WEEE Man : Press Releases

The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) and Canon Europe, the leading imaging and information technology solution provider, have collaborated on the RSA WEEE Man – an environmental awareness initiative to highlight the growing problem of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in the UK and across Europe.

The RSA WEEE Man, which is unveiled at London’s City Hall on the South Bank on Friday 29 April, is an imposing seven metre high, human figure composed of three tonnes of WEEE. This represents the total amount of electronic waste that an average person in the UK is likely to consume in their lifetime. The WEEE Man will be displayed outside City Hall for 28 days until 27 May and then at the Eden Project, Cornwall for the summer.

Notice the computer mouse used as teeth.

This thing reminds me of the beautiful story of Iron Giant

Posted by api at 11:55 - No Comments »

Das Iron Curtain

Forged after the disintegration of the USSR in the back rooms of Propaganda – Moscow’s infamous underground club – the women of the Iron Curtain vowed to restore the Union and conquer the world.. on skates. Former KGB agents, military officers, cosmonauts, Olympic athletes, and genetically engineered super vixens, these ladies all had one thing in common – loyalty to the State and the desire to turn the Red Scare into a reality. If you thought the Cold War was over, think again..

2005 TEAM ROSTER

Cher Noble - Blocker/Pivot
1917 Kay G.B. – Coach
1945 Anna Kareena – Blocker
1961 Berlin Wall – Blocker/Jammer
B-52 The Hammer – Blocker
SS-18 Doris Badenov – Captain/Blocker/Pivot
U-235 Knuckle Sandovitch – Blocker

The injuries page, Team Vice Squad.. America never ceases to amaze me.

Posted by api at 11:54 - 3 Comments »

War Games Trailer at Retro Junk

IMDB Trivia for WarGames (1983)

The launch code that Joshua “figures out” for himself at the end of the movie is: CPE 1704 TKS

The studio had a Galaga and a Galaxian machine delivered to Matthew Broderick’s home, where he practiced for two months to prepare for the arcade scene.

The computer used to break into NORAD was programmed to make the correct words appear on the screen, no matter which keys were pressed.

I spent the warm summer days fiddling around with Applesoft BASIC and Assembler on an Apple II when this movie came out in 1983. I have really fond memories of those times and that particular machine. William Gibson was still busy writing his first novel, Neuromancer. The term Cyberspace had been mentioned in his earlier short story Burning Chrome, but it is often quoted from Neuromancer:

“Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts… A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding.”

– William Gibson (in “Neuromancer” , page 51)

Incidentally, I once read in an interview that Mr. Gibson was much intrigued by the intensity of kids’ concentration while they were playing arcade games. When fanatic arcade gamers get immersed in the phosphorus glow of the arcade cabinet screen, it’s a sight to behold. They can’t see anything else, they can’t hear anything else.. essentially they are immersed in a virtual space created by the game experience. As today, games were spearheading the virtual reality technology even then.

There has been quite a lot of technology transfer between game technologies and military technologies after War Games was made. The military uses game-like environments to train and recruit personnel. The war themed shooter and simulation games must be one of the largest segments in the computer game industry.

Posted by api at 07:05 - No Comments »

I’ve done a lot of research on lightweight camping gear recently. When I noticed a Hennessy Hammock for sale at Globetrotter, I knew I had found my future tent. The first set-up I did left it hanging a little too low, but even then it was vastly superior to sleeping on the ground.

Hennessy SuperShelters are most comfortable when used off the ground as hammocks or folded into chair / loungers for relaxing around camp. When there are no trees or other supports, they are superior to a bivy sack when used as a tent on the ground.

At last, you will never need to find a level camp site again.

No more roots, rocks and puddles coming through the floor of your tent.

No more aching muscles and stiff joints from sleeping on the hard ground.

And no more carrying a heavy tent.

Experience a level of comfort on the trail almost as good as your bed at home and maybe even better. This is the first shelter that supports your back like a quality mattress off the ground. You will wake up in the morning feeling great. Some owners of Hennessy Hammmocks claim that they come home from their adventure feeling better than when they left.

Posted by api at 00:09 - No Comments »

Primitive ways

Quest for Fire is a story about the prehistoric time when man didn’t yet master the art of starting a fire. After tens of thousands of years, ask yourself… could you start a fire in the wilderness without any modern tools?

An interesting ancient invention called a fire piston is a quite sophisticated fire starting device. Getting one might be a good way to start the hobby of starting fires by friction

Starting a fire by rubbing two sticks together. Why do I always get a thrill out of doing it? Is it because there are probably less than 500 people in the United States who can consistently start a fire with a hand drill? Is it the entertainer in me? I don’t know. I assure you that the thrill is not diminished by knowing more about the scientific events that go on during the process.

The objective of this article is to provide some scientific insight into the events which happen when two sticks are rubbed together to start a fire. In particular, why is it that some woods don’t work at all, some work with great effort and others with relative ease. The principals discussed apply equally well to the fire saw, fire plow, hand spun drill or bow drill. Will it help you start a friction fire more easily or quickly? Probably not. Will it give you a deeper appreciation of the process? I hope so.

Edit: found an interesting article about a tinder tube

Posted by api at 00:00 - No Comments »

Man made sparks

The
cylindrical object on the left houses a multi-million volt pulse
generator (called a Marx Generator). The rate of rise of the pulse from
the Marx generator was adjusted to
maximize the efficiency of spark propagation. When first reported, it
was met with considerable skepticism by scientists and high voltage
engineers.
However, a number of power engineers and scientists have subsequently
witnessed similar events at this facility. Sometimes these bolts hit
the top of street lamps in the adjacent parking lot! Switching
surges on Extra High Voltage (EHV) transmission systems can also
initiate streamers which can then flash over to another phase or to
ground. This is a major limiting factor
in practical EHV power transmission system design. This phenomenon
constrains maximum system
voltages to about 1-1.2 million volts.

(Courtesy of Bazelyan & Raizer, “Spark Discharge”, CRC Press, ISBN 0849328683)

Check out the videos on the site. That audio track by itself gives me the creeps!

Posted by api at 22:58 - No Comments »

1st Intern. Collection of Tongue Twisters

Give me the gift of a grip-top sock,
A clip drape shipshape tip top sock.
Not your spinslick slapstick slipshod stock,
But a plastic, elastic grip-top sock.
None of your fantastic slack swap slop
From a slap dash flash cash haberdash shop.
Not a knick knack knitlock knockneed knickerbocker sock
With a mock-shot blob-mottled trick-ticker top clock.
Not a supersheet seersucker rucksack sock,
Not a spot-speckled frog-freckled cheap sheik's sock
Off a hodge-podge moss-blotched scotch-botched block.
Nothing slipshod drip drop flip flop or glip glop
Tip me to a tip top grip top sock.

Posted by api at 09:23 - 1 Comment »

Is fear your personal enemy or your personal friend? Is fear a habit only? Are you addicted to thrills?

Here’s my full house of scare cards:

• (Guaranteed increased heartbeat) or
  Really afraid of : Torture, Horror Movies, Great White Sharks
• (Occasional discomfort) or
  Slightly afraid of : Death, Rejection, Myself, Snakes, Marriage
• (Cured) or
  Used to be afraid of : Drowning, Heights, Loneliness, Dentist, Speed
• (Bring it on!) or
  Never afraid of : Enclosed spaces, Dark, Imperfection, Telephones, Number 13

Pick yours from the list below:

• Acarophobia — fear of skin infestation by mites or ticks
• Acousticophobia — fear of noise
• Acrophobia — fear of heights
• Aerophobia — fear of fresh air (cf. ancraophobia, batophobia, hypsophobia)
• Agoraphobia — fear of open spaces (technically, the marketplace)
• Agyrophobia — fear of crossing streets
• Aichmophobia — fear of pointed objects
• Ailurophobia, Aelurophobia, Elurophobia — fear of cats
• Alektorophobia, Alektrophobia — fear of chickens
• Algophobia — fear of pain (cf. odynophobia)
• Amathophobia, Koniophobia — fear of dust
• Amaxophobia — fear of being or riding in vehicles
• Ancraophobia — fear of wind
• Androphobia — fear of men
• Anginophobia — fear of quinsy or other forms of sore throat
• Ankylophobia — dread of stiff or immobile joints
• Anthophobia — fear of flowers
• Anthropophobia — fear of people, especially in groups
• Antlophobia — fear of floods
• Apeirophobia — fear of infinity
• Apiphobia, Apiophobia — intense fear of bees
• Arachibutyrophobia — fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
• Arachnophobia — fear of spiders
• Asthenophobia — fear of weakness
• Astraphobia, Astrapophobia — fear of lightning
• Ataxiophobia, Ataxophobia — fear of disorder
• Atelophobia — fear of imperfection
• Atephobia — fear of ruin
• Aulophobia — fear of flutes
• Aurophobia — dislike of gold
• Automysophobia — fear or dislike of being dirty (cf. misophobia)
• Autophobia — fear of being egotistical, of referring to oneself; fear of being by oneself; fear of oneself
• Bacillophobia — fear of missiles
• Bacteriophobia — fear of bacteria
• Barophobia — fear of gravity
• Bathmophobia — dislike or fear of walking
• Bathophobia — intense dislike of bathing; fear of depth
• Batophobia — fear of passing high buildings
• Batrachophobia — fear of frogs and toads
• Bdellophobia — fear of leeches
• Belonephobia — fear of pins and needles
• Bibliophobia — dislike for books
• Blennophobia, Myxophobia — fear or dislike of slime
• Bogyphobia — dread of demons and goblins
• Bromidrosiphobia — fear of having unpleasant body odor
• Brontophobia — fear of thunder and thunderstorms (cf. astraphobia, keraunophobia)
• Cainophobia — fear or dislike of novelty
• Cancerphobia, Cancerophobia, Carcinomophobia, Carcinomatophobia, Carcinophobia — fear of cancer
• Cardiophobia — fear of heart disease
• Cathisophobia — fear or dislike of sitting down
• Catoptrophobia — fear of mirrors
• Celtophobia — intense dislike of Celts
• Cenophobia, Kenophobia — fear of crowds (cf. demophobia)
• Chaetophobia, Trichophobia — fear of hair
• Cheimaphobia, Cheimatophobia — fear or dislike of cold (cf. cryophobia sychrophobia)
• Cherophobia — fear of gaiety
• Chinophobia — fear or dislike of snow
• Cholerophobia — fear of cholera
• Chrematophobia — fear or dislike of wealth
• Chrometophobia — fear or dislike of money
• Chromophobia — fear of colors
• Chronophobia — discomfort concerning time
• Cibophobia — fear of food (cf. phagophobia)
• Claustrophobia — fear of enclosed spaces
• Clinophobia — fear or dislike of going to bed
• Cnidophobia — insect stings
• Coitophobia — fear of sexual intercourse
• Cometophobia — fear of comets
• Coprophobia — fear of excrement/feces
• Coulrophobia — fear of clowns
• Cremnophobia — fear of precipices
• Cryophobia — fear of ice or frost (cf. cheimaphobia)
• Crystallophobia — fear of glass, crystals
• Cyberphobia — fear of computers
• Cymophobia — fear of waves
• Cynophobia — dread of dogs
• Cypridophobia — fear of veneral disease
• Defecaloesiophobia — fear of painful bowel movements
• Deipnophobia — fear or dislike of dining and dinner conversation
• Demonophobia — fear of spirits, demons
• Demophobia — dislike of crowds (cf. cenophobia)
• Dermatophobia — fear of skin disease
• Dextrophobia — fear of objects on the right side of the body
• Dikephobia — fear or dislike of justice
• Dinophobia — fear of whirlpools
• Diplopiaphobia — fear of double vision
• Dipsophobia — fear of drinking
• Domatophobia — fear of being in a house
• Doraphobia — fear of contact with animal fur or skin
• Dysmorphophobia — dread of deformity, usually in others
• Ecclesiophobia — fear or dislike of church
• Ecophobia, Oecophobia, Oikophobia — fear of or aversion to home surroundings
• Eisoptrophobia — fear of mirrors
• Eleutherophobia — fear of freedom
• Emetophobia — fear of vomiting
• Enetophobia — fear of needles or pins
• Entomophobia — fear of insects
• Eosophobia — fear of the dawn
• Ergasiophobia — fear or dislike of work
• Ergophobia — hatred of work
• Erotophobia — fear of sexual feelings and their physical expression
• Eurotophobia — fear of the color red; fear of blushing
• Febriphobia — fear of fever
• Galeophobia — fear of sharks
• Gamophobia, Gametophobia — fear or dislike of marriage
• Gephyrophobia — fear of crossing a bridge
• Gerascophobia — fear of growing old
• Geumophobia — fear of tastes or flavors
• Glossophobia — fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak
• Graphophobia — dislike of writing
• Gymnophobia, Nudophobia — fear of nudity
• Gynephobia, Gynophobia — fear or hatred of women
• Hadeophobia, Stygiophobia — fear of hell
• Hagiophobia — dislike for saints and the holy
• Hamartophobia — fear of error or sin
• Haptophobia, Haphophobia, Thixophobia — fear of touch
• Harpaxophobia — fear of robbers
• Hedonophobia — fear of pleasure
• Heliophobia, Solophobia — fear of sunlight; abnormal sensitivity to the effects of sunlight
• Helminthophobia — fear of being infested with worms
• Hemaphobia, Hematophobia, Haemaphobia, Hemophobia — fear of the sight of blood
• Herpetophobia — fear of reptiles
• Hierophobia — fear or dislike of sacred objects, fear of priests
• Hippophobia — fear or horses
• Hodophobia — fear or dislike of travel
• Homichlophobia — fear of fog
• Homilophobia — hatred of sermons
• Homophobia — fear of homosexuality (same-sex affection)
• Hydrophobia — fear of water
• Hydrophophobia — fear of rabies (cf. kynophobia)
• Hygrophobia — fear of liquids in any form, especially wine and water
• Hylephobia — dislike for wood or woods
• Hypengyophobia — fear of responsibility
• Hypnophobia — fear of sleep
• Iatrophobia — fear of going to the doctor
• Ichthyophobia — fear of fish
• Iophobia — fear of poisons
• Isopterophobia — fear of termites
• Kakorrhaphiophobia — fear of failure or defeat
• Katagelophobia — fear or dislike of ridicule
• Keraunophobia, Ceraunophobia — fear of thunder and lightning (cf. astraphobia, brontophobia)
• Kinetophobia — fear or dislike of motion
• Kleptophobia, Cleptophobia — fear of thieves or loss through thievery
• Kopophobia — fear of fatigue
• Kopophobia — fear of mental or physical examination
• Lachanophobia — fear of vegetables
• Laliophobia — fear of talking
• Lepraphobia — fear of leprosy
• Levophobia — fear of objects on the left side of the body (cf. dextrophobia)
• Ligyrophobia — fear of loud noises (such as popping balloons)
• Limnophobia — fear of lakes
• Linonophobia — fear of string
• Logophobia — fear or dislike of words
• Lunaphobia — fear of the moon
• Lyssophobia — fear of becoming insane
• Mechanophobia — aversion to or fear of machinery
• Merinthophobia — fear of being bound
• Metallophobia — fear of metals
• Meteorophobia — fear of meteors or meteorites
• Microphobia, Microbiophobia — fear of microorganisms or germs
• Misanthropy — a hatred of mankind; pessimistic distrust of human nature expressed in thought and behaviour
• Misophobia — fear of dirt, especially of being contaminated by dirt (cf. automysophobia, rhypophobia)
• Misogynism, Misogyny — extreme dislike of females
• Misosophy — hatred of wisdom
• Molysomophobia — fear of infection
• Monopathophobia — fear of sickness in a specific part of the body
• Monophobia — fear of one thing
• Musicophobia — dislike of music
• Musophobia — fear of mice
• Mycophobia — fear or aversion to mushrooms
• Mythophobia — fear of making false statements
• Necrophobia — fear of death; fear of corpses
• Neophobia — fear of new things
• Nephophobia — fear of clouds
• Noctiphobia — fear of the night
• Nosophobia — fear of contracting a disease
• Numerophobia — fear of numbers
• Nychtophobia, Achluophobia, Scotophobia — fear of darkness or the night
• Obesophobia — fear of gaining weight
• Ochlophobia — fear of crowds
• Ochophobia — fear of vehicles
• Odontophobia — fear of teeth, expecially those of animals
• Odynophobia — fear of pain (cf. algophobia)
• Oenophobia, Oinophobia — dislike of or hatred for wine
• Olfactophobia — fear or dislike of smells (cf. geumophobia)
• Ombrophobia — fear of rain
• Ommetaphobia — fear of eyes
• Onomatophobia — fear of a certain name (or a set of names)
• Ophidiophobia — fear of snakes (cf. herpetophobia)
• Optophobia — fear of opening one’s eyes
• Ornithophobia — fear of birds
• Panphobia, Pantophobia — a nonspecific fear; a state of general anxiety; fear of everything
• Papaphobia — fear or dislike of the pope or the papacy
• Paralipophobia — fear of neglect of some duty
• Paraphobia — fear of sexual perversion
• Parasitophobia — fear of parasites
• Paraskavedekatriaphobia — fear of Friday the 13th
• Parthenophobia — aversion to young girls
• Pathophobia — fear of disease
• Peccatiphobia — fear of sinning
• Pediculophobia — fear of lice
• Pedophobia — fear or dislike of children
• Peladophobia — dread of baldness
• Peniaphobia — fear of poverty
• Phagophobia — fear of eating
• Pharmacophobia — fear of drugs
• Phasmophobia — fear of ghosts
• Phenogophobia — fear of daylight
• Philophobia — fear of love or of falling in love
• Philosophobia — fear or dislike of philosophy or philosophers
• Phobophobia — fear of fear itself
• Phonophobia — fear or dislike of noise
• Photalgiophobia — fear of photalgin, pain in the eyes caused by light
• Photophobia — fear of light
• Phonemophobia — fear of thinking
• Pneumatophobia — fear of incorporeal beings, spirits
• Pnigophobia, Pnigerophobia — fear of choking or smothering
• Pogonophobia — fear or dislike of beards
• Poinephobia — fear of punishment
• Politicophobia — dislike or fear of politicians
• Polyphobia — fear of many things
• Ponophobia — fear of fatigue, especially through overworking
• Potamophobia — fear or rivers
• Potophobia — fear of drinks (beverages)
• Psychophobia — fear of the mind
• Psychophobia — fear of the cold (cf. cheimaphobia)
• Pteronophobia — fear of feathers
• Pyrexiophobia — fear of fever (cf. thermophobia)
• Pyrophobia — fear of fire
• Rectophobia — fear of rectum
• Rhabdophobia — fear of being beaten; fear of magic
• Rhypophobia — fear of filth, defecation
• Sciophobia — fear of shadows
• Scoleciphobia — fear of worms (cf. helminthophobia)
• Scopophobia — fear of being looked at
• Scotophobia — fear of the dark
• Selaphobia — fear or dislike of flashes of light
• Sesquipedalophobia –fear of long words
• Siderophobia — fear of the stars
• Specrophobia — fear of specters or phantoms (cf. phanmophobia, pneumatophobia
• Spermatophobia — fear of loss of semen
• Stasibphobia — fear or standing or walking; conviction that one cannot stand or walk
• Symmetrophobia — fear or dislike of symmetry
• Tabophobia — fear of a wasting sickness
• Tachophobia — fear of speed
• Taphephobia — fear of being buried alive
• Tapinophobia — fear of small things
• Taurophobia — fear of bulls
• Telephonophobia — fear of the telephone
• Teratophobia — fear of monster or of giving birth to a monster
• Thaasophobia — fear or dislike of being idle
• Thalassophobia — fear of the sea
• Theatrophobia — fear of theatres
• Theophobia — fear of God
• Thanatophobia — fear of death
• Thermophobia — fear or dislike of heat
• Tocophobia, Tokophobia — fear of childbirth
• Tomophobia — fear of surgical operations
• Topophobia — fear of certain places
• Toxiphobia, Toxicophobia — fear of being poisoned
• Traumatophobia — excessive or disabling fear of war or physical injury
• Tremophobia — fear of trembling
• Triskaidekaphobia — fear of the number 13
• Tyrannophobia — fear or hatred of tyrants
• Urophobia — fear of urine
• Vaccinophobia — fear of vaccines and vaccination
• Venereophobia — fear of venereal disease
• Venustraphobia — fear of beautiful women
• Verminophobia — fear of germs
• Vermiphobia — fear of worms (earthworms, not intestinal, cf. helminthophobia)
• Xenophobia — fear or hatred of foreigners and strange things
• Xerophobia — fear of dryness and dry places, like deserts
• Zelophobia — fear of jealousy
• Zoophobia — fear of animals

Posted by api at 08:40 - 1 Comment »

Travolta.com – The Official Website

John Travolta is undoubtedly one of the most prolific actors of our time — or any time for that matter. In a career that spans three decades, Travolta has distinguished himself in film, stage and television performances — as well as recording a number of successful record albums. John has successfully managed to avoid being typecast — the bane of many other successful actors. First coming to national prominence in the TV sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter”, John could have easily become trapped in the role of Vinnie Barbarino — the leader of the “Sweathogs.” That didn’t happen — primarily because John Travolta vaulted to Super-Stardom in the film “Saturday Night Fever.” It would have been all-too-easy for Travolta to become locked into this role, as well. But Travolta wasn’t about to let himself become enmeshed in any role or genre. His fans have watched him emerge as a wise-talking angel, a psychotic air-force pilot, a telekinetic individual, a senator chasing the presidency, a slow-witted museum guard, a white man trying to survive in a black dominated world. He has been a spy, an evil space alien and a hit-man. Travolta’s versatility is demonstrated by a string of successful comedy, drama, action and musical roles.

Travolta and the e-meter

Posted by api at 18:24 - No Comments »

Found Footage Festival

The Found Footage Festival is a live comedy event and screening featuring odd and hilarious clips from
videotapes found at thrift stores and garage sales and in warehouses and Dumpsters throughout the country. Curators Geoff Haas, Joe Pickett and/or Nick Prueher host each screening and provide their unique observations and commentary on these found video obscurities. From the curiously-produced industrial training video to the forsaken home movie donated to Goodwill, the Found Footage Festival resurrects these forgotten treasures and serves them up in an entertaining 90-minute celebration of all things found.

The FFF is a non-profit arts group which holds no rights or permissions to the material screened. The presentation of the FFF is for the purposes of entertainment only!

Preview reel

Posted by api at 17:35 - No Comments »

The yearly Kultainen Kuukkeli awards for the best finnish blogs were awarded yesterday. I didn’t attend the gala, but based on what I’ve heard, this video shows a glimpse of what happened over there. See if you can spot the winners on this video (AVI) which was broadcast on a really hard to find channel. (EDIT: Video removed for the time being)

Seriously though, it’s great that such an award has been organized and all the winners probably deserved their trophies.

This year the caged Kuukkeli was awarded to finnish cultural minister Tarja Karpela, who has been promoting mandatory filter software for libraries and schools to guard our offspring from the more harmful sites, such as some blogs.

Posted by api at 15:14 - No Comments »

A School of Visual Arts Grad Remakes the Pill Bottle

How the pill bottle was remade-sensibly and beautifully.

By Sarah Bernard

By the time an object, or an apartment, or a company hits the half-century mark, it’s usually been through a redesign
or two. Yet the standard-issue amber-cast pharmacy pill bottle has remained virtually unchanged since it was pressed into
service after the second World War. (A child-safety cap was added in the seventies.) An overhaul is finally coming, courtesy of
Deborah Adler, a 29-year-old graphic designer whose ClearRx prescription-packaging system debuts at Target pharmacies May 1.

For her SVA thesis project, called Safe Rx, Adler revamped the familiar canister, then approached the FDA-but one of Target’s creative directors saw her work last summer, snapped up the patent, and rolled it out in record time. It’s already approaching design-classic status: ClearRx will be included in a MoMA exhibit this October. Your medicine cabinet is next. Here’s how Adler got from A to B.

Great design overall. Not sure about the upside down trick to conserve paper though.

Posted by api at 11:31 - No Comments »

This is obviously some warchalking done by the neighbourhood kids. What it means, I’m not sure. There is a circular symbol of the European Union, some electric current next to it and a mysterious monster chasing the electricity.

Even the hobo language is about to die soon. I’m so happy that there is a new generation of kind souls growing up to enlight passersby about the dangers that may lurk right behind that next corner.

A guy called Julian Beever does some pretty impressive 3d illusional street chalk art. I guess there is a special fascination in working on a medium that will fade away as surely as the sun will set. Drawing on the street is also a slightly rebellious statement to reclaim the streets from the municipal bureaucrats or whoever happens to hold power. It doesn’t have that negative ring that the words graffiti art have in many people’s ears.

Posted by api at 01:50 - No Comments »

Old TV ads can be quite entertaining. I don’t know much about Ivory Coast, but I bet Super Timor is their best selling insecticide. It’s a part of a gigantic archive of french-speaking television ads called AdEater. Who will put one together for Finnish ads? We are paying 194 euros per year for a practically mandatory television license to finance a national broadcasting company YLE. They don’t broadcast any conventional advertising though. It’s a huge behemoth where people never get fired. When a person is disliked, they get moved to a basement to shuffle paper (or tapes?) around just like Milton in Office Space. Much of their financing has gone into their digital broadcast system upgrade in recent years, but even that branch of their operations is a separete company these days. YLE should observe what BBC has done with their archival footage by releasing some of it into public domain for limited non-commercial use in their Creative Archive.

Grandma Hates the Internets .. and PETA