I remember stumbling upon Offworld, the Boing Boing videogame blog, right after it had bit the dust. I was compelled by the subject matter but bummed that no new content was being written. Eventually I started following editor Brandon Boyer, donated to his Kickstarter and patiently waited for a site to launch. That day is here - Venus Patrol is a reality. The site is well underway with new content and plenty of archives to sort through. I'm sure there's a huge sense of relief from all involved to get it out the door. I hope to celebrate the greatness of the new blog at the XOXO Arcade this week.

Congratulations guys! Insta-bookmark.

Yesterday, Steam announced The Big Picture - their new software specially formatted for TV screens. Now, I don't know a ton about Steam and would hardly consider myself a PC Gamer of any sort but I can't help but think of how potentially impactful this sort of thing could be. You've already got XBox and PS3 competing to be your one-stop-shop TV hub, not to mention AppleTV (or Mac Mini), but Steam somehow seems different. It's like an iTunes marketplace (games, movies), your established games, your Steam social network, the entire Internet and a blank slate platform to host whatever you want (it is, after all, just a PC of your choosing running this stuff). The preview says it all quite well.

Maybe this won't be that huge of a deal but, for me, it's something to keep an eye on. Steam may not have the marketing dollars that Microsoft has but they're doing things right and that makes them the fiercest kind of competitor.

First off, let me say that I have a lot of respect for The Impossible Project - the team that went out and revitalized Polaroid film into a viable, purchasable, thing. It truly was a seemingly impossible feat. Now they're looking to conquer a new goal with their Impossible Instant Lab, a device that turns digital images into analog photos. I could not help but laugh heartily when seeing this - it's absurd, right? It's a faux vintage camera taking photos of a digital camera. It's like a joke come to real life.

All that being said, I think there's some legitimate merit to having a way to quickly print your digital photos in a familiar and enjoyable format. I also believe the technology behind all this is incredibly solid, I'm just having a hard time with the execution. I've no doubt that their Kickstarter will find its funding but I mostly hope it creates a trickle down into another device that doesn't seem quite so silly at first glance.

Though I don't speak much about it, I am proud of the fact that I started Whiskerino; an online facial hair "competition" that brought together creative types for online shenanigans every other year. However, after the 2009 iteration of the event I was done with it. Facial Hair culture is tiring and most people seemed to miss the point - I never really cared about beards or moustaches, I just enjoyed the social and creative aspect of the event. See crap like this is a bummer, not a triumph. The Whiskerino Manifesto was meant to inspire but never be taken that seriously.

Since then I have been regularly reminded how much the whole thing meant to people. It really changed some peoples lives. That sounds nuts but people are married with children now because of an online community semi-centered around facial hair. Maybe it's not so absurd in 2012 but it was practically unheard of in 2003. My lack of interest in being associated with the facial hair world at large (again, I realize that sounds absurd) or curating the site almost seems selfish. So, I posted this tweet regarding this regret and to test the waters of response.

Geoff Morris took it upon himself to respond in a big way - even offering up a solution to the problem of Whiskerino growing beyond Dunbar's Number and, thus, being somewhat unpleasant to try to traverse.

Right now, this is all just mind rumblings. Thoughts to roll around. I'm not looking to move ahead on respawning Whiskerino because I'm still convinced that what makes it so special is partially contained in the fact that it's over. I keep going back to the TV Series metaphor - it's not always easy but it's often better to wrap things up before they spiral into mediocrity.

Apologies on the incredibly long post but, hey, it's my blog.. I can spout off if I want to! What do you think? Does Whiskerino exist outside the world of dumb facial hair meme's and grossly immersive obsessions? Or is there a Venn Diagram overlap and that's okay - it takes all kinds? Does bringing it back make it less special? Could someone else run the thing or do I have to be steering the ship to keep things from spilling out of control?

Recently, Austin Kleon posted this image; based on inspiration from the Kenneth Koch poem, 'You Want A Social Life, With Friends'. I realize this sounds ridiculous but the idea of it kind of haunted me all weekend. What do you think? Can you only have two of the three?

The team at Watch With recently launched a new app called "Syfy Sync" (press release here) that gives you access to bonus content for a particular SyFy show from the app while the show is airing. I'd say that some real time augmentation can be super annoying but this actually looks like it could be beneficial if it's done right. I kind of love the idea of some software that knows where you are in a particular portion of an episode of a particular show and gives you more insight into what is happening. Someone give this a spin and let me know if it's as awesome as I hope it is!

Bleep Blap Bloop asks a simple question - who makes better sound effects, Guys or Girls? It's, obviously, a ridiculous inquiry because it's not about male or female but, rather, just the individual person being asked to make the sounds. However, gender issues aside, it's 7:25 of people making dumb sounds and it's rather entertaining. This girl has my favorite work, bar none.

It's official - Summer Mix Series 2012 is officially closed. There was certainly no shortage of great mixes this go around but I do feel like with the popularity of Spotify, Rdio, Grooveshark and their ilk that the allure of sharing mixes has lost some of its luster. It's not a rarity anymore - it's a common practice. This is great for the state of music sharing but not so great for continuing to do the same ole same ole when it comes to the Mix Series. So, long story short - next year must be different or it must not exist at all. Just a heads up.

The stats for the series are highly ghetto - as views and downloads are based on page views and clicks, which can be faked in any number of ways. So, it makes sense that Sounds Vintage 2 is so high on the page because it was the first mix posted. That being said, it's also a great mix. Now that the series is over, make one last sweep through the submissions and make sure you grabbed them all. There's too much goodness to miss.

I love a good documentation of a workspace. So, when stumbling upon the spaceships curated tumblog Workspaces, I knew I was in for some quality goodness. Aside from some gorgeous images there are also some inspirational quotes to go along with them. Well worth spending your day combing through.

Take some time with this weeks offerings, I think you'll find quite a bit of enjoyment if you let them sit with you for a bit.

• Comic vs Heckler - it's a short clip and they both get in a quality quip.
• The PSYning - I really hope that this sort of mash-up continues to gain ground.
• Fountain Crash Dubstep - you know it's a slow news day when this kind of footage makes it on air but thank god it did because the dubstep mash up is ridiculously dumb and perfectly hilarious.
• Crippled Rejex - Hello Disappear - before you quickly switch this off because it's a "terrible song" keep in mind that it's a parody and perfectly executed by the man that brought you Reptiles.
• Crippled Rejex Exposed - part two of Crippled Rejex. It's astoundingly accurate. If this doesn't do anything for ya, you can watch this instead.
• News Bloopers - there's a lot of goodness in here. Guess which clip is my favorite?
• 4 Year Old Moving like Bernie - this is the greatest dance craze since ever and I'm glad it's catching on with the kids.

Bonus

• FAIL Compilation August 2012. Yes it yep, these still fill me with dread and unease but I always watch them.
• 49 Synchronized Quadrocopters - two things. 1) If you can successfully work in "synchronized quadropcopters" into conversation, you win life. 2) This is a beautifully weird arrangement of a thing you'd probably never see if the Internet didn't exist.
• Nickelback - Trying Not To Love You - I saw this music video featuring Jason Alexander last week and thought it was a parody. Turns out, it is not. This is a sincere music video. Yes, it's self-aware but not to the full extent of it's own awfulness. What is happening here? How does this exist? So many questions, so few answers.

Have a great weekend everyone!

As Chad said, the discovery of GifSound.com is a major life upgrade. The site pairs animated gifs with sound from a youtube video - simple and, oh so, effective. You can see the entire repository here. Enjoy wasting the rest of your day.

Jed Sundwall is no stranger to working with governments and Internet technologies - he does it every day! So, it's great to see him writing for Slate on how we can all influence government through our collective Internet voice. He makes several great points about the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the Kony campaign, lulz, data interpretation and organizing a Burger Mob. It is a quick and compelling read. It's also a legit tentpole regarding the future of how things are going to work - so pay attention. Go read.

Recently, master of conspiracy theories, John Baldwin clued me in to this under the radar story about some hackers who claim to have Romney's full tax returns and are holding them ransom. There are two PasteBin statements regarding the whole affair but basically this group of anonymous folk want $1 million in bitcoins to either prevent or release the records - whichever donation comes first.

The Reddit thread has a bunch of fascinating insight into the whole affair if you'd like to dig a bit deeper. On the whole, it's 99.9% likely to be a total (and stupid) hoax. However, I like to entertain the thought that something so ridiculous (a million dollar ransom in Internet currency for a Presidential candidate's tax returns) could be a worthwhile rabbit hole to dig through. It's been entertaining me for days.

Addendum:
Bitcoin Ransom a Publicity Stunt? - it's possible it's just a big charade put on by BitInstant. MAYBE.

In all the excitement of my employment at VHX I forgot to mention one worthwhile lingering freelance project that launched - Flyte World Dining and Wine. I designed the site and it was built by the fine folks at SiteMason. The restaurant is an incredibly tasty place to grab a meal (especially the Happy Hour offerings) so if you find yourself in the greater Nashville area and desire a fine dining experience, head over there and have a bite. Regardless, hopefully you enjoy the site!

• Bourbon Neat - a framework based on SASS and Bourbon based on a fluid grid and em units. Oh, and it's responsive and provides a whole host of mixins. In other words, this looks super handy. Heads up via Kevin.
• jQuery TextMate Bundle - get some handy code tips while you're typing out some jQuery to speed things along. Sure, you know the code but this will help make sure you don't accidentally put those params in the wrong order.
• 10 Textmate Bundles for Ruby on Rails - speaking of Bundles, here's a list of them that may improve your productivity for Rails development. I'm barely familiar with this stuff but anything that makes the learning curve of Ruby a little less steep is good by me. via Casey.

If I do the Summer Mix Series again next year I am going to be sure to have my mix ready to go right when it launches. Waiting until the last minute is the worst! Regardless, I finally got my act together. I submit to you, and to the SMS, my compilation. Every song contains a parenthetical title and, based on inspiration from McBurney's mix, I tried to span a wide range of genres. Is it a successful mix? MAYBE. I'll let you be the judge.

[ Single MP3 | Single M4A | Individual MP3 ZIP | Stream It ]

1. Apples in Stereo - Morning Breaks (And Roosters Complain)
2. The Big Sleep - Are You Ready (For Love)?
3. Robbers on High Street - Hot Sluts (Say I Love You)
4. Houston - I'm Not Sayin' (I'm Just Sayin')
5. El Guincho - (Chica-Oh) Drims
6. Ebu Gogo - Take Your Clothes Off (Now Put Them Back On)
7. They Might Be Giants - (She Was A) Hotel Detective
8. Spiritualized - She Kissed Me (It Felt Like A Hit)
9. The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together)
10. Howlies - (Do The) Natural Thing
11. Clive Tanaka Y Su Orquesta - I Want (You So Bad)
12. Ford and Lopatin - Too Much Midi (Please Forgive Me)
13. Ween - Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)
14. Gruff Rhys - If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme)
15. Harry Nilsson - Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)
16. Lee Fields & The Expressions - It's All Over (But The Crying)
17. Kathy Brier - After You Get What You Want (You Don't Want It)

Want some VHX stickers? Well, as you can see on the blog, we've got em. All you have to do is send an email requesting the destination for your Self Addressed Stamped Envelope. Then you can start adorning everything with the shiny stickers.

Dylan Todd has done a great thing with The Batman `66 Project. He created a repository of beautifully simple designs using simple iconography, interesting type and imagery from a beloved series. I'd pick a favorite but I, honestly, love them all. Follow immediately.

Thank you Drudgeons.

Madrid steered me towards this new, limited edition, monograph book documenting one of my favorite designers - Herb Lubalin: American Graphic Designer 1918 - 81. The packaging looks excellent and I know the designs within are spellbinding.

The price almost drove me away but Madrid reminded me "School is in session and textbooks are expensive." It's a great way to look at purchases like this - furthering your lifelong education with a one time purchase. I know I bought actual textbooks for more and read them less.

If you're unfamiliar with Lubalin, please browse around a bit to get an idea of how great his works are.

Please take the following quiz: Are you a Chrome user? Are you a fan of knowing what time it is and what weather conditions are occurring near you? Are you a fan of minimalist Swiss-esque design? Are you NOT a fan of the "Recently Visited" information on a New Tab currently shown in Chrome?

If you answered Yes to all of these, please download and install Currently immediately. It will greatly improve your Chrome experience. If you answered No to some of the questions, you may still want to try it because you can always uninstall it. New experiences make the world go round!

via Mr. Chad Pugh.