Hapi Berth Day (a Totally New Song...Sort Of)

As an author, I believe in copyright, but I also believe we sometimes carry things to extremes (for example, I thought that the Sonny Bono Term Extension Act, which extended copyright from 50 years after the author's death to 70 years was...ridiculous). But I have no say in that. I'm just noting my views here, so you'll see why I rather enjoyed this video.



Of course, after reading the history of the song on Snopes, I'm not sure Good Morning to You is actually in the public domain (the tune being the same would seem to create a problem, I would think), but I'm no expert on such things and at any rate, this is clever and it's also interesting that we're still wrangling over a song that was originally written in 1893 (also interesting that the owners of Happy Birthday have no relation to the creators).

Seinfeld tries to Get the First 2012 Acura NSX - Extended Version

This will probably air a million times, but for now it's new, so for those of you who tape your shows and miss most of the commercials, this one is pretty good.

C.G.P. Grey Explains Groundhog Day

And, as usual, his videos are always fun and a bit irreverent.

Nominated for an Oscar - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

What a charming little video!


The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

From the Vimeo site: "Inspired, in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, “Morris Lessmore” is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation) award winning author/ illustrator William Joyce and Co-director Brandon Oldenburg present a new narrative experience that harkens back to silent films and M-G-M Technicolor musicals. “Morris Lessmore” is old fashioned and cutting edge at the same time.

“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” is one of five animated short films that will be considered for outstanding film achievements of 2011 in the 84th Academy Awards ®.

Film Awards Won by “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
To date, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” film has drummed up fans all over the world taking home the following awards:
· Cinequest Film Fest: Best Animated Short
· Palm Springs International ShortFest: Audience Favorite Award
· SIGGRAPH: Best in Show"

Some Gorgeous Staircases

At the Vatican

Image by papalar

Aarhaus Town Hall, Denmark (architect Arne-Jacobsen)

Image by seier+seier

The Foreign Office - Whitehall - London

Image by nick.garrod

Boldt Castle (New York)

Image by kmaraj

Along the same lines, here is a video of the stairs at the Loius Vuitton store in Rome. I believe this was only for the opening several years ago, but I could be wrong about that. 

The Circle of Life with Cats and Dogs

What can I say? It's a compelling song, and if I had a cat or dog, I might be doing this, too.




via Pleated-Jeans

Ferris Bueller Drives a Honda CR-V?

Don't get me wrong. I drive a CR-V (and it's a very nice and useful car, thank you very much to the haters out there who are upset about this commercial). Still, I do understand the Ferris Bueller fans who are upset that all the mystery surrounding the Matthew Broderick ads in those 10-second Superbowl ad clips that were circulating last week turned out to be a Honda commercial and not a Ferris Bueller sequel. Still, it was kind of cute seeing Matthew Broderick recreate his "I'm sick" role.



And just in case you've forgotten what he looked like back then, here's the trailer from Ferris Bueller:

Scooter Traffic Jam

This is Taipei. Have you ever seen that many scooters in one place? Amazing, but it makes sense. They burn less fuel and a lot more of them can fit on a crowded street.

Toronto Zoo Bears (Last One, I Promise...Unless They Make Another One)

I've been saving the last of the Toronto Zoo Polar Bear ads (I do like the penguin ones a bit better, but these are kind of cute, too. At least most of them are). After this, I'm all out of cute Toronto Zoo ads. (And no, I'm not pushing The Toronto Zoo. I haven't even been near Toronto in  years. But I like their commercials).

Look, Ma, No Hands! (Cars That Park Themselves)

The other day I was involved in a discussion about those new cars that park themselves and it turned out that none of the people taking part in the discussion had any experience with them. Here, then, is a video from the Wall Street Journal in which the reporter tries out this feature on a new Ford.



Only time will tell whether it is a big seller or fades away like this feature on a car from the 1950's.

How to Eat Food (or...the Way Most of Us Tend to Eat).

For those...difficult foods. There's a system!

See more of "How to Eat Food."

About Those Ads on YouTube

Here's an unorthodox way to get rid of them.



via The Presurfer

LEGO Food

I seem to be on a food kick today. These first four are inedible (but awesome).

Image by Profound Whatever

Image by gqhaha

Image by David Ramalho

Image by ksablan

Moving on to edible food, here's a gorgeous LEGO cake.

Image by Signature SugarArt

And all of this started when I saw a photo of cookies the other day that looked something like this:

Image by Anders Ruff Custom Designs

How Easy It is to Forget: a Video About Love and Family

Perhaps parts of this video were unrealistic (and yes, it's an ad), but the sentiment was genuine.

How Cats See Things...

I don't have cats, but "How I See Things Vs. How My Cat Sees Things"  (via Buzzfeed) brought a smile to my face.

The photographer captioned this, "How are you, darling?"

Image by Ted_Cat

How I Learned to See the Recorder in a New Light

When I was teaching grammar school, children learned the basics of the recorder when they were eight years old or so, but the recorder never sounded anything like this.



via 22 Words

Landscapes: Volume One (a Time-lapse)

This film by Dustin Farrell is shot mostly in Arizona, but there are also some shots of Goblin Valley State Park and Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah.


Landscapes: Volume One from Dustin Farrell on Vimeo.

The One Minute Fly

This isn't new (it's from 2008), but I got caught up in it. The one-minute fly has only a lifespan of one minute to experience everything that makes life worth living, and he's determined to do it all.



via The Presurfer

How Could I Almost Have Missed National Chocolate Cake Day?

That would be a travesty, so...here goes: "Happy National Chocolate Cake Day!" Cake, anyone?

Image by distopiandreamgirl

Here are instructions for 5-Minute Chocolate Cake 

(This has been circulating in one written form or another for a long time, but I haven't seen a video of it before) (And yes, I agree. That is a lot of oil for one person)!

Check out a few more fun facts about cake.

Beautiful Book Sculptures

There is some lovely art that is composed of books or where books are the primary component.

"Good as Gold" by artist Donald Lipski - located at a branch of the Kansas City Public Library

Image by Gwen's River City Images

At the Prague Library

Image by sexyqueenofsoho

This is also at the Prague Library (perhaps a different  view of the sculpture above)

Image by Mar.tin

In a government building near Queens Park

Image by Loozrboy

Part of the "Walk of Ideas" in Berlin

Image by venana

Image by goldbird

In Chile

Image by LeJyBy

In front of the Nice Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

Image by iluetkeb

Sound of Silence (A Love Story)

I haven't quite made up my mind about this one yet.

Just Some Upcoming Movies

My apologies if you've seen some of these trailers.

I'm not sure how this movie will be received by the critics, but I love Judi Dench and will watch almost anything she stars in.


This trailer has been around a bit.



More fairy tale fun (again a trailer that's been making the rounds)


Based on the novel, "The Borrowers"


And just because I like Jason Segel

Flight Attendants on Finnair Celebrate India's Republic Day with Bollywood Dance

Very cute

Belarus: One Day in Life

A time-lapse of a day in Belarus


BELARUS. One day in life from zweizwei |motion timelapse| on Vimeo.

What an Interesting Job! (Working for LEGO)

I love the fact that grown men do this for a living.

Painting with a Basketball

At first I wasn't sure if this painting of NBA player Yao Ming by the artist known as "Red" was real. She seemed to be dressed too nice for painting (the schoolteacher/mom in me was yelling, "Put a smock on!"). But after visiting her website, I see that I was wrong. It's certainly an intriguing way to paint.



See more work by Red.

Unique Chandeliers

Yesterday I came across a post for a unique chandelier made out of test tubes (I can't post an image here, because I don't have permission, but the link is shown above). The chandelier has a central bulb and either one or two tiers of wooden rings with holes set in to hold the test tubes. The tubes can then be filled with colored water, sand, stones, flowers and changed to suit your mood. (Note: the chandelier is named Maria SC after Madame Curie).

While researching that, I found another test tube chandelier designed by in square lab, which was installed at Harvey Nichols in London. In addition to the images, here's a video of the installation.


Test Tube Chandelier from in square lab on Vimeo.

But we can't end this without any images, so here are some non-test tube chandeliers.

from Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque

Image by modenadude

from the Encore in Las Vegas

Image by slideshow bob

by Dale Chihuly at the De Young Museum in San Francisco

Image by Abe K

Libraries are Awesome!

What fun! A library supercut.


Thanks to Julie for this one.

And, if you've never seen it before, here's "Library Girl",  from Get Ready to Be Boyzvoiced, a 2000 mockumentary featuring the fictitious boy band, Boyzvoice. I'm including it here because, spoof or not, libraries and librarians just don't get enough attention.



And let's end this post with a fantastic shot of the reading room of the Harper Memorial Library at the University of Chicago. What a great place to settle down and study or simply read a book!

Image by kern.justin

Music Like You've Never...Um...Seen It (A Musical Roller Coaster)

Virtual Republic creates a musical roller coaster of the 2nd symphony, 4th movement by Ferdinand Ries. I've never been a roller coaster fan (I get too dizzy and ill), but this was one roller coaster that was fun for even me.

ZKO Rollercoaster // GREAT EMOTIONS from virtual republic on Vimeo.

The Magic (or Not) of Special Effects on Boardwalk Empire

I must be one of the only people who haven't yet seen Boardwalk Empire (admittedly, I'm envious, but I don't have cable). But special effects fascinate me (not so much the explosions and things of that type, but the "how it's done") and I always watch the "extras" on a dvd if they show how the special effects are created (I love the fact that Doctor Who sometimes shows those things at the end of an episode). At any rate, despite the fact that I haven't yet seen the show, I enjoyed the following video that shows how they create some of the effects on Boardwalk Empire.

Boardwalk Empire VFX Breakdowns of Season 2 from Brainstorm Digital on Vimeo.

via Miss Cellania

10 Misconceptions Rundown

C.G.P. Grey debunks some common myths. (I love this guy's method of delivery). Here's more proof as to why we shouldn't believe everything that gets repeated (and sent around the Internet) or that is implied in ads.

The Story Tree

Another sweet animated short (my favorite kind). This one is by Stephanie Sim of the Vancouver Film School.

Monsanto, Portugal - A Village Nestled in the Boulders

The Presurfer ran an interesting story the other day about a Flinstone-style house made of boulders and located in the Fafe mountains of northern Portugal.

Image by Jsomel

I was intrigued, but on my way to find more information about this interesting house (the best info seemed to be in the article linked above), I came across the fascinating village of Monsanto, Portugal (about 4 hours away from Fafe and the Flinstone house). Take a look:

(The Forrest Gump music in this next video--while nice--seemed a bit out of place for a video on Portugal, and the sun wasn't shining much of the time, but there are some great views and information)

Interactive Art

A different type of still life. By Scott Garner

Still Life from Scott Garner on Vimeo.

Yosemite Time-lapse

Yosemite National Park is one of the largest, busiest parks in the US National Park system. Here one can see granite cliffs, waterfalls and groves of Giant Sequoia. At over 750,000 acres, it is massive, and almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness. I'll revisit the topic at some other time in more detail, but for now, enjoy this time-lapse by Sheldon Neill and Colin Delehanty.

Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

More Toronto Zoo Penguin Ads

I know. I'm fixated on these ads (they're so cute). Here are the last of the penguin ads that are floating around  right now.

Sea Foam: Have You Seen It?

Actually, I've never really seen sea foam, at least not in the kinds of massive amounts that you'll see in these videos. I've seen lots of other types of water (the startling blue of glacial lakes, the rainbow hues of thermal pools, the rusty water caused by tannin), but no sea foam. From this distance, sitting at my computer, it looks intriguing, but I'm not so sure I'd want to be caught in a storm that brought in great masses of seam foam. Apparently, it's a combination of wind, water and a large amount of dissolved organic material such as phytoplankton.

At any rate, here's what it looks like when there's a great deal of it:

This is at Harolds Bay, Southern Cape, South Africa on December 24, 2008.



At Cleveleys near Blackpool in the UK December, 2011.


At Pescadero State Beach in California.

Image by pmeidinger

By Cape Town in August of 2008. (Many more images and the story that sent me off on this quest for information at Kuriositas).

Image by mallix

Penguins and More Penguins...Doing Penguin Things

Lots and lots of Penguins GIFs on Buzzfeed.

Click to play if this animated gif doesn't start automatically

Image by quicheisinsane

New York's Secret Subway Station

The City Hall subway station was opened in 1904. It was designed by Rafael Guastavino and was meant to be a showpiece, a work of art with its glass tile, brass chandeliers and skylights. Unfortunately, the station was shut down in 1945, when the newer, longer cars were put in service and there were logistical and safety issues. The station is located where the number 6 train loops around to go back uptown and there was a time when passengers were required to get off at the end of the line. Now, however, they're allowed to stay on and make the loop, enabling them to see this gorgeous station.

Image by JoeInSouthernCA

Image by Ed Yourdon

(Note: The page with the image above had some fascinating information about this station, including the fact that guided tours are given of this "ghost station" several times a year. It's worth reading--and not long--so if you're interested in knowing more, here's the direct link).

Resources: Huffington Post, Double Takes, Nag on the Lake, Wikipedia

Get a Song With Your Pizza...

Well, not usually, but the people who made this video told the man it was their friend's birthday and he sang her a song. I mean he really sang. I don't get that kind of singing in my local pizzeria.

It's Time for a New Tiger in a Jar Video - Classic Pesto

This time Tiger in a Jar teams up with Kinfolk magazine and Etsy (the recipe is by Heidi Swanson in her book,  101 Cookbooks).


classic pesto from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

Everyday I'm Jugglin'

Even if you're not into juggling, you have to give this guy credit. He can juggle and dance at the same time. Pretty awesome. (Note: It's been around a couple of weeks, so apologies if you've already seen it).



And if you are into juggling, here's a bit more by David Ferman who has won gold medals for most balls juggled at the World Juggling Federation.

Please Turn Your Cell Phones Off...

About 38 seconds into this classical violinist's concert, a cell phone rings. Watch what happens next.

First It Was the Wienermobile. Now it's the L. L. Bean Bootmobile

L. L. Bean is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, and to celebrate they're sending the "Bootmobile" on a tour of New England, as related in a story on Buzzfeed. Here's a video of the making of the Bootmobile.



Of course, the Bootmobile is just one of a long line of vehicles whose sole purpose has been advertising. According to an article by Brad Herzog, there's been a Hershey's Kissmobile, a Meow Mix Mobile, and a pickup truck with a lobster on top, Red Lobster's Clawde.

Image by Joe Shlabotnik

The article references an earlier era when there was a Pep-O-Mint Lifesavers truck, a car shaped like a vaccum cleaner. a Heinz pickle car, a car shaped like a can of V-8 and a Zippo lighter car.

Image by justin<3sasha

And...to this day, there are Spammobiles and, of course, the most famous of all, the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile. I knew someone who drove the Wienermobile, and I once went out for a walk to find the Wienermobile parked a couple of blocks away from my house. It was a rather surreal experience.



Of course, all of this is for advertising, but let's face it, the advertising wouldn't work if it weren't so much fun. From now on, I know I'll be on the lookout for the Spammobile when I'm driving down the road.

(I've seen other images of this. Apparently when on the move, the can of Spam is not on top).

Image by David Boyle

2011: A Year of Time Timelapse

A reel of favorite time-lapses filmed by Chadchud Timelapse. The footage is from Iceland, Australia, Finland, Scotland and England, and the music is by Bjork. There's some hauntingly beautiful footage here.


2011: A Year of Time from Chadchud Timelapse on Vimeo.

Poor Penguins!

Greg Stone's book, Goodbye Penguins, in video form. Not quite as disturbing as The Book of Bunny Suicides, but it's that kind of dark humor. (You may have to be a little weird to like this kind of thing. I am, but I hope you won't hold it against me).





via Miss Cellania

Behind: An Animated Short

This is by Ga Young of the Vancouver Film School. So much of the animation that's out there leaves me unsatisfied at the end (probably due to the difficulties of telling a story in two or three minutes), but this one is sweet.

How the Internet Has Changed Us

You know I love technology and I love meeting with all of you here. The Internet makes that possible, and I wouldn't give it up. Still, I can see this young man's point (and ah, the irony of posting an anti-technology poem via the use of...technology).

Basilicata, Italy

Two posts on Italy in one week? I never intended for that to happen, but then I saw a video that changed my mind, so...today we're visiting Basilicata, Italy. Basilicata is a region in the south of Italy right next to Apulia (where La Festa di Santa Domenica in Scorrano takes place).

map via Wikipedia

I first heard of this region a few years ago when a fellow writer attended The Women's Fiction Festival in the town of Matera. I've been interested in learning more ever since.

Matera 

Image by Gregorio Parvus

Image by jonicus

Basilicata is the most mountainous region in the south of Italy, contains the volcanic Monte Vulture and encompasses part of the Pollino National Park. The Sassi di Matera ("stones of Matera") are prehistoric cave dwellings, and in 1994 UNESCO declared Sassi di Matera a World Heritage Site,

More Images of Basilicata

Image by sambukot

Image by laura.foto

Image by Basilicata Travel

Image by mozzercork

Here's the video (Dreaming It{aly} by Matthew Brown that inspired me to look for more info on Basilicata. The video won the Digital Diary Contest sponsored by the Basilicata Tourism Board. 

.

Dreaming It{aly} from Matthew Brown (Matty Brown) on Vimeo.

Here are more of the entries (confession: I haven't had time to watch any of these yet, so I can't vouch for what's in them).

Metropolis II, a Sculpture of a City in Motion

Metropolis II, the kinetic sculpture by artist Chris Burden took 4 years to build and went on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art last fall.

Image by Gelatobaby

Read more about the intriguing details of this exhibit (and see many more images) at Gelatobaby's site. 

To see the sculpture in action, here's a video (I loved it when they zoomed out at the end and you could see just how massive and intricate the exhibit is). 

Just a Newborn Deer (to Add a Little "Cute" to Your Day)

Nothing much going on here. Just a baby deer (one of those "Aw...." moments)



via Daily Picks and Flicks

When Your House Sings to You...

I think I would quickly tire of this, but it's an interesting concept. The Singing House is a Quintron invention and it's controlled by the weather. I originally thought that it might be soothing, but after watching it, I'm not so sure. I'm one of those people who isn't a fan of wind chimes. I like them, and some of them are very clever and gorgeous with pretty sounds, but I don't like them all the time (as in when I'm trying to sleep or concentrate) and the nature of wind chimes is that there is no "off:" button. I'm guessing there would be an off button to this invention, so that's a plus in its favor. 



via Laughing Squid

George Clooney - ER Bloopers

In case it's been too long since you got your Clooney fix (he was fun on the Golden Globes, so I saw him just the other night):

Becoming a Bike Culture: How the Dutch Got Their Cycle Paths

We're big into bicycles around here, both as a form of exercise and as a real form of transportation (at least some of us are. I've kind of been the one dragging my feet. That's not because I don't like bicycles, but just because I'm lazy, I don't like winter biking and don't like to have to figure out how to carry things. That said...I love the whole bike culture phenomenon. It's green and it's healthy, so I really want to change my bad habits and start using my bike more). I may try to post some info on bike friendly cities later (after I do more research). Right now I know that Chicago is becoming more bike friendly with more new bike lanes on the way; Portland, Oregon is bike friendly as is Seattle, Washington, and Madison, Wisconsin; New York has some protected bike lanes. And then, of course, there's Europe. Here's a video on the history of bike lanes in the Netherlands.
via The Presurfer

The Way to Sell a Car...

Without having the car do absolutely anything. I've never been big into car ads. So many of them seem to propose that we should all drive like manics in order to experience the full range of the car's abilities. This clip (from an auto show?), however, relies on nothing more than illusion, music (you can turn it down or off if it's not to your taste) and projection.

Food Delivered Via Conveyor Belt

I may well be one of the last people on earth to have heard of the conveyor belt sushi restaurants (maybe because I don't really eat sushi?), but it's an intriguing concept. Japan is where this trend originated (from all accounts) and here's a video that gives viewers a good idea of how it works.



Apparently the trend has spread. I found video on conveyor belt restaurants in Virginia in the U.S., Korea, Toronto and even a Kosher one in New York. Here's the video from the Kosher sushi bar.

Just a Note about SOPA and PIPA

If  you've been on the Internet today, then you've most likely seen that some sites were blacked out and some had messages regarding SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). I didn't do either of those things, but I did write to my senators. While I, like other people in the publishing and entertainment industries, know that we need to fight online piracy of copyrighted material, I feel that SOPA and PIPA go too far and, if passed, will ultimately result in intimidation of innocent people, fear of posting anything on the Internet, and will put a major dent in free speech. It is doubtful that this blog would survive should SOPA pass, because one of the requirements of  SOPA is that if a website posts a link to another site, the first website must make sure that the site being linked to has nothing on it which infringes in any way. Given that sites such as YouTube have many links and tons of material, that would simply be impossible. In other words, the Internet as we know it, would come to a screeching halt.

So, while I do try to be very careful about what I post and always try to credit the Creative Commons material that I use, I don't think there's going to be a perfect solution to any of this. Yes, there have to be some protections for the creators of original content (raising my hand here), but we must be very cautious about how we go about that. As Matthew Inman at The Oatmeal phrased it: "This is like dealing with a lion that has escaped from the zoo by blasting some kittens with a flamethrower." So, that's my take on the situation and my own opinion regarding the situation. (I wasn't even going to post anything, but I didn't want people to think I was blithely going along, unaware and uncaring. Writing to my representatives, the people who hold the power to give this a thumbs up or a thumbs down, seemed to be the best way for me, the owner of a very small blog, to respond. For the larger blogs and websites with tons of visitors they could rally to their cause, the blackout seemed to be very effective. Hopefully, a better solution will soon be forthcoming and we'll all be able to continue to enjoy the Internet responsibly).

The Good Bike - An Interesting Bit of Street Art

While cruising around the Internet this morning, I came upon a neon (painted) bicycle with a caption that it was part of The Good Bikes program in Toronto. Of course, I had to find out what that was. Here's the original The Good Bike website. As you can see, it's a public street art project designed to take abandoned bikes and turn them into works of art. The bikes are all color coded (although since the public is involved, they might not all conform to the code). There was some discussion in magazine articles about vandalism (graffiti on the bikes), but Caroline Macfarlane and Vanessa Nicholas, the originators of the concept, feel that that's just part of the process  (I saw some of the graffiti and it was quite lovely and meaningful). Here's the archive of the site if you'd like to read more.

Image by Metrix X

Image by AshtonPal

Image by Ian Muttoo

Image by Eric.Parker

(Music seemed a bit loud on this video, so I turned it down when I played it, but that might just be me). 

The Good Bikes from William Blakely on Vimeo.

Skip - Animating Different Worlds

This fun video by Sarah Jolley was completed as part of an animation course at the Vancouver Film School. It's a tale of two characters from different worlds (animation-wise, that is), and I enjoyed touring the different worlds. Great job of establishing and developing characters in a very short period of time.


Skip from Sarah Jolley on Vimeo.

What's Your Weight in Gold?

Just in case you were wondering, here's where to find your weight in gold. (And for the record, no, that's not my weight in gold. It's a random number I tossed in).

via The Presurfer

Santa Domenica nel Salento

Between late June and early July, the town of Scorrano in Salento, Italy celebrates La Festa di Santa Domenica, a celebration in lights. The story is that long ago Santa Domenica saved the town from a plague. To give thanks, everyone in town put a candle outside their windows to show their gratitude to the saint. So, every year the town puts on an amazing light exhibit. There are also fireworks, processions, songs and food stands.

Image by amarsano

Image by Tiziano87

Image by Tiziano87

Image by amarsano

The camerawork in this video might make you dizzy in one or two places, but overall you'll get a good idea of what the lights look like.

Sources:  Worldwide Social Life, The Secret Garden, Elle Italy and The Cool Hunter.