The Friday Flush #15

The Friday Flush #15

This week's "Flush" brings you some good old fashioned in-flight entertainment. I find that getting lost in a good video now and again can give a needed break from the norm. Whether it's a good solid hit from a football game, the birth of a hand-made Damascus steel knife, or some dang good animation, I look forward to some me time on the net.

The "Snot Bubbler"

Back when I was playing high school football, my JV coach, Coach Larry Brown, referred to the "snot bubbler" hit. When I asked what exactly that was, he replied with force "IT'S WHEN 'YER HIT SO DANG HARD, SNOT BUBBLES OUT'CHER NOSE!" I was still just starting my term as a running back at that time, so I had no first hand experience. Until I did. Yes, one game I was hit head on, and I was NOT expecting it. As I stared up at the famed "Friday night lights" from my back, I tasted it. I had been issued a "snot bubbler" hit, and the snot was running out of my nose, over my top lip, and into my mouth. I stumbled across this massive hit recently that brought the memory back. Despite not enjoying BEING hit, I won't say no to seeing a good "snot bubbler".


Damascus Steel Knife Making

There's something about handmade wares that make us feel connected to the final product. I saw a link to The Birth Of A Tool. Part III. Damascus Steel Knife Making (by John Neeman Tools). The link said it was "oddly peaceful", and I was curious. The music is from the band Foreign Fields and fits the film perfectly. One of the comments stated, "The film is as beautifully made as the tool." I would have to agree. I remember my father taking us four boys to the state fair as kids and making us watch the blacksmith make horseshoes for almost an hour. The boredom nearly killed us. Damascus Steel is 7 minutes long and I couldn't get enough.


JohnnyExpress
I'm a sucker for animation. It's been that way since Saturday morning cartoons. So when a well animated piece with a good story comes along, I'm all in. I give you JohnnyExpress by AlfredImageWorks on Vimeo. It's a cute story about a outer space delivery man. A fun way to kill 5 minutes, the claymation style is fun visually, and the sound effects add to the delivery. I wish I had the time and the talent to explore some of the fun stories floating around in my head. Maybe one day. Until then, we have some great story tellers and animators around us, that can give us some much needed entertainment. Hats off guys.

So there you have it. Big hits, better blades, and bubbly animation. Happy Friday all.

J.

The Friday Flush #11

The Friday Flush #11

   At the end of another week, I'm actually quite thrilled to share some stuff for The Friday Flush #11. As time passes, hopefully I'm being productive, but for certain there are others who have been. These are some must see links, and I'm happy to pay it forward. In this flush we see a satirical look at our need for the latest gadgetry, see how the latest gadgetry can bring joy to others, and end with a pretty cool piece of gadgetry. Sound like a theme? It wasn't intended that way. 

iDiots
As an owner of the iPhone since the 1st generation, I've been a loyalist ever since. I've owned three Apple computers (4 if you include the old desktop my brother insisted we have back in the late 80's). There have been many parodies making fun of the "dyed in the wool" Apple fan, and I've thought most were down right funny. Occasionally my feathers were ruffled, but only because the point hit to close to the mark. I stumbled across the animated short called iDiots, by the crew at Big Lazy Robot VFX. The animation is so good, that I thought at first they had worked super hard with real windup robots. Not the case. Check it out. 

The Screen Machine

I really enjoy all things Scotland. Ever since Scooby-Doo's A Highland Fling with a Monstrous Thing, I was hooked. I spent some time in England, and found the Scottish to be fun people. So when anything good comes out of the land of the kilt, I'm all eyes and ears. In another Vimeo video named The Screen Machine, Scotland's mobile cinema makes its rounds to the islands of Coll and Tiree. The concept is cool, the technology whisks people away, and the recipients couldn't be more grateful. Like the wee lass says at the end, I'd love to get one of these to park on the side of my house. It'd be a party at The Cheeky House every weekend. 

The Copenhagen Wheel

Whoever thought you could reinvent the wheel? The folks at MIT have been working on the Copenhagen Wheel with the city of Copenhagen for a while and are close to bringing it to the masses. There is a motor, sensors, replaceable battery, embedded control system, and wireless connectivity. Yup, there's an app for that. The thing learns from your cycling habits and helps you when you need it most, kicking in at the right times to make you eco-friendly commute that much easier. After checking out the video, and understanding how the technology works, I'm wondering when I can get my hands on one of these. It would have made my time in England a lot more productive!

So there you have it. Gadgets for The Friday Flush #11. We've seen how we're a slave to the new, how we can embrace the new, and how the new can take us places we never knew we could go. All my best. 

J. 

The Friday Flush #10

The Friday Flush #10

   Bears, beets, Battlestar Gallactica. I love that intro scene in the office where Jim is dressed up as Dwight, making fun of his idiosyncrasies. I was feeling fun and frisky this week and this line popped into my head. So,.....how to make it a cohesive Flush..............AHA!!! I've got it! I present The Friday Flush #10 where we discuss,....well....bears,...beets,.....and Battlestar Gallactica. 

Herobear and the Kid    I stumbled across Herobear and the Kid back in my artist days. I was immediately blown away. The movement of the drawings felt animated, even though I knew they were static drawings. The story is great, allowing a fun escape for child and adult alike. As an artist, when I first discovered Herobear, I was enamored right from the start. I copied everything I saw and felt like I progressed as an artist for it. I was also so absorbed into the story that it spurred me on to start jotting down some of my own stories that I had in my head from some time. So for several reason of my own, and soon some of your own, Herobear and the Kid is a must read. With the holidays coming up, it's the perfect time, for the perfect story, with the perfect theme. Oh, and if this gets read some other time of the year, it's a good time then too. 

Beets In The Juicer

   I've been wanting a juicer for some time. As age took its toll on my body, I've had a hard time handling stuff like lettuce and such. Also, for a guy who can't seem to get his daily serving of fruits and vegetables, it seemed like the logical step. I seem to really like juice. Sure, I'll enjoy the store bought stuff, but there's something about the fresh stuff. I've had orange juice from Jamba, and a blend from a health juice place in my home town. The stars finally aligned a few weeks back, and we bought ourselves an Omega Vertical Masticating Juicer, and I haven't looked back. I'm planning on a blog post, as I documented the whole experience that included some VERY excited children of ours. The reviews are in,......SO worth the money. We love it and already use it a ton. Apples, oranges, carrots, and beets have been favorites of ours thus far. Check one out if you can.

Battlestar Gallactica
   Me and my brothers grew up on the fruits of the 80's. Buck Rodgers, The Dukes of Hazzard, and of course Battlestar Gallactica. I thought Apollo was a role model and Starbuck was just freakin' cool. I was still young to get a lot of it, but I knew the Cylons were bad. Fast forward to the revamp of the series and make up your own opinion. My brother is not a fan of today's CG heavy movies and programming. When a series had a great plot line, he's in. So it has been with the new Battlestar Gallactica. I watched the first season and part of the second to keep pace and really enjoyed it. Both versions have their merit, for their time and what they were trying to accomplish. If you're into science fiction, you may just enjoy both. I did.

   So there you have it. Another Friday, another flush. We did it too! Bears, beets, and Battlestar Gallactica. I've impressed myself, and that's not easy. An ode to The Office and an episode since past left us with an amazing comic, a new life of juicing, and killer robots from outer space from the 80's and the now. All my best and take care.

J. 

The Friday Flush #7

The Friday Flush #7

   Welcome to The Friday Flush #7. It's been another whirlwind of a week, with a LOT going on. It seems like with social media and our connected lives that there is no shortage of goings-on out there to check out, show interest, and move on from. Hence, The Friday Flush. Here in #7 of The Flush we look at an amazing DYI project, explore real and digital space, and view the past through old mugshots. 

DIY Camping Trailer
While I'm not all that handy with projects that require metric precision, I do enjoy trying new things. Again, my precision with measurements and cutting leave much to be desired, but I try new art projects and hope to one day be more skilled in DIY attempts. Case in point, the DIY camping tailer I saw on Imgur. This guy spend some 2-3 months putting together his own mini camping trailer and put many of us aspiring DIY hopefuls to shame. It's both humbling and motivating at the same time. Well worth the few minutes to view the steps, read the comments under each photo and be inspired to do more. I'm already planning my first project. The Wife asked about a DIY shed for the backyard. My prediction is that it'll look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

Box

Combining media elements is something that I'd like to do more of. I came across the video Box on YouTube that blew my mind and eyes. The project "explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection-mapping on moving surfaces." Uh, yeah,...does it ever! The description states that it is "the culmination of multiple technologies, including large scale robotics, projection mapping, and software engineering." I didn't know what to expect at first, then was dazzled. Again, not knowing exactly what you're about to see, it's hard to determine what's real and what's digital. The combines so many aspects of what interests me. Animation, technology, creativity, and so on. I can't imagine how long it takes to put something like this together, but I can say, it's well worth it. Hats off to the crew who pulled this off.

Vintage Mug Shots
I enjoy history just as much as the next person. What fascinates me the most are the people. I enjoy ancestry, genealogy, and everything in between. I like to know where we came from and who those people were. An amusing portion of that are some of the early mugshots I came across. Posted on TwistedSifter.com with a quick description, the photos were originally posted by The Sydney Justice & Police Museum. They're funny, mesmerizing, and thought provoking all at the same time. After a quick search, I also found an article on the UK's Daily Mail that has some mug shots of my English forefathers busted for drinking around 1904. Have fun, as I keep going back to them for some reason. Maybe it's because I get lost in thought, wondering who they were, what they were like, and such. Look at how they dressed. What did they do to work, live, etc.? It's all fascinating to me. Or at least a fun way to pass a few some time.

   Thus ends The Friday Flush #7. Somehow we made it through and hopefully came out of it better people. We've been inspired to try new projects, had out minds scrambled through visuals, and viewed some mugshots who just might have been one of your ancestors (you never know). Now hold your breath until next weeks Flush. Last one gets a coupon for a free Frosty at Wendy's.

J.

The Friday Flush #4

The Friday Flush #4

   Welcome to The Friday Flush #4. It's felt like Friday ever day this week. Which made each day feel like a Monday after I realized I was NOT at the weekend. Alas, here we are now, and I'm ready to share some fun stuff.

Drug Driving Advert From New Zealand
   Everyone I know is a sucker for a good television advertisement. They give you that short break from the norm and can give me the chuckles something fierce. Check out this drug driving advert from New Zealand. Funny stuff. I knew what the ad was for before viewing it (as do you now), but I can imagine the reaction if it were to just come on the television. These kids are pretty funny and nail their father's impressions. I wonder how my kids look when impersonating me......but that's for another hidden camera post that will most likely never happen. It ends on that serious note we all know is coming, which is important. The beginning and middle are just hilarious. The facial expressions are funny, and I'm hard pressed to not start calling all my friends "brew" from now on.

Wood Burning Kid
While surfing the web, I came across this pic on imagur.com of a kid who was selling pieces of wood that he'd burned with a magnifying glass. Now, as a kid, I was ALL about burning stuff with a magnifying glass. I was also creative, and artistic. I did NOT, however, have the mind to put it all together into a marketable skill. I give this guy credit for doing something he likes and marketing it for others to enjoy. The reason I thought to post it on The Friday Flush is because of the inspiration it was to me. As The Wife and I are doing more furniture refurbishing and art pieces, we find that we have inspired a few people to try new things. The whole reason that it happened is because we started trying new things ourselves. Inspiration is out there and we've taken up the reins to do something about it. So did this kid. I think we can all learn from that.

Amazing Animation Style
Vimeo is an amazing place to discover new talent. There are mind blowing videos and animation. Those who may not know, I'm an animation enthusiast and love to find new projects that push the envelope on what animation is. Today I present one I discovered called "Malaria" by Edson Oda. As first glance, I had no idea what to expect. It was just listed as an "amazing new animation style". While I know that there is little that is "new" in art, I do know that there are new ways to present things. This animation was hard to pull away from, and I ended up sharing with a few close people who understand my love of animation. It's a great story, and well done animation that is wonderfully executed. I hope you get as much out of it as I did. I can only aspire to produce my own projects that can grip the viewer for even a short amount of time.

   And thus I leave you with The Friday Flush #4, a little bit wiser, inspired, and feeling ready to take on the weekend's projects. We've laughed while remembering why drug abuse sucks, been inspired to try new things, and sat back to enjoy a finished product by one inspired individual. Later brew!

J.

 

The Friday Flush #3

The Friday Flush #3

   This week ends with an animated robot elephant, some words of wisdom from one of our favorite authors, and something more random than the square root of rooster breath on a wind farm of destiny (whaaaa???). Each week ends with a sigh of relief as we head into our day two day breather from the grind of making some pesos.

Biology Notes Animation
   For a change of pace, and a trip back to the long and dreary days of taking notes in class, have a look at Biology Notes, or as I remember it,.....ROBOT ELEPHANT! As I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts, I wasn't sure where my honed skill would take me. After designing t-shirts, then medical collateral, I found myself at a slot machine company in Las Vegas, NV. There I began to pick up on basic animation. From there my love of hand-drawn animation took root and I delved into a world of my own. I had a few of my own animated shorts. Nothing award winning, but fun to do either way.

Mark Twain Quotes On Writing
   While I'm not a professionally trained writer, I do like to scribble down words with a pencil 'n paper, or type till my fingers start to form blisters. I've noticed that many of my blogging friends will occasionally question what they're writing, if anyone is reading it, why they can't make a good living at it, and so forth. I'm here to say, "amen". I stumbled across  Mark Twain quotes on writing, and found that one of our heroes had a lot to say on the matter. Some of it funny, some of it serious, I found it to be just what the doctor ordered. Reading through gave me a moment to step back and take stock of where I'm going with some things. Beating writer's block or just getting some direction is usually accomplished by hitting up some of my peers for advice. However, getting beat around the head and shoulders with words from a giant such as Mr. Twain can be a nice departure from the norm. Take a peek and see what might resonate with you.

Retro Junk
   We wrap up with a completely random offering. I stumbled across RetroJunk.com several years ago. It started as a search for some old cartoon intros and others. Boy did I leave the site satisfied. Theme songs (and video) to the likes of Silver Spoons, Different Strokes, Thundercats, and so on. Some time later, I wanted to find some old Mountain Dew commercials. I checked out RetroJunk and found what I was looking for. As a child of the 80's, I think we had a fun decade of the most random things that made us happy. This site is a great place to relive some of those moments, and to share them with our children to watch their faces in shock and horror at what we thought was cool.

   So enjoy The Friday Flush #3. May you be inspired and edified through a militant flying robot elephant, a no-frills legend, and any number of blasts from the past.

J.

Saturday Animation Project

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." - Walt Disney

Me and my 'Lil Miss did this in between stuff today for a Saturday project. 

I've had the song, and the general idea for the film in my head for year. 

Here's to taking a chance on something that I'd been talking about doing, and never did. 

Hope you dig it. 

Music "We're Going To Be Friends", by The White Stripes

J.