Loving the illustration style of Zansky - there's a looseness and touch of insanity to the works that I can't deny. Pieces like this amp up the creepy levels but in the best way possible (though later on in the set, it's just sexually weird and funny). Some pieces, like this one, remind me of BEAST and others, like this one, grab me with their extreme amount of detail. Top to bottom - appreciated portfolio.

via Courtney.

This week the Boxee Box was released as a legitimate piece of hardware. Along with that release they also upgraded their software and relaunched their site. While I'm excited for their team to get their product out into the world, I have to say I'm mostly enamored with the site redesign... the giant header videos are not like anything I've seen before and play back incredibly smoothly. From a "first impressions" point of view - it does a great job. Fingers crossed they do well and continue to bring the Internet to your TV better than the competition (I mean, they have deals with Netflix and Hulu - that's impressive).

Artist Kiel Johnson has a number of great projects on display on his site but the Publish or Perish undertaking really grabbed my eye. All the large pieces are made from cardboard with an appalling precision. Be sure to watch this making of video to really grasp how impressed you should be.

via Drudgeons.

Prochain Niveau! has posted a compilation of rad ringtones that you should immediately go ransack and embed into your personal collection. Some of them are a bit ridiculous but that's alright.. having a Kavinsky song as your ringtone is something you know you can get away with. Personally I think the "Dirty Cowboy" selection is the choicest of the bunch.

I consider myself a hearty fan of Thee More Shallows.. ever since Jeremy introduced them to me I've been slowly consuming and enjoying everything they've released. However, it's been three years since the release of The Book of Bad Breaks and I don't think there's going to be much else coming from the band.

Enter: FOPS - a new endeavor from Thee More Shallows member Dee Kesler and Ral Partha member Chad Bidwell. Their first album, Yeth Yeth Yeth, isn't a far cry from the work of TMS; though much of that can be contributed to the distinct vocal style of Mr. Kesler. It's filled with dark undertones, drum machines, a bit of brooding and just the right dash of pop influence. I am highly enjoying it and am astonished to read that there is another album already recorded and ready for release in early 2011. Bonus.

Enjoy the tunes and be sure to thank Jeremy for the heads up on both Thee More Shallows and FOPS. Oh, and watch this video.

Story Chord is an ongoing endeavor to pair artists from different focuses - literature, photography, music - into one package. Every other Monday a new 'issue' is posted that pairs an original story, an image and "one-song soundtrack" into one. The photography and the story are often easily paired together (mentally) but the music can easily sway your take on the other materials.

I read through Issue 15 and had a certain feeling that went along with it but upon listening to the song, it changed my entire outlook on the pace / tension in the story. For that fact alone, I highly recommend trying it out. There's a lot to rifle through, so get to it.

I can't imagine the meticulous nature of putting together this Paper Roll Art - lots of tiny, precise, cuts and a steady hand for putting it all together. They really seem to come together when they're backlit. Good stuff.

via Jamie.

Despite Nathan Barley being one of my favorite UK series it never occurred to me that there would be an un-aired pilot. Thanks to Falfa I am now quite aware of it and watched the entire thing on Youtube (thanks pirates!). If you've not seen the series, I do not recommend watching the pilot - as it's basically the entire arc condensed down into one long episode. Certain relationships aren't portrayed quite the same and the downtrodden nature of Dan Ashcroft isn't as prevalent. However, if you're a fan of the show - it's a nice treat to see how it all started and the ideas that they were able to flesh out into a bigger (better) series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5

Remember that weird Yeasayer video out in the desert with the mirror faced people and other bizarre imagery? Turns out that was the work of Eliot Lee Hazel and there's plenty more of it where that came from. There's a good deal of nudity in the portfolio's so maybe be aware of that before diving in but it's certainly worth your time. I would love to know if the heavily textured images are achieved in post processing or somehow wrangled in the shoot itself... probably a combination of both.

via Drudgeons.

• 1140px Grid System - is 960 out and 1140 in? Are people ready for that? Seems like we just officially embraced 960 not too long ago.. is that rate of resolution adoption really that fast now?
• Zepto JS - an extremely lightweight (2k) library with jQuery style syntax for developing mobile sites. Sadly, it relies heavily on WebKit features to keep it that light, so don't expect it to work on anything except iPhone / iPad. Be sure to read through the presentation to get the full scope of whats going on.

Some time ago Daniel launched a site called Fav 4 - a simple homepage with four good looking icons for your destinations (remember?). Then he upgraded and relaunched as MyFaves - continuously improving on the system / look / experience along the way. Now, he's launched MyFaves 2.0 - a massive upgrade to the system with loads of great new features. You can now have your own permanent URL and don't have to rely on browser cookies to remember your settings. The number of options for layouts, backgrounds and icons to use is huge - but never in an overwhelming way.

So, get to it. Go claim your faves.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the work of Max Ferguson. His photorealistic paintings don't even register as paintings to me - all I can see is photography. I mean, look at this or this and just try and convince me you don't see a photo moreso than a painting. Granted, there are other pieces where the dividing line is more obvious but I'm still enjoying all that I'm seeing.. great style and a nice sendup to New York running throughout.

Via Flavorwire and/or Kate.. can't remember.

Will Bryant recently had a show opening in Portland called Stuff I've Seen filled with his drawings, doodlings, musing and a good deal of Michael Jordan references. He's posted photos from the opening over on Flickr and I suggest taking a look.. his work always has a nice whimsical nature to it that will brighten your day.

Over the weekend I became aware of Criggo - a simple blog showcasing amusing newspaper clippings. On the surface it might sound like a bad Jay Leno joke but it's actually quite funny. Simple, effective, approved. Read it regularly.

By now I would assume you've heard about the Sally Davies endeavor, The Happy Meal Project, in which a McDonalds hamburger is left out in the open and refuses to decompose in any way. It seems scary because we assume that burger should fall apart in a matter of days. Serious Eats took it upon themselves to approach the matter scientifically - setting up a control group of hamburgers made from store bought beef and comparing decomposition results. Turns out, any burgers just doesn't mold very rapidly when not contained in a closed space.

I'm no McDonalds zealot but I do think this is a nice counter balance to the type of information we usually receive (and accept as reality) on a regular basis. You know that Meat Goo photo that was floating around for a minute and was, supposedly, what Chicken Nuggets are made of? Guess what, they aren't (though some nuggets are).

Long story short, don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

There was a bit of buzz yesterday surrounding the announcement of the new browser, Rockmelt. My first reaction was, of course, "Do we really need another browser?" but that's a crappy attitude to have. If someone can make something better than what exists, lets have it! The introductory video basically shows Rockmelt's biggest feature - Social Network Integration. Your Facebook and Twitter contacts are bolted to the sides of the browser and ready for quick sharing. I don't think it's a browser for the masses but I can see the appeal to a younger generation that is addictively hooked into the social networks.

I also heard a lot of comparisons between Rockmelt and Flock, a "social web browser." Never having used either, I can't compare the two but I certainly see the parallels.

Panic posted a nice blog entry pertaining to 15 Secrets of Transmit 4. They aren't so much "secrets" as they are actual features of the program that you may have somehow missed. I had no idea you could specify icons for favorites and sorting with all folders first is totally perfect. And that's just two of the tips! If you're a Transmit user, it's kind of a Must Read.

If you're a regular reader of We Own This Town (you're not, it's okay) you may already be familiar with several of the offerings on this edition of the podcast but that's perfectly fine - because they're all well worth hearing again and again. If you don't read the site, then this will be all new goodness to you. So, by all means, dive right in and enjoy. As usual, I recommend finding out more about each band if you like what you hear. I highly recommend the Jasmin Kaset record.

• 1. Jasmin Kaset – "Food"
  Hell and Half of Jordan
• 2. Swing States – "Come On"
  Come On
• 3. Shark Week – "All Together Mao"
  All Together Mao
• 4. Fly Golden Eagle – "Here to Stay"
  The Island Galaxy
• 5. Okee Dokey – "United Nation"
  Won Song Long
• 6. Those Darlins – "Night Jogger"
  Night Jogger / Funstix Party 7″
• 7. Tristen – "Baby Drugs"
  Eager For Your Love 7″
• 8. Relax With Fiction – "Marriage"
  Demos
• 9. Sugar Skulls – "De Gaul, Riley’d Up"
  Another Micheal Mann Film

Director Rodney Ascher put together this short documentary called 'The S From Hell' investigating the horrifying effect that the Screen Gems logo had on a number of kids during their formative years. This anecdote was particularly funny but the whole thing is amusing just that it exists in the first place. That logo animation really had an effect on some people! It's a quick 9 minute film, I suggest you enjoy the whole thing.

Via Jamie.

Andy Adams runs Flak Photo, an online exhibition gallery for a load of different works. In his time tending to said site he's encountered a lot of great photographers and the portraits they capture. So, he teamed up with Larissa LeClair and decided to create an exhibition of 100 Portraits from 100 different photographers. The results are, as one would imagine, quite diverse. It's rather hard to consume 100 extremely well done portraits but I think if you spend some time with it (or even just click around randomly), you'll discover some life poignant images.. or, at the very least, some entertainment.

Via Juan.