Ames' Optical Illusions

Just in case you need (or want) to get a migraine, try watching this vid several times in a row:



Ames room, invented by Adelbert Ames, Jr.

Twitter? - That's soooo 2008

This is supposed to be a satire, but I presume it will turn out to be a neat assessment of future developments:



youtube direct link

Btw, I like the not so hidden advice to interns: keep your little secrets...


_

Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill

Yes, this blog seems to be on hiatus again. Take this post as a sign that I'm still around. I've been checking out twitter lately... great procrastination tool for sure!

Via John Dickerson's twitter feed, I found this awesome video:



Thought of bookmarking it for my oldest nephew, but did not. For obvious reasons. Btw, great song - "The Funeral" by "Band of Horses".

Alan Murray (WSJ) on Internet Journalism

Alan Murray of The Wall Street Journal on hiring and managing online reporters from Nieman Journalism Lab on Vimeo.

If we had at least three politicians and more than a handful of journalists with that kind of internet knowledge, there would be hope to get Germany out of least developed country status internet-wise.

(via)

My Beautiful Life - A Reminder.

Yesternight, I suddenly felt the urgent desire to listen to some Cajun music. Too layzy to search my CD's for the "The Big Easy" soundtrack, I did some youtube surfing and ended up watching the following clip:



Balfa Brothers - Tribute to Cajun Music - 1979

The obligatory google search directed me to "Dewey Balfa and the Balfa Brothers":

Tragically, Dewey lost his brothers Will and Rodney in an automobile accident in 1979. To add to that already horrific loss, his wife Hilda passed away in 1980. These combined tragedies were almost enough to bring him down, but he realized that his only choice was to carry on with the goal he had set for himself and his only relief from the suffering was the music itself.

Whew! That served as a reminder to myself that my life is beautiful and that I have nothing to complain about. (Ask me tomorrow, next week or next year if that still holds true...)

And by the way, the youtube vid is a section from the movie "Les Blues de Balfa". You can watch the whole movie (26 minutes) over at folkstreams.net.

POTUS Envy, Indeed.

Bill Maher strikes again (issuing a language warning while pointing to Maher is unnecessary, right?):



Watch the whole thing, dang it! On a related note: In it's upcoming issue, The Economist asks "Where's Angela Merkel?" Well, last time I turned on the radio, she unfortunately was still in Germany, bubbling around the hot issues. And while I'm a little disconcerted seeing all the Clinton zombies raise from their graves again (and I'm not talking about Govenor Napolitano here), I can't help to state that my post-election depression has in fact turned into POTUS envy - or more precisely into First Lady envy, since we even don't have a First Lady!

Perhaps, Mr. Feasel and I are able to come up with an elaboration of our envy thesis one day. My title suggestion, for starters: "99 shades of envy - transatlantic relations for dummies". How 'bout that?

Stress

Just to fill you in about my current mode:

Stress

Pronunciation: \ˈstres\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English stresse stress, distress, short for destresse — more at distress
Date: 14th century

1: (...) c: a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation

The 13th century appears to be the last century of mankind where things went smoothly. Oh well, come December 14th, happy days will be back again for me with money for nothing and chicks for free. Or so I tell myself to keep me running.