Totally rad music video by Tin Spider Studio. It’s the new single from Black Noise feat. Lex One, taken from Black Noise ‘EP.02′ on Southern Fried Records. Just watch it, you’ll see.
Andy Kaufman was before my time but if what I read about this feud with Jerry Lawler and that “Man on the Moon” movie were any indication, this guy was a walking laugh factory. He blurred the line between the stage and his personal life and often times it was difficult to figure out if he was serious or if you were a victim of yet another one of his pranks. Perhaps one of his most controversial stunts involved challenging women in a comedy club to come on stage and wrestle him. He offered a $1,000 reward to any lady that could successfully pin him. He taunted the women with some pretty sexist, but admittedly hilarious, remarks. It’s clear if you understand Kaufman’s sense of humor that he was simply trying to entice them to join him.
Legions of women from across the country responded to the call, resulting in a barrage of hate mail (and love letters) from would-be contenders. Kaufman kept all of them and two of his colleagues Lynne Margulies and Bob Zmuda have compiled them into a book. “Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!” is available Dec 1. From the preview I’ve seen, it does not matter if you were around when Kaufman was ruling the comedy circuit. You just need a brief intro into his wrestling stunt and then the pictures and letters do the rest to paint the picture of a legend.
Last year, Panasonic hosted the Next Generation Talent to give UK design students a crack at creating an advertisement and win a bunch of gear. They let me sit on the judges panel and blab on and on about some amazing student work. The contest was a success and the winning video was great. This year they've narrowed down the entries to four and asked the judges back to choose a winner. I think I've picked my favorite, Paul Bryan, but help me make up my mind. Have a quick view at the four remaining finalist and tell me your favorite and why in the comments below. Just to spur you along we're going to give away the noise canceling headphones they were going to give to me as a gift to a commenter at random below.
Consider Class Attire partners JinYen Huynh and Chris Carew's are the ultimate forgivers. The Chalkboard Tee they designed in Brooklyn is made to be written, scrawled, and drawn on before being erased. Baby “chalkboard underoos†may be unveiled soon (and before you ask, the LA-sewn Ts and Florida-created chalk pockets on the sides of the shirts are made for kids as well as adults). What more would you expect from a company that promises “we make people popular� It's the ultimate grade school throwback.
We have quite an affinity for those with affection for the sounds of our gaming past. Even more so when that blast of 8-bit aural goodness is accompanied by a visual feast centered around another one of our childhood favorites, Lego. 8-bit Trip, a video from unsigned Swedish pop outfit rymdreglage goes totally Gondry on us with ever-so enticing results. The action is a roller coaster of karate chopping, eye-popping goodness mixed with doses of pac man and general gaming fever. It’s truly a sight to behold.
I know it seems like iPhone app day here at JS, but this is a neat little post-lunch nap, pre-early happy hour time waster. Longtime reader Pete Anderson (aka Anthropophagy) sent us a note about his new iPhone game called Stay. It’s a simple deal: keep your shapes balanced on the beam while different types of blocks try to knock it off. Trickier than it looks. The full version will be in the iTunes store soon, but for now we have promo codes for the first three readers who comment on their favorite application.
Antony Hegarty’s voice will give you goosebumps guaranteed. The tremolo and emotional croon is the kind of thing that can sound cheesy and over dramatic if it’s not done perfectly. Thankfully, it is done perfectly. Antony and the Johnsons showcase the frontman’s ability to sing us an honest and sad, yet uplifting song, the single entitled ‘Aeon’. The true stunt, however, is the B side that sideswipes you. Equally somber is the band’s cover of Beyonce’s ‘Crazy Right Now’, a pop hit turned inside out, making a perfectly played out song listenable again. Remember the Michael Andrews and Gary Jules cover of “Mad World”? Exactly.
I’m absolutely loving the latest addition to the site For Orchestra!, a site put together by music composition graduate Walt Ribeiro. Users tip him off to songs they want re-arranged as an orchestra piece, and he goes to work. Check out this beautiful rendition of Radiohead’s Reckoner above.
When I choose a song, I understand that I'll be spending alot of time with it. There are times when I dislike a song I'm arranging but have to live with it, or eventually get sick of it. Luckily, Radiohead ‘Reckoner' grew on me pretty strongly. After a few days I began looping it for hours while I was walking somewhere or was waiting at the train station. I started depicting the lyrical meaning of the song and really getting involved in their song structure and repertoire. Into it? Keep reading.
FingerBeat is a virtual instrument inspired by retro synthesizers & samplers, designed for creativity & self-expression. A homage to dance music and pop culture, FingerBeat is a classic for absolutely everyone. Only on iPhone & second generation iPod touch. You can check out a video of it here.
The two most important factors in combating a beast such as cancer are courage and hope. Perhaps there’s no better embodiment of those two words than Livestrong founder and seven time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. While Armstrong may have triumphed over the disease there are still many who need the strength to fight it every day and still those who have not been so fortunate. Still, the message of hope and remembrance of the struggle of others goes a long way towards inspiring those currently engaged in such a battle and the loved ones who face it with them everyday. That’s why Nike and Livestrong have teamed up with Deep Local and StandardRobot to make technology a little more human and spread positive messages about the fight survival during this year’s Tour De France. They’re not doing so by passing out flyers or writing pretty messages in the clouds over the Pyrenees. Instead they’re using the wondrous trailer-sized replica of an inkjet printer known as Chalkbot, to spread personal messages of perseverance and remembrance across the roads of competition of all those who have endured the pain over the long haul on the road of life, regardless of which side they’ve come out on. Check out the Nike site for more info or text LIVESTRONG and your message to 36453 and it will let you know when it has been painted. Wonderful.
Update: It wouldn’t be fair to mention this project without a hat tip to the amazing team at W+K who pushed this project through! Â Two W+K folks are in France right now with it! Â Fantastic work…
Absolutely fantastic stop motion video entitled ‘The PEN story‘ dedicated to the comeback and 50th anniversary of the Olympus PEN (it’s a camera, silly). For this 3 minute clip 60,000 pictures were shot, 9,600 prints developed, and 1,800 pictures shot again.Check it out. Via CLDFX
Anna the Red makes brilliant character bento, often with a nod toward anime and video games. Her Kyaraben transforms the traditional Japanese lunch box into a work of art. Recently, someone from Google took notice of Anna’s bento prowess and invited her to help promote Google Chrome by making the logo out of food. She began with a sketch, and ended up with the Google Chrome logo realized in boiled broccoli, fried red peppers and scrambled eggs. If you’ve ever wanted to see the dilligent work that goes into this niche art form, check out the fast-paced video. Delicious.
