Category: These Are Those Things

That inspire, that I like, and that I hope you feel the same about

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These Are Those Things

The Land Of 1000 Cereals (this is that free choice you heard so much about?)

Over at BOWL OF NOSES there is a post of Charlie Chaplin’s Eating Machine from Modern Times.  With it’s robotic Rube Goldbergian complication, it delights me in it’s misguided quest for efficiency.

Ryan Alexiev is an artist with complicated relationship to cold cereal, creating elaborate mosaics and more.  He’s made one of my favorite short films I have seen in a while, THE WIZARD OF O’S, and with it brought a nicely streamlined version of Charlie’s machine: The Golden Spoon.  Check it out.
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These Are Those Things

Doodling to 10th Degree: Rinpa Eshidan

Thanks to Doodlage, last week I stumbled upon this Japanese doodling crew, Rinpa Eshidan.  Ever since I wandered into a Chelsea gallery last year and saw the work of Buenos Aires based Blu I have been hungry for more “draw over” work.

Blu and this Japanese crew go at with an exuberance that’s hard to beat.  Blu’s got more of a narrative blend and complete mindblowing silliness.  Rinpa Eshidan is more decorative, but certainly not lacking in the other departments either.  We featured them over at Bowl Of Noses last week, but you can expect to see more of them I am sure.

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Political Monsters by Gerald Scarfe

I have always dreamed of Alternative Careers.  Within that is the subset of Imaginary Alternative Careers.  Pursuits may be a better phrase; I dislike Career as it supposes that work is distinct from life.  The use of our labor is one of primary choices, inherent to whom we are — or rather I think it should be.

But back to the dreams: I once wanted to be a cartoonist.  Unfortunately that takes talent and craft. I once also wanted to be a journalist and also to work in politics — basically I wanted to both observe, comment, and to change things.  
Gerald Scarfe is a political cartoonist who’s stock in trade captures another one of those dreams: monsters.  For me it might have been more of a “monster shepherd”.  I envy that character on Doctor Who who collected all the beasts across time — but of course I would want to live with them, at least not these days.
BBC has a great slideshow profile on Scarfe and his work.  He’s sort of the Brit Ralph Steadman, but you probably know him best from Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
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These Are Those Things

Exciting New Work: Perish Factory

A couple of months ago I stumbled on Perish Factory, the work of an animator also known as Lung.  I posted the video Butterfingers on Bowl Of Noses yesterday as it gave my son giggle fits.

Lung’s work is wonderfully diverse, covering a dizzying array of animation and live action styles.  His work is both simple and complex at the same time — something I truly enjoy.
The promise of the internet to deliver new work from new sources hasn’t quite been delivered in my book.  I know the work and the artist are out there, but all of it is still too hard to find.  We all need to take a greater role in curating to our friends, and hence T.A.T.T..  
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The Beauty Of The World (and Technology)

We were just in Siem Reap in Cambodia breathing in all the truly amazing temples.  It is truly one of the great sites.   I feel so fortunate that we got to take this trip.  I fear such travel will soon be a thing of the past (so to speak…).

Sitting in my hotel room this morning, reading the paper online, browsing the web, I came across the World Heritage Tour website.  It shows off the glory of technology pretty darn well too.  I have it set for Angkor but you can use it to visit many incredible places, including where we just were, and look 360 degrees, zoom in and out and all that jazz.   
Our trip was covered by a speaking engagement, but with the current price of travel and all the chaos peak oil will bring, this website is pretty swell toy to travel from your chair.  

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Better Than Most Films, Better Than Television: It’s Radio, sort of…

I saw two films this week.  They were both ambitious and blessed with budgets north of $20 million.  Yet they were not disciplined, nor did they expand upon where the ideas inherent might go.  The next morning after watching the last one, as headed to the office, enjoying my daily walk, I put in the earphones and listened to a podcast.

Podcasts have become one of my favorite attributes to modern life.  I never felt I needed radio, but give me a good show and the perfect amount of time to listen to it, and I am left happy and satisfied — and so much more so than bearing witness to yet another half-baked excessively expensive expression on celluloid (or HD).
Of the course, the grand master of it all is THIS AMERICAN LIFE.  It’s one of the greatest things going.  Amazingly consistent, they know how to tell stories.  They take them farther, expose new truths, and unite us in our lives.  I got to the office and immediately went on line and contributed some cash to this fantastic show.  
If you don’t have your iTunes set to download this podcast and dump it onto your phone or MP3 player weekly, you are not living.
And how great is the marriage of them with Chris Ware?!

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So Much To See


I am off on a trip to see a place I have always dreamed of going to.  I did not expect to get there so soon. And it’s not a minute too fast, as my list of “must sees” has been growing daily.  I have never been much of a traveler, but the internet keeps delivering all of these sights to me, and now I want to explore far beyond my keyboard.  

Deputy Dog’s 9 Amzingly Unique Bridges You May Not Have Seen is a must see.  All 9 were new to me and all 9 were pretty incredible.  
The Ultimate Movie In My Head keeps expanding.