A blog by Rob Cruickshank.

 
4x4 Funerals. I would have used a Unimog, but's that's just me.
(via Sharpeworld, which seems to be back, sort of. Yay!)
posted 6:07 PM

 
The Mothership! The Mothership! Lots more Beefheart Music and Video Downloads.
Thanks, Grant!
posted 7:05 PM

 
USB Menorah.
posted 9:36 PM

 
Captain Beefheart and the Bagic Band. On TV.
posted 9:28 PM

 
Just in time for Christmas. Vintage AA comics.
(via Boing Boing)
posted 8:44 PM

 
Stanley Meltzoff. When Kat says she likes the way someone paints fish, you'd better pay attention. Also, make sure to check out the science and industry pages.
posted 1:41 PM

 
How to eat sushi.
(Thanks, Ron!)
posted 10:41 AM

 
The Yule Cat (Thanks, Torben!) punishes the lazy at Christmas. The Lindsay Brothers, as usual, are safe from the Yule Cat this year.
posted 9:20 AM

 
When will they learn? Chronology of product recalls for electric "worm getters", 1976-1993. I am seeking pictures of these devices, as well as of hotdog cookers using electrified spikes, and more electric moustraps.
posted 7:05 PM

 
Please don't die, daikon.
(via Grow A Brain)
posted 5:05 PM

 
My Caller Eye Deer get its 15 minutes of fame.
posted 12:26 PM

 
Seemed like a good idea at the time.
posted 4:28 PM

 
The sounds of fly reels as ringtones.
(thanks kat!)
posted 4:24 PM

 
A grassy knoll in the comfort of your own home. The Zapruder film, frame by frame, on-line.
(thanks, Dan!)
posted 12:19 PM

 
A sad day. First Bob Moog, now John Simonton. Messing around with Paia kits was pretty much the only thing that kept me sane as a teenager.
(via make: blog)
posted 11:38 AM

 
Delta Skrimpy. Found while looking for a source of glow-in-the-dark plastic hyenas. I'm still looking for the hyenas, so if you happen to know a source, please let me know. (and yes, they exist. I have two, and need more. Lots more.)
posted 10:08 PM

 
Revisionism in the works of Richard Scarry. "Beautiful Screaming Lady" becomes "Cat in Danger".
(via coudal partners)
posted 1:15 PM

 
How to Draw Cartoon Cars by George Trosley. Damn, I could have used this when I was 10! Never too late, though.
(Via Positive Ape Index)
posted 3:18 PM

 
Would you like to see Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, honored by a commemorative United States Postage Stamp?
posted 10:45 PM

 
Ok, some people get upset by certain things. Fortunately, the title of this page, Cuisine of Dog Meat , gives you fair warning. (no pictures, don't worry) So, if you're not the type who'd laugh at "hey, are these puppies done?" jokes, then click here instead, and have a nice day.
(thanks, Kat!)
posted 8:19 PM

 
Russian wax figures highlighting the horrors of drug use. Plus how to roll a joint. Also good if you need illustrations for your talk on the uncanny valley.
(Thanks Ron!)
posted 5:33 PM

 
Vintage Panasonic appliances in, what else, papercraft. A small forest will be leveled so that we can all blow Saturday afternoon making little paper rice cookers! Whee!
(via BoingBoing)
posted 12:13 PM

 
Romanian Stencil Archive. As you'd expect, it's an archive of Romanian stencil art.
(Via Coudal Partners)
posted 2:44 PM

 
DIY asphalt mosaics. Too cold to do this now, but start saving linoleum for summer!
You may want to look at photos on Flickr tagged with toynbee to see how this artform started. As far as I know, no one has ever figured out who made them. This site has pretty much all there is to know.
(via MAKE: blog)
posted 9:28 AM

 
Wow. Lookit. (Annoying, yet appropriate music.)
(Thanks, Ron!)
posted 8:38 PM

 
Canned Bees look like a cool way to have some bees without much hassle. I've been looking at a lot of beekeeping sites lately, mostly because Sarah keeps wanting to stick microphones into hives. Backyard beekeeping seems to be the next big thing.
posted 11:29 AM

 
These papercraft toys are from the LA Times' "Junior Times" section, circa 1922-23.
posted 3:49 PM

 
Welcome to Zack's Bug-Feasting Page!
posted 1:24 PM

 
In a perfect world, you'd be able to do something like this without being shot dead as a suspected terrorist. Make sure to watch the movie. (quicktime)
(Via MeFi)
posted 12:45 PM

 
Rocket scientists at work: "Hey, our new manipulator arm is so graceful, it's like a ballerina! I know, lets make a movie of it dancing with a real ballerina! Oops! It kinda looks like a giant dick, doesn't it? Darn."

(Thanks, Kat and Chris!)
posted 9:49 AM

 
"Looking for a '57 Nash Metropolitan? This one's Saskatchewan-ized!"
(via Make:blog)
posted 10:49 AM

 
The telephone EXchange name project.
And here's a toronto-specific list. Why do I have to live in the PRincess exchange? Why can't I have something lik WAlnut?
posted 10:38 PM

 
A couple of shows (in Toronto) coming up. I'm doing visuals with Pau Torres and Mike Hansen on Oct 30 as part of Dougal Bichan's Bitchin' nite at the Oasis club. The next day, (Halloween!) I'm back with Methuselah at the Rex. Sally McKay wrote some nice things about the last one. Tell your friends,and come on out.
posted 1:28 PM

 
"The Phonograph Makers' Pages are intended as a meeting ground and a source of inspiration for all makers of modern phonographs, i.e. cylinder players that give an electric output. What I am trying to do on these pages is to present different attempts at solving this technological challenge, with images and descriptions."
(via del.icio.us/eleon )
posted 12:41 PM

 
The Memnon Competition: a contest to build a solar thermal musical instrument. There should be a bonus prize for a memnonium that sounds like this.
(Thanks, Stefan!)
posted 11:25 AM

 
WASFTBOTS: Bone-Eating Snot-Flowers.
(Thanks, Ron!)
posted 10:35 AM

 
This can't be true, can it?
(via MeFi)
posted 12:47 PM

 
Not all flaky fish food comes in a can.
(via things magazine)
posted 4:55 PM

 
"It is desirable that animals for machine gun packsaddlery purposes should be carefully selected. Those with abnormally broad hips, or with the points of the hips very prominent, should not be chosen."

From The Vickers Machine Gun.
(Thanks Jon and Kat!)
posted 9:04 PM

 
Plucking a live rooster.
(thanks, Kat!)
posted 1:54 PM

 
If you're in Toronto tonight, Monday, Oct 10, I'll be doing some slide projections to the music of Methuselah at the Rex Hotel, starting at about 6:30. Not the usual Rex fare- I'm sure we'll baffle a few people. Should be fun.
posted 12:14 PM

 
I'm back from a trip to Algonquin Park. I'ts been a while since I've been able to use my Svea 123, since it's now forbidden to fly with one, I can only use it close to home. I hate the butane cartidge stoves, even if they are quieter and safer. (Lots of other nice camp stoves here. )
posted 8:14 PM

 
I'm going to be away from electicity for a while, so it may be sort of quiet for a bit. You'll have to read a book or something.
Or perhaps a guest blogger may post something.
posted 9:35 PM

 
Yes, I've got tickets.
posted 8:33 PM

 
You might want to watch this for Talk Like A Pirate Day. The ending bears a strong resemblance to some current methods of getting out of Cuba.
posted 10:05 PM

 
Razzle Dazzle Camouflage
(Via Grow-a-Brain)
posted 1:50 PM

 
We used to have a malamute. But you couldn't saddle her up and ride her.
posted 11:38 AM

 
WASTFBOTS: If you subscribe to the idea of "Intelligent Design", you will have to come to grips with the fact that one day, God (or the flying spaghetti monster) sat down and thought:
"Hmm. This planet I'm working on really needs some weird-ass critter that eats a tongue, then pretends to be the tongue. Yeah, like that. Perfect."
(via BoingBoing)
posted 11:05 AM

 
A is for Atom
posted 9:43 PM

 
Guess what everyone on my list is getting for christmas? Make sure you look at the pdf of the plans. Even people who don't smoke need this.
(via Make: blog)
posted 7:20 PM

 
The telecrapper 2000. Check out the animation of the TC2000 in action. I think I need to get caller ID.
(via MAKE: blog)
posted 1:08 PM

 
WASFTBOTS: A fluorescent shark. And shame on National Geo for confusing fluorescence with luminescence.
(thanks Ron!)
posted 10:28 AM

 
Talking Ring. Not some new-media micro chip thingy. Much, much cooler!
(Thanks to Ken, who knows a thing or two about cool rings.)
posted 11:55 AM

 
Lessons In Electric Circuits is a free open-source series of electronics textbooks. For years, people who have taken my basic electronics workshops at InterAccess have asked me to recommend a text for further reading, and I haven't been able to come up with a good one, at a beginner level, other than The Art Of Electronics, which while excellent, and very useful, tends to scare beginners a bit, and is expensive. (Worth every penny, but it's lot of pennies.)
(via plep)
posted 7:11 PM

 
Make a spoon into a celt. (.PDF file) A celt is an oblong stone that will spin only in one direction. If spun in the "wrong" direction, it will wobble to a stop and spin in the opposite direction. Why? Because.
I haven't made one out of a spoon yet, but i used to have a plastic celt which was sold as a "space pet".
posted 10:34 PM

 
Octopus vs. Shark. (May be upsetting if you like sharks.)
(via collision detection)
Update: Kat points out that the shark in question is a dogfish, so this whole scene is about half the size I was imagining.
posted 6:35 PM

 
As some of you may know, this site is hosted by DirectNic in New Orleans. So don't be too surprised if it's up and down a bit in the next little while. One of the people there has been keeping a blog, that's well worth worth reading. It's strange to think as I sit here that people are lugging 55 gallon drums of diesel, and dodging bullets and fires just to keep this happening. Thanks, guys.
posted 5:52 PM

 
Cats in sinks.
(thanks, Ron!)
posted 5:19 PM

 
Fish of the week from Hong Kong. Most with funny triangular Max Fleischer-esque catchlights in their eyes.
(via Grow A Brain)
posted 8:20 PM

 
Engadget 1985.
(Thanks Ron!)
posted 4:30 PM

 
Who goes there? Friend or anemone?
(via eyebeam reblog)
posted 7:04 PM

 
Woolly thinking?
(via del.ici.ous/tag/art)
posted 6:12 PM

 
Anyone who knows me has probably heard me whining about fixing the espresso machine. After something like 6 months, it's all back together. The insides look like this,
if you are wondering why it took so long. Part No. 1150 is a spring that takes more than my body weight to compress. It's a wonder I wasn't killed taking it apart. Of course, I found this manual now, not when I was taking the thing apart.
posted 9:39 PM

 
Naval art from the Bikini Atoll tests.
(via Exclamation Mark).
posted 9:17 PM

 
Bob Moog has died.
posted 11:09 AM

 
Etienne-Jules Marey: chronophotographer.
posted 9:04 PM

 
Definitely in the running for "worst mascot ever": J. Slice. Doesn't he realize his brain is exposed, and he's about to die?
posted 3:20 PM

 
Halifax Begs your Pardon. It's never too late to say you're sorry.
(via eyebeam reblog)
posted 2:56 PM

 
The Lomo LCA is now out of production. While I've never been a fan of the lomography hype machine, the LCA is a neat little toy. You may want to visit my lomo repair page, to keep yours running.
posted 12:37 PM

 
My cat just lost an eye. (he's doing fine, BTW) Maybe I'll buy him a present.
(via grow-a-brain)
posted 1:14 PM

 
Radio Bastet: All old-school belly-dance music, all the time.
(Thanks, Ken and Colleen!)
posted 10:18 PM

 
What's up with that deer in the favicon?

posted 10:26 PM

 
According to wikipedia, Virgil Partch was the cousin of Harry Partch. If you look at the hands of VIP's characters, then look at Harry's instruments, suddenly everything makes sense.
posted 5:59 PM

 
The best way to keep your tattoo from fading in the sun is to keep it in a jar.
Tattooed Pigs Feet.
Do I even have to add "may offend some?"
posted 5:20 PM

 
Strange Fish Parade.
(Thanks, and happy birthday kat!)
posted 11:14 AM

 
I've replaced the link to the "occasional photo", which I never got around to changing, with one to my Flickr photostream. You can look at it here. Like my del.icio.us it's a raw feed of whatever I happen to be interested in, or doing at that moment. Expect arty stuff mixed with cat pictures mixed with people rolling around on wheeled planks of wood.
posted 4:50 PM

 
Mechanical Music Digest: Picture Gallery. Just what it says.
(via things magazine)
posted 3:41 PM

 
This is one pair of jeans that I wouldn't cut the label off of. How long before people start printing counterfeits of these?
(via kottke.org)
posted 4:20 PM

 
I'll take that please. Now go back to your seat. And if you're lucky you can buy it back on ebay in 30 years.
(via Grow-a brain)
posted 8:40 PM

 
What's That Bug? could also, in my case, be called "What the hell bit me on the ass while I was asleep?"
(via MeFi)
posted 9:41 PM

 
Ferry Disaster simulator.
(thanks, Kat!)
posted 1:21 PM

 
Futuro House! The website is as ugly as the house is cool!
(Thanks, Ted!)
posted 6:00 PM

 
Pinhole camera made from a human skull. (Not a real human skull.) Of course, pinhole fans know that it's possible to make your skull into a camera without interfering with its usual functions of containing your brain and giving your face meat something to stick to.
posted 10:19 AM

 
Composers of 50s sci-fi soundtracks say "I told you so."
(via /.)
posted 10:02 PM

 
Recently, I was involved in an an argument about whether one of the model-railroad people in one of my dioramas was wearing clothes. I assure you, and you know who you are, that she was fully clothed, in some kind of peach business dress thing. As I pointed out, (and I know this from the work of Kim Adams, BTW, not from hanging out with horny model-railroad guys) that you CAN buy naked model railroad people. They look like this.
posted 3:48 PM

 
LEGO - CubeSolver. This scares me.
(via MeFi)

posted 6:45 PM

 
Planarity is very addictive. And it has that "smart" feeling, so that you don't feel as guilty as you would blowing a day with, oh, something like this. Until the day is gone, that is.
(Thanks, Lesley!)
posted 1:40 PM

 
Google Moon!
(Thanks, Ron!)
posted 8:27 AM

 
Death Star Subwoofer for sale.
(thanks, Kat!)
posted 1:48 PM

 
"Mechanical Engineering and Physics and Physiology have been combined in this new method of saving larger beached whales, which WILL WORK!"

posted 10:17 PM

 
This Thursday, July 21, 2005, I'll be talking about my Spiral Inscriber at the Toronto dorkbot meeting. 7:00 PM at InterAccess, at 9 Ossington Ave, Toronto. Also on the bill are Jeff Mann and Greg Judelman. I think Jeff will be talking about the LiveForm Telekinetics project, so there might be a talking fish.
posted 10:01 PM

 
The Medieval Bestiary
I should make a hedgehog to complement my cheese bird
Via MeFi
posted 11:38 AM

 
Close mouth while handling fish.
(Thanks, Ron!)
posted 8:13 AM

 
A Super8 wiki!
posted 9:47 PM

 
Cold War - Clandestine Equipment
Includes some nice posters. I'm willing to become the personal slave of anyone who gets me a copy of this one...
posted 9:24 PM

 
What if, in the early '70s, you had given some hippies government money to make civil defence films? What if they spent the money on acid, and, realizing that they had to ship something ,they cobbled up weird pastiches of stock footage and old student films,with dramatic narration that invariably failed to provide any useful information about how to actually survive a disaster?
The results would probably have looked a lot like the "Your Chance to Live" series.
I have a couple of these on 16mm, and just found a third online.
Your Chance to Live: Earthwatch does not disappoint.
(If anyone has any information on these films, or spots any 16mm copies on ebay, please get in touch!)
posted 2:46 PM

 
The Airbrush Museum.
(via The Cartoonist)
posted 12:31 PM

 
That's a big catfish.
(via BoingBoing)
posted 12:55 PM

 
Over at MusicThing, they've been posting images of cakes shaped like synthesizers. As far as I know, my mom baked the first one.
posted 1:50 PM

 
We used to do this to our dog.
(via kottke.org)
posted 8:01 PM

 
Madonna Inn. 109 unique rooms. Some more unique than others. I'll bet the maid that cleans this one knows to knock before she comes in.
(Thanks, Kat!)
posted 6:02 PM

 
Everyone seems to have a link to circusmuseum. Free up an hour or so and see why. I have just added "So I can see this cat's act" to my list of reasons for wanting a time machine.
posted 10:36 AM

 
First Kodachrome super 8, now this.
posted 8:58 PM

 
We used to like most of the movies they'd show us in elementary school. We hated this one, however. We used to call it "the monkey movie." My sister finds monkeys creepy, and can't really explain why. I'll bet this film has a lot to do with that.
posted 5:51 PM

 
Jumping Cat Monastery. Who says monks have no fun?
(via Grow A Brain)
posted 1:14 PM

 
Paul Anka's best recording since "You're Having my Baby"
(Thanks, Rob!)
posted 1:22 PM

 
Disco Inferno.
"...yes, flamethrowers, like the kind that are on fire."
(via boingboing)
posted 12:34 PM

 
Throwing sharp things and playing with propane and electricity. This is the sort of thing we like to see.
(via MusicThing)
posted 10:23 PM

 
Jon says "You can mix-n-match legs and torsos, creating some 'women' who are freakishly mismatched in proportions. Uber-Creepy."
And he is so right.
posted 7:00 PM

 
Jesus Built my Hot Rod.
posted 6:36 PM

 
Every model show rod from 1960 to 2001. Now I'm trying to dredge up, from the bottom of my glue-damaged brain, which of these I actually owned. This one for sure.
And this.
(via coudal partners)
posted 3:20 PM

 
If you do Christmas and Thanksgiving, there's Tofurky, but if your celebration calls for a cannibal feast, and you're a vegetarian, you've been out of luck, until now.
(via MeFi)
posted 5:14 PM

 
SONIC BEE DETECTOR.
A Science Project by Charina Cameron, Grade 10.
posted 4:03 PM

 
"The Toronto Subway fonts were developed from rubbings of the lettering etched into station walls and photographs of painted signage. The overall style of the lettering is very mechanical, almost naive, yet still having a certain amount of elegance, and this style was followed as much as possible in developing the companion lowercase, extended characters and extra punctuation."
posted 2:19 PM

 
Happy May 2-4.
posted 11:34 AM

 
History of fingerboarding.
posted 6:55 PM

 
Scotch Ostrich Egg.
(Via b3ta.)
posted 1:21 PM

 
Chainwheel Tattoo Project. Not the greasy imprint on your calf, the real deal.
(via Coudal Partners)
posted 8:45 AM

 
Combine Demolition Derby. Out west, we like farm machinery, and we like a good demo derby. This, therefore, is about as good as it gets.
(via Mr. Jalopy)
posted 10:35 AM

 
Slideshow - AntWeb It's a slideshow. Of ants.

posted 10:02 PM

 
I'm not usually a fan of on-line petitions, but in this case, every bit helps. Help save super 8 kodachrome! While you're at it, tell kodak what you think. And shoot the damn stuff like there's no tomorrow. Because there probably isn't.
posted 10:06 PM

 
After the disappointment of the sasquatch movie, I really hope these people find their Mongolian Death Worm. Worm or no worm, the blog is worth a read.
(Thanks, Ron!
posted 12:52 PM

 
Looking for a car? Better make up your mind, quick.
Me, I'd go with this one.
Also, Barris.com is worth a look, if you haven't seen it.
(Via thingsmagazine)
posted 6:14 PM

 
Expressionless Girl .
(Warning: loud, annoying, yet oddly appropriate music)
Probably the most disturbing thing on the net since the Hasselhoffian recursion.
(via MeFi)
posted 11:16 AM

 
Morse code is faster than SMS. Even (or rather, especially) with a 93 year-old at the key.
(via eyebeam reblog)
posted 12:27 PM

 
History of butter.
(via plep)

Update: Slashdot has a butter consumption poll up on their page today. Is this some kind of National Butter Day or something?
posted 11:01 AM

 

Moonwalking bird. No, really, watch this.
(via b3ta)

posted 8:31 PM

 
Kitten War. May the cutest kitten win! Note the "losingest kittens" page!
(via adorablog)
posted 4:08 PM

 
German Radio Collection. Better than porn.
(Via Coudal Partners)
posted 11:35 AM

 
"Off the coast of the Japanese city of Nagasaki lies a terrifying symbol of shortsighted development. Out of the dark blue East China Sea rises a dead island covered with dilapidated concrete buildings. Forms of life are absent. No people, no animals. However, in the not so distant past more than five thousand inhabitants lived here. The voices of children echoed from the houses, laughter sounded in the streets. Now only dead concrete is left. This is the island Hashima, once the most densely populated place in the world. "
Some amazing photos here.
(Thanks, Ron!)
posted 9:12 PM

 
Most detailed look so far at Everyone Loves Katamari Damacy, AKA We {heart} Katamari. Some people will be happy to learn that there's an undersea level.
(via Boing Boing)
posted 1:18 PM

 
kit-ten-net-tik: "Within each is a bubbling spasming analog brain (nabra), with idiomatic digital circuitry combined to make a logical paradox, a pragmatic little creature. To interact, twist nobs, look at the lights, touch or wire or spit on the brass pegs."
(thanks, Nilan!
posted 10:07 PM

 
A wikipedia article about Sealand.
(Thanks, Ted!)
posted 5:10 PM

 
The combover is patented. The mullet is probably public domain, but I'd check first, before getting one.
(Thanks, Slobo!)
posted 1:21 PM

 
"The Chrysler Air Raid Siren is so powerful that it can reportedly start fires with just the sound vibrations it produces. It can turn fog into rain, clearing the sky. It can produce an effective 70 dB air raid signal for a distance of two miles, and under proper conditions can be heard 30 to 50 miles away. Its advertised effective range was four miles in every direction."

"Dude, that thing got a Hemi?"
"Yes."
(Thanks, Mike)
posted 1:04 PM

 
"All prices are in U.S. dollars and are in millions"
(Thanks, Ted!)
posted 10:40 PM

 
Why do ice cream vans sound the way they do?
I swear I was wondering this just the other day. The trucks round here are obviously playing a recording, but I've often wondered about the origins. I speculated that originally, they had a contact mic'ed music box and it turns out I was right.
Sarah has a cool litle music box thingy that you can punch tunes into a paper tape, I've been bugging her to sit down and punch out the ice cream truck song.
(via BoingBoing)
posted 9:05 PM

 
This is very sad.
Looks like neon will go the way of film. Last weeknend I got a shock when I went to a camera store that I hadn't been to in a while, and saw the large-format gear (what little was left) as well as the once-huge film counter crammed into corners to make way for all the shiny blinky doo-dads. Bleah.
(via coudal partners)
posted 11:16 AM

 
Backyard Beekeeping.
posted 9:31 PM

 
Poppin' Hoppies was a game in the 70s. Now it's a biological mystery.
(thanks, Ron!)
posted 11:31 AM

 
Following hot on the heels of the post from a few days ago regarding the "Political Fecology of PoopReport.com", comes this:
"I Shit My Pants":Spontaneous Ancient Literary Structure in Modern Colloquial Speech.

(via BoingBoing)
posted 3:23 PM

 
Make paper models of spacecraft! Or, if you'd prefer something that (allegedly) works, try this.
(Thanks, Jonathan for the the former, the latter via The Cartoonist)
posted 3:07 PM

 
Swan Endoscopy.
posted 10:59 PM

 
I want one. (There are movies of him here.)
posted 10:21 PM

 
"We really just wanted to know what would happen if Civil War soldiers fought the crew from 'Star Trek.' You never see that in the movies or TV reruns."
(via MeFi)

posted 10:11 AM

 
Toy Lab Zoo. Kids make crazy mixed-up toys. I like this one.
(via Grow-a-Brain)
posted 11:21 AM

 
Sometimes cultural theory is a load of crap.
(thanks, GF!)
posted 8:03 PM

 
Motion Induced Blindness.
Very brain-scrambling. This must have been what happened with that cop car that one time..
(via Make Blog, among others.)
posted 3:18 PM

 
"The Pet Cigarettes are the Best." From this, via
Near Near Future.
posted 10:04 AM

 
A nice helping of WASFTBOTS,
via Exclamation Mark
posted 12:17 PM

 
How to make a curry "anything".
(via del.icio.us/popular)
posted 3:28 PM

 
Song Description:
This is a mashup of imagine and walk on the wild side, george bush on vocal.
(Thanks, Kat!)
posted 2:10 PM

 
"When exposed to heavy metal music, water, coming from the same source as the one exposed to Mozart's music, cannot form a hexagonal crystal structure. Rather it breaks down into pieces. Dr Emoto reasoned that water may react negatively to music that is filled with angry lyrics."

Be nice to water. It has feelings too.
(Thanks, Ron!)
posted 11:56 AM

 
15 ways to unstick a seatpost. You would be amazed at how long it takes to saw through an aluminum seatpost length-wise. I had to do it 4 times.
posted 10:10 AM

 
Best mascot ever.
posted 12:49 PM

 
Party like it's 1961.
posted 11:11 AM

 
Hey, the Pope's dead. I wonder if there's a commemorative thong? Yep.
posted 10:36 PM

 
The Old Car Manual Project
Worth it for this picture alone.

(via Grow-A-Brain)
posted 10:13 PM

 
"Neon Nits lice egg locator spray is your NEWEST WEAPON in the war on head lice."
posted 3:17 PM

 
Autechre Radio.
According to MeFi, there will be a live broadcast this sunday (april 10, 2005) starting at 1500 EST.
posted 11:02 AM

 
Alles Lookenspeepers.
(Thanks kat!)
posted 9:35 PM

 
Portable Atari 2600.
Somewhat similar to this.
(via gamegirladvance)
posted 3:45 PM

 
Kool-Aid FAQ v7.0
(via Coudal Partners)
posted 2:15 PM

 
Circular Sock Knitting machines.
The Curta may be cool, but you could crank one all day and never get any socks. Don't miss the manual page!
posted 2:57 PM

 
I had the pleasure, and the honour, of knowing the chicken that was to become the most famous pet chicken in the world, Heedley. Heedley wasn't a star back then, just a backyard chicken. If you have your own backyard chicken, you can now pet it via the internet, instead of waiting until you get home from art school, and having it run up to you, like a little dog with feathers and a beak.
(via near near future)
posted 1:55 PM

 
"The rabid mouth-foamers who hate Fox News have embraced Outfoxed and the newshounds, so it's obvious that they are nothing if not gullible. But the hucksters who pander to these sheep have taken their efforts to a new level, launching a scheme to separate these true believers from their money."

"P.S. All you hate mailers out there (750 or so today) quit sending me "CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NPR and the BBC are left wing liberal hippies......." without EVIDENCE. If you are going to send it, send it with FACTS. Facts like THESE. Just saying it makes you sound like the stupid, ignorant, uneducated hillbilly you are."

Jeez, guys, it's just a cable filter. Lighten up. Or turn the damn thing off.
(Thanks, Lewis!)
posted 2:55 PM

 
Cool stuff roundup:
Pixel Roller can roll pixels onto a phosphorescent surface. (thanks nick!)
MTRANII Self-Reconfigurable Modular Robot reminds me of Nick's blanket, without its skin, but it (they?) can self-assemble like Voltron. Except they're not lions.
The videos on the MTRAN site are very slow to load, but totally worth it. (via Near Near Future)
posted 4:55 PM

 
Old Mercedes hearses.
posted 3:47 PM

 
I work in television. I'm part of the problem. But I have a TV-B-Gone, so I'm also part of the solution.
(via MeFi)
posted 3:51 PM

 
I suck at video games. But I do have one claim to fame. I've played this. And you think parents are worked up about GTA? Hah.
posted 10:17 PM

 
"Problems that the greatest scientists worked on for fifty years had been the state secret of special importance up to recept time not only for mere mortals, but for nuclear weapon developers themselves. Now you may not only look at these "products" but also touch them..."
(via Exclamation Mark)
posted 11:33 AM

 
This train's not in vain.

posted 10:52 AM

 
Amazing ski action photos shot with a speed graphic. I've been toying with the idea of taking mine to a skateboard park-now I'm sure that it's a good idea.
posted 10:12 AM

 
File under "WTF were they thinking?" It's not safe to wear a skirt when ROB is in the room. It even has bright lights for dark areas! And the soundtrack on the website goes all boom-chicka-chicka at the end. WTF!? I want one! But not for...that.
(via b3ta)
posted 9:54 PM

 
The Origin of Spacewar.
posted 1:32 PM

 
"This is not a guide for wusses whose aim is merely to wipe out humanity...Nor is this a guide for those wanting to annihilate everything from single-celled life upwards, render Earth uninhabitable or simply conquer it. These are trivial goals in comparison.
This is a guide for those who do not want the Earth to be there anymore."
(Thanks, Dan!)
posted 8:19 AM

 
An alarm clock that runs away and hides when it goes off. I need one. Then the cat wouldn't have to work so hard.
(via Near Near Future)
posted 11:35 AM

 
"Emi and Yumi Ito jumped from Japanese cha-cha sweethearts to international b-movie icons when they portrayed the melancholy captured fairies who chanted "Mo-su-rah" in Toho's classic 'Mothra'. Though they appeared in only three of the Toho monster epics, they made such an impression, that their screen roles overpower that of the monsters themselves!!"
(Via PCL LinkDump)
posted 9:44 PM

 
Leisuretown is back.
posted 6:46 PM

 
Cryptozoology and Philately. Could this be the coolest stamp ever?
posted 6:17 PM

 
The Cathode Ray Tube Site , via MeFi. If you have any free time left after that one, check out this.
posted 7:20 PM

 
Pretzels are the new grilled cheese.
(Thanks, Ron!)
And in other religious news: Katamari DaVinci.
(via boing boing)
posted 7:33 PM

 
McNugget numbers. Does this mean that the series 00001010,00010100,00011110,00101000,00110010 etc. are timbits?
(via kottke.org)
posted 1:21 PM

 
A kitchen timer made out of dekatrons. (scroll down). And barking dogs. Watch the video.
Dekatron? WTF?
posted 10:51 PM

 
Grocery stores should look like this on the inside. And this on the outside.
posted 3:59 PM

 
Nanaca Crash. You get to be a Japanese schoolgirl, and kill people with your bike. Or something.
posted 1:31 PM

 
Toilets Around the World.
posted 8:14 PM

 
Katamari Damacy in Play-Doh.
(via boingboing)
posted 4:00 PM

 
RotoTone. A really nice looking phone project.
posted 9:55 PM

 
Toy Replicas. For when you need a hand.
(Thanks, Ken!)
posted 1:32 PM

 
" Snow lantern is very easy to make, but it's a very fine piece of art."
Really. If you have nice packing snow, go outside tonight and make a whole bunch. You can even make some in a park, and just leave them there.* It's not like you're going to burn anything down.

*or, if you're single, continue to fuss over them. You'll soon attact "helpers". Make sure you have cocoa back at your place!

posted 3:59 PM

 
The Kaman HH-43 helicopter had wooden rotor blades. And when Charles Kaman wasn't designing helicopters, he was making guitars.
posted 8:51 PM

 
Lots and lots of rubber dinosaurs, obsessively classified.
(Via Plep)
posted 5:41 PM

 
Now you can look for pulsars from the comfort of home.
(thanks, Dan!)
posted 11:17 AM

 
An article about Robert Rental. This is one of the reasons I will always need a working turntable. One cool thing about it is that it only has one side.
(via The Cartoonist)
posted 4:16 PM

 
You can still buy an analog computer.
posted 2:18 PM

 
Superman is a dick.
(via memepool)
posted 2:10 PM

 
"One question while planning the new machine always was: What other means could be used to inflict pain on the player? Of course we immediately thought about pepper spray and punches in the gut, but we needed something that wouldn't cause another lawyer to write us.
Since one major aspect of pain in the game is to distract the players from the actual gameplay, we found that using a flash to temporarily blind the player could be a nice addition. Moreover, the flash makes for a good light effect and nobody will get hurt!"

The Artwork Formerly Known as PainStation
posted 1:43 PM

 
The Somerville Gates.
Thanks, Ted!
posted 1:08 PM

 
Wow, there goes the afternoon. Japanese Warning Signs. Including one of my personal favorites! I have a 3D photo of that one somewhere. I've never one of these in real life. I'm not sure I want to.
(Via BoingBoing)
posted 4:16 PM

 
I've added a link to my del.icio.us over there <-----. Del.icio.us is a "social bookmark manager". You can read about it here. It will function as a categorical archive of sorts, as well as providing links to things that don't get into the blog, but are nonetheless interesting or useful. You can get an RSS feed of the whole thing, or of the tags individually. It will take me a while to get all the archives linked, so be patient.
posted 3:40 PM

 
Now Then. See how your favorite comics artists drew when they were kids.
(Via MeFi)
posted 3:24 PM

 
Cats for rent.
(via MeFi)
posted 5:10 PM

 
Handmade Katamari Damacy hats. If I see you wearing one of these, I'll try not to grab your head and roll it through piles of thumbtacks and flocks of pigeons. Really, I'll try, but I can't promise anything.
(via boingboing)
posted 12:48 PM

 
If you are in Toronto, come out Monday night to Lickety Split, with Yuko Nexus6, Sarah Peebles, Barnyard Drama, and me.

"Yuko will sing some Japanese old folk songs in "folktronica" way with Max/MSP and will manipulate a variety of her own sounds. Sarah will gently massage (sounds of) bees in bottles, freshly-fallen snow, Tokyo JR train stop songs and little birds from New Zealand. Rob will project slides, film loops, shadows, and perhaps a pixel or two. Brightly coloured shapes and movement will stimulate learning. Barnyard Drama will do what they do best: think Mahler and Wagner, slow it right down, add radio Istanbul and the tooth fairy Œcause you know it's got to be sweet and creepy."

Monday, February 7, 2005 - 8 p.m.
The Tranzac Club
292 Brunswick Ave (just south of Bloor St.) - Toronto
Suggested $10 / PWYC
More info here.

posted 5:53 PM

 
Ants in blue goo. Reminds me of the time a whole bunch of ants came out of a crack at work. We found where the sand for the ashtrays was kept, and made a bunch of ant farms out of bottles and things. The interesting thing about ants is that they'll make a little room where they put all the dead ants. Maybe they can't really live on bits of Power Bar.
(via B3ta)

posted 1:42 PM

 
Beware The Cuddly Menace.
(via boing boing)

posted 11:11 AM

 
If you enjoyed the Lance video, you'd probably dig the Landmaster, too. I didn't actually see the movie at the time that it came out, but I had the Roger Zelazney paperback with a photo section. I'm sure there are lots of badly drawn doodles of the thing in my old jr. high notebooks at the bottom of some landfill somewhere.
(via Jalopnik, via near near future.)


posted 1:29 PM

 
Vancouver's Neon Heritage.

posted 11:03 AM

 
Meet Lance. (warning: hugely huge real media file.)
(thanks, Kat!)

posted 9:41 PM

 
Electric Pinecone.
via Adorablog

posted 10:41 PM

 
I teach electronics workshops for artists, using simple CMOS chips. I always point out that these sorts of little logic gates were what put people on the moon. If you need proof of that, here it is.
(via boing boing)

posted 1:27 PM

 
What if Karl Blossfeldt had got his hands on a usb cable?
(via kottke.org)

posted 3:57 PM

 
Natural Phenomena Named after Frank Zappa.
The gene "ZapA" is the perfect tribute to the man who wrote "Why Does it Hurt when I Pee?".
(via bifurcated rivets)

posted 1:21 PM

 
There is a new video clip up on the Spiral Inscriber page, which gives a better idea of what the piece actually looks like in action. Thanks to Bravo! News for that.
posted 1:59 PM

 
Compare your height to famous people. I'm as tall as Michael J. Fox and Joan Crawford.
(How come they left out Prince?)

(via boing boing)

posted 11:35 AM

 
5% of the traffic on the internet is pictures of kittens. (windows media file, sorry)

posted 11:24 AM

 
Radio Disease Killer. As cool as the RDK is, it's sad that people are still falling for this sort of crap.

posted 1:47 PM

 
If you are suffering from Katamari Damacy flashbacks, you might not want to build the paper cat, even though it "...will look amazingly cool on your desk!" Now, where did I put that glue stick?

posted 10:39 AM

 
Last word on the Nancy Davolio mystery. Mike Gunderloy was kind enough to write in, and explain it:

"As far as I know, Nancy Davolio originated in Access 1.0. The *name* was
made up, but the *photo* has always been of a real Microsoft employee -
not, however, with that name. (The same applies to the rest of the
people in the Northwind sample database: synthetic names, real people).

The name has turned up in tons of examples because Microsoft legal
cleared it for use in such things (they have a big master list they
maintain for just that purpose). My name turns up in some of the same
places because I raid their list or Northwind when I want to write an
article myself."

Thanks, Mike!


posted 10:36 PM

 
First audio recording from another world.
(via boingboing)

posted 3:51 PM

 
Fraser's Spiral. Perhaps this explains why my brain hurt so much working on Spiral Inscriber.

posted 10:53 AM

 
Who is Nancy Davolio, and why is her name in thousands of spreadsheet and database examples?
Really, if someone knows this, please email me.
Update: One page I found seemed to suggest that she was a real person, and had something to do with Microsoft Access 95. Most of the examples seem to be for Microsoft products. There are a few N. Davolios in the Redmond White pages. Maybe we should call them.
Interestingly, her name sometimes crops up in the same document as that of one Mike Gunderloy. Is this the same person who used to edit Factsheet Five?

Further update: Microsoft Office ships with a sample database, northwind.mdb. She's employee number 1 in the table Employees. Still, I'm betting she's a real person.


posted 4:08 PM

 
Laugh all you want, kids. We had to eat this shit.
(via MeFi)

posted 1:20 PM

 
Knitting references in literature.

posted 3:18 PM

 
The Wandtafeln of Rudolph Leuckart
Big ol' zoology charts!
(Via The Cartoonist)
Update: If that's the sort of thing you like, you might want to check out this.

posted 1:51 PM

 
I was looking at the stats again, and marveling that, given a combination of clueless users, and bad search engines, the vast majority of people who wind up here from following a search engine (mostly yahoo) query are actually looking for something called "ass parade." And the more I use the phrase "weird-ass", the worse it's going to get.
As annoying as it is, I suppose some people have it worse.


posted 6:05 PM

 
Handy screen cleaning utility. Make sure your speakers are turned up.
(via b3ta)

posted 1:42 PM

 
"Electric Enigma is a double album on which California-based artist
Stephen P. McGreevy has documented recordings he made of Natural
Radio - electromagnetic emissions in the very-low-frequency band
caused by massive discharges and their after-effects in lightning
storms and by the solar wind buffeting the earth's magnetic field,
visible as Aurora Borealis and Australis. It would normally take long
wires to pick up these emissions, which would hamper the mobility of
a listener or recordist. "
(Thanks, Kat!)

posted 9:38 AM

 
The Free Information Society has a gallery of monkey jockey pictures. That's exactly what I needed.
(via things magazine)

posted 1:11 PM

 
"Are you tired of virtual synthesizers, samplers and wavetable machines? Are you seeking for the unique sound of the vintage homecomputer days. Did you know that the sound device from one of the most popular computers of the 80's - the C64 - can produce awesome sounds like a modern synth? Did you ever build a low-budget synthesizer by your own? Well, maybe the MIDIbox SID could be interesting for you."

posted 9:26 AM

 
I tried some komochi kombu on New Years day. It's herring roe stuck to
seaweed. "Wow, this looks hard to make", I said.
"No, the fish do all the work!" It's true. And they do a good job.




posted 4:51 PM

 
If you know me, or read this blog, you may be aware that I've been laying low, not returning calls, and working on a mysterious something that I've been unusually tight-lipped about. Time to let the cat out of the bag.
Spiral Inscriber will be exhibited at Fly Gallery 1172 Queen Street West, Toronto, from Jan 3 to 31, 2005. Fly is a street level window space that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since we can't really have an opening in the rain, on a sidewalk in Parkdale, a few of us will be getting together for beers and chitchat at the Gladstone, mere steps from Fly, Monday Jan 3 around 8 or so. Feel free to drop by and say hi.

posted 5:21 PM

 
Plankton art. Amazing. (Even if some of it isn't really plankton) Makes me want to just look at plankton on the net all day.
(via Grow a Brain)

posted 2:25 PM