from the "picture this" dept

Ah, school pictures. I doubt there are many of us who were happy with our yearbook snaps... especially decade(s) later.

But it's a ton of fun to try to create some truly horrendous images. And YearbookYourself.com makes it easy to create embarrassingly delicious photos like these:

Now, go waste some time!

Cheers!

from the "be my friend" dept.

Don't know what all this Facebook stuff is all about? Watch this (safe for moms):

from the "T.L.F." dept.

Oh Internet, how I love you. I keep thinking you can never top yourself in creating awesome new ways for me to kill hours upon end. But somehow you manage to do it, each time-waster being more awesomely awesome than your previous time-waster.

A case in point: Squirrelizer!




You rock, Internet! True love forever! And tomorrow, I'll tell you how to make these:


Cheers!

from the "request denied" dept.

Facebook, oh how I love to hate thee. Replica of other social media, you force me to check mail in two places, post photos and goofy stuff in two places, and generally eat up my free time.

But I'm not the only one. Here's Kate Miller-Heidke singing a song about old flames on Facebook. The lyrics are subtitled.

This is somewhat questionable for work and not recommended for mothers with sons in Guatemala (you know who you are).



Cheers!

from the "picture this" dept.

Brooklyn Bridge
by Me

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Of all the cities I've visited (hundreds?), my absolute favourite is New York City.

I've been there a half dozen times, and every time I return I feel like a six-year-old waking up on Christmas morning. Even years after my last visit, I get giddy thinking about strolling the city's streets and avenues, wandering about Central Park and especially photographing Gotham.

Today's New York Times reviews an exhibition put on by a group of Manhattan photography dealers.

"New York Photographs," a summertime tribute to the greatest city on earth by a group of Manhattan photography dealers, is a reminder of the endless churn of dark and light, innocence and experience that surrounds all of us in the city at every moment.

The review and an incredible slide show are HERE.

I think it's time to book a return visit...

from the "les paul is a god" dept.

If you ever had any doubt about how talented and gifted Les Paul was, just watch this.



Wow, simply wow.

More on Les Paul's life and more amazing videos HERE (courtesy Newsweek).

from the "electric twanger" dept.

The music and recording world has lost one of its pioneers. Les Paul died today at the age of 94.

From the BBC:

Les Paul, whose pioneering electric guitars were used by a legion of rock stars, has died at the age of 94.

Mr Paul died from complications of pneumonia in New York, according to Gibson, the firm that sold his guitars.

He is credited with developing one of the first solid-body electric guitars, which went on sale in 1952 and contributed to the birth of rock.

He also developed other influential recording innovations such as multi-track recording and overdubbing.

And he was credited with inventing the eight-track tape recorder.

U2 guitarist The Edge, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Guns N' Roses star Slash and the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones are among those closely associated with the Les Paul sound.

Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman of Gibson Guitar, said: "His influence extends around the globe and across every boundary."

Gibson president Dave Berryman said: "As the 'father of the electric guitar', he was not only one of the world's greatest innovators but a legend who created, inspired and contributed to the success of musicians around the world."

Les Paul began as a country and jazz musician and unhappy with acoustic guitars, he designed his solid-body electric guitar in 1941.

It did not go on sale for another 11 years, by which time Leo Fender's rival model was already on sale.

If you'd like to see how Paul contributed to recording, check out the film: "Tom Dowd and the Language of Music."

from the "this stuff is garbage" dept.

Environmental Graffiti has a selection of shadow art that is created by shining light on what appears to be a pile of junk. Junk that looks like, well, junk. But add some light and voila! Art!

British-born and -based artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster skilfully skirt the boundaries between beauty and the shadowier aspects of humanity, playing with our perceptions as well as our notions of taste. Many of their most notable pieces are made from piles of rubbish, with light projected against them to create a shadow image entirely different to that seen when looking directly at the deliberately disguised pile.

See it HERE.

from the "social media akwardness" dept.

If you're going to bitch about your job on Facebook, make sure your boss isn't a Facebook friend!

Cheers!

from the "bizarro world" dept.

Apparently the Neocons LOVE Jon Stewart. Despite daily skewering by the host of Comedy Central's Daily Show (CTV/Comedy Channel in Canada), heavy hitters from the far right speak highly of the comedian and his show.

From The Daily Beast:

Neoconservative pundits are crushing on Jon Stewart. New York Magazine reports that Republican partisans from Bill Kristol to John Bolton are raving about the Daily Show correspondent, because unlike the "liberal media elite" he actually lets them answer questions and takes their opinions seriously. Stewart has "genuine intellectual curiosity," said former Republican Party spokesman and national-security hawk Cliff May. "He always gives you a chance to answer," said Bush U.N. ambassador John Bolton. "Stewart fundamentally wants to talk about the issues. That's what I want to do." Who would have thought that a comedy show could have a civilizing effect on partisan hackery?

The full story from the New York Magazine.

from the "i can has cheezburger" dept.

According to Wikipedia, the term internet meme refers to:

A phrase used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet, much like an esoteric inside joke. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although this concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.

Dipity.com has created an interactive timeline of the best known internet memes. From dancing baby to lolcats to United Breaks Guitars.

You can zoom in and out of the timeline -- and there are direct links to some of the great memes of the past. Here's the LINK.

from the "tick tock" dept.

Ah, a sunny summer Sunday afternoon -- and you're probably staring at the clock thinking: I have to go back to work tomorrow. Time's a bitch, isn't it? But have you ever thought about time? How about daylight savings time? No? You should, because, according to WebExhibits:

Throughout its long and fascinating history, daylight saving time has had a remarkable impact on a wide variety of unexpected areas--from Middle East terrorism to feuding twin cities, voter turnout to time-change riots, radio stations to trick-or-treaters, and opera performances to manslaughter charges.

Want to know more about DST? Just click HERE.

from the "a career in vice" dept.

An oldie but a goodie today from Salon: The 7 vices of highly creative people.

I slam my fist on the table. "We need a book about the 7 Vices of Highly Creative People before the whole country ends up in a straitjacket!" Bobby agrees enthusiastically, grabs a stack of napkins and begins writing. All the years we've spent studying history and literature are finally paying off. It isn't easy. But after six hours and five pitchers we finish the job. The pub closes so we gather the napkins and head for a late-night bar to celebrate. It isn't quite a book, but what the hell. We have better things to do than write another damn self-help book.

The list is HERE.

from the "honest to God, I thought turkeys could fly" dept.

A helicopter recently wreaked havoc on a reporter and cameraman while they were in the middle of a live "hit" for CTV News in Vancouver, BC. The pair were caught up in one hell of a whirling dervish. Watch and be amazed:

from the "into the light" dept.

There's a feeling I get when I look to the west...

Does the image above show the actual stairway to heaven... in Brooklyn? That's what the New York Times is asking.

Ever since Google began deploying a roving fleet of cars to capture panoramic, street-level views as a function of the company’s Maps service, a gallery of unusual and occasionally controversial finds have been discovered through the feature.

But nothing quite this mystical.

An image, first highlighted by the blog Buzzfeed, shows a spot radiating with light, blurring the image of a residential, tree-lined street. The strange shimmery patch has prompted some readers to offer their own interpretations of the blazing spectacle.

The rest of the story is HERE.

Cheers

from the "everything you wanted to know about text" dept.

Ok, this is super geeky: take the ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) character-encoding scheme, the internet and Star Wars and put them all together. What do you get?

A lo-fi version of the epic film without Mark Hamill's brutal attempt at acting. It's pretty cool... just click here for Star Wars in glorious monochromatic ASCIImation!

Cheers!

from the "virtue needs some cheaper thrills" dept.

My favorite comic strip of all time is Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is the embodiment of a brilliant little trouble-making hellion (weren't we all?) and Hobbes is the coolest tiger ever (waaay cooler than Tigger).

Penned by Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes ran from November 18, 1985 to December 31, 1995 and was featured in over 2,400 newspapers worldwide.

So, on this lazy Sunday morning, why not pour over 25 examples of Watterson's brilliance. Nearly a decade and a half later, I still miss the little six year old and his pet tiger.

"Let's go exploring..."

from the "clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right" dept.

Keith & Bill need their own show on CNN

I must admit that I giggled with glee each time Keith Olbermann pounced on Faux News and Bill O'Reilly. Faux and Bill (along with Sean, Glenn and the rest of the GOP puppets) have long deserved Keith-O's wrath for their scare mongering and anti-everything liberal stance.

But Keith slammed Faux and Bill-O on such a regular basis that it began to wear thin. And, according to the NY Times, I wasn't the only one. The paper is reporting that a truce has been called the bosses of Keith and Bill.

"Both moguls (GE's Jeffrey Immelt and News Corp's Rupert Murdoch) expressed regret over the venomous culture between the networks and the increasingly personal nature of the barbs. Days later, even though the feud had increased the audience of both programs, their lieutenants arranged a cease-fire, according to four people who work at the companies and have direct knowledge of the deal."

Sad in a way. But I have a feeling that the attacks will continue, just not as frequently. A little goes a long way.

Cheers!

from the "reading between the lines" dept.

Social media sites like Facebook, Friendstr and MySpace allow users to post small pictures of themselves. These images, known as avatars, are graphic representations of the user and/or their alter-ego.

But what do these images reveal beyond the obvious?

Buttafly has compiled a guide to interpreting these photos. Hint: If your photo is tightly cropped, you might want to start a fitness program.

Cheers!