sundance

Movie review in rock poster format

For Iranian-born Canadian Eileen Yaghoobian’s documentary DIED YOUNG, STAYED PRETTY about the “underground poster culture” that “examines the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists,” cartoonist and writer Ward Sutton illustrates his review in a poster format for the Village Voice. [Via]

Fill your water bottle on the go: TapIt

Bottled water contributes to a host of environmental challenges — you know that. But, let’s face it — bottled water is also incredibly convenient, especially if you’re on the go a lot. A refillable bottle is environmentally preferable, but if you’re out and about, and run out of water, you may also find yourself out of luck in terms of refilling it.

Stop motion origami

Professional origami artist Sipho Mobano made this neat stop motion making-of video of an origami koi fish.

THE MAKING OF AN ORIGAMI KOI from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.

Naked News (08-04-09)

photo by yaaaay Yawning before sex may actually be a good thing. Newsweek — yes Newsweek — has a whole polyamory extravaganza online. Yay, another excuse to drink! Red wine may increase a woman’s sex drive. A new iPhone App (illegally?) maps sex offenders. Dubious study of the week: women are getting better looking while [...]

Will Terry’s paint palette

Behold the colorful monstrosity that is children’s book illustrator Will Terry’s paint palette. He explains: This mound you see before you is constructed out of all of the acrylic paint I’ve used since 1990! It started out as my friend Carl Wayne’s masonite oil pallet which he thought was too big so he cut his [...]

Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale

The World Science Festival has just begun to release some clips from this year’s festival which was held in June 2009. One of the most notable is from “Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus” where Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale, using audience participation. World Science Festival 2009: Bobby [...]

Can prison life be greener? The Sustainable Prisons Project thinks so…

You probably don’t use the words “sustainability” and “prison” in the same sentence very often. The housing and feeding of inmates requires huge amounts of water and energy, though, and generates tons of waste. The Sustainable Prisons Project, a partnership between the Washington State Department of Corrections and the Evergreen State College, works to make prisons more efficient… and perhaps even reduce recidivism rates by providing “green collar” training to inmates.

Have New Yorkers forgotten what fresh food tastes like?

When the Founding Fathers first tasted the fruit America had to offer they almost couldn’t stand it, the flavors were so intense. It’s almost impossible for New Yorkers to find fruit like that now. Yes, there are some good farmer’s markets, but one of the problems with farmer’s markets is that the farmers themselves have to trek out to the city and spend an entire day at a market stall when they could be back on their farm.

Burgernomics: The Big Mac index

The Economist recently published their popular “Big Mac Index,” a semi-annual “lighthearted guide to valuing currencies” that “is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity (PPP), which says that exchange rates should equalise the price of a basket of goods in each country.” The single baseline product for comparison is McDonald’s Big Mac which can [...]

Reproduction, Us Weekly-style: Celebrity look-a-like sperm donors

Online dating neophytes will sometimes get lured into a blind date with someone whose profile boasts that they bear a striking resemblance to, say, Robert Pattinson. It takes only one — okay, maybe two or three — dating disappointments before the neophyte realizes that (a) some people have a very loose definition of “resemblance”; and (b) someone who truly believes that he resembles Robert Pattinson makes a terrible date. (Unless he does, actually, resemble Robert Pattinson, in which case you might be willing to give him a pass in the personality department for the night.) Seriously, though: Anyone who thinks they’re a celeb look-a-like is probably also still convinced they’re as special as their momma always told them they were.

Research Offers Hope for Recovery of Global Fish Populations

A new study by an international team of scientists examined global fish populations and fishing trends in 10 large marine ecosystems and found that in five of the areas where intensive management is taking place, fish stocks are beginning to rebuild.

17-foot Burmese Python Caught in South Florida

A Burmese python measuring 17 feet in length was caught and destroyed on private property in Okeechobee County Thursday afternoon. Captured on the grounds of the Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital, the male snake weighed 207 pounds, and measured 26 inches in diameter.