Monday, January 31, 2011

The Distant Future, The Year 2000


This guy makes that liquid robot in Terminator 2 look as scary as a sleeping kitten made out of baby unicorns and rainbow-flavored marshmallows. And that's even though he looks distractingly like an Oompa Loompa.



After nearly a decade of pre-production work and over two years of filming, Enthiran (Robot) is purported to be the most expensive movie ever made in India. That may be true. It's definitely the most crazy-ass trailer I have ever seen. (via Balloon-Juice)

Friday, January 28, 2011

KSFW (Knot Safe For Work)


Why Knot? We might not have flying cars or jetpacks yet, but here's one step in the right direction. (via Boing Boing)




What's that, Bucky? You say you can't afford the scratch to own your own robotic necktie-tying machine? You're on your own, I'm afraid. At least Neckties.com can teach anyone the proper way to tie the basic necktie knots using a simple little animation. I did not realize the only one I know and ever use is the Four in the Hand. Are there any Windsor or Half-Windsor proponents out there? Is either of those a better knot? Convince me!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Alright news headline, you have my full attention


Meatball sandwich horseplay leads to two deaths, family betrayal, two trials
Family betrayal, patience and a glob of spit all led to Ruben Jordan being tried for murder Thursday and his son ready to testify against him.

Jordan, 38, is accused of shooting Vernon Davis to death on Oct. 31, 2008, in Over-the-Rhine.

Two weeks before that, Davis and Brian Austin were fooling around with Jordan's 16-year-old son, Kareem "Little Red" Gilbert.

The horseplay got out of control and an angry Austin hit Gilbert in the head with a meatball sandwich. Gilbert, now angry himself, then shot and killed Austin as Davis ran off.



The World's Largest Meatball weighs in at an impressive 223 pounds




This 1969 ad for Alka-Seltzer actually was considered a failure because TV viewers misunderstood it for a spaghetti sauce commercial.




Since it's never too soon to begin thinking about your next Halloween costume, you carnivores may wish to consider the Meatwad costume a la Aqua Teen Hunger Force. You know, if dignity is not an issue with you.




Who better to learn about Swedish Meatballs than this guy?

Monday, January 17, 2011

Ear/Nose Candy


I do, dammit. I do. Because everything would sound backwards the other way. Right? (via I Raff I Ruse)



Sunday, January 09, 2011

A Disaster of Miniature Proportions

Lori Nix constructs and photographs miniature landscapes, often with a somewhat unsettling feel. Here are pieces from two of her recent exhibits: Accidentally Kansas, which recreates car accidents, lightning strikes, tornadoes and other dangers that could befall a person in the Sunfower State, and The City, which depicts urban decay and the reclamation of nature in a metropolis now devoid of humans. (via Dark Roasted Blend)


Library (The City)


Clock Tower (The City)


Cow (Accidentally Kansas)


Plane (Accidentally Kansas)

Morning Jukebox


Randy Newman - Short People

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Mistake by the Lake?


Randy Newman - Burn On (Berlin 1994)
Randy Newman in a 1994 Berlin concert, performing "Burn On", a track from his 1972 Sail Away album. It's about the Cuyahoga River, which flows through Cleveland's industrial center and into Lake Erie. Historically, it was one of the most polluted waterways in the country, and the oil slicks and debris floating in the water caused a number of fires on the river.

Yes, that's right. The freaking river would routinely catch on fire.

On August 1, 1969, Time magazine reported on the fire and on the condition of the Cuyahoga River. The magazine stated,
Some River! Chocolate-brown, oily, bubbling with subsurface gases, it oozes rather than flows. "Anyone who falls into the Cuyahoga does not drown," Cleveland's citizens joke grimly. "He decays". . . The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration dryly notes: "The lower Cuyahoga has no visible signs of life, not even low forms such as leeches and sludge worms that usually thrive on wastes." It is also -- literally -- a fire hazard.

Because of this fire, Cleveland businesses became infamous for their pollution, a legacy of the city's booming manufacturing days during the late 1800s and the early 1900s, when limited government controls existed to protect the environment. Even following World War II, Cleveland businesses, especially steel mills, routinely polluted the river. Cleveland and its residents also became the butt of jokes across the United States, despite the fact that city officials had authorized 100 million dollars to improve the Cuyahoga River's water before the fire occurred. The fire also brought attention to other environmental problems across the country, helped spur the Environmental Movement, and helped lead to the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. (Source)


Living in a city where even the river tries to off itself leads to some pretty no-nonsense people, as you can see below.

In 1974, a Browns fan and season ticket-holder named Dale Cox sent the following letter to the Cleveland Browns:
Gentlemen:

I am one of your season ticket holders who attends or tries to attend every game. It appears one of the pastimes of several fans has become the sailing of paper airplanes generally made out of the game program. As you know, there is the risk of serious eye injury and perhaps an ear injury as a result of such airplanes. I am sure that this has been called to your attention and that several of your ushers and policemen witnessed the same.

Please be advised that since you are in a position to control or terminate such action on the part of fans, I will hold you responsible for any injury sustained by any person in my party attending one of your sporting events. It is hoped that this disrespectful and possibly dangerous activity will be terminated.

Very truly yours,

Roetzel & Andress

By Dale O. Cox


Here’s the response from the team’s general counsel:


(via Clusterflock)




Ian Hunter - Cleveland Rocks (a/k/a The Drew Carey Show Theme Song)

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Monday, January 03, 2011

What, no hammerheads?


Another gorgeous stop-motion animation from PES, this one featuring hardware posing as undersea life. (via Boing Boing)