Born on May 31: Clint Eastwood, Colin Farrell, Rainer Weiner Fassbinder, Jim Hutton, Norman Vincent Peale, Prince Rainier, John Ringling, Walt Whitman, Peter Yarrow (via NNDB)
Quotes of the day (2 today, just because I liked them):
"The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow." - Bill Gates
"The hardest thing is trying not to correct everything on the Internet. It'd be night and day - wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. So you just have to say, 'All right, I'll take it, bring it on.'" - George Clooney
I am constantly astounded at the types of things that can be found on the Internet, so the other day when I saw a blog post (on Presurfer) about a website called The Guide to Sleeping in Airports, I just had to look.
Actually, once I got there I realized that there really was a lot of information for people who just plain old get stuck in an airport and have no recourse but to sleep there (although there's also information for people who seem to make a practice of sleeping in airports).
So, have you ever had the misfortune of being stuck in an airport with nowhere to go (I haven't...yet). Any other travel horror stories? (I once was in England with night falling and we couldn't find a place to stay. We seriously thought we were going to have to sleep in our car, but finally found a Bed and Breakfast with a room still available. Whew)!
Born on this day: Mel Blanc, Cee-Lo, Benny Goodman, Meredith MacRae, Keir Dullea (if you're a 2001: A Space Odyssey fan)
Quote of the day: "Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." - Franklin P. Jones
Back when Linda Goodnight, Melissa James, Shirley Jump, Melissa McClone, Susan Meier and I were writing The Wedding Planners and blogging about all things love and marriage, I was constantly on the lookout for some fun marriage proposal videos. It's been awhile since I've done that, and the two below aren't new, but I think they're kind of cute and fun (maybe because they involve puppets)? See what you think.
This one is short and sweet, but it does the job:
This one has been around for several months, and it has a good story to go with it (plus it's pretty romantic. I think the story behind it makes it even more romantic).
Here's the story (it's a good one) with more videos and updates (right up until this month) and a gorgeous shot of the custom made rings:
I'll confess that most of the time marriage proposal videos are of more interest to those involved (family and friends and, of course, the couple). Often they're longer than necessary or could do with some good editing or better videography, but a few are standouts. This one worked for me. What do think? Do you know anyone who proposed in an unusual (or simply very romantic) way?
Born on This Day (May 29th): Annette Bening, Melissa Etheridge, Rupert Everett, Danny Elfman, John F. Kennedy, Adrian Paul, Al Unser, Sr., T. H. White
Quote for today: A good snapshot stops a moment from running away - Eudora Welty
I was looking around the internet the other day and came across an article about Creative Commons, which is a way for artists, musicians, writers and bloggers (to name a few) to share their work with others. Some of the most beautiful photos were being showcased there. Some of them were so gorgeous that I just wanted to crawl inside the image. Here are a few:
Born on This Day: John Fogerty, Gladys Knight, Kylie Minogue, Jim Thorpe
A Quotation I Like: "The mystic bond of brotherhood makes all men one." - Thomas Carlyle
The older I get the more fascinated I am by our inner connectedness, how what happens to one affects others either in positive or negative ways. And how it would be wonderful if we concentrated on things that lift all of us up together. But...I don't usually get too serious here and I don't want to make this preachy, so I'll just show you a few things I've seen lately that have made me think about this a bit more.
(You may have already seen this. It's really an ad for the series on population that National Geographic is doing this year, and it's been out for a few months, but it's also fascinating stuff, so I'm including it here):
And of course, there's the "If the World Were a Village of 100 People" phenomenon that began back in 1990 when Donella Meadows, a professor at Dartmouth, used the phrase "If the World Were a Village of 1,000 People" (emphasis mine) in a newspaper article. Since then the 100 People idea has been passed along and grown. Read more at 100people.org or watch this video:
Recently, designer Toby Ng created a series of posters based on the concept. Here is one of them.
As mentioned, this isn't a new concept, but it's a very useful one (I think). Sometimes the world just seems too big. It seems as if we can't really accomplish anything or truly help each other, but breaking things down into balance (the first video above) or a smaller number (the 100 people concept) makes me feel as if each one of us counts and each one can make a difference.
Did any of these figures surprise you? (Note: I don't know where the actual statistics come from, but even if they're not perfectly exact, they're probably somewhere close to reality).
Trying to decide what I might do next to make a difference. Any ideas on little things we might do that would help others? Things you've done? Things you've heard of other people doing?
Born on this day: Rachel Carson, Chris Colfer, Joseph Fiennes, Harlan Ellison, Lou Gossett, Jr., Dashiell Hammett, Tony Hillerman, Vincent Price
One of my favorite quotes: A journey is a person in itself, no two are alike. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip, a trip takes us. - John Steinbeck
Now that we're at the time of year when many people are heading out on vacations, I want to talk a bit about Yellowstone National Park. I've recently spoken to several people who are visiting there for the first time, and having been there many times myself, I wanted to share some of the best about Yellowstone.
It's truly one of the most amazing places I've ever been. That's why we keep going back. In Yellowstone, there are forests and mountains, lakes and streams.
You'll see waterfalls, thermal pools, geysers and bubbling mud pots.
The sulfurous smell of the thermal areas may take some getting used to, but I tend to like it. Maybe because I've been there so often and I'm fascinated by the fact that the ongoing thermal activity means that the landscape and geyser activity changes every time I'm there. Geysers that were once active become less active, others begin to bubble more. Trails have to be moved to accommodate the changes. Plus, there's something very beautiful in all this raw activity and the fact that Yellowstone is home to so much wildlife.
It's a good place to relax, to kayak or canoe, to stay at the lodge or in a campground, even to visit a nice restaurant or take a tour with a guide in a yellow touring car.
(My apologies for the dates on the photos. These were from a vacation we took and I didn't want to crop the images).
Here's a video (not mine) that depicts even more of the majesty of the this unusual place:
Born on this day: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ian McKellan, Mike Myers
I'm a sucker for a love story. Even when the characters are two containers of milk. This one was all over the internet last week, so I apologize if you've already seen it. But it is cute.
I may never look at milk the same way. (This one especially made me smile, because I'm always juggling the skim and 2% people in my family).
Have you had your milk today? (Or are you a milk hater? Or allergic? Every year when the Illini 4000 come through, I have to be extra careful to find out what kinds of food allergies or preferences people have. Last year, there was some lactose-intolerant people, some allergies to tree nuts, and there is always a mix of meat eaters and vegetarians and/or vegans).
Born on this day: Roseanne Cash, Bob Dylan, Priscilla Presley, Queen Victoria (via NNDB)
We used to (and sometimes still) like watching those painting shows on television. You know, the ones that make it look so easy. Here's a different kind of painting. The artist is using a tablet. Basically, painting on a computer.
Fascinating, but that looks almost more difficult than painting with an actual brush (except, I guess you could easily fix things...if you knew what you were doing).
Any artists in your life? Did you ever try your hand at painting...or painting with a computer?
A few days ago some of us were discussing how amazing our children had turned out, so I hope you'll forgive me if I discuss something here that deals with that a bit. I have two sons. I'll call them The Engineer and The Photographer. They're in their twenties and both of them have given of their time to help others. The Photographer is in Missouri right now helping tornado victims with a group called All Hands. And as a part of a charity group called the Illini 4000 The Engineer has biked 4,000 miles across the country twice to raise money for cancer research and to help children whose families have been touched by cancer. Here's a photo of the 2008 group.
That effort is what I want to devote today's blog entry to. The Illini 4000 is an organization that started 5 years ago by a couple of amazing young men who decided to get a group of students together, ask them each to raise a couple of thousand dollars, bike across the country, visit hospitals, talk to cancer survivors and donate the money they had raised to the American Cancer Society and Camp Kesem. They succeeded in their goal, and since that time, every year in May a group of students begins the more than 2-month trek across the country. The group is called the Illini 4000 because most of them (not all) are students at the University of Illinois (the Illini) and because the first trips were 4,000 miles long (just under 6500 kilometers). Last year's group added an extra 500 miles to the trip as will this year's group. It's an amazing feat.
Even more amazing is that this devoted little group manages to donate almost 85% of their donations to the charities they serve. They're able to do this because they try to spend as little as possible (frankly, they eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly for lunch). Whenever possible, they ask churches, schools and families to give them shelter, and they seek donations of food along the way (and store owners, restaurants and church groups open their arms and hearts and donate, because...we've all been touched by cancer and people want to help. It's an admirable thing these young people are doing, pushing themselves to their physical limits in the hopes that they'll save lives and give hope to those who need it). I've met every group except the first and the last (this year's), and in a couple of weeks I'll meet this year's group, too, when they pass through our part of the country and stop to stay a night at our house.
It's an honor for my husband and I to be able to do this. And I'm glad that my son, The Engineer, is still involved (he did the ride twice, he was a director and ride leader one of those years, and now he's the alumni coordinator). It's good to see that the group has grown each year (this year there will be 29 riders). During the past 4 years, they have donated over $250,000 to the American Cancer Society and more than $25,000 to Camp Kesem, and this year they've already raised more than $117,000.
Yesterday they left New York on their long journey to San Francisco. They'll cross mountains, ride through rainstorms, visit cancer centers and meet with cancer survivors. Those survivors' stories will become part of The Portraits Project, a collection of narratives that tell the story of the experiences of those who live with cancer.
When the ride is over, their lives will be changed by this experience, and so will the lives of those of many of the people they meet along the way. This type of thing brings out the best in all of us. Hopefully, their efforts will someday help to bring about a cure for a disease that touches so many. I hope you'll join me in keeping them in your thoughts as they make their way across the country. (And if you live in the US and run into them on their journey, wish them well).
My apologies for being a bit long-winded today, but this group is near and dear to my heart.
And now that I've written far too much, I hope you'll tell me about your favorite charities. And feel free to brag about your children (it doesn't have to be about a charity. I'm happy that The Engineer sings in a choir. I'm thrilled that The Photographer just graduated from college and is starting his way in the great big world and that he's comfortable talking to people from many different backgrounds. I'm grateful that they both still continue to read for pleasure)! How about you? What is it about your children that you're grateful for (I've been known to say that I'm simply grateful that the two of them were born and inhabit the same world that I do).
This year MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) celebrates their 150th anniversary, and as part of that they did some amazing things. One of them is this ice wall:
It looks just like a very artistic wall of ice blocks, and it is that, but it's more. Encased in the ice are seeds, meant to sprout as the ice melts in the spring.
As winter wore on, the ice wall became less transparent.
I wonder what has happened to it now and if the seeds really will turn into something lush and green. I hope so, but even if they don't...it was a wonderful idea.
For the whole story and more images, go to this website.
Born on this day: Raymond Burr, Phillip II (King of Spain 1556-98), Henri Rousseau, Mr. T, Fats Waller
I am in love with the TED conferences, and one of my sons was lucky enough to be able to film part of one this year (he was interning for Shatterglass Studios in Champaign, Illinois). The following is not one of the ones he filmed, but it is amazing and wonderful and beautiful stuff, a real tribute to the power of the Internet. (Just a tidbit to tempt you: there's not only fantastic music but also visual imagery and great storytelling involved):
Was that astounding or what? So...what are some of the beauties of the internet you've come to love? (Or, conversely...dislike)?
This video is almost artistic in its beauty. It's fascinating and difficult to look away from. Watching it, I felt a bit like a baby watching a mobile. And just when I thought it was finished...it continued. Beautiful in its own way. (via I Am Bored, Miss Cellania and Presurfer)
Add colors and music and I could sit and watch all day long! What other kinds of things are that hypnotic to you? (Cloud patterns on a windy day get me every time, especially near sunset).
Born on this Day: Nora Ephron, James Fox, Johns Hopkins, Pete Townshend
Another cute Internet toy today. You can create your own virtual hamster. Here's mine. He'll follow your cursor. Click to drop food pellets and feed him. Click on the center to make him run.
Born on this day: Frank Capra, Tina Fey, Fred Perry (won 14 grand slams in tennis), George Strait (via NNDB)
Some days I feel as if the Internet was invented just for people like me. I'm a total sucker for fun, geeky little Internet toys that have no real value in the world but are just amusing. Mind you, I've never been one of those people who get totally goofy about finding their name someplace (maybe because I've never been overly fond of my first name. Sorry, Mom). But I have to say that this map was just plain fun. You put in your name and it finds places all over the world that also bear your name (if we want to be really egotistical, we could say that they're places "named after you." I'm sure I could make up a few quick stories about how a street in Colorado came to be named Myrna Lane). :-D
Here's an image of my own results as an example of what you can do (the map is worldwide and you can move around in it on the actual site, but this screenshot was as much as I could zoom out to. Sorry it's a bit fuzzy. It lost some clarity when I downsized it so that it wouldn't take all day to load).
I've been thinking about vacation a lot lately. It's that time of year, the planning stage, the dreaming stage. Not sure where I'm going, but if I had to rely on ads to help me make my decision, I'd be in Michigan right now.
The state of Michigan began an ad campaign a few years ago with Tim Allen (of Home Improvement fame) as the narrator (he's a Michigan native). The ad campaign is called Pure Michigan and despite all the wonderful places I've been, I've never seen a better ad for any location. Every time I see or hear one of those, I just want to go straight to my closet and start packing.
The funny thing is that I live within an easy drive of Michigan. I can be there in less than 2 hours, and I have been there frequently over the years. Michigan has its charms. It's bounded by 4 of the Great Lakes, so it has sandy beaches, wildlife, cities, forests, a fantastic island (okay, more than one island) and it's made of two peninsulas, so it is unique. It's the location of the Holland Tulip Festival I wrote about not long ago.
But fantastic as it is, even Michigan probably isn't as wonderful as the Pure Michigan ads make you think that it is. I think it's because when I see these, my first feelings are ones of nostalgia, longing for a world that never existed anywhere outside of books and movies (and the ads). Nonetheless, I give the creators full credit for launching the ads. They're very effective.
And yes, Michigan is worth the visit. I especially recommend visiting the Upper Peninsula, Mackinac Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Grand Traverse Bay, the many lighthouses (about 150, the most of any state) and Tahquamenon Falls. There are numerous areas overseen by the National Park Service (including Isle Royale, which I have never visited but want to) and the biggest state park and state forest system of any state. It's worth seeing, and...okay, maybe it does live up these ads in some ways. Here are some of the ads (if you don't want to watch all of these, make sure you watch the last video, "A Simple Sunrise," and listen to the radio ad, "Gone Fishin'," because both of them have wonderful messages that transcend commercialism). See for yourself (some of these still make me get a lump in my throat even though I've seen and heard them many times). (Note: The music is Main Titles from the movie Cider House Rules).
And finally, a radio ad that gets me every time:
So...if you lived close enough, would you be on your way to Michigan right now? And, since I know that many of you don't live anywhere near here, what is your weekend getaway, the place you go to just kick back? What's your version of Pure Michigan?
Born on this day: Enya, Craig Ferguson, Simon Fuller, Edward Jenner (smallpox vaccination), Bill Paxton, Bob Saget (via NNDB)
Now and then we like to go to garage sales (okay, during nice weather we do this a lot), but these days, due to my desire to have less stuff we're very selective about making purchases and a lot of the time the trip is more about walking and getting exercise as well as a kind of quirky fascination regarding what types of things end up in other people's houses and what types of things they've chosen to get rid of (during my own garage sales, I'm sure more than a few people wondered why I would have a little object designed to make square hard-boiled eggs. I'm still wondering that myself, but someone bought it so I don't have to worry about storing it anymore).
I could go on and on about the psychology behind why people go to garage sales and estate sales and why people have them (and what kinds of things you find there) and maybe someday I will, but this post has a different purpose.
Last year, we visited a garage sale in a somewhat affluent neighborhood, and they were selling this interesting and clever little chair. I'm kicking myself now that I didn't have a camera with me, but I remember it vividly, so I'm hoping I can recreate it so that you'll get the picture. A parent obviously decided that it would be a good idea to have a special chair set aside for those time out periods when a child misbehaves. To that purpose, they had started with an old red vinyl chair similar to this one.
Then they had taken either lilac poster board or card stock and written on it (using pretty markers), a clever running commentary, such as (I'm doing this from memory, so I'm paraphrasing and inventing here):
I'm sorry. I'll try to do better. This is boring. It wasn't my fault. How much longer do I have to be here? I want to go out and play. Tick, tick, tick...how long is ten minutes? I really, really will be more careful next time. Time outs are no fun.
That part was fastened to the seat and overlaid with clear contact paper. The back of the chair had the words "Time out Chair" on it, also in colored poster board with an overlay of clear contact paper. I thought it was an intriguing solution (having a dedicated piece of furniture) to the time out situation, but later I was surprised to find that it wasn't completely original. People actually make and sell time out chairs. Here are some of the more interesting ones:
And this handmade one that was made for an arts festival (discussed in this blog):
And there are others, many commercially made and some obviously thrown together quickly (a paper sign that says "Time Out" taped to the back of a chair). I thought this was an interesting solution to an everyday situation (when my boys were growing up, I simply said, "Looks like it's time to go to your room for ten minutes" (or more minutes if it was a more serious infraction). But I like the concept of having a special piece of furniture.
Of course, eventually a chair like that is bound to end up at a garage sale (or donated to a charity shop). Not exactly the kind of furniture anyone remembers fondly (especially the kids, I would think). So, what about you? Do you garage sale or not? If so, what are some of the more interesting things you've seen being sold? And what do you think of the time out chairs shown here?
Of course, here's my favorite. It's a time out chair being given a time out. :-)
Born on this day: Pierce Brosnan, Henry Fonda, Gabriela Sabatini, Debra Winger
The cartoon "And Then a Miracle Occurs" has always given me a chuckle. There's just something about these two brilliant mathematicians who can't quite get from one end of the equation to the other that makes me smile. The cartoon is by Sidney Harris, who created many other wonderful cartoons.
For more of Sidney Harris's work, click here. So what are some of your favorite cartoonists (or what are some of your favorite comics)? I'm a big Calvin & Hobbes fan (even now long after the last Calvin & Hobbes comic strip was drawn).
Born on this day: L. Frank Baum, Chazz Palminteri, Paul Zindel, Emmitt Smith (via NNDB)
I seem to be fascinated by people who live in very small spaces lately. Mind you, I wouldn't want to do it myself, but I think I might like to live with a lot less stuff (at least in theory). That's part of what I find so interesting about people who have managed to squeeze everything they own into a little bit of room.
Like this one:
Or this one (this is a bit long, but after a few minutes you'll have seen everything. It's a pretty ingenious setup. I especially liked the bed and the rooftop terrace):
And this amazing place in Hong Kong:
Maybe my intense interest is because I seem to be on a constant quest to have fewer belongings, but...I still buy things. Not a lot of things, but enough to make living in any of the places above impossible, even if I lived alone. But it's intriguing to me that there are adventurous people who do this or who simply live in small spaces due to necessity. I know that for all that I love looking at big houses, I don't want to have to clean one or heat one or pay the taxes on one.
What do you consider to be the ideal size for a house? And would you ever want to downsize? Or upsize, for that matter.
Born on this day: Cate Blanchett, Bobby Darin, George Lucas, Mark Zuckerberg
Today a few nice things happened (including Blogger's return from outer space), so I thought I'd throw together a comparison of two songs, both titled Happy.
They're not new (and frankly I don't remember them very much if at all), but they were the topic of a family discussion recently and the interesting thing about them is that they were released 2 weeks apart, one on the west coast and one on the east in 1967.
Here's the one released on the east coast (by the band Blades of Grass):
Here's the one from the west coast (by the band The Sunshine Company):
Ok, the song is a bit dated, but it's catchy. Any preference?
I'm always fascinated when someone covers another person's hit and makes a hit of it themselves (especially when people forget about the original artist. When Charice recently sang "All by Myself" on Glee, she referred to the Celine Dion hit (made sense since she's pretty young), but when I think of that song I think of Eric Carmen (although I like the Celine Dion version, too). Can you think of any songs that you preferred the second time around?
Just a note: I have been putting Born on This Day posts at the top of each day. I do realize that people reading this in other parts of the world may not be on the same day as I am, but the day should match the post date. Thank you for being understanding if you're not in the same time zone as I am.
Born on this day: Stephen Colbert, Stephen R. Donaldson, Robert Pattinson, Stevie Wonder, among others (via NNDB)
I think most of us try to be more responsible about saving the earth these days. Recycling is up, people try to conserve water and electricity and waste less. But we can always do more (after all, we've only been given one Earth and if we don't take care of it, who will)?
Here's one fun (successful) attempt to get people to throw their garbage away. (via Miss Cellania)
I want one of those garbage cans! What about you? Have you seen any innovative ways to make cleaning up the world a bit? What do you do to help keep your footprint on earth small? And what would you like to be better at? (I recycle as much as I can, try to buy less than I used to, turn off the lights. I'd like to be better at the Reuse part of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. I don't do enough of that).
Born on this day: (or rather May 12th) George Carlin, Tony Hawk, Katharine Hepburn and Florence Nightingale, among others (via NNDB)
(This was yesterday's post--scheduled for May 12th--which I had to repost due to Blogger's problems. See post below this one).
I think Jim Henson was a true genius, he helped me remember that we should all access our inner child now and then, and sometimes when his name is brought up or I see characters from Sesame Street, I still miss him and all that he stood for. Here's a "What if the Muppets Made the Movie Oceans 11" bit of fun (via Miss Cellania and Unique Daily).
So, who is your favorite Jim Henson character? (I'm not sure. Probably Kermit).
Have a great day! I hope you find something today that brings out that sense of childish wonder that makes life so special.
In case you didn't hear, Blogger was down for most of yesterday and today, but is now functioning again. Unfortunately, not everything is back to normal. I'm going to repost the Muppets post (or try to), which got kicked out and back into my scheduled posts for some reason. Unfortunately, the comments were lost, but since I have them in my emails, I'll stick them all into one big comment and repost, then put today's post up, too. (All of those may reappear at some time, but I'll straighten things out as they happen).
Wish me luck, and thank you for hanging in there and coming back!
Born on this day: Salvador Dali, Cory Monteith, Robert Jarvik, Martha Graham, Valentino (among others, via NNDB)
We are real movie people here and would rather watch movies than almost anything else on television (although we do tune in for 30 Rock, the Simpsons, Nova, and...I am an admitted Gleek). We also tend to watch a lot of old, campy sci-fi/horror flicks with Svengoolie and Elvira (and we have met both Svens, the original Jerry G. Bishop--who now runs a restaurant in San Diego--and Rich Koz, who has been Svengoolie or Son of Svengoolie since 1979).
During the past couple of weeks, we have gone to see Source Code (which I highly recommend).
We rented Tangled (lots of fun).
We went to the local theater to see Matt Damon in The Adjustment Bureau. And then we caught up on some Harry Potter (I'm still 2 movies behind), watched part of Ken Burns Civil War series again (okay, not exactly a movie) and revisited Black Robe (from 1991) and Wall-E.
So...what good (or bad) movies have you seen lately?
Born on this day: Fred Astaire, Bono, Charice, Jon Scalzi, Kenan Thompson (among others. From NNDB).
This video created by The Animal Humane Society has to tug at your heartstrings.
So...do you fall into the cat person, dog person, both or no pets camp? I've mentioned before that I have no pets (at least not now), but someday when my life is different...I might have a cat...or a dog...or both.
I saw this in numerous places on the Internet a couple of weeks ago and wondered if it was too silly to include here (clearly I've decided that the answer is no. I love silly things)!
At any rate, some clever person came up with the bright idea of a Llama Font. Here's "Good Morning from Along Came a Story" in Llama.
To make your own message and go to the original site, click here. (Make sure you page down to the bottom and click on What? Why? for some fun comments and images. According to Who?, this font was the brainchild of Avery Oldfield and Jack Inscoe).
For some reason, it reminded me of the greeting card first released by Sandra Boynton in 1975 and then updated in 2002, titled Hippo Birdie Two Ewe. Here's a link (it's cute and worth looking at if you've never seen it). This was a card I gave to a friend (and probably a few family members) at the time. It must have done well, since it's still for sale at the Sandra Boynton store on Zazzle all these years later. Do you have a favorite card you gave to more than one person?
So, in both llama and hippo (and birdie and ewe) language, Have a Great Day!
For some of us, it's all about symmetry. We need things to be balanced. It keeps us sane. Here's a video (made by Everynone) that illustrates symmetry in a creative way.
Okay, it's another commercial (I really don't like feeling as if I'm advertising products, but some of these ads are so different that I just can't resist). And you have to like babies. But if you do, it's very clever and cute.
I love the fact that they treated this just the way a television program showcasing a fine restaurant complete with plating the food. So...anyone for pureed carrots?
All of these works of art are made of paper. Can you imagine the work that went into these? I ame in awe not just of the talent but the patience and the imagination required to come up with the ideas.
Click here to see the full article and all of the images.
Here is the link to Allen and Patty Eckman's site (the artists of the image shown above).
I would never have the patience (or the ingenuity) to make something like that. Paper hats are about my limit. Even basic origami eludes me. Have you ever tried that (origami, I mean) or made anything else out of paper?
I'm always amazed at how imaginative people can be. This advertisement for MTV is a bit bizarre, but clever, too. They used more than 600 balloons and popped about 10 of them every second. (via Presurfer)
(I felt a bit jittery after all that. :-) But it was rather fun, too).
Okay, I've had my balloon fix today. How about you?
I've talked before about how much I like time lapse photography. Add that to some creative artistry, some very nice music and an inspiring message and you get this wonderful video. (via Neatorama)
Look at this image taken from a 1959 newspaper (via Paleofuture--you may need to click to blow the image up large enough to see all the details). Did someone really predict the VCR and other devices that have already come to pass?
I see that women are still required to wear dresses. And what's with those chairs? Not sure those look terribly comfortable. To read the original article, go to Paleofuture.
Who knows what the future may bring? It should be fun to find out.
I've been thinking about rugs a lot lately, namely making my own. Maybe. And while I'm pretty sure this won't be the one I make (has to be a rectangle), this is a cute idea if you happen to have an old hula hoop and some t-shirts lying around.
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