Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
One of the best/most shocking batman moments ever
Batman Beyond was GOOD, man... Cyberpunk Batman goodness. FUN FACT: A good number of animators from Akira were hired to work on the Return of the Joker movie, and the influence really shows.
Poker Counting odds and outs
A good intro into pot odds in Texas Hold Em. One thing it didn't cover though was implied odds. Implied odds are an extension of pot odds where you factor in the likely outcome and player reaction on following rounds. A decent guide to implied odds can be found here. And by Googling "Implied odds." Having a good grasp of pot odds is a must before learning implied odds, though. And it does help to learn this stuff. I play in live tourney's and on pokerstars.net and I noticed a huge improvement once I started factoring pot odds into my calls.
Morpho Towers
This is a very hypnotic mysterious sculpture. I would like to know more about how it was conceived and created.
Singing Tesla Coil
This is a totally awesome video of a Teslachord. That's not one of the suggested names for it, and I am suprised. They did suggest the Zeusaphone, as well as the Thorin. How did they miss Teslachord?! Yes though, the music is actually made by the tesla discharge!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Foster Farms: Transformation
Funny ad for Foster farm chickens done in style of those Dove soap ads.
Irregular flow
irregular flow from 4khz on Vimeo.
Beautiful short film with stunning visual effects. And a lovely redheaded beauty.
Lost in a moment
lost in a moment from dennis wheatley on Vimeo.
It has lovely haunting music, and it's taken from the perspective of a plate of food on an endless loop in a Japanese restaurant. Check it out!
Did You Know?
Did You Know? from Amybeth on Vimeo.
The most interesting part of this video for me was their estimate for number of new unique ideas that will be introduced into technology in a given amount of years... How do you keep track of that enough to be able to make an estimate? Damn.
Zero and One
A strange but absolutely hilarious and somewhat educational short film. Hard to explain but its worth a viewing just for how awesome it is in a PBS Kids sort of way.
Insane Lightning
This cracks me up. Not only is it the same dude, not only does lightning strike mere meters in front of him each time, but he always has the same reaction.... "WHOA! Holy shit!" Dude's like the Joey Lawrence of Lightning.
Asking Anti-Abortion Demonstrators an Important Question
Anti-Abortion people don't know the difference between what's the law in their little book and what legal authority in the united states is. If suffering god's wrath is the only punishment they can think of, can't people suffer than also if abortion is legal still? Making things illegal because "god" says it's wrong. One of my great frustrations is when people form such a strong opinion about something without thinking it through. The fact that these people have been involved in the Pro-Life Movement without thinking about the consequences of making abortion illegal underscores their simplemindedness.
Here Comes Another Bubble v1.1 - The Richter Scales
Clever and well done. I despise social networking sites (even if I use them). I feel very hypocritical supporting this video by blogging about it... The blog and web 2.0 world is becoming saturated, and I worry about it. Also, great song!
Religion & Morality
From the interview: "The more faithful a nation is, the more likely it is to have markers of social pathology".
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Intelligent Design? Watch it get schooled.
If you were told that Liberty University taught that San Francisco was twenty-eight feet from New York you wouldn't believe it. So when Richard learns that Liberty University teaches its students something equally absurd, that dinosaurs are a few thousand years old, he offers some sound advice. Richard Dawkins is not only a professional atheist, he's also one of the best scientists the earth has seen. As he puts it in one of his books, "the story of the evolution by natural selection is far more thrilling and exciting that the story on any holy book".
Epic Pong Shots
They're all like: "Make this look cool, make this look cool..." But in the end none off them can keep their mouth shut when that ping-pong hits the glass. I probably would have shown the same level off enthusiasm if I had just spend 1½ hour on getting the damn thing in the hole. But then again...
Christmas Lights Gone Wild
This is pretty cool. I don't know if it's live or stop frame animation. Either way it's cool. Wish my house did that!
Metallica - Enter Sandman performed on KAZOO
Not much a fan of the song, but that had to take a decent amount of effort. Well executed.
From Universe to Multiverse. Are You Ready?
This makes a so much sense. Mr. Kaku's statement in this video is that our Universe is a bubble among other bubbles. Also, the "Big Bang" is what happens when two bubbles bump together and separate to create a new bubble. Excellent concept - make you feel kinda small, no?
Huge Wave hits cruise ship
It all seemed so calm despite being in a terrible sea, I think I'd have shat my pants when that happened though. I'm amazed the experienced seamen didn't see it coming though. It doesn't look much like a cruise ship though, I have to say.
Miami Police Shot Protester, then laugh about it
Still think cops are generally good and have your best interest in mind? I hope she wins her case and I am glad there is plenty of evidence against those guys.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Daily Monster
Timelapse video of Mr. Stefan G. Bucher creating a brand new monster from a blot of ink every day in one minute flat. Great imagination and all the more fun to watch it happen.
Creating a nation of zombies
I like how this video begins. It starts out by saying that a society is developed using a bunch of different toxins, dumbing down people, so that they are dependent upon government, and that this is the design of a society. Then the video goes on to display examples of "dumbing down" in the form of several news excerpts, as if to say this is one of the toxins used to confuse and dull your mind (whatever intelligence level you are). Then the video ends with examples of some of the means used, namely, flouride and mercury. This is a link to the Health Effects of Mercury from the EPA website.
Think homosexuality is "wrong"?
A great scene from the West Wing in which President Bartlett lays the smack down on a thinly desguised Dr. Laura stand-in.
Sensible Units
Useful page for giving equivalents to many different forms of measurement, even does astronomical units and light years. This would be a good tool for helping kids visualize certain measurements. Many would get a kick out of this. I think some of people are missing the potential of this site, as it is definitely not only humorous, but useful for any student struggling with conceptualising some of the larger or more abstract units. For example, a quick entry of ‘6 nm’ results in ‘40 hydrogen atom diameters’, which is perceivable. It’s not so easy to think of what a nanometer looks like, length-wise.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Best Bar Mitzvah Speech
A Jewish atheist kid has balls that clank when he gets up and does a speech in front of his jewish community and basically says that he doesn't think there is a god. This kid will probably go very far if he keeps that type of honesty and ability to express himself openly regardless of pressure.
Insane High Speed Low Passes in Jets
An awesome video of several pilots hot doggin it in their jets. The two last passes on the video were particularly insane. Some breaking the barrier.
Walking Assist Device Prototype
This would be interesting to see if this allows troops to get farther in a single day and still exert the same energy. Right now the max for any hump in the USMC is 25 miles in a single day, it would be fascinating to see if they can get do more in a single day without seriously wearing out the troops. It looks like it would be some sort of awesome supportive codpiece. Imagine the freedom of not having to carry your package around manually any longer. Ahh, technology.
Euler's identity
Euler's identity is said to be the most beautiful theorem in mathematics.
"It is absolutely paradoxical; we cannot understand it, and we don't know what it means, but we have proved it, and therefore we know it must be the truth."
- Benjamin Pierce
"It is absolutely paradoxical; we cannot understand it, and we don't know what it means, but we have proved it, and therefore we know it must be the truth."
- Benjamin Pierce
Michael Moore - Policeman (from The Awful Truth)
Roger Moore is too hammy and in your face, BUT not enough people are aware of the sad fact that this is policy all over the country. Dumb people are going to follow orders and "enforce crime" with the tools they are provided, mostly ticket writing and guns.
Laminar Flow
Interesting video showing Laminar Flow and demonstrating fluid flowing in layers. Very cool! Filmed at the University of New Mexico - Physics Department.
Rob Bryanton - Imagining the Tenth Dimension
That jump from the 7th to the 8th dimension has me gobsmacked. I need some time to wrap my mind around these concepts of infinities stacked upon infinities, where the physical laws of reality vary from those attributed to our own universe, splitting off into what I can only describe as parallel universes in a multiverse space. Watching this again, I have to ask -- what's the 11th dimension?
Kevin Rose talks about flash websites
Damn straight. Flash is like sugar: sure tastes good for a couple of spoonfuls, but any more and you'll have a headache and want to throw up pretty soon.
The Blue Planet - Deep Sea
An immensely fascinating BBC documentary about the creatures that live thousands of feet beneath the waves. I truly enjoyed this program.
Explosive Vs. Sledge Hammer
Never seen so many Darwin Award candidates amassed in one place before. Stupid, wreeckless and dangerous. It also looks fun.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Bill Hicks on Marketing
And this is my favorite moment of Bill's standup. Ah, Bill died way way too young man... The shit he could have continued to push in comedy would have blown our minds.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dan Dennett: Can we know our own minds?
Fascinating talk on vision, consciousness and psychology with really cool practical demonstrations on how hour minds trick us all the time.
Dangerous Knowledge
This is a fabulous BBC special about a sea-change in mathematics, physics, and biology that changed our world forever in the late 1800's. Absolutely brilliant documentary contemplating itself.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Growing Nerve Cells
A doctor in san diego was able to extract viable stem cells from hair samples. This means there may be no need for embryonic stem cells. That will make religious people happy... But who cares about them?
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Lunch Bag Art
A dad who draws on his kids' lunch bags every day. And he's good at it! I hope the kids aren't throwing these away afterwards.
Iran: A Nation of Bloggers
A brief but moving short animation that cronicles a new unseen sentiment rising in Iran.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Victor Borge - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
If you've never seen Victor Borge massacure the classics, you really should watch this bit of piano silliness.
Huge chunks of ice fall from 1600 foot TV tower
Huge chunks of ice fall from TV tower during 2007 Oklahoma ice storm. Ice strikes building and a number of vehicles that were parked beneath the tower.
The Future of Civilization
Michio Kaku does a great job of explaining the different types of civilizations, explaining where the human civilization compares to this, and then connecting it to more specific issues such as fossil fuel dependence and solar energy. The great thing about this video is that it's optimistic, its not condescending like alot of movies similar to it are. Michio doesn't need to scare us into believing his side, like Al Gore constantly does, but simply presents his views in a logical manner and states that he has hope for the future. I only hope that we as humans do progress in the right direction towards a Type 1 civilization, instead of the direction we are going. There was some website I saw that said that if we spent all of money we already spend funding the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, we could provide every American household with solar energy and be independent from the Middle East. I believe that that is the right direction for our civilization to take.
Eric Schmidt, Web 2.0 vs. Web 3.0
I didn't realize that technically speaking, Web 2.0 is a term for an Ajax based web application. Eric broke down the terminology and provided a clear thought on the direction "web 3.0" will take us.
Sean Paul - Temperature (Misheard Lyrics)
Wait. These are the JOKE lyrics? I've been singing these lyrics all along. You all just aren't Jamaican enough to understand. Hang on. Neither am I. Angola!
Is It Serious?
Alan Watts enigmatically illustrates the futility of the great hoax perpetrated on the human race: keeping us in a perpetual state of frustration by inculcating from childhood, a preoccupation with reaching continued unreachable goals... Life is a journey not a destination and ultimately a playful creative experience.
Philips Daylight Window Concept Presentation
I could hear the traffic noise throughout the presentation, that is frustrating. Can you see through from the other side? Extremely expensive if someone were to chuck a brick through it or if it were damaged in a hail storm. I love the concept and I think it will be cool, but give it ten years. It would be funny to program random scary things in it though. You are sleeping and something creeps by the window and screams into the room.
True color Mars: Spirit´s database fully exposed
Excellent true color pictures from Mars surface however I could have lived without all the X-Files "What are they hiding" junk.
Jet-man: Human powered flight
I do believe this is the first thing I've ever seen that I can honestly say without question that I could not do that without SHITTING MY PANTS!
How the "Pavement Picasso" Does It
What's cool about his work is you need to be at a certain angle to view it correctly. If you stand off to the side, it looks elongated.
Learn how to joke on Barack Obama without being racist
Jimmy Kimmel goes to black barbershop to see how to properly joke on Barack Obama. People keep focusing on the fact that Obama's half-black. I think this was a funny way to handle that.
Les Paul
The original shredding. Would be cool to see someone incorporate this kinda playing into a modern jazz style.
Ellen Feiss Switch Commercial
The famous "stoner chick" commercial for Apple. You could practically write a dissertation on the implications and symbolism of this commercial and ad campaign. It would be BS, but, worth doing to see if (a) you could get the degree based on this; and (b) how many people believed this crap.
Humans!
I love this. I saw it a while ago. Great video and impressively animated. Unfortunately it makes me think of the quote "Life is a sexually transmitted disease," though. Funny, but realize that we can't really do anything to the Earth. We may destroy ourselves or live on, but life will persist here regardless until it is swallowed up by the sun. I suggest working on this before the Earth's immune system comes in to eliminate the disease though...
Friday, December 5, 2008
Fermat's Last Theorem
An unassuming British mathematician realizes his childhood dream of solving the mathematical problem of the century. This is an enthralling and moving drama with loads of fascinating characters.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell - Yer Blues
Great version of Yer Blues with John Lennon backed by Eric Clapton and Keith Richards.
Loy Krathong Festival
The "Loy Krathong" Festival in Chiang Mai is one of the most spectacular events being celebrated in Northern Thailand as it has maintained its own traditional and particular manners. Not only are candle rafts floated away on the water, but lanterns are also released heaven bound in homage to the Lord Buddha. "Loy" means to float in Thai and "krathong" is a lotus shaped vessel made of banana leaves. During the festival, small model floats or krathongs, containing incense, flowers, coins and a candle, are set adrift on any body of water in the Kingdom. The candles are lit as people make wishes and launch their krathong believing it will carry away past sufferings and the gentle water will wash away pain and discomfort. There are numerous legends and myths regarding the origins of Loy Krathong, but they all suggest a leisure time festival coinciding with the end of the monsoon season and the resulting abundance of rice crops. Other beliefs can be traced to the ideas of water spirits and the floating away of all wrongdoings. Sweet video.
Invisible Rope
Invisible Rope. An excellent prank that anyone can do. Car drivers and bike riders might have another view though.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Physics High-speed videos
A good variety of different physical motions normally too fast for the eye captured in slo-mo. Watch high-speed video clips of stuff breaking, blowing up, falling, colliding. Just objects doing that magical Newtonian voodoo. At 1000 fps normal events become a bit of visual poetry. This could be good reference material for aspiring animators.
Richard Manning on the Psychosis of Civilization
Richard Manning explains what we are doing to ourselves. When will we examine our lives and stop the madness. Very similar to the infamous Theodore Kaczynski's Industrial Society and It's future.
New Math Animation
Pretty good. It's more meaningful to those of us who were introduced to "New Math" back in the day. Now, it's just "math". (Psst... The old way was still easier, faster, and you could do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in your head most of the time, even for very large numbers).
Jack Nicholson's Hydrogen Car in 1978
Jack Nicholson started advocating hydrogen cars in 1978. Go figure.
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