Chalkboard Furniture

You can make some pretty amazing, ridiculously fun furniture using chalkboard paint, which can be found at many hardware, general, or online stores.

(via. lifehacker.com)

Wide Screen v. Full Screen

I'd never thought about what "formatted to fit your screen" meant in terms of changing a movie's story.

No more full screen for me.

(via. kottke.org)

Wrist Mounted Flame Throwers

I'm pretty sure I need to build a pair of these. Just in case I need to superhero it up.

You know.

(via. kottke.org)

My Musical Favorites of Late

[All links send you to the amazon.com mp3 store, the best way to buy music.]

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (album by Phoenix) - Only $5 during the month of August!

Uprising (single by Muse)

At the Bottom (single by Brand New)

Oracular Spectacular (album by MGMT)

Merriweather Post Pavilion (album by Animal Collective)

The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me (album by Brand New)

All of the coolest scientists were Danish:

Hans Christian Ørsted

Tycho Brahe

Søren Kierkegaard

also: Danish names rock.

One Buttock Playing

Why classical music is for everyone.

Eco-friendly Laziness

Who would've thought that you could save the planet simply by being lazy? Last Year's Model encourages you to "hang on to a gadget or technology product that you own, instead of just buying a new one."

"We love cool gadgets as much as anybody else. We just want to be thoughtful about the stuff we've bought."

They encourage participants to post this badge on their blogs and websites.

(via. kottke.org)

New Desktop Mod

I made a custom desktop background this weekend modeled after a Star Trek computer interface.

It has quite a few interactive elements such as:
-time
-date
-weather (including: temperature, humidity, general condition, and tomorrow's condition)
-ip addresses and wireless network name
-RAM, CUP, and uptime stats
-top system processes
and finally
-an interactive iTunes song display with controls

The flickr page has detailed instructions, so those of you who know your way around a computer should be able to make similar interactive desktops (be creative and use a theme that you like, don't be turned off by my Star Trek geekiness!).

Large image here.

Also, THE NEW STAR TREK MOVIE COMES OUT IN 15 DAYS!

Urban Bicycling

Danny MacAskill and Ryan Leech blew my mind with these videos of stunts pulled off while on a bicycle. I could not believe what I was seeing. I almost wet myself midway through Danny's video (at 3:04) when he flipped upside down off of a tree.

Danny MacAskill:


Ryan Leech:


(via kottke.org)

Augmented Reality and Orson Scott Card

I discovered a presentation about a new wearable technology intended to "give us seamless access to all [the] relevant information about the things that we may come across."

I could go on and on about all of the cool things in this video. About how, on average, my jaw dropped once every 4 seconds, but instead I'm going to make you watch the presentation and experience the childlike giddiness that I felt when I realized the implications of this brilliant invention.

- - -

Since I found the link to the aforementioned article on his site, this would be as appropriate a time as any to plug one of my favorite authors, who also happens to excel in journalism, punditry, social commentary, and critique of entertainment.

I was introduced to Orson Scott Card, by means of his internationally renowned novel 'Ender's Game.' I was only an eighth grader, but even then I could tell that he was full of valuable insight concerning men, their motives, and their actions.

After having read almost every single piece of literature published by him (whether digital or print), I can safely say that these insights saturate his writings, leaving the reader not only thoroughly entertained, but also intellectually challenged.

He runs two blogs that I frequent. The first, Uncle Orson Review Everything, is just that. He reviews movies, books, foods, plans, ideas, sidewalk placement, everything!

His second blog, World Watch, discussed politics, culture, ethics and the like.

Both of his blogs are only subsets of much larger websites, which are well worth exploring.

(via. hatrack)