Trick Mix

Thousands of Sky Lanterns Light the Night

2011-06-25T21:53:00.003-04:00

Eleven thousand sky lanterns were released into the night sky on June 21, 2011, in Poznan, Poland, to celebrate Midsummer Night. The event was promoted on Facebook as "Poznan's most romantic night". People were invited to come and buy paper lanterns (for about $1.80) and release them into the sky after lighting their fuel and letting the hot air take them up and away. The event was scheduled to start at 10:30 pm and around 1000 of these Chinese lanterns were released all at once. Within an hour an additional 10,000 were gradually released, creating an impressive image of thousands of lights in the Polish sky. The number of sky lanterns released at one time was a record for Poland, which was a goal of the event's organizers. It may also be a Guiness World Record, as 11,000...

Japanese Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics

2011-06-07T00:36:00.011-04:00

The Japanese really excel at men’s rhythmic gymnastics and this video shows it. The video shows the performance of the team from Aomori University at the 2009 All Japan Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship. With this wonderful routine, Aomori received 1st place on the university level at the championship. The routine is a great example of synchronization and precision, but it is also enormously artistic. It’s filled with tumbling, but it seems more like an emotive dance routine than just a display of athleticism. Men’s rhythmic gymnastics in Japan has both individual and group competition. The individual routines use apparatuses (sticks, rings, rope, clubs) while the group routine does not. The group routine is free exercise done by a six member team on a spring floor. Aomori...

How To Make A Great Lip Dub Video

2011-06-03T00:25:00.009-04:00

A good behind-the-scenes look at making a lip dub What is a lip dub? A lipdub is a type of music video. In the video people lip-sync to music, and later the original version of the music is dubbed in, replacing any audio that was recorded during the making of the video. That’s the simple definition. However there are certain important elements that are commonly used in the videos described as lip dubs, and a lot of these elements are what make a great lip dub video versus a common piece of YouTube crap. The thing that these elements have in common is that they are intended to make the video visually interesting. People aren’t watching lip dubs to hear the music or see how well people can lip-sync; viewers want to see something that will stimulate their visual cortex. So if...

Vintage Comics Hobby Retro Fashion Whip Style

2011-05-15T00:39:00.015-04:00

reblogged from comicallyvintage: Comic book sex: always confusing; always scary.

Comically Vintage Dating Tip: Sometimes Being Tied Up

2011-04-17T01:36:00.006-04:00

reblogged from comicallyvintage: Dating tip: Sometimes being tied-up is a sign that a relationship just wasn’t meant to be.

Could It Be Because You Go Through Guys

2011-01-09T00:52:00.006-05:00

reblogged from comicallyvintage: Could it be because you go through guys faster than you can finish a thought? Loose! Skank!

Always Coca-Cola 1993

2010-11-26T00:19:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite Coca-Cola commercials is an “Always Coca-Cola” ad from 1993. It has the rapidly changing images behind the traditional Coke red disk logo (see video, above). The appeal of the commercial is not so much from the imagery, but rather the catchy jingle that accompanies it. I like it so much I actually have the 3 minute version of the song on my music player and listen to it often. It’s a song that can always makes you happy. The ad came about when Coke was looking to improve its advertising in the early 90s. The work of their traditional ad agency had gotten bland and boring. To turn it around, the company made the bold move of handing responsibility for the ads of its flagship brands of Coke and Classic Coke not to a different ad agency, but rather to a Hollywood talent...

Advance Australia Fair

2010-11-21T00:15:00.002-05:00

Of course The Star Spangled Banner is my favorite national anthem, but my second favorite is Australia's Advance Australia Fair. The melody is stirring and joyful and the lyrics are meaningful. It makes me wish my home were also girt by sea. It has only been the official anthem since 1984, although the song dates back to 1878. It originally had 4 verses, which were whittled down to just two in its official form. Understandably, several references were removed about Australia just being an extension of England, along with Australia's mixed feelings about Britannia: "With all her faults we love her still." My favorite performance of the song is the one at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympics (see video). I love the harmony of Human Nature and the strength of Julie Anthony's voice.

Palace Of Odysseus Found In Ithaca?

2010-08-27T00:12:00.004-04:00

A team of archaeologists claims they have found the palace of Odysseus, the mythical king of Ithaca who fought in the Trojan War and who famously took 10 years to find his way home after the war ended. Despite the fantastical stories about Odysseus told in the Odyssey, the archaeologists believe there is some truth to his existence and that the palace they discovered on the island of Ithaca, in the Ionian sea off the north-west coast of Greece, belonged to him. A team from the University of Ioannina found the remains of the extensive three story building. The palace complex features a well from the 8th century BC, which is approximately the period in which Odysseus is believed to have been king of Ithaca. However, it’s still questionable as to whether or...

Kodak 1922 Kodachrome Film Test

2010-08-25T00:10:00.002-04:00

This is the 1922 Kodachrome Motion Picture Test No. III made at Paragon Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. It’s stunningly beautiful in its simplified color and tenebrist style with illuminated subjects and black background. It is one of the earliest color film examples existing. The test footage includes actresses Mae Murray and Hope Hampton, with the latter modeling costumes from the movie The Light in the Dark (1922), which contained the first commercial use of Two-Color Kodachrome in a feature film. Ziegfeld Follies actress Mary Eaton and an unidentified woman and child also appear. The Two-Color Kodachrome Process was an attempt to give natural lifelike colors to film using a subtractive color system. The subtractive part is done by using a dual-lens camera with color filters to...

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da For Fun

2010-08-24T00:08:00.003-04:00

This may be the best version of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da ever made. It’s classic. The Gameboy Music Club formed in the Summer of 2002. A lot of their music is created using music programs and the Nintendo Game Boy. The objective is to provide general and simple access to the infinite world of the present day music. It’s about the allure of using a cheap electronic musical instrument and music software and reducing music to the essentials.

BYOP: Bring Your Own Potato (Mr. Potato Head History)

2010-08-19T00:05:00.001-04:00

Mr. Potato Head got his start when his inventor George Lerner would take potatoes from his mother’s garden and, using other fruits and vegetables as facial features, would make “dolls” with which his younger sisters could play. In the early 1950s, Lerner came up with the idea of making a marketable toy that consisted of small, manufactured body and face pieces that could be inserted into ordinary fruits and vegetables to create a “funny face man”. Lerner shopped the idea around to toy companies, but the concept was unpopular. World War II and its food rationing were still present in people’s memory and the use of fruits and vegetables to make toys was considered too wasteful. No toy company would buy the invention. After several years of trying to sell the toy,...

Who Does The Kremlin Belong To?

2010-08-18T00:01:00.003-04:00

Descendants of one of the ruling dynasties from Russia’s history have gone to court to regain control of property they say is rightfully theirs. The case is notable because the property in question, the Kremlin in Moscow, is some of the most famous real estate in the country. It’s also notable because a court has actually agreed to hear the case. Strangely, the case is not necessarily open-and-shut since it has been discovered that there is no official owner registered for the enormous complex. So who owns the Kremlin? If people are familiar with a Russian dynasty, it is likely to be the Romanov dynasty of Czar Nicholas II. However the people bringing the suit are descendants of the earlier Rurik dynasty, which ruled for 700 years until 1598. It was during the times of the...

Who owns Michelangelo’s David?

2010-08-17T23:58:00.002-04:00

via cnn.com The city of Florence and the national government of Italy are in a dispute over which of the two owns Michelangelo Buonarroti’s famous statue of David. The dispute is more than about just pride of ownership; it’s also about who should be getting how much of the annual $10 million in admission ticket sales from visitors paying to see the statue. The claim by Florence has been put forth for many years, but more recently a request was made by Florence to the Italian government to hand over the earnings, on the basis of Florence’s right of ownership. Following the request, the Italian Heritage Ministry commissioned a study to determine the rightful owner. Looking through centuries of archival material, two lawyers commissioned by the national government...

I Love Monsters Band

2010-08-10T23:53:00.002-04:00

The “free credit report” people are looking for a new band for its commercials, one that will cause people to take notice and hopefully recognize and remember the product. They may have found it with New York’s I Love Monsters band. The group has been appearing in a commercial for the new FreeCreditScore.com website, as part of a contest by the site’s owner to select an official band for the site’s advertisements. The commercial features the vocals of lead singer Brett Spigelman, and whether you like or hate him, his voice will cut through the drone of the usual commercial fare. The I Love Monsters commercial is one of four commercials that FreeCreditScore.com is televising to show each of the four finalists in the site’s contest to select its new band. The credit...

David Archuleta Doesn’t Give Up On Love

2010-08-08T23:49:00.006-04:00

The video for David Archuleta’s Something ‘Bout Love, the first song released from his new album, The Other Side Of Down, has been released. It shows a reflective and exuberant David wandering the streets and then going to a party, while thinking and singing about love. The song is another brilliant and thrilling accomplishment by Archuleta. It was originally scheduled for its digital release on July 13th, but it was delayed a week to the 20th. His people explained that he “wants to give his fans WAY more than just a single, and needed an extra week to do it.” Archuleta clearly succeeded. The album release was also postponed, from September 14th to October 5th. About the delay, his people said, “Like the last time we dealt with a date change, this one is definitely for...

Ann Coulter As The Right Wing Judy Garland

2010-08-07T23:47:00.001-04:00

In news of the bizarre, the conservative gay group GOProud announced that its “first annual Homocon – a party to celebrate gay conservatives,” would be headlined by controversial big-mouth Ann Coulter. Coulter claims she is not anti-gay, saying, “I do want to point out one thing that has been driving me crazy with the media — how they keep describing Mitt Romney’s position as being pro-gays, and that’s going to upset the right wingers. Well, you know, screw you! I’m not anti-gay. We’re against gay marriage. I don’t want gays to be discriminated against. … I don’t know why all gays aren’t Republican. I think we have the pro-gay positions, which is anti-crime and for tax cuts. Gays make a lot of money and they’re victims of crime. No, they are! They should be with ...

3 Musketeers Candy Bar

2010-08-07T23:43:00.002-04:00

via 3musketeers.com Do you know how the 3 Musketeers® candy bar got its name? The 3 Musketeers® Bar takes its name from the original design of the product, which was three pieces and three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. It was first sold that way in 1932 by the Mars candy company. Supposedly, during WWII, due to difficulty in getting vanilla and strawberry flavorings, Mars changed the candy bar to be all one flavor. How is it made? The 3 Musketeers® Bar is made of chocolate-flavored nougat covered with milk chocolate. The nougat center is first formed into very large slabs, which are cut to size, and after the centers are formed they are coated with thick, rich milk chocolate, through a process called “enrobing.” The actual enrobing process begins when...

Easy A

2010-08-07T23:39:00.004-04:00

September 17th, 2010 is the release date for the movie Easy A. It looks like it is going to be hilarious. After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets outs, Olive, a clean cut high school girl (Emma Stone) sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne’s in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently studying in school - until she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing. She wears the letter A and the process becomes both the most popular and hated girl in school. Olive pretends to lose her virginity to a gay friend to help his social standing. Word gets around with the unpopular male set in school and others in that group want her to do the same for them. She starts a business in creating the appearance that the unlayable have gotten...

Banana Republic Herring-boner Pants

2010-08-06T23:36:00.001-04:00

The Banana Republic states that their tailored herringbone suit pant is available for both “big” and tall men, and to prove the former, their photo of the pants showed an example of a really big man (see above). The description on their website stated, “Pure wool offers a luxe softness in our slimmer, more tailored suit pant. The fine, herringbone pattern adds classic sensibility.” It also appears to offer some luxe stimulation with a slim fit that shows what a man has to offer. The patten may add some classic sensibility, but it doesn’t add any modesty to keep within polite society’s sensibilities. Enter the wood-killing airbrush. Apparently the web prudes complained and BR decided they needed to doctor their image (see below). No word on how much sales went limp after...

Nick Jonas Co-chairs Reagan Youth Leadership

2010-08-04T23:17:00.003-04:00

via content.usatoday.com As part of the celebration in 2011 of the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Ronald Reagan, a National Youth Leadership Committee, representing America’s next generation of leaders, has been formed to help honor his legacy. The committee consists of 35 young people, all under the age of 25, and includes race car drive Marco Andretti and speedskater J.R. Celski. There are four co-chairs for the committee, including singer Nick Jonas. The committee will participate in commemorative events during the Centennial Celebration. About Reagan, Jonas said, “My father and my family were supporters of Reagan,” Jonas said. “I’m proud to be a part of this. It’s amazing.” Jonas also said in a statement, “Ronald Reagan is a personal hero of mine. I admire...

The Poets Dance

2010-08-01T23:14:00.005-04:00

“As Seen On TV”, the Rockford, Illinois band The Poets Dance is gaining a lot of nationwide popularity thanks to its appearance in a commercial for FreeCreditScore.com. The catchy tune along with the band’s unique electronic sound and visual appeal is causing a lot of people to look-up who the band is and how they can hear more of their music. The commercial that The Poets Dance is in is one of four commercials that FreeCreditScore.com is televising to show each of the four finalists in the site’s contest to find an official band to use in its advertising. The credit reporting company that owns the site, Experian, had a lot of success with its previous set of commercials for FreeCreditReport.com (note the name difference). In those commericials, a fake band sang a series of...

Back To The Motherboard In Tron: Legacy

2010-07-28T23:06:00.006-04:00

via wired.com With Comic-Con came more information and more visuals from the highly anticipated Disney movie Tron: Legacy. It’s the sequel to the 1982 movie Tron, an anthropomorphic view of what life would be like inside a computer if softwear were people-like and not just electronic bits. The original movie had a message, but perhaps best known for its exciting (in 1982) sci-fi visual effects and images. The sequel had to live up to having an up-to-date, 2010 version of the best in distinctive electronic imagery, and so far it looks like it may have succeeded. The 1982 film had a story that was concerned with warning about computers knowing too much about us and controlling our lives. Now we accept that as just the way it is, so the new movie had too look for ...

Raspberry Brie Panini

2010-07-27T23:00:00.008-04:00

I love panini. There’s something wonderful in how a plain meat and cheese sandwich can be transformed into a deliciously satisfying experience. I don’t how it happens, but the pressing of the bread, the oozing of the melted cheese, and the mixture of other stuffings all combine to make a special treat that makes my mouth and tummy quite satisfied. I see this recipe for a raspberry and brie panini and I don’t know if I would find it as satisfying as a meat based sandwich, but it sure is pretty to look at. I want to try one. I don’t cook, although I do have an unopened panini grill that I received as a present last Christmas. Actually, I had forgotten about it until I started writing this note. Now I’ve gotten myself so worked up thinking about my love of panini, I want...

Flexibility

2010-07-24T22:58:00.004-04:00

via godsnmonsters.tumblr.com With that kind of limberness and that package, why is he bending backwards?