Another Halloween, another Halloween mix for you. This years compilation (the eighth in the series), Paralyzed with Fear, does a good job of finding the balance between oppressingly scary atmospheric tunes and lighthearted enjoyment of the holiday. Remember that you can stream these mixes if you feel so inclined - I know downloading is so passe these days.
If you're in need of more Halloween tunes be sure to see the archive of links at the bottom of the post.
Equal parts design inspiration and pure kitschy enjoyment this repository of Vintage Halloween Displays from various retail stores is pretty phenomenal. Sometimes it's nice to know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The editorial staff at Tumblr's Storyboard have really been killing it lately. I quite enjoyed this piece; Demystified: Tom Fec & Black Moth Super Rainbow and am fairly confident you will as well if you're a fan of secretive creative types.
Letterpress, the new game from Atebits Loren Brichter is taking the Internet by storm lately. Maybe it's the Daring Fireball writeup, or The Verge profile or social media at its finest. Or maybe it's just a damn solid game that everyone is legitimately enjoying playing. I count myself among the masses involved in this newfound immersion and I'm highly recommending it. Go grab it and hit up the Game Center to start some rounds.
South Carolina's Social Design House has quite the impressive portfolio. It's clean, simple and lets the work shine - particularly on the detail pages. But let's be honest, that Donut animation on the homepage is what you need to see. Immediately.
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing The Imposter, a documentary film from Bart Layton investigating the disappearance of Texan child Nicholas Barclay who suddenly re-emerges after three and a half years of absence... in a phonebooth in Spain. The story itself is incredibly compelling and engaging and the style in which it is told only helps to accentuate those feelings. There are a lot of recreated moments - ala Thin Blue Line - that give it a very immediate feeling.
All of these facts can be procured from the trailer which, personally, I suggest is all you watch. Reading about the film or its background will only lend itself to spoil the story. That being said, once you have seen it you should check in on the Wikipedia and this New Yorker article from 2008.
The winner of the 48-Hour Rails Rumble is Find Things - a two part search engine aimed at making it easier to find titles to watch in your country. It's split into Find Seri.es (for TV Shows) and Find Movi.es (for Films, duh) but the interfaces are both the same - slick, clean and compelling. It's hard to imagine this was made in 48 hours but it's a testament to the team that built it. Nice work.
I've been posting a good deal of interesting tech links over in the Syndicated sidebar but it's worth pointing out a few of the more interesting destinations in case you missed them:
jQuery Scroll Path - animations along a path. It's like the parallax scrolling but lightyears beyond. It's also one of those things that could easily be abused if you aren't careful.
Japanese Facemarks - did you know Japanese texting culture has a load of emoticons that we never use? I'm not talking special Emoji characters, I'm talking about clever little expressions like this.
Makisu CSS 3D Dropdown - another proof of concept that could quickly get out of hand if used improperly but, in the demo, it's jaw droppingly neat.
One might think that making fun of Klout has had its time in the sun but that's just simply not true. There will never be a time when Klout should not be mocked. Enter: Klouchebag, a mocking measuring tool to find out your Asshat score. Turns out I'm a 28 and I can live with that.
There are few things better than browsing photos of vintage Halloween. Plenty of great art, creepy kids to take in with a simple Google search. I'm particularly enjoying this collection of vintage costumes that run the most bizarre gamut of subjects. I was going to link to some of my favorite but they are, honestly, all awesomely weird in some way or another. Costumes back then certainly were a lot craftier than they are now.
Remember this summer when MoviePass was announced? A Subscription service that would allow you to see unlimited theatrical movies for $50/month? It was being touted as "The Netflix of Movie Experiences." Also remember that they cancelled their test run because AMC and Landmark theatres were not into the idea. Well, it's back! It's $30/month now, you're allowed one movie per day, requires a Discover card and, supposedly, is okay'ed by the major theatre chains.
The intro video looks pretty much identical to the process of actually buying a ticket via Fandango but what do I know? Is this service a good idea or only good on paper?
Remember the Olly MossCut Out Show that happened back in May of 2011? You know... this one. Well, as of Oct 30th, 2012 the best of the bunch will be available as the hardcover book Silhouettes from Popular Culture. Aside from being a gorgeous coffee table book I like the idea of using it as a litmus test to see how your friends rank in the pop culture department - if they can make it through the entire book and not miss a beat you've definitely learned something about them.
I am not sure whyGiorgio Moroder decided to open up two Soundcloudaccounts and fill them with best of, rarities and extended cuts of some of his greatestjams but I am incredibly pleased that he did. Follow him immediately and know that your day has been vastlyimproved.
Samsara is the third in a series of films - Chronos and Baraka before it - that looks to compile a series of stunning images and musical pairings. It's touted as a documentary but there is no traditional story, it's a series of interconnected images via thematic elements.. leaving it more up to the viewer than one would usually have for the genre. Honestly, that kind of writeup pushes the envelope of acceptable artist statements but the film itself really does look gorgeous. I'm not sure I have the patience to actively watch it but I'm curious to try the challenge.
Research and experimentation studio Realitat creates a number of great pieces of algorithmic art; including this gorgeous collection of sculptures entitled Microsonic Landscapes. The general idea is to take an album's soundwave and extrapolate it into a palm-sized terrain. I like them all but Pink Moon somehow manages to catch my eye the most. Be sure to click through into the detail images, it really takes it up another notch.
Had a doozie of a night last night at VHX and a bunch of qualitycohorts. My brain hasn't quite cleared yet so I can't even gauge the quality of this playlist. Passable? You let me know.
John Wood and Paul Harrison: Three-Legged - I intentionally maintained my ignorance on the backstory to this one. Two guys strapped together avoiding a ball pitch is all I need to know.
Catch the Ice - it's good to know that people are morons the world over.
Cheese Monster - Yea, it's a commercial but it's a pretty cool looking beast.
Incredible repository of vintage type over at TypeToy. It's hard not to look at something like this or this (or this) and not feel inspired. I feel like I should just save every image posted here and keep it handy just for those down times of creativity.
Have a browse around the site for Romo, a superbly clever robot derived from a smartphone, an app and some durable tread. The intro video gives you an idea of what he does but, more importantly, it should be noted that this is a semi-automated robot pal. Even if you're not sold on his capabilities in the current state you have to admit there's some very appealing sci-fi robo-buddy potential here... at least for kids. Want one? Make him exist.
