The problem with vampires is they look like they’re 20, but they’re actually 100 years old. So you’ll be dating this hot, young guy who grew up in the Great Depression and hates Irish people. And then you take him out to a nightclub, and he’s doing the Charleston. Or you think he’s cheating on you, so you go through his journal. You’re like, ‘Who the hell is this slut? Harriet Tubman? Who the f**k is that?’
Louis C.K.: Hey, That’s Mine
Jokes, February 22, 2012 
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(No Ratings Yet)I like New York. This is the only city where you actually have to say things like, ‘Hey, that’s mine. Don’t pee on that.’
Jay Chou Portrait with Coffee Cup Stains
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(No Ratings Yet)After the great success of “Portrait with a Basketball” and Sunflower Seeds Portrait, Shanghai based-Artist Hong Yi aka Red is back with extraordinary portrait with Coffee Cup Stains…it’s simply incredible. Enjoy the photo gallery and the official video.
” The project was inspired by the opening line in Jay Chou’s song, ‘Secret/不能说的秘密’. It is inspired by the opening sentence, about lifting up a coffee cup off the saucer, “冷咖啡离开了杯垫”. The ending of the song is about autumn leaves and fragmented pieces, “飘落后才发现 这幸福的碎片, 要我怎么捡?”. This is shown through the portrait as a whole – how it’s formed by many individual rings, many of them broken and imperfect like fallen autumn leaves, forming Jay Chou’s portrait. The story of the song is about Jay traveling back 20 years in time and meeting a girl. Jay disappears one day, and the girl only has a memory of how he looks like, so she sketches his portrait out. My painting is meant to look like a sepia-toned old photograph to capture the essence of this story.”
the Ramos Alarm Clock – When Oversleeping is simply NOT an Option.
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I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’m a serial “alarm setter”. What this means is that if I have an important event, like catching a plane or a court appearance (never been to court, and I wasn’t speeding anyway) I not only set my regular alarm clock, but one or two backup alarms, just in case the regular one doesn’t wake me up. Its a horrible little obsessive habit, but I never saw my way around it, until now.
Welcome the Ramos Alarm Clock, possibly the most demanding (and therefore effective) alarm clocks available today. It looks gentle enough, with its lovely hardwood exterior, in a variety of finishes, but “set it and forget it” wont work here. Once it goes off, you’ll know what I mean. In order to disarm this alarm you must first memorize the specially generated code and enter it onto a panel, ideally located somewhere far away from the coziness of your soft, warm bed.
The developer, Paul Sammut, made this clock a Kickstater Project, an interesting concept in an of itself, by which developers require the support of interested parties, or backers in order to fufill orders, or complete projects.
Anyway, this clock, and its independent wireless touch panel will definitely prevent you from just hitting the snooze bar until your flight to who knows where is on the tarmac and ready for takeoff. Of course, now that I think about it, does it have a battery back-up? I mean, what if we have a power failure? Will it work if theres a power failure? Geez.
The Ramos Alarm is available in a few different versions, including custom handmade units, with the basic design starting at around 150 bucks. Check out kickstarter.com for more information on the Ramos clock, or to better understand the mission of the kickstarter program.
Street Art by Sam3
All Pictures, February 21, 2012 (No Ratings Yet)
(No Ratings Yet)Sam3 is an spanish renowned urban artist who paints pictures with silhouettes with black paint, doing murals of high quality, as you can see in this series of images that we offer you today. A very symbolic drawings with little detail, but with much to say.
Street Art Utopia just posted an enormous collection of work by street artist Sam3 spanning the last few years but includes a number of pieces I’d never seen before.
Michael Showalter: Comedy for the First Time
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(No Ratings Yet)Doing comedy for the first time for me was very similar to losing my virginity. It was awkward, uncomfortable, but I did get a lot of laughs.
Kontrol Surface DJ MIDI Controller
Gadgets, February 20, 2012 (No Ratings Yet)
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Do you live, breathe and eat all things deejay? Well, if you have answered in the affirmative and want something to keep yourself occupied during your spare time, you might want to look into the £1,999.99 Kontrol Surface DJ MIDI Controller. I know, it can be rather pricey, especially in these uncertain economic times where austerity measures are being mulled over by many governments across the globe to the disdain of their constituencies. Still, this unique MIDI controller is one special way to stand out from the rest of the crowd, especially when you want to lay the smack down with your brand of sound.
I need not tell you that this was specially designed to wow the crowd even before a single button has been pressed, and not a beep of sound has emanated from it. It boasts of a multitouch control surface that will function like your everyday mixing desk. The 22″ touchscreen display will certainly come into its own when all the lights have been turned down. It even comes with an Emulator Modular software that allows you to move buttons, sliders, circular knobs and jog wheels.
Ron White: Death Penalty in Texas
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(No Ratings Yet)In Texas, we have the death penalty and we use it. If you come to Texas and kill somebody, we will kill you back.
Jim Gaffigan: Gym Teacher Aspirations
Jokes, February 19, 2012 (No Ratings Yet)
(No Ratings Yet)You think when gym teachers are younger, they’re thinking, ‘You know I want to teach, but I don’t want to read’?
BrailleTouch lets the blind text
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Modern smartphones come with touchscreen displays – which is not a bad thing at all, really. Just take a look at the kind of apps and games that have been written for the platform to date and tell me that it isn’t revolutionary in any way. However, while the hard of hearing can always enjoy the use of a smartphone or featurephone because they can see, how about the visually impaired? Georgia Tech believes otherwise, and has come up with BrailleTouch – a Braille-like texting app.
This prototype app for touchscreen mobile devices intends to be the complete solution to all our modern day texting problems, without having to even look at the device’s display at all – which would also bode well for the visually impaired, of course. Mario Romero, Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Interactive Computing (IC) and the project’s principal investigator says, “Research has shown that chorded, or gesture-based, texting is a viable solution for eyes-free written communication in the future, making obsolete the need for users to look at their devices while inputting text on them.”
You can check out just how BrailleTouch works in the video that you see below, and it might also help normal folk to bridge the gap with the visually impaired, since this free open-source app incorporates the Braille writing system. Initial studies that surround BrailleTouch alongside visually impaired participants who are proficient in Braille typing have shown that they are able to input at least half a dozen times the number of words in each minute when compared to other research prototypes that also have the same end game objective in mind – that is, eyes-free texting on a touchscreen display. These users were extremely proficient, being able to reach up to 32 words per minute with an accuracy level of 92%, now how about that? Imagine what kind of speed and accuracy can be achieved when the prototype app is finally polished.
BrailleTouch lets the blind text
Gadgets, (No Ratings Yet)
(No Ratings Yet)Modern smartphones come with touchscreen displays – which is not a bad thing at all, really. Just take a look at the kind of apps and games that have been written for the platform to date and tell me that it isn’t revolutionary in any way. However, while the hard of hearing can always enjoy the use of a smartphone or featurephone because they can see, how about the visually impaired? Georgia Tech believes otherwise, and has come up with BrailleTouch – a Braille-like texting app.
This prototype app for touchscreen mobile devices intends to be the complete solution to all our modern day texting problems, without having to even look at the device’s display at all – which would also bode well for the visually impaired, of course. Mario Romero, Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Interactive Computing (IC) and the project’s principal investigator says, “Research has shown that chorded, or gesture-based, texting is a viable solution for eyes-free written communication in the future, making obsolete the need for users to look at their devices while inputting text on them.”
You can check out just how BrailleTouch works in the video that you see below, and it might also help normal folk to bridge the gap with the visually impaired, since this free open-source app incorporates the Braille writing system. Initial studies that surround BrailleTouch alongside visually impaired participants who are proficient in Braille typing have shown that they are able to input at least half a dozen times the number of words in each minute when compared to other research prototypes that also have the same end game objective in mind – that is, eyes-free texting on a touchscreen display. These users were extremely proficient, being able to reach up to 32 words per minute with an accuracy level of 92%, now how about that? Imagine what kind of speed and accuracy can be achieved when the prototype app is finally polished.
Brian Regan: One Eye Set Higher
Jokes, February 18, 2012 (No Ratings Yet)
(No Ratings Yet)My eye doctor told me this, I’m not making this up. He goes, ‘You know you have one eye set a little bit higher than your other eye?’ ‘No, I didn’t know that.’ He goes, ‘It’s no big deal; it doesn’t affect your vision or anything. I just thought you might want to be self-conscious for the rest of your life.’
World Press Photo 2012 Winners
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(No Ratings Yet)The World Press Photo Of The Year Contest is one of the most prestigious annual events for press photographers. You loved our World Press Photo Of 2011 series and these are the winners in 2012. There are some powerful images amongst this year’s winner. Read the descriptions underneath each image to find out more about the setting and the photographer. Which is your favorite?
PHOTO OF THE YEAR: Samuel Aranda. A woman holds a wounded relative in her arms, inside a mosque used as a field hospital by demonstrators against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen. October 15th, 2011.
ON REVOLUTION ROAD: Rebels in Ras Lanuf, Libya. For weeks, rebels held out against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi with the hope that the world would come to their aid. Defiance faded as the dictator’s planes and tanks began to retake what had been dubbed Free Libya. Yuri Kozyrev, March 11, 2011.
MARIA: Contemporary Issues, 1st prize singles, Brent Stirton. A drug addict and sex worker, in between clients in a room she rents in Kryvyi Rig, Ukraine. Maria injects drugs on a daily basis and sees many men every week but claims she remains HIV negative. She says she need the money to support herself, her drug habit and her nine-year-old daughter. August 31st, 2011.
RHINO WARS: Nature, 1st prize stories, Brent Stirton. A four man anti-poaching team permanently guards a Northern White Rhino on Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. July 13th, 2011.
CLIFF-CLIMBING POLAR BEAR ATTEMPTING TO EAT SEABIRD EGGS: Nature, 1st prize singles, Jenny E. Ross. A male polar bear climbs precariously on the face of a cliff above the ocean at Ostrova Oranskie in northern Novaya Zemlya, attempting to feed on seabird eggs. This bear was marooned on land and unable to feed on seals–its normal prey–because sea ice had melted throughout the region and receded far to the north as a result of climate change. July 30th, 2011.
AFGHANISTAN: Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize singles, David Goldman. Canadian Forces soldier Cpl. Ben Vandandaigue plays the drums on Forward Operating Base Sperwan Ghar, overlooking the Panjwaii district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan. June 24th, 2011.
INTERROGATION ROOM: Portraits, 1st prize stories, Donald Weber. Inside an interrogation room, Ukraine. April 1st, 2010.
DANISH AND IRANIAN CULTURE: Portraits, 1st prize singles, Laerke Posselt. The 27-year-old Iranian-born actress Mellica Mehraban grew up in Denmark, but debuted as an actor in Iran in 2011. Taking the leading role as a villain in the spy drama ‘Fox Hunting’, she learned firsthand about the culture of her native country: following a regime-approved script, she was required to wear a head scarf in all scenes, forbidden from swearing, and learned to show that she was in love with a man without telling him or touching him. May 4th, 2011.
NORTH KOREA: Daily Life, 1st prize singles, Damir Sagolj. A picture of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-sung, decorates a building in the capital Pyongyang. October 5th, 2011.
STRELKA: Sports, 1st prize stories, Alexander Taran. Student Artem Eronin, 19, during a fight. In the amateur street fighting tournament known as Strelka in Russia, fighters compete on sand with no time limit, breaks or rounds, and the fight only stops with a knockout or a fighter’s surrender. The matches are held in the back lot of the abandoned Soviet factory Krasnoye Znamya. July 23rd, 2011.
IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Sports, 1st prize singles, Donald Miralle, Jr. Triathletes swim over a school of fish at the start of the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship at Kailua Bay in Kona, Hawaii, considered one of the most grueling races in the world. October 9th, 2011.
TSUNAMI: People in the News, 1st prize stories, Yasuyoshi Chiba. Nozomi Sabanai (L), together with her sister, looks at a catamaran sightseeing boat that was thrown by the tsunami onto a two-story building, at Otsuchi town, Iwate prefecture, Japan. April 16th, 2011.
THE FURY OF THE TSUNAMI: Spot News, 1st prize stories, Koichiro Tezuka. A powerful tsunami surges toward the Japanese coastline, swallowing business and residential areas in Natori City, Miyagi prefecture. The deadly wave arrived one hour and ten minutes after a massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Tohoku region of eastern Japan. March 11th, 2011.
BATTLE FOR LIBYA: General News, 1st prize stories, Rémi Ochlik. An opposition fighter rest under a rebellion flag in the middle of the battlefield oil town Ras Lanouf in Libya. March 11th, 2011.
Smartphone Toothbrush? Really?
Gadgets, February 17, 2012 (No Ratings Yet)
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There are just certain things that I feel need to remain “old school” my bathroom habits are but a few of them, I mean, I really don’t care what new fangled way they come up with… to do, well, whatever it is we do in there. I’m not having it. I don’t want to try it. I don’t want to hear about it, and writing about this next gadget is as close as I’m gonna get. Of course you all know that this is just the beginning, the Smartphone is officially encroaching on our bathrooms, be forewarned.
What we have here is the worlds first high tech toothbrush, called The Beam. It is a non-motorized toothbrush that will connect to your android device via Bluetooth. Bluetooth? even that seems a bit off, ya think? Anyhow, this device functions as a timer, making sure you brush your pearly whites for the optimal period of time, it starts timing when you start brushing and provides data when you’re done.
But wait! That’s not all, it can also track up to four “brushers” (Hopefully not on the same toothbrush) and will give you a high tech graphical analysis of every-body’s tooth brushing for the entire week and seamless wireless uploads. I knew I was missing something in my life, I just didn’t know what it was until now. Sigh.
All joking aside, I guess I can see some practicality of this device being marketed towards children, If I had a dollar for every time I had to march my daughter back to the bathroom for a second brushing I’d be rich. Having a little printout and a reward system does have some merit, especially in a larger family… I don’t know if that’s the plan, but like I said, I’d just as soon keep high tech out of my bathroom, It was my last bastion of privacy and relaxation…I’m afraid of what comes next. Really I am.
The Beam will be available in Blue and pink and probably run you about 50 bucks.
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Brian Posehn: Having a Baby
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(No Ratings Yet)I was just surprised when my wife told me we were having a baby. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s awesome. You’re going to make a great single mom.’
Animal Sculptures Made From Shattered CDs
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(No Ratings Yet)If you’re as talented as Australian artist Sean Avery, you could turn your old CDs into incredibly intricate animal sculptures. Avery, who is both a sculptor and an illustrator, takes old cds and shatters them to create these shimmering works of art.
Via: DeviantArt
The C-String – Not your Mama’s Underwear
Gadgets, February 16, 2012 (No Ratings Yet)
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Okay, I get the problem, I really do… You’ve got the perfect dress and not even the skimpiest thong can be hidden beneath it, failing to give way to that smooth bunch -free appearance. Let’s face it, to even an inexperienced eye, one can tell if you’re going commando or not. Panty lines, or no panties? Which is worse? We shall weigh in on this later, in the meantime check this out:
The C-String. There. I said it. This fanciful twist on G-string undergarments is a masterpiece of modern engineering, touted as sexy, comfortable, full of form and function. The C-String promises to end your underwear “issues” and doubles as a *gasp* bathing suit? You know, one that won’t leave tan lines. Seriously? With its flexible internal frame, you just slap it on and go. I’m trying to picture myself in this thing, and trust me when I tell you, the visual isn’t what I hoped it would be!
To be fair, when doing my research, I had the opportunity to read quite a few reviews for the C-String, and they were overwhelmingly positive. It seems everyones biggest fear was that it might fall off. Of course if you were walking around in one of these tiny little patches in the first place, would explaining what you just tripped over be your primary reason for embarrassment? I think not.
So all this being said, there are some girls out there that think this little number is fantastic. They find themselves liberated from side strap issues and visible lines beneath their smooth skirts, they enjoy an (almost) all over tan without being encumbered by traditional bathing suit bottoms. So maybe I’m missing something here. My curiosity is getting the better of me, I’m going to grab one of my headbands and see if I can simulate the look and feel of the C-String.
If you’d like to try one for yourself they come in small and medium for about 24 bucks, they are available in select stores or online at www.cstringdirect.com and by the way…. What ever you do, DON’T try the headband thing! You just have to trust me on this…
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Bonsai Tree Houses by Takanori Aiba
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(No Ratings Yet)Japanese artist Takanori Aiba has created this fantastical sculpture called Bonsai-B. Using materials that include stone clay, epoxy putty, copper line, plastic, and resin. He constructs sprawling miniature communities that wrap around bonsai trees, lighthouses, and amongst the cliffs of nearly vertical islands.
Shattering Porcelain Figurines by Martin Klimas
All Pictures, February 15, 2012 (No Ratings Yet)
(No Ratings Yet)For his project titled “Porcelain Figurines”, German photographer Martin Klimas dropped various porcelain figurines onto the ground from a height of 3 meters and set up a camera to capture photos triggered by the sound of the crash. The result are razor-sharp images of exploding figurines frozen in time — “temporary sculptures made visible to the human eye by high-speed photography”.
Via: petapixel
Roadkill Toys – They take Guts to Play with… Literally
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I spent my Sunday at the Toy Fair here in NYC, and while I have quite a few things to share with you, (and I will) for some reason these toys are the ones I can’t seem to forget about! They were adorable, cartoon-y, then shocking, hysterically funny and I couldn’t help but smile all day, they were thought out down to the last detail, super professional and as it ends up, I just have to have one! I mean, I’ll get one for my daughter, yes.. that’s it, that’s my story.
Meet Roadkill toys, they embody every single characteristic of a warm and fuzzy, collectable, super cuddly plush animal, of course one that has been run over… perhaps more than once… and their crucial internal organs are hanging out, but rest assured that their entrails can be tucked back inside and zippered up for the more squeamish among us. Complete with body bags, toe tags and a suitable for framing certificate of death, these suckers are what kids dreams are made of… um nightmares? Well, anyway, lets just say they should have some sort of sleep issues with these adorable little dead things.
These little guys have great back-stories that include the way they died, like Twitch the raccoon who evidently missed his mark with a late night road crossing, and Grind, (my personal favorite) a cute little gray rabbit who had a very unfortunate meeting with the tires of an 18 wheeler. Smudge, a cheeky little squirrel who also failed to yield with disastrous consequences. Roadkill toys is poised to introduce us to some other dead animals soon, including Fender the fox and Splodge the hedgehog. (one can only imagine)
So if a cuddly little cartoon-esque animal with an enlarged spleen, displaced intestines, protuding bloodshot eyes, gaggling tongues and a few tire marks are right up your alley You need to be on the lookout for Roadkilltoys.com Actually, you probably need a lot of things… like to talk to a professional… what are you waiting for? Go. Now!
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