November 3, 2009
indieandyy:

thedailywhat:

Clever Idea of the Day: Kevin @ The Imaginary Zebra came up with a nifty idea to help reduce road rage: Install “Thanks” and “Sorry” light boxes in his car that can be switched on as necessary (e.g., when unintentionally cutting someone off, when someone lets him cut in front of them, etc.)
If you ask me, this feature should come standard.
Plenty of process shots here.
[via.]

indieandyy:

thedailywhat:

Clever Idea of the Day: Kevin @ The Imaginary Zebra came up with a nifty idea to help reduce road rage: Install “Thanks” and “Sorry” light boxes in his car that can be switched on as necessary (e.g., when unintentionally cutting someone off, when someone lets him cut in front of them, etc.)

If you ask me, this feature should come standard.

Plenty of process shots here.

[via.]

Oh, hello there November.
Am I ready for freezing weather, icicled hair, 4:30 PM sunsets?  No.
Am I excited for boots, knit hats, hot cocoa, movie marathons, and inside activities? Yes.I might enlist you to go ice skating or bake cookies with me in a few weeks, so be ready.

(via sarahsaturday)

Oh, hello there November.

Am I ready for freezing weather, icicled hair, 4:30 PM sunsets?  No.

Am I excited for boots, knit hats, hot cocoa, movie marathons, and inside activities? Yes.
I might enlist you to go ice skating or bake cookies with me in a few weeks, so be ready.

(via sarahsaturday)

October 18, 2009
Yesterday, I passed a very long line of young New Yorkers on the sidewalk. The line ended at an unmarked storefront that was all decked out with spooky Haloweenness. I became excited, thinking it was a line for a really kick-ass haunted house, and went to get back in the end of the line to inquire. Turns out it was Real World open casting call. :(
whiskeyandgoatsmilk:

Yesterday, I passed a very long line of young New Yorkers on the sidewalk. The line ended at an unmarked storefront that was all decked out with spooky Haloweenness. I became excited, thinking it was a line for a really kick-ass haunted house, and went to get back in the end of the line to inquire. Turns out it was Real World open casting call. :(

whiskeyandgoatsmilk:

intweetion:

via www.oneplusinfinity.com

intweetion:

via www.oneplusinfinity.com

October 5, 2009

NYC Subway Visualized - where are we going?

There’s something about Subway statistics that really appeal to me. The organization freak in me is satisfied by how such a chaotic clusterfuck of an experience can be distilled into different systems of analysis that actually make sense. I appreciate the fact that whether or not my morning train is sardine-packed (making necessary the unreal billboards “a crowded train is no excuse for sexual harassment”) or is pleasantly empty get documented somewhere.

This is a cool visualization based on 101 years of data that images where we New Yorkers are heading, and how often. No surprise that Times Square is the biggest hub, but did you know that 55,487,274 passed through it in 2006? Nor is the G train’s sad little thin green line a shocker. Mess around with it, it’s fun. Dots or lines - your choice.

Love the shape of this mug. Need to expand my mug collection.
balltillifall:
Just brewed some delicious Intelligentsia french press.

Love the shape of this mug. Need to expand my mug collection.

balltillifall:

Just brewed some delicious Intelligentsia french press.

September 29, 2009

Why Polaroid needs to hit the reset button

I have mixed feelings about the end of Polaroid manufacture. I think that creatives should have access to all forms of photography possible - instaphoto options other than digital included. Yet, a little part of me is happy about the end of the Polaroid era, because I think the break (and I am confident it’s just a break, since there are already groups such as The Impossible Project taking matters into their own hands) will do exactly what Polaroid needs: hit the reset button on its image.

The fact that polaroids are grouped into a category of “accessory” with the likes of fanny packs and Bose headphones is not productive for its status as an art object. This of-the-moment, trendy reputation really limits what Polaroids could be, because everyone chooses to categorize them as being “artsy” rather than “art.” IMHO, the photographers themselves play into this just as much as those labeling them this. The Polaroids that get the most internet circulation can be pretty gag worthy.

There’s something about Polaroids that inspires photographers to ignore all the conventions of photography, and snap whatever they’d like -most often, subjects with a ridiculous mix of “pretty” and “deep,” - a bare back in rumpled sheets, or a lone ballet slipper set nonchalantly (and nonesensically) on the snow. They are ridiculous, they are hit-or-miss, they are too easy to have the reputation they do.

I’ll stop my ranting now, but bottom line, I would love to see Polaroids ripped from the hipster, artsy category and just be another form of photograpy. Just as digital cameras users aren’t pigeonholed into a certain identity, neither should Polaroid users be.There should be Polaroid photographs that can be easily identified as having good/bad composition, being well/poorly lit, focused/unfocused. In essense, analyzed like other photographs.

See you soon, Polaroid, hope you come back a new man.

* The Impossible Project is backed by Urban Outfitters. Vomit.

September 28, 2009

SpeedCine

SpeedCine

SnagFilms

SnagFilms

The Auteurs

The Auteurs

InstantWatcher

InstantWatcher

Thanks, Andy! Great list.

indieandyy:

Here are several websites you can use to easily search and watch movies online (ranging from free, to ad-supported, to subscription-based, to rentals and purchases):

  • SpeedCine - Searches across Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Hulu, and others to give you a clear listing of your options to view or purchase. Clean, simple interface.
  • SnagFilms - Documentary buff? This site has hundreds of free streaming docs. Yes, there are ads involved, but that’s a small price to pay. The titles range from small indie docs you’ve never heard of, to theatrically released ones you have.
  • The Auteurs - “An online movie theater where you watch, discover, and discuss auteur cinema.” If you want to watch Observe and Report, just move along. But if you want to see Marco Bellocchio’s 1965 Fists in the Pocket, click. A lot of the offerings are $2-$5 but there’s plenty of free options and the quality is fantastic.
  • InstantWatcher - Little more than a easy, stripped down way to view the Netflix Instant titles. But trust me, once you start using it, you won’t ever go to Netflix proper again (for instant viewing, that is). Really great feature is the expiring tab for a quick list of what’s going away and when.

Not PC, but stay strong, my fasting friends! Although I am not of the clan, I am appropriating the holiday and starting my new year today as well. Happy Yom Kippur!
sade (via leftofsound)

Not PC, but stay strong, my fasting friends! Although I am not of the clan, I am appropriating the holiday and starting my new year today as well. Happy Yom Kippur!

sade (via leftofsound)

September 23, 2009
Personas is fun…Unless your name is Sarah Rapp
Personas is an MIT Media Lab tool that analyzes your internet tracks and characterizes the types of qualities in a fun visualization that takes the form of toolbar of attributes. There are obvious flaws in this, as the entire analysis in contingent on having searchable information about yourself, and not being overshadowed my someone else with your same name.
Although the system did recognize that there is a Sarah Rapp who is “a film student and graduate of Barnard College,” the athlete from Kentucky who is a superb softball player kind of ruined my Personas experience. I knew there was a problem when Athletics took up the majority of my visualization.
So, to demonstrate a success story, I have included my more uniquely named sister, Laurel Rapp’s, analysis, which is very accurate. Please note that the large rectangle on her image says “illegal.”

Personas is fun…Unless your name is Sarah Rapp

Personas is an MIT Media Lab tool that analyzes your internet tracks and characterizes the types of qualities in a fun visualization that takes the form of toolbar of attributes. There are obvious flaws in this, as the entire analysis in contingent on having searchable information about yourself, and not being overshadowed my someone else with your same name.

Although the system did recognize that there is a Sarah Rapp who is “a film student and graduate of Barnard College,” the athlete from Kentucky who is a superb softball player kind of ruined my Personas experience. I knew there was a problem when Athletics took up the majority of my visualization.

So, to demonstrate a success story, I have included my more uniquely named sister, Laurel Rapp’s, analysis, which is very accurate. Please note that the large rectangle on her image says “illegal.”