The Mrs just found this on Wayfair.com. Made me laugh.
Category Archives: Art
Best movie … 41
Best indie time travel film you’ve never seen. ’41’ (HD) 2012
Full movie 1:21:26
Seriously interesting movie, reminiscent of Primer and Memento
Desperation
Our laundry is so desperate to be cleaned that is trying to climb into the washer on its own.
Hank
When The Sirens Sound
A short film
If you get “an error occurred” when trying to watch the videos, please reload the entire page.
Check Your Surroundings For Safety
Behind the scenes of the first feature film shot entirely using the Prius backup camera
The Power of …
INFERNO! Update #8
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Someone donated $100 (Anonymous) to the gofundme site for Inferno! The Cocoanut Grove Fire after my post. Thank you so very much.
Additional updates:
Both my sister and I have been in contact with James Prince.
James told us that he wants Goody Goodelle to have a bigger part in the play when he presents it in Boston near the original Cocoanut Grove lounge. I have agreed to scan photos of mom (and I) when I was young to include in the lobby to show that she went on to have a happy life after the fire. My sister will be digitizing some of mom’s old records to also play in the lobby. Who knows, depending on the level of hassle, we might even put them up on iTunes (no promises).
This has all turned out to be very exciting and unexpected for my sister and I.
I wish mom were alive to see it, although maybe not as I am sure that the memories were painful.
INFERNO! Fire at the Cocoanut Grove
Last month on the 73rd anniversary of the Coconut Grove fire I reblogged a post about my mom, Goody Goodelle, who saw the fire start and with clear thinking was one of the very few people to get out alive. In the comments section of the original post, James Prince of The Core Theater in Richardson, TX (near Dallas) reached out to me for more information on Goody.
The Core Theatre is taking “Inferno! Fire at the Cocoanut Grove” to Boston. They need your help to get there. More information is available on their Go Fund Me page. Be sure to watch the video.
So I contacted my sister and in an even stranger turn of events she replied
“So, I saw that his theatre is in Richardson, TX. That’s where Jan’s niece, Susan, and her family live. So I sent Susan an FB message and asked if she’d heard of his theater. She tells me he goes to her church and she knows him and that he is very talented. As Susan said in her message back to me . . . mind blown. I will keep you posted.”
I don’t ask for much (OK I ask for a lot at least as far as the Mrs is concerned), but please take a look at the Go Fund Me page and contribute what you can if you find value in the project.
Thanks,
cb
https://www.gofundme.com/CocoanutGrove
Please … STOP BLOGGING
I … can’t … keep … up
Seriously, stop blogging. Just for a day or two.
Please …
How did it get this bad?
It started simply enough. I decided to automatically follow anyone who liked or commented on any one of my posts. Then to make sure that I read them, I went to “Blogs I Follow” and made sure I got an email notification for every new post. I figured that anyone who liked or commented on one of my posts was a like-minded spirit and would be interesting to follow. More or less this turned out to be a correct assumption.
Others turned out not so much. Some had long, rambling (boring) tl;dr posts that I just couldn’t wade through. Some posted every minute of every day and flooded my email with posts. Some posted on topics that were of absolutely no interest to me. So for these I went back to “Blogs I Follow” and turned off email notification.
Now I was down to the blogs that were interesting. Your blogs. Your stories. Your cats. Your photos. Your news. Your ideas. Your humor. Your successes. Your fears. Your emotions. All of it good. All of it interesting.
Even as I write this, the email counter ratchets upward. Notifications are coming in faster than I can delete them. But I can’t just delete them. I have to look at them in order to delete them and then I read them and then I click on the link and go to the post and then I read the comments and by the time I’m done more notifications have come in. Even worse I may decide to reblog one. By the time I’m done, yet more notifications are in my mailbox.
I originally started this blog a few years ago as a venue for writing Fiction and autobiographical history. Then I started adding cat photos. Then reblogs of interesting posts and videos. Now I can’t even keep up with the blogs I follow.
(help…)
(please …)
Galatea Pearls
I had no idea such things existed.
These are beautiful beyond words (and priced accordingly).
Please watch the video …
http://www.galateausa.com
http://www.pearls.com/collections/galatea
BB-8
Tears
Also hanging in the kitchen
Money
Hanging in the kitchen
Evolucion
Croch et al.
A mashup of Crochet and et al. Pronounced more like Crōsh et al or Crōshā al … and less like crotch et al … although sadly the latter sticks in my mind. I made up the name so I have no one to blame but myself.
Croch et al. Is the business name I just created on eBay to sell the afghans, scarves, hats, etc. that Mrs has been working on lo these many months. We have been led to believe that they are high quality, the yarn itself certainly is. I am not looking to get rich from this as much as offset the cost of the Mrs hobby. Regulars to this blog know that she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and diabetes. Since she can no longer drive, she is a shut-in. The crocheting keeps her busy.
The et al. (Latin for and the rest) is for anything else we want to sell. Of immediate interest is her Grandmother’s Fostoria glassware and tableware that we have rarely used and would like to sell to someone who appreciates it.
I am clueless regarding selling stuff on line. I guess that WordPress also offers payments through PayPal … and I may eventually go that route … but for now I figured that eBay has the edge. I am just looking for a way to assure that I get paid and a way to assure potential buyers that I’m not going to rip them off. This will be pretty low volume stuff. Once the Fostoria is dealt with, the volume of crocheted goods will be small.
Stay tuned for more details …
Thin. Lite. Epic.
Hell’s Club
I found this on the WordPress blog Late to the Theater (see previous post)
ANTONIO MARIA DA SILVA AMDSFILMS
My God, it’s Full of STARS…
This is absolutely amazing. Everyone should see this. If you like it please, please reblog this on your site too …
What if every club in the cinematic multiverse intersected at one, single point?
BEHOLD. The greatest action/sci-fi/crime thriller/horror film mashup in the history of EVER!
Seriously, I could not stop laughing and clapping and grooving. Every time a new face popped up I was like ‘NO WAY BUT YES!’
Made by this genius: ANTONIO MARIA DA SILVA AMDSFILMS
Swamp Witch
Chocolate
Available from Joss & Main
Avoid Damage to Keyboard
Found the above attached to a new keyboard from [redacted] when I opened the box.
Look closely at the fingers. What race of human or species of animal do those hands belong to?
It appears that [redacted] is using illegal aliens to build their keyboards … aliens from from Epsilon Eridani!
Love, Lust or Infatuation?
Reblogging this for the photo alone …
OCTOMORE 06.3
From: http://www.bruichladdich.com/the-whisky/octomore/063-258-ppm
OCTOMORE
06.3/ 258 PPM
ISLAY BARLEY 2009
64% ABV
FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME WE ARE PROUD TO RELEASE OCTOMORE WHISKY DISTILLED FROM 100% ISLAY BARLEY AND HARVESTED IN 2008 BY FARMER JAMES BROWN AT LORGBA, A SINGLE FIELD ON HIS OCTOMORE FARM.
Peated to a stratospheric 258ppm, the highest ever released in the industry, this extraordinary dram embodies its island origins and carries its phenol count with an effortless grace.
High on the hill above Loch Indaal, Octomore faces the rage of Atlantic weather systems and once housed its own farm distillery, most likely producing a very heavily peated spirit from home-grown barley.
In homage to its origins, this is Octomore of Octomore.
TASTING NOTES
Character
Mesmerising in its potency – with perfect balance. The texture is like warm honey, the taste rich with a depth of character that can only be found on Islay.
Colour
Autumn sunshine – citrine.
Nose
It opens with the call of the sea, the thundering west coast waves driving a gentle mist onto the moorland and tempting the wild plants to release their unique aromas. Notes of myrtle, meadowsweet, mint and heather flowers drift across the nose. Wild thyme and red clover dance in perfect harmony with the strong uplifting peatiness of the Islay grown barley. It’s exhilarating, and seriously dramatic.
Palate
When the heat of the peat fires cool there is a spontaneous detonation of soft red grapes, cherries, Russian toffee, bitter chocolate, maple syrup and mellow oak. It is a taste like no other, a whisky cut loose, unhindered, unchanged. This is sorcery.
Finish
Long and strong, it warms the soul and lifts the heart. It evokes memories of those early years when the sweat of men instilled the spirit with a unique character. Join us as we look to the past, celebrating our Islay DNA while journeying into the future in a never-ending quest for the rainbow’s end.
Mood
The flavours just keep evolving to the point where it is driving you crazy with joy and you just want to tell the world what is happening. Relax and keep it to yourself – it’s not for sharing and when the glass is empty you will feel like the ultimate warrior.
Available from The Whiskey Exchange
Santa, are you reading this?
Treaty of Love, Art, Imagination
Floundering in Boyfriendville
Sea Captain Date, eh?
The Floyd Section
How Kubrick made 2001: A Space Odyssey – Part 2: The Floyd Section
Tyler Knudsen 2015
The Dawn of Man
How Kubrick made 2001: A Space Odyssey – Part 1: The Dawn of Man
Tyler Knudsen 2015
Happy Aniversary
To me …
Out and about
I admit right up front, I am not man enough to own a motorbike*. But that does not stop me from appreciating them.
Saw this while out to breakfast on Saturday.
* My wife won’t let me get one. When we were newlyweds she was an ICU nurse. As such she saw the results of one too many grisly single-vehicle motorcycle accidents. Belt sanders have nothing on rough payment at speed.
KUNG FURY
A day without …
http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/abd4/ (out of stock)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/176132788/a-day-without-fusion-is-like-a-day (text only)
Which reminds me of a story …
The astronomy professor just completed her lecture on the life cycle of the sun and had commented that the latest theories suggested that the Sun would run out of hydrogen in 2.8 billion years, killing all life on Earth.
A hand frantically waved in the back of the lecture hall.
“Question?” the professor asked.
“How much longer until the sun runs out of hydrogen?”
“Approximately 3 billion years.”
“Oh thank god,” the student uttered in obvious relief. “I thought you said million years.”
Hackerman
Commentary
True Survivor
The Trailer
Volcán de Colima 28 de marzo de 2015
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPkA19JaHRM
Sergio Tapiro Velasco
Published on Apr 3, 2015
El Volcán de Colima, a lo largo de los primeros meses de 2015 ha dado muestra de actividad, por algo se le considera el Volcán más activo de México. Este video corresponde al 28 de marzo de 2015 a las 22:28 horas. Espero que lo disfruten. Fue una noche increible. Aun tengo mis dudas sobre si era un meteorito o un satélite.
Life in the Back of a Truck
Life in the Back of a Truck
from Sara Edith 5 months ago / Creative Commons License: by ALL AUDIENCES
The shaky life style of working on Volcán de Colima in Mexico, driving around the jungle, watching glowing rockfalls, road trip to beautiful waterfall of Tzararacua, Michoacán, and jungle ruins of Palenque, Chiapas.
Rather low quality footage – HD highly recommended !
Music: Acapulco – Naxxos
Volcán de Colima
Volcán de Colima
from Sara Edith 5 months ago / Creative Commons License: by ALL AUDIENCES
Put on HD for this glowing experience at the Volcan de Colima, Mexico.
Another night spend at the volcano filming and taking photos.
This is from La Lumbre in Colima (Mexico) where you get an excellent look on the volcano from SW, and the lava flow that has reached the bottom of the flank. The glow from tumbling rocks and at last an ash rich explosion.
Sunset & a Starry night & Sunrise & Explosion.
The pictures are from mid October.
Music: Spleen United – My Tribe part II
==========================================================================
The Life
Joking Bad
If you loved Breaking Bad,
you MUST watch this video
ISS Earth Time Lapse – ESA
Found this at the Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/28/earth_timelapse_video_blue_dot/
The Race – Backstory
This is the story behind The Race …
Christmas 2003, “Number One Son” gave me the very first Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1, that he had picked up while studying abroad in Japan. It had not yet been released in the states.
Image courtesy of Steves Digicams
The specs were impressive for the day: 5 mega-pixel, 3.6″w x 2.4″h x 0.8″d (91mm x 60mm x 21mm), 6.3 oz. / 180g. Click on the camera image for a review and detailed specs. My cell phone in 2004 was the standard flip phone. I don’t even recall if it had camera. If it did, it was worthless.
This was the first camera I could carry in my pocket. I could take it everywhere. With the USB cable I could relatively easily transfer pictures from it to my computer. I had QuickTime Pro on my computer and realized that if the pictures were numbered sequentially QuickTime could turn them into a movie. I began to experiment with stop action animation and time lapse photography. The Race is one of my best.
I had to build a holder for the camera in order to mount it to a tripod. The actors were my sons’ Warhammer figures, Russian toy cars I had collected in the 90s while working there, other toy vehicles, a cat toy, and a robotic spider.
The entire video at 6fps (frames per second) is only 30 seconds long. I filmed the actual race first on the 19th of June and then decided to film the starting line sequence the next day to extend the length. I initially used the Beatles Birthday as the soundtrack. The final 30 second cut lived on my work computer for over a decade, copied over with all of my files each time I got a newer PC.
Last week I decided to try to get it onto my iPhone. I guess I could have done a USB iTunes to iPhone transfer, but that would have meant upgrading the decades old iTunes that I never use at work. So I emailed it to myself via Gmail.
It opened fine on my iPhone, but the sound would not play. I opened it in iMovie and then managed to add Birthday to the soundtrack. Here I digress. For reasons unknown iMovie would only recognize recently purchased songs on my iPhone. Here I digress again, I just discovered that you don’t get the iCloud download icon in Music if WiFi is turned off. I can’t find the setting in 8.1.2 to make it visible. Back up one digression, so I repurchased Birthday and used it.
However, when I attempted to save it back to my camera roll I got an error. After many hours of frustration I decided to look for video format converters on the Apple App Store. I ended up buying two:
The Video Converter – Convert videos to and from file formats! by SmoothMobile, LLC https://appsto.re/us/rD2p1.i
MConverter Medias Converter by bill santiago https://appsto.re/us/59UVL.i
I am not endorsing either of these … and there are many others to choose from.
The original version of The Race was in MOV format and needed to be converted to MP4 format. Once done, I could export it to the camera roll. Then I decided that Born To Be Wild would be a better fit. So I redid the 30s clip again.
Now to upload to Vimeo.
All for 30 seconds of audio. How do others get away with uploading entire songs, albums, music videos, movies?
Alas it is what it is. So I searched iTunes for Royalty Free Music, found
Instrumentals for TV Productions, Podcasts, Movies, and Jingles by Royalty Free Music https://itun.es/us/MZVNv
and chose the first recording for the soundtrack. It was 99 cents.
I liked the song enough that I created the looped versions in order to be able to play the entire song
I don’t know anything about DRM (Digital Rights Management), but I have to assume that that 30s clip of Born To Be Wild had a DRM tag that immediately told Vimeo “NO NO NO”. I suppose it could have checked a Shazam-like audio database, but how does that explain all the other entries the are longer and more blatant. I assume there is a way to strip off the DRM tag. I need to investigate this.
There has got to be an affordable way for individuals to license mainstream audio at an affordable price for use in homemade videos posted to the web. See my rant https://contrafactual.com/2014/12/14/21st-century-i-p-2/
Anyway back to the making of The Race. It was old-school “arrange the figures, take a photo, move the figures, take a photo, repeat” … 181 times. I couldn’t walk the next day – my thighs were in agony.
Speaking of old-school, if you haven’t seen it check out the 1979 Wizard of Speed and Time by Mike Jittlov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoLhLn9hVkE
I’ll (click)
be (click)
seeing (click)
you (click)
21st Century I.P.
RANT
Hey Googstapos … To paraphrase Arlo Guthrie, “You’ve got at lot of damn gall to come after folks who include copyrighted music in their YouTube videos when you collect and store FOREVER every damn bit of personal information you can about us to be used against us to try to sell us crap we don’t need!”
OK … That about sums up the rest of this post. This is an incoherent rant. Deal with it.
Weggieboy’s comments on my JOSIV5 post hit a nerve.
Now I am not a lawyer and I don’t even play one on TV, so I have no legal insight here. But consider the following: let’s say
-
I invite you to my house to listen to my LP record of C. W. McCall’s Convoy
I invite you to my house to listen to my 8-track of C. W. McCall’s Convoy
I invite you to my…
View original post 1,050 more words
RMLV
The Race Multi-Loop Variable fps
June 19-20, 2004
181 images originally @ 6fps
Each loop is at at a different fps (frames per second) to display different levels of detail.
RML
The Race – Multiple Loops
“The album version”
See also https://contrafactual.com/2014/12/11/the-race-radio-edit/
Happy Hmong New Year!
This is a Hmong one of the best Hmong websites. 🙂
I’m sorry, I can’t help myself.
Very cute art.
The Race (Radio Edit)
Batman
Astronaut
Guillaume Juin
http://vimeo.com/guillaumejuin
If you enjoyed that, be sure to check out these other ISS time lapse videos on Vimeo.
Contrafactual 