The launch of My Top List could not have been timed any better. The site allows you to quickly and easily create lists of your favorite music releases and share them with the world. It's a first version launch so there are plenty of features to look forward to - lists of things other than music, following users, browsing random lists, etc - but it's got plenty of functionality with this initial iteration to keep you busy. I've put together a few of my own lists and plan to keep making a few more. Sign up, make some lists and share the link here in the comments.. please!

Nick Tierce's submission to the AICN Tron Contest is this reworking of Modern Times - the classic Chaplin film. I couldn't help but guffaw a few times with the ridiculous special effects - particularly the Light Cycle Ice Skating and Tron Suits added to a few characters.

What happens when you shoot 210 frames per second when moving at 35 miles per hour on a train? You get these results - surreal gliding motion with people just barely moving. I'd love to see this done with a mode of transportation moving way faster than 35 mph ("high speed" is a bit of a misnomer) but I'll take what I can get. Put on some appropriately ambient music and check them out.

via Landry

Imagine finding this C-3PO Tape Dispenser on your desk on day. It would inspire terror, right? I tend to think so.

It's that time of year again.. Christmas Gift Guides will start appearing on tons of sites. Frankly, I don't mind as it usually inspires collections of worthwhile gifts and some deals to go along with it. I've been enjoying the offerings of The Lollipop Shoppe Gift Guide this morning but know that the pound to dollar conversion (plus shipping) would be a real killer. Regardless, it's worth a look through.

I realize I am embarrassingly late to the party on this one but I am just now discovering the goodness of WBEZ's Sound Opinion program. Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot dissect new releases, classic albums, make Rock Doctor recommendations, interview artists and have in-studio performances... all the things you'd expect and enjoy from a quality talk show about rock music. If you weren't aware of the show (as I was not), then I recommend immediately subscribing to the feed and playing catchup.

via Cody.

The work of Cleon Peterson has a deranged, chaotic and intense vibe to the majority of it. Occasionally, I also pick up on a vibe of enjoyment / jubilation among the characters but, on the whole, it's just a lot of anger and/or fear. I probably shouldn't enjoy it as much as I do but there's a story being told - I'm just not sure it's a story I should really work to unearth.

Ryan Catbird pointed out the Bygone Bureau's Best New Blogs of 2010 article and I suggest you take a look. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you've probably been reading the same sites for a long time and need a bit of a fresh perspective / new entertainment for the forthcoming year. Go ahead and give these sites a cursory look and bookmark them for future visitation - every one of them that I've dug through has been absolute quality.

When it comes to kitschy nerd stuff I typically try and stray from the overly obvious (Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar, etc) but occasionally you encounter something that is too good to be denied. Such is the case with the Delorean Time Machine Hard Drive Enclosure - it's a 500 gb backup drive encased in a fine replica of the Back to the Future vehicle (complete with Mr. Fusion). If only it had a working flux capacitor when the drive was being accessed; that'd be something.

In an ongoing effort to promote the recently released Green Machinery album from And the Relatives the boys shot a video for the lead off track "Hammer Down." For never having shot a music video before, I'd say it turned out quite well to say the very least. Sure, it's weird and nonsensical but it's a good time.

It's over on Vimeo and Youtube so you can pick your poison in terms of ease of viewing. Be sure to grab the album as well; you won't regret it.

I caught this image over on Tumblr and, of course, there was no credit for the original artist. Fortunately, with a little sleuthing and a properly credited blog post from Revok1 I was able to unearth the treasure trove of goods from Twin Cities Brightest - a light writing endeavor that trumps just about everything I've seen prior. The official site has a load of examples to browse through but the Flickr photostream is the real onslaught. I'm particularly smitten with the Light Spirographs and the Circle Maker set.. though that's really only the tip of the iceberg, so I suggest you dive right in.

I recall seeing the Keybrid in an issue of WIRED awhile back (and subsequent viral postings thereafter) and thinking how equally genius and obvious of a product it was. Turns out, it's now available for purchase with loads of options planned for the future.

I'm always pleased to see when a product goes from Photoshop sketch to actual legitimate product. It's nice to know that the power of individual ingenuity really can yield worthwhile physical goods.

Vincent Moon over at La Blogotheque is teaming up with Lulacruza and they are organizing a endeavor to capture the musical, ethnic and physical diversity of Colombia, South America. This undertaking won't be cheap and they need your help. I imagine the result of the trip will be a documentary film not unlike the stylings of La Blogotheque episode but exposing more of the cultural touchstones of a very impressive region. Watch the introductory video and then consider helping out to make it happen.

via Kate.

Has anyone out there installed Virtual Box? Based on what I've read on their own site and via Gizmodo it seems to be a pretty viable option for emulating Windows on a Mac - a problem that I've wanted to overcome for some time without the pain of installing BootCamp, Parallels or VMWare (admittedly, I doubt it's that much of a pain). Since I'm not really interested in having Windows run as a fully usable platform (i.e. I'm not looking to tax the processor with games, etc) and just need it for browser testing, it really seems like the way to go. Anyone have any naysaying towards that?

Heads up via Madrid.

I'm going to take a few days off from the computer / blogging for the Thanksgiving break so I'm going ahead with this weeks playlist even though it's a few days premature. Just think of these as conduits for conversation pieces with your family when there is a lull.

• Nic Cage Losing His Sh*t - four minutes of Nicolas Cage doing what he's known best for.. freaking out.
• Murder, She Wrote New Theme Song - it's dumb.. real dumb.. but in the most enjoyable way. Via Paige.
• Offering Time Dance - I am genuinely impressed and fascinated with this guys moves. The fall backwards / quick recovery is phenomenal.
• Fear in the US News Media - maybe a bit of a thinker piece but I love the quote about "nothing, of any significance, will ever happen to you in your entire boring life." Lots of NSFW language and maybe a bit vitriolic for some but I am loving his guy. Also, via Paige.
• Why Can't We Walk Straight? - Robert Krulwich lets you know that, blindfolded, you can not walk in a straight line. I dare you to try this with your family over the break. via Kate.
• Baby Otter vs Stuffed Walrus - sometimes you have to get your cuteness quotient in and this more than covers you for the long holiday.
• The Blue Whale - I love nature / animal documentaries - so this little CGI walkthrough with David Attenborough inside a blue whale is right up my alley. The heart is as big as a car and pumps 10 tons of blood! Facts!

BONUS

• "Two Hearts" - Keegan DeWitt - great song, great video. It will make your day feel better, so listen to it.
• Silestone - "Above Everything Else" - supposedly this is 100% computer generated. I'm not sure I believe it because it looks entirely real.
• "Remember This One" - Action! via Dillon Landcaster - the bands favorite pick from their open call submission. It's a great one. Watch them all here.

Have a great Thanksgiving break. Oh, and don't forget to go download that new And The Relatives album.

The tipping point of popularity for most Internet meme's is a pretty short shelf life but, for whatever dumb reason, I think the Philosoraptor is still pretty engaging. I mean, once you've got a "Best Of" post on blogs, you've certainly tackled the apex of your offerings but I can't help but laugh heartily at some of them.

The blog of Brian Gossett is entirely focused on sharing curated mixes from a number of his talented friends. The results are incredibly good. One might even call it the Holy Grail of mix destinations. Mixes for Sweater Weather, Garage Rock Aficionados, Halloween fans or maybe specific cities. It's all there. It's a whole lot to take in but it's worth the time.

I've been enjoying the work of Shawn Smith this morning - 3D sculptures created with individual blocks mimicking a pixel-esque vibe. The main gallery tackles a variety of different beasts done in this manner but the Vicious Venue set focuses entirely on vultures and how they'd behave if trapped in the world he has created. Lovely stuff.

via Wreck and Salvage.

This collection of Macabre Kids' Book Art from Gojin Ishihara is astounding to say the very least. When I think of art from the 1970's, this style is the farthest thing from my head - unfortunately so, because it is quite fascinating. I wish US culture had a mythology that came anywhere close to having nine-tailed foxes, ceiling dwellers, cat monsters, or river imps. However, if that's not you're thing he's also illustrated Prehistoric Man Playing Baseball and some other pulp style covers. There's no way you won't like something in there. Now I just need to track down Illustrated Book of Japanese Monsters and Mysteries of the World...

Please take a moment to marvel at the works of Jill Sylvia. The amount of time and precision required for any of her offerings is stunning to say the least. Can you imagine cutting out these Balance Sheets or even thinking of how you'd create one of these structures? It boggles the mind in the best of ways.

Appropriately, via jnonfiction.