29.12.11

*** stopmotion ***

Have a look at the world's smallest and largest stop motion animations in the world- as well as their "making of's".   I love everything about stop motion- and I am very intrigued by making ofs... It's one thing watching the animation, and whole other thing of seeing how much time, effort, craft and planning goes into these seemingly "simple" pieces of work... So fascinating.

I am very much convinced that at some point in my not too distant future I will attempt one of my own.  I have done so in my undergraduate, but I am not entirely satisfied with the outcome... So attempt no. two is well in order.

Anyway.  Have a look.  Too charming.


[Dot- The smallest stop-motion animation in the world]


[Making of Dot]


[Gulp- The largest stop=motion animation in the world]


[Making of Gulp]

[animation by Aardman (Sand art by Sand in your Eye) and shot with a Nokia N8]

26.12.11

*** disliking comic sans for a THIRD time ***

I still hate comic sans. Passionately. And it has popped up in my radar again over the last week. Very amusingly so.

Firstly the Google 'easteregg' "Comic Sans for Everyone"[Have you come across some of their other easter eggs? They highly entertain me, I've been researching them quite intensely over the last days. Too cool... I may end up blogging them at some point, who knows...].  Anyway, I'm sure the good folk from Google also hate Comic Sans. Have a look at their prank here.

Secondly, the website Comic Sans Criminal: A site designed to educate the unsuspecting comic-sans-user about their wrongdoings. Also very entertaining. Have a look here.

*** Berg's little printer ***

This would ruin many a forest, but I still want one.
Yes, I would use it economically...



Hello Little Printer, available 2012 from BERG on Vimeo.


Read more about this little printer on the Creative Review blog here.

25.12.11

*** mapped stereotypes ***

I came across these maps showing the stereotyped views of the population from various countries of the EU about their fellow EU-members. Very entertaining. I added my (very limited) thoughts of each of the countries as well- general knowledge, politics and geography are not one of my strong points...

Blogged from here.


Europe according to the Russians

Europe according to the Greeks

Europe according to the Germans

Europe according to the Turks.

Europe according to Italy

Europe according to the UK

Europe according to France

Europe according to the US



Europe according to ME

*** banksy ***

I'm not really one for ay form of political or social conversation amongst 'friends', it seems to me that it always ends up in bickering, never to be really resolved, where people usually grumpily agree to disagree... It has never really made much sense to me [I know many will argue this though]... Anyway...

I am however, a very large Banksy fan.  His commentary amuses me, and although it is very much 'in your face' by nature, he still makes his point in a way that you can "take it or leave it".

I found three very interesting non-graffiti Banksy-related posts that I will share with you on this very merry Christmas day (merry Christmas to you all):

1. Banksy stealing challenge: The Art Series Hotels have hung up a Banksy picture which the guests of the hotel are welcome to steal: if they can pull of the "heist" without being busted, they get to keep the picture [as far as I understand this is how it works].  Damn cool. I'd love to try that, but unfortunately I am on the other side of the globe... [Read more about it here]


[Picture is "up- ready for stealing"]


[Picture is stolen]


2. Banksy's pet store. Very entertaining: the chicken nuggets crack me up... And the CCTV birds...



3. Banksy's critique of the whole catholic-priest-shenanigans: blurring out the priest statues face like criminals in documentaries. Teehee, clever. He says "I'm never sure who deserves to be put on a pedestal or crushed under one".


[Images from here]

24.12.11

*** marzipan pigs ***

According to boing boing, "maker of 10kg marzipan pig decides it's too gruesome to give to his daughters"
That really is one evil looking marzipan pig... Have a look for more pictures here.




*** watching people work ***

I seriously love watching people work, not only is it super therapeutic and fascinating- but I am sure it must be educational on some level.  People make it look so easy, mmmmpff.



[Made by some guy called Alex... click on the YouTube Video to see source.]

5.12.11

*** old-school sign drawing ***

This was superbly interesting for me to watch. It's a short documentary about commercial sign artists, working old-school: huge adverts painted on buildings by means of stencils and paintbrushes. Hardcore, but damn cool.  Made by Jon.

27.11.11

*** the kern game ***

I discovered this game on someone's facebook at some point in the last couple of weeks and it has provided me with hours of amusement- I don't know if this is because by nature I am pretty much fascinated with design (even more so that "art" I am ashamed to admit).  I was happy to discover that my kerning skills are pretty much spot on.  For those of you that have not spent their last couple of years studying design and therefore don't know what kerning is:



kerningpresent participle of kern (Verb)

Verb:
  1. Adjust the spacing between (letters or characters) in a piece of text to be printed.
  2. Make (letters) overlap.


Have a go here: Kerntype.

22.11.11

*** animals making a doodoo ***

I will apologize in advance for the content of this blogpost [I suppose some people may find this offensive], but I have a desperate urge to share this information with the virtual world of blog readers out there.  As I have recently moved to London I am currently looking for some form of employment. The friend I am currently living with advised me to seek out opportunities at apple, as apparently their work environment is pretty 'agreeable'. Anyway, after taking action on this suggestion, I promptly got an interview, during which I was sworn to secrecy by a confidentiality agreement/contract.  So I cannot let out any secrets about their recruitment process (which personally I thought was horrific- I'm sure I can say that... right?!).

Anyway, without letting the proverbial cat out of the (equally proverbial) bag, I would like to- by means of an example- portray how awfully I react to the interviewing process: at some stage I had to say something "interesting about myself".  I thought about this long and hard and somehow thought it wise to tell everyone present (here it comes) that I really like to watch animals pooing... I thought nothing of it, but in retrospect when telling friends about this decision, I was met with comments like "there is a time, a place and a crowd for statements like that" and "what on earth possessed you to tell potential employers that you like watching animals take a crap?".  Needless to say I was not hired [retrospectively, thank goodness, it turned out to be a very salesy customer service/ retail position. I figure I did not study for FIVE YEARS to work sales of some cult-like retail store.  This again is besides the point again though...].  My point is that I really really do like watching animals poo.... and I am not particularly ashamed to admit it....

A horse lifts its tail in anticipation, a cat curves its back (in a manner much reflecting something like intense disdain for itself), a fish swims around for at least five minutes with a brown 'string' hanging from its 'lowerds' and my dog for one cannot stand it when you look at him poo- so much so that he will stop and move to somewhere else to continue his business.... How can you not find this interesting?!

As fascinating as I find this, I will refrain from mentioning it at another interview.... For now though, I will share my enthusiasm: here is a tasteless (if I say so myself) video of a horse making a poopoo.

*** marcel in a shell with shoes ***

I know I have been a bad bad blogger. I have recently moved to London and in the process most of my 'creative' materials have landed in a box, still in my old flat in Glasgow. For now here is a little animation that I was shown on the first night of my stay here in my friend's livingroom [I've turned into "that person living on the couch"].  One of the cutest little animations I have come across. Almost heartbreakingly so. [made by Dean Fleischer-Camp]

5.10.11

*** sandwiches ***

My friend sent me a link to a site called "Scanwiches", filled with marvelously sumptious combinations of sandwiches.  His description: "Sandwich porn".

FDawg, this is not sandwich porn, it is cullinary art...











28.9.11

*** fortune cookies ***

I have a vague recollection of myself in a chinese restaurant very many years back, looking at a fortune cookie and thinking "how do they get that piece of paper inside there?".  Now, finally, I looked up a recipe for fortune cookies and solved this baffling food mystery....

[For those of you wondering: the fortune is put in after baking round, flat, soft cookies- which are folded into fortune cookie shapes and left to cool- and harden.  Brilliant.]

They seemed to be a little bit too soft after initial baking, so I rebaked them at about 100 degrees for a couple of more minutes. Dried them right out, now they are as crispy and crunchy as can be. Superb.












27.9.11

*** more good ideas ***

I somehow came across this self promotional concept on the marvelous interweb...
I'll just post some self-explanatory images, but if you want, read more about it here! And visit Jamie Reed's site here.