Tumbling in a World of Swirl

Pas de Deux by Daniel Wurtzel uses just two pieces of fabric and a vortex of air to create a sensuous, hypnotic swirl. Also worth a look is his Fire Tornado. (via Miss Cellania)

Reminiscent of the plastic bag scene in 1999's American Beauty where Ricky (Wes Bentley), the odd neighbor boy, invites Jane (Thora Birch) to see "the most beautiful thing" he's ever filmed.

Beyond the Disco Ball of the Planet of the Apes

Planet of the Apes Party Fun Time (via Miss Cellania)

The 2 Second Rule

The rules are simple: I put the self-timer on 2 seconds, push the button and try to get as far from the camera as I can.

From the it's-nothing-if-not-specific Running From Camera blog.

This is Unix! I know this!

Hollywood sometimes stretches the limits of our credulity, whether it's programming a virus that is able to interface, and infect, seamlessly with never-before-seen alien computer systems a la Independence Day, or, as Weird Science assures us, a couple of kids scanning in pictures from Playboy and hooking their computer up to a Barbie doll while wearing bras on their heads would create Kelly LeBrock.

Here are some of the more egregious examples of unrealistic computers in the movies.


From Hackers (1995), our hero Zero Cool hacks into a local cable TV station to wrest control of the robotic videotape mechanism so he can watch the movies he wants to watch. Wackiness ensues.

10 Unrealistic Uses of the Internet in Movies

14 Things You Never See Computers Do Except In Movies

By the way, you know the (in)famous scene in Swordfish where Hugh Jackman writes code like a maniac? Yeah, not so much in real life. In it there's about 7 monitors and he is wailing on that keyboard at like 900 words a minute, but he never seems to have any typos.

Cheer up, Novice Programmer! Now you too can impress your friends with your 1337 coding sk1llz with Hacker Typer. Open up Hacker Typer and just start banging on those keys with abandon! Hell, do a faceplant into the keyboard or have your cat walk across the keys, it doesn't matter. Up on the screen it will begin to type in perfect code, free of logical and syntactical errors.

Here's me Hacker Typing with my elbow:

Morning Jukebox

In 1980, Utopia (Todd Rundgren's prog-rock band) put out the Deface The Music. The concept of the album was to pay homage to The Beatles.

The first track, "I Just Want to Touch You", was written by Rundgren for the movie Roadie soundtrack. It was rejected by the producers for fear of legal action because it sounded so much like the Beatles.

Veronica Lizzioncourse!

NPR mainstay Car Talk has been around forever, and every show closes with credits to some of their extensive and oddly-named staff. Just a few below, and more (a lot more) at their site.

Director of Top Secret Strategy                  Donatello Nobatti
Conservative Political Commentator          Eileen Tudor-Wright
Head of Working Mother Support Group   Erasmus B. Dragon

What do mimes speak in Japan?

Simple, stupid, very, very funny. Gamarjobat.

How to sound like you know what you're talking about

The Names of 10 Fireworks Effects

Just add water! Actually, that's a terrible idea.

Various alkali metals (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium) and how they react with water.

Protip: you do not want to make a cesium-and-water cocktail. (via Dark Roasted Blend)