I know I'm risking turning this blog thingy into an OK Go fan site, but I did promise to show you their new video last week when I displayed the group's neat Sesame Street video.
Again, OK Go, made a video that was waaaay complicated to do. Where do they find the time. In this video, they spent four months setting up a course, and four days shooting a video of a car that rigged up that has a pneumatic arm and a bunch of other features that plays music by hitting things (discarded pianos, bells, other stuff) as it drives through a desert.
Pretty awesome stuff:
Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Burlington Lights Up
Christmas is long gone. (Phew!) But Burlington, Vermont kept its Christmas lights up, just because nobody likes the dark and gloom of winter.
This week, for a winter festival ongoing in Burlington, they added some big colored lights to the white theme in the main shopping district, the Church Street Marketplace.
They should put them up next Christmas. You can see the results in a photo I took on Church Street last night
A First: Fun From North Korea
I never thought I'd seen the day where I would post something about fun in North Korea. Yes, I did have something goofy on the recent death of their dictator, Kim Jong Il,but that was us reacting to their awfulness, not something awfully funny from North Korea. There is a difference.
North Korea has to be the worst place in the world. The family-run dictatorship government is a closed off cult of personality. Not only do the people who live there have no freedoms, they're basically starving and freezing because the government is so isolationist, evil, selfish and just horrible.
But, we have the video you will see at the bottom of this post. I don't know if it's North Korean propoganda about how wonderful they are, or if a sense of humor bloomed somehow in that rocky, dictatorial soil, (This performance is in Norway) but we have of all things, accordian players playing a hit from the 1980s.
North Korea has to be the worst place in the world. The family-run dictatorship government is a closed off cult of personality. Not only do the people who live there have no freedoms, they're basically starving and freezing because the government is so isolationist, evil, selfish and just horrible.
But, we have the video you will see at the bottom of this post. I don't know if it's North Korean propoganda about how wonderful they are, or if a sense of humor bloomed somehow in that rocky, dictatorial soil, (This performance is in Norway) but we have of all things, accordian players playing a hit from the 1980s.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Onion News: Oregon Euthanasia Takes a Teenage Turn
The Onion News Network the nation's most trusted news source, or at least the most satirical, has this, um, gripping report on an Oregon couple's painful decision to euthanize their teenage daughter, who is so brain damaged she can only text, groan and roll her eyes.
Employing every cliche from every network news drama story, the Onion News Network team brings us totally up to date on this highly important issue. Especially to you parents of teens.
I particularly like the shots of the protesters who don't want the girl euthanized. You can catch demonstrators carrying signs that read "Trying on clothes is proof of life" and "Caitlin isn't brain-dead. She's just an idiot."
And you have to feel for Caitlin's mom, who urges viewers in the report to "go home and hug their kids, and be thankful they don't have such a piss poor attitude."
Also, when watching the video, stay on to the end for a glimpse of upcoming news story of utmost importance.
Employing every cliche from every network news drama story, the Onion News Network team brings us totally up to date on this highly important issue. Especially to you parents of teens.
I particularly like the shots of the protesters who don't want the girl euthanized. You can catch demonstrators carrying signs that read "Trying on clothes is proof of life" and "Caitlin isn't brain-dead. She's just an idiot."
And you have to feel for Caitlin's mom, who urges viewers in the report to "go home and hug their kids, and be thankful they don't have such a piss poor attitude."
Also, when watching the video, stay on to the end for a glimpse of upcoming news story of utmost importance.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A Piggy Prank on Police in Vermont
The Burlington Free Press in Vermont broke a big oinky piece of news this afternoon with word that Vermont State Police have been seriously pranked by inmates at a jail.
Free Press writer Mike Donoghue reports that one or more prisoners at a jail in St. Albans, Vermont altered the decal that goes on state vehicles. Part of the decal has an image of a Holstein cow (this type of cow is a Vermont icon.) They changed the pattern on the cow's shoulder to look like a pig.
Full disclosure: I work at the Free Press. But I can never resist sharing coworkers' stuff when it's this good.
Anyway, the anti-police crowd sometimes calls police pigs, so this might not go over well in Vermont law enforcement.
It looks like the State Police is trying to figure out how many vehicles have this altered decal, and are also saying the Vermont Department of Corrections has a lot of 'splainin' to do, as Ricky Ricardo might have said.
Reaction to the piggy prank is mixed. Some people are congratulating whichever inmate did this for his creativity, others are annoyed there was no oversight.
Do read the Free Press article. It is something. Plus it's entertaining to check out readers' comments. I'm betting the paper will have updates, too.
No word yet on whether the paper will get comments from the Muppets' Miss Piggy.
Free Press writer Mike Donoghue reports that one or more prisoners at a jail in St. Albans, Vermont altered the decal that goes on state vehicles. Part of the decal has an image of a Holstein cow (this type of cow is a Vermont icon.) They changed the pattern on the cow's shoulder to look like a pig.
 |
| The altered image of the cow on a Vermont State Police decal. Photo by Mike Donoghue, Burlington Free Press. |
Full disclosure: I work at the Free Press. But I can never resist sharing coworkers' stuff when it's this good.
Anyway, the anti-police crowd sometimes calls police pigs, so this might not go over well in Vermont law enforcement.
It looks like the State Police is trying to figure out how many vehicles have this altered decal, and are also saying the Vermont Department of Corrections has a lot of 'splainin' to do, as Ricky Ricardo might have said.
Reaction to the piggy prank is mixed. Some people are congratulating whichever inmate did this for his creativity, others are annoyed there was no oversight.
Do read the Free Press article. It is something. Plus it's entertaining to check out readers' comments. I'm betting the paper will have updates, too.
No word yet on whether the paper will get comments from the Muppets' Miss Piggy.
OK Go Teaches Us Our Colors
I post videos by the group OK Go whenever I come across one. I'm such a fan of their intricate, amazingly done music videos. If you don't like it, tough, just indulge me here.
The group just did a piece for Sesame Street, teaching kids all about primary colors and what they do. A nice basic lesson, yes, but boy, the kids will remember their colors forever if they watch this short, but delightful video at the bottom of this post.
There's also apparently a new video coming out Sunday or Monday, so I bet I'll have another post about OK Go next week. Their best video is probably the one involving a huge Rube Goldberg set up that is absolutely fascinating.
Meanwhile, enjoy OK Go's trip to Sesame Street.
The group just did a piece for Sesame Street, teaching kids all about primary colors and what they do. A nice basic lesson, yes, but boy, the kids will remember their colors forever if they watch this short, but delightful video at the bottom of this post.
There's also apparently a new video coming out Sunday or Monday, so I bet I'll have another post about OK Go next week. Their best video is probably the one involving a huge Rube Goldberg set up that is absolutely fascinating.
Meanwhile, enjoy OK Go's trip to Sesame Street.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
$5,300 For A Snotty Tissue?
For sale: A 2005 Chrysler 300C, only about 19,000 miles on the odometer. Kelley Blue Book says it's worth about $14,300. Asking price $1 million.
Barack Obama once owned the car. So the "Obamacar" can sell for a ridiculous amount, says its current owner Tim O'Boyle.
So far, no takers, and some experts say the Chrysler will "only" fetch maybe $100,000.
This got me thinking about the sky high prices people will pay for weird things that had the honor of being touched by celebrities. I guess that makes them magical.
Some examples:
In 2008, Jay Leno got Scarlett Johansson to blow her nose into a piece of tissue. The snotty tissue later sold for $5,300. I hope the person who bought it got a nasty cold.
A piece of gum that Britney Spears once gnawed on fetched $4,000. Some French toast that Justin Timberlake couldn't finish eating was purchased for $3,154. I wonder if the French toast was worth more once it really started to rot.
Justin Bieber once sold a piece of his hair for $40,668, but at least the proceeds went to a good cause: Rehabilitating animals.
Old-timey celebrity detritus also sells for big money. A battered hat once worn by John Wayne sold for $119,500. A chest X-ray performed on Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s costs its buyer $45,000.
I can't find a clear explanation for this insanity. I'm sure some people see this stuff as an investment. Buy something weird for a ridiculous price, then try to sell it to some othersucker, I mean buyer, for a higher price. Some researchers refer to the phenomenon as "contagion," with the notion that the stuff some celebrity touched has some sort of essense that can be transferred. Or something.
Geez, there's all kinds of contagion you could get from this stuff. Britney's gum? What else was she chewing the night she had that gum? And how long was Justin Timberlake's French toast left out on the table. How many flies landed on it?
An article from June at dailyfinance.com speculated that people just want to fantasize about being the celebrity who owned it. The article quoted psychotherapist Joan Ingber, who said, "Maybe it's a way for someone to slip into the celebrity's skin and the trappings of their lives."
But why spend tens of thousands of dollars on memorabilia to vicariously live the life of a celebrity, when you can go to TMZ.com, watch Entertainment Tonight, or buy a supermarket tabloid to get the dirt on what your favorite celebrity is doing? Then you can just pretend you're in the middle of the scandal du jour of the week if that's how you get your kicks.
Yes, you, too can get in and out of a car wearing a teeny tiny miniskirt with no underwear so you can flash your, well, never mind. Or you can recite Charlie Sheen "winning" screeds out on the street if you prefer that.
Or maybe you can do the hard work of becoming an actual celebrity. Just sign up for as many reality TV shows as you can, try your damndest to make an utter, complete loutish fool out of yourself so that you can watch the fame wash over you.
See? No need to spend that kind of money. You can thank me now for saving you all that cold, hard cash.
Barack Obama once owned the car. So the "Obamacar" can sell for a ridiculous amount, says its current owner Tim O'Boyle.
 |
| Is this car worth $1 million to you? |
So far, no takers, and some experts say the Chrysler will "only" fetch maybe $100,000.
This got me thinking about the sky high prices people will pay for weird things that had the honor of being touched by celebrities. I guess that makes them magical.
Some examples:
In 2008, Jay Leno got Scarlett Johansson to blow her nose into a piece of tissue. The snotty tissue later sold for $5,300. I hope the person who bought it got a nasty cold.
A piece of gum that Britney Spears once gnawed on fetched $4,000. Some French toast that Justin Timberlake couldn't finish eating was purchased for $3,154. I wonder if the French toast was worth more once it really started to rot.
Justin Bieber once sold a piece of his hair for $40,668, but at least the proceeds went to a good cause: Rehabilitating animals.
Old-timey celebrity detritus also sells for big money. A battered hat once worn by John Wayne sold for $119,500. A chest X-ray performed on Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s costs its buyer $45,000.
I can't find a clear explanation for this insanity. I'm sure some people see this stuff as an investment. Buy something weird for a ridiculous price, then try to sell it to some other
Geez, there's all kinds of contagion you could get from this stuff. Britney's gum? What else was she chewing the night she had that gum? And how long was Justin Timberlake's French toast left out on the table. How many flies landed on it?
An article from June at dailyfinance.com speculated that people just want to fantasize about being the celebrity who owned it. The article quoted psychotherapist Joan Ingber, who said, "Maybe it's a way for someone to slip into the celebrity's skin and the trappings of their lives."
But why spend tens of thousands of dollars on memorabilia to vicariously live the life of a celebrity, when you can go to TMZ.com, watch Entertainment Tonight, or buy a supermarket tabloid to get the dirt on what your favorite celebrity is doing? Then you can just pretend you're in the middle of the scandal du jour of the week if that's how you get your kicks.
Yes, you, too can get in and out of a car wearing a teeny tiny miniskirt with no underwear so you can flash your, well, never mind. Or you can recite Charlie Sheen "winning" screeds out on the street if you prefer that.
Or maybe you can do the hard work of becoming an actual celebrity. Just sign up for as many reality TV shows as you can, try your damndest to make an utter, complete loutish fool out of yourself so that you can watch the fame wash over you.
See? No need to spend that kind of money. You can thank me now for saving you all that cold, hard cash.
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