10.30.2009
10.28.2009
10.23.2009
10.21.2009
Those Darn Czechs
Having finished the excellent Machinarium, I went looking for other excellentness from independent Czechoslovakian studio Amanita Design, the game's maker. Everything they've done is great. Here, give this one a try. S'free, clever, odd, and aesthetically original.
Thomas Jefferson's Buttock Boils
Did you know John Adams occasionally purged after eating? Or that James Garfield needed rectal feeding? S'true. If you can get past the ca.1998 design on this page (or appreciate the hand-drawn icons for their charm), you can get the health dope on your favorite president.
Statistically speaking, that's Obama, who's 6'2" and 165. Or, after he quits smoking, 265...
Thinking through the consequences.
You get all happy when you see the Pixar logo, don't you? Think about what you're supporting.
10.19.2009
What She Said...
This is ridiculous, but brilliant. To quote Lola, friend of HRTotM,
"I totally want to hook up with a guy that needs this. I’m sure I’ll have to buy him a Virgin Mary because he’ll be TEN YEARS OLD."
"I totally want to hook up with a guy that needs this. I’m sure I’ll have to buy him a Virgin Mary because he’ll be TEN YEARS OLD."
10.14.2009
Whack-a-Wingnut
In the interest of fairness I should probably be on the lookout for an equal and opposite "whack-a-liberal" game, but I'm finding it hard to pull myself away from taking a baseball bat to Glen Beck's skull.
10.12.2009
Dusting off a great idea
This one's been burning up the intarwebs, but in case you haven't seen it, there's a new version of Disturbing Auctions called Regretsy. It's the same idea, applied to Etsy. Get there quickly before it achieves No Longer Recommended status.
A Coffee Reality Check
Shortly before I left NYC for Portland, OR, a friend in Brooklyn took me to the newly-opened Stumptown coffee outlet there. It was, indeed, really great coffee. I was inspired to seek it out when I hit town, and sent bags cross-country to several friends.
But a bit of perspective is in order. Stumptown carries the best coffee according to the tastes of the people who run the company. They have great taste, but others do too. There's a bit of backlash here over the company, which is what happens when something local goes nationwide, losing its indie cred (barf).
Anyway, this is an interesting take on the whole high-echelon coffee phenomenon. As someone who never sunk to saying the word "venti" at Starbucks, it was nice to see where all this is leading: a whole supply chain catering to coffee connoisseurs, along with coffee tastings and the trappings of the high-minded wine crowd. Makes me want to drink nothing but Maxwell House for the rest of my life.
Winner comment: "Stumptown’s coffee is delicious. They do not have a monopoly on that, no matter what they say. As a buyer of Stumptown coffee for my cafe I can tell you I am not alone in feeling alienated by a ‘local’ roaster who doesn’t even have a rep to check in with me anymore.
But a bit of perspective is in order. Stumptown carries the best coffee according to the tastes of the people who run the company. They have great taste, but others do too. There's a bit of backlash here over the company, which is what happens when something local goes nationwide, losing its indie cred (barf).
Anyway, this is an interesting take on the whole high-echelon coffee phenomenon. As someone who never sunk to saying the word "venti" at Starbucks, it was nice to see where all this is leading: a whole supply chain catering to coffee connoisseurs, along with coffee tastings and the trappings of the high-minded wine crowd. Makes me want to drink nothing but Maxwell House for the rest of my life.
Winner comment: "Stumptown’s coffee is delicious. They do not have a monopoly on that, no matter what they say. As a buyer of Stumptown coffee for my cafe I can tell you I am not alone in feeling alienated by a ‘local’ roaster who doesn’t even have a rep to check in with me anymore.
New York City? Get a rope."
10.11.2009
10.09.2009
Honoring Cthulu and Cupcakes
My contribution is Octostache: a Tumblr devoted to octopi and moustaches. That is all.
Lord Likely's Extra-Ordinary Inter-Active Moustache-O-Rama
In celebration of our own Clicking Girl's mustache thing, here's a fun little something -- an interactive add-your-own-mustache-to-the-guy-in-the-picture flash app thingee.
Who knows, maybe we'll just have to have a little HRToTM Battle Royale here. Mustache-themed links at 20 paces. GO!
Think of it as "Rock Out with Your Upper Lip Hidden."
Who knows, maybe we'll just have to have a little HRToTM Battle Royale here. Mustache-themed links at 20 paces. GO!
10.08.2009
I might become a cutter just to wear these
My love of the beloved moustache (pronounced mOOstash by me) is well documented (see this previous post for proof: http://highlyrecommended.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-come-highly-recommended.html). And now my love is taken to a whole new level. Behold - moustache bandages!
10.07.2009
Accidental Dong
Totally (sorta) safe for work, the Internet finally has what it's always been missing -- a home for photos of all those things out there that unintentionally look like.. wang.
BTW -- not fer nothing, but how this site has not yet discovered the Florida State Capitol Building in Tallahassee, Florida is completely beyond me.
BTW -- not fer nothing, but how this site has not yet discovered the Florida State Capitol Building in Tallahassee, Florida is completely beyond me.
10.06.2009
Free Mojo
Holy frijole! All of Mojo Nixon's music is free on Amazon, for about three weeks. As we've mentioned before, Mojo was psychobilly and indie before anyone used those terms. The man is hilarious, brilliant, and blessedly devoid of subtleties (see "Burn Down The Malls"). Go, get edified.
Hotness
One of champagne's most romantic rituals -- sipping it out of a woman's shoe, gets taken to the next level by Piper Heidsieck and designer Christian Louboutin in this (surely super expensive) gift set.
I'll be honest here -- it's something I've always wanted to do, because it seems like such a mack move, but the opportunity has yet to present itself in the correct combination (by which I mean, I've been around women with sexy shoes but no available champagne, I've been around women with champagne who were not wearing shoes that would accomplish the task, and then sometimes you just sort of think about what it might be like to sip anything out of a friggin' shoe and still try to look all Rico Suave about everything).
So perhaps something like this would help out -- although when you think about it I might find myself ruining the given romantic moment if I were somehow caught trying to sneak in a "stunt shoe" somewhere along the line.
I'll be honest here -- it's something I've always wanted to do, because it seems like such a mack move, but the opportunity has yet to present itself in the correct combination (by which I mean, I've been around women with sexy shoes but no available champagne, I've been around women with champagne who were not wearing shoes that would accomplish the task, and then sometimes you just sort of think about what it might be like to sip anything out of a friggin' shoe and still try to look all Rico Suave about everything).
So perhaps something like this would help out -- although when you think about it I might find myself ruining the given romantic moment if I were somehow caught trying to sneak in a "stunt shoe" somewhere along the line.
10.05.2009
10.01.2009
The Bronson Maneuver
I really like this, and it looks supremely cool -- but if there was ever proof that stop motion animation is a time-restrictive process, this is it.
Simply put, this "short" is just too darn short.
And yet, if I could edit it in any way to make it better, I'd remove the fly. I know the animators probably felt it was a good way to establish the gag, but honestly -- the whole thing relies so much on references to other scenes that we didn't need that setup, and it kinda stole your thunder.
All that being said, the little "making of" section that follows is a very cool peek into an animation style that's truly a labor of love.
Simply put, this "short" is just too darn short.
And yet, if I could edit it in any way to make it better, I'd remove the fly. I know the animators probably felt it was a good way to establish the gag, but honestly -- the whole thing relies so much on references to other scenes that we didn't need that setup, and it kinda stole your thunder.
All that being said, the little "making of" section that follows is a very cool peek into an animation style that's truly a labor of love.
Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2009
Found this kind of interesting -- an interactive Google map highlighting school districts where banned books were challenged, including links to the actual letters challenging those bans.
When I was teaching middle school, several books would tend to "disappear" from the library one year, only to return the next.
The weird part was (at least in the School District I worked in) was that it only took one complaint to get a book banned, but there were multiple hoops that had to be jumped through to get a banned book back off that list.
I also found it interesting that among the 2 states on this map that didn't list ANY banned books yet (the other being New Mexico) was Utah -- which I'm sure is a very nice place but has a bit of reputation as being slightly close-minded.
Perhaps it's just the case that schools in Utah don't have any books in their school libraries that could land on that list (I have no way to know for sure), but whatever the explanation -- it's just another interesting footnote on a very cool Google map.
When I was teaching middle school, several books would tend to "disappear" from the library one year, only to return the next.
The weird part was (at least in the School District I worked in) was that it only took one complaint to get a book banned, but there were multiple hoops that had to be jumped through to get a banned book back off that list.
I also found it interesting that among the 2 states on this map that didn't list ANY banned books yet (the other being New Mexico) was Utah -- which I'm sure is a very nice place but has a bit of reputation as being slightly close-minded.
Perhaps it's just the case that schools in Utah don't have any books in their school libraries that could land on that list (I have no way to know for sure), but whatever the explanation -- it's just another interesting footnote on a very cool Google map.
Enjoy!
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