Confessions of a Power Surfer

Classic Cat

2006-10-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

[Horrible name + horrible logo] + horrible site design + awesome site = Classic Cat. Classic Cat is a directory with links to over 3200 free to download classical performances on the internet, sorted by composer and work. Seriously, that's over 3,000 free classical Mp3s. That's pretty sweet.

Ice Bricks

2006-10-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

Seriously...who needs regular ice cubes anymore? The good news - they're for sale. The bad news...apparently you have to live in Europe.

Flash Forward

2006-03-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

This is a conference for people to discuss and show off the things they are able to do in Flash. Check out the Past Winners section to see some sweet games, movies, motion graphics, typography, and more!

The Unseen Video

2006-03-22T15:55:00.000-08:00

This site takes you location, finds the weather station closest to it, and then dynamically generates a music video using the weather of your current location! It looks like it basically just cycles the colors, "plants", and ambiant floating "things"...but its still pretty neat. Check out the live one, or also check out the various static versions, including the last one that shows various cities side by side!

Here's a shot of how the program configures the video:

N00b?

2006-01-27T17:27:00.000-08:00

Check out this English assignment that someone posted online. The opposite of pro? noob. Obviously the English teacher isn't as "1337" as we'd like, but oh well. So what is the opposite of pro? con...amateur..?

iSee - Turn your [Free wink wink] Ipod into a Digital Camera!

2006-01-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

check this out! Turn your iPod into a digital camera/recorder. This baby will set you back 250$, but what better way to pay for it than by using the money you saved getting a FREE iPOD!

(Sorry..shameless plug I know, but I @ least made the effort to show you something cool in the process!)

Varini - Try to Prepare Yourself.

2006-01-16T19:47:00.000-08:00

No, not some lame chain letter, or survey, but rather my new favorite artist. Prepare your eyes to bleed and your brain to hurt.

Overview (in english)
[note: if the site doesn't work, keep trying, it will eventually]

Official Site

Quick Official Site Guide From My Surfing -

index chronologique - picture indexs, select a range, then a
year, and then a picture (click on the last picture will "scroll the
pictures over")
on the pictures - The first menu is actually the name and
location of the work. In the second menu, "Ouvrir" will show
you the art from another perspective. In the bottom menu
the years will get you back to the gallery, and the "general"
will take you back to the main page.
videos - videos, some will show you the work and how it lines
up, just got to look about.

other than that just poke around and be amazed!

iPod Scratch

2005-12-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

Here's how to correctly repair scratches on your iPod, as opposed to using....oh let's say...nail polish remover?

NEW York City Skyline

2005-12-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

Here's some photoshopped action of what New York will look like the then WTC replacement gets built.

Sequel Action

2005-12-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

One of the coolest, most beautiful, surreal (and far too short) games I have ever played gets a sequel. Do yourself a favor and play this one.

Breaking and Entering - Broken.

2005-12-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

What's so special about this night stand?

Follow this link to find out...

Cellular Telephone Headset

2005-12-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

Someone please, please get one of these.

Newness

2005-12-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

It's been a month since the last update...sorry...finals got the better of me.

But here's some powersurfing to cheer you up...

First off...check this out...

100 % CGI. Yep, totally fake. Check out this page to see some more amazing 3d work, and check out this page to look at some awesome 2d work.

40 Things That Only Happen in Movies

2005-11-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

40 Things. Such as:

11. Any police officer about to retire from the force will more often than not die on their last day (especially if their family have planned a party). (Caveat: Detectives can only solve a case after they have been suspended from duty).

29. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at once (it's called Stallone's Law).

The World is Stupid - International Edition

2005-11-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Amazing photo of an Indian Muslim pushing his eyeball out in honour of the prophet Mohammed during a celebration.

Honestly...what the heck? Call it intolerant if you like, but that's pretty stupid.

Ed. Note - The picture was replaced with a "?" because I felt that the actual photo had no place in proximity with the all out FEST below.

Fest - Giant Snow Globe that actually "Snows"!

2005-11-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

I stand in awe. Wow those things are huge. I think I need one.

FEST - Have an Ever-Snowing Christmas Tree!

2005-11-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

Wow. They sure make it look cool in the picture...I suppose you might be able to make it look that cool. Check out the video of it in action. What an amazing idea though.

The World is Stupid VI

2005-11-11T09:19:00.000-08:00

Introducing the Jones Soda: Holiday pack. Flavors include:

Brussels Sprout with Prosciutto
Cranberry Sauce
Turkey & Gravy
Wild Herb Stuffing
Pumpkin Pie.

Also Available, the Regional Pack :

Broccoli Casserole
Smoked Salmon Paté
Turkey & Gravy
Corn on the Cob
Pecan Pie

Make sure you buy both, immediately. As stupid as these are, I'll be darned if it wouldn't make a great white elephant gift.

The World is Stupid V - Special Urban Outfitters Edition

2005-11-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

I'm all for the Charlie Brown Christmas, I'm even all for the Charlie Brown Christmas tree....

but why the heck is Urban Outfitters selling a Charlie Brown tree kit for TWENTY-FOUR BUCKS?!

Here's an idea, make your own tree for like....3$.

The World is Stupid IV

2005-11-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

Rome's municipal government has passed a law to protect the city's goldfish from unfair treatment.

The fish can no longer be given away as prizes and they must be given a full-sized aquarium.
In addition to protection for fish, the law requires dog owners to walk their canines daily or face a $625 fine.
It bans the display of pets-for-sale in store windows, and gives legal recognition to "gattare," the "cat ladies" who feed an army of strays.
Also banned: choke and electrical collars and, for dogs and cats, declawing and the clipping of tails and ears for cosmetic reasons....

"We have the most beautiful laws in the world, and nobody enforces them," said Silvia Viviani, a retired opera soprano who co-founded the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary, a home for 250 strays ensconced in ancient ruins at the site where Julius Caesar was assassinated. It is one of an estimated 800 cat "colonies" in Rome that the new law will help by forbidding construction projects from displacing their feline residents.

Despite her reservations about enforcement, Viviani praised the new law. She only wished it went further, to include mandatory sterilization of cats and dogs — something, she says, that is still resisted in Italy because of "machismo."

The World is Stupid III

2005-11-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets:

An Empirical Study

Ali Rahimi¹, Ben Recht ², Jason Taylor ², Noah Vawter ²
17 Feb 2005

1: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department, MIT.
2: Media Laboratory, MIT.

Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We theorize that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.

Bravo MIT, bravo.

The World is Stupid II

2005-11-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

I wish I were making this up. I really do.

The World is Stupid I

2005-11-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

Think real hard about this one.

Paper Craft - Yamaha

2005-10-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Download motercycle and animal models you can print out and assemble yourself!

Paper Craft : [Ready Mech]

2005-10-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Ready Mech - A site that lets you print out and build cartoon robots. How cool.

Haunted Mansion How-To

2005-10-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

This is a link to a page that details how all of the effects in Disney's Haunted Mansion are pulled off.

Archie Comic - Betty Goes Goth

2005-10-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

Something tells me this should have been titled "Betty Joins the Beanery" instead...and alas, there are no panels containing a Hot Topic cross-promotion.

Eggling

2005-10-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

All you have to do is buy an Eggling, crack it open, and then an herb grows. Cool and wierd at the same time.

Happy Hallowe.....oh..wait

2005-10-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

People see a hanging corpse halloween decoration....turns out it wasn't exactly what they thought.

Knit Your Own Digestive Track

2005-10-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

I think the title pretty much speaks for itself on this one..

BOUNCY BALLS!

2005-10-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

You should probably do yourself a favor and check this out. It took me a LONG time to load it, but it was worth it. And yeah, that's not CG..it's all real. 250,000.

Um, Your Painting is on Fire

2005-10-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

It's a picture frame. It's a fireplace. It's chic. It's trendy. It's hip.

I hope I never own an apartment like that one in the picture...or have a roommate like the guy who's crossing his legs.

Create Your Own Secret Bookshelf Door

2005-10-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

I think the title of this one pretty much speaks for itself. Here's the LINK.

Toaster PLUS!

2005-10-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Go ahead, tell me you don't want one...I'll know you're lying.

Only 40$ too...that is not...too..bad..

Words Cannot Express

2005-10-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

Look at the man to the left. Chances are you may recognize him. Chances are you may or may not think he is an idiot. Now, there is proof for the latter. Yes, that's right, Nicholas Cage and his wife Alice have named their child Kal-el Coppola Cage. Yep. Kal-el. Superman's alien name for the un-geeked. Who names their kid Kal-el, I mean honestly? Apparently this is Cage's third marriage and his wife's first. He is 41, she is 20. Yeah, and they just named their first kid Kal-freaking-el. I mean, I'm not necessarily one to judge, but I don't think this marriage is going places.

Sleeping Mayhem

2005-10-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

I want one of these so bad. From the website:

Well the Sonic Alarm makes the whole 'getting them out of bed' exercise a very simple, and indeed amusing, operation. Looking like an old-fashioned comedy hand grenade, the Sonic Alarm will wake pretty well anything up. Simply pull the pin, yell an emphatic "fire in the hole" and lob the grenade into the sleeper's room. After ten seconds a very annoying and piercingly loud noise (there are three volume settings) will blast out from the alarm. That's not all however, what makes this especially great is that to stop the alarm the sleeper has to find you so you can put the pin back in.

Duh.

2005-10-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

New York Times Headline

To More Inmates, Life Term Means Dying Behind Bars

Go figure..because I thought life term meant you spend 2 years (not life) in prison and then get booted back out into society.

I remember the good old days when life term actually meant life term.

HOLY CRAP.

2005-09-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

Days after I post RPS 15 :

RPS 25 is upon us.

wow.

Here is how all THREE HUNDRED outcomes are spoken :

Why I'm Waiting for a Revolution

2005-09-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

Xbox 360 Bundle = 4500$. Yep.

oh and guess what? No Gears of War. For 4500$ they had better give some people some flippin Gears of War!

Heck NO.

2005-09-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to look at some pictures and find out why there's no way I would ever have this picture of Little Ruthie hanging in my house.

Animals - LIVE!

2005-09-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

National Geographic has an infared webcam aimed right at a watering hole. Awesome!

Movies + Genre Remix = Amazing New Trailers

2005-09-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

These are trailers made from footage from different movies with new music and voice overs to totally chance the context of the movie. These were made by different assistants at a post production house.

The Shining as a dramedy

West Side Story as a zombie movie

apparently there is a Titanic one that people are trying to track down made by the same company.

25 Top Animated Movies of All Time

2005-09-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ign proves they have no idea what they're talking about. Proof in point :

Shrek, The Lion King, and Toy Story all lower than The Little Mermaid.
The Incredibles, Spirited Away lower than Finding Nemo
Toy Story in the NUMBER ONE spot? The NUMBER ONE movie of ALL TIME?! Don't think so.
Somehow they have considered South Park decent animation, in fact, so decent it rests at number 3.

Sucks to you IGN.

oh deer...

2005-09-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Man escapes. Man dresses up like doctor. Well...you read the rest..

Goldfish + Mountain Dew

2005-09-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

Just watch it till the end. That's all I can say.

Oldies but Goodies

2005-09-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been there before, you owe yourself a trip to archive.org. Among it's many hidden secrets - an entire collection of Prelinger films. Yes, the black and white educational films from the 50's era. Including such great hits as "How to be Popular"

Sweet Knife Holder

2005-09-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

Check out this knife holder. It has been available in the UK for a little bit, but has finally made it's way to our humble shores. The only bad part - 80$.

Rock Paper Scissors : Intellectual Edition

2005-09-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Take a gander at Rock Paper Scissors 15. Pretty intense. It's like rock, paper, scissors...but there are now 15 moves instead of three. The game had been augmented with such new moves as lightening, dragon, fire, and human. Play on.

Tomato War

2005-09-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Every year in Spain, on the last day of August, for one hour you get goggles and all the tomatos you can throw. It happens every year in Buñol, Spain and lasts from exactly 11 to 12 pm. I'm not even kidding.

In case you live under a rock.

2005-09-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

Apple introduced the iPod nano yesterday. Man this thing is tiny. The only downside - they're only 2GB and 4GB - and for 50$ more than a 4GB model you can upgrade to a 20GB normal ipod. Did I mention these things were tiny?

Holy Wow.

2005-09-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Steve decided to build himself a little project. After fiber optic stars, faux roman pillars, custom cut golden leaves, leather reclining seats, and more were installed, Steve finally had his home theater finished (at a price he won't reveal).

Yeah...Video Tomb Stones

2005-09-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what to say about this. It's kind of creepy and wierd. More than likely, I now plan on recording myself in a dark box, knocking on the camera lens and asking if, "anyone is out there" so that whoever gets enough guts to open up the video flap will think I'm still alive and dig me up. Ha. Joke's on them.

Just Say NOpoleon 2005 - "Napoleon 'not so funny'"

2005-09-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

A nice, short bit of satire in what I hope is a re-awakening of common sense.

Job Offer

2005-09-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

After seeing this, there are a couple thoughts that run through my mind. I think, "wow, that's pretty neat". I also think, "wow, I wonder how much they're going to have to pay the guy that needs to clean all the soiled glass after people realize they're standing on top of a window four thousand feet over a canyon"?

Troy's Mix Tape.... OF LOVE

2005-09-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

See what happens to some guys when they get involved with girls?

Some thing's to remember when listening to this :

This is only a couple minutes of a FOURTEEN MINUTE long audio file
Be sure not to miss the love-filled repetition!
They broke up 3 days later (wonder why?)
Now Troy's audio file is online for everyone to hear...even people who may or may not go to school with him.

Stuff From a Tv Preacher

2005-08-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

A guy made up a Flickr archive of stuff that he got when he called the Bob Tilton prayer line. It's quite sad when you get past how funny it is.

Genius

2005-08-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

Put some familiar voices with some faces.

Artist - Andy Goldsworthy

2005-07-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

I know some of you saw "Artist" and stopped reading right there. I suppose that also means there's no possible way you will be reading this portion of the post in that case. Digressing from that poke at all the art haters out there; Andy Goldsworthy rocks the house. All of Goldsworthy's work is done out in the environment using natural items found in the environment. Normally I would write an artist like that off as some sort of granola, tree-hugging, Eugene-infesting nutcase who will be outputting nests made out of his own body hair in some old growth forest and trying to call it art : not so with Goldsworthy, his works are actually cool. For example, the picture in this post is made out of cherry tree leaves. Yep, awesome. Gloldsworthy also does some awesome work with ice, rocks, and other things people normally wouldn't associate with art.

Here are some different sites with works of art by Goldsworthy:

Site One - A random Goldsworthy gallery

Site Two - Simply a Google Image search for "Goldsworthy"

Site Three - This is a film about Goldsworthy; the entire film can be downloaded and viewed!

Site Four - A site about Goldsworthy's sculpture. They may look like boring arches at first, but look closely to see some awesome arches made out of snow and ice, and also see how the arches change at different times of day.

Site Five - The Wikipedia entry for Andy Goldsworthy

As always, if anyone has any other links they stumble across, feel free to add them to the comments on this post.

Antioch Hoedown 2006

2005-07-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

It's never too late to start planning for the next Antioch Hoedown. For example, take this hat here. A cowboy hat with a "genuine bullet hole" which means that they paid some guy to sit there and shoot hats all day long, or they stole hats from the aftermath of idiot inbred family feuds.

Virtual Guide Book

2005-07-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

There's an new gadget set to come out that sounds pretty freaking rad. Basically it uses a video screen and GPS locating technology to deliver information to you as you walk around various areas. For example :

"I move 50 feet towards some flowerbeds and... ping! I'm urged to look up at the fourth window from the left where the 19th-century stunner Emily Smythe - "the most beautiful woman in the West of England!" - once gazed from her bedroom at the rural landscape stretching to the city.
The screen shows me her picture. It tells me that men used to swoon at the sight of her. It shows me her bedroom.

I walk to the front of the building. Ping! I learn that the writer CS Lewis was a patient here during the First World War, when this became a military hospital."

Idiots of the World - Spittin'

2005-07-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a great idea. Don't wear your seatbelt.

On top of that...
how about not wearing your seatbelt, and then opening your door, leaning out, and spitting, and see what happens.

Idiots of the World - High School Bribe

2005-07-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the scene. Little Billy is deathly ill, but he decides to go to school anyway. "Why?", you ask. Well I'll tell you: it's because Little Billy's school is promising him 25$ for every quarter without a single missed day. Oh yeah, and the school officials don't call it a bribe. How about going back to the good ol' days when not going to school was a punishable offense? How about THEM APPLES?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005-07-31T00:19:00.000-07:00

In honor of the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie here are some Charlie-themed links.

Chocolate Wars - This is a really interesting story about the inspiration behind the original book. Read this, it's cool.

Chocolypse Now - A parody of Apocolypse Now where Slugworth sends Charlie up the river into Loompaland to terminate Willy Wonka.

Roald Dahl Figures - Like the figure seen in this post's picture. They have some awesome figures based off the art style of Roald Dahl.

Amazing "3D" Paintings.

2005-07-31T00:07:00.000-07:00

What's cool about this painting? It's totally a flat wall. Check out this page to see more of this guy's amazing work!

Flash Mob - Zombies

2005-07-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

I know a couple of us in the house talked about Flash Mobs before. Well, here's an interesting one that's going down in San Fran today - a zombie flash mob. I think it would be hillarious to be "in the know" and sit there and watch people's reactions as the living dead start infesting their streets, corners, and local starbucks. Let's just hope there's no half-crazed gamers in the crowd or some zombie actors could end up getting shot in the head.

Optical Illusion

2005-07-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

Pretty darn neat optical tricks. I know we've probably all seen the first two...but the third one absolutely astounds me.

Design a Rollercoaster = Get 100,000$ for college

2005-07-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hershey's has a new contest out. Design a rollercoaster using their coaster design kit (i'm guessing it's a RCT3 "demo") and if you win...

BOOM - 100,000$ check.

Amazing Surrealist Gaming

2005-07-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

EVERYONE should go check out Amanita Design. Their game Samorost is like Myst meets Wonderland. It's awesome.

I can't say the same for the game they made for Nike. It stars Vince Carter. And, he jumps into outerspace with a special pair of sneakers. Haven't seen that before...

This ones for you Matty...

2005-07-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

We'll see how this pans out and if people like it. Matt said he would love to see some of the sites I hit up during my Powersurfing - well here you go. Try to last more than five minutes.