If history were to repeat itself, today would mark the launch of a new Whiskerino - the online beard growing contest that I curated from 2003 through 2010. However, at the end of the last competition I decided that the whole thing had run its course. I still feel this way and don't regret my decision. I loved all the creativity and the friendship but the whole thing got too big for its proverbial britches. However, there are those that don't agree with this thinking and feel that Whiskerino should live on.

With that in mind, take a moment to check out the Whiskerino Memorial Classic; a scaled down version of Whiskerino being powered by Tumblr and curated by Andrew Schmidt. This introduction gives you the whole rundown on how the new iteration works. I'm not involved at all but have always felt that if someone wanted another Whiskerino to happen bad enough, they'd find a way. It appears that Andrew has taken that thought and run with it. I'll keep on eye on the whole thing and make sure it doesn't besmirch the original contests "good" name but I've total faith that they'll run a tight ship over there. And, hopefully, cultivate the kind of creativity and friendships that the original embodied.

Everyone in their right mind should already be an established fan of Jon Contino - the work he does is incredible, no bones about it. You also probably know that he has a clothing company, CXXVI, and they've just released their Fall 2011 Collection. You can check out the Lookbook or just dive right into the goods.

Oh, and if none of that does it for you - take a peek at Spring 2012.

Zachary Johnson made Legend of Equip > Pants using Impact JS and I'm kind of blown away. You can basically make an 8-bit style Zelda game using HTML, JS and Canvas now. Ridiculous - in the best way.

via Will.

Internet Time Out is a great way to let people know that they've done Internet Wrong and they should think about it for awhile. This, along with Let Me Google That For You, is all you need to be a slightly snotty web presence for at least the remainder of the year.

Given that today is Halloween proper it I would be remiss if I didn't share something relevant for the day. However, I've already posted a lofty batch of videos, miscellany and a bunch of music. So, I will simply implore you to take some time today to run a Google Image Search for Vintage Halloween - the results run the gamut from classic postcards to slightly terrifying photography to sexy pinups to wacky home decor. It's a journey worth taking; trust me.

Happy Halloween!

Given that I ran across this on Tumblr, I have no further information regarding this image but, regardless, it's too good not to share. Enjoy the anonymity.

You may recall the work of Allison Schulnik from that Grizzly Bear video "Ready, Able." There's something somewhat disgusting about the style of her depictions of various animals and hobos but it's certainly engaging.. and seemingly appropriate for your Halloween browsings.

If you aren't familiar with the Radio Soulwax project, you may want to check out the official site or the mobile app. Basically, it's 24-hours of music mixed by 2 Many DJs / Soulwax with each hour being thematically linked - oh, and they're accompanied by a video that goes along with each as well. Kind of a massive undertaking if you think about.

It appears that some of the mixes are now making their way on to Vimeo, so if you're looking to listen to some Space Jams or Brazilian Jazz on demand, then head over to the Radio Soulwax channel and start enjoying.

Last night PBS began airing their series America in Primetime - a four part documentary that explores character archetype's throughout the generations of television. Each segment will focus on a different type - The Independent Woman, the Man of the House, The Misfit and The Crusader. Aside from that fact that I think just about anything that explores that role of TV in our lives is something worth watching, I have also been reading lots of great reviews. Sounds like they got it right on this one, so set those DVRs.

• A Sisters Eulogy for Steve Jobs - Mona Simpson tells the tale of her life with Steve Jobs. Even if you're sick of reading past reflections on Jobs this one should be investigated as it comes from a bit more of a personal and emotional place. Though, there's plenty of that Steve Jobs work ethic involved too:

  Intubated, when he couldn’t talk, he asked for a notepad. He sketched devices to hold an iPad in a hospital bed. He designed new fluid monitors and x-ray equipment. He redrew that not-quite-special-enough hospital unit. And every time his wife walked into the room, I watched his smile remake itself on his face.

• Enable CSS active psuedo styles in Mobile Safari - a quick trick to turn on the psuedo selectors for iOS devices. Very good info to have in your back pocket.

This collection of Friday Videos contains some strange and humorous entries on the first half and then slips into music videos appropriate for the season. Enjoy!

• Mad Monster Party Trailer - 1967 stop motion animation greatness. Dracula, Frankenstein, Werewolf, Hunchback, Mummy, Dr. Jekyll, The Invisible Man and Phyllis Diller. The skeleton band is the best.
• Woody Woodpecker and Death - Laugh vs Laugh. play on repeat.
• Jack & Max Costume - how about an oddly shaped baby carrying an adult around on his back? Sound like a good costume? No, sounds like a great costume.
• Pumpkin Sexydance - yea, you saw it last week but this isn't a video you can see too many times. Enjoy the ride one more time.
• The Muppets: Carven Der Pumpkin - Some family fun centered around disemboweling a pair of anthropomorphic pumpkins.
• James Earl Jones counts to 10 - hands down the scariest thing you will see all year.
• Skeleton Dance 1929 - When the skeleton emerges from the grave with the two fighting cats you know you're about to be in for a treat.
• Bobby "Boris" Pickett - Monster Rap - you remember The Monster Mash from 1973? Well, this is the lesser known 1980's sequel. Seriously. Not an engaging video but you gotta love a novelty Halloween song.
• Ghost of Stephen Foster - ignore whatever preconceptions you have about Squirrel Nut Zippers and just enjoy this phenomenally animated music video. It's kind of perfect.
• Mistah FAB - Ghost Ride It - shamelessly stolen from Lance, this song is a prime example of repurposing Ghostbusters music for new creations.
• Daft Punk - Prime Time of Your Life - skeletons Everywhere.

Bonus

• Zombies Supercut - a bit gorey for my taste at times but it's appropriate given the subject matter.
• Thriller 8-Bit - it's a visual onslaught but a nice chiptune rendition of a classic.

That's it. Have a great, safe, weekend!

As a handy summary for you, here's a list of Halloween whosits and whatnots for you to peruse, download and enjoy instead of actually doing any work this Friday. Sure, Halloween itself is on Monday but we all know that you're going to way over it by then.

• Endless Hell Mix - my seventh installment in a yearly mix of ghoulish sounds. If you're not into this one (understandably) please take some time to procure all the previous spooky installments.
• Zombie Pumpkins - I've known Ryan Wickstrand for a long time and he always kills it with his pumpkin stencils. Phenomenal work.
• Couples Costume Idea - just consider it for a little bit.
• Halloween in the Time of Cholera - inspirational, creepy and fascinating collection of vintage Halloween images. Get into it.
• Bend Toward Dark Light - phenomenal collection of songs geared towards the dark and mysterious. Highly recommended.
• Shaboi - Curse Walk - doi, of course I'm going to continue recommending that you get this and listen to it over and over and over and over again.

Without fail, every October I end up queuing up Do They Know It's Hallowe'en? from the North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative and playing it on repeat ad infinitum. This year is no different and I suggest you follow suit in order to enhance your Halloween experience.

I'm pretty sure I'd be affectionately drawn to these bone configuration works of Francois Robert any time of year but stumbling upon them this close to Halloween just makes me enjoy them that much more.

Remember this phenomenal Halloween costume from a few years ago? Eric Testroete really went all out in creating his giant paper head rendition of himself and it still looks impressive to check in on it now. If you're interested in doing something similar for yourself this weekend you can always fire up this application to create a C-level version of the original concept.

Okay, so you won't actually use this for a Halloween costume but the images it creates are hilarious. So, do yourself that favor at the very least.

While there isn't a ton to see there yet I'd recommend checking out Ye Animated Git, a collection of animated doodles updated once a week. I love the illustration style and the fluidity of movement. For some reason I can watch this for far longer than you'd expect.

John Copeland has a great style and a portfolio worth investigating more. From a technical standpoint it's interesting that it's actually run on three different tumblogs. So, if you're prone to a particular style of his you can pick which one to follow along.

via Jeremy.

If you did not know, every year the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is presented to an influential comic person who embraces satire and social commentary into one package. Winners include Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey and, now, Will Ferrell.

This video is a great Congratulations to him for his prize while simultaneously dragging him through the mud. If you've got a moment, watch his acceptance speech as well.

If you're still in search of quality creepy music to play at your Halloween event or self-made Haunted House - look no further than Charles Park III from Makeup and Vanity Set. I'm still partial to his previous release, Never Let Go, but this is certainly a quality addition to what is, hopefully, your ever growing collection of creepy tunes.

I tend to stray from the political here because, let's be frank, people are usually very charged about their opinions and the Internet is the perfect platform to spit vitriol if you feel so inclined. That being said, I hope everyone takes some time to check out this video regarding the Protect IP Act. As the video explains, the bill is a well intentioned bit of government to help protect copyrighted works but the implementation is far from ideal. This issue, along with the likes of Net Neutrality, are the sort of thing I hope everyone can rally behind and take the 30 seconds to contact their representative that they are not in support of it.

At the very least, you should be able to appreciate the video as it comes from Kirby Ferguson - the man responsible for the fantastic Everything Is A Remix series.