Cool Artist - Little Robot
I happened to be looking on etsy.com for a daniel striped tiger hand puppet (don't ask - I'll get around to explaining it later) and stumbled on this really marvelous artist's store - Little Robot. I have to count my pennies before I buy any prints with the wedding coming up, but this is definitely going in my "to buy"...
Cool Things
Awesome ideas and cool stuff. [155 entries.]
Bottle Cap Art Car Project - Ready, Steady, Go!
This weekend we worked on a couple of big things -- lots of lawn and garden work, and the beginnings of the art car. Dunno if I've written much about the Art Car Project - it's something Stephanie has been wanting to do for a long time, and now is a great opportunity for her to tackle it. She has...
Dear VW: This is not a fucking microbus
How many times to I need to repeat it, before you dudes figure it out? I want a hybrid fucking Microbus. This new van (Routan? WTF) is ugly as hell. Nevertheless, it's actually in production and will be coming out, although it's butt ugly. Build a damn MICROBUS. A hybrid friggin' MICROBUS. Build THIS: As a hybrid. It's really not...
Moving Trinity Lutheran Church
If you thought the last video was fun, check out this one. In June of 2006, the 100-year old Trinity Lutheran Church was moved across country to Manning, Iowa....
spaceup! blue
Volkswagen of America unveils a new concept cart - a "green" fuel-cell microbus-like vehicle called "spaceup! blue." First - they had me at "hybrid microbus." Seriously, that's all it takes. Please make one. Please. I will give you my first-born. If you love me, go to the VW website contact page and tell them to make one for me. Second...
Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, Bacon
Comedian Jim Gaffigan on Bacon...
Totally Gratuitous Tina Fey Photo
See how nice I am, sharing this total hotness with you? I'm so generous....
Video Killed the Radio Star by The Wrong Trousers
(via Friday Fishwrap) and they have a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/thewrongtrousers...
Solar-Diesel Hybrid VW Microbus - concept car
I ran across a video on the Verdier Bus on YouTube, and had to google to find out more about what it is. Turns out it's a concept car - a design firm put it together and it won a Special Prize from the Jury at the Caravaning Design Award 2006/2007. The Website for the Verdier, and an article about...
My New Favorite Batman Movie
I'd give you an overview of this fan-produced marvel, but it would be better to just read the recap that this guy wrote. Let me point out one thing he didn't though - Robin is wearing green rubber cleaning gloves. And then there's the sequel: I love the interweb....
The Landlord
I've been telling Stephanie that she needs to be a hardass as a landlord. Here's a video where she can get some pointers on how to do it. UPDATE: Linked instead of embedded because the auto-play was annoying....
"You know You're From Indiana" video podcast namechecks me
Years ago, I got one of those "you know you're from Indiana when..." emails, and threw it on my site in the jokes section, because that was the style back in the day. When I was moving my static content into my content management system this time last year, I featured it on my front page for a bit. Recently,...
Hate my site?
Splatter it with cream pies. Make dinosaurs tromp on it. Let dogs poop on it. Or just let a bunch of hippie flowers grow on it....
Magnetic Fork
A while back, I blogged about a strange phenomenon that I and my co-workers discovered while out at lunch in a restaurant - some of the knives at our table were magnetic. We noticed it a few more times in different restaurants - one or two knives will be magnetic and you can pick up, or at least drag around,...
Free Trip to Europe
Stephanie's dad called her today to tell her that he won a free trip to Europe from some contest on PBS - one that he apparently entered with the intention of giving to us if he won. So I guess we're going to Europe? Wow. She going to find out some more details....
The Ladybug Picnic
Awesome - Shakespeare's Sister posted YouTube clip of Sesame Street's Ladybug Picnic, and I had to grab it because it's one of Stephanie's and my songs. She put together a great CD for me of all kinds of Sesame Street songs, including some like that this that I hadn't heard since I was a little kid. So I had this...
halcali - giri giri surfrider
Awesome Japanese Surfer Girl Video
Nanowrimo: Day 3
Okay, I really, really have the plot all worked out and I'm very excited by my idea, which I think is fun, entertaining, and a Big Idea, also. But I have to do some more research, in the form of purchasing the Historic Plan for our neighborhood, at a cost of $5, from the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Society. Back in...
Nanowrimo: Day 1
My word count for day 1: 1281 words. That sucks! I spent most of the day trying to figure out the plot, which I should have had outline in October. It didn't help that I had my teeth cleaning appointment and the chimney sweeping appointment. Also, the dog barked all day along. Apparently Cthulhu is hiding under our deck again....
Hey, that's my name!
I was perusing a37 signals blog post from last week on some changes they made to backpack, and noticed in some of the screenshots, the designer Ryan Singer used my name in the mock-up of his new sharing information object. Hee! Apparently, I'm sharing some documents with some folks....
International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Aye, it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, me hearties! Don't be a land lubber, learn t' talk like a pirate yerself! Here's a list o' stuff pirates say, Or try t' English t' Pirate Translator! Arrr! Being a Pirate by Hogeye Naavy from the album: Poor Old Horse (link expires soon!) Don't forget to attend the Talk Like...
two places I don't like
GoSleepGo.Com - Travel Like A Badass...
Video of some of the figure skating from GGVII
Jay and Bradley did an interpretive pairs program of Brokeback Mountain that was really amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvGVQZQBwzs Edward Van Campen did a very moving tribute to his brother, who died of AIDS. His performance included his brother's AIDS quilt, which he then presented to the NAMES Project. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3xlkr-JoRc We discussed creating video of Stephanie's programs, but we decided against it because...
Team Indiana Takes the Field
Team Indiana marching onto the field at the Opening Ceremonies of GGVII. See all my pictures of the Gay Games Opening Ceremonies, and the pictures Stephanie took from on the field, also. It was a beautiful, surprisingly political ceremony, and I had a great time, even if it was twice as long as planned. Team Indiana was represented by...
Two Gold Medals
Stephanie won two gold medals in the past two days, at both her competitions. She skated really well - she looks really confident and smooth on the ice. I'm so proud of her. The skating is really amazing. I have tons of photos, but we're still unable to connect my laptop to the weak signal here at her dad's house,...
Gay Games, Opening Ceremonies
Stephanie can get on her Dad's neighbor's wireless network, but I can't get on, so I can't yet upload the bajillion pictures we've been taking. We bought a new camera for me -- the Canon SD630 I've had my eye on for a while, and Stephanie's adopted my slick little Canon SD10 Powershot, which she took on the field with...
Gay Games
We're headed up to Chicago for the Gay Games this week. Stephanie's skating in two competitions as part of Team Indiana, so we'll be there all week. (IIf you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter!) We're staying with Stephanie's Dad (and taking Spike!) so our internet connections will be sporatic, but we'll try to visit Starbucks or Panera...
Out of Context Landmarks
Worth 1,000's recent photoshop contest asked competitors to take key landmarks and relocated them. Some of them work well (Lincoln rowing a boat) and other's don't seem to quite get the concept. Back in 1997 when I visited Germany to see my friend Cate, one the castles we visited was Burg Vichering, a small 16th century moated castle with a...
The Moustache Tattoo
This is just hilarious -- people in Federal Hill, Rhode Island have started trend -- a tattoo of a moustache, that you get on your finger, so that when you hold your finger up to your upper lip, you appear to have a moustache. Check out the video where they interview the tattoo artist who started the trend. That's so...
Slacking off can help you get things done
CNN Article on the value of "slacking off at work." What they're actually saying is that you need to take the time to think things through....
Grass Armchair
A DIY Kit for growing a grass armchair in your yard. I really would love to try that. It's a British website though, so I suspect the shipping would be cost prohibitive. So my sister should get it, and make the chair, and then invite me over to sit in it....
McDonalds Employees Make Own Recipes from McD's Ingredients
Boing Boing links to a Live Journal community of McDonalds employees that make their own recipes (for back room and after hours consumption) using the ingredients from McDonalds foods. We did this back when I was in college and working at Mickey D's in the summer time, and got in so much trouble for it when we got caught. You'd...
Buy Your Own Tank on Amazon.com
Yep, the Badonkadonk Tank is a real, purchasable Item on Amazon.com. I've linked to it with my Amazon Associates ID, so if you decide to buy one, I'll get a referral fee. Please, please by one. I'm kidding, of course, but do read the reviews on their page, because they are hysterical....
Texas A&M Hoopsters Total Eclipse of the Heart
Hat tip to Advance Indiana for this one... Texas A&M basketball players get together and lip sync to Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart. Shirtless, with killer abs, and complete choreography. Considering the sheer volume of crappy imitation lip syncing videos out there on google video and youtube, (all of which came about after the classic Numa Numa) it's...
Fun RSS Thing to Do
If you read your news in an RSS reader, here's something fun and informative that you can do... Go to Google News, and to a search on the term "gay." Look in the left column of the page and grab either the RSS link or Atom link, and add it to your news reader. Then do the same thing for...
Cool unusual architecture
Unique Daily has a photo gallery of cool unusual architecture, such as this upside down house....
Mini-Derby Cars
My dad made me three of these kick-ass cool cars when I was in elementary school, as part of the YMCA Indian Princesses Mini Derby race. They're carved out of a block of wood and then painted. The idea was to race them down a track, and prizes would be awarded for the winners, and for best design. Of...
Overheard in New York
I've mentioned the site "Overheard in New York" recently because I added it to my regular site reads not long ago... but it definitely deserves to get mentioned again. It is regular postings of conversations that people overhear, and it it so zen. When I'm stressed out, I go to my feed reader and page through the posts on this...
Iraqi Invasion: A Text Misadventure
Defective Yeti writes a hilarious text adventure game similar to the classic Zork, only you're George Bush. Naturally, you're pretty stupid. Iraqi Invasion: A Text Misadventure Revision 88 / Serial number 54892 Oval Office You are standing inside a White House, having just been elected to the presidency of the United States. You knew Scalia would pull through for you....
3-Wheel Volkswagen Concept Car
At the L.A. Autoshow, Volkswagen unveiled a concept car with 3 wheels. VW claims it can get 46 mpg in the city, and can do 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds. Yes, it is a concept car, but VW claims they are seriously considering production if customer interest is sufficient. They would go for about $17,000 or less. Wonderful. But where's...
No sampling, please
I stumbled across someone's fun flickr photo set: No Sampling, Please...
Random Screen - a cool non-electric random light
Interesting... a moving light screen driven by candles and physics. This looks like a simple DIY project that has a really neat physics component. Fun....
Public Games and "Design Your Own" Games
This improv group gathered a bunch of people, had them stand in the windows of a large commercial building and do a dance routine to entertain people in the park below. Then there's the Zombie Village Playtest, created by Avant Games. And 20 Exquisite Rules, also by Avant Games....
The Edge Annual Question — 2006
WHAT IS YOUR DANGEROUS IDEA? The history of science is replete with discoveries that were considered socially, morally, or emotionally dangerous in their time; the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions are the most obvious. What is your dangerous idea? An idea you think about (not necessarily one you originated) that is dangerous not because it is assumed to be false, but...
Gourmet Amigurumi
I've mentioned before Gourmet Amigurumi, the business run by Beth Doherty that makes great crochet animal dolls. I had Beth make this figure skating monkey for Christmas for Stephanie... along with a monkey for me, too. If you look at Beth's Flickr photos of her work, she's got some really amazing dolls. She just recently created a really cute Chihuahua...
Cool Cologne Poster
eBoy is an artist who makes lots of interesting "pixel art" drawings and posters. He recently produced this one of the city of Cologne, Germany that really rocks. I visited this city in 1997 when I went to Europe to see my friend Cate. If you look at the row of colored buildings on the left of the poster, we...
Weird text at the bottom of a spam email
A spam message I received this morning had this text at the bottom. I wonder where it came from? I'm guessing from the stuff I've seen in the past that they grab text from a website somewhere and insert it into their spam. Exactly! roared Sykes. And do you believe Johnny St. Jay would willingly destroy his own property, his...
Goth Embroidery (and pirates, and monkeys!)
Sublime Stitching's site says, "This ain't you gramma's embroidery!" And they're quite right. With patterns for everything from tikis, sushi bars, goth patterns, mexican wrestlers, pirates and monkeys, they make a really boring craft into something fun and hip. Well, okay, about as hip as embroidery can get, anyway....
MIT Study: Tinfoil hats don't work
According to a study by MIT students, tinfoil hats actually enhance (rather than scramble) invasive radio signals. Darn, I guess I'll have to start making tinfoil origami animals with all that extra Reynolds Wrap I have laying around....
Flickr: What is it?
Telstar posts a photo of some electronic gadget purchased at a flea Market, and asks "What is it?" Madness ensues. I actually have a what is it pic I need to post on Flickr sometime, when we get back from New York. If I remember to....
Indoor home composting machine
I ran across this product on a design site I read regularly, because it get's good reviews for usability. It's a compost machine that you keep in the kitchen next to your trashcan. Since Stephanie and I have been dating, I've moved toward recycling almost everything: aluminum cans go to a scrap metal place where we get money for them;...
Folding Papercraft Robots
Deeply cool folding paper robots....
Handmade Quilts for Katrina Victims
I've blogged before about my mom making hats for premies and hats for soldiers. Lately, though she volunteered with the Quiltmakers shop in Fishers that coordinated a large-scale event last Saturday where quilters sewed quilts for Katrina victims using materials donated by fabric companies. They made 51 quilts. That's awesome....
Gourmet Amigurumi - amazing crochet animals
I stumbled across Beth Doherty's amazing crochet creations on Flickr and from there discovered that she sells these adorable creations at an online shopping service called "Etsy" that works very similarly to eBay, only for handmade creations. Very cool animals, and the shop is a very cool idea, too....
eBay: Unfortunate Leather Pants
Check out this eBay entry from a guy selling leather pants; it's hilarious. And if you really want to get into the eBay spirit, here's a bunch of stuff I'm selling on eBay for my mom. You've always wanted a beer stein, haven't you? Come on, you know you do....
Dolphins sing Batman theme
I hate to follow up such a serious post with something silly, but I couldn't pass on mentioning this: according to ABC science news, scientists have taught dolphins to sing the Batman theme song. The down-side of this is that now I have the Batman theme stuck in my head....
Weather Icons
This guy compiles and compares the weather icons used by all the major news reporting sites....
How to tie popular knots
A scouting troop reference guide to tying "popular" knots. I guess the unpopular knots don't get asked to prom. Stephanie and I were trying to tie down stuff to my truck the other day, and I was very frustrated because I couldn't figure out how my dad ties knots; he has some sort of slipknot that he ties that is...
Coinstar gives Amazon gift certificates - minus the fee!
Coinstar now has a deal with Amazon and some other online commerce sites in which they will return a gift certificate to that site-- and here's the fun part -- without the 8.9% fee they charge for sorting. Woo hoo! I'm taking my pennies in. I've never felt like I wanted to pay the fee, but I also don't want...
PledgeBank
PledgeBank is a site where you can sign up to pledge to do something -- but only if other people will do it. You can either make your own pledge, or find a pledge that someone else has proposed and add yourself to their list, thust providing support for each other....
Lori points out the best car magnet ever!
Courtesy of my friend Lori, a pointer to the best car magnet ever on northern sun's site... the "support our pants" magnet. I currently have two magnets on my car -- a rainbow one, which I bought, and a Women's heart health one I got free from Clarian for spending $43,000 of my insurance company's money to have my heart...
Propaganda Posters - Remixed
Worth1000.com put together a great photoshopping contest of old WWII propaganda posters. Along the same lines, only with a political purpose, The Propaganda Remix Project has numerous reworked posters, including some for sale. Seems like I've seen another link like this someplace, but I don't seem to have it bookmarked. UPDATE: I found the link; it was Another Poster for...
If I dig a very deep hole in my yard... where will I come out?
Yep, a google map application that shows where you'll come out on the other side of the earth. Heh. I end up in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Just about where the Tsunami hit, after the earthquake. Uh Oh. Ididn'tdoit....
Ten Stupidest Utopias
From Strange Horizons. yep, stupid is a good assessment. I know I shouldn't say this out loud, but I will: you could add several of the all-female, feminist dystopias from popular lesbian sci-fi novels into the list of "stupidest," like Daughters of a Coral Dawn, and the one I read recently, Ammonite. As annoying as boys can be, I really...
VW with USB connection
A VW with a USB connection in the arm rest to plug in your mp3 player or memory stick......
If Goths Ruled
Fun photoshop contest on what the world would look like if Goths were in charge....
How to beat rigged carny games
Retro Crush has a cool article on how to beat the odds stacked against you when playing carnival games....
How popular is your name?
Check it out on the Baby Name Wizard. Mine was on the ascent in the late 60's when I got it, and it peaked in the late 80's....
Fafblog Presents: The Do-It-Yourself Emergency Management Guide!
For those of you who want to heed Bill O'Reilly's advice that the government can't protect you, and you should fend for yourself, read up on Fafblog's plan for emergency disaster relief, including: Make-And-Bake Clay Levee! How to Make a Paper Helicopter Do-It-Yourself National Guard!...
Pirolette - a custom-turned object of your profile
Interesting; a custom-turned wood piece to imitate your profile....
The Long Tail
[Navigated to by way of Steven Johnson's Blog. Johnson is the author of Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter which I read recently.] Quoting from Wikipedia: The phrase The Long Tail, as a proper noun, was first coined by Chris Anderson. Beginning in a series of speeches in early 2004 and...
The Game
Another fascinating public-space game....
Instant labeling tape
Hannes Koch created this cool labeling tape, where you simply black out some lines with a black marker to create the words you want. Fun. I love labels. They are fun. This makes me want to go home and play with my label maker....
Public Space Games: Ministry of Reshelving
I'm a bit behind on reading Boing Boing, so I'm just now perusing Wednesday's post about a new city-wide game: the Ministry of Reshelving, by Avant Game, a woman's personal blog where she discusses some of the public games she's created and participated in. Basically, following certain rules, you go to a bookstore and take George Orwell's 1984 and reshelve...
Dating via weird high-tech tattoos and cell phones
1. Use this site to create a UPC bar code that contains your personal data. 2. Tattoo your new bar code on your body. 3. Find people who own one of these camera cell phones, and have them scan your tattoo to read your data. I'm not kidding; this is a real dating phenomenon....
Kinetic Sculptures from Old Junk
I've posted several of these links before, but I wanted to aggregate them all in the same spot because they're interesting. They're all sculptures made of found objects. We were talking about this in Louisville this past weekend, because I was brainstorming some things I'd like to make, and there were a couple artists in the museum that were fascinating....
Interesting Advertising
This should interest my friend Doug: newspaper readers in the UK are currently being treated to a truly great series of print ads. The Stella Artois adverts place objects that may be familiar to you from various movies into a single landscape, and the challenge is to figure out what movies all the images are from. The Town [answers] The...
Kentucky Art Car Weekend/Chicago Trip
Stephanie and I are going down to Louisville, Kentucky, again this weekend, this time to meet her friend Lisa from North Carolina, who is road-tripping up for the Kentucky Art Car Weekend. Lisa is coming up in a caravan with her friend Sarah, who has an art car in the art car show. Lisa will also be webcamming her trip...
How to be creative
An interesting article at Gaping Void on How to Be Creative....