(our cat jackolantern, expertly crafted by Will)
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October 31, 2008
October 26, 2008
If We Ran It
I've wanted to write about If We Ran It for awhile now, and seeing as how Michael Romamowicz, my friend and one of the founders, just gave a great talk at the Feast conference (attended by several Nakedites), now seems to be an opportune moment.
Here's what Michael & co have to say about If We Ran It:
"It's evident that the Echo-boomer, Millenial, Gen-Y age group has become a strong force in business and society. Our approach to work, technology, politics, climate, family and friends are a topic for pundits, researchers, trends analysts, HR specialists, advertisers and politicians. IWRI wants to give you information straight from the horses mouth.
If We Ran It was created to:
1. Highlight and celebrate young people, their ideas and actions
2. Host an interactive hub that connects people and shares resources
3. Empower young changemakers to be more effective in the presentation and execution of their ideas
4. Collaborate with emerging leaders to incubate ideas"
What I think is really great about If We Ran It is that they recognize that having the great ideas isn't the hard part for young people - it's getting the resources or the attention needed to make their ideas and actions successful. Even if you have a great idea, it can be hard to get it off the ground sometimes if you aren't incredibly charming, or disturbingly hot, or simply aren't in the right place at the right time.
In a behind the scenes thing on the Wet Hot American Summer DVD special features, Janeane Garofalo is asked (while possibly drunk), what advice she has for kids out there trying to break into show business. And her advice is....."try to meet Ben Stiller in a coffee shop". which kind of made me want to kill her for being such a DB.
One of my biggest hopes for If We Ran It is that they'll create a network where young people will have a little more than one chance in a billion to Meet Ben Stiller in a Coffee Shop, upping the chances that their idea will help shape the future.
October 24, 2008
"wait...i forgot to put in the crystals."
I saw this site for the first time the other day, and I fell in love with how beautiful it is. The music, which can sometimes be annoying on websites, kind of rounds out the ethereal experience, I think.
The site is for Unearthen, a line of necklaces made out of crystals stuck into (welded...to?) bullet casings. I actually almost bought one of these at Opening Ceremony awhile back, but the person I was with (I can't remember who it was) said that they were sick of the military-trinkets-as-fashion trend, and I opted not to get it. The packaging was amazing, though - a wooden box, with the necklace sitting amid a bed of moss.
After reading about the various powers that these crystals have, I've decided that I need one. I'm pretty sure that I'm going with this one - all of it's powers are awesome, but the power to interpret bizarre messages from dreams really sold me:
October 17, 2008
i just wanted to show you all the greatest picture ever painted
I saw this at an amateur art show at the Topsfield Fair last weekend, which is a county fair in Massachusetts.
Surrounding what appears to be an Apache version of He-Man are multiple E.T.'s, who look really happy about that glowing orb thing.
Observing all of this with a mixed look of shock and concern is one of the larger monster Muppets, whose name I do not know, despite consulting the Muppet wiki.
Incredibly, this picture was only awarded an "honorable mention" by the fair's obviously inept judges. This was entered in the "adult amateur" category, which may have thrown them off, because this is clearly the work of someone who has the talent of a professional artist.
You might think I'm kidding, but I'm not. Look at these people - they are professional, successful artists, and I can see that the painter of the Apache He-man/E.T./muppetmonster painting has similar skills and style:
Miguel Calderon - you've seen his pictures at Eli Cash's house in The Royal Tennenbaums.
Matt Furie: clearly a favorite of mine, and possible an influence on the Apache He-Man artist as well.
horrible terrible people and their PT Anderson film counterparts
terrible maniac Ohio resident from the Al Jazeera video that everyone has probably seen by now:
Paul Dano's creepy preacher character Eli Sunday in There Will Be Blood.
October 15, 2008
camerabag helps the lazy
My friend Bud showed me the Camerabag app for the iPhone, and since then, I've been pretty much obsessed with it.
It simulates the look of photos taken with 5 different camera styles, and applies it to any photo you've taken with your iPhone. It's so cool! I personally own a Holga and a Lomo, but I am incredibly lazy, and never get around to developing the film. So this really is the perfect thing for a lazy person such as myself.
Ok - examples. Here's the original photo taken with my iPhone, and below is the same photo, under each camera style that has been applied to it (as described by the developer on his site)
Original:
"Helga" - A square-format toy camera feel with washed-out highlights and old-school vignetting. (like Holga)
-"1974" - This is your father's camera. Faded, tinted, and hip.
-"Lolo" - Shoot from the hip and take life as it comes with vibrant, colorful shots. (like...Lomo) *you can't really see it, but this style makes cool white borders around the photo. !!!!!
-"Cinema" - Dramatic, moody, wide-screen stills from the movie of your life. I didn't do this one, because the pics were sort of crappy and pixellated. but here's one from the Flickr pool already dedicated to this app:
-"1962" - Dynamic black and whites from the photojournalists of a bygone era. This one reminds me of old production stills of Francois Truffaut movies!
I guess this thing that I saw somewhere (but can't remember where) really applies here. I knew I saved it for a reason!
October 03, 2008
even ex-playmate decorators love them some meth
"Interior designer Kelly Wearstler is a huge rock fan—and we’re not talking about Led Zeppelin. During the past few years, she’s developed an addiction to crystals and semiprecious stones."
but the result is pretty fantastic:
via W magazine.
October 02, 2008
how to make people stay on your website for hours
this website is adorable and fantastic. it's for a Japanese lingerie brand called Tutuanna. On the site, you can create combinations of three of their pieces, and each combination elicits a different, strangely hypnotic electonica tune. (hypnotica? whoa - that was a Faris moment).
THEN! you can get the ringtone of any lingerie combination you've made for your mobile phone. I didn't go to that extreme, but last night I played with this thing for like an hour and a half, seeing how adding different thigh-highs changed my song.
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