Week 21 of the Internet
Hello, hello, hello! And welcome to another week of the internet. Well, my internet anyway. The bits and pieces that fly by my eyes and make me think 'huh', because really, if we're honest, that's all we think. It's all crap really, only to be forgotten as soon as you leave this page. But you know what? That's OK. Why? Because I'm to Thailand. Ha! In May, I should add, so you're stuck with me for the next few weeks.
So, start your weekend by reading about the history of barbed wire. It's more interesting than you'd think, and has the bonus (?), of containing one of the most depressing and shaming photos in our history (hint: buffalo skulls).
Once you've hung your head in European shame for a suitable amount of time, cheer up by looking at this tea, which is just how tea would have looked when those silly Americans threw it in Boston's harbour. Silly Americans. They actually had a fair point really.
I've got a feeling I've posted this before, but I like it, so here it is again.
Speaking of spectating, well, actually this is dreaming, but you know, same same (ish)... I love this montage of dreams in films. It ends with the dream sequence I remember most of all. It horrified me when I first saw it.
Hey, are you a dreamer? They say dreaming's dead. No one does it anymore. It’s not dead, it's just its been forgotten. I’m trying to change all that and I hope you are too. . . . Music - Hand Covers Bruise, Reprise - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Quotes - Waking Life, Spellbound, Inception FILMS Sherlock Jr. 0:00 Spellbound 0:04 8 ½ 0:07 Vertigo 0:08 Little Nemo in Slumberland 0:09 The Big Lebowski 0:14 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 0:16 Blade Runner 0:20 Aliens 0:22 Brazil 0:23 A Nightmare on Elm Street 0:24 American Beauty 0:27 Inception 0:30 0:55 Vanilla Sky 0:32 Un Chien Andalou 0:35 Waking Life 0:38 Eraserhead 0:43 The Wizard of Oz 0:46 Dumbo 0:47 Take Shelter 0:50 Paprika 0:57 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 0:59 Alice in Wonderland 1:03 The Matrix 1:06 Cache 1:09 Waltz with Bashir 1:12 The Cell 1:14 Shutter Island 1:22 Watchmen 1:28 Terminator 2 1:30
While we're on films, check out this collection of first and final frames from films. It's oddly beautiful.
What can we learn by examining only the first and final shot of a film? This video plays the opening and closing shots of 55 films side-by-side. Some of the opening shots are strikingly similar to the final shots, while others are vastly different--both serving a purpose in communicating various themes. Some show progress, some show decline, and some are simply impactful images used to begin and end a film. MUSIC: "Any Other Name" by Thomas Newman Films used (in order of appearance): The Tree of Life 00:00 The Master 00:09 Brokeback Mountain 00:15 No Country for Old Men 00:23 Her 00:27 Blue Valentine 00:30 Birdman 00:34 Black Swan 00:41 Gone Girl 00:47 Kill Bill Vol. 2 00:53 Punch-Drunk Love 00:59 Silver Linings Playbook 01:06 Taxi Driver 01:11 Shutter Island 01:20 Children of Men 01:27 We Need to Talk About Kevin 01:33 Funny Games (2007) 01:41 Fight Club 01:47 12 Years a Slave 01:54 There Will be Blood 01:59 The Godfather Part II 02:05 Shame 02:10 Never Let Me Go 02:17 The Road 02:21 Hunger 02:27 Raging Bull 02:31 Cabaret 02:36 Before Sunrise 02:42 Nebraska 02:47 Frank 02:54 Cast Away 03:01 Somewhere 03:06 Melancholia 03:11 Morvern Callar 03:18 Take this Waltz 03:21 Buried 03:25 Lord of War 03:32 Cape Fear 03:38 12 Monkeys 03:45 The World According to Garp 03:50 Saving Private Ryan 03:57 Poetry 04:02 Solaris (1972) 04:05 Dr. Strangelove 04:11 The Astronaut Farmer 04:16 The Piano 04:21 Inception 04:26 Boyhood 04:31 Whiplash 04:37 Cloud Atlas 04:43 Under the Skin 04:47 2001: A Space Odyssey 04:51 Gravity 04:57 The Searchers 05:03 The Usual Suspects 05:23 Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. For original content, please visit www.dcviz.com
If you like growing stuff but don't know when to plant it (like me), then this is the cheat sheet for you.
This is truly horrifying, and apparently completely legit.
Unprecedented video analysis finds that distraction was a factor in nearly 6 out of 10 moderate-to-severe teen crashes, which is four times as many as official estimates based on police reports. Some of that footage is included in this video. (Video courtesy AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety)
Hmmm. I can't end on that note. God knows why I put things in that order. Let me see what I can find to end on a high.
Oh right, well McDonalds has launched their own line of clothing and home stuff. Yes, now you can dress in Big Macs and have a Big Mac duvet, in your Big Mac wallpapered bedroom.
The lovely and humble (but quite aggressive, I'm told), robin was crowned the Britain's National Bird this week. I actually voted for the blue tit, but it was a really tough choice. I just like blue tits. They remind me of sitting the garden in spring and summer.
Not really a high, but spare a thought for Petal, who went to the big bed in the sky this week. She was a tiny little thing, but went on forever. If she wasn't tripping you up as you went up and down the stairs, causing you to fall and simultaneously almost cut her in half with your legs, she was creeping under the duvet and licking your bottom. She will be missed.
Have a great weekend. I won't be back next week as it's Easter, so I'll either be drunk or eating.
Ah ha! Look - I found something cool to end on: flying through the solar eclipse.
