I Slipped I Tumbled I Fell

Major confession, y'all: Until the other day, I never really understood Tumblr.com! I have a blog and I have a Flickr account, so I really couldn't figure out what need I would have for another site for posting. But this was until the other day when everything changed! I actually looked at the site at the urging of my friend, Katherine, who told me she started her own Tumblr as an organizational tool of inspirational material. I guess that is really the reason for it, and what a good idea it is! I have a terrible habit of emailing web links to myself (only to lose them in my email), saving images that I like (only to forget where I found them), and this Tumblr thing really does a good job of getting all that in order.

Once my (ex)boss sent me a random email on a day off :

Do you know who shot this??

I'm sure she had the file on her computer, ran across it, and hadn't noted the photographer or origination. Had she had it all organized virtually on Tumblr, she could have easily figured out that it was taken by Mary Ellen Mark, and possibly noted why she saved it in the first place-- Not to mention linked back to where she found it!

So um yeah-- Anyway, I started one. If you have one too, lemme know and I'll link you up!

This is mine:
http://thehistoryofmyfuture.tumblr.com/

And Katherine's is:
http://practicalfancy.tumblr.com/

Failing Economy? Schmailing shmeconoshmy! Buy Some Stuff!

ANTHEM magazine was supposed to be doing a "Cool Stuff In '09" article, which in a sad, sad 20 page cut, turned into an online project. I know some of the items were included in their Holiday Gift Guide, but the other 70 some odd items disappeared into dust. They may have appeared on Anthem's site, but I'm not sure.

Regardless, here are some of my blurbs:

PROJECT YOURSELF

The Optoma Pico Projector, an itty bitty video projector retailing at $430, hit shelves this December—it’s perfect for slideshows of holiday folly and impromptu, lo-fi movie dates. This little baby projects an image from most smart phones, iPods, and other handhelds for instant entertainment straight out of your pocket, with a maximum image size of 66 inches. One caveat: the amplified sound is as teeny as the 4.2-ounce device itself, so get an earphone jack splitter to watch with a buddy.

RETRO FLASH
Buying a digital camera can be tricky these days. On one hand you need something pro for those weather-beaten captures of your cross country trip next summer. On the other, you need something fast to bust out when you find your roommate locked out in nothing but his socks. Olympus understands. Not much bigger than a Twinkie, the compact, Olympus Micro Four Thirds Camera is smaller than its big bro the Four Thirds Camera, and comes fully equipped with auto-focus, interchangeable lenses. To top it all off, looks like a mini-version of your dad's leather bound job from the 70's.

THE DUTCH ODDITY

It's a motorcycle! It's a car! No-- It's a Carver One. This 3-wheeled Dutch hybrid vehicle steers like a car, but carves like a motorcycle for tight handling, earth-friendly fueling, and safety. And did we mention it’s fast as hell? The compact design allows tandem seating for a passenger, and easy parking in crowded, urban environments. While this should be available in the U.S. by late 2009, you might have to swim across the pond to try out this ride sooner; the release date in the U.S. for this fuel-efficient car-cycle keeps changing due to our heavy road rules and regs. (President Obama: Do something!) Check it out in Europe in 2009, and cross your fingers for a swift American release.

Object Oriented

Every morning, without thought, I take her in my hand, get her wet, and stick her in my mouth. She feels so under-appreciated-- So used! (I’m talking about my toothbrush, with its stoic curves, of course). Have you ever thought to examine and appreciate the mundane accessories that populate your life—the toasters, the forks, the pencils? If so, take note: filmmaker Gary Hustwit is a lover of objects, and in his upcoming film Objectified, he and his associates show us the beauty in those every day objects that we often forget to adore. "The term objectified has two meanings, " Says Hustwit, "One is 'to be treated with the status of a mere object.' But the other is 'something abstract expressed in a concrete form.' It's the act of transforming creative thought into a tangible object, which is what designers in this film do every day." Although Hustwit will be giving thought to those tangible things that many consider mundane, Objectified features some of the top chihuahuas in the design and art world—Paola Antonelli, Curator of Architecture and Design at NYC's MoMA, Jonathan Ive, Senior VP of Industrial Design at Apple—so expect bells and whistles on those forks and pencils.

Creativity Central!

Being that my email is marylouise@gmail.com, I get TONS of misdirected messages to other Marys, Louises, Mary Lous, and of course Mary-Louises. It usually happens when someone forgets to tack on the last name. I've gotten everything from a hate letter from a woman to her sister to party invites in Georgia to photos of people's kids and their weekend getaways. I even had one woman incessantly argue with me when I wrote her to simply tell her she was sending her ridiculous chain letters to the wrong address.

BUT today I received this little gem of a forward from Miss Mary Pattie Butters. Such a cute name, and also interesting because there IS an aptly-named company called Mary Louise Butters who make brownies. Maybe she thought I was the brownie lady?

Anyway, I digress.

Now presenting...MR. CRAYOLA

Don Marco..... The Master Crayola Artist

Don Marco was born in Northern Minnesota in the late 1920's. His interest in art was evident even before starting school. As a young adult in the Army Air Corp, he began his life's career in Air Traffic Control, which continued until his retirement from Honolulu International Airport in 1973. Much of his spare time was spent as a professional artist.

Before retirement, Don started developing a technique to create fine art, using Crayola Crayons. Shortly after retiring, he published his first print. Living in Southern California, his work was in demand, including commissions from Burt Reynolds and a one-man show at his Dinner Theater in Florida.

Hard to imagine these are done with crayons!!!

(In addition to being the Bob Ross of the 24 pack, he has a dinner theatre in Florida where he PERFORMS! Woah.)






Burt is my favorite, but if you wanna check out more see Sandy's Thoughts in Houston, Texas

Oh, and here's his website:
THE MASTER CRAYON ARTIST

Sleeved

Sleevefacing has long been a favorite drunken activity, and most recently a way to cover an ugly mug on internet social networking sites. Today while, um "working", I found a slew of 'em on Flickr. My favorites were made in impromptu situations, but I did find a guy who has made the classic sleeveface into an artform.



He even did a whole collection of just Barry Manilow.
http://flickr.com/photos/cgstopgo/

Some of the rest below:

Fallin' For You

This is mostly for Shea--The Niagara Falls photos I mentioned before:

J'Adore

I was somewhat embarrassingly googling a previous (nightlife) employer of mine, and was pleasantly surprised to run across this fun and witty blog (not by the employer though):

http://jadorejoey.blogspot.com/

Last week's posts included:

1.) An amazing video called "Censor Bar Art" set to the tune of one David Byrne:

2.) A UK commercial, which ended up being pulled from the air after 200 Wendy Whiners complained that it was "inappropriate for children, and forces parents to explain same sex partnerships." As if! I think it's adorable, and clever. See vid below.