Category: video

Dergin Tokmak

April 10th, 2012

Dergin Tokmak contracted Polio when he was only one year old, which resulted in partial paralysis from Poliomyelitis. He went on to become a Cirque du Soleil performer and breakdancer.

Check out this informal video from his youtube channel. Give it a minute to get going…and watch the incredibly fluid, gravity defying moves. Amazing.

“I want to pass on to the next generation … so people can see that no handicap is too big or too limiting to dance. My message as an artist is to show the world that there is a creative soul in everyone with or without a handicap.” –Dergin Tokmak
Le Squelette Joyeux

April 5th, 2012

I seem to have a love of dancing skeletons, as evidenced here and here.

I just revisited on of my favorite antique film clips: Le Squelette Joyeux, by Auguste & Louis Lumière (1895).

He’s got some nice moves.
Skeleton Frolics

March 22nd, 2012

Although this 1937 cartoon is a blatant ripoff of the original Skeleton Dance made in 1929…I don’t care. I still love it. Go ahead…try not to find it adorable!
Vintage Creepy Doll Commercial

March 12th, 2012

Does anyone have information about this company or product? All I know is, this commercial is AMAZING.

Really…take 30 seconds of your life to watch this.

Source
Bobtail Squid

February 28th, 2012

My favorite creature of the week is the adorable Bobtail Squid.

From Wiki:
Bobtail squid (order Sepiolida) are a group of cephalopods closely related to cuttlefish. Bobtail squid tend to have a rounder mantle than cuttlefish and have no cuttlebone. They have eight suckered arms and two tentacles and are generally quite small (typical male mantle length being between 1 and 8 cm).

Sepiolids live in shallow coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean and some parts of the Indian Ocean as well as in shallow waters on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula off South Africa.

Like cuttlefish, they can swim by either using the fins on their mantle or by jet propulsion. They are also known as dumpling squid (owing to their rounded mantle) or stubby squid.

Why are they so bright, colorful and just plain awesome, you ask?

Bobtail squid have a symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), which inhabit a special light organ in the squid’s mantle. The bacteria are fed a sugar and amino acid solution by the squid and in return hide the squid’s silhouette when viewed from below by matching the amount of light hitting the top of the mantle. The organ contains filters which may alter the wavelength of luminescence closer to that of downwelling moonlight and starlight; a lens with biochemical similarities to the squid’s eye to diffuse the bacterial luminescence; and a reflector which directs the light ventrally.

If you want to watch how these little guys dig in the sand, have an eyeful:
Tim Lewis: Pony

February 17th, 2012

Kinetic sculpture fascinates me, not only because I’m intrigued by the way creators manage to piece things together and animate them, but because of the incredible tendency we have to anthropomorphize anything that even remotely emulates human shape or motion.

“Pony” by Tim Lewis is an amazing chimera. I’m sure many people would think it’s “creepy,” but I rather like it. I’d love a ride in its little carriage.

Lewis states:

I think that when you first approach a piece of art, and you imagine it and draw it, there’s a sense that it will always remain somewhat in your imagination. Its only when you take the 2D object and re-work it into the physical 3D world that it becomes somewhat more real. It no longer just exists in your eyes and mind, but instead has to react with the floors and walls around it in the physical world. For me, kinetic art highlights the importance of bringing both inventions and imagination into a physical existence.

See it in motion. It’s a mesmerizing and mildly disquieting sight…

Source
Desktop Goodies 2/8

February 8th, 2012

A new piece by Mark Ryden to lust after…

An age old patent for all your cow facade needs:

The ORIGINAL stairway to heaven:

Beautiful sandcastle by Adam Gormley:

Excellent idea!

Great party game:

Why not surprise your loved one with an unforgettable toy this Valentine’s Day?

Oh, BELIEVE IT!

At this restaurant, the only thing higher than the lobster towers is the staff’s hair.

I can almost hear the sweet, melodious tune of this duet.

They say history repeats itself. This political cartoon should be reprinted…

Now, I know it’s exaggerated for dramatic effect here, but this is pretty much exactly what my mind’s eye envisions when someone sneezes near me:

Heh. Wait ’til the 21st Century, girl…it’s called the Internet.

But alas…love hurts.

My best friend loves pickles. I sense an edible Pickle Circus setup at a birthday gift!

And I’ll finish off with a video that begs the question “Why is every sport that looks mildly appealing to me a century old and long since laughed out of existence?”
New Years Miscellania

January 1st, 2012

Happy 2012, folks!

I enjoyed this vintage glimpse of New Years past as the clock wound down last night.

Followed by the smooooooth sounds of Trololo:

Here’s a nice little 2012 collage by Marko Purac:

The companion piece actually reminds me a bit more of my feelings about 2011:

Here’s another that’s been circulating, by Trevor Brown:

And this is one of my all time favorite New Years cards (date unknown). Judging from the picture, “the pace that kills” is probably about 15 miles per hour.

WordPress sent me a note chronicling my top 5 most popular posts of 2011. I was kind of hoping I could find my top 5 LEAST popular ones and list them here for the fun of it…but there’s no easy way to access that. So, in case you missed them, the “top 5” (not necessarily written in the past year) are:

Pumpkin Megapost
Ernst Haeckel
Halloween Wedding Cakes
Owl Tattoos
Sushi Cake

Hope everyone has a lovely day today…
Holiday Video Roundup

December 24th, 2011

Tired of the same old specials on TV? Here are some alternatives.

Let’s kick things off with this warped and wonderful “Spumco Christmas Card,” by Ren and Stimpy mastermind John K.:

I believe this claymation video was supposed to be aired on TV, but was actually cut (perhaps due to the kiddies getting beaten up?):

If not for my dear, talented friend J.E. Larson, I would not have remembered this 1950 rendition of “The Night Before Christmas.” PUPPETS!

Mr. Larson also made sure I didn’t skip the priceless Nativity Scene (this is just the first part, see the youtube sidebar for links to the rest):

And now to go waaaaaaay back to 1898, a simpler time, before Christmas was about Xboxes and iPads:

For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the 1968 Terry Gilliam Christmas Card:

And here’s a suggestion from My Pink Planet; a post-apocalyptic anti-war cartoon in which forest critters rebuild a world after the humans have destroyed it.

We’ll top things off with a gelatin Christmas tree from none other than Charles Phoenix, whom you may remember from his fantastic Fried Cereal video:
Brush With Death

December 15th, 2011

This is a great little video and it takes less than two minutes of your time to watch it.