Saturday, April 23, 2011

Elk calf frolics in a puddle

 
 

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via Boing Boing by Maggie Koerth-Baker on 4/22/11

I feel like this elk calf accurately expresses my feelings about the fact that it is Friday.

EDIT: This video is the work of nature photog David Neils. It's great stuff. Big thanks to smithemma for pointing out the video's creator!

Video Link

Submitterated, appropriately enough, by Koocheekoo




 
 

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Listen: Morrissey Gives Rare Interview to BBC

 
 

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via Towleroad News #gay by Andy Towle on 4/22/11

Morrissey

Morrissey gives a rare interview to the BBC's John Wilson about his career, David Cameron, the Royal Family, the 600+ page memoir he is in the process of writing, and the chances for a Smiths reunion.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...


 
 

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

VIDEO: Raccoon Plays in the Tub

more cute

 
 

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The Proudest Spider of Them All

these little guys are so cute!

 
 

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via Towleroad News #gay by Andy Towle on 4/15/11

Peacock_spider

This itsy bitsy spider puts on a big show (reveal at 3:00).

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...


 
 

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Clair de Lune, A Deleted Section From the 1940 Disney Film Fantasia


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Clair de Lune, A Deleted Section From the 1940 Disney Film Fantasia


This is a section of Disney's Fantasia that you may have never seen, as it was left out of the version that was released in 1940. Not that you probably watched it in 1940. It features "Clair de Lune" by composer Claude Debussy from his Suite bergamasque. While it was completed in time for the film, they ultimately cut it for time–without it, it still ran 125 minutes.


Later the segment was reworked and set to Blue Bayou for another production, Make Mine Music in 1946. As these things go, the original was lost for a while, but was eventually found, restored and re-set to the original music perforrmed by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. And it can now be found on the Fantasia DVD


Fantasia was the first film released in stereo, but that was a problem because new equipment had to be installed in order to show it. Thus only 14 theaters in the US played it upon its initial release in 1940, and it lost money. Several years later it was re-released in mono and edited down to 80-minutes. It wasn't until 1956 that it appeared again in stereo. And from that and subsequent re-releases it ranks, when adjusted for inflation, amongst the top 25 grossing films of all time.


Below is the Make Mine Music version (in Italian, set to yet another song, but it's the only one I could find online).


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The Heat Of Winter


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The Heat Of Winter


Dad had originally prepared for the role of Snow Miser, but given the circumstances, decided to make a last-minute change.


(submitted by Stephen)

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Central European folk-dancers illustrated sorting algorithms

 
 

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via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow on 4/11/11

Robbo sez, "Sapientia University has posted a series of videos using folk dances as a way to visualy demonstrate various sorting algorithms. It's intensely geeky - and just downright cute too."

I love sorting algorithms -- I actually use bubble-sorts in real life all the time when I'm trying to make subtle qualitative distinctions (picking the best three flowers out of a bunch, say).

Take one Central European folk dancing team, a small folk band and an added overlay showing array locations and get them to dance the algorithms in time to "appropriate" folk music. The result is slightly surreal and for a time at least slightly hypnotic.
Sorting algorithms as dances (Thanks, Robbo!)


 
 

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Monday, April 11, 2011

MP3s of childrens 78 rpm records from 1948

 
 

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via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz on 4/11/11

Rgoa Tn-700 Rgoa 5001P Twinkletwinklelittlestar Rgoa Tn-700 Rgoa 4003P Ahuntingwewillgo
Here is a delightful digitized collection of Record Guild of America Childrens Picture Records, c. 1948.


 
 

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Friday, April 8, 2011

Elf ears

good lord. what will we think of next.

 
 

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via Boing Boing by Rob Beschizza on 4/8/11

Today in elf news, the ears have it: pointy ones, that is, cut surgically from the standard round human set. Mark posted about a pioneer some time ago, but now the mainstream's caught on. The tabloids are Concerned. From the Daily Mail:
Some fantasy film buffs in Arizona are taking their obsessions to new levels by actually having their ears cut open and sculpted to look like elves. The elf ears craze has many health risks but that isn't stopping sci-fi fans having the top of their cartilage sliced and sewed back together in a point. ... The elf ears craze is believed to have been brought on by films such as Lord of the Rings and Avatar, as well as HBO's comedy television series Bored to Death.
Dr. Arthur W. Perry, quoted by the Mail, warns that scultping cartilage is dangerous and risks a "major deformity of the ear," though that would seem to be rather the idea. ABC ran a news segment about it, full of pointed criticism. Fans undergo elf ear operations to look like fantasy film characters [Daily Mail]


 
 

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