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Five things on Friday #71

Things of note for the week ending May 9th, 2014. This week featuring gorgeous art, fantastic film, and provocative pieces of YouTube fodder.

Things of note for the week ending May 9th, 2014

1. What We Do In The Shadows
A couple of film previews this week, first up What We Do In The Shadows, a vampire mockumentary co-written and directed by he of Flight of the Conchords fame, Jermaine Clement.

Yeah, I’d say it looks suitable mental.

Via Total Film

2. 101 Things to love about NYC… in 1976
Scouting New York is one of my favourite casual blogs. Casual in that I don’t read it religiously, but I like to swing by every now and then and see what’s up. Written by a chap named movie location scout based in New York, it’s an awesome take on all things esoteric from the big apple.

His latest discovery is this list of 101 things to love about NYC and it’s pretty awesome.

More here.

3. The Phones Show Chat
Every week, pretty much without fail, my buddy and I, Stefan Constantinescu, record a 30 minute podcast covering about mobile technology. We’re not the only guys that do mobile-related podcasts, 361 degrees is one, Steve Litchfield and his Phones Show is another. In fairness, Steve’s actual show is a 15min video on YouTube, however it comes packing with an accompanying podcast covering that week’s topics in a bit more detail.

Why am I talking about it this week? Steve invited me on as a guest and it was probably the geekiest and best conversation I had all week.

MP3 Download Link

4. Untranslatable Words Illustrated
New Zealand artist, Anjana Iyer, recently undertook a personal project to ‘illustrate words found in foreign languages that cannot be Anglicised word for word’. The series, entitled ‘Found in Translation‘, is wonderful –

But it has to be said, this one, for ‘Rire dans sa barbe’, is definitely my favourite.

Via

5. The Most Important Sexy Model Video Ever
Caught this in Marketing Week yesterday.

Just watch –

Opinions in the comments please.

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Bonus thing this week, from one Mark Jennings
In 1692, some 270-odd years before Pantone, an artist decided to document and describe every colour imaginable over 800 (completely handwritten) pages.

The result is amazing.

More.

Bonus bonus thing: Mark Jennings also goes by the moniker of ‘Mark of Respect‘ and is the sole proprietor of Drinks Galore – ‘elegant drinks tasting for spirited amateurs’. There’s an event coming up in June that is all about gin.

For a reasonable price you get –

5 incredible gins – 3 of which will be neat to show you the true essence of gin
Hands-on gin and tonic masterclass
A cocktail on arrival
Chill out in the wonderful private space at The Hox
Friendly, expert information about the gin

If you like gin, you should go. Tickets are available now.

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That’s me done, see you next week.

Five things on Friday #70

Things of note for the week ending May 2nd, 2014.

1. GASP!
The shot above is, unfortunately, not ‘real’. As in, it was manipulated to be that way. However, it’s still awesome. You can find the original image, and a whole other ton of stuff, over on this guy’s Instagram account.

Go give him a follow.

2. Self Loathing Personals
ThisÂ rundown of the personal ads from ‘The London Review of Books’ is probably the funniest thing I’ve read this week. Here’s one example –

I like my women the way I like my kebab. Found by surprise after a drunken night out, and covered in too much tahini. Before long Iâ€™ll have discarded you on the pavement of life, but until then youâ€™re the perfect complement to a perfect evening. Man, 32. Rarely produces winning metaphors.

Amazing.

(thanks, Nicola)

3. 3D sketches

The 2D/3D art is awesome.

More.

4. Perfect Pitch
I shared this on Facebook earlier this week but it’s worth repeating.

Uber gadget geek and technology presenter for all kinds of techy televisual stuff (and all round nice person), LJ Rich, has a condition known as ‘Perfect Pitch‘, which Wikipedia defines as ‘a rare auditory phenomenon characterised by the ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone’.

When I first met LJ (many, many moons ago) I remember herÂ talking about it at length, even going so far as to tell me what note I speak in! Perfect or AbsoluteÂ Pitch, as it sometimes known, comes up from time to time on LJ’sÂ blog (LJ has, somewhat unsurprisingly, a musical flavour to her technological geekery) however, earlier this week, the lovely Miss Rich put electric words to internet paper and wrote ‘Living with Perfect Pitch – what it’s really like‘.

It’s a fascinating blog postÂ and absolutely my recommended blog read of the week.

5. Blue Jam / Bad Sex
Chris Morris is a UK satirist famous for all sorts of controversial comedic-based efforts. From 1997 to 1999 he produced a Radio 1 ‘ambient comedy’ showÂ called ‘Blue Jam‘ which, amongst other things, featured aÂ highly NSFW segment called ‘Bad Sex’. I was reminded of this recently when, for the first time since broadcast, Radio 4 repeated the Blue Jam episodes and I found myself dying with laughter at this particular segment.

Someone has, rather brilliantly, collected all of the Bad Sex segments together and uploaded them as one 15min video on YouTube. It is bizarre, surreal, gross, weird, mental, and generally just very, veryÂ dark.

REALLY. DARK.

You have been warned.

Listen at your own risk.

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That’s me done, see you next week.

Five things on Friday #69

Things of note for the week ending April 25th, 2014.

1. The Dalai Lama’s Ski Trip
This, via Slate, is quite wonderful and easily the best thing I’ve read on the internet this month.

Just then, an expert skier entered from a higher slope, whipping along. The Dalai Lama saw him and said, â€œLookâ€”too fast! He going to hit post!â€ He cupped his hands, shouting down to the oblivious skier, â€œLook out for post!â€ He waved frantically. â€œLook out for post!â€
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The skier, who had no idea that the 14^thÂ incarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion was crying out to save his life, made a crisp little check as he approached the pylon, altering his line of descent, and continued expertly down the hill.
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With an expostulation of wonder, the Dalai Lama sat back and clasped his hands together. â€œYou see? Ah! Ah! This skiing isÂ wonderfulÂ sport!â€

More.

2. How much do Americans know about Ukraine?

The image above, from a piece over at The Monkey Cage, is just one chart from a very interesting piece of research. Turns out, the further respondents were from getting it right, the more likely they were to want the US to intervene.

Source.

3. Irgendwo Anders
Somewhere else.

Beautiful.
Via.

4. Minimalist Film Posters
James Whatley in ‘blogging about pretty cool film posters’ shocker, I know. This bunch are alright but not spectacular. The only one worth sharing is this rather cool take on Reservoir Dogs.

5. The Bradley Timepiece

This watch, designed for blind people and named after a Paralympian gold medallist who lost his sight in Afghanistan, is up for design of the year at London’s Design Museum.

It’s rather awesome, but it’s mostly being bought by sighted people.

The BBC has more.

You can go now, we’re done.

Ps. Tell your friends, x

Five things on Friday #68

Things of note for the week ending April 18th, 2014.

1. BFI Player
Not sure if this is available outside of the UK but the British Film Institute launched their own web-based content player recently. If you like bloody good film, it’s not a bad place to rent stuff from (and there’s 15% off if you’re a member, obvs).

2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
This has got car crash written all over it BUT wild horses won’t keep me from seeing it at the cinema.

Yes, Michael Bay is rebooting the Turtles.
No, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be keeping to their origin stories.
Yes, the trailer looks terrible / typically Michael Bay.
No, there’s no sign of Krang.
Yes, Megan Fox is playing April O’Neil.
No, the Turtles aren’t as small as they’re supposed to be.
Yes, Splinter will be in it.

Oh, and I really like the postersÂ –

3. Coconut Crabs (and Amelia Earheart)
Potentially a bit of nightmare fuel, so no image – you can click through yourself.

4. One Positive Thing. Everyday.

I like these set of illustrations. A lot. You might too.

Good job they’re available to buy as well, eh?

5. Computerising the Human Experience
The image at the top of this post was created by Victoria Siemer.

Her work is amazing, if a little heart-breaking.

Full set available via Beautiful Decay.

Have a great weekend.

Five things on Friday #67

Things of note for the week ending April 11th, 2014.

1. Useful [and timely] Social Media Tips
The Easter break is coming up and, one week out, if you’ve not made the right prep for your social channels, now might be a good time to sort that out. This post, from the endlessly-knowledgeable Stephen Waddington, is a good place to start (and bookmark for future use).

2. A 9hr trip into SNES history
Did you ever own a Super Nintendo? Then you need to [at least attempt to] watch this nine hour epic, showcasing ALL OF THE START SCREENS FROM EVERY SNES GAME EVER.

ZOMG.

Yes, they’re in alphabetical order. My personal favourite, Streetfighter II is at 06:45:50 and if, like me, nearly all your old games started with ‘SUPER’ (Super Bomberman, Super Mario World, Super Street Fighter II etc) well they all start at 06:52:45 – enjoy!

3. Sony ad of colour
I’m in the final throes of completely Sony-fying my life (a new TV, amp, and console, with the matching phone arriving next week), so it seems only fitting that we celebrate this gorgeous ad –

4. RANKING EVERY WWF/WWE WRESTLEMANIA MATCH EVER
You need a day to read this.

EDIT: I wrote this list of five things at the start of the week. Between then and now however, it was announced that just days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, The Ultimate Warrior had sadly passed away.

In the list linked above, the first match I ever saw comes in at No. 33. That was Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 6 (World Championship vs Intercontinental Championship), it was an amazing match and the image of Warrior Gorilla Pressing Hulkster up above his head became seared on my mind forever.

RIP Warrior.

Your fans thought you were the best thing in the world.

5. Good list of interesting upcoming films
I like films. If you read my blog, there’s a good chance you do too. iO9 has put together a list of upcoming genre movies that aren’t sequels, remakes, or reboots. Stuff to get excited about.

Go read it.

Five things on Friday #66

Things of note for the week ending April 4th, 2014

1. Christian Ward
Good art, yo.

2. Gravity Deleted Scene
This is great (watch ’til the end)

3. Die Hard
I was watched Channel 5 last Sunday, and [the original] Die Hard was voted ‘The Best Action Film Ever Made’. I find it hard to disagree (it really is fantastic). To celebrate, here’s a picture of Bruce Willis.

4. Captain America: Old Shool
Last weekend I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier (and wrote you a spoiler-free review too), I spotted this awesome old school poster for it not shortly after and just had to share it. It’s super cool.

Side note: I also caught The Grand Budapest Hotel and Under the Skin. You should see all three.

5. The Photography of Stanley Kubrick
Before Stanley Kubrick began to make his name in film, he tinkered around in the related medium of photography.

During the 1940s, Kubrick was employed as a photographer at Look Magazine in New York. It was during this time that he started studying film at the Museum of Modern Art. Fortunately for us, he also took a lot of photos and 1940s New York, through Kubrick’s eye, is fantastic.

The whole set is amazing.

Go check it out.

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Bonus items this week –

80s New York is gritty, strange, and moving.
This guy is too cool for school.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen this week? Do me a favour and tell me in the comments. Go on.

Until next time, stay frosty…

Five things on Friday #65

Things of note for the week ending March 28th, 2014.

1. Kuratas is coming to get you
This is nuts.

Above photo via The Verge.

2. 8 bit Fight Club
Remarkably well done.

3. The Seven Best Games for Non-Gamers
I’m a gamer. I make no secret of that. From original Super Mario Bros on my NES, to games on my phone to my PlayStation 4, I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember. But not everyone else has. So, in fear of being told they’re ‘like a dog at the controls of a helicopter‘ what can those people play? Well, fortunately enough, Kotaku has put such a list together. Worth reading.

4. The second best Lorde cover EVERÂ [CLOWN KLAXON]
Last month I showed off a video of Puddles the Clown covering the Lorde hit ‘Royals’. And it was spectacular. Well, he’s back. This time covering ‘Team’ and it too is bloody fantastic.

5. The Instagram Bazaar
While we’re on a ‘Five things rewind!’ trip, back in Five things #56, I mentioned a nifty little trend in Middle Eastern e-commerce in the shape of using Instagram to sell sheep. Well, it would seem that this trend has gone global. Not the sheep-selling aspect, but the small-business-using-Instagram-as-a-shop-window element is taking off stateside, as this article from the New York Times reports –

Beverly Hames, owner of the shop [Fox & Fawn], said she began posting items on Instagram as an experiment a year and a half ago. Now, sales deriving from those postings make up 20 to 40 percent of the storeâ€™s daily revenue, she said, and they come from all over the country and occasionally from overseas.

Markets in everything indeed. When all the talk is about how the lack of paid budget will slowly push the little guy out, there are small businesses all across the world cutting corners and capitalising on any and every opportunity possible.

Fair play to them.

Five things on Friday #63

Things of note for the week ending March 14th, 2014.

If last week was picture heavy, this week is about words. There really are some great reads this week. Starting off with…

1. A normal day in the unusual life of Michael Keaton

Esquire sent Tom Chiarella to Montana to meet, interview, and profile Michael Keaton. This is the result. If, like me, you think Keaton is one of the most under-rated actors of our generation, then go read. If not, read it anyway. I wish I could quote from it but I swear I am spoilt for choice. This is one of the best things I’ve read this year. Just. Mental.

“220, 221, whatever it takes”

2. ‘Augmentation’
The United Kingdom lost a big chunk of talent when Will McInnes upped sticks and left the well-respected agency he co-founded behind for the glamour of New York City (and the lofty heights of the rather awesome Brandwatch). The good news is however, weblogs are not bound by geographical restrictions and we’re still all able to keep up with dear Will while he spends his time in the US.

Which is just as well, because if we couldn’t then we would’ve missed this rather excellent musing on what it means to be ‘Augmented’, my favourite quote –

But what is perhaps most interesting and indicative of the way things will go isÂ plugging my [UP] band into my phone and seeing them talk to one another about my movementsÂ â€“ me, the fleshy host, hot, stupid and inconsistent; them the cold robotic collectors of data, computing my movements, â€˜motivatingâ€™ with colourful charts and smiley faces.

Augmentation, by Will McInnes. Go read.

3. Paid, Owned, and Earned Media
I’ve been enjoying the insightful mutterings of Mat Morrison for a fair while now and, although his blog is quite the treasure trove of interesting reading, he occasionally makes a cameo appearance on his employer’s blog, Emerging Spaces.

This post, on paid, owned, and earned media is made up of the slides and scripts from the presentation Mat gave at Social Media Week London, 2013. I’ve only recently come across it and – almost staggeringly in the world of all things social – it hasn’t dated in the six months since it was written.

Even if you’ve only a passing interest in social media, client-side or agency, I can’t recommend this post enough.

4. The Wrestler
When Philip Seymour Hoffman died last month, you couldn’t move for articles trying to dissect the psyche behind one our generations most memorable and talented actors; I tried to read them all. This one ‘Remembering the fights that Hoffman won‘ stood out for me, and you should read it.

5. ‘Dear Internet’
This is from 2009, but I don’t care. Tina Fey is amazing.

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Bonus item: I was in The Guardian again this week. Not just a quote this time but my first fully-published article – ‘Beware the Blind Preoccupation with Big Data‘. Aces.

Five things on Friday #62

Things of note for the week ending March 7th, 2014.

1. Flash. Gordon.
This original poster made me smile a lot when I saw it. Related fact: about ten years ago I received Flash Gordon on DVD on the exact same day that I happened to meet Brian Blessed. Yes, he signed it. Yes, it is a treasured possession. And yes, he was awesome.

2. Creating Your Habit Environment
Old habits are hard to break. Zen Habits talks about how your environment contributes to that difficulty and suggests ways to help make that change. There are a bunch of quotes I could nab from it, but it really is just worth reading the whole thing.

3. Batman: Arkham Knight
The trailer for the third official* Arkham game dropped earlier this week and it looks awesome. Gamer or not, the work and animation in this video is outstanding. So good in fact that I’d be quite happy to watch a short film in this format.

Watch this one in full screen –

4. A tall tale about The Players Club, NY
This post, entitled ‘The Players Club, David Carradine, And The Guy From Revenge of the Nerds: The Mystery of the Broken Window’, not only seeks out the truth behind a legendary story about the people and things listed, but also gives a fairly decent guided tour of the Players Club on the way.

A fairly decent piece of random reading for your Friday and definitely worth a look.

5. Finders Keepers
I adore this.

Via

’til next week…