Frivolity

Google may have done Buzz all wrong, but they do Chrome right in these adorable, Rube Goldberg-style ads.
Astro Rocket I got my boyfriend one of these adorable Astro Rockets from cardboard safari for Valentine's Day. The large ones are frighteningly expensive, but the smallest one is cute, remarkably well designed, and despite being cardboard, has that pleasant burnt-wood odor of a carpentry shop. Mmmm, laser-cuts. They also have these kind of hilarious cardboard big game trophies: Bucky I have seen a collection of these in a gallery, and they're pretty awesomely weird.
Just in time for Valentine's Day: the "Copulating Earthworm Necklace," from heronadornment on etsy. Also love her anatomical heart locket.
It literally took me a good 20 seconds to figure out what was. . . off. . . about the first photo in this great post by Emily at SheChive. Sigh. ;) Thanks to Jake for the heads-up!
Okay, so most people don't even bother to read EULAs. But I'm glad we glanced at this one, by Ben Long for his Photoshop Action Pack: You can use these actions for anything you like, and you can give them to your friends and co-workers (or even your enemies, if your experience of the actions leads you to believe that that's where the real worth of this software lies). However, if you give them to someone else, you must give them the whole package including the installer, documentation, sample workï¬ows, and a kiss on the cheek. You must then stand on one foot and cluck like a chicken. (Man, I…
Matthew Albanese makes miniature dioramas out of everyday materials and photographs them, producing Uncanny Valley landscapes that seem almost, but not quite, real. His Paprika Mars, above, is made of 12 pounds of charcoal and spices (paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder). Fields, After the Storm, below, is mostly faux fur and cotton. Albanese's scenes are convincing precisely because they're so paradigmatic - the standard desolate planetary surface, Western grassland, etc. His work exploits our cognitive tendencies to interpret stimuli against the backdrop of our experience, especially…
Thanks to reader Laura for this treasure.
Okay, so between vampires and zombies, the undead have officially conquered pop culture. It's not really new - I was fascinated when young by Michael Jackson's Thriller and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles - but it does seem a bit out of hand. With the release of "Robin Hood and Friar Tuck: Zombie Killers," I feel like we have slalomed down the slippery slope marked by "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," ducked under "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters," and smacked a tree with our collective faces. From the synopsis: Soon after 'twas apparent that the fate Of all on Earth--the evil and the…
This is apparently a real ad for the hotly contested Orleans Parish Coroner's race: Poor Dr. Frankenstein Minyard. This takes negative campaigning to a whole new level.
Oh. No.
I came across this lovely beach in Maine a few months ago, near Bar Harbor. The remarkable thing here is that the beach is very far down - about fifty feet - yet the rocks so strongly resemble typical landscaping gravel that the beach seems to be at the level of the observer. Unfortunately, the beach was surrounded by cliffs and appeared inaccessible at high tide, so we couldn't get a person among the stones for perspective, but they must be similar to grapefruit and basketballs. (Some among you can no doubt do the math and figure out exactly how big they were - I've long forgotten how).…
When I dared my friend John to make "You've Been SCIENCED" into a pop culture tagline, using his science radio show as a platform, I didn't think he'd actually DO it. But he did: I just wish Drew Carey had used the "Pigs In Space" intonation of "You've been SCIENCED."
This is the best blog post ever. And read the comment thread - it's totally worth it. Via many people.
Yoda Borguereau Mandrak An old link, but still a good one - the "Star Wars in classic art" digital fx (advanced) contest from Worth1000.com. And the sequel contest (not as good). And the third contest. (Let's hope they're more prudent than George Lucas, and stop at three!)
Jorge Cham's PhD skewers the "wisdom of crowds" - and poorly done stats.
Scibling Rebecca Skloot's new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is coming out next month. To celebrate I thought I'd dredge one of my favorite pieces of hers out of the archive: "Fixing Nemo." Dr. Helen Roberts was about to make the first incision in what should have been a standard surgery -- a quick in-and-out procedure -- when she froze. ''Bonnie,'' she said, turning to her anesthesiologist, ''is she breathing? I don't see her breathing.'' Roberts's eyes darted around the room. ''Grab the Doppler,'' she told her other assistant. ''I want to hear her heart. Bonnie, how's she doing…
Camille Allen's tiny baby sculptures have been all over the blogosphere. Contrary to popular belief, though, they're not made of marzipan (almond candy) or icing - they're polymer clay and mohair. So you're not supposed to eat them - thank heavens. Still amazing, though. (And a perfect counterpoint to the giant baby sculptures by Ron Mueck - or the giant baby I just posted by Parmigianino.)
Madonna and Child with Angels, AKA "Madonna with the Long Neck" Parmigianino, c. 1534/40 From Edward Winkleman's blog, a good post about yet another art historian with convenient medical explanations for the artistic idiosyncrasies of the old masters. In addition to arguing that the Mona Lisa had high cholesterol, the historian has an even more timely link to current events: Among his other findings are that two of the most iconic figures in Renaissance art had a rare condition that may also afflict Osama Bin Laden. One is the young man with a red cap and distinctly sardonic expression who…
A Journey Round My Skull uncovered this DISTURBING children's book about anthropogenic talking fruit who appear to be suffering from a contagious respiratory disease. I'm not sure why I find it so disturbing, but I do. It makes me feel like I'm on some sort of mind-altering substance. (I know many children's books can have that effect - and the Spongebob movie, too - but for some reason this fruit book is just creepier than usual). Is anyone else reminded of Henry Darger's work? Check out more illustrations at A Journey Round My Skull. You can use them to frighten vegetarian children.
Via somebody awesome. You can get a print of it at dresden codak.