doing more with less

a really wonderful stop motion video...



and dubious talents!



enjoy!

DLR

i recently re-watched better off dead--one of my favorites, and an early john cusack classic. in watching it i was reminded of van halen, a band that, at the time, i think i was simply to young for--or at least too young to be a fanatic. i'm not to broken up about it though because, while it was a certain time and a certain place, it wasn't really great music.



DLRsteriods. do it.

sam

over dinner a conversation grew out of a simple "do you have monday off?" into a somewhat heated debate over civil religion, and especially the observance of patriotic memorials (martin luther king, jr. day in this case). being a week out from barack obama's inauguration makes this muppet show tidbit feel somehow more relevant. i'm cautiously hopeful about our soon-to-be president. i really hope he doesn't fuck it all up. he definitely has his work cut out for him.

ex cell ent .

the more technology and media evolve, and more familiar we become with it, the more we seek reactionary retreats. sure it's cool to tweet your geo tagged photo complete with meta data hyper linked via a tiny url alias that will in turn update your facebook status which in turn will alert your friends who in turn will do something that will in turn update their facebook status that will in turn send you a notification via plain jane email...but sometimes all you really need is paper and a pen. in hands-on low-tech pursuits many of us find what it is we actually want. satisfaction.

check out an endearing and compelling collection of stop motion shorts.

another good one.

bummer it's not a more epic product, but they always show the funniest parts in the commercial--no?



via core

punks rock.

bullshitting today at the bike shop, where i'm working a few odd days a week to slow the draining of my checking account, Allan Dias came up. Allan Dias the bike mechanic...or if you prefer, Allan Dias the bassist for PiL. This guy. The one in the middle.



His is a pretty interesting story. What no one at the shop seems to know is what exactly happened to him--musically. apparently he wrote and produced much of PiL's music while he was with them, and so it's a bit hard to understand his just dropping out. i'd definitely like to get to the bottom of it, but i can't imagine i ever will. In talking about it, and scouring the internet for pictures, video and the like--i came across this gem. gotta love johnny rotten. in the whole process i rediscovered a band i really like, which for me is the best part of the story.



fuck tom snyder. how do you host johnny rotten on your talk show, and have no idea what you're in for? enjoy.

fucking rad.

i love this.

some kind of human loser...

i like bikes. i like my bikes. i like to ride them, so i really like it when they have two wheels. one of my bikes, sadly, has only one. i might feel a bit better about it if the wheel had been stolen--the problem is i'm just not sure what happened to it. i could easily have left it leaning against my car in one of the many times i've given that bike a ride instead of the other way around. all i know is, i've got three bikes--and only five wheels.



i love kids in the hall but i found this video via trackstar

oh and...one more.

politics is funny.

the best thing to happen to get your war on, is the animated adaptation from 23/6. it really brings to life a cynical and funny but sometimes dry political comic. true to form, and much more internetable...or something like that.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

more GYWO
via copyranter and 23/6

a little sad.

when our conversation turned to maya (the software), which i've been working with quite a bit lately--a friend showed me a short animation by jon schroth. it's an exceptionally endearing little story of loneliness, and making what you can out of what you've got.



i recommend you see it bigger...

he might be a genius...

aaron mcgruder that is...then again maybe he's just a regular guy. what he is, or does rather--is provoke reactions, and consequently consideration. that encouragement to evaluate for yourself, for me, justifies the sometimes inflammatory delivery found in the boondocks. i love the show, and feel it's much more effective than the serialized comic strip. unfortunately it may also be misunderstood.

not so long ago, i referenced the boondocks in conversation--to a fellow i didn't know all that well. he said disapprovingly, that he thought it was a racist show. i was kind of staggered. it was something i'd never heard--and couldn't quite understand. sometimes something is that is so apparent to you, may be invisible--or even missing entirely from inside the shoes of another.

i'd argue that giving each of characters equal weight is a mistake. similarly, lending the same sincerity to this expanse of fictitious caricatures--is just as ridiculous as it would be to do so in your day to day. which might be what makes it such a delight for me, and in ways--so much like real life. to reference a really tired washington post sales slogan: if you don't get it, you don't get it.




enjoy!

what didn't i do this weekend?

after a ten day marathon of freelance craziness, i had a much needed couple of days to myself. we'll call that the weekend. instead of doing nothing, i did a lot. spending time with friends seems like a given--so i'll limit this to the more material highlights.



saturday, i visited philip johnson's glass house, which was pretty inspirational. i'm looking forward to a return visit, even though it's booked until spring. i kept having the feeling that i'd have gotten along pretty good with philip. what was particularly interesting, was getting such a strong impression of a personality from a person's work, or more specifically--the things that person left behind. instead of historical, it felt distinctly personal.

sunday was about taking it easy, as any sunday should be. i got take out, and watched the science of sleep--which has been on my unwritten list of movies to be seen for quite a while. i enjoyed it a great deal. after reluctantly identifying with the protagonist, i then felt quite alienated from him--and a bit confused. enough to haunt my own dreams.



monday delivered a highly anticipated burger at Prune. without question, the best burger i have ever had...really really really the best. in case you're wondering, yes you are missing out. complimented by my first choice in summertime beers, brooklyn pilsner.



the wackness...which i expected to be good, was. a well written movie, that is generally well acted--and has, for the most part, solid period references. ben kingsley retains his status (in my mind anyway) as a general indication of quality. paul finch was there too, uh...i mean eddie kaye thomas. who, incidentally, looks the same in person as on screen. i'm astonished that i recognized him as anyone notable, because i'm usually incredibly unaware when it comes to "celebrity".

that evening was rounded out by a nap, some ATHF, and especially delicious fried chicken at a bon chon chicken joint...mmmm. i feel much better.

hand banana.

not-for-kids animation is a genre i like, but the appeal of serious anime always eluded me. yes, even akira. something was missing. the designer in me could appreciate certain stylistic and visual elements, and the little boy in me totally dug that motorcycle--but that didn't mean i really engaged that movie. give me an absurd, satirical, surreal, or even a nostalgic creation with a healthy dose of sarcasm and funny-ha-ha and you've made me happy...that includes the designer and the little boy.


enjoy!

too good...

make that way too good. i tried, but i couldn't not share it.



via not lying

best show ever.

i'm consistently disappointed by reality tv. i might even hate it. not in the guilty pleasure sense, where i say i hate it but follow it anyway. sure, i've seen my fair share, but i'm kinda grinding my teeth while watching. let's just go with this: i really really don't like it. i think it devalues pop culture in that people are now becoming famous, simply for being famous--routinely. that's fucked. exceptional yet not exceptional. one exception i'll make...mtv's rob and big. i love rob and big.

i think they remind me a bit of me and some of my friends...or how certain friendships are. they do stuff i'd like to do. they do stuff i've done. they do dumb stuff, and both enjoy it. they have a miniature horse. they hold world records. they. are. fun.

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

this episode is from january but it's a favorite--and if you haven't seen the show, a great introduction. oh yeah, make sure to stick it out to the end.

enjoy.

p.s. net gun!

delicious?

i love squid. except for that funky dried stuff that i refer to as squid jerky. if certain mammalian meats are gamey--then squid jerky is the gamey-est thing in the sea. yuck.



via not lying.

Harvest

bizarre and delightful.

i heard a designer for vessel speak about their approach to complex design problems. he said one of their methods was to think up the absolute worst possible solution to the problem, and that such a solution often led them to a good one. it's kind of amazing how much you can learn from a failure. i've always liked that idea. and i've used that "worst possible solution" to get me un-stumped on more than one occasion.



video via zefrank

i love the onion.

when they're on, they're on. enjoy.

a good one.

tomorrow's earth day, so maybe try to waste things just a little less than usual. i will. deal?

i am helvetica.

funny and well executed. makes me wish i could have fun with web design, instead of just totally sucking at it.

what's your type?

via core77