I Ate All Your Candy

To all the parents that toyed with thier children's fragile yet volatile emotions, we applaud you:

Focus and Simplicity

There has been whole lot written about Steve Jobs yesterday and today, and there will no doubt be much more as it will take years – maybe decades – to fully decipher the impact of his accomplishments. What they mean to the fields of technology, communication, and art. 

In wading through it all, my favorite piece thus far was from Wired:
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/10/jobs

It nicely overviews the multiple facets of the man - his successes and his failures, his inspirational qualities and his negative traits, his exceptional life and his untimely death. 

Personally, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Steve Jobs (and Apple) is the perfect fusion of art and science. Never abandoning the details of design and aesthetics for the realities of form and function. And vice versa.  The way Apple has been able to walk that razor’s edge is what makes them unique. 

Also when I think of Steve Jobs, my mind randomly goes back to that 2007 keynote when he unveiled the first iPhone. Not so much because of any of the technology he was presenting… but oddly enough I’m still drawn to the quote he used to end his speech that day:

“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
– Wayne Gretzky

Elegant in its simplicity and inspirational in its enlightenment, it’s a classic example of a “why didn’t I think of that?” idea. Which is of course why it was so appropriate. Steve Jobs proactively considered how we’d use technology in the future; and the solutions he imagined are so seemingly simple and beautiful it makes you wonder what we did before they were around.

And if that's not something to aspire to creatively, I don't know what is.  

***

BONUS Steve Jobs fun facts!  

1. He was not responsible for the invention of the mouse, as some would have you believe.  Though Jobs was essential in popularizing it, those accolades fall to Dr. Douglas Engelbart.
2. But he did invent Halo - check out this keynote from May of 2000. No, actually not really. Halo was initially developed for the Mac by Bungie Studios, and Jobs was he was going to use it to jump-start gaming on the Mac platform before Microsoft bought it out from under him.  He was not pleased.
3. If you're interested in more reading, here's a pretty great list: 7 Best Reads on Steve Jobs.  Be especially sure to read Brian Lam's article, Steve Jobs Was a Kind Man: My Regrets About Burning Him, and the infamous iPhone 4 prototype debacle.  

Use Force. Fight Cancer.

In an attempt to boost sales for the blu-ray version of Star Wars, George Lucas has dared to team up with Stand Up to Cancer and we STILL don't get the version where Han shoots first!

Aw, who am I kidding? The promo video is hilarious, there are really cool cause t-shirts, and it's a great idea to help a charity with something that's going to sell faster than a fan boy can say blue milk.


Visit the cause website to get all the info and see cool shirts.

Now I just need a blu-ray player...

UPDATE:
Since posting this, I came across another video. Not only can Star Wars cure cancer, it can blown kid's minds too!

Eat your heart out, Don Draper.

I know, I know. You've already come all the way here to M&HD, and now I'm going to ask you to click a link to go allllll the way over to Flavorwire? You're tired, and you're pretty sure Flavorwire isn't even in a nice part of the interwebs. I can't believe I'm asking you to do it, either. But see, I happened to come across this very cool post highlighting some submissions from a Photoshop contest over at Worth 1000 (I know, a site covering a site covering a site... it's MADNESS.) The idea was to come up with old school advertisements (or adVERtisments, if you're British) for today's technology. There's some very clever stuff, not the least of which is a tiny, almost throw-away tag line for Nokia.

My favorite? A toss up between the aforementioned Nokia and The Amazing Wii. Check it out for yourself.

Like a glorious felt-covered phoenix, The Muppets are reborn

Just in time to accompany "Green with Envy" - "The Green Album".

Which includes this cool remake of the theme music by OK Go:

Foodie Movie

From Cebu Osani Films: Eye What You Eat

Rather cool short films/recipes. Dig it.

Potage from erik shirai on Vimeo.

Visit Eye What You Eat here and thanks to Anthony Bourdain for finding this. (We're best friends)

By a Nose....

Last week when I was about 5 glasses of pinot grigio deep, I inadvertently came up with a fascinating hypothesis. Now before the comments come flying in (read: my brother might write a comment if he's not working) this not a proven theory. There are many exceptions to this "rule".

Hypothesis: Caliber of acting is directly linked to the size of an actor's nose. To demonstrate, I've compiled a group of male actors.

Case in point: Check out the Schnoz on That Guy

From top left: Al Pacino, Peter Sellers, Adrien Brody, Ian McKellen, Daniel Day Lewis, Robert Deniro

Mostly dramatic but each has proven capable of having strong comedic value or vice versa. All are well-rounded and well-established actors. One of these actors also had a full breakdown on stage while performing Hamlet when he actually saw the ghost of his real dead father. That is commitment and that is craft.

Case in counterpoint: Carefully Styled Hair Won't Help You

From top left: David Hasselhoff, Ryan Reynolds, Leonardo DiCaprio, Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanilla Ice

All of these actors play every role they touch the same way. Ryan Reynolds? Funny and sarcastic. Keanu Reeves? Emotes with the same amount of his Matrix action figures.

There are two examples that are more subtle and require explanation. Leo had only one role where he truly acted and that was What's Eating Gilbert Grape?. The other equally controversial choice is Vanilla Ice. I've seen Cool As Ice three times, it pains me to say this brilliant MC should stick to music.

You may have noticed that this list does not include younger actors. Acting is sometimes like those 8 glasses of delicious pinot grigio: They get better with age. If the hypothesis does hold true we can expect great things from:


And again, since this is not a proven theory there are always exceptions:


Thoughts?

A Little Bit of Love on a Monday...

A rather beautiful mash up of some of cinema's best bromances:


You gotta love the progression of this piece. Much like any romance, it has is ups and downs. The video starts out with playful glances and laughs, moves on to arguments and fights, and ends with what men do best; They hug it out.

The only glaring abnormality is the fella at the end talking to a wolf. Apparently that's taken from a 60's British cult film Withnail & I about two actors trying to make their way. I'm guessing Martinovicable was trying to tell us that not every budding bromance ends happily, some end as bitter as Hamlet's words.

So, take a broment today and hug the man you love.

How to Make an Art

If there's one thing that the Bob's have taught me (both Ross and Captain), it's that art is not meant to be created and consumed by only the talented or the elite.  Art is everywhere, readily available for the enjoyment of anyone willing to look for it.

And my new favorite "art critic", Hennessy Youngman, apparently agrees with that sentiment.  Don't let the first 60 seconds of this clip fool you (or fact that he looks like the bizarre love child of Bill Cosby and Jim Henson) - this man harbors some serious knowledge (lack of accurate historical dates notwithstanding).  And more importantly, an excellent outlook on art in everyday life.

So here's how to make an art, internet.

Magnetic Silly Putty

If you're anything like me, you're down right bored copying newspapers with America's favorite liquid-solid, Silly Putty. You've bounced it about as many times as you care to, and now you're back to playing with the far inferior Ball in a Cup.

What if I told you, that you could throw that Ball in a Cup right in the face of the nearest Amish child and have countless hours of fun in only 20 minutes?

Watch, in AMAZEMENT:


Now that I know it's possible for Silly Putty to devour objects, I'm never going back. Here are the step-by-step instructions to make your silly putty into some serious Kick-Ass Putty. Go forth and get magnetized.

Side note: Silly Putty has an official site. Who knew?

Getting Your Friday Nerd On

This may well be the best page on the internet.

There are no words that can adequately describe such nerdly splendour as Batman-with-an-epic-mustache.

Should have... sent... a poet.

Here's more:  http://thechive.com/2011/05/25/cartoon-art-with-a-twist-25-photos/

And So I Face the Final Curtain...

Professional athletes are notoriously bad at recognizing sunsets. More specifically, when to walk into them (see: Favre, Brett).  The Tedy Bruschis of the world are few and far between; the ability to step away without deteriorating skills or a broken body forcing management’s hand a rarity. 

In most cases, we get what occurred with Jorge Posada this past week.  True, this specific instance was handled particularly poorly by all parties involved – player, coach, and management alike - but it does put renewed focus on the age-old problem of putting fading icons out to pasture.  What is the best way to tell a Hall of Famer, prideful and prolonging the inevitable, that he’s now hurting the team he’s given so much to?  Especially when he’s beloved by a passionate and loyal fan base, as is the case in New York.  Is there a correct way to cut ties and still save face? 

Regardless, in light of last week’s debacle it’s definitely in the Yankees best interests to at least give the issue a little more thought.  Posada's situation is only the beginning of what looks to be a series of bitter departures in the coming years.

Hopefully for us passionate baseball fanatics, all of our aging superstars - Red Sock and Yankee alike - are able to find a happy compromise with their teams and cities.  And in the most ideal of scenarios - to find happiness in each other’s as well. 

In this, we look to Big Papi to lead the way.   

That's what I'm talkin' about.  

Bruce Wayne: Mentally unstable, at best

Above: A pretty well-done fan creation depicting Christian Bale as a mental patient with delusions of grandeur.  Which, now that I think about, might not be fan fiction at all... perhaps the man's actually batshit insane?

(Did you see that?  See what I did there?)

No, but seriously this is a pretty awesome trailer.  And I'd pay real money to drink my way through this movie in Lux level. 

Below: A link to the wired.com article where I spotted it:
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/04/batman-complex

Start Saving Your Pennies...

Let's face it: It's 2011, we're not going to get the flying cars or hover boards of our childhood dreams. Both you and I spent countless Crayola hours dreaming how sweet our life would be while popping a backside ollie 180's on the most gorgeous magnetized board your Mauvelous-colored crayons could handle. (Unlike you, there were also a good amount of unicorns painting rainbows off of which I would half-cab) But the fact remains, we will never have this.

Let me pick your spirits back up off the floor by sharing with you what we CAN have in 2011. To do this, we have to tap into that inner Boba or indeed your inner Rocketeer. Folks, it's here. Finally a jet pack that an individual can have without stealing it from the military to fight Nazis!

Martin Jetpack developed a jet pack that sustains longer flights than those of its predecessors. "Initially designed with the leisure market in mind, commercial demand for the Martin Jetpack has seen the research and development programme focus on readying the product for use in a number of sectors including emergency response, defence and recreation, with numerous applications in each sector."


For the price of just one Mercedes-Benz S-Class, she can be all yours.

I can tell what you're thinking. "Pretty impressive, but there's no way I'll strap gasoline to my back even if I would look like the most amazing human being ever and I dressed up as Cobra Commander for Halloween, so that's saying something." Not to worry, there's a jet pack for you.

JetLev has developed a non-conventional jet pack for the sports enthusiast. The JetLev R200 uses water pressure to rocket you right out of the water and fly with ease (Can be used in fresh AND salt water!) "It is designed for safety, stability, ease-of-use, and precise and effortless flight controls. Learn basic flight with video-assisted training on land and as little as six minutes of on-water instructions." I don't know about you, but I love it when it only takes me 6 minutes to learn something.

Pardon the awful music in this video:

The price of this beauty is a whole $500 cheaper than the Martin Jetpack. A steal!

See you in the skies!

Chag Sameach!

We like to get a little Old Testament once and a while.



Happy Passover to all!

Fun fact: I am unable to hear the phrase "Let my people go" without thinking of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Ye Olde Rivalry....

We respect Emmy award winning Team Baldwin for his prestigious acting career. Not many actors can say they have done what Mr. Baldwin has achieved. However, some would have you believe that Team Baldwin is somehow infallible. They will look over grievous errors or pretend that these infamous follies never occurred. Team Baldwin is rampant with excuses.

Over here on Team Krasinski, we're not in it for the awards, yet we give an honest performance every time. When you see Krasinski perform, you know that even when there are errors (because he doesn't pretend to be perfect) he'll learn from them and move on.

It's not about the game, it's about the love of the game.


(Thanks to fellow Team Krasinski friend Sarah for finding this. Go Sox! It's still early.)

Blogger: Turning up the Awesome

The numbers are in - our friends at Turning up the Awesome have just informed us that Blogger is now in fact 113.6% more awesome. 

Go to any Blogger-based blog and type "/view" at the end of the URL.  Like so:  http://www.martinisandhotdogs.com/view

Then toggle the "Sidebar" button on the top-right.  Fwahblam - instant dynamic image-based social magazine-esque... thing.

Or, as TUTA put it "a tastier way to eat your knowledge."

Savvy, Blogger.  Savvy.
 

Denis Leary, your hero and mine

He is my favorite Ugly-Hot Worcester native, and he is not afraid to tell you how much his movies suck.

Part 1:

Denis Leary Remembers Denis Leary Movies - watch more funny videos

And Part 2:

Denis Leary Remembers Denis Leary Movies Part II - watch more funny videos

And as a bonus, think of this as a belated St. Paddy's present:

Great Moments in Irish History with Denis Leary - watch more funny videos

Macho Man

Snap into this Slim Jim. Enjoy.

Where's Randy Savage?

::sniff:: So proud...

Besides the fact that this is pretty funny - especially to someone who has had to watch several "acting reels" throughout college (ie, me) - it is also fun to share because my friend Adam is in it! He's the bald German-techno-band member with the scary beard. He's not that scary in real life. Or that German, actually.

Acting Reel Master Database #7: Dianne Kluff - watch more funny videos

Beer is full of Science...

...therefore it's good for you!

Have you ever sat down to a tall frosty (read: room temp for UK readers) and noticed that the bubbles of your liquid magic are actually travelling down?? The guys at Friday Science explain why that is:




Happy St. Patrick's Day MT&HD! You look positively astute in those beer goggles.

By the way, Science Friday is a pretty cool site. And it looks terrible, that's how you know it's all written by real scientists.

Soccer FAIL. (Why soccer is a horrible, horrible sport.)

Sorry, football.  Er, futbol.  Whatever.

But Exhibit A:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsEbf-o83fc&

There's Something Afoot at MTV...

According to this childhood commercial, MTV was made for the way Keanu Reeves thinks. Can one then assume that 16 year olds and whether or not they are pregnant are all Keanu thinks about now? Although enlightening, it still doesn't explain The Day The Earth Stood Still remake.

Dear Mr. Reeves, we implore you to go back to thinking about Darla and The Head.

Enjoy!

Obligatory Charlie Sheen Post

Seeing as we've all likely had a little too much Sheen in our lives lately, apologies up front.  But some interesting Rick Vaughn-related links:

In-between ludicrous rants, it's interesting to look at the business ramifications - not to mention the business ethics - involved when celebrities go off the deep end.

Speaking of off the deep end, some frightening similarities reveal themselves in this survey.

Wait, was that right of me to mockingly re-post that last link?  Are we all simply enabling this guy's eventual self-destruction?

Fuck it, I don't care - this is great.   As is this. 

(Props to my peeps at the office for helping to accumulate this linkstorm.)

Angry Cake

What a shame this cake was wasted on a mere 6-year-old.

Pulp Muppets

Just something silly for a Wednesday morning.

I think Beaker is my favorite, but watch out for special guest Alf at about 1:10 - it's quick!

If you see only one Predator musical this spring...

Not since Dracula's Lament  has a musical number stuck so strongly in my mind (Well, there's "Day Man" from Always Sunny, but I don't have a You Tube clip for that one.)



I can't believe they're still wasting time trying to get Spiderman back on stage when such genius is right under our noses.

Thanks to unwitting contributor Simon Pegg for the link.

(PS - There are also musical numbers for Conan the Barbarian, Rambo, and Terminator 2 available. High fives all around!)

Responsible Parenting

It's about time we're able to talk about this in a calm and constructive way.



Thanks to Jax and a random mutual Facebook friend for finding this.

Sometimes You've Got to Make Some Love...

Happy Valentine's Day MT&HD! Let's celebrate in the only high-tech, low-class we way we know.

Apparently there's an app for that or 'it'. Matt Berry's Sexytime Soundtrack app aids you in setting the mood with your lady-friend (or fella-friend):

"Whether you’re placing your device gently on a mattress before the main event, or taking it out and waving it around down the pub this app uses the iPhone’s gyroscopic and accelerometric capabilities to provide the perfect sensual soundtrack. Not only that but by measuring your rhythm and speed my app will also judge your performance accordingly."

Check it out, download it, and make sure it's locked so you don't accidentally set it off during your board meeting today.

Matt Berry's Sexytime Soundtrack

Looking for me?

What is even more inspiring to a Detroitonian than Eminem's (admittedly cool) Chrysler commercial?  Robocop, that's what.

There's apparently a very real movement to build a publicly-funded statue of the 80's dystopian sci-fi hero, effectively putting Robocop back on the mean streets of the Motor City.  Donations are now being accepted at www.detroitneedsrobocop.com, in fact.

You can follow the story of this endeavor here, but it seems to have been primarily inspired by Philly's Rocky Balboa statue.  And the subsequent realization that "Hey, Robocop could kick Rocky's ass - what gives?"  Logic then took hold from there and the effort to build a massive statue of Peter Weller was underway.

Hopefully this is the start of a new trend, and more cities will follow Detroit's lead by proudly displaying the fictional film characters that put them on the map.  A heroic sculpture of Sarah Jessica Parker in Central Park, for instance.  Or a bust of Ferris Bueller outside of Wrigley.  Maybe a wrought iron likeness of The Dude, head in hands forever bemoaning his urine-stained rug on a random bus stop bench somewhere the valley.

Is it too much to ask for a bronze diorama of the Boondock Saints beating the piss out of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Quincy Market?  Perhaps.

(Props to M&HD pal Oscar for alerting us to this epic human interest story.)

That's So Classic Superman

I'm a sucker for hand drawn animation and this is a really wonderful short cartoon. Perfect balance of new and old.

Interweb discussion fl@shback...

In·ter·net (n t r-n t). n. that massive computer network. the one that is becoming really big now. you do not need a phone line to operate internet. for more information, allison knows.

Colgate new blue minty gel....you'll love it!

I wish I woke up like that kid in the morning. Pretty sure the 23 second mark is the climax of this commercial. Scarrryyy.

Enjoy!

The Great Pop Culture Implosion

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/12/ff_angrynerd_geekculture/all/1

I just found a pretty great article (by comedian/writer/actor Patton Oswalt) that deeply explores the rapid expansion of popular culture through the exploitation of geek culture.  I’m pretty sure this is what the esteemed Dr. Ian Malcolm was talking about when he famously stated, “What you call progress, I call the rape of the natural world.”

The video above is kind of a lite version of the story he’s telling, but Patton’s full article is definitely worth reading.  Although the constant barrage of nerdlore reference gives this thing a Clockwork Orange–esque linguistic learning curve (consider this blog post a warm-up), if you can get past that it’s chock-full of interesting ideas.  The highlights being:

• the “otaku-fication” of America and its weak and temperamental obsessions…
  
  
• the assimilation of nerd culture into widely-consumed media (“The Lord of the Rings used to be ours and only ours simply because of the sheer goddamn thickness of the books”)…
  
  
• how having “Everything That Ever Was—Available Forever” (or “Etewaf”) via the internet does not bode well for the creative process, and
  
  
•  the concept that “before we can start to rebuild geek culture, we first have to destroy it” as he maniacally proposes a Mad Max-style do-over.

Although to be honest, the man might just be remembering the 80’s a little too fondly.  My buddy Lion-O and I talk about that all the time.  

10 Quotes from MLK

Great collection of the less often quoted writings of Martin Luther King, Jr.



In case you're curious, this is my favorite of MLK's:
"Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek."

Josh Groban Sings Kanye West Tweets

Thank you, Cory, for alerting me to the awesomeness that is this video.

(Someone shout if the video stops working... I'm thinking they'll pull it from YouTube at some point.)

There is only one way to correctly begin 2011...

... and that is ninjas fighting sharks.

Also acceptable - small children hoping beyond hope to catch a glimpse of a stealthy, magical creature who slips unnoticed in and out of our lives each holiday season.  They can sometimes be mistaken.  From M&HD friend Chris this morning:

The other day my youngest son is walking down the street and passes a (presumably) Muslim woman wearing the full tunic and burqa.  He goes “She’s a NINJA.” Anyway, here is a little ninja net nugget for everyone: http://vintageninja.net/

This confusion is of course understandable - do you think it sheer coincidence that Ninja Day also falls at the end of each year?  No - no it's not.