« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »

January 31, 2008
The Arts
»
Mike Bertino
The Mike Bertino site takes a moment to load but it's entirely worth it once you dive into the bizarre world that he creates. The top row of works seems to be more of a surreal alternate reality that he's created and the second row appears to be more of a mish mash of illustrations with various nods to pop culture entities. Tons of great stuff.. I need to make some of these into some desktops.
Brad Harris
Great photography portfolio from Brad Harris - both in terms of quality of photos contained within and actual presentation of photos. The site is all keyboard based navigation and helps to keep that pesky cursor out of the way of his gorgeous shots.
Longoland
While the site isn't the easiest thing to navigate (why use Flash to display the images? Just put them all on one HTML page) there are some fantastic gems to be found at Longoland. The Monster Skin Rug and Chair are top notch and we all know that I love these guys. Seriously amazing creature design and execution throughout.
11:46 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


News: A New Kind of Wordpress Theme
» Geez, have you seen the Quommunication Wordpress theme? Look at this thing! It is easily the best application of Wordpress I've run across. Obviously it's geared towards an actual news site but it would likely work for just about anyone / any topic. I suggest all designers or lovers of well laid out content take a moment to drink it in.
11:11 AM » [ Comments (8) ]


The Dream World Of Dion McGregor
»
Dion McGregor
That somewhat creepy looking guy to the left is none other than Dion McGregor, a songwriter from the 60's who died in 1994 that it's fairly safe to say that you've never heard of (neither had I). But here's why you should learn more:
Dion McGregor dreamt out loud, fully narrating his vivid and often bizarre dreams, which were recorded by his roommate from 1961 to 1967. By his late '30s, McGregor's sleep talking had grown beyond the usual mumblings of somniloquists, he was speaking out loud and clear. ... round 1960, McGregor's roommate told Barr about McGregor's loud dreams. Barr had him move in, and began taping his unpredictably scheduled dreams. McGregor agreed to the recording, hoping to get some lyrics out of the process. Although no song lyrics were culled from the material, Barr played some of the intriguing tapes for groups of friends, which one night included someone in the record industry. This led to the 1964 release of ten dreams on the Decca label!
The gist being that this guy narrated his dreamlife, his roommate recorded the musing and put out a record of it. You can hear some of the recordings here, buy one of the albums here and read more about the whole thing here. Be forewarned, he can be a rather vulgar guy when he's dreaming so don't blast this over your work computer speakers. I suggest starting with "Don't Break The Mailman."
10:55 AM » [ Comments (2) ]

January 30, 2008
Codaphonic - New Site
»
Codaphonic
Last night I launched the new site for Codaphonic; geared towards the look of their recently released full-length album, The Ballad of Codaphonic. The woodgrain texture is intense but I think it works. So, go check it out and be sure to watch this video from their record release show, those horns were unstoppable!
10:48 AM » [ Comments (4) ]


All Hail Polanoid
»
Polanoid
Some time ago Jeremy told me about this great Polaroid archive site called Polanoid. I checked it out for a moment and bookmarked it for later, always meaning to really dive in and partake in the apparent goodness. Then another friend pointed me towards the Papas Project - a series of images found within Polanoid. If I wasn't sold before (which I was) I am now 110% addicted to the goodness of Polanoid.

These particular images are old diapositive prints from a 35mm camera being projected on to human bodies and captured with expired polaroid film. The best part being that the projected images were taken by the photographers father and are being used as a tribute to him. Touching background story and incredible images.

So, dive in and enjoy.
10:33 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Tiny Showcase: Week of Prints
»
Sasha Barr
As if they weren't the King Midas of spectacular limited-edition prints already Tiny Showcase has announced that they will be releasing seven limited-edition fine art prints by contributors to the upcoming print exhibit Sweet: The Graphic Beauty of the Contemporary Rock Poster. The first print from Sasha Barr is, unquestionably, fantastic. I must pay my due diligence this week and be sure check the Tiny Showcase site as soon as the new prints are announced - I refuse to miss out on an Aesthetic Apparatus print.
10:12 AM » [ Comments (2) ]


Barack Obama Has A Posse?
»
Barak Obama
For a moment I thought that this new Shepard Fairey Barak Obama poster was an official part of his campaign and I couldn't help but feel a little weirded out. I mean, Barack has a great site and politicians are always trying to reach the 'youth vote' so it wouldn't have surprised me but having your official campaign poster be produced by the same guy that touts Chairman Mao, Stalin and loads of Rebellion / Dictators as his visual lexicon doesn't seem entirely wholesome. Then again, I could be overthinking it and forgetting that the 'medium is the message' and that the prints only mean to you what you want them to mean.
09:30 AM » [ Comments (1) ]


Feedburning
» I made a Feedburner Feed of this site last night - so if you're reading this via RSS, please update your streams as the current one may not last long. Viva la metrics.
09:18 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Hulu - not so bad
»
Hulu
Before hitting the hay last night I found myself wanting to watch a little TV and with zero media files on my computer. So I fired up Hulu and watched the latest episodes of The Simpsons and 30 Rock - enduring about 2.5 minutes of commercials total. The quality was good, the streams were extremely fast (read: vs waiting for a torrent) and it was both free and legal. I would have used Open Hulu to dodge the advertisements but they don't have the latest episodes up on their site so that was a no go. Overall, a very pleasant experience but I wonder if it would be even more of a hit if they did some alternative type commercials - instead of just rehashing the same crappy truck commercial that they show on television.
09:12 AM » [ Comments (6) ]

January 29, 2008
One of those days
» It's just one of those days.. loads to do, no time to browse. Here's some links to fill your time:
  • Fork Plane - yes, please.
  • HEMA Online - amusing and fantastic animation.
  • The Big Sleep on Blogotheque - not exactly as "unplugged" as it usually is but still a great performance.
  • JUNC Art Gallery - loads of great shows / pieces to check out. Hopefully I can see some of these goods when I go to LA next month
  • WebUrbanist - lots of stuff to see here.. I've barely even grazed the tip of the iceberg on the wealth of goodness to be found here. Look at this Post It Phoenix - mind... blown.

01:17 PM » [ Comments (0) ]

January 28, 2008
Catbirdseat Redesign
» I really wanted to make the entirety of this entry "Catbirdseat redesigns! Zomg!" and leave it at that. But I won't.

Catbirdseat is easily my favorite "music blog" - or, rather, one of my favorite sites in general. The material covered isn't always exactly up my alley but the writing is honest, funny and unapologetic. Add to that the whole Monthly Mix of music and a fantastic small label and there's no way I could deny it. That being said, he's recently redesigned and everyone should go check it out and add it to your bookmarks if you don't have it there already. This Arcade Fire Exclusive Remix may quite easily be the grandest thing released in 2008 and it's still just January!
11:48 AM » [ Comments (1) ]


Matt Reeves: Cloverfield Director
»
Lady Liberty
Gothamist has an interview up with Cloverfield director Matt Reeves in which they talk about the history of the film, the tactics used in shooting it and his take on the whole mythos involved with it. Regardless of what you think about the film (I enjoyed it) you have to give it to them for creating a rather great buzz about it for a good 6 months prior to release.

For those of you that have seen the movie already I suggest checking this out - as it contains a little diddy about the film that you probably missed. Via Mixel.
11:42 AM » [ Comments (2) ]


1, 2, 3, 4
»
11:11 AM » [ Comments (2) ]


Some People Never Learn - Here's Why...
» Apparently scientists have been doing some interesting research as to why some people never learn - literally. This article talks about how a reduced level of dopamine D2 receptors in the brain actually leads to less comprehension of previous mistakes. I don't claim to fully understand the science behind this, or the implications of what unlocking these chemical levels would mean, but I find it fascinating that these sort of learning behaviors would be based on your personal chemical makeup and not your environment. Nature vs Nurture and all that. Via Nick.
11:04 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Rambo vs Shoot Em Up
»
Rambo
Against my better judgement I went to see Rambo last night and left feeling like a terrible person. The level of gratuitous violence was immeasurable and, in the end, the moral of the story was 'nothing changes and death prevails.' It's not that I need a positive outcome to the movies that I see but it's rather bizarre to have a movie where the protaganist is the worlds biggest pessimist and by the time the film wraps up it turns out he was right. So, and this should go without saying, don't go see Rambo. I don't know what the allure is of the other 3 films (never seen them) but I hope it's not on the same level as this.

As a palette cleanser I immediately went home and watched Shoot Em Up again. If you've not seen it and consider yourself a fan of action movies I can't recommend it enough. The whole thing is the perfect balance of absolutely absurd comic-book style violence (read: gratuitous but not nerve wracking to watch) and remembering never to take itself seriously. If you're going to watch a movie to see action and turn your brain off for awhile for the pure entertainment purposes; Shoot Em Up is a good way to go.
10:45 AM » [ Comments (15) ]

January 25, 2008
Friday Videos - January 25, 2008
»

The Dance

Sean Paul Misheard

Bad Spidey

Loch Ness Water Illusion

Dolphin Bubbles

Hitting A Drum; 1-100
That's it! Have a great weekend.. and if you're thinking of seeing the new Rambo, please consider these stats.
02:38 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


AT&T vs Boing Boing
»
FIGHT
Okay, so AT&T vs. Boing Boing is a bit over the top but recently Joel Johnson, gadget guy at Boing Boing, went on the AT&T Channels "The Hugh Thompson Show" and instead of talking about gadgets went into a little talk about how AT&T has announced a new 'filtering policy' that basically allows them to sniff through everything you're doing on their network and take action if they find something they don't like. Quite a subjective and Big Brother environment they are building. This article gives the whole rundown and this entry is Joel's take on the experience (with the interview that will likely never air).

Apparently doing something of this nature is called "pulling a Harvey Pekar" (or, for our generation - "pulling a John Stewart) - and I commend it. I doubt too many people really watch AT&T's "The Hugh Thompson Show" so it probably wouldn't stir the waters much if it had aired but it's great that these things are being brought up somewhere and hopefully not getting buried under mounds of political crap.
01:30 PM » [ Comments (0) ]


Alternative Dating Marriage Websites
» The internet is full of ridiculous things but these two are particularly bizarre (and yes, I realize they are both probably fake but that's beside the point isn't it?).
  • Marry Our Daughter - tired of your child being unruly and want them to get married and 'settle down'? What if your child is just ready to move beyond the frivolous lifestyle of being a teenager and just start having babies? Well this site is perfect for that. Just put your child up on the auction block and see who bites!
  • Conjugal Harmony - not exactly the catchiest name but the site is hilarious. The homepage image may be just a bit NWS but it's too absurd not to check out. After reading through the FAQ on the site I can't even ascertain if what I'm seeing is real or not. Sure, prison isn't a funny thing and inmates shouldn't be messed with (they are real people after all) but that's what the Internet is for - making a niche for anything and everything.
Thanks to Paul and Chad (respectively) for the insight.
12:52 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


Video Games
» Honestly I don't really play that many video games beyond the few on my DS but that doesn't stop me from reading up on them every so often:
12:46 PM » [ Comments (0) ]


Last.FM offers Free Music - now what?
»
Last.FM
This past week Last.fm announced their newest and biggest additional feature - loads of free full-length tracks and albums. 3.5 million songs to be a bit more exact. It's an impressive feature but I've heard rumblings from some that they should focus on getting "scrobbling" to be more efficient and work on a better recommendation system, not play in the digital distribution waters. Some are even asking Where does Last.fm go from here? Maybe this is business ignorance but maybe it doesn't need to go anywhere. They offer a great service and if they'd perfect the system it would be a no-brainer about what music recording service to use (i.e. Last.fm vs VIRB recorder vs whatever else).
11:57 AM » [ Comments (3) ]

January 24, 2008
Miscellaneous
» I'd love to stop using the short form of miscellaneous and promise myself that I will always use its proper form from now on. The same mentality should apply to etcetera. They are both good words that rarely get to shine in their potential.
  • I Drink Your Milkshake! - I drink it up! I hope this catchphrases spreads throughout the nation but stops short of being annoying. Its usage could be amazing.
  • Orange Underground - a new Cheetos site from Cobra Creative solidifies in my mind that full browser video is here, looks acceptable and will be deployed by more and more companies. I wonder what is more cost-effective - to produce a video of this nature or to pay a web team to come up with some 'impressive' flash site?
  • Everything Is Going To Be Okay - If I had to choose one thing found on the Internet that may be my favorite, this is quite possibly it. Via Chad.
  • Mind Blowing Pencil Sculptures - seriously. Mind, Blown. Also via Chad.
  • claimID - a "free, easy way to manage your online identity with OpenID." Quite honestly I'm not entirely sure how all this OpenID stuff works, how it will be any easier than just logging into a site as we currently do or any worthwhile site that is actually using it but I'll be damned if I'm going to lose the username "yewknee" to someone so I'm snatching it now.

11:38 AM » [ Comments (2) ]

January 22, 2008
Link Dump
» I realized that numbering my posts containing various links was not a wise idea as I'm actually more prone to such a thing than a detailed description of an individual item. That being said, link dump!
  • Asundry - is it a word? People use it but do they really mean sundry?
  • Kittens Adopted By Pet Rabbit - cute overload to the extreme.
  • MacHeist Bundle - 14 Mac Apps for $50. While I've not used most of the apps personally I think it's safe to say from the pro icons, the informative descriptions and the low price that there's something here worth looking into (oh, and Mini Golf). Via Shane.
  • Charlie Rose with Daniel-Day Lewis and PTA - it's a full hour of your time to invest but the interview roundtable Charlie Rose holds between Daniel Day-Lewis and PT Anderson is really quite brilliant. If you've not seen There Will Be Blood I'd say it for later but if you have it is absolutely worth watching for the insights into Daniel Plainview.

12:26 PM » [ Comments (4) ]


Rey Misterio
»
Rey Misterio
The works of Rey Misterio are undeniable in both their attention to detail and ability to evoke a keen balance between whimsical and creepy. There isn't a single piece worth skipping over so prepare to dive right in.
11:58 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Ninjacruise Select
»
Torso
Right when I was ready to write off Threadless as a quality t-shirt company incapable of printing a non-clever tee they had to go and print a Ninjacruise Select tee entitled Torso - and they even bundled a free poster along to sweeten the deal. All and all, pretty irresistible.
11:39 AM » [ Comments (2) ]

January 21, 2008
Hornall Anderson
»
Hornall
Seattle, WA design firm Hornall Anderson just launched a new site showcasing their works and it's got several aspects to it worth checking out. The biggest 'selling' point to the site would be the instant search and keypress navigation. Just start typing at any point on the site and it will start searching through the content to find what you need.

The only drawback I see to the site is that the portfolio items don't seem to default to having the "Overview" open - so it's difficult to tell if what you are seeing is some sort of splash page or if you've reached your final destination. But I love the large images and usage of SWFAddress so deep-linking is available.
11:42 AM » [ Comments (3) ]


Hodge Podge #8
» A miniature hodge podge of links:
  • Mini Polaroid Printer - Polaroid just unveiled a tiny little printer that is, get this, inkless and prints out some great little 2 x 3 photos. The best part, it goes straight from USB or Bluetooth.
  • SkullCandy Headphones - brilliant! Bluetooth headphones with an SD card slot that plays mp3s directly off of them. And that skull logo's pretty sweet too.
  • Blurb.com - a vanity press alternative to Lulu.com. Has anyone used them? What are the results like?
  • Tentacle Arms for Squishy Fun - useless but entertaining.
  • Scientology Auditing Questionnaire - if there were ever a time for "WTF" - this is it.

11:28 AM » [ Comments (10) ]


Weekend Movie Roundup
»
Cloverfield
I was quite excited for the premiere of Cloverfield and despite some differing opinions from those that saw it with me I thought it was exactly as it should have been. The trailer does a great job of showing you what the feel of the movie is going to be like (shake-y cam throughout) and never really tells you anything. That's Cloverfield in a nutshell. I had actually watched JJ Abrams episode of TED Talks (thanks to Blankenship) recently and it plays right into the feel of the movie.
There Will Be Blood
After one failed, sold-out, attempt at seeing There Will Be Blood I managed to catch it mid-afternoon on Sunday and lemme tell you what.. fantastic. Paul Thomas Anderson delivers an intensely dark film that only feels a little too long, not incredibly too long. Robert Elswit's cinematography throughout the film is gorgeous and Daniel Day-Lewis is, not unsurprisingly, whole-y convincing in his role as Daniel Plainview; oil tycoon. I do think that Paul Dano wasn't necessarily the 100% best choice for Eli Sunday but he did a great job and created a great youthful counterpart to Plainview's mindset (though the similarities between the two are far more striking than the differences). All and all, I highly recommend it and could actually see myself committing to seeing it again in the theatre. It really was that good.
I also managed to squeeze in Todd Solondz Palindromes; which I liked and thought was tamer than his previous releases.. oddly enough and Steve Martin's Shopgirl; which was sweet enough and a fairly accurate depiction of the book. Oh, and a few portions of the Bring It On marathon that ABC Family was running.
10:37 AM » [ Comments (10) ]

January 18, 2008
Friday Videos - January 18th, 2008
»

Great Party

Ronald McDonald WTF

Cool Beans

A-Punk

Keynote 60 Seconds

Gay Robot - Clip 1
If these videos aren't entertaining enough for you, try your hand at Tetrical - the 3D version of Tetris. Absurdly difficult.

If that first video won't play for you (the play hit area is tiny), just go here.

Have a great weekend.
11:43 AM » [ Comments (6) ]


Design Police
»
Design Police
Check Design Police for a printable page of super snobby designer insight that you can use around town. The ironic part being that if you actually put this on anything (in a public space) you'd be disrupting the visual feel of it even more than it already was. So maybe the Design Police need some policing too.
11:31 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Top 15 Coincidences
»
Twins
This list of Top 15 Amazing Coincidences is pretty much unbelievable but a 100% must-read. I sort of believed all of them wholly and without question until I hit #4 and felt like it changed from true stories to faux anecdotal vignettes. But the most insane coincidences are often the hardest to believe. Via Paul.
11:25 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Field Study
»
Field Study
This phenomena is both mesmerizing and incredibly scary. I mean, sure it looks rad to have fluorescent tubes light up but that sort of electromagnetic power can't be good for you. This particular pic reminds me of the BATTLES video for Tonto. Link via Blankenship.
11:20 AM » [ Comments (1) ]

January 17, 2008
Best Headline Ever
» Sure, the article is fascinating and somewhat incredible but the headline.. unbeatable.
Monkey’s Thoughts Propel Robot, a Step That May Help Humans
There's a special ring to "Monkey's Thoughts Propel Robot" that is undeniable. I give it 3 years before it's a band name.
12:23 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


Pixar Is Very Self Referential
»
Pixar
After reading this article I have to say - Pixar is far more self referential than I would have ever guessed. Added to that, Pixar fans are far far more diligent than I could possibly even fathom because they actually caught the references. The two most impressive? The Incredibles comic manga being read in "Finding Nemo" and the fact that the Pizza Delivery Truck from "Toy Story" has been included in every film they've made.
12:20 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


Web Clips tip
» For those of you that upgraded the iPhone to 1.1.3 here is a handy tip on setting up your web clips with your own custom icon.

UPDATE: Apparently this technique is even easier. Thanks Pinnix! Now what do I use the webclips FOR?
12:12 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


Photostreams
»
Library of Congress
Apparently the Library of Congress has a Flickr Photostream filled with loads and loads of old photo goodness. Having a photo set of 1930's - 40s in Color is unbeatable.
Becca Gillespie
My friend Rebecca has been posting a ton of great polaroids to her photostream that I highly suggest you sit down with and spend some quality time browsing.
12:07 PM » [ Comments (3) ]

January 16, 2008
Audience of One
»

Audience of One
Watch that trailer (stick with it, slow at first) and try to tell me you don't want to see both the documentary and the real film! The film itself looks like it will be an onslaught of terrible acting, possibly equally terrible effects and surprises I can't even begin to imagine. The documentary looks like it will wrangle the massive realm of delusion that the filmmaker is living in. To me, this is all I needed to read:
A documentary following a Pentecostal minister who receives a vision from God to create an epic science fiction movie.
SOLD!
01:17 PM » [ Comments (9) ]


Bloody Omaha
»
Bloody Omaha
The pictured image is a still from the BBC program "Bloody Omaha" - about the D-Day invasion. What makes it incredibly fascinating is that it was created by 3 guys with just four days shooting time. The Behind The Scenes video is a must-watch. Seriously impressive to see the process that these guys went through to make this happen. Via Lee.
12:59 PM » [ Comments (0) ]


The Ones We Love
»
The Ones We Love
The Ones We Love is a photographic art exhibition wherein a number of photographers were asked to take photos of the person they love the most in their life. It's more about lovers and significant others than it is about mothers and various family members but there are a ton of great pics to check out. The Ada Augustyniak pics have a particular sweetness to them but I've enjoyed looking through all the site has to offer. Via Jeremy.
12:51 PM » [ Comments (0) ]

January 15, 2008
Hodge Podge #7
» We launched a new site late last night and I'm dealing with fixing a bunch of issues now (as usual), not to mention managing all these Whiskerino shirt orders! Thanks a ton for that and please, keep ordering.
  • 50 Ft - great collage of pics from Brad Spitzer.
  • Goodbye Art - thinly carved snow with a light behind it manipulated to make some temporary art.
  • Noisy Instrument - like your own personal sea shell, only incredibly artistically designed. Basically it's like an instant Bjork outfit for your ear. Via Chad.
  • Mac AirBook Rumors - abound!
  • Vote: It's the Least You Can Do - sad but true. Unfortunately, while the video is humorous I think it probably does more damage than good.
  • The Party - a collection of old photographys that will make you wish you were born in a different era. Some NSFW imagery if you work with someone looking over your shoulder while you type. Via Flux-Rad.
  • "Smile" by Honor Student - another ridiculous video from Honor Student - awkward smiles everywhere you look.
  • Tom Cruise Is Insane - there's a level of dedication to any cause from anyone that basically makes them nuts - this is a great example of that. Why would he not call for help for a non-Scientologist? That's literally crazy.
  • Stan Lee Tribute - this art show really deserves its own entry here because the interpretations of the comic styles are off the wall but I've not got time and you need to see it before it's old Internet news.

11:07 AM » [ Comments (8) ]

January 14, 2008
3 New Tee's for You
»
Whiskerino Tee's
This weekend I rolled out the official Whiskerino T-Shirts - three designs in all. Jamie and I spent a good bit of time tweaking out the designs, sent them off to a printer and less than a week later had a large stack of tee's in hand that I am personally incredibly pleased with. The inks are soft, the gradient is flawless (and not something I could do on my own) and I think they look great! These are open for anyone and everyone to purchase so please, don't hesitate to buy a triple pack! I've got a ton of these things.
12:10 PM » [ Comments (9) ]


Apple vs Braun
»
Braun / Apple
It is safe to say that this article effectively blew my mind. Apparently Apple product designer Jonathan Ive and 50's product designer Dieter Rams have a whole lot more in common than you would think. The side by side comparisons are uncanny at times but never feel like a direct rip, more like heavy heavy inspiration. Regardless of what you want to call it you should check the article to see all sorts of fantastic design goodness from Dieter Rams - he was obviously way ahead of his time.
12:03 PM » [ Comments (3) ]


Real Life Video Game Characters
»
Wiley
This "Seperated at Birth" list of Video Game Characters and their Real Life Counterparts is incredible accurate at times. Please be forewarned that the Carrot Top / Blanka comparison is mindblowingly spot-on and vaguely disgusting. However, you have to give it to the author for the Wario / Gene Shalit comparison.. it's uncanny.
11:57 AM » [ Comments (1) ]


phpThumb - for nerds
» I have been looking for a good PHP thumbnail generator class for a long time. I typically deal with resizing images with GD (installed default with PHP 5) but realize the strength of ImageMagick if you have it handy. So, I was super pleased to run across phpThumb this weekend. So far it's the most robust and perfect class for my needs. Aside from automatically switching between GD and ImageMagick based on server configuration it can also force width / height with zoom cropping, create inline thumbs and is incredibly easy to configure. Kudos open source community.
11:52 AM » [ Comments (1) ]

January 11, 2008
Friday Videos - January 11th, 2008
»

Typographic Experiment

Lynch iPhone - NWS

Indian Roller Skater

Fight Club / Matrix Mash

www. memory

Get Out!!
  1. How has a Fight Club / Matrix trailer mashup not existed before now?
  2. www. memory is beyond awful but it needs to be shared for that very reason.
  3. Get Out!! is my favorite 22 seconds of Internet video ever.
Have a great weekend. See you at the Codaphonic show.
11:40 AM » [ Comments (9) ]


The Ballad of Codaphonic
»
Codaphonic
Photo by: Joey Ciccoline, The Ballad of Codaphonic, Show Poster by: Boss Construct
Tomorrow night, at The Rutledge, Codaphonic will be having their record release show for their first full-length album The Ballad of Codaphonic. This is important for a number of reasons:
  1. Cody and I have been friends for a long time and I'm happy to see him get this album all put together and ready for public consumption.
  2. The album, The Ballad of Codaphonic, is being worked through Silent Uproar Records, a very small label that I'm involved with that is still finding its legs.
  3. The show will feature a bunch of guest musicians so that the songs can reach their full potential in the live environment. I'm quite excited about the accompanying horns section that they've got joining them.
And aside from that, it's always good to come support a band putting out an album. It's a lot of money, time and hard work (the packaging is particularly great on this one). So, please download the following mp3s, listen to Out the Other tomorrow when they will be guests and come out to the show!
Album Cover
» Codaphonic - The Most Important Thing
» Codaphonic - Sun vs. Moon

11:26 AM » [ Comments (3) ]


3,191
»
3,191
December 27, 2007
Three thousand one hundred and ninety-one miles seperated two friends. To make up for this distance they decided to take a photo every morning and send them to each other. The resulting diptychs can be seen at 3,191 or in their upcoming book. The idea behind this project is undeniably sweet and devoted - and the resulting photos are often quiet, thoughtful and incredibly well matched. I highly suggest spending some time combing through the archives.
10:59 AM » [ Comments (2) ]

January 10, 2008
Design By Humans
»
Design By Humans
I don't want to give a premature review here as I haven't combed through the entire site but after spending a few minutes at Design By Humans I think it could safely be considered a reliable source for quality, non-ironic, t-shirt design. The Day of the Dead, 3-D! Lightning Storm (courtesy of YASL), Viscera and Mine Shaft 4 are all great examples of quality designs.

Is every single last design amazing? No. Are there a handful of kitschy designs in there? Sure. But, on the whole, it seems like there is a lot less kitsch and a lot more awesome.
11:18 AM » [ Comments (3) ]


Nerd Links
» While doing a little bit of research yesterday I stumbled across some fairly handy links for anyone that wants to brush up on developing / optimizing a site for the iPhone. Sure it's not much but it's a good start.
10:57 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


LOWMAN - typographic art stuff
»
Fingertips
The portfolio of LOWMAN is an undeniably enjoyable excursion of typographic treats. The Fingertype is brilliant and simple! I can't stop staring at it.
10:53 AM » [ Comments (0) ]

January 09, 2008
Here.. Watch This
»

Between Two Ferns

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See
Here, watch this Internet programming while I go and tend to my ever growing work pile. Thanks.
11:17 AM » [ Comments (19) ]


Movie Insight
»
Blade Runner
Last night I caught a screening of the "Final Cut" of Blade Runner down at the Belcourt and, unsurprisingly, really enjoyed it. I had seen the film before but, honestly, had forgotten most of the details. The overall plot and character development is as top notch as one would expect from a classic science fiction film but I don't think it ever hit me how influential the visual style has been throughout the years. I caught glimpses of Back to the Future, Futurama, AI, Brazil and was even reminded of some of the proposed developments I've seen for Dubai sprinkled everywhere in the movie. It really is untouchable in that department.
The Tv Set
I also managed to sit down and watch The TV Set - a movie I've been wanting to see for awhile but never got around to. Basically it is the story of the trials and tribulations of screenwriter Mike Klein (David Duchovny) as he attempts to make his TV pilot for a fictional network. Along the way there are tons of proposed changes and just basic ineptitude from all sorts of higher ups. I'm not quite sure where I had read this but I believe the movie is loosely based on the experiences of Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow; specifically their turmoils with getting Freaks and Geeks made and subsequent programming.
11:10 AM » [ Comments (4) ]

January 08, 2008
Quality Meets Quantity
» I had planned to write up something vaguely poignant and discussion worthy but, instead, I am just going to do a hodge podge / link dump because I've got way too much on my plate today:
  • YouTorrent - possibly a great new torrent tracker? I'd love to get in on some fancy new private service but that requires knowing someone and I apparently don't know someone.
  • 2GRL1CUP - why would you want this as a license plate? Why?!
  • Paramount about to leave HD DVD - the other day Warner Bros announced their departure from the HD DVD format and now Paramount is rumored to follow. I honestly have zero investment in either format but kind of don't want Blu-Ray to overcome for two reasons: 1) Their name is inferior. Simple fact: HD DVD makes more sense as a name for a High Definition DVD format. 2) Sony is awful when it comes to file formats and if they are superior I am sure the prices will skyrocket. But again, I don't own anything beyond a regular DVD player so it's not really that much of an issue to me.
  • Bacon: The Candy of Meats - true!
  • Lifesize Replica Wedding Cake - this is the most incredible cake I've seen, as it is a lifesize replica of the bride. I can't even begin to imagine the thinking that went into deciding on this as being the most appropriate choice.
  • Best Links of 2007 via Kottke - a fine retrospective on the year of 2007 interneting.
  • Zombie Octopus - Zombie Octopus!
Enjoy. I've got some other quality goods stored away for you soon.
11:53 AM » [ Comments (8) ]

January 07, 2008
Death of the Music Video
» On one of the discussion forums I frequent (okay, the only discussion forum I frequent) the topic came up about the state of the music video. The general theory is that the format has become flat, stale, contrived and often detrimental to the artist it is promoting. Here are some examples:

Good Videos - Entertaining to watch and often intriguing to find out more about the artist these videos seem to fit what a music video should do. The "Doctor Blind" video is slow paced but the cinematography is gorgeous, not something you see too often in a more indie-based video. The "Cough Coughing" video is probably the best example as the budget was probably half, or less, of the other videos and it is every bit as amazing.

Menomena - Cough Coughing

Bat for Lashes - What's A Girl To Do?

Emily Haines - Doctor Blind
Bad Videos - These videos don't seem to add anything to the song nor stir up any interest in finding out more about the band. Even if a shoestring budget was used it seems like the money could have been used for something more worthwhile, like gas for touring, and it would have been more effective. The worst of these actually make you think less of the band (i.e. the White Denim video).

White Denim - Let's Talk About It

Vampire Weekend - Mansard Roof

+/- - Steal the Blueprints
Don't get me wrong about the bad videos, they are songs that I really like. Honestly, I think all three of those bands are great but the videos don't add anything and actually make me think a little less of them for having made them. Granted, it's all entirely subjective but that doesn't invalidate my opinion.

So, here's the question. 1) What are some great music videos? 2) What are some bad music videos? And I don't mean 'haha, this looks so cheesy it's ridiculous' - I mean more videos that were honest attempts at legit promotion of a song / band and fell flat on their face. 3) Is the music video format dead? Can it be revived with something like that Arcade Fire interactive video that came out last year?
01:11 PM » [ Comments (12) ]


This week in yewknee
» I have a lot on my plate this week so I'm going to try and just post some thought provoking / discussion friendly thread and hope that it satisfies as much as a bevy of misc links (though, more of those are on the way).

If that's not your thing, go download the I Heart 2D Mix and see if you can name some of the un-tagged artists in the compilation.
01:04 PM » [ Comments (0) ]

January 04, 2008
Friday Videos - Jan 4th, 2008
»

What Conan Does

Baby Stinkeye

Gross Orangina

Czech TV Hack

Trenchcoat - Whatcha Got!?

Noah and the Whale - 5 Years Time
A few notes:
  • Conan really doesn't need writers to be hilarious.
  • Be sure to read this article in order to understand the relevance of that Czech TV Hack - otherwise it's just a weird, sort of lame, video.
  • The Trenchoat video is comprised of 10,000 cut outs. Even if you don't love the song (which I don't) you have to appreciate the effort put into that.
  • The Noah and the Whale video is like if Wes Anderson made music videos 15 years ago, before he tackled making movies.
Have a great weekend.
01:27 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


100 Things We Didn't Know Last Year
» I love factoids. Who doesn't love factoids? BBC News has posted a list of 100 Things We Didn't Know Last Year and they are all fascinating. Check this out:
  • There is mobile phone reception from the summit of Mount Everest. »
  • Spiralling obesity rates are forcing councils to upgrade their crematoria, to take wider coffins. »
  • IP addresses will run out in 2010. »
  • Bees can detect explosives. »
And that's just a taste! Thank you Blankenship for the link.
10:48 AM » [ Comments (0) ]


Jacob Dahlgren
»
Dahlgren
The works of Jacob Dahlgren are an impressive feat! The "Colour reading and contexture" installation (pictured) is an enormous cityscape construction comprised entirely of various square and rectangular colored shapes - a simple idea with incredible execution.

Be sure to spend some time with all of the works, as each one has something great about it.
10:39 AM » [ Comments (1) ]


Dark Horses of 2007 - A Flux-Rad Mix
»
Mix
Flux-Rad has posted her Year End mix and I suggest everyone go and snag it. Judging from the tracklist she listens to a far wider gamut of music than I am able to expose myself to in a year.. impressive.
10:33 AM » [ Comments (0) ]

January 03, 2008
Wainy Days
»
Wain
David Wain (of The State, Stella, The Ten) has a new show online called Wainy Days. I've been through about half of them (each one is ~5 minutes or less) and have been enjoying the absurd humor found throughout. I don't know how those guys manage to pull off such ridiculous setups without them being totally unacceptable but they do, and it's great. Feel free to partake.
12:46 PM » [ Comments (5) ]


The Glass Booth
»
Glass Booth
I have no way of verifying how accurate the Glass Booth presidential candidate connection poll is but the concept is solid. Basically you award points to a number of issues, giving a certain topic more importance to you than another, and then take a quick survey of issues and how much you oppose or support them. Based on those answers you are awarded with the candidate that best matches your interests. Will said candidate win the nomination? Unlikely but at least you'll know what you missed out on.
12:36 PM » [ Comments (9) ]


Line Rider
»
Linerider
Looks like Line Rider has now officially become Line Rider&trade - a full fledged DS and Wii game from Inxile Entertainment. The first video looks like they captured the basic spirit of the Flash game but went absolutely gonzo with the sound effects and absurd music. Via Chad.
12:00 PM » [ Comments (2) ]


Damn You Clever Tee
»
Brains
I saw this shirt on Whiskerino yesterday and almost immediately loved it. But then I noticed the USB cords dangling from the brain stem labeled with the five senses and instantly removed any thought of purchasing the shirt. Why must tee's be clever all of the time? The brain illustration / coloring is perfect for the vibe that it is going for.. why mess with that by adding some humorous little add-on? Granted, this is entirely subjective but I'd love to find a quality repository of shirts that didn't attempt to inject a little quip with everything they put out.
11:53 AM » [ Comments (3) ]


Apple Nerd Out
» With the purchase of my Mac Mini this Holiday Season™ I have officially become a true Apple nerd. I never thought I'd see the day but it has happened. With that in mind, here are some upcoming rumors that my fingers are crossed on being true:

Impending iPhone Update - supposedly a new firmware update is on the way that will allow for copy-and-paste, GPS cell phone tower triangulation, multiple recipient SMS messaging, an editable home screen and performance stabilization. Hopefully he developers toolkit will be announced as well.

Ultraportable Macbook Rumor - apparently a newer, smaller version of the MacBook is set to be announced as well. This does not benefit me in any way as I'm all computer'ed out but I like the idea that Apple was somehow able to wrangle all the needed hardware for a MacBook into a 13" case.
11:47 AM » [ Comments (3) ]

January 02, 2008
1 x 365
»
1x365
Scott and Robbie have launched a new site entitled 1x365 in an effort to promote the idea of running, walking or jogging a single mile over the course of 365 days. It's sort of inspiring to look at the front page and see how many people are logging miles - particularly when you're someone like me that has a pretty sedentary lifestyle. I have yet to do much self-propelled travel this year but I registered an account in hopes that it will inspire me to get off my arse and not neglect my account!
03:11 PM » [ Comments (14) ]


Treat Yourself
»
Apocalypse CD-R
Despite The Holidays™ having passed you can still find time to treat yourself to a few small treats throughout the year. I suggest starting off with some of the new 5inch CD-R designs - specificially this Apocalypse design, which is bringing serious honor to my eyeballs at the moment.
02:14 PM » [ Comments (0) ]


Strike Beards: Fighting the Good Fight
»
Strike Beards
As a show of solidarity, members of the Writers Guild of America and several celebrities are growing beards until the writers needs are met and satisfied. As Whiskerino curator I am, obviously, in full support of this action.
02:11 PM » [ Comments (1) ]


2008 Voting Issues
» Happy New Year! Start off 2008 right and make sure to familiarize yourself with The Most Important Issue for 2008 Voters - brought to you by The Onion News Network. So, so, absolutely true.
12:22 PM » [ Comments (0) ]