Thinking in vain...

Found on Urban Outfitters

I don't know what's wrong with me this week. I can NOT concentrate.

My amusement with all things mustaches keeps going. ;)

Via Geekologie

But true.


I'm priding myself on not knowing what two of those are. It's the little things.

Via FFFFound

Via Pixdaus

I remember when I worked at my last job and we never did pitches and I think I told jetpacks that I wanted to do one. To paraphrase I think he called me crazy. This week, I learned he was right.

Now the protest has become productive. ;)

There are not words to describe how awesome this girl is. For some reason I have had an urge to know/learn to beatbox. After seeing this I think I'll give up on that.

Via my coworker's Facebook page.

These are beautiful.

Via Bad Banana Blog

After a full night of Fringe. This just made my brain hurt a little.

Via American Copywriter

Cat laughed. I think that's the highest form of approval.

Push play at your own risk. And there more where that came from. It's no Slowskys. Which by-the-way, they need to make more of.

We haven't looked at seriously cute animals in a while. Here you go.


Via Pixadaus.

Damn. Proceed at your own risk. Via coworker Grant.

Have to share because the effect is so damn cool. Next video is so going to be this. Although, we're going to try our hands at some more video effects today.

It should get bigger if you clicks it.

Cool concept, do you think they thought about the fact that Madonna looks like she'll eat my soul?

The Joker knows my affinity for weird shit. And he didn't disappoint today.

Truth be told I've wanted to try my hand at Art Therapy for a while now. Chromotherapy looks cool too.

Via Monster-Munch.

I had to share this for posterity.


Via Brandflakes for Breakfast

Saw this on Moda's blog this morning. Definitely a feel good video. :D And like she said, if you don't like this you have no soul. I totally cried a little.

I'm glad it's getting warmer, but there's something very peaceful about this.

Think this would be helpful to chronic klutzes? It seems like it. I dunno. It's pretty though.

These would look so cool in my office. Home and work. Happy Monday. Hope you had a restful weekend.

I forgot my glasses. And I stayed up way too late reading a book. So I'm doubly cross-eyed if that is even possible.

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Nothing

1 There is vastly more nothing than something. Roughly 74 percent of the universe is “nothing,” or what physicists call dark energy; 22 percent is dark matter, particles we cannot see. Only 4 percent is baryonic matter, the stuff we call something.

2 And even something is mostly nothing. Atoms overwhelmingly consist of empty space. Matter’s solidity is an illusion caused by the electric fields created by subatomic particles.

3 There is more and more nothing every second. In 1998 astronomers measuring the expansion of the universe determined that dark energy is pushing apart the universe at an ever-accelerating speed. The discovery of nothing—and its ability to influence the fate of the cosmos—is considered the most important astronomical finding of the past decade.

4 But even nothing has a weight. The energy in dark matter is equivalent to a tiny mass; there is about one pound of dark energy in a cube of empty space 250,000 miles on each side.

5 In space, no one can hear you scream: Sound, a mechanical wave, cannot travel through a vacuum. Without matter to vibrate through, there is only silence.

6 So what if Kramer falls in a forest? Luckily, electromagnetic waves, including light and radio waves, need no medium to travel through, letting TV stations broadcast endless reruns of Seinfeld, the show about nothing.

7 Light can travel through a vacuum, but there is nothing to refract it. Alas for extraterrestrial romantics, stars do not twinkle in outer space.

8 Black holes are not holes or voids; they are the exact opposite of nothing, being the densest concentration of mass known in the universe.

9 “Zero” was first seen in cuneiform tablets written around 300 B.C. by Babylonians who used it as a placeholder (to distinguish 36 from 306 or 360, for example). The concept of zero in its mathematical sense was developed in India in the fifth century.

10 Any number divided by zero is . . . nothing, not even zero. The equation is mathematically impossible.

11 It is said that Abdülhamid II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1900s, had censors expunge references to H2O from chemistry books because he was sure it stood for “Hamid the Second is nothing.”

12 Medieval art was mostly flat and two-dimensional until the 15th century, when the Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi conceived of the vanishing point, the place where parallel lines converge into nothingness. This allowed for the development of perspective in art.

13 Aristotle once wrote, “Nature abhors a vacuum,” and so did he. His complete rejection of vacuums and voids and his subsequent influence on centuries of learning prevented the adoption of the concept of zero in the Western world until around the 13th century, when Italian bankers found it to be extraordinarily useful in financial transactions.

14 Vacuums do not suck things. They create spaces into which the surrounding atmosphere pushes matter.

15 Creatio ex nihilo, the belief that the world was created out of nothing, is one of the most common themes in ancient myths and religions.

16 Current theories suggest that the universe was created out of a state of vacuum energy, that is, nothing.

17 But to a physicist there is no such thing as nothing. Empty space is instead filled with pairs of particles and antiparticles, called virtual particles, that quickly form and then, in accordance with the law of energy conservation, annihilate each other in about 10-25 second.

18 So Aristotle was right all along.

19 These virtual particles popping in and out of existence create energy. In fact, according to quantum mechanics, the energy contained in all the power plants and nuclear weapons in the world doesn’t equal the theoretical energy contained in the empty spaces between these words.

20 In other words, nothing could be the key to the theory of everything.


Original article HERE.

If you can't see it, squint a little. :)

Mustache napkin rings! How awesome is that?! My birthday is in 4 months, just sayin'. ;) And yes, I could probably squeeze a couple more exclamation points in here!

This is the first thing that has truly convinced me that an iPhone may be worth having – behold 'stachetastic.

Article at The Sun. :p

That might be the best designed spy camera ever.

I believe I need to help the failing economy by buying these. :)

SexyBack vs. Legend of Zelda Theme on Two Tesla Coils from Trammell on Vimeo.

Legend of Zelda theme played by Tesla Coils. Because a Tuesday needs Tesla Coils.

Via MentalFloss

My first attempt at stop-motion animation a couple of weeks ago. It's ridiculous, so just laugh and have a nice Wednesday. :)

I want this in my office. Current bid is only $400.00. :)

I'm starting to believe that humility is too important a value to me to be in advertising. Although, quitting and applying to teach English in another country kind of scares me a little.

Will report back soon.

via Grant. :)

We're facing lay-offs and pay reductions. And we have 3 weeks to fret about it. It was an awesome Monday, so these images made my Tuesday and I thought I'd share. Enjoy it. :)

This is awesome. And even more awesome because I've tried my hand at stop-motion here recently and I can appreciate the effort.

Via BrandFlakesForBreakfast

Or Happy Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday or Carnival or Fasnacht.

History of Pancake Day courtesy of the BBC.

Weirdest part about this story is that the author saw the opportunity to reference the 70's show "Man from Atlantis" with Patrick Duffy and there's even a photo.

The Sun article here.

I think a framed piece of that tree would be awesome to have.

Original link here.

12PM Just Need to Know If It's Really Gonna Hit My Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie
Caller: I need to speak to your meteorologist now.
Producer: Sorry, she's gone to dinner.
Caller: But I really need to know about the moon. Will she be saying anything about the moon tonight during the news?
Producer: What are you, a werewolf?

News Station
Jackson, Mississippi
via Overheard in the Office, Feb 12, 2009

If you don't feel like you look at Illustrator or Photoshop too much as it is, then these magnets are pretty damn cool. I think the entire kit is a little pricey, but you can purchase just the magnets and that's a little more doable, IMHO.

Check it out at meninos, via Engadget.

That would also be the longest title ever. And probably most unimaginative so far for me. And I don't pay a lot of attention to my titles. I know, no wonder no one reads the posts. :p


1PM Internet: I'm So Lonely-- Nobody Ever Calls
Supervisor on speakerphone: Hold on a sec, I've got another call. Hello, this is Mark*.
Caller: Yes, am I in the right place?
Supervisor: I don't know, who were you trying to reach?
Caller: Is this the number for the internet?
Supervisor: No, I'm sorry, this is a state agency.
Caller: This isn't the internet?
Supervisor: Nope, sorry.
Caller: Oh, darn, okay bye.
Supervisor (back to the other line): Well, that was a first.

Newington, Connecticut

Overheard by: but please give it my regards. I'm a huge fan.


via Overheard in the Office, Feb 11, 2009

Nothing to report. The TV broke, we need a new one. Suggestions?

Also, creepy death masks.

Yes, that is made entirely out of nails, so see the process.

Christain Bale Vs. Bill O'Reilly - Watch more Funny Videos

Grant keeps me occupied. Words are bleeped but you might want to put your earbuds in.

207 BC: Chrysippus, a Greek stoic philosopher, is believed to have died of laughter after watching his drunk donkey attempt to eat figs.


Via the Wiki List of Unusual Deaths. Have fun.

Now that's a phone booth that I'd try to find a $1 in change and cover in hand sanitizer to use.



Via Inspire me, now!

It's almost Thursday.


Via Inspire me, now!

Ha ha.

These are dog tags are engraved with several methods of locating Earth in our galaxy... you know just in case you need that.

I think $12.99 + $2.75 (S&H) is quite reasonable for your safe return should you in fact be abducted by aliens.


Via coworker Grant – who gets a link when he starts blogging. :)

Some language NSFW, but hysterical.

Well, they ended up showing the top two Doritos spots and "Power of the Crunch" was one of the ones shown. YAY! Congrats to my friend's friend.

Now that's a solid piece of fan trailer.




Via coworker Dean.

This is very cool, my friend Grant just sent it to me. Watch.




Don't know if it's these guys: Pilobolus or these Pilobolus.

He'd be 97 years old today. So in honor - you can go make your own at jacksonpolluck.org

Found via the MoMA's Twitter stream.

I'm irritable today. Maybe it's because everyone is dissing a new show I found funny (which was the point of the show - sort of reminds me of Psych in an ad agency).

So far, I think I'm the only one who watched this show who even mildly liked it. But, of course, most people I know who watched it watched it through the eyes of someone working in an ad agency (and we're too cool to like things). ;)

Nobody here in the blog world liked Mad Men when it first started either (I didn't). It took several episodes for people to get into it and now everyone's drooling over the show. What? I'm just saying. But that's not my point.

What is my point? Not sure I have one. But I don't think the setting is what is going to make this show. Sure, ad people tuned in to watch it because it deals with advertising. Makes me wonder if cops tune into check out every new crime drama that gets the go-ahead. Never-mind, they wouldn't get anything done. Although, I wonder if they're as "that's not how it really is" as we seem to be. Oh wait, my mother does like to point out how very non-realistic most hospital dramas are.

Of course it's not. This is TV, nobody would really wants to watch what I do all day. Pretty much like House solves random, rare diseases by the skin of his genius teeth every episode, so these guys are gonna come up with dumb commercials (well, that's VERY real life, talk to anyone outside of advertising about the crap we make them watch). But I doubt you tune into House to see what the disease du jour is, at least I don't.

I already like Tom Cavanaugh and his character is hysterical in this show (my sister made the comment that if I did and said everything I thought I'd come off rather similar - so maybe I have to like him), so I'm interested enough by him to see what the other characters do.

Anyways, I'll definitely be watching again, mostly because I already watch The Closer and this comes on after, so I can remember to watch it.

Now, a historian claims, Mengele's notorious experiments may have borne fruit.

For years scientists have failed to discover why as many as one in five pregnancies in a small Brazilian town have resulted in twins – most of them blond haired and blue eyed.

But residents of Candido Godoi now claim that Mengele made repeated visits there in the early 1960s, posing at first as a vet but then offering medical treatment to the women of the town.

That's hysterical. I had a coughing fit I laughed so hard.

Mmmm... ice cream. It's almost 60˚ outside. I wish it were Spring.

Via Inspire me, now!

You know what it was this morning when I went to get in my car??? -5˚F! That's cold!

So cold in fact, my car wouldn't start. Which led to a very irritating ride to work with a family member. I spilled coffee on my pants and it is freezing in my office.

I'm waiting for the fact that it's Friday and that I have a 3-day weekend to sink in and make me happy.


Image via Flickr CC license.

These are great. There 2 more over on AdFreak, which is where I saw them in the first place. I've done a lot with the Special Olympics and one of my best friend's daughters participates in the bowling here every year. Most ads don't make my heart swell, but these do - maybe it's because how true they are.

Maybe if it looked like this outside I could handle the 15˚F weather we're getting tomorrow (and that's not factoring in the wind chill). I live in the South, we should never be this cold. This is ridiculous.

But that picture is pretty.

Pixdaus

That graphic makes me happy. It's for a line of preserves, very smart and simple. Looks great on the container too.

Full packaging at Lovely Package.

What an ODD picture of James Dean.

Via FFFFound.

Crook hid in carpet

A crook tried to dodge a police search by disguising himself as a carpet.

The thief rolled himself up in a giant rug and propped himself up against a balcony wall while cops searched his aunt's flat in Warsaw, Poland, after he held up a cosmetics shop.

He was only found after a two hour search when a fed up detective went out onto the balcony for a smoke and noticed the carpet was trembling.

Miroslaw Dabrowski, 32, is now facing 12 years in jail for armed robbery.

Reading about the weirdest sleep disorders.

Take Fatal Familial Insomnia, a rare genetic sleep disorder that affects fewer than 50 families around the world, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information.

A healthy person in his mid-50s has trouble sleeping one otherwise normal night. The next night is worse, and the next is worse still. Days turn to weeks and sleep regimens shrink to less than an hour daily. The person's pupils shrink to a tiny size. Men become impotent. As weeks turn to months, the ability to sleep disappears entirely. A rare gene they inherited from their ancestors tricks their brain into thinking the body is always awake. They can close their eyes or lie down to rest, but they will literally never "sleep" again, according to a multiple case studies, including a one by Ann Akroush in Case Studies in Virtual Genetics.

Hallucinations and paranoia begin to take hold and eventually deteriorate into a state of dementia, according to the Merck Manual. Soon, they slip into a coma-like fog and, mercifully, die. The whole process can take as little as seven months or as long as three years. There is no known cure.

Joker tagged me. I haven't to figure out 7 things you don't know about me. Hmmmm.... and then tag 7 other people

Alright here goes:

1) Since Ricardo Montalban died yesterday I will tell you how much of a little shit I was to my twin sister when I was much younger. She HATED that ear wig scene in "The Wrath of Khan." So – and I thought this was hysterical – I would fast forward the movie to that scene and yell at her that I wanted her to come look at something. As soon as she would come in the room, I'd hit play. She'd run and scream and I would laugh. She still hates me a little.

2) I recently got roped into reading those "Twilight" books. I think the most interesting thing to me was the biological effects of vampire semen on a human – that's just a plot hole I can't get over. I'm still not thoroughly convinced. (This is apparently a genetic quirk, the first question out of my mother's mouth was about the main character's time of the month.)

3) Unless you follow me on Facebook you will not know that I own a Flying Slingshot Monkey that I love to throw across the wall at the copywriter. She screams really loud. He also wears tiny squirrel underpants.

4) I kick puppies – metaphorically speaking.

5) I played the flute for over 8 years in marching bad. And I hated to practice.

6) I have an unhealthy interest in Tom Selleck's mustache.

7) I don't like dolls. Creepy, marionette-type dolls. I just sit and wait for their heads to start turning.



OK, let's see, who am I going to tag?

Jetpacks, because he hasn't done it yet.
Fred
Ness
Kara
Grant (do it on Facebook) ;)
Will (if you're still there)

Well, that's 6 or I guess technically 5. I'm close. :p

I'm a bit excited. Mostly because I read the blog every day.

What is it you ask? The guys from American Copywriter are going to be in my town next week speaking at two different events.

And no, I probably won't go talk to them. I'm painfully shy in real life.

That's it, I just wanted to share. :)

Uh-huh. Tell me that's not funny.

If you don't read Why Advertising Sucks - but I think most of you do. (I'm giving some link love today because I've been seriously lacking in my posting lately.)

Joker has a music post up. I'm very proud of myself for owning some of those albums already, but I've got some shopping to do. :)

I'm also going to give a shout-out to my other two favorite bloggers Jetpacks and Fred.

Jetpacks is jealous of those of you with smart phones. And so am I. My phone finally had it after I dropped it one too many times - and it sucked to begin with (it's a Razr). And I wasn't eligible for an upgrade so I had to get the cheapest phone I could afford. There is nothing intuitive about this phone - I can't figure out how to turn the text message alert volume down. And the manual DOES NOT help. And even with all that - it's still better than those damn Razrs. Stupid phones.

Fred makes me laugh.

The Joker knows my love of weird. And this is heartwarming on top of that!

Professional Skater gives birth 2 days after being declared dead.

Mrs. Soliman was only 25 weeks pregnant when she complained of a headache and collapsed in her bedroom on Wednesday. After arriving by air to a hospital in Oxford, England, she was declared brain dead and given large doses of steroids to help her unborn baby's lungs develop. Doctors then performed the emergency C-section in hopes of giving her child life.

I'm going to do something I haven't done in a while - talk about advertising.

A good friend's friend is in a Doritos commercial - he's playing the main guy in the "Power of the Crunch". And by chance the video happens to be one of the 5 finalists in their "Crash the Superbowl" competition.

I like the commercial. But I also like it because there's a monkey. You don't get much better than that. Seriously, Doritos and monkeys - name something better. You can't, can you? Exactly - now go vote for it. :)

And my friend is awesome™ - therefore his friend, Nic, must be awesome™ thus making the commercial awesome™. (Well, that and the monkey.)

Facebook page is here - if you so feel inclined to talk about Doritos and monkeys and awesome™ commercials.



UPDATE: OK, so apparently I can't let you watch the video here, because Doritos is dumb and their embedded video player won't work right. Boo. Sorry you have to go to the site to watch it - but since you do, you might as well vote for it. Click on image. :)

Via Monster Munch.

Yeah, that's awesome.™

Via YesButNoButYes.

For some reason this image sums up my mood today. Enjoy.


Via FFFFound.

Well, according to the article. Two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate the same amount of harmful carbon dioxide as boiling an electric kettle for a cup of tea, according to new research.

But so is a cup of tea, apparently.

Read the rest of the article at The Economic Times.