Friday, March 12, 2010
not going to austin? fake it.




Plenty of interactive geeks from across the land are on their way to Austin, Texas to partake in the SXSWinteractive conference. (We're covering our adventures, in a SXSW edition of BFFB.)

Maybe your boss wouldn't approve the budget. Or you're afraid of Texas. Or you have work to do.

If that's the case, SwissMiss has started a #VirtuallyAttendingSXSW hashtag, and will be tweeting away. And there's plenty of other people who have joined in on the fun.

If you're more of a lurker, and less of a tweeter, we suggest that you keep an eye on @tsand's Twitter stream. He's been known to create his own ImagicationSXSW, that's pretty much guaranteed to have you spitting coffee into your keyboard.

Going to Austin? Give any of the Humongo crew a shout. We want to drink Texas beer with you. Details and links here.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:33 AM   1 comments



Thursday, March 11, 2010
in the old days, there was geocities



You probably like reading Wired because it keeps you up on the latest in everything interactive, technology, design and stuff that we generally like to call "yummy."

It's also fun to look back a few years at the stuff our industry pimped, promoted and then threw away. That's the premise of Wired Reread, a blog devoted to scanning old issues of Wired to show dead, funny, or the overall ridiculousness of our industry. Like an ad for Geocities, above. Geocities. Hehe.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:43 AM   1 comments



Monday, March 08, 2010
if you still write on paper, you'll dig this



An entire blog devoted to creative ways that Moleskine notebooks have been customized by their owners. Wonderful.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM   0 comments




how to get rid of google juice



If you've ever had a second thought about all of the Google juice you're generating on the internet, you'll love this piece from the Onion. From BakerTweets

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:27 AM   0 comments



Friday, March 05, 2010
it's friday. your boss doesn't really expect productivity today anyway.



I am guessing that if you download this app today, you will get nothing done all day, AND be a big hit at your office. Just a suggestion.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:11 AM   0 comments




the end is here




Here's a collection of end titles from old westerns. You needed this.

I suggest that you add them as slides to the super long PowerPoint deck of yours, and just when people think they're at the last slide, keep forwarded to "the end." "the end." "the end." until they just pull you out of the room screaming "it's never over!!" (Clients love this.)

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:00 AM   0 comments



Monday, March 01, 2010
if you like stats, this will rock your pants



Here's a really awesomely animated and illustrated presentation of the state of the internet.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:07 AM   1 comments



Friday, February 26, 2010
your city could use these signs



Artist TrustoCorp has installed some fun signs in NYC, Miami and other cool places that will make you smile.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:05 AM   0 comments




control the world with your eyes



Well, maybe not the world. Or even your car. Yet. But a company in Japan has developed headphones that sense your eye movement, and let you control your iPod.

Babies with Laser eyes cannot be too far behind.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:26 AM   1 comments



Thursday, February 25, 2010
when crap is good



Finally, there's a council that's been put together to maintain crappy standards. Because really bad is the new good.

From Make the Logo Bigger.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:56 AM   0 comments



Wednesday, February 24, 2010
pie breaks are the new smoke breaks



How to turn smoking areas into snacking areas. Mmmm.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:21 AM   0 comments



Tuesday, February 23, 2010
you thought your snowman was impressive?



Check out this gallery of ice sculptures magnificent architectural masterpieces from the Ice and Snow Festival in China.

Kind of makes your snowmen and snow angels seem just a little bit...lame. From Robert Kong Hai, from GoogleBuzz

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:23 AM   0 comments



Monday, February 22, 2010
a pizza pocket, suitable for framing



Here's all of the ingredients in a ham & cheese Hot Pocket, realized as wonderful typographic artwork. You needed this.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:25 AM   1 comments



Friday, February 19, 2010
how your website sounds



If your favorite website could sing a song, this is what it would sound like.

The Code Organ has some complex algorithm magic that analyzes the code of any url, and turns it into music. Because the world needed this.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM   0 comments



Thursday, February 18, 2010
sometimes you have to think dirty



You can be sure that the graphic designer who put this ad together for a Junior Jazz Dance event had only the best intentions. And they needed a couple of illustrations to represent dancers. The only problem of course, is that the rest of us see: boobies.

Sometimes it pays to think like a frat boy, and look for boobies and sex in everything you do. Just call it proofreading, and you won't feel so bad.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:28 AM   0 comments



Wednesday, February 17, 2010
ridiculous figure skating costumes



Are you disgusted at the ridiculousness of the figure skating costumes the "athletes" at the winter olympics are sporting? Do you wish that there were a little more Lady Gaga brought to the mix?

Well, then you'll love this collection of the top ten worst figure skating costumes. (Please, let's create a parody video of ice dancing ridiculousness...) Thanks, Kevin!

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:54 AM   0 comments




build your own fake google street view car



The F.A.T. organization is not really fond of the fact that Google is trusted with so much of our data. So they organized a F*ck Google week, where people created anti-Google art projects.

The best of the crop was the fake Google street map car. They've even supplied instructions on how to build your own, so that you can cruise the strip and impress chicks. From Laughing Squid.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:47 AM   0 comments




a complete waste of your time



Somehow...this video of people doing random stuff is oddly engaging. Like you'll watch it, and pretty much it goes nowhere, but you can't stop watching.

Do we really need to spend millions producing commercials anymore? From @coudal.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:21 AM   3 comments



Tuesday, February 16, 2010
do not mess with the bears in alaska



You may wonder what it is that makes this stadium video intro for the Alaska Nanooks so unbelievably awesome.

No need to wonder...it's the power of the bear. Only Chuck Norris can stop them now.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:33 AM   0 comments




this old thing called radio



In the olden days, people used to listen to music on devices called radios.

And humans picked and played songs for them. This was before the "shuffle" feature was invented on your iPod. Instead of typing a url, listeners needed to find the location of the station on a dial.

And these dials are magnificent design artifacts.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:30 AM   0 comments



Monday, February 15, 2010
it's like winter olympics for geeks and creatives.



If you haven't been keeping up with the TED conference, you'll want to begin checking it out. You can start with this melt your eyes augmented reality demonstration that took place last week. Beats people in sequins dancing on ice, any day.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:14 AM   0 comments



Friday, February 12, 2010
let's get naked and cuddle



The Green Thing reminds us that we can help the earth by turning down our thermostats. This weekend is the perfect time to turn that into an opportunity for nakedness with your loved one. Keep each other warm, and save the environment, too.

Green Thing has created a handful of ready-to-send Valentine's day cards that you can send your honey as an invitation to cuddle together for warmth.

Here's the one that I've made for you.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:56 AM   1 comments




the ultimate galactic valentine



If your girlfriend resembles any of the women of Star Wars, then you'll definitely want to get her a Star Wars Valentine. Yeah.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:46 AM   0 comments




business in the front, party in the back.



Ladies and gentlemen: the the social media mullet. Twitter and LinkedIn expertly illustrated with America's most bitchin' haircut.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:29 AM   0 comments



Thursday, February 11, 2010
if world of warcraft were cute...



What if you pulled together some really cool illustrators and creative people to produce a social game that was like World of Warcraft, but friendly, creative and cute? Without all of the swordfights?

Check out Glitch. The latest and most awesomest MMO, created by one of the founders of Flickr. It's not live just yet, but you can read all about the details in CNET.

They're calling it a never ending feast of imagination, a celebration of creativity, a labor of love, and a monument to play. (Not that they're over confident or anything...)

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:55 AM   0 comments




it's time to celebrate lousy meetings



Ever wonder how much money you waste in unnecessary meetings?

Now you can calculate the exact value of a lousy meeting, with the handy new Meet or Die tool. Complete with cute alien blob host, Goolah. From @gregverdino.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:45 AM   0 comments




that b-roll you were looking for is here.



Looking for some awesome b-roll to complete that masterful video production? Look no more.

There are awesome videos, and there are more awesome videos. This one is more awesome times ten. From @chicalibre.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:39 AM   0 comments



Wednesday, February 10, 2010
this is how to sell t-shirts.



Rhett and Link, makers of the finest local tv spots ever seen by humans, have a new project called T-shirt war.

So good, so creative, and so fun. You'll want to be these guys. In the meantime, you can buy the shirts off their backs.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:14 AM   0 comments



Tuesday, February 09, 2010
mardi gras, without all of the drunken nakedness



This year's Mardi Gras is more than likely going to be better than ever. If you've never experienced Mardi Gras, or - if you've only experienced it as a drunken tourist, you owe it to yourself to check out My Mardis Gras Experience.

It's a blogger's experience of Mardis Gras for the first time as a local. They've also channeled in plenty of the typical social media streams, so there's plenty of content for all to see.

It's brought us by Tabasco, and promises to be family friendly. So you can show your kids without fear of boobies or man spears. From @scottmonty.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:40 AM   1 comments



Friday, February 05, 2010
welcome to your augmented reality future



In the future, everything will be augmented reality and plastered with banner ads. And making tea will never be easier. Thanks, Casey!

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:29 AM   0 comments




type and sing tool for the singing of type



Type your message into the Let them sing it for you tool, and it automatically pulls singing audio samples to compose your message.

Almost unintelligible for many messages, but I'm sure that when you use this to sing your love to that special valentine, she won't mind. From @codegent.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:14 AM   0 comments



Thursday, February 04, 2010
artful therapy for over spending



Do you need to remind yourself that living beyond your means on your credit card is a bad habit?

Check out what artist Kate Bingaman-Burt is doing. She's vowed to hand draw each of her credit card statements, until they're paid off. She started in 2004. (She's still going.) Wow. From @miconian.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:01 AM   0 comments




don't ask.



The latest internet meme that has everyone going gaga? Selleck Waterfall Sandwich. You don't have to understand it, you only have to respect it.

Someday, aliens will look down on our civilization and be confused.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM   2 comments



Wednesday, February 03, 2010
empty house turns into ice house



Detroit has more empty and abandoned real estate than most parts of our country. A photographer and architect are collaborating to bring some additional attention to the issue by turning an empty house into an ice house.

You can watch the video, and then help to support the cause. Another beautiful example of the creative community coming together with their actual communities, and making a difference.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:44 AM   0 comments



Tuesday, February 02, 2010
what happened to that star wars type?



Ever wonder what happened to all of those titles that flew off into space at the beginning of the first Star Wars movie? Wonder no more.

This is also proof that typography is dangerous work. Use a professional.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:19 AM   0 comments



Friday, January 29, 2010
the internet is perfect now



Turn off the lights, and let's go home. We can rest easy now, knowing that there's at last a site devoted to documenting hot chicks with stormtroopers.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:38 AM   0 comments



Thursday, January 21, 2010
classic tv remade



Watch this shot by shot fan-made remake of the intro for Perfect Strangers, and you'll know what the show might have looked like in Seattle instead of Chicago. Glorious.

You should do a version for your city.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:39 AM   0 comments



Wednesday, January 20, 2010
what you look like as a one eyed monster



Weren't you just saying to your friends that you wished you were a one-eyed freak?

Before you schedule the surgery, now you can see what you'll look like, thanks to Monoclops. Upload a photo and turn yourself into a monoclops.

It's all in the spirit of promoting Minneapolis agency Mono, who are one-eyed freak friendly.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:46 AM   0 comments



Tuesday, January 19, 2010
the sausage museum is here



We know what you're thinking. "Why are there countless art museums, but no museums devoted to sausage?" Your gristle covered prayers have been answered: A museum is now open in Berlin, dedicated entirely to currywurst.

Jimmy Dean - are you paying attention? Only you could make this happen in the U.S.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:40 AM   0 comments



Monday, January 18, 2010
the history of colors



If you ever need the entire history of Crayola colors summarized in one handy graphic, here it is.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM   0 comments




internet perfection



Finally, the two things that make the internet awesome have come together in one handy place.

What happens when cuteness and explosions get married: Cute Things Exploding. From YesButNoButYes.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:38 AM   0 comments




all the camera you need



Think you need an expensive camera to shoot gallery worthy photographs? Check out this collection of photos from cameras found in junk stores. From Boing Boing.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:31 AM   0 comments



Friday, January 15, 2010
avatar for haiti



Instead of seeing Avatar for the seventh time, why don't you just donate the price of admission to groups that are helping Haiti?

That's the premise behind Avatar for Haiti, a site that makes it easy to give the price of admission for a matinee, digital 3D, Imax or refreshments to a well deserved cause, instead. Great idea.

From the Denver Egotist. (And here's some other great ways to give.)

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:13 AM   0 comments



Wednesday, January 13, 2010
how artists propose to their girlfriends



This is the story of Derick Childress, and how he crafted a marriage proposal to Emily Kern, in a light painting that spanned the cityscape of Raleigh, North Carolina.

The logistics are pretty damn impressive. Will make you go awwwwwww.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:52 AM   1 comments



Tuesday, January 12, 2010
there's a skull on your bookshelf



Charles Allen Gilbert created one of the earliest optical illusion skull works, with his now legendary "All is Vanity" piece of art.

Now James Hopkins has taken the concept even further, with a series of mixed media pieces called "Vanitas". If you buy one, just make sure the cleaning lady knows not to move things around on the shelves, when she's dusting your joint.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM   0 comments



Friday, January 08, 2010
enjoy nyc without pants this weekend



It's that time of year again - time to drop your drawers on the subway train this weekend. Be sure to do it with plenty of other "no pants riders" for the maximum effect.

This is one of the larger Improv Everywhere stunts, and if you don't have horrific chicken legs you might want to join in on the fun.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:06 AM   0 comments



Thursday, January 07, 2010
milking got milk



Finally, there's a blog devoted to documenting the campaign that will never, ever go away. The Got Milk campaign must be the most parodied ad campaign in history, and it continues with each and every day.

Milking Got Milk is a group blog devoted to documenting the exploitation of this legendary addition to pop culture. Seen a "Got ____" ad around your town? Submit a photo. This could go on for eternity.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:46 AM   1 comments



Wednesday, January 06, 2010
because you can't be productive all day, every day.



You may want to visit the list of ten great single serving Tumblr sites for two reasons:

1. This is an excellent example of how simple and easy it is to set up a Tumblr blog, and proof that you can set up multiple blogs for your brand. While these are for entertainment purposes, who says that you're only allowed one corporate blog for the company?? (Our firm has at least ten blogs)

2. You need a break. You've been working for two days straight now, after the long holiday break. It's time that you took some "me time" and enjoyed a good laugh with quality content like People Talking on Bananas.

Get your blog on.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:42 AM   0 comments




super hero eighties



If some of the more famous 80's albums were realized with comic book heroes instead, the world would have been a different place.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:20 AM   0 comments



Tuesday, January 05, 2010
some things are better on paper



Let's say that you're really into parkour - but you're not really limber or fit enough to bound across buildings, somersault over cars and generally jump around the neighborhood. What's a parkour wannabe to do?

Introducing parkour on paper. All of the fun without the real danger, bruises or brushes with the law. Awesomeness. Thanks, Devon!

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:30 AM   0 comments




something to make you go "awwwwww."



Who says traffic cams don't capture interesting moments? From @everysandwich

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:07 AM   0 comments



Monday, January 04, 2010
what are you actually doing about your resolutions?



If you've made New Year's resolutions, what are you actually doing about them? The magic of the internet proves that just about anything is possible, and there are tools to help make it happen.

That's Bugsy's attitude - and my bet is that he actually completes his resolution: to have beer with Richard Branson.

Bugsy set up a site, a tweet hashtag, and has enlisted the crowd to help him get a beer with Branson. If you haven't made a resolution, then help Bugsy with his, by sending a tweet out to your friends with the hashtag #beerwithbranson.

And if you have made resolutions, what kind of actions have you taken to put them in motion? From @charliecurve

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM   0 comments



Thursday, December 31, 2009
before you get in a car tonight...



Remember that you're driving a few tons of metal and plastic at a high speed, and that can have real impact on real lives.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:54 AM   0 comments



Monday, December 28, 2009
what a geek wedding invite looks like



Isn't it cute?? Great design that perfectly represents its sender. Geekalicious.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:39 AM   1 comments



Thursday, December 24, 2009
christmas album art from the olden days



Some awesome Christmas album covers from the olden days when people purchased music, and it came on large discs that required packaging.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM   0 comments



Wednesday, December 23, 2009
christmas with the cosmonauts



There's probably no better way to celebrate Christmas than with Santa, rockets, cosmonauts and outer space. Thanks, Devon!

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:41 AM   0 comments




alone during the holidays? bring cardboard.



Here's a cute story about a girlfriend who misses her boyfriend, and decides to replace him with a cardboard version. (Turns out her cardboard boyfriend is actually part of snowboard brand Neff's identity - a total win for them.)

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:36 AM   0 comments



Tuesday, December 22, 2009
pennies as a lesson in engineering



When you're completely tired out from inane conversation with your relatives over the holidays, here's how you can occupy your time: build an entire city with pennies.

Texas Tech student Mitch Fincher demonstrated how pennies could be used to build larger structures. The demonstration is meant to teach civil engineering students the power of pillars in a cantilevered structure - but you can do it just for fun. Or to avoid that awkward conversation with your aunt.

Who knew "coin stacking" was a meme? From @markshepard

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:44 AM   0 comments



Monday, December 21, 2009
keep yourself busy with browser pong



Since your boss is already on vacation, this is probably a good day to spend playing Browser Pong. It's just like Pong, but played with browser windows.

Your office productivity will never be lower, but you'll have loads of fun. Enjoy.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:40 AM   0 comments



Friday, December 18, 2009
that's not a photoshopped santa



Santicon took place in cities across the states last weekend, and there were plenty of Santas doing un-santa-like things for all to enjoy.

The best pic we've seen from last weekend features desaturated Santa, in San Francisco. Black, white and beautiful. From @loustejskal

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:17 AM   1 comments



Thursday, December 17, 2009
your tire's all flat and junk dance remix talking tool



The Sutter Group has just taken one of the most annoying spots on earth and made it a whole lot of fun. You've probably seen the talking pothole spots for Geiko.

John Sutter took the audio from that spot and created a short little remix of the song (which is pretty fun.) If that wasn't enough, John's coworker Aaron Waldon took the remix and mapped the vocal track to the movement of the pothole. The end effect is here.

That's pretty awesomely impressive, but they've made it even better. They've created a pothole talking tool that lets you speak to your computer, and the pothole's "mouth" moves accordingly. Now you can be the pothole that you've always wanted to be. From @garretohm.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:01 AM   1 comments




people who hate 2009 given tool to cope



A lot of people really don't like the way 2009 came down. And a lot of crappy things did happen...

If you find yourself among the crowd that's thinking 2009 really sucked, then you'll love this Give 2009 The Finger epic production. From @coolsideburns

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:27 AM   1 comments




birds as art



Previously, birds could only be considered art if they were rendered in brightly colored plastic and placed in your front lawn. But these Starlings got together in California and put on a show that's absolutely beautiful. From @corvado711

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:14 AM   0 comments



Tuesday, December 15, 2009
honey, did you take out the recycling?



The Society for Design Administration holds an annual event called Canstruction that gets students and architects to see what they can do with a bunch of cans.

Thirty teams competed this year in NYC, and they raised 100,000 cans of food for City Harvest, a food bank, at the event. 100,000 cans. That's nice.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:55 AM   0 comments




how to be the cool house in the neighborhood



This dude Ric hooked his holiday lighting system into his Wii Guitar Hero system, and the result is absolutely rocktastic.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:51 AM   0 comments




we need more christmas bell



Improv Everywhere has another fun video to share, and this time they're ringing in the season. Will make you say "awwwwww."

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:31 AM   1 comments



Friday, December 04, 2009
a better way to clean your kitchen



I don't know what it is about this rotating kitchen, but once you start watching, you won't want to stop. You'll want to see each and every moment of mesmerizing destruction.

Don't you wish that you could do this to your neighbor's house?

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:41 AM   2 comments



Thursday, December 03, 2009
mother of all monas



Mona Lisa. Made of motherboards. That is all.

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posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:06 AM   0 comments





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