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Fun

Ecology / Fun — No Comments
21
Jul 10

B(P)-movie mystery

Mystery-Science

America’s Blog posted a series of images demonstrating how BP photoshopped its command center for its Website. Apparently there is a trickster in their midsts, but the photoshopped image (posted above) actually is from the set of the wonderful TV series, Mystery Science Theater 3000. Not to make light of the seriousness of the Gulf oil spill, but is this not a plot line from the old TV show? Where are the robot comedian deconstructionists when we need them?

Update: here are some more hilarious photoshopped versions.

Creativity builds on the past

Absolutely amazing!

Fun / Music / Video — No Comments
10
Apr 10

Insane miracle posse

The Insane Clown Posse showin’ love for the great miracle of life. Who coulda guessed!

From BoingBoing.

Culture / Fun / Video — No Comments
11
Jan 10

9/11 and hot sex

These days you can’t trust anything on the net, so the story of a new sex Robot that also spews 9/11 conspiracy theory sounds too much like a viral prank. So let this be my disclaimer. Meanwhile, watch the video and judge for yourself. The conspiracy sex talk comes in after the second minute. No doubt this will put a bump in my Web hits.

As for the cultural analysis, well let’s see.. porn, conspiracy, sex with robots. Pretty straight forward if you ask me.

Firm unveils X-rated robot (Update):

Inspiration for the sex robot sprang from the September 11, 2001 attacks, when planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon and an empty field in Pennsylvania.

“I had a friend who passed away in 9/11,” Hines said. “I promised myself I would create a program to store his personality, and that became the foundation for Roxxxy True Companion.”

Hines sees his creation as not only a recreational innovation but as an outlet for the shy, people with sexual dysfunction, and those who want to experiment without risk.

Fun / Video — No Comments
22
Dec 09

Finally the truth!

Advertising / Ecology / Fun — No Comments
24
Nov 09

Oh, those funny media gods strike again

From Grist.

Fun / Video — 1 Comment
13
Nov 09

Time out (of mind)

As evidenced by the mounds of lost blog subscribers of late, I know I’ve been a downer. My Cassandra-phase is the result of all my research into the dark side of the Industrial-Scientific Revolution which has caused me to see more readily destructive thought patterns in our popular culture. With that said, I’d like to pause from all the Sybil-like posts and share with you something fun. This short animation is about a very funny moment in baseball history. Enjoy!

Fun / Networks / Video — No Comments
12
Nov 09

Google’s Opt-Out Village

Google Opt Out Feature Lets Users Protect Privacy By Moving To Remote Village

Fun / Mash-Up / Music / Video — 1 Comment
17
Oct 09

A glorious dawn song

OK, so you know I quibble with Stephen Hawking’s mechanical view of the universe (who is featured in the above video), but I still love Carl Sagan (more prominently featured), and have very fond memories of his old TV program, Cosmos. I’m well aware that I have been a bit of a downer lately, but blogging lets me process what I’m feeling about the world, and hence I’ve been on the downside of the optimism scale of late. Anyhow, to switch gears, this autotune mash-up of Sagan is a wonderfully positive song. It actually makes me feel good about being human living in this universe.

You can download it here.

Fun — 1 Comment
12
Oct 09

People of planet Walmart

200910121557

The only truly alien planet is Earth. — J. G. Ballard

Peopleofwalmart.com is a funny and snarky site. It may even be a putdown. But for me, despite all the horrible things we know about Walmart the business, I truly find beauty in the images of the people of Walmart. It demonstrates that despite the homogenizing influence of giant corporations, people’s freak nature remains strong. In this I find hope that the primeval being within all of us remains resilient, even in Walmart.

From the about page:

Let’s face it; we all have seen the people who obviously don’t have mirrors and/or family and friends to lock them in a basement, and they all seem to congregate at Walmart. It’s not everywhere that you can shop for milk at 10 a.m. next to a 400lb mother of 6 wearing a pink tube top, leopard tights, and hooker heels. Where else can one go to pick up underwear at 3 O’clock in the afternoon and spot the greatest mullet of all time paired with a mustard stained wife beater (which only accents the extreme amount of body hair) and camo pants that were actually used in Vietnam. And if you haven’t run into the 6’2” bull-dyke with a shaved head, rockin a wonder bra, flannel cutoff shirt, and jean shorts at 2 a.m. when you’re there to pick up frozen pizza, chips, and cookies, then you can get the fuck out right now.

Ecology / Fun / Video — No Comments
25
Sep 09

I’m not paranoid, it’s just that the Earth is trying to kill me!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c

Our Dead Planet

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

Fun / Video — No Comments
30
Jul 09

Is Palin a deep ecologist? You be the judge

With a deep appreciation for nature like that, makes one wonder if Sara Palin is showing her next hand: that she retired to pursue her true passion, deep ecology. Of beat poetry? Enjoy!

Fun / New Media / Video — No Comments
14
Apr 09

This is your brain on the Internet

Fun — No Comments
14
Apr 09

Happy (posthumous) Seder!

What if Moses was on Facebook?

Fun / Music / Video — No Comments
12
Mar 09

Crowd sourcing jam sessions

Imagine playing in a band in which you don’t know the other musicians, the producer or the final product. ThruYOU is a fascinating project where producer Kutiman mined YouTube for bedroom jam sessions and then edited them into coherent songs. This is a perfect metaphor for emergent social practices that involve disparate people doing what they know and love best, but then through a creative process of evolution they combine into new forms previously unknown.

(Be sure to check out the site, there are over 8 videos. Track 3, “I’m New,” is posted above.)

Fun / Video / Web 2.0 — No Comments
3
Mar 09

Yup

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM – Th 11p / 10c

Twitter Frenzy

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Fun / Technology — No Comments
17
Jan 09

Is the Mac Catholic?

This short piece by Umberto Ecco is a bit of an inside joke (you have to be old enough to remember using MS-DOS). Also, it makes more sense when you are surrounded by Renaissance art.

Eco – “Writings: IBM vs. Mac”:

The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by the ratio studiorum of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory; it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach — if not the kingdom of Heaven — the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: The essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.

DOS is Protestant, or even Calvinistic. It allows free interpretation of scripture, demands difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can achieve salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself: Far away from the baroque community of revelers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own inner torment.

Thanks Peter!

Fun / News / Video — No Comments
15
Jan 09

Breaking news!

Breaking News: Series Of Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot

As usual, the Onion captures the inanity of TV news.

Education / Fun / Video — No Comments
13
Jan 09

I in the sky

I bought Sesame Street Old School for my daughter (OK, it was for me too!), which has brought back some curious memories. Disc one has an interesting video that was made to pitch the show, explaining how the makers studied advertising to build their little one-minute segments. I was particularly enthralled with the video posted above, “Capital I in the Sky,” which is a trippy, neo-psychadelic folk tune that one might find in the underground film circuit. It reinforces my theory that media makes Americans weird, not brainwashed. No wonder we became punks!

PS Anyone know who made the music for these?

Wait, never mind, it’s Steve Zuckerman.

Fun / Video — No Comments
27
Dec 08

40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes @ Yahoo! Video

To get you going for the new year!

Mediacologyputting the ‘eco’ into media ecology (and other tangential meditations)

Fun