The Alpine Project

American Psycho - business card scene

2008-04-02T14:10:36-05:00

One of Christian Bale's finest movies. This happens to be my favorite scene!

Mr. T Brings Boy Out of Coma!

2008-03-29T23:59:32-05:00

Former The A-Team star Mr. T once stunned a sick child's family by bringing him out of a coma - after doctors begged the actor for help.

The poorly kid fell unconscious in Detroit, Michigan in the mid-1980s - and the only physical movement he made was in response to hearing Mr. T's name.

And when the mohawked star was in town, he stopped by the hospital to visit the ill boy - with miraculous results.

He tells Empire magazine, "His family put toys around him and one of them was a Mr. T doll. And whenever my name came up, the boy moved his arm.

"Somebody told the doctors I was in town, so they called me down there. I closed the curtains and prayed. Then, as I was walking down the hall, the kid suddenly came out of the coma and hollered out.

"That was my supernatural moment."

(thank you Zach for this superbly ridiculous piece of news)

Paper or Plastic?

2008-03-26T17:38:35-05:00

Well, surprisingly it seems as if plastic might be the better choice:

The making of paper can waste many thousands of gallons of water, as can the recycling of paper. The human and mechanical efforts and costs are very high, not forgetting the physical cost to loggers and those who work around the numerous chemicals. Plastic is, by comparison, efficient and low energy to produce, and, easily and efficiently recycled. Plastic reduces, recycles marvelously, and in that, is reused. After contrasting the efforts behind the making of paper and plastic, it is our unbiased opinion that plastic is indeed more beneficial to the environment, in that it is less harmful.

Read the entire article here.

And the answer is...

2008-03-21T11:56:21-05:00

Using the middle row of letters on a keyboard, name something that has eight stars. Hint: The answer is spelled in 10 letters.

"Alaska Flag"

Going to Louisville, Kentucky for the weekend. See you folks soon.

Best sentence I read today

2008-03-17T21:58:54-05:00

This opening sentence from a WSJ article on the irresistible addictiveness of Websites (cough, cough, like this one) captured my attention. Funnnny.

While there is a certain grand mystery to some aspects of human behavior, others can be easily explained. Just find yourself a garden-variety house cat, along with a $10 laser pointer.

Tough riddle

2008-03-17T00:09:56-05:00

From Ed Peg Jr., who runs mathpuzzle.com:

Using the middle row of letters on a keyboard, name something that has eight stars. Hint: The answer is spelled in 10 letters.

I heard this question while tuning in to (into?) NPR on my drive from Nashville to St. Louis recently. I'll post the answer on Friday, but if you solve it beforehand let me know!

Extra hint: Google is pretty helpful...

Richard Hammond presents Bloody Omaha

2008-03-16T02:19:30-05:00

3 graphic designers recreate D-Day/Omaha Beach on a shoestring budget. The scene was filmed in only 4 days, but the results are stunning. Cheers to the power of editing!

Live green and die greener

2008-03-15T15:54:51-05:00

When a trend is hot, people get creatively exploitive, and given that nothing is sexier these days than going green, I wasn't that surprised to come across an eco-friendly coffin. That's right, now it's possible to part ways with the Earth in an environmentally sustainable fashion.

The Ecopod, designed by Hazel Selina, is a coffin crafted from naturally hardened, 100% recycled paper. Research shows that 89% of coffins used every year - around 600,000 - are made from laminate-covered chipboard. Selina's pods incorporate newspaper and toxin-free glue and are sometimes decorated and lined with feathers. While she currently builds them by hand, her U.K. based business, Arka the Ecopod Project, is expanding, having received orders all the way from Canada.

Sign me up.

Workspace of the Week

2008-03-14T00:39:00-05:00

Unclutterer, a website that explores home and office organization, brings us Workspace of the Week. If my desk was as minimalist and/or creative as half of these displays, I'm sure I would get a lot more done.

Alltop, or "all the top stories"

2008-03-14T00:20:08-05:00

Today's world is saturated with information. From 24-hour news stations to blogs based entirely around celebrity gossip, there are countless combinations of news sources (if you call celebrity gossip news...sorry mom) to digest. Yet while social bookmarking sites like digg, del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon have done a good job aggregating and categorizing the more interesting stories, I still feel intimidated when trying to stay informed. One of my favorite questions to ask others is, "How do you stay up-to-date with the world around you?".

I use iGoogle as a homepage, with MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and TreeHugger as my main sources of mainstream news. After scanning through those each morning, I usually dive into my 20+ RSS blog subscriptions, and if there's any extra time, I may scope Slate Magazine or Condé Nast Portfolio. I also like long walks on the beach, oatmeal raisin cookies, and crossword puzzles.

Anyways, that's how I get my information. Where do you get yours? If blog feeds and Internet sites are either 1) over your head or 2) taking too much time, then I wholeheartedly suggest Alltop.com.

Alltop launched on Tuesday and may best be described as an "online magazine rack" that enables users to browse the top five news publications and blogs within 40 categories. Sounds daunting, but the site is surprisingly easy to navigate, and the posts are updated every 10 minutes. Though I don't see myself using Alltop as a one-stop site for all my information, I will definitely add it to my constantly evolving list of news sources. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Here is a slightly related, NYTimes article on information.

Indexed cutting board

2008-03-11T23:45:06-05:00

Putting this on the wish list for next year:

(from the MoMA online store, courtesy of swissmiss)

Good friends good times

2008-03-11T22:16:54-05:00

Just got back from a trip to the East Coast, where I was visiting friends in Richmond, VA and Washington D.C. It was a weekend of rambunctious tomfoolery. My body is now enjoying a much-needed break from the party life. Highlights include:

-cooking a ridiculously tasty tofu curry dish with Thomas, who is a culinary guru of sorts
-playing 3-3 basketball at the GW student center
-eating Mochi Ice Cream for the first time (thank you Jeremy)
-Matt, Louis, and myself wailing our heads off to The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" on XBOX 360's Rockband
-exploring the hauntingly quiet Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond and stumbling upon the tombstones of both Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederacy during the Civil War) and John Tyler (the 10th U.S. President)
-L'Auberge Espanol (one of my favorites) and Less Than Zero

I am now back in St. Louis and will be driving home tomorrow for the rest of my, er, last college spring break. Yikes.

On another note, have you ever wondered how it's possible for traffic to exist on an open, accident-free road? Check this study out:

(found through this Freakonomics blog post)

Adults say the darndest things

2008-03-06T19:25:13-06:00

Overheard this morning on my flight from St. Louis to Richmond:

I used to think chickens were the dumbest animals in the world, until I got a goat.

Nothing like finishing your book early and doing a little eavesdropping. Adults say the darndest things.

World's fastest German taxi driver

2008-03-03T13:14:10-06:00

From the December 2007 archives of frostfirezoo.com:

Seven-time formula one world champion Michael Schumacher shocked a cab driver by taking over the wheel in order to be on time for a flight.

Schumacher flew into the aerodrome at the Bavarian town of Coburg on Saturday and took a taxi to the village of Gehuelz, 30km away, to pick up a new puppy - an Australian Shepherd dog called "Ed".

But when the 38-year-old, plus his wife and two children, caught a taxi back to the airport they were short on time and, after a polite request, cab driver Tuncer Yilmaz watched in wonder as Schumacher took the wheel.

"I found myself in the passenger seat, which was strange enough, but to have "Schumi" behind the wheel of my cab was incredible," Mr Yilmaz told the Muenchner Abendzeitung.

"He drove at full throttle around the corners and overtook in some unbelievable places."

Mr Yilmaz was well rewarded for the unusual journey - on top of the 60 euro ($A100) fare, he was also given a 100 euro ($167) tip.

Bridge reflection

2008-03-03T01:43:00-06:00

Wish I knew more about this photo. If anyone has any information, please send it my way!