Fractal Hands
This is mildy disturbing, fairly interesting, and oddly hypnotic. If you start to lose control, use ALT-F4 or Apple-Q.
1 comment February 12th, 2006
Archive for February, 2006
The Lego Suicides
The Lego Suicides is a morbid Flickr set of snuff pics that only sick people could create or view.
Add comment February 12th, 2006
No Needle. No Wear.
It’s the usual dilemma. You love your Foreigner LPs, you play them at least once a day - but you’re loving them to death! Vinyl is a media with a fairly limited life expectency - unlike CDs which use a non-destructive reading mechanism, the needle of a record player wears away at the grooves every time you play ‘Urgent’. That’s where the ELP Laser Turntable comes into play. This piece of genius simply scans your vinyl with five (!) laser beams instead of a needle, thereby extending the life of your vinyl to infinity! This piece of kit is a little bit expensive at $14,999, but the sound quality is probably much better than that $14.99 CD you could just buy instead *grin*.
Add comment February 12th, 2006
Anime Review: PLANETES
I checked out Planetes [more] because it had gotten good reviews on the web and seemed like an interesting story. It is a tale about the lives of space debris collectors working for a corporation called Technora. Debris orbiting Earth has become hazardous to the progress of space development, and the Debris Section’s duty is to clean up that mess. My initial reaction to the show was that it was kinda ugly compared to many of the animes out there. Character design seemed kinda weird, the drawing wasn’t as high quality as I’m used to, and initially the story seemed a little flat.
But I stuck with it because, despite those things, it held a sincerity that was quite unexpected for a space adventure show. And it definately found it’s own niche - it wasn’t copying Cowboy Bebop, it didn’t have the stale mecha fights, and no harem-fanboy-super-deformed sillyness to be found. There was something about how the show’s producers tried very hard to present what life would really be like in space, working for a living - from both social and scientific viewpoints. One episode features a newcomer to the space station learning how to do zero gravity manouveurs using bursts of air from her center of mass. I like that.
Much of the first half of the season centers around main character Tanabe Ai’s experiences learning the ropes of debris collection. The second half really moves in a more serious direction, and this is where the shows reveals its true colors - themes that are hinted at throughout earlier episodes become important factors in later episodes. No character development is wasted. And the character development is very good - you really get wrapped up in their lives, and very quikcly forget the less glamorous animation. There is much more action, conflict and plot stuff going on. And most interestingly, there is a whole slew of social commentary going on - anything from the dynamics of families, to the chasm between developed and undeveloped countries, to the understanding of self. And best of all, while I feel the endings of many other shows fall flat on their faces, Planetes has an ending that leaves you feeling satisfied.
8 outta 10 for Planetes. If it had looked amazing it woulda been 9/10.
Add comment February 12th, 2006
Crop errrr…. Circle
More Space Invader goodness. Those young UFO hoodlums are vandalizing our fields with images of their latest model of flying saucer. We’res the intergalactic cops when ya need em?
Add comment February 10th, 2006
Mario + Rubik’s = Insane Fun!
Everyone loves Mario. He can do no wrong. So a Mario created out of Rubik’s Cubes must therefore be good. I wonder if they Robikked the designs, or disassembled & reassembled the cubes to make the patterns… Part of the Rubik Space Exhibition in Paris, the show features our other pixellated friends, the Space Invaders, about whom you can find plenty of neat stuff here. “i am 8 bit” shirt here.
Add comment February 10th, 2006
Dungeon Master Gear - Zo Kath Ra!
If you were hooked on the old skool RPG Dungeon Master when you were younger, then you’ll probably dig these DM shirts I have for sale. Featuring some of the classic Dungeon Master monsters such as the mummy, magenta worm, and of course, the Screamer. Or if you were less hack and slash, and more murmur and cast, then I have a couple of incantations for your wardrobe too! Zo Kath Ra!
Add comment February 10th, 2006
Super Blush Detectors
You’re out on a date with a hottie on valentine’s day, and they give you a nice compliment… Your face gets hot, and you turn away, trying to hide the evidence written across your cheeks. That act of concealment may very well have developed from the unconscious knowledge that the human eye is especially well trained to spot color changes at the wavelength of a blush! Scientists have discovered that our eyes are very accurate at measuring the color variations around 540/550 nm, which is the same hue range that your face might vary within when the haemoglobin in your blood is oxygenated or not. So does this explain why along with anime eyes, the overuse of anime characters blushing creates a strong emotional connection between the viewer and the cartoon? I wouldn’t get that sure about it! ^.^
Add comment February 10th, 2006
Hybrid Mixers
These days anyone with a computer & some software that lets you mix between songs thinks they are a DJ. To this end, the market is being flooded by all sorts of MIDI controllers, control surfaces, and cheesey ‘DJ’ equipment. I am interested in a robust, integrated MIDI-audio, full featured mixer by an industry proven brand that would let me mix both vinyl and mp3s without having to add extra pieces to my gear setup. Here’s the breakdown:
SPLURGE: Allen & Heath: Xone 3D. Super expensive but totally awesome. Allen & Heath mixers are being used by some of the biggest name DJs around. Add full-on MIDI control and you’re ready to amaze the crowd with the flexibility of digital.
PRO: Pioneer DJM-800. Take the industry standard DJM-600, spice it up with some xtra fx and other goodies, and top it off with MIDI control surfaces. yum!
BANGIN’!: Ecler NUO4. Ecler may not be as well known, but this company quickly is becoming recognized for their excellent gear. This clean looking 4 channel mixer allows you to set two channels to output midi signals. Decent price, simple and effective. I’d go for it!
Add comment February 9th, 2006
PillowFight SF
Whether you’re bitter and single, or a lovey dovey couple, head on down to the Pillow Fight in San Francisco this Valentine’s Day! The pillow-thwapping goodness has finally come to town. Just don’t whack anyone without a pillow or holding a camera.
Add comment February 5th, 2006
Waterphones
The Waterphone is an eerie sounding instrument invented by Richard Waters. Sounds from it have been used in a variety of movies from the Matrix to Poltergeist.
Add comment February 5th, 2006
human-animal hybrid
Check out the George W. Bush human-animal hybrid gear as advertised in his State of the Union address. There’s a few different designs available, but no monkey silhouettes. Gotta love our President! Very quote-worthy.
Add comment February 4th, 2006
Travel Tunes
On my iPod on my way to work today:
Hamasaki Ayumi - A Song for XX (Ferry Corsten mix)
Song of Four Seasons - Samurai Champloo Ending
Utada Hikari - Travelling (planetb remix)
Add comment February 3rd, 2006
RRRRRROBOT ROCK
Amazingly realistic integration of CG and video footage. I’d love to know what techniques are used to achieve this - other than careful attention to lighting and film quality. The mapping of the 3D environment to the real footage is eerie.
Add comment February 2nd, 2006
Hey! … Nice Shiny Mud Ball!
Japanese Schoolchilren Watch: “At elementary schools, kindergartens, and preschools all across Japan, kids are losing themselves making hikaru dorodango, or balls of mud that shine.” Um, yeah. Those Japanese are hella-wacky tabbaccy! ^.^
Add comment February 2nd, 2006