12/18/10

Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

Unsuspecting shoppers got a big surprise while enjoying their lunch in the mall food court. Over 100 participants in this awesome Christmas Flash Mob Hallelujah Chorus music video.


JUST ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.  MADE MY DAY. THIS IS WHAT THE HOLIDAYS ARE ABOUT - THAT WARM 'WE'RE ALL ONE' KINDA FEELING.  FILLS YOUR HEART WITH HOPE.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!!!

12/10/10

Man Legally Changes Name to Captain Awesome

The title pretty much says it all






















The Oregonian man formerly known as Douglas Allen Smith Jr. was inspired by a character on the NBC show Chuck to legally change his name to Captain Awesome. The character’s name is Dr. Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb, and is apparently so awesome that people in real life legally change their names due to the sheer amount of awe said character exudes.

Funnily enough, Douglas Allen Smith Jr. thought he’d have a difficult time legally changing his name because the judge who was overseeing the name change, Judge Douglas Mitchell, is also named Douglas, and stated that Douglas is a perfectly honorable first name. Luckily for Captain Awesome, Judge Mitchell allowed the name change, and even allowed Captain Awesome to change his official signature to a smiley face flanked by arrows pointing toward the smiley face. The Department of Motor Vehicles accepted the signature, but apparently Captain Awesome’s bank didn’t, claiming it was too easy to forge.

















OMG & WTF! Only in America!!!

Facebook’s Zuckerberg Promises to Give Away 50% of Wealth


Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday announced that he has signed the Giving Pledge, a promise among the wealthy to give away at least half of their holdings by the age of 65.
Zuckerberg has already shattered records as the world’s youngest billionaire at age 26. He joins 16 other households in signing on to the campaign, which was started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
“People wait until late in their career to give back,” Zuckerberg said in a statement. “But why wait when there is so much to be done?”
Zuckerberg’s worth depends on the valuation of the social media site he helms, which has been pegged as high as $15 billion.
Joining Zuckerberg are high-profile entrepreneurs: investor Carl Icahn, bond man Michael Milken and former AOL CEO Steve Case.
The full list of the new class:
  • Michael and Lori Milken
  • Dustin Moskovitz
  • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Joe and Rika Mansueto
  • Nicolas Berggruen
  • Ted Forstmann
  • Carl Icahn
  • Sidney Kimmel
  • Tom and Cindy Secunda
  • Charles Zegar and Merryl Snow Zega
  • Lee and Toby Cooperman
  • Duncan and Nancy MacMillan
  • David and Barbara Green
  • Denny Sanford
  • Lyda Hill
  • George P. Mitchell
  • Jean and Steve Case
The group joins New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg; media tycoon Barry Diller and his fashion designer wife, Diane Von Furstenberg; former Citigroup CEO Sanford Weill; Star Wars king George Lucas; oil and natural gas financier T. Boone Pickens; Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist John Doerr and his wife, Ann; and Oracle chief Larry Ellison.
Good for him if that is his wish. Sharing it forward - that's a great thing to do!

12/6/10

Splashtop Instant-Access OS Enters Public Beta - AWESOME



Users of millions of laptops and netbooks have enjoyed the benefits of getting online with...

Users of millions of laptops and netbooks have enjoyed the benefits of getting online within seconds of power-on thanks to Splashtop, and now the system is available as a public beta download
Image Gallery (4 images)

For those of us who virtually live online, waiting around those few precious minutes for the system to boot into Windows, connect to the Internet and then present the browser is time wasted. For the last few couple of years, more and more new Windows machines have come pre-loaded with something that boots straight into our beloved online world. Splashtop is a browser-based operating system companion that allows users to get online in seconds after pushing the power button on. Now it's being made available for public beta download.

Splashtop was introduced in 2007 and has since found itself being pre-installed on millions of laptops and netbooks from companies like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and LG. It's a lightweight, web-centric operating system optimized for notebooks and netbooks that takes less than five seconds to load in and get users online.

Now for the first time, a beta download is available to everyone, although it's currently restricted to just a few supported devices. The company's Dave Bottoms told Gizmag: "We plan to add broad support for a range of Splashtop-enabled models we've already shipped first."

This is because engineers have already performed much of the testing and tuning necessary for getting Splashtop up and running on the many hardware configurations available.

Once downloaded, the software is loaded in via Windows Installer. During the installation process, Splashtop also imports settings such as time, date, language, location, and bookmarks from Internet Explorer or Firefox. It will also look for any Wi-Fi connection information in the Windows Connection Manager, so that the user can get online as quickly as possible.

If there's a bad connection, as sometimes happens, or you're out and about and using hotspots and Splashtop is unable to automatically connect, then you'd be presented with the Connection Manager to scan for available networks or to resolve whatever issue has arisen.

The new public beta has been stripped down a bit and doesn't include any of the native applications of the previous system. It features a locked-down Linux core running a browser interface based on Google's Chromium, but unlike Google's forthcoming Chromium OS, Splashtop has been built to work with (and not replace) Windows.

When you press the power button to turn on your computer, laptop or netbook, the Splashtop search screen – powered by Bing – and a few thumbnails of recently visited sites will be the first thing you see instead of the Windows desktop.

Users can then go off and explore, check email, update Twitter or Facebook profiles, check for updates on their favorite news sites, create online documents and so on, without needing to wait for Windows to boot up. All of the useful plugins that you'll need to enjoy your online experience are already there, including Adobe Flash, so there should be no need to have to stop while settings are updated.

Should a user wish to boot up Windows – to use a native application such as Photoshop, for instance – then Splashtop would close down and the system would load in Windows. Splashtop will be available from the next boot.

Bottoms told us that Splashtop OS would remain free to use, even after the beta tag has been dropped.

12/1/10

sebastian neitsch: kunstrasen

Kunstrasen is the name of a small robotic device developed by designer Sebastian Neitsch. The unusual robot sits low to the ground with the ability to draw vector graphics on urban lawns using a flame thrower. The device takes input from a computer graphics program and then gets to work, burning the input design into the lawn. The bot features mechanics by Jan Bernstein and programming assistance by Woeishi Lean.

http://www.sebastianneitsch.de via designboom.com That's a great way to get away with not mowing!


11/24/10

Behind the Profile: JanetB

Here's an interview I gave at REDUX.
 

Behind the Profile: JanetB
October 29th, 2010


Continuing with our veil-lifting series of interviews, our next subject of study is the most prolific contributor Redux has yet to see. Simply, she is the queen of our community, and she’s earned that title both through relentless longevity and her charming virtual charisma. Most impressive is that as soon as you think you know her, she’ll start a new channel completely out of leftfield, and have it filled with choice content within hours. The 617 channels she’s joined, most of which she’s created, are a testament to her rabid hunger for knowledge, and her desire to share as much of it as possible with her followers.

I’m Community Dude Andy, and welcome to this edition of Behind the Profile: JanetB.

Community Dude [CD]: How’s the weather out there in Puerto Rico?

JanetB [JB]: It’s nice and hot here!

CD: Thanks for joining us today. Redux and you have been going steady for a very long time. How did it all start?

JB: Hi Andy, and thanks for the invite. Redux and I came together when I ran across a review for the upstart. I found it quite interesting and the decided to check it out for myself. That was one of the best things I ever did!

CD: You have probably been to as many corners of the Internet as Google’s crawler. What about Redux makes it, and I quote, “the best entertainment site on the web“?

JB: Redux is like the center of the social content galaxy. Everything that is anything of interest or “viral” can be found here and a whole lot more. The community is top notch, knowlegeable, fun, funny and friendly. No where else will you find a better group of people. The real-time post action and live interaction with other members is outstanding. To top it all off, the staff of Redux is bar none ‘THE BEST’.

CD: Aside from your shares, you are known for being very welcoming to every new user you cross paths with, and have helped to make this community the most inviting one around. What drives you to do this?

JB: It is my belief that Redux is the best at what it does and just want new members to feel as welcomed as I did when I first arrived. Telling them how much fun it’s been is just like ‘duh’ – hahaha. Just want to let them know I’m here and interested in what they have to share as well.

CD: Do you have a favorite share, either of your own or someone else’s?

JB: Let’s see, I’d have to say that one of my favorites is “We Are Here, The Pale Blue Dot“. Art, shortfilms, animation and ‘the sciences’ are probably my top interests.

CD: With just under 7,000 shares logged, your status as the Queen of Redux appears to be safe from usurpation for some time. Also, your 1:1 share to prop ratio proves that you are a benevolent ruler with the support of the people. Any words of advice to fledgling new ‘Duxers?

JB: Just dig in. Make sure you use the Redux bookmarklet and you’re half way there. It’s a whole lot of fun if you truly enjoy sharing.

CD: I didn’t have time to check all 7,000 or so shares to research your style, so instead I think I’ll just ask you. How would you describe your style on Redux?

JB: I would say eclectic. I just select what seems best from various styles, videos, doctrines, ideas, methods, etc.

CD: I asked fellow superstar Gioser this same question, and I think you are just as qualified to answer: what has it been like being with Redux for so long, particularly with respect to all of the changes and design revisions?

JB: It has been a great process to see the site evolve. Each ‘update’ bought its own feature or improved upon existing ones. Redux is continuously being innovative. Involving their users in fine tuning the site is a big plus. They LISTEN.

CD: Have any questions for us?

JB: Just one, when is the next jam session?

CD: You’re right; all work and no DJing makes this community manager, well, still pretty happy. However, I’ll see what I can do :) Thanks so much for giving us a peek inside the mighty machine that is JanetB.

11/20/10

Disney for Adults

His artwork is just stunning. Enjoy!

Disney for Adults


Jeffrey Scott Campbell is an American comic book artist. Rose to fame as an artist for WildStorm Comics, though he has since done work for Marvel Comics, & the video game industry. This is his collection of fairytale princesses found in cartoons --his princesses are provocative, challenging and sexy. Campbell provides us the opportunity to enjoy the stories of The Little Mermaid, Cinderella & Little Red Riding Hood … That’s nice of him!
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults
Disney for Adults

Disney for Adults

Jeffrey Scott Campbell 

Strangest Inflatable Stuff

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_1
Innovations Xtreme is a company that specializes in making large inflatable anything, including an inflatable church! This huge inflated edifice is about 16′ to a side and 39′ tall at its highest point. It’s decorated like an old-time cathedral both in and out. Including plastic stained glass windows, inflatable organ, altar, pulpit, pews, candles, angels and gold cross.
(Link)

Inflatable Boobs

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_2
Straight from Japan (of course) come the Daiso inflatable boobs. These stick-on-bosoms have some sort of liquid packet inside. You squeeze the packet to burst it so it comes in contact with the solid inside the balloon, and the whole thing inflates.

Inflatable Poop

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_3
This giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy was exhibited at the garden of a Swiss museum. The art work, titled “Complex Shit” and which is the size of a house, blew away from the exhibition, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before it landed again. The wind carried it 200 metres (yards) from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children’s home.

Inflatable Sumo Costume

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_4
Now you don’t have to stuff yourself with pies and put your girlfriend’s thong on to get the Sumo look. (Unless you really want to of course.) This inflatable costume is much easier. Transform yourself from a skinny string bean to a super Sumo in seconds! This surprisingly comfortable nylon costume comes complete with built-in nappy and a sumo-hair hat for extra authenticity. The Inflatable Sumo Costume is even more fun if you can persuade a mate to buy one too and stage your own bout in the ring. Just stay away from sharp objects, or you might end up as a skinny sumo by mistake.

Inflatable Pub

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_5
We’ve all heard of Port-a-Potties, but what about Port-a-Pubs? Billed as “the world’s first inflatable pub”, this pub in a box holds up to 50 guests (or 200 college students), fits in the back of a van, and assembles in under an hour. All pub-like features are painted directly onto the PVC walls (now anti-fungal and flame retardant!). The pub also have a built-in fire escape. It can cost up to $ 28,000 but what the hell, it’s an inflatable pub!

Inflatable Mouse

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_6
This Jelly Click mouse concept is fairly simple: a small flexible board carries all of the circuitry while the body is composed of plastic that can be blown up manually. When not in use, it can be folded into a compact size or slid between the screen and keyboard of your laptop when closed.

Inflatable TV

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_7
Watch big screen television almost anywhere you want. Pool parties, hot tubbing, backyard BBQs, in your own living room. It works with most projectors and comes with weatherized outdoor speakers and 30′ of audio cables. Just make sure to stake the thing down good. A good gust of wind and your very expensive air-filled television will be wrapped around Mrs. Stodgmyers’ prize rose bushes, and you’ll never know if that big monkey drops the girl off that big building.

Inflatable Phonebooth

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_8
We would like to introduce you to this portable Photobooth. It’s equipped with an 11-megapixel lens that captures all your shots digitally so you can browse the results in an online library (which has been password protected for you and your friends). And if this is for your company party, Photobooth can brand your photos as taken on the fly. It’s one sweet package, but you’ll have to inquire to find out how much it will set you back.

Inflatable Toast Mattress

Strangest_Inflatable_Stuff_9
Breakfast in bed? No, breakfast IS the bed! According to the product homepage, “sleeping on this giant 6′ by 7′ Inflatable Toast Mattress is likely to make you dream that you are a pad of butter and that you are floating down a river of freshly brewed coffee”. No, I’ve never dreamed of something like this!

11/16/10

10 Centuries In 5 Minutes

Give yourself a mini history lesson of the 1,000 years of changing borders in Europe over the past ten centuries - in five quick minutes.





via holykaw.alltop.com

11/11/10

Citroen C4's Transformer Dance

How do you make a car dance? Hire Justin Timberlake’s choreographer, Marty Kudelka, cyber scan a brand new Citroen C4 using lasers to create a perfect 3D model and spend two months using the latest film industry animation techniques as used by the likes of Pixar to create a car/transformer with all the right moves.



I'm loving this video!

11/10/10

Flip-Flop Monkey, Have You Been Drinking? - Geekologie

Large scale art displays, also known as 'installation art', are one of my favorite interests. Hope you like it. Enjoy.
flip-flop-monkey-1.jpg
This is a giant passed-out monkey sculpture made out of flip-flops in São Paulo, Brazil, to celebrate Pixel Show, an international art and design conference. Because if there are two things that go hand in hand in this world, it's drunk monkeys and art. Don't believe me? How do you think Picasso was so prolific? Because he painted practically nonstop? Oh. Nevermind then.
flip-flop-monkey-2.jpg
flip-flop-monkey-3.jpg
flip-flop-monkey-4.jpg
flip-flop-monkey-5.jpg
flip-flop-monkey-6.jpg
flip-flop-monkey-7.jpg
flip-flop-monkey-8.jpg
Fat Monkey [zeutch]
via
Fat Monkey [designyoutrust]

Back To The Future 25th Anniversary DeLorean Cake [Video]


That’s an 8-foot long DeLorean cake baked for the cast of Back To The Future for their recent 25th anniversary celebration. And yes, that’s Michael J. Fox admiring the Ace of Cakes handiwork (and what appears to be Ace Of Cakes’ Duff Goldman admiring Michael J. Fox admiring his cake.)

Giant Bubbles Found in Space : Discovery News

Giant Bubbles Found in Space

An ancient eruption of a supermassive black hole in the Milky Way may have inflated two huge bubbles of gamma rays which were just now discovered and are considered a new type of astronomical object.
"It shows, once again, that the universe is full of surprises," said Jon Morse, director of astrophysics at NASA headquarters.
Combined, the bubbles, which are aligned at the center of the Milky Way, span a vast distance of about 50,000 light-years. The structures are very distinct, with defined edges, and have as much energy in them as 100,000 supernova.

All I can say is WoW and omg!

Illustrator Steve Thomas Invites You to Visit the World of Star Wars
























Back at the start of the 20th century, they had some pretty sweet travel posters. These days, they’re called “vintage” or “art-deco,” perhaps because they make us think of happier places and times. And thanks to illustrator Steve Thomas, now they also make us think of Star Wars.
According to Thomas, these babies, eight in total and all shown below, are two years in the making. They depict locations in Star Wars like Tatooine and Dagobah and also advertise things like Kessel Run Tours and a Rogue Squadron Airshow above Yavin 4. (Which, we’re just saying, would be totally killer.)
Peruse the gallery of original prints, below, and be sure to check out Steve Thomas’ blog post about them here.
Zoom Zoom Photo_18218_0 Zoom Photo_18216_0 Zoom Photo_18215_0 Zoom Photo_18215_1 Zoom Photo_18218_0-2 Zoom Photo_18221_0