I’m trying to get to a post on Conan, but I’m not re-reading as fast as I’d like.
So, while that percolates, I’m offering something on entertainment consumption and supply. I think I’ll make this a regular contribution, although starting next week I’ll probably only put one thing on here.
Hm, can we have a sidebar on Mindless Diversions? Must remember to ask Erik.
Also, the blog width mucks with widescreen YouTube embedding. Must remember to bug Erik about that too.
Many moons ago, it took an entire production company to produce visual media. While it still takes a while to make certain types of content, we are seeing absolutely brilliant stuff produced by individuals and smaller organizations.
Of course, technology has cut way down on production costs and distribution costs with the home PC, HD camcorders, and the Internet… but there still is no marketing arm for this stuff, except the network effect via social media.
So I’m going to do a small part for the collective and share some things that I think are stupendous, that were made by small contributors to the world. If you have ones to share, add them in the comments.
For this first post, I’m sticking with no underlying content that relies upon Big Media. This takes out mashups and the like.
Danny Macaskill doing unbelievable things on a bike:
Vi Hart letting fly with a fire hose of music and science and mathematics:
By the way, I love all of Vi’s stuff. I’m a Vifanboy.
John Green hates pennies
A fan film that led to a job at Lucasfilms
Close Encounter with an octopus
Making crazy gears out of wood
Stop-motion T-shirt war (my daughter’s favorite)
See? Wednesday nights are positively evil.
Amen to that, brother.
On the upside, I finished demolishing the built-in jacuzzi today. Well, the shell part.
The brick and concrete is still there. Also about a quarter ton of sand.
I loved the bike video. Just amazing what he can do on one. I also think a bunch of movies shoudl hire “Dorkman” to create there fight sequences. He did better than many.
The thing that really struck me, watching the bike video, is how incorrect the common phrase uttered about equipment-athletic practitioners, “that (blah) is like an extension of his body”.
I mean, he can’t walk across the rope without losing his balance, but he can ride across it.
It’s not an extension of his body. It’s bionics, an augmentation of his body. (Danny + a Bike) > (Danny). He can do things on a bike that he can’t do without it.
True, but I would agrue that much of that is because of practice. I suspect he practices more on the bike than he does walking across a rope.
Still, there are definite things that he can do on a bike that could not be done on foot.
Saw Conan. When I wasn’t busy staring at the very very very pretty Momoa I was pretty underwhelmed.
In subsequent conversations with my friends I gathered this might be due to my not having consumed the original Conan movies so I was instead comparing this Conan to the Conan in the books; a harsh comparison indeed.
But Momoa was very pretty.