The above image does absolutely zero justice to the captivating qualities of this Flying Lotus video animated by Lilfuchs. The pacing is perfect - never once did I even consider daring to look away from what the next transition might be. I can't even imagine what the process is for putting something like this together but I'm glad there are creative minds out there capable of it.

Paige gave me the heads up on this 8-part podcast entitled The Kubrick Series that explores, as you would guess, the career of Stanley Kubrick from his earliest works all the way through to his death and influence that he's had. The people behind the podcast managed to get interviews with a wealth of people close to Kubrick. Looks quite interesting to say the least.

Related: if you've not seen the short documentary Stanley Kubrick's Boxes, I suggest you track it down.

• History of Sosumi - you may or may not remember the Mac system sound "Sosumi" but, regardless, there's a fun anecdote that goes along with how the name came to be.
• HTML5 Geolocation - given that I've not read the entire spec it's not that surprising that HTML5 has lots of new attributes I am totally unaware of but seeing the super simple markup for the API is blowing my mind.

Over the Thanksgiving break I sat down and watched the new BBC series with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon called The Trip. The basic plot is that the duo is taking a tour of the North of England reviewing restaurants but, really, the show is about their combative but friendly interactions with each other. It's ad-libbed, off the cuff and portrays stereotypes of the actors (meaning, neither of them are actually as intense as they come across). So, if you're into shows with a heavy focus on ridiculous dialogue, I suggest checking it out.

For a taste, I suggest checking out the Michael Caine vs Michael Caine clip and, more importantly, the Gentleman, to bed! clip in which they perfectly riff on costume dramas.

I can only assume that as someone that appreciates the finer things in life that you, like I, watch The Venture Bros. What you may not be aware of are the yearly Christmas singles released each year courtesy of Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer (the shows creators). Anyway, here's an amusing roundup of said singles from 2004 - 2009. If you like the show, you'll enjoy them.. if you're not, you'll just think it's very weird versions of holiday classics.

via Duncan.

National Geographic has a great roundup of some of the best space photos from the past year. The Annular Eclipse, Hayabusa's Fiery Return, Aurora Australis from Space and Star Death in 3-D are phenomenal.

Because there isn't a single industry that Google doesn't want to be involved in, they've recently launched Google eBooks - a combination multi-platform app and web store. I'm old world enough to still feel like an eBook isn't as enjoyable of an experience as a real book but I'm still willing to give it a try. I've got the iOS app and am going to dive into some Mark Twain - seems like as good of a litmus test as anything. Anyone tried this out and had good / bad experiences? Thoughts on eBooks in general?

On a fairly regularly basis I put together a podcast of Nashville area music for We Own This Town. It is a difficult task to find enough good new music every month to fill 30 minutes but it keeps me up to date on the goings on around town. Unfortunately, when it comes time to compile those releases down to a Best Of listing, I'm greeted with an overwhelming number of options. Nashville, despite what most people think, has a ton of great non-country music coming from (and a few great legit country items as well). Anyway, long story short - I finally got around to putting together the Best of Nashville 2010 edition of the podcast and I'm happy with how it turned out. I had to exclude a great number of bands but that was way more of a time issue than it was a preferential issue. By all means, dig right in...

If you're a Google Chrome user I suggest you head over to ex.fm, setup an account and install their music player extension. Basically, the add-on runs in the background monitoring pages for mp3 links that you can add to an in-browser queue and playback as you surf around - not having to stay on one page to hear particular songs. You can "Note" songs to mark them as a favorite and see other users "Noted" songs. There's also a Music Library that keeps tracks of tons of music sites and allows you to browse their mp3 queue without even having to visit the site (still on the fence with that one).

At the very least, it's an incredibly effective way to listen to mp3 blog offerings while still being able to move around the web at your own speed. Absolutely worth trying out.

I've no idea what's going on here but I love the headline Air Force Robot Space Plane Returns. Apparently the mission is 'shrouded in secrecy' and still classified but I prefer to assume the hi-jinx are at their maximum level when things like this happen - sort of like that movie Stealth.

Jamie sent me the heads up on this Monroe typeface and I'm quite enjoying it. Obviously it's not something you could use for body text or even too heavily on the headline front but I do like the letterforms. Quite well done. MyFonts has really been stepping it up lately with their typeface presentations.. it does a much better job of 'selling' me on a family...

Enjoy the playlist, I feel like it's got some real doozies in it this week. And if you don't take some time to explore this absurdity you're really depriving yourself...

• Google TV with Kevin Bacon - he does a surprisingly good impression of himself. I'm still not convinced on the whole Google TV thing but I'm giving Kevin Bacon some bonus points for this one...
• I'm a Super Supreme - a bit NSFW and absolutely bizarre in every way. The youtube goldmine of Wendy Vainity is one of the more entertaining Internet treasure troves I've encountered in a long time. Try to wrap your brain around this, this or this. They're all perfectly insane and the music on the more recent uploads are legitimately fascinating.
• Look at this Dog! - just stick with it.. look at this!
• Dog with Shoes - jump ahead to about :40 seconds in and prepare for the best dog walk you've ever seen.
• Auto Connection - I wish every commercial on TV was done in this format.
• Don't Call Me Shirley - classic Leslie Neilsen. I loved Airplane! and the Naked Gun movies as a kid - mostly due to his deadpan / slapstick deliveries.

That's it! Have a great weekend.

It's all right there in the domain name - Pictures from the Daily Mail - and it's oddly entertaining. It's not all fun and games but it's the bizarre conflicting subject matter that makes it so compelling.

Thanks Zach.

I have no idea what the story is behind True American Dog but I think I prefer it that way. Nonsensical phrases - maybe text derived from spam - turned into psuedo-realistic off-the-wall collages. The gag might have a pretty short shelf life but, for the here and now, how can you deny creations like Wi-fi Dog provides Internet for Stranded Horse or Dog Provides Flute Music For Thanksgiving?

Head over to The Sound of Young America to listen to their episode where they interview Alex Blagg of A Bajillion Hits. His insight on strat jacking, monetization, influences, etc is top notch amusement.

JESSE THORN: How does the strategy behind abajillionhits apply to a regular Joe listening out there developing their brand in radio land?

ALEX BLAGG: First of all, I think radio land is their first problem. Radio is basically like reading a book with your ears; not a great strat.

You gotta hear his delivery to get the full effect.. the arrogance, bravado and agrression (albeit satirical) is perfect.

Interesting article from Time Out NY (via Soup Soup) exploring the question - Is Social Media bad for NYC? While it's entirely possible you don't live in New York the concepts tackled likely still apply to you - namely, are we too busy documenting life that we're failing to experience it? Location check-ins, food porn photography, Facebook obsessions and concert recordings create these massive distractions from the things you're actually supposed to be living. Can we get over sharing ourselves long enough to go back to enjoying what's right in front of us? Is this just a phase because the tactics are new? Are we doomed to be a self-obsessed culture incapable of enjoying activities without somehow being able to boast how they count as some sort of digital accomplishment?

Lots of questions to be answered but no way to really answer them except to wait it out and see what flourishes.

I recall seeing these portraits from artist Levi van Veluw some time ago but somehow the accompanying video piece has eluded me until just now. I still love the overall concept and execution - it's just a bonus to see a little movement involved. Be sure to stick with the video through to the "night version" of the scene.. the little lights are a nice touch.

Ben the Bodyguard is a piece of software coming in 2011 that will protect passwords, photos, contacts and other such information on your iPhone.. how well it works has yet to actually be seen. However, that's not really the point of this post. The point is - you need to go the official site and check out their absolutely brilliant (and simple) way of introducing their product concept.. just start scrolling down.

via Renaud.

/Film has a great article up about the forthcoming art show over Nashville's Belcourt theatre showcasing the work of Sam's Myth (aka Sam Smith) - a talented guy that seems to have smitten everyone with his movie poster designs (myself included). Take a moment to check out his site and read through some of the posts explaining his process.. it's fascinating to see how some of the work comes together. Long story short, if you live in Nashville - go see the show. If not, go appreciate the work, digitally.

Heads up via Davis.

The Spacelog site is an incredibly well designed undertaking aimed at presenting the conversations between NASA astronauts and ground control. Reading through the moments of Apollo 13 is surprisingly engaging - the individuals involved are, obviously, professional but not without a good bit of personality. Spend some time clicking around and reading the interactions..

via jnonfiction.