Archive for 2009
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Who Needs The Jackson 5 When There’s The Finger 5?
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on July 9, 2009 by admin in Music
Thursday, July 9th, 2009Don’t try to figure out the name. Just sing Din din dih-din, din din dih-din din, din din dih-din din dih-diddy-din din
We don’t usually customize embedded YouTube clips, but this one seemed to just cry out for a red border somehow |
We thought the Michael Jackson fans amongst you might need a little cheering up after the recent trauma you’ve endured, especially finding out that your idol was buried without a brain in his head. That’s why we’re staging a Finger Five revival. Granted, it’s a little difficult to stage a revival of something that no-one’s ever heard of, but we’ll give it a go. Finger 5 was Okinawa’s answer (not that anyone had asked the question) to the Jackson Five. Copping their style more from the Osmond Family than the Jackson family, they still had some smooth flair-bottomed 70′s moves, and made enough of an impact in their day that they’re still being covered by J-Pop girl bands like Morning Musume. Check out Morning Musume’s version of Finger 5′s biggest hit “Koi No Dial 6700″ (featured in the clip at left). Although we haven’t actually checked it out, the best collection of Finger 5′s hits seems to be Finger 5 Best 10
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Facing Reality
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on July 8, 2009 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Given our tendency to see faces where there are none, how can we be sure we’re really people? And by the way, I can hear your aura, but I have no idea who you are…
I recall vividly from my childhood a recurring thought that my dad somehow looked a lot like his ’66 Imperial, much like people resemble their pets. I think it was something about his toothy grin and his wire-rimmed glasses, but it also had to do with a weird perceptual phenomena that plagues me which I rarely discuss with people, lest they catch on to the fact that really am insane, rather than thinking I’m someone who just talks like they’re insane. I experience things with an odd and subtle combination of Synesthesia and Prosopagnosia. Among other things, I hear some things that I see, and I have difficulty recognizing faces of people I know. I’m otherwise probably more perceptive than most people, because I’m forced to assemble different input into useful information. Which is why, back in the ’90s, I was drawn to the book Turn Signals Are The Facial Expressions Of Automobiles
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Solves Peak Oil Problem
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on July 7, 2009 by admin in Clean & Green, Technology
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009It’s nice to know that while Detroit automakers go bankrupt, there’s still a market for $2.1 million cars
Let’s see. Buy a house? Or buy a car? If you happen to have $2.1 million laying around, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 might actually make this a difficult decision. I generally think of combustion engine vehicles as rather Luddite, but the inevitability of peak oil makes me feel like just funneling all the remaining petrol in the world into the 1001HP, 16-cylinder engine of this thing and burning it all up. With a 7-speed transmission and 4 turbochargers to get enough fuel and air into its monstrous 8.0 liter power-plant to keep it happy, the Veyron 16.4 has a top end of 253mph. But don’t get too excited about the idea that you can travel 253 miles away in an hour, because at its rate of fuel consumption at top speed, you’d theoretically have to refuel every 12 minutes. At least you’d look cool doing it though, partly because the car lowers to just 3.5 inches above the ground and automatically extends a rear spoiler, and partly because, well, c’mon. This thing is simply amazing to look at. In fact, I’d say more, but I keep drooling all over my keyboard. Check out this Wired.com piece for more photos and a description of what it’s like to drive the new Veyron; Bugatti didn’t offer us a test drive or a press tour for some reason. You can also configure your own with Bugatti’s configurator page. I was kind of partial to violet; the green option just didn’t look right somehow.
Post-Holiday Padiddling
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on July 6, 2009 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Monday, July 6th, 2009No holiday weekend road trip is complete without a healthy round of Padiddling, Punchbuggy, and Cow Counting. This week’s Monday Demotivators celebrate the four day weekend.
 Why Do Game Developers Hate Granny? |
This week’s Monday morning productivity inhibitors will take a (ahem) back seat to the fact that the more clever amongst you have sneaked in a four-day weekend. Which means you already are demotivated. And perhaps facing a day on the freeways to get home. If you have a carload of family or friends on a weekend excursion, the way there might not be so bad, but the way back can be excruciating. That’s when a healthy game of Punchbuggy or Padiddle can come in handy. Hopefully though, you’ll be home long before any Padiddling is required. If you happen to have a carload of kids (or immature adults like myself) on board, maybe some classic road trip games like Highway Bingo or Counting Cows are in order. Okay, maybe not so “classic”. Personally, I’ve never heard of “Counting Cows”. Anyway, those are print-it-yourself games; you could always buy some reusable bingo games
Creepy Babies From The Uncanny Valley
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on July 5, 2009 by admin in Popular Media
Sunday, July 5th, 2009When cute goes creepy: Why do advertisers insist on using creepy images of babies moving like adults?
It’s probably a good idea to keep them caged |
There are more things wrong with the video at left than I could possibly list, but I never let that stop me. First of all, it’s an ad for a product, and I’m displaying it for free. Secondly, it’s an ad for a really stupid product, bottled water. But what really riles up my sense of wrong has more to do with a general sense of creepiness. Ever since the original dancing baby of 1996 , we’ve found ourselves occasionally assaulted by the uncanny valley effect that’s induced by making a baby do things babies don’t actually do. Whether it’s an ad for Evian (as in the clip at left) or a Lebanese diaper ad, the image of a baby moving like an adult arouses a mild cognitive dissonance that either makes one laugh or cringe, depending on one’s personal psychological make-up. Somehow it’s less disturbing when a baby thinks like an adult, as in the 1989 film Look Who’s Talking
