MELVIN THE (MINI) MACHINE

"Melvin the (Mini)Machine" - a wonderful Rube Goldberg machine that fits into two suitcases. Video by Heyheyhey design studios.

  (via Notcot)

COFFEE, TEA, OR BLOOD

W00T!
It arrived in the mail a few days ago - my limited-edition (only 250) Frank Kozik Evil Tea Time tea cup: Satanic pentagram on the saucer, magic pentagram inside the cup, skulls and "13" and "69" in the pattern on the outside, and around the rim the phrase "every night in my dreams I burn your cities to the ground."
So. Awesomely. Evil.

MERINGUE MUSHROOM

Stopped by the Moonside Bakery in Half Moon Bay, California yesterday - had to buy this huge meringue mushroom just because it looks so much like the real thing. The top is dusted with powdered chocolate and powdered sugar to give it that tan and dirty look. Awesome.

CHEWED: A GALLERY OF DESTROYED DOG TOYS

Chewed - by Arne Svenson and Ron Warren - a fine gallery/book of 140 dog toys that "have seen better days."
(via FeatureShoot)

THE ART OF SYD MEAD

Prof. Michael Stoll has an epic image gallery of vehicle concept art for a U.S. Steel International promotional portfolio, done sometime in the 1980's by the renowned futurist and concept artist Syd Mead - you probably know his work from Blade Runner, Tron, and Alien.

INVISIBLE INK

I bought a bottle of this high-quality (cobalt chloride) invisible ink from J. Herbin, a "maker of fine specialty inks." For the maiden voyage, I tried my best at Edgar Allen Poe's "Gold Bug" - in the story, an illustration of a species of scarab has an invisible ink skull drawn beneath it, the ink activated by heat.

THE KING OF LEGOLAND

A beautiful video by Micaël Raynaud showing the toys of his childhood, set to the song "King of Legoland" by Hunting Charlie's Band & Samuel Vielliard.

(via Notcot)

FAKE CRITERIONS: ENCINO MAN

So in love with Fake Criterions, I've been inspired and started making some. I hope they show up on their site.
First installment: Encino Man.

MOVIE ART UPGRADE

The perfect upgrade to movie art for iTunes, iPods, and AppleTVs - replacing the stock film "cover art" with awesome artistic remakes.

• (Often comical) "Fake Criterion" versions of film posters (including movies that would never, ever be in the Criterion Collection).
• A number of movie posters remade by poster artist Olly Moss.
• Star Wars episodes 4-6 beautifully revisioned by Olly Moss.
• Remakes of the posters for Star Wars episodes 1-3 by Zenithuk, inspired by the Olly Moss series.

LEVITATION

The beautiful Natsumi Hayashi takes daily photographs of herself levitating around Tokyo - YowaYowaCamera.

(via DudeCraft)

THINGS ORGANIZED NEATLY

Things Organized Neatly - a blog about . . . things organized neatly.
(via Notcot)

SKATEBOARD RIDE AROUND NYC

Skateboard + DSLR camera + over-the-shoulder camera rig + New York City + Zack McTee =

(via Notcot, via Misagarcia)

A TOWN CALLED PANIC

I've been secretly obsessed with the Belgian stop-animation TV show "A Town Called Panic" (Panique au Village) and bought the series on iTunes a year ago. It is a hypnotic and simple show: three plastic figures - Cowboy, Indian, and Horse - live together and get themselves into idiotic situations.

In 2009, the 75 minute "A Town Called Panic" movie came out, and now it is available to buy or rent on iTunes (and also on DVD). This movie is awesome - I've watched it about a dozen times now!

SECRET HOBO SIGNS

The Internet has needed a good directory of old railyard hobo signs - the signs that hoboes used to chalk onto walls and trains to communicate with each other. Behold the Super Secret Clubhouse index of "Secret Hobo Signs". . .
[click to enlarge]

HOBO/RAILROAD TATTOOS

The Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture has an epic gallery of hobo and railroad tattoos.

TOASTER SETTINGS

Customized the settings on my toaster . . .

MERIT BADGES - FOR EXCELLENCE IN LIFE

Disorderly Goods has a line of merit badges for all of us - honoring such accomplishments as: using our powers for good, being an optimist, and giving a shit.
$10.00 each or $112.00 for all 12 of them.

They also have free sweet wallpapers of their merit badges.

HOBO ART: WHO IS BOZO TEXINO?

Filmmaker Bill Daniel set out to ride the rails and live the way of the hobo to answer the profound question "Who is Bozo Texino?" Who is the person, for almost 80 years, who has scrawled this cryptic portrait onto countless railcars across the United States. Daniel's film can be purchased on Amazon.com and on his website.


(via Cool Hunting)

NO COUNTRY FOR SMALL MEN

f/28 makes miniature models of the seedy American underbelly, in remarkable detail. Tiny, yet epic.



(via Gizmodo)

LEGO BRICK THIEF

The music is catchy and the animation is awesome, but I'm a little creeped-out by the mustachioed man who looks like my 9th grade German teacher using inter-dimensional portals to steal LEGOs from children.

(aus der Laughing Squid)