Unlike the simplicity of the 2012 Mailchimp report, the Warby Parker 2012 Annual Report seems to have gone in a much busier and high concept direction. Fortunately, it's chalk full of compelling information so you're bound to find something to dig into.

Has anyone had the opportunity to use BrowserTap; the new cross-platform, cross-browser testing platform? Based on the intro video it looks almost too good to be true. I mean, listen to this pitch!

Forget VMs, screenshot services, or dedicated testing computers. BrowserTap works by broadcasting a live RTMP stream of a browser window on a cloud server. Your keyboard and mouse commands are relayed to the server, live, allowing you to test web layouts in realtime.

Yes, please! via Kevin.

It's that time of year again - time for startups to look back on their prior year, reflect on their growth and share some pretty statistics in the form of an annual report. These things tend to be quite a good spot for design inspiration. First up, Mailchimp 2012 - a long scrolling look at the email marketing firms accomplishment over the past 365 days. I love the color transitions between sections, the subtle animations on rollover of certain elements, the pizza chart and the simplicity of the whole thing. I get it without being overwhelmed.

The Shortest Day at the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven is a 1970's image series from conceptual artist Jan Dibbets that simply depicts the passing of time and light over a series of hours. The actual piece is in full color but when I saw the desaturated version over on (the freshly renovated) Flux-Rad, I was taken! So, I'm sharing that version instead.

new mixtape from the master.

Today marks the official release of the debut full-length album from Roy Ira and the first foray into the world of Folk / Indie / Country for yk records. I don't think I ever foresaw myself putting out anything in said genre but it exists in that world of Legitimate Country that is the antithesis of all the things you think of when you hear the words "country music."

Instead of being overproduced, annoying twangy and emotionally vapid it's an album of compelling storytelling, true sentiments and, thankfully, a good dose of self-deprecation and humor. Obviously I'm biased but it's a damn fine record. Frontman Keith Parish has an expressiveness to his voice that strikes just the right place.

I suggest you start with Like a Bad Movie or Going On Without You Babe before diving in to some weightier tracks like The Dustbowl or One Day.

Ltd Edition Vinyl | Digital Download

There's plenty of great work in the portfolio of Ben Sandler but I'm really enjoying this Tomorrowland set. It's intriguing not because of the pensive subjects but because of the subtle environmental alterations that depict it as some other time we've yet to experience. I'd even be as bold as to say it's Contemporary Retro-Future - from the fashion to the furniture to the floating car, there's plenty to look at.

via nevver

didyouknowblog

Has anyone tried out this Day One app? I've not really been so much into "journaling" but it could be a nice way to document various trips or maybe monumental life occurrences (I have a ton of friends having babies soon, this seems like a good idea). Even if you have no interest in using it, the site is real nice so you should probably take a gander.

a cover of a Richard Swift song featuring Sharon Van Etten. Done and DONE.

Laurie Lassalle

Bandcamp has announced their Bandcamp for Fans style accounts. This means anyone can now have their own profile on Bandcamp showcasing their purchases, the bands they follow, the other fans they follow and even wishlist items that they want to revisit. Here's the quick pitch but, honestly, if you just see an example you will absolutely understand the whole thing. It's a great idea that was executed damn near perfectly. It's a socialized network without all the trappings and downfalls of a social network. It's just enjoyable content curated by friends that you consume at your leisure. Absolutely Love It.

So, get an account and then follow along.

Recently, Eli gave me the heads up on Melody's Echo Chamber and the full-length, self-titled, record. Unfortunately, most of the reviews I've encountered pigeon-hole it into "dream pop" and seem to move on. For me, it feels sounds in the same realm as Phantogram - female fronted pop songs with a nice balance of electronic and rock backing it up. It's dreamy, sure, but it's not just that. It's hard to encapsulate the enjoyability of the record with just one track (duh) so I'm suggesting you try out Endless Shore, I Follow You and You Won't Be Missing That Part Of Me (or just Spotify / Rdio it).

And if you needed any further enticement to dive in, the record was produced by

Re:Jector

posted January 14, 2013 # 0 Comments

Sculptor Wilfrid Wood creates portraits of miscellaneous famous folk (i.e. Sir Paul McCartney, David Bowie), adorable animals and other various characters with a unique style that's part gruesome, part cartoonish and part adorable. Not an easy combo but he's pulling it off swimmingly.

NewRetroWave

UniversalSwing

I received guff from a myriad of people last week for not posting Friday Videos! I'm sorry, I was still on vacation! Hopefully this playlist makes up for it. It has all the classic elements needed for a good playlist - animal videos, weird video edits, unsettling dancing, trombone and children going nuts. Enjoy.

• Dubstep Bird - I want a supercut of the Internet's best 5-second-and-under viral videos. I'd put this on the playlist as well.
• Cat Share - you'd think there's a simple solution here involving two saucers but then we wouldn't get this great video. Russian Internet continues to dominate. 2013 is their year.
• Qualcomm CES 2013 Keynote - touted as "The Most Insane Keynote Ever." It's actually hard to disagree once you see everything they threw into the presentation. The best part? I don't even know what product they're trying to convince me of.
• Hard of Hearing Vader - have you seen this already this week? Probably. Are Star Wars parody videos tough to swallow? Yes. Is this one an exception to that rule? I believe so.
• GoPro Trombone - yes. A million times. Yes.
• Anamanaguchi - [Meow] - If there is a more perfect chiptunes music video I am not aware of its existence. This has it all.
• Xylophone Madness - wait for it. Waaaait for it. via Mixel.
• Popped a Molly I'm Sweating: Dance Party for One - this is one of those videos that's best to know as little about as humanly possible. via Paul.

Plenty more goodness in the Syndicate Feed if you need it.

Have a great weekend!

isaidlaughyouidiot

Ethan Plum