I am typically adverse to overly designed design kits like Bootstrap because I fear the homogeny it can bring to the web but there's also something to be said for having incredibly well designed, well known, interactive elements in a design. iOS 7 suffers some serious flaws when it comes to what is clickable but, in general, having an overarching thematic structure to an application is beneficial. The latest UI8 UI-Kit manages to find the balance between easy to understand pieces and still enjoyably designed. It's not too boring but there's also almost no "learning" curve when it comes to what does what. I dunno when I would ever implement it but I'm really liking what I'm seeing.

Have you watched Bee and Puppy Cat? It's a single episode on Cartoon Hangover and it's wonderful. Sweet, funny and just the right balance between For Kids and For Grown-Up Kids. Now they're raising funds to develop an entire series on their own. Goin the Kickstarter route will enable them to have complete creative control over the undertaking and keep the vibe of the show just right. I backed it and hope they reach their goal in the next 10 days... it'd be a great show to watch.

I mentioned the incredibly bizarre forthcoming mashup of Happy Socks and David LaChapelle and how it seemed like the most bizarre mashup. Now it has officially launched and it's every bit as bizarre as I thought it would be. There's nudity but I wouldn't say it's "sexy." There's socks but I wouldn't say they are particularly featured in anyway. All and all, I guess the campaign worked because I'm talking about it but it's still oh so very strange.

Unsurprisingly, I watch a good amount of movies. Oddly, I don't really write much about them. I'm going to put a stop to that starting now!

Over the weekend I watched the Amy Berg documentary West of Memphis that presents a very comprehensive take on the entire saga of the West Memphis Three. It's a story that's been unfolding for almost 20 years and has an unbelievable amount of twists & turns, not to mention more than its fair share of tragedy. I've seen other films on the subject - like Paradise Lost - but they all take place during the events, not afterward. This particular film gives a much more broad view of all the events.

The strangest part of the whole story is that the perpetrator of the original murders is still at large and all of the evidence towards the prime suspect seems as speculative as the original blame. It is a sad story but it's a completely fascinating one. Highly recommended.

I've mentioned the impressive portfolio of Kingdom of Nonsense before - aka Jay Shaw but please take a moment to revisit and see some of the latest goodness. I'm completely in love with the posters he's done for I Declare War and The Visitor... to name but a few.

teamcoco

Jennifer Mehigan

After the massive Halloween playlist yesterday I imagine you may be all video'ed out. Or maybe not. Enjoy these videos if you need the pick me up:

• Cults - High Road - Everyone enjoys a good music video but this one is particularly artful and engaging. Song is solid too.
• Cat-Piloted Decoy Chewbacca - it's a silly Conan skit but who doesn't love a giant Chewbacca costume?
• Maru and Hana - one of the original "cat celebrities" now has a buddy, Hana, and they get along amusingly.
• Late for Meeting - yea, remember the Everything short Going to the Store? Well, here's a sequel and it's actually every bit as good.
• I Spent Too Much Time On This - take a very awkward stock video and add some slightly poorly done effect, instant humor.

Have a great weekend!

Some time ago I mentioned the Husky Jackal project Terminator: The Second - a clever stage show that takes the plot of T2 but uses only Shakespearean dialog throughout (with some mild changes to nouns and pronouns, where appropriate). Each performance was filmed and now compiled into a film version now available for purchase in both digital and physical forms. The score to the whole production was created by The Protomen and 84001 - also available up on their site.

I missed the performances when it was being put on in Nashville so I'm quite pleased to have this opportunity to see it now. Watch the trailer and then dive in.

If you've been keeping an eye on the latest Elepath product, Exposure, you know that details have just been trickling out. This VentureBeat article gives a bit more detail on the intent behind the project and this blog post from Luke Beard shows off some great examples of the photo story product in action. It takes the concept of a photo repository and ups the ante every so slightly by presenting it as a beautiful full browser experience with some additional text insight. I, personally, don't see it as a place to put every photo but in certain occasions it'd be great to have a simple journal of the adventure that was had. Hoping I get my invite soon!

I am loving these illustrations from London based Thomas Danthony. The still pieces are gorgeous but add a little layer of animation and it's even better. There's some NSFW nudity mixed in there but it's tasteful, so your boss won't mind. Be sure to follow his Tumblog as well... plenty of additional greatness in there as well.

via nevver.

Sit back and please enjoy this Halloween 2013 Playlist... filled with enjoyable gems to distract your day and get you in the proper mood.

• Rot - Facepaint stop motion - perfectly ghoulish.
• Le Cochon Danseur - either a dream come true or unsettling nightmare, you decide.
• Mystery Intro - illustrations and animations courtesy of Edward Gorey - definitely one of the masters of enjoyable deaths.
• You're Not Perfect - welcome to the creepzone.
• Mr. Pumpkin - Halloween - if you aren't sold on the gold pants, I don't know what could possibly sell you.
• Muertos - these are, obviously, more Day of the Dead than they are Halloween but it still feels appropriate.
• Count Drizzle - Chickn Wang - there are two other Count Drizzle videos but this new one is definitely his most ridiculous.
• Anything Can Happen on Halloween - endurance challenge! Tim Curry from "The Worst Witch" singing.. who knows what. 3 minutes can be a long time sometimes.
• Mickey Mouse in Ghoul Friend - if you didn't watch this the other day, do yourself a favor and watch it now.
• Pumpkin Rapper - the Power Rangers go up against their greatest foe. Please sit with this until the monster shows up as that is when it gets truly awful.
• Haunted Toaster - this is funny and then it gets hilarious. Absurdity at its most perfect.
• Gremlins 3 Warmup - Remember when Gremlins would break the third wall and let you know they knew you were watching a movie? Well, how about this proposed alternate fan sequence for a DVD release? Very impressive.
• Treehouse of Horror XXIV Couch Gag - if this years Treehouse of Horror didn't do it for you, you can always revisit a classic.
• Supercut: It's Just a Cat - the horror movie trope compiled all into one place. Love those cat howls!
• Paula Deen - Gastro Ghouls n' Fear Fritters - slowing down Paula Deen is a treat in itself but throw Oprah in the mix and it's a perfect nightmare recipe.
• Sensual Harassment - Creature Feature - phenomenal compilation of classic scary movie monsters and horror films presented as music video.
• The Wednesday Dance - because you always need more Halloween dance moves.
• Pumpkin Sexydance - Never, Ever, Forget. This is literally playing on loop in the office all day today. Best.

Don't forget to revisit this perfect Jookabox video and the perfectly creepy new Hotpipes video. Happy Halloween!

I provided my own Halloween mix and pointed you in the direction of plenty of additional mixes to fill your day today but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out this Disney Nightmare Mix from Aidan Moffat. The mix, 'Neverland Transmission', has plenty of moments of beauty but there's always an underlying creepiness to it, something foreboding lurking around... unsurprising given how much of the earlier Disney works felt that way too. If this doesn't creep you out sufficiently, just listen to this until it's embedded as the most powerful earworm you've encountered. Animated GIF courtesy of Alex Simpson.

It's Halloween! No matter what you see or experience tonight (or last weekend) will ever come close to the creepiness of these vintage Halloween costumes. I look at these every year and, without fail, I'm amazed at the feelings of terror and discomfort they invoke in me. I love the ingenuity and craftiness (or lack thereof) of the handmade costumes. If anyone is looking to start up a new scary movie franchise, let this be your jumping off point.

I've barely scratched the surface in terms of content but the concept behind the Codex Seraphinianus is wonderful. Italian Architect Luigi Serafini took it upon himself to create a 380 page encyclopedia of unknown creatures, behaviors and an entirely unknown language. There are all sorts of praise to give the actual creations - gorgeous, spellbinding, surreal. The list goes on. Dive into the samples, then read up on it and, like me, do your best to find an affordable copy.

HT Chad.

https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000061560072-u5idsh-large.jpg?e76cf77

first track off of Love's Crushing Diamond

I'm pleased to announce that Hotpipes have released a brand new video for "Only the Young" off of their latest album, Dust. There are some pretty adult themes at play here and I'm confident in saying that if you work in a conservative work environment, you probably should skip this until you're in the safety of your own home. That being said, when the song really picks up two minutes in you get a dose of some Logan's Run-esque survival mixed with some Halloween appropriate imagery.

It's nice to see that the band is continuing to put out videos. I continue to love the album every time I listen to it and it's good to see more engaging art to go along with it.

Obviously I recommend you listen and enjoy my latest Halloween mix but there's plenty more where that came from out in the wild Internet world. Here are a few additional mixes I've encountered that will continue to make the spookiest of days even spookier.

• Black: Black, Black! Black& Black? - a dark hip hop mix from one of the best, Brian Gossett.
• Vintage Obscura Halloween Mix 2013 - you know those phenomenal Vintage Obscura mixes that emerge every year from the Summer Mix Series? Yea well, they keep going all year round and you get amazing gems like this Halloween mix. Further discussion on it can be found here.
• Aquarium Drunkard: Trick or Treat Volume 9 - seems as though Aquarium Drunkard and I started making these mixes around the same time, as it is their ninth volume as well. There's nothing but music from 1958-1977 in their tracklisting and that's a good thing.
• Ryan Ike Halloween Mix - a mish-mash of videogame music, original spooky film music and other miscellaneous microjams. Also, the writeups are hilarious.

That should be more than enough Halloween music to satisfy.. at least until next year.

Invisible Creature is no stranger to making incredibly impressive, jealousy-inducing, phenomenal work. I've loved what they've been up to since Day One. That being said, I'm blown away by this latest project. Stack and Scare! is a collection of "stackable monster blocks" - eyeballs, teeth, horns, torsos and other monster heads all mixed up and ready to make your own monster creation. They have a great vintage color palette and a playful yet slightly sinister vibe that is often lacking from toys of this nature.

Do yourself a favor and watch this promo video - absolutely stunning piece of work for such a wonderful creation.

Blocks available via Uncle Goose, the IC Store or independent toy stores.