posted March 11, 2016 #
I saw a tweet the other week that said something along the lines of "Time isn't passing faster, you're just experiencing a greater rate of decay." That's not verbatim and I can't find it anymore but, man, it really struck a chord. Anytime I think about a week flying by super fast, I just remind myself that it passed just as quickly as any other week, I just decayed a little faster than usual. Uplifting, right?
SXSW starts today and I'm not attending a single portion of this year. It's the first time in a very long time that I haven't made the trek to Austin to fight the masses. I'm not really even bummed about it. I'm sure I'll remark more on this later, as anyone that
is down there should go see some Nashville bands.
On to the distractions! Many thanks to
@_Pandy for the cover image this week.
- Orkestra Obsolete play Blue Monday using 1930s instruments - Personally, I don't care for the vocal element of this but the instrumentation is great. I'd be down to hear more influential electronic bands covered by instruments of this era. via Austin.
- A Man with 1,000 Klein Bottles Under His House - this guy is a delightful weirdo. We should all aspire to this level of comfort in our interests and home tinkering. I absolutely love his homemade tiny forklift.
- ALONE - a somewhat NSFW short film about what people do in the privacy of their own homes when they're alone. Are these people actors? Were they actually captured alone by themselves? Definitely hard to tell sometimes.
- Patrizia Pellegrino - Automaticamore - not a good video but a song you should play on repeat for the next month.
- MAGI Synthavision Demo Reel (1980) - these guys went on to do the special effects for the original TRON. This demo reel covers their work predating that and it's great.
- Stephen Paul Taylor - sometimes its just good to watch someone fly their freak flag loud and proud.
And, yes, there is the
Lonely Island movie trailer and new
Captain America trailer but you certainly saw those already, right?
posted March 4, 2016 #
I had jury duty this week and, I gotta be honest, it wasn't that bad. I was never picked for any potential jury and they provided a quiet, Wi-Fi enabled environment to sit around and wait. It could have been much much worse. The lesson here? Maybe jury duty is a nice break from your schedule? Maybe.
Enjoy the distractions - these feel somewhat lengthy this week but that's just more time for you to enjoy a quality goof about. Oh, and if you haven't added the
Vandelay Industries Bot to your Slack Distractor, you should do so now.
I keep looking for this
mind melting juice harp video somewhere other than Facebook but I'll just leave it here for you to enjoy on your own time. Oh, and this
Jurassic Park without the Dinos
posted February 26, 2016 #
Not a bad selection this week! Some highs, some lows. Just what you'd expect from a weekly dump of distractions and no-work motivators. Predictability is the name of the game here and I think I'm
nailing it.
- You Won't "Ya Ya Ya" - there's something very Neutral Milk Hotel-y about this song but without feeling like they're going for a direct rip. If this song ends up playing in every Target and on every commercial sometime in 2016, I won't be surprised.
- Robot Lives Matter - laugh now but this mashup is effective and will, one day, be real.
- Forms in Nature - not one of the wackier entries, but an excellent exploration of the relationship of common elements in our universe through their shape.
- The Most Satisfying Video in the World - I can't quite explain why this video is as satisfying as it is, but it truly is satisfying. The camouflage application and carrot farming (both included in one video) were of particular interest.
- 101 Year Old Flossie Dickey - When you're 101, you can be as uninterested in whatever you'd like. I honestly can't tell if this is a subtle sketch or not. Could go either way.
- The Coen Brothers - Shot | Reverse Shot - another excellent piece from Tony Zhou on the art of filmmaking. I never tire of these.
- Broad City's Weird and Wonderful World of Jokes - this is a fairly basic explanation of sitcom tropes - callbacks, recurring gags, etc - but through the lens of Abbi and Ilani's world. I definitely missed some of the easter eggs.
- Ram Jam - Black Betty - I keep waiting for someone to mash this up with Black Phillip references but the best I can get is this questionable Mad Men parody.
- Xscape Ad - It's hard to believe this might have been real but it's general weirdness is going to keep me up at night.
- Imperial March Frog - visit this on Youtube, make sure your mouse is focused in on the video and follow the instructions. You're welcome.
If you have the means, watch
this old SNL sketch. It's stupid and satisfying.
posted February 19, 2016 #
The big news in my world this week was the announcement of both the
Tower Defense EP and
POLY full-length. I'm excited for both of them, largely
because of their sonic differences. I'm still playing the guessing game when it comes to getting these bands the exposure they deserve but I'm confident that they are great to listen to and that's the most important part.
On to the distractions. Use them wisely and
frequently.
- Every Best VFX Effects Winner. Ever. - phenomenal montage of every Oscar winner since the beginning in 1927. I dunno why but I'm particularly smitten with just about everything pre-1985. via Chad.
- Armi Ja Danny - I Want to Love You Tender - it's been awhile since I posted an amazing vintage choreographed dance number. Feels good to have this back in my life.
- Fun Town Auto - very vulgar, very NSFW clip that I think about pretty regularly. I find myself wanting to quote it but know that no one would get it. I still love it.
- Stray Day: Episode 4 - Dean Fleischer-Camp consistently pumps out weirdly amusing videos, this is no exception.
- Steve Jobs on 'Think Different' - a 1997 talk from Jobs upon his return to Apple. This has been making the rounds lately and I've been meaning to make time to watch it, heard it was good. via Kevin.
- Apollo 100 - Jazz Pizzicato - not exactly a compelling video but what a downright delightful song.
- Connan Mockasin - Forever Dolphin Love - I won't lie, I've been browsing weird music videos lately and this one ranked way up there. Clocking in at 10 minutes, it's a real endurance challenge. I made it four and a half minutes, you?
posted February 12, 2016 #
Some weeks are easier to compile than others. This one was a bit on the tougher side and, thus, some of the results maybe a bit more varied and odd. I think you'll still feel quite distracted from your weekly duties tho.
This genius combined Star Trek withe SnapChat filters and the results are wonderful. If I could embed it below, I would.
Enjoy
this thug life, taken from
here but, trust me, it's much better as a silent video than it is as a chip advertisement.
- Top 25 Plastic Chairs - Bryan Ropar counts down his favorites. If you want more, dive in way further. Via John.
- The Washer Dryer Club - collectors of washer dryers get together and wash clothes. This feels like a cut scene from an unknown Christopher Guest movie but would CBS Sunday Morning lie to us? I don't think so. Also via John. No judgements tho, I collect and enjoy plenty of weird things myself.
- Stations - a wonderful short film that depicts the Subway experience in short, 2-3 second clips. I could watch something like this for hours.
- Beyonce Tour Announcement - plenty of talk of Beyonce recently but take a moment to just appreciate this video for the art direction of it. Sure there's plenty of random nouns being depicted (hawk, crashing waves, molotov cocktail) but it works and it looks beautiful.
- Arcade Fire - David Bowie Tribute - everyone's favorite indie outfit took to the streets of New Orleans to partner up with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to pay tribute to Mr. Bowie. Honestly, I think the results are a little lackluster but it's something you should see regardless.
- OK Go - Upside Down and Inside Out - I really could care less about any OK Go song but I can't hate on the amount of work that must go into making these videos. I'm more curious to see the Making Of, as this is an awful lot of orchestrated, choreographed zero G movement.
Spend some time with
@femscriptintros this weekend too and realize that writing women characters still has a long long way to go. Vaguely related, watch this Funny or Die
Art of the Steal trailer in which Johnny Depp depicts an all too accurate Donald Trump. Then read
this article and contemplate all weekend how terrifying it would be to have him running things.
But to end on a high note, enjoy
this.
posted February 5, 2016 #
posted January 29, 2016 #
I really wanted to use
this as the cover image this week but I didn't want to Bernie overload anyone. It's a real gem tho.
- Shaman Cat performs 9 Lives Ritual - if you ever wondered where cats get their nine lives, now you know.
- Winning the Buffet - if you ever wondered how you can truly win at buffet eating, now you know. via Jamie.
- The Chickening - I'm sure there's some way to summarize this insane edit of The Shining but it's so bizarre that it defies description. Mildly NSFW but worth it.
- Dogville Shorts - how about some 1930's dog acting? You're welcome
- It's Pat with Ween (Edit) - have you ever seen the movie It's Pat? Me neither. Apparently Ween plays a halfway decent role in it. Someone took it upon themselves to make a very weird edit of their first appearance. It's borderline unwatchable but I find it amusing for whatever reason.
- MailKimp Remix - delightful remix of the Serial ad.
- Hello, Goodbye Isolated Drum and Bass - I would have never guessed that isolated Beatles tracks would be enjoyable to listen to but I'll be damned if this isn't a treat.
Oh, and another quality
palette cleanser to make any dark day brighter.
posted January 22, 2016 #
This
palette cleanser will make you feel better at any time of day. Absolute perfection.
This and
this are also amusing but not as cleansing.
posted January 15, 2016 #
I
really wanted to use
this image as the cover for the week but that vertical orientation prevented me from doing so. Man, it is wonderful.
Rough week in the celebrity death department but that
State of the Union was great, so maybe that helps balance out the bad with the good. Regardless, enjoy some distraction.
- Tea Time with Alan Rickman - definitely sad news to hear that Alan Rickman passed this week. Watch him make a cup of tea and realize how compelled you are by his entire presence and how impressive that is.
- Bowie on Tonight Show - a 1980 performance of "Life on Mars" and "Ashes to Ashes." He's rocking his James Dean look here and it's pretty bad ass. Use this as an opportunity to dive further into the Youtube hole of Bowie, there's much enjoyment to be found.
- How To Drink Your Coffee in Norway - 18 seconds of perfection.
- Kylie Jenner - New Years Resolutions - this is 34 seconds of total WTF. Keep in mind that this is a celebrity and this video has been seen by almost half a million people.
- El Guincho - "HiperAsia" - I'm not super fond of the song just yet but this video is such a heavy nod to cutting edge 80's animation, it's hard not to enjoy.
- Force Awakens VFX - possibly a bit technical for some but nice to see the blend of digital and practical effects used in the new Star Wars.
There's a Donald Trump video making the rounds that I probably should have included here because it's completely insane but I think that guy is toxic and dangerous and I'd rather not contribute anything to him because he is an awful person that needs to go away. Instead, I urge you to listen to this
awesome synth Bowie mix.
posted January 11, 2016 #
Like many, I am surprised and saddened to hear about the passing of
David Bowie. While I've never been an obsessive fan I do have several experiences that tie directly to his creations and his influences that will forever stick with me. I think that's the most strikingly impressive portion of his life, just how many people it reached.
Personally, I remember a time staying in San Francisco for an extended stay and familiarized myself with the
Trent Reznor or
inspiring Flight of the Conchords or
including Klaus Nomi in performances or
being a GoblinKing weirdo, there's an endless list of goodness to attribute to him that's not even
his music.
His reach was far and wide and I thank him for it.
Continue Reading...
posted January 8, 2016 #
Congrats on your first week of doing whatever you did in 2016. I look forward to what the rest of the year holds - including a bunch more ridiculous GIFs, videos and, ideally, an upgrade to Friday Videos to be able to include more than just Youtube and Vimeo clips. Cheers!
- Raccoon Candy Floss - I feel bad for this little dude but sometimes magic is dark.
- NYE as a Bouncer - 9 minutes of hidden camera footage capturing real drunk, real dumb club go-ers. Couldn't turn away.
- Matt Berry - Take My Hand - I've been watching Matt Berry in some incarnation or another for many years. This version of the Toast of London theme song is just a solid, non-weird, performance from him. Sometimes it's good to balance things out.
- Nathan Barley - Smoked Salmon Coffee - as an addendum to my earlier post about the goodness of Nathan Barley, please enjoy this clip in which Dan Ashcroft is bested once again by the idiots.
- Bushes of Love - if you haven't seen this bizarre Bad Lip Reading Star Wars Music Video, partake! It is quite strange.
- David Bowie - Blackstar - the man is 69 years old today and still keeping it weird in a good way. Kudos Mr. Bowie.
- SNL Cut for Time: Tweet - I love these Cut For Time sketches. This one has a particularly impressive production value and some surprises that I won't spoil.
How about some more non-embeddable entertainment? Look at
these two weirdos using
Face Swap Live - this weeks greatest app. Or what about
this handy dog or
cat burglar? Oh, and I died laughing watching
this way too many times. Okay, enough of that!
Enjoy yourself.
posted December 24, 2015 #
Holiday time! Enjoy this playlist of enjoyable songs and performances. I'm sure you have no shortage of options for your Christmas entertainment but hopefully this playlist makes the cut.
posted December 18, 2015 #
What a week! So excited for the wrap up of the year and buttoning up some projects both at work and personally. I'll be winding things down next week for the end of the year but please enjoy this goodness.
There's also this
Jimmy Kimmel clip of Pranks with John Krasinski, it's some light hearted fun. And this
Macaulay Culkin short film were he's
sort of revisiting his Home Alone role - in a much darker manner.
Happy Holidays!
posted December 11, 2015 #
This time of year is always an anxious one for me. Lots of pending projects loom heavy as unfinished or neglected and the end of the year feels like the time to finish them. That's often easier said than done.
But I digress, here's some distracting videos to make your day easier.
Hey, have a great weekend (or day, whenever you're reading this). Also enjoy
Notification Trolling and
whatever this amazingly weird thing is.
posted December 4, 2015 #
I skipped last week due to Thanksgiving, which means a larger-than-usual list of videos for your enjoyment this week. I even had a hard time picking cover art - here's the
alternate choice or maybe even
this gem... tough choices!
Enjoy the selections!
Hope you enjoyed.
posted November 20, 2015 #
Additional weirdness: This
Gamewave album came into my life yesterday and I can't explain how weird it is, yet I love it. More classic goodness in that genre
here.
posted November 13, 2015 #
The above morphing image is the result of a fairly amazing Reddit
Photoshop battle starting with the insane looking bagpipe player. There are plenty of other great submissions but that
ET version just kills me. So funny.
Enjoy these distractions! Enjoy Friday the 13th! I welcome any submissions of greatness I may have missed.
The above is a nice, enjoyable, list but this
Dog Hop video is
the best. The song, the dog, the dance. Perfection.
posted November 6, 2015 #
I had a
helluva week and my time for browsing and encountering awesome videos was at an absolute minimum. Trust me, I'm as disappointed as you are. So, the list is meager this week but I threw in some additional non-video goodies at the bottom just to keep you satisfied.
- Billy on the Street - NAME A WOMAN - I can't say that I've ever considered myself a diligent fan of this series but I was dying over this particular interaction. You'll know it when you see it.
- Darth Hoverboard - probably more appropriate for last weeks Halloween playlist but I've watched this a good ten times in a row and keep coming back.
- The Lost Rolls - total honesty policy, I have not watched this yet but I'm intrigued by it. 200 rolls of undeveloped film finally see the light. It might be completely snooze but it sounds good.
- Patrick Cowley - Zygote - not really a music video but a song I can't hear enough. Cowley was as influential as Giorgio Moroder in terms of pioneering electronic music but is entirely new to me.
- JEFFPARDY - stupid, real stupid, but oddly satisfying.
BONUS
- Chipmunks Slowed Down - I knew this would be good but I didn't know it would be this good.
- ForeBears - input your surname and see where it's most popular across the globe. There are a surprising amount of "Eades" in Australia. Does my family have a history of criminals?!
posted October 30, 2015 #
Here it is! Halloween time! I've been making these playlists for
a few years. So if this collection doesn't quite do it for you, there's loads to fall back on. And if
that isn't enough, just start clicking around
in here.
Hope you have a great one!
- Pumpkin Dance - it's the classic. If this doesn't put you in a great mood, you're bonkers.
- Saxy Pumpkin Dance - did you know you could merge the Pumpkin Dance with the Sexy Sax Guy? You can and it is wonderful.
- Pumpkin Dance - Curse Rock - and just for good measure, be sure to watch the Pumpkin dance mashed up with Shaboi - it works surprisingly well.
- Dead Man's Bones Dance - a more modern variant on the above. Dancing, Skeleton Man and a ton of locations.
- Anything Can Happen on Halloween - I'm sure I've posted this before but Tim Curry's green screen performance is certainly worth a revisit.
- GnR Subway Skeleton - this marionette skeleton has got the moves down.
- 8-Bit Army of Darkness - I'm sure this was released just in time for the Ash vs Evil Dead series that premieres on Halloween but I don't even care about the cross promotion.
- Simpsons Intro by John K - nice to see this ghoulish version of The Simpsons from the Ren & Stimpy mastermind.
- Island of Horrors - one from the Ferris Plock archives. Skip to 1:35 to check out the Cheese Grater ride - gruesome in the best way.
BONUS TREATS!
posted October 23, 2015 #
Fun fact: I'm actually in Florida right now. So, if some awesome video dropped on Friday morning and it's not included in this list and you're thinking "what's this all about? how did he manage not to post
that video?" Well, it's because I'm off avoiding the foreboding NYC winter with some sunshine and family time.
But I digress. Enjoy these distractions and be sure to listen to my
latest mix, cause it's my tenth Halloween mix!
- Drake + Frasier - I wonder if Drake set out to make a meme'able video or if the world is just a pleasant enough place to let wonderful things like this happen naturally.
- Master of None trailer - the new Aziz Ansari series has a trailer, this is it! I think it's safe to say that after watching the trailer, I'm on board to watch the show.
- I'm the Man, That Will Find You - I dunno what it is about this Connan Mockasin video but dude is creepy in an oddly delightful way.
- Fay Boys "Are You Ready for Freddy?" - classic hip-hop + Halloween mashup. It's actually a surprising amount of Freddy Kreuger rapping. Quite a flow on that guy.
- The Shining Bear Suit Scene - my mind must be going because I do not recall this scene. Plenty of reading to do on it as well, if you're into Stanley Kubrick Conspiracy Theories... and I am.
- Michael Jackson Skeleton Dance - I regularly browse Youtube for "Skeleton Dance" videos and this clip from the 1997 Michael Jackson featurette "Ghosts" is pretty ridiculous. You've never seen a bag of bones with such swagger.
If you need a little something more, there's this highly NSFW
Paint Stripper video that is a rather clever use of Green Screen or the
Venture Brothers Season 6 trailer if that's up your alley.