanley (aka Whiskerino's Sacrifice Pawn) are all worth checking out - and I recommend you do so now.
Manski
The portfolio of Mike Lemanski brings much leasure to my eyeballs. I love the "Letting Up Despite Great Faults" series and the Tissue Paper Prints are oddly one of the more fantastic things I've seen in some time.
01:37 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


Command + Shift + 3
»
Command Shift
Command Shift 3 is "like Hot or Not for web design" in that you are given two web designs and must pick which you prefer (or call it a draw). Often it is very difficult to choose between the better of two evils but a lot of the time it is fairly obvious which is the superior design.
12:10 PM » [ Comments (1) ]

December 19, 2007
Link Hodge Podge #5
» Some quick links for your quick browsing pleasure:

» Ouch Television My Brain Hurts - the first TV Carnage back in print. If you've not seen any TV Carnage before do yourself a favor - click here.

» English Russia Photo Craziness - those wacky English Russia members are at it again! Actually, these pics really are nuts and I can't believe people put themselves, voluntarily, into these situations. Via Mixel.

» Miranda July Interview - talking about her project Learning To Love You More. I had not heard of this but am intrigued by the idea and the growth of her art community. Via Jeremy.

» Peter Jackson to direct The Hobbit - Sam Raimi wouldn't have been terrible this is, obviously, the most sensible choice given his success with the LOTR series. Maybe I can take my upcoming Christmas break to revisit those movies.. it's been a long time.

» Lost in Translation: The Whisper - apparently someone went to the trouble of doing some serious audio work on the final scene of Lost In Translation to decipher what Bill Murray whispers to Scarlett Johanssen. Personally, I do not want to know and did not watch the video. I enjoy the mystery and vagueness of the end scene - it can be whatever you want it to be. It's better not knowing - so please don't leave a comment or something discussing your thoughts on what he says, because I enjoy my ignorance on this one. But, you might not, so feel free to partake.

» Lightning Bolt Letter Opener - greatest letter opener ever? Lots of amusing items here but this one takes the cake.
12:11 PM » [ Comments (6) ]


Slit Scan
»
Slit Scan
Casey has worked up a Flash / Camera interface called Slit-scan Cam that everyone should check out. If you don't have a camera on your computer be sure to watch this video for a proper demonstation of what it does. So far I've been amusing myself by slowly transitioning between goofy facial expressions.
09:46 AM » [ Comments (1) ]


onesixeight
» I'm a new inductee to the goodness of the oneeightsix photostream but I may very well be hooked already. The concept, like all truly good ones, is simple - post a photo and an mp3 to go along with it. Most of the time it works really really well.

Via Paige.
09:18 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Glow In The Dark Cats
»
Glow Cats
Some South Korean scientists have discovered a way to tinker with some cats genes and have their skin/fur glow when exposed to ultraviolet lights. According to this article this is not the first time scientists have embraced the fusion of genetics and glow-in-the-darkness, there have been fish and pigs exposed to such mentalities as well. Hopefully the research / effort / time / money put into making animals glow will lead to some future science discovery that is actually useful, beyond making one helluva new awesome pet.
09:12 AM » [ Comments (1) ]

December 18, 2007
Canon Blue - Halcyon EP
»
Canon Blue
Nashville's own Canon Blue has released the Halcyon EP to the internet for absolutely free. The four-track EP is a nice addendum to (and progression from) the Colonies album, not to mention it's got great artwork (albeit digital) and serves as the perfect way to settle into your winter time ways. Download the entire thing right here.
11:02 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


The Yin and Yang of Movies
»
Dark Knight
Did you catch the new trailer for the The Dark Knight? The inner nerd in me had some serious convulsions in trying to contain all the excitement. The first Batman film (of the new series with Bale) was probably the best comic book adaptation I can think of and it appears that they may actually make a sequel that not only doesn't ruin it but may actually continue to improve upon it. Gotta keep that optimism in check, Hollywood is fairly notorious for screwing up sequels to nerdy movies (the list is too long to even dive into here).
No Trace
Rolling along with exciting movie news.. have you seen the trailer for Untraceable? Even more importantly have you read this review of it that points out how incredibly amazing the movie will be with quotes like "He hacked into my car’s computer!" or "He got all the way into my wireless network, which means he can see every single keystroke." Brilliant. Thank you Paige for the heads up.. this one is sure to be a classic.
10:50 AM » [ Comments (12) ]


Jerry Reed Progressive
»
Reed
Lee comissioned Jeremy to create a painting of Jerry Reed (his favorite artist). Jeremy was kind enough to document the process and give a little insight in to how his process works. I'm always intrigued by the step by step process that people go through to create their arts.
10:34 AM » [ Comments (3) ]


Drained
»
Home from San Francisco and attempting to fully recover. I always have such a blast when I am out there.. it really is one of the finest cities I've ever had the pleasure to step foot into.

I'm finding myself having a hard time juggling proper Internet leisure time these days. I think I finally realized how adults get out of touch with pop culture - they end up actually working. Not just going to a job but really shutting off the entertainment / distractions of the world and just doing real work. At least, that's what I'm finding it happening to me. I can't remember the last time I had the pleasure of just reading all of my Google Reader RSS feeds - much less actually visiting the sites. Sheesh.

Anyway, I won't bore you with the personal details. I'm back and really need to investigate a way to post faster to the actual blog portion of my site - antiquated Movable Type isn't cutting it anymore.
01:32 AM » [ Comments (6) ]

December 14, 2007
Friday Videos - Dec 14th
»

Trajan
Mindquest
MindQuest MOV

Talkbox

Wheelbarrow Insanity
In terms of volume, this is a meager Friday videos. In terms of quality, this is a good one. Sorry there's not much but I'm too busy to browse!

Have a great weekend everyone.
01:39 PM » [ Comments (0) ]


Nicholas Bowers
»
Bowers Art
Nicholas Bowers does some great art (and grows a mean beard) and I suggest everyone browse his work as soon as the can find the time. I am fairly sure that I like at least a little something in every single offering he has in there.
01:35 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


Houchen Woodburning
»
Hunters and Hunted
The wood burnings of Jason Houchen are impressively detailed and with subject matter like Elephant vs Tank you can't help but enjoy it to some degree. The pictured piece, "Hunters and Hunted", is $12,000 - which is impressive in and of itself.
01:28 PM » [ Comments (0) ]


Sideshow Coffee
»
Sideshow Coffee
Paul Armstrong and the rest of the Armstrong Circus have recently launched their latest endeavor upon the world - Sideshow Coffee. It's starting out as a coffee of the month club and it looks like it could be super delicious.
01:22 PM » [ Comments (1) ]

December 13, 2007
San Francisco Distraction
» I'm in San Francisco for the next few days to partake in the KNI Christmas Party. Along with that I'm also making an effort to not be on the computer so much and will likely not really post much until next week. I'll try to post Friday Videos but no promises!
01:18 PM » [ Comments (2) ]

December 12, 2007
Just One Second...
» I'm in transit today so no posts for a moment. However, here are some quick links to tide you over:

» Santa's Ghetto - art show in Bethlehem with a bunch of notable artists (Banksy did some new piece for this as I mentioned the other day). The site is terrible but the artwork is worth a gander.

» QOTSA Cooking - I've never heard of the Anthony Bourdain show but apparently he invited Queens of the Stone Age on to play some weird carols and add some strange atmosphere overall.

» Mark Mothersbaugh Rugs - his post Devo career is really proving to be pretty incredible. Be sure to check his site for loads more goodness.

» An Important Message From Conan O'Brien - what more needs to be said?

» Pop Junkie Winter Designs - just in time for your Christmas lists.. some new designs / gifts from Pop Junkie.

» Cars Converted Into Aquariums - whaa?

» 3D Drawing Pad - another fun little gift for your lists.

Take care.. be back soon.
12:38 PM » [ Comments (4) ]

December 11, 2007
Art Projects
»
Manhattan
Upon first seeing this destroyed to-scale model of New York I thought I was witnessing a bizarre, independently funded, art project. People making a strange apocalyptic world inside three rooms of an apartment. Turns out, it is for a music video but the results are still astounding.
Shoe Art
Not that you can really tell with a quick glance but these creatures are made entirely from parts of shoes / shoes configured in a variety of manners. The results really are quite impressive and I can only dream that they are animatronic to some degree.
03:00 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


Gift Ideas
»
Lacie
Okay, so the new Lacie Hard Drive Enclosure won't actually ship until January 2008 and it's a bit costly in the "gift" department but the bond between you and the person receiving such a beautiful piece of equipment will be unbreakable.
Bone Socks
Do I need to say more than Bone Socks? How about on sale? This one is a no brainer - bone socks are a must. And if for some reason those don't tickle your fancy how about these magnificent items: Molar Mug, Science Tee, Brain Gelatin Mold, Anatomical Heart Tie or Visible Man / Woman Kit? All incredible.
02:29 PM » [ Comments (5) ]


Star Wars Baroque
»
Baroque Wars
It's hard to pick a favorite from this gallery of Star Wars illustrations done in a Baroque style. There are so many small details that make each one incredibly amusing (see: AT-ST curly feet, Storm Tropper crotch leaf, etc). Why there is no additional info about the gallery is beyond me but I'd love to see more work from this artist.
01:59 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


Moneygami
»
Moneygami
I've seen people make rings or vaguely crude anatomical innuendo with bills before but Moneygami takes that art of folding paper money to a whole new level. My only hope is that some day legal tender will be configured in this fashion right out of the gate so we can all swap turban wrapped Lincoln heads instead of "$5 bills."
01:48 PM » [ Comments (1) ]

December 10, 2007
Untitled Mix
»
mix
I finally got my act together this weekend and finalized my latest mix for you. It's another mish mash of various things I've been listening to lately but quite enjoyable to my ears - hopefully it will be to yours. Let me know.

The Best of 2007 mix is in the works and I was fortunately forward thinking enough this year to use iTunes to help me continually compile things together. The question is - what did I overlook? What would you say your favorite release of the last year is? OR what is the best thing you discovered this year that wasn't necessarily released in `07?
12:10 PM » [ Comments (9) ]

December 07, 2007
Friday Videos Holiday Spectacular - Dec 7th, 2007
»

AD/BC Full Special (click top left image panel to start)

The Mighty Boosh - "The Crack Fox"

Ad Exec

Tyson Montage - NSFW

Aquaman Dance Party - WTF?

T1000

"I don't think France is a country."

Vader Redub
The top two videos are full episodes and 110% worth watching. I realize not everyone has a spare 45 minutes lying around but please take time to watch them both at some point during the weekend. The GUBA video player controls are insane non-intuitive but it's the only place I could find the full episode.. turns out if you right-click the video you can play / pause at your leisure.

The Tyson clip is very NSFW but you have to see all the clips together.

The Vader Redux is a hilarious concept but waay too long. Do yourself a favor and stop watching it after about 30 - 40 seconds, you'll have the taste you need.

Enjoy your weekend.
12:58 PM » [ Comments (6) ]


Click these
» I don't always have the time to make nice thumbnails to accompany my posts but rest assured, this hodge podge of links is worth checking out (at least for a moment).
12:07 PM » [ Comments (5) ]


Design-y
»
Ork Posters
The large posters over at Ork Posters take a city, break them down by neighborhood and then represent each borough with a nice large text chunk. The Chicago one is probably my favorite just because the city is so grid prone.
Lahan
The online portfolio of Tim Lahan is sparse and to the point - leaving loads of breathing room for the actual designs but making care not to be devoid of its own personality. Basically it's incredibly great example of a portfolio that is engaging but not in any way confusing. Memorable for all the right reasons. Oh, and the work itself is ridiculously good - the type treatments are something to aspire to.
Hello Minor
The t-shirts at Hello Minor may not be my thing (and quite a bit NSFW for some of you) but that splash page reveal is simply brilliant. Love it.
11:57 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Apple's $15 billion cash hoard
» Daniel directed me to this article about the enormous stockpile of cash that Apple has at its disposal. The piece talks about Apple's previous behavior and why they have such a stockpile but this part was the most interesting to me:
Finally, there’s always the chance that Jobs will surprise us all, break with tradition, and buy something big. Consider this: Just for kicks, with the money burning a hole in Apple’s pocket, he could easily buy TiVo (TIVO), Netflix (NFLX) and Circuit City (CC), and still have plenty left in the bank.
Not that I think that would happen but it's notable that it could.
11:36 AM » [ Comments (1) ]


Whiskerino Recognition
»
Whiskerino Icon
Recognition of the Whiskerino success from the outside world is not something I feel is necessary but from time to time it's always nice to get linked up from some notable sources.

» Official Flickr Blog - a nice link up from Heather Champ - a fine photographer if you did not know it.

» In Celebration of Beards - from the USA Today Pop Candy blog there is a nice writeup of the bearded activities.
11:24 AM » [ Comments (3) ]

December 06, 2007
Holiday Gifts 2007
» It wouldn't be Christmas time if I didn't devote a tiny little bit of yewknee.com to gift guides and various items worth purchasing for the holidays.

Crown Dozen Gift Guide
The Crown Dozen Holiday Gift Guide is great, maybe too great.. because as I browsed deeper through all the pages I find myself just bookmarking things for future purchase for myself - not others. My simplest recommendation from the list? This key bottle opener. Most ridiculous? Maybe this boombox or the Flying Coffin Tees. But really, it's all quality.
Guide
The Core77 Guide, 77 Gifts Under $77, is always a nice repository of ideas - especially when you're not looking to break the bank.
12:20 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


Sonnenzimmer
»
Sonnenzimmer
To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie
Turns out printmaker Nick Butcher has been up to a lot more than his website would lead you to believe. He has started a new endeavor with his girlfriend Nadine entitled Sonnenzimmer. From a quick gander at the posters on their site you can tell their combined styles are a perfect fit. Spend some time browsing through the site and finding your personal favorite gem. There is still much to come from them (both in terms of the site and actual work produced) but the bit that you can get into on the site already is great.
12:05 PM » [ Comments (6) ]


Holger Pooten - Exploding Objects
»
Holger Pooten
Much fuss has been made lately over these "exploding" images from photographer Holger Pooten and rightfully so - they are mesmerizing. Be sure to check his full portfolio for a few more of the exploding devices and then a ton of slightly bizarre pics advertising something that you can't quite put your finger on.
11:52 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


PS3 Weirdness / Goodness
»
PS3
I won't even begin to attempt to comprehend what is going on with this PS3 commercial but I like what I see. The plastic-y makeup looks like the King from the Burger King line of commercials - realistic yet completely wax-y. Very strange and absolutely worth a viewing.
11:45 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Bike Beats
»
Bike Beat
Biking to a Different Beat is a quick gallery of bikes (read: bicycles) completely tricked out with massive sound systems. My only hope is that these guys never have to go up any mild inclines.

View the Gallery.
11:40 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Bjork - Declare Independence
»
Bjork
So, Bjork teamed up with Michel Gondry again for her latest video, "Declare Independence," and the results have made their way online. I really want to like this video. Both Bjork and Michel Gondry are constantly doing great things but in this case I really feel like they dropped a massive dud. The concept is great but seems to fall flat on every aspect after that. It probably doesn't help that the song is terrible but the actual visual style of the video is super lame too! A disappointment all around.
11:30 AM » [ Comments (2) ]


Top Ten Craziest Star Wars Tattoos
»
Star Wars
What can you say about the Top Ten Craziest Star Wars Tattoos? The title is completely accurate, as the tattoos are pretty much crazy. One word of warning - #2 is NSFW and #3 could be, depending on your work environment.

The lesson learned here? Lightsaber Finger Tattoos are awesome. Via Lee.
11:21 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


NAU
» While there are some that say it's a sham it is worth looking at the notion of a North American Union, so when the bomb drops that the US, Canada and Mexico are all governed by one entity you won't be totally caught off guard.
11:16 AM » [ Comments (6) ]

December 05, 2007
Robot Works
»
Bennett Robot Works
The creations at the Bennett Robot Works are in-credible! The pasts vision of the future is almost always more engaging than the actual future and these guys embody the antique style of automated robo-pals perfectly. The style reminds me of The Iron Giant but made from spare junkyard parts. Via Joey.
01:36 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


Dinosaur Skin
»
Dinosaur
Unrelated Dinosaur
According to this there has been a partially mummified hadrosaur unearthed in North Dakota. Finding dinosaur remains is hardly something new but apparently this one had its skin / tissue partially preserved - providing new insight for future research and speculation on what the creatures may have actually looked like. Despite being a herbivore the creature is assumed to be far more muscular than originally thought.
01:26 PM » [ Comments (4) ]


Pock-It
»
pockit
While I think that the Pock-It is an ingenius little variation on the standard Post-It note I have to wonder - what kind of person is organized enough to leave notes / note accoutrements on their monitor but leaves their OSX system disc lying haphazardly on their keyboard? That photo implies a very unique individual is using this thing.
01:21 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


Nerd Stuff
» HTML 5 Preview - I was enjoying this writeup about the forthcoming changes to the HTML standard, particularly the new structural tags that are being introduced, but was seriously disheartened when I saw that the changes were planned to be finished "in around ten to fifteen years." What?! How can the web move so fast in every other aspect and so incredibly slow in its own progression?

OpenDNS - a supposed safer / faster alternative to your basic Internet providers DNS services that will keep your connection safe from untrusted sites and get you where you need to go faster than usual. I'm extremely hesitant to actually act on anything like this but the concept is intriguing. Via Madrid.

Photoshop Trim - have you ever used "Trim" in Photoshop? Yea, me neither. Apparently it's quite useful for cropping out fully transparent pixels but not semi-transparent. So you can more accurately crop subtle drop shadows and the like. Via Daniel.
12:19 PM » [ Comments (8) ]

December 04, 2007
Open Tabs
» Banksy in Bethlehem - six new pieces have sprung up from Banksy on the West Bank barrier just in time for his upcoming show.

Reading Tea Leaves and Campaign Logos - a well illustrated look at political bumper stickers and what they, subconsciously, say of the candidates.

Madballs still available - seriously? These are still around?

Gotcha Gift Boxes - can't think of something to give? Give a USB Toaster or a membership to the "Salt of the Month" club - but not really.

Autolux - From The Basement - hi-def show put on by Nigel Godrich in which he asks artists to perform in the studio. The clip is far too short but it is nice to see a snippet of the goodness yet to come.

Bishop Allen - Click, Click, Click, Click - new track from The Broken String.

Tiddy Bear Comfort Strap - the concept here is dumb enough to be real but with a name like "Tiddy Bear" I have my doubts as to it's legitness.
11:32 AM » [ Comments (3) ]

December 03, 2007
The Brody Stevens Interview Challenge
»

vs. David Cross

vs. Zach Galifianakis
There is something rather peculiar about The Brody Stevens Interview Challenge videos. The concept is amusing and the guest stars are quite funny but the Brody Stevens character (and I really hope it's a character) teeters between being funny awkward and completely flat but never really falling to either side. They are worth watching but there is some air to them that is difficult to pin down.
02:15 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


Bad Hollywood
»
Johnny 5
C Mikesell shared this little gem with me yesterday and I still haven't really wrapped my brain around how remaking Short Circuit is even vaguely possible. Hollywood seems to be taking 80's Nostalgia to the extreme and just remaking / rehashing / reinventing anything that was mildly popular with the kid generation of that time and cashing in on the fact that they are now late 20's - early 30 somethings with money to burn. Even Alien vs. Predator 2 has more wide appeal than a remake of Short Circuit. Where can you even take that concept? Why is this being done? I'm so confused...

In other news, it looks like Christian Bale is set to play a grown up John Connor in the next installment of the Terminator franchise. Weird.
11:22 AM » [ Comments (4) ]


Song Ripper
» The page layout is awful (to say the least) and the interface is actually somewhat awkward and confusing but this Myspace Song Ripper does serve a great purpose for ganking those tracks off of a bands profile page that may not be set for public download.

Update: Apparently this app is not only pleasant to look at but works just as well. Bonus. Thanks for the tip Jason.
10:55 AM » [ Comments (4) ]


Only On The Internet
»
Bunny Yawn
The Internet creates many great things. One such great thing is this repository of images showcasing the rarely seen Bunny Yawn. On one level it's a cuteness overload, on another level it seems like a hysterical gallery of rabbits silently screaming their lungs out.
10:47 AM » [ Comments (1) ]


More Facial Hair Related Ish
»
2007 Winners
Beard & Moustache
Beard
Metallica Beard
Despite not wanting to be completely pigeonholed into being a facial hair nut I have to admit that I'm still highly entertained by the following:

» World Beard and Moustache Champions 2007 - while a lot of these guys are repeats from the last championships there are some new gems to be seen. You can not deny this guy.

» I Will Not Shave My Beard Until Metallica Comes Out With A New Album - the title alone priceless, the images are entertaining but the concept is more the point of comedy bliss.

If ever there were a time when Warhols quote ("In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes") applied, the Age of the Internet is it.
10:25 AM » [ Comments (1) ]


Whiskerino 2007 - End Progress in Sight
»
Whiskerino Icon
I'm finally getting to a point with Whiskerino where I'm about to put a "code freeze" on the site and start actually enjoying it for what it is and stop working on it with every bit of my free time. Hopefully this means that I can sneak in some Christmas shopping for family/friends as well as put together some yewknee.com treats that have long since been neglected. Thanks for hanging in there through this and hopefully things will return to 'normal' soon enough.
10:06 AM » [ Comments (1) ]