Simon Panrucker

Guess what? This week's playlist is kinda weird. That's all I have to say about that.

• Old Spice - Watermelon - the ad agency behind the Old Spice ads pretty much kills it every time. I can't believe how consistently entertained by a cologne or soap ad I am.
• Elysium Trailer - the next film from Neill Blomkamp finally has a trailer and it looks like a particularly enjoyable sci-fi romp. I'm still smitten with District 9 so I hope this continues that trend of goodness.
• One Shining Moment - I was, obviously, not really aware of the March Madness song (or any March Madness song) but I am astonished at how well it pairs with this cut of The Shining.
• Silly, spinning Hawaiian Monk Seal - if you havent' seen it yet be prepared to watch it for a solid hour.
• Critter and Guitari - is this a drug addled escapade or a legit childrens commercial? The line between the two is thin.
• Animatronic Ray Charles - aka Pure Terror. Send your nightmare notes to Paul.

Plenty more weirdness to watch over here. Have a great weekend.

HuHaTV

MugAGum

Record Makers

I'm not sure there is more to say beyond what the title already laid out for you. When it comes to Sport Balls Replaced With Cats you have a good idea what you're getting into... and the site delivers.

via Doug.

Garrett Johnston, aka One Year Study, has an impressive portfolio of works - some of which you may have seen done in collaboration with the Public School guys. Well, now he's looking to get a narrative short film going and has turned to Kickstarter* to raise the funds. The inspiration for the film is man named James that has an almost unbelievable story - just watch the video to a portion of the tale. Then check the poster / tshirt designed by Matthew Genitempo just as an added extra awesome incentive to be part of the process.

* There's been a lot of chatter recently about "Kickstarter Fatigue" and, for one, think it's a good thing. Being selective about what you support is the whole point of Kickstarter. Garret has a great idea and is a skilled filmmaker... hence my endorsement of his work and my desire to see this whole thing soar.

I'm going to be perfectly honest; I'm not entirely sure what Days.am is going to be but when Chad praises a Sign Up Reward, I listen. I realize giving up your phone number (or, rather a phone number) might feel like a big give but I loved the reward. More than worth it.

I'm not sure how accurate this is but Twitter Audit can, supposedly, measure the amount of fake followers you currently have. They calculate that my profile is Mostly Real and has 108 fake followers. Unfortunately, those 108 names aren't listed anywhere so I can't actually look for myself to decide if I agree or not.

I told you I would remind you of something Hotpipes related every week until the album was unleashed on May 7th. Well, this week the news isn't quite as great as a teaser video or a free song... unless you live in the Nashville area. The band will be playing at the Grimeys Record Store Day 2013 festivities on April 20th. Their first show in over three years. The album, Dust, will also be available for early procurement. The images above are a bit of insight into the packaging but that's just the tip of the iceberg. You can see more on their Facebook page.

Is this kind of promotional annoying or sleazy? Hope not because it's not going to stop. More next week!

The paintings of Johnny Abrahams are probably going to cause a headache or two for some onlookers. Especially the large versions. I keep thinking I want to see something hidden in the lines - like Soulwax's Any Minute Now cover - but all I see are lines slightly phasing around and messing with my brain. I wonder if the non-digital versions would have this same effect.

via Mr. Stipe.

The Tyne & Wear Archives are a collection of photographs from twelve different museums and galleries. Just from browsing the first page of their photostream you can tell you're going to be in for some historical visual treats. Look at this German submarine or these awesome guys! It's an endless treasure trove. Enjoy it.

via Chad.

Erica steered me towards Kyle Webster's ULTIMATE Photoshop Brush Set 1 and I'm quite keen on purchasing it. I don't even draw that much with Photoshop but the watercolor tools seem like they'll come in quite handy at some point. At the very least, watch the demo.

Teehan+Lax Labs have done some awesome experiments in the past but I think Street View Hyperlapse might take the cake. They're creating timelapse video based on images captured from the Google Steet View Car - making it possible for anyone to create a timelapse of any area currently available within maps. The demo video is bonkers. It's such an obvious accomplishment but executed so perfectly it's hard to believe! I'd love to see Jon Rafman get his hands on this.

shootingMIX

joblomovienetwork

advance listen

I'm a big fan of the work of Erica Gorochow - not only because she was so directly involved with the VHX PSA but because she has such a great diversity within her work. Case in point, check out her 2013 Reel to see a ton of different stuff she's worked on over the past year. Lots of great bumpers, promos, animations, VFX and well executed ideas throughout.

Animal VFX has been doing some impressive stuff lately. This Spyder Brand ID was too creepy for words and now there's an eight part video series called Illusions spilling forth into the Internets. It's six minutes of strange narration, esoteric images and some great VFX. I'm not sure what to expect from the other seven parts but there's something oddly calming about it all.

Lottedyskolia