I don’t know if this happens to you, but when I dream, in addition to recurring dreams, I get recurring places.
There are two which spring to mind, what makes these different to the other settings which recur is that these places don’t exist in real life. I’m always in my real high school in high school dreams, a real city, a real house. Or a place I don’t recognize and is a one-time-use dream set. My mind creates a new park or a new cinema each time.
But two places recur. The first is a Victorian house which is similar to the house I grew up in, in that it is Victorian and the same shade of yellow my house used to be. Nothing else is really the same, this one has bit from movies and stories and my imagination mixed in – it has secret passageways and a wraparound porch. It is also massive, sort of like the house in Clue. I can’t remember much else about it, I haven’t been there in a while, but whenever I am “home” in my dreams, its here. We have the same dining room table I had when I was really little and lived at 486. Also my whole family lives there. Apparently.
The second location is a bakery, this bakery is fresh in my mind as I was having tea there with Bob Saget a few nights ago (now I don’t recall seeing anything with Bob Saget recently, so your guess is as good as mine why I would have dream tea with him).
The bakery is very narrow and painted sea-foam green. From the front door you see the counter on one side and a black metal staircase on the other, almost like a fire escape but indoors and with rubber mats to keep you from slipping. At the front the room opens out and there are a few tables and comfy chairs and sofas, and a bookshelf stacked with tattered board games and well-loved books. I think the upstairs is more hard backed chairs and tables and a front window facing counter, but I never sit up there on account of the stairs have spaces and are a bit scary like the ones in the Troy Public Library.
Anyway. As you approach the counter you see a row of glass cases, filled with lovely bakery bits – muffins, cookies, doughnuts, pastries. They have a whole section devoted to cupcakes. Behind the counter it looks more like a bar, with fridges set up under shelves, but the upper shelves hold bread, croissants, crackers, bagels and other savory foods, and the lower ones hold white crockery. The fridges are stocked mainly with drinks – coke, milk, juice and beer, but there is one full of sandwich fixings. There is a staff fridge which holds big jugs of milk and other things they use like butter packs.
On the counter behind the glass cases is an ancient coffee machine, happily steaming away and one of those wall mounted boilers which has hot water on demand. There’s a toaster, a sandwich maker, a set of knives and a cutting board.
All the staff are friendly but look like they work in a coffee house in Shoreditch – the guys all have jeans on, one wears a white t-shirt and the other two have variations on a check pattern. The girl is wearing a skirt and leggings, her hair in messy but cute pigtails. She has a shirt with a collar on and a skinny tie.
When I went with Bob I had a Corona and a cupcake, he had Brooklyn lager and a slice of pumpkin pie.
Don’t ask me why I remember this stuff in such detail, but I do.
Do you have recurring dream places?
I’m not always a huge fan of mashups, but admittedly the “genre” has grown on me after a while. The trouble is, just like anything else which is cheap, easily accessible and only takes a few minor brain functions to be able to have the basic skill set, there is way too much crap out there and way too few worth watching, which I suppose is just the plight of youtube in general. Or flickr.
But recently I’ve come across two which I really like, the first one is either amazing or the most annoying thing that ever happened.
Granted the video editing isn’t even trying, but the soundtrack is still funny.
And the second is just plain amazing:
You might need to at least have seen the Mighty Boosh and heard of if not sen No Country for Old Men, but still.
Which brings me seemlessly to the second portion of my entry, not “mashups” per-se but fake trailers. Since they’re made by film students as projects, and not 14-year olds with a pirated copy of iMovie, they’re pretty decent quality. The two best ones are still the two early ones:
Other than some improper kerning, its top of the youtube quality charts!
And lets not forget:
I particularly like the gratuitous use of Peter Gabriel.
I’m not usually one to blog on a political basis, for two reasons, 1. you probably know more about it than I do and 2. I can’t be arsed. The latter is the main reason. But my homeland’s recent arguments over a hypothetical national health bill are just too much for me. They have got me thinking about the main differences between “democrats” and “republicans,” and while I always leaned a bit more democratically, I (much like Fox News) have been tempted recently to lean the other way. (I would have added a link back there but Comedy Central still have their internet minions out there, pulling every Daily Show and other Comedy Central clip off youtube before you can share the link).
So without further ado – here are my top 5 reasons to ask yourself, is you a Republican or a Republican’t?
1. You never need to worry about contradicting yourself. You never have to worry about it because no one cares. Think Glenn Beck. Think John Kerry. Think anyone you want, say one thing, say another the next day and don’t even worry if its completely contradictory, ’cause it just doesn’t matter to anyone! As long as you are talking the loudest and over the most people, you are winning.
2. Your party is no longer run solely by fat old white guys. Thank you Sarah Palin, you have brought us a new generation of scary hockey mom’s with pregnant teenage daughters with stupid names. You are truly one in a million and the Republican party is forever in your debt. Maybe they should rally to have YOUR birthday as a national holiday?
3. Blueblood is the best blood – and with noted exception of the Kennedy’s, there are no dynasty’s of rich, powerful democratic families. Most of them come from a shitty background and claw their way to the top. But Republicans, on the other hand, are mainly raised in all-American, political or military families. They are sheltered their whole lives and never really have to deal with the poor and haggard their country stands on, er, for. Now I may be wrong, but if not having to hang out with the riff-raff or even WORRY about things like healthcare, childcare, maternity leave, sick pay and other benefits is wrong, then I don’t want to be right!
4. Ignorance is not only bliss – its preferable and should be worn as a badge of awesome. If you don’t know something, feel free to admit you are no expert. But please, please do not let this stop you from making a point about said topic, after all, freedom of speech is protected under our constitution, I think – I mean I’m not a constitution expert or nothing. But they should really make an amendment so as to include freedom of ignorance.
5. Facts just don’t matter. Get names, birthplaces, spelling, even whole words wrong! Make it up off the cuff if you have to! Like #1, if you are talking the loudest, you are winning. After all, these colors don’t run, moran! I mean we wouldn’t even be in this mess (I mean the mess whereby we argue about the issues of seeting up a national healthcare system because in countries like the UK Stephen Hawkings would never have survived because the NHS’s death panels would have deemed him too hard to take care of) if it weren’t for our half-breed muslin President!! I mean who elected this guy?
So there you have it, my Top 5 reasons to go Republican.
When I got to work today there was some washing up leftover from the night before:
ok, there was A LOT of washing up
Wowzers! AFter an EPIC washing up session, I had this to show for my efforts:
Seriously, and all with 3 brain cells left from last night. What a great day!
Have you even been sitting at work in front of the computer thinking, ‘I wish there was a way to fill the whole screen with pixelated sand, as if I were dropping it from the top, and creating a picture from a variety of colors?’
Well, then you’re in luck! This Is Sand provides this exact service, but beware, it is a major time waster and you are likely to become addicted to it, trying to fill the whole screen faster than your workmates or making an actual picture to go on the site’s blog.
Similar in nature is the Powder Game, choose your favorite!
Reminds me of fourth grade art class where we had to make drawings of ‘mountains’ using pastels and brown paper, but I never saw any mountains that looked like that.
So I’ve been wondering lately why my migraines have been kicking off recently. I had a few theories – they seem to always kick off a bit this time of year, but not so much to this extent, I’ve not really had to take many sick days before. So what’s different, is it stress? Possibly, I will be unemployed in about a week and a half, I have a to-do list that would cover several king size duvets (but who doesn’t) and its too hot most of the time.
Right, so I’m stressed out, but not more than normal, right? Or at least not more than I’ve been in the past, so while I’m sure this doesn’t help, I’m not sure this is the cause of my increased cranial activity.
Triggers then: everyone who suffers from migraines has ‘em. Some people are even “lucky” enough to get warning signs, which helps to sometimes stave off worse attacks. Mine tend to be certain smells (mainly bathroom associated like soaps and perfumes), the dull buzz of idle electricity and the WORST THING EVER – that green glow that professors teach in when they can’t be arsed to turn off the projector but the projector itself realizes it is no longer in full use and has decided to “rest”. This is inevitable, I WILL get a MASSIVE migraine from this scenario.
But I’m not in school anymore, I don’t see many green projector glows these days. I do hear a lot of idle electricity buzz, all machines and computers seem to hum at the same frequency and I work in a tv post house. In fact, I never realise how much stress my own laptop and television are causing me until I shut them down. Sounds I didn’t even know were there are harassing me. But I’ve worked here for nearly a year now, and only recently have I been having migraines this frequent.
I read an article recently saying energy saving bulbs may contribute to migraines, which makes perfect sense when you think about it, as fluorescent lights are a trigger for many people. And we have a few of these fellows in our house, including our new fantastic pod lamp (which is basically amazing, migraines or not).
I think its probably a combination of all these things, culminating in the worst migraine season yet. Which is nicer than my other theory: that they just get worse and worse every year. Yee-freakin’-haw.
As you have probably heard, in June 2008 Polaroid stopped manufacturing the product which made them famous, their self-developing instant film. For now you can still buy up the stock online and possibly even in a few bricks and mortar shops, but by as soon as next year, this iconic medium will be gone forever.
Or will it be?
Shortly after Polaroid gave the order to strip down its factory, Florian Kaps, an Austrian entrepreneur, and Andre Bosman, a Dutch former Polaroid manager, made a radical decision to try and relight the fire. Since 2008, these two and a skeleton team made up mostly of former Polaroid employees, have been fighting the good fight, in what they themselves have deemed The Impossible Project. They are attempting to find investors, reinvent some of the film processes and create a cost effective and environmentally friendly version of the old film.
A fairly daunting task, and with just 12 months of research and development, the team must have a new product ready to hit shelves by the end of 2009.
But why is it so difficult? Well, a good article in the FT explains some of the obstacles they face along with interviews from Bosman where he talks both about logistical issues and personal battles, as the factory sits in a small town where for forty years the factory has plugged happily away. Former plant workers, frustrated and angry at the shutdown, want to know if he has a job for them, if the factory will be reopened, and if it does, will everyone be invited back?
Polaroid owned the patents and manufacturing not only to the end product, but to every step along the way, and some of the components no longer exist. In addition, each film pack came with its own battery – its how it managed to develop itself. Not exactly environmentally friendly, and in this day and age, considered unconscionable – therefore not a great business strategy.
No one is sure if it can be done, but the lads in Austria are trying their best. They’re currently recreating developing procedures and everyday is a new challenge.
On 21 August, Urban Outfitters launched an exclusive product in conjunction with the Impossible Project at select US and UK stores. So if you’re interested in supporting the project but don’t have enough cash on you to become an investor, log on or pop into an Urban Outfitters and pick one up.
Which reminds me, someone still has my Polaroid camera….
As you may or may not have heard, I lost my iPod on Wednesday. Double Sadd 
We had such good times together, laughing, crying, getting caught on the fence. Remember that one time you fell out of my pocket? Oh, classic. Anyways, I lost you, like a melting snowflake on a sunny winter’s day.
But guess what I found??
HELLO IPOD
I know you are my old friend because like all my friends, I had you labeled:
Where, oh where were you?? I’ve been worried sick!
Shit, seriosuly? The WHOLE TIME??
In conclusion, what a dumbass I am!!
But its nice to have found you, friend.
I don’t know about you or where you live, but a couple of weeks ago here in London Town, everyone once again went batshit about SWINE FLU. I’m guessing this is not the last we’ll hear about this HORRIBLE EPIDEMIC, as the media have primed us all to hear about it again once it starts to get colder (viruses love cold people).
So a couple of weeks ago my workplace was like a ghost town. Why, you might ask. Is it the credit crunch? Is the BBC axing more jobs and creating a trickle effect down the industry? Was there a major blackout? Is THE INTERNET (shudder) taking over? Is telly really dead?!?! NO, its even worse than you thought, loads of people were out sick with SWINE FLU (I’d like to mention here that every time you see SWINE FLU written in caps you should think in your head about me saying it like the voiceover on a horror movie tailor from the 1960’s).
SWINE FLU has claimed nearly 150 lives in Mexico and countless others world wide, yes you heard it here, it is an EPIDEMIC. Of course, this has all been debunked by the World Health Organization, who claim only seven (yes SEVEN) people have actually died from it but who cares, its more fun to listen to the media, after all, we all love to fund companies like Glaxo Smith-Klein (not that THEY would EVER benefit from a public health scare crisis! That would be immoral!).
But be that as it may, normally logical, educated adults insist that the SWINE FLU is out there, lurking on the tube, waiting to take your soul. So what does this REALLY mean for us?
Well, since you only have to call or go online (the NHS don’t want to see your infected ass in their already over-crowded patient waiting rooms) to get your Tamiflu, anyone can have a sick vacation! Yes, after all it is recommended that you stay away from people for five to ten days, and though we’ve been told not to worry if in close proximity to people with it (ie – your roommate or your niece who you spent the weekend with) unless you yourself start to develop symptoms, many people are being extra cautious and letting me take up the slack at work. Thanks for that, I mean if you are sweating in the night you should probably stay home, its probably the SWINE FLU and not just because its, you know, summer.
“Well that all seems fine, Meredith, but what if I ACTUALLY get the SWINE FLU after playing hooky from work? They’ll never believe me!!” Actually, as it so happens, this virus is apparently spreading and mutating so quickly that it is totally possible for you to get it more than once, so no worries, just call the NHS up again and you’re home free!! (Here’s a helpful hint, though, either take your boss and workmates off your Facebook, or don’t update Facebook to say how much fun you’re having when you’re supposed to be sick).
So there you have it, if you’re not under five or over 65, then you can still reap al the benefits of having SWINE FLU with virtually none of that pesky “risk of death.”
Recently, I’ve seen a lot of people mistaking this for a “good” or “wonderful” ad/ piece of art/ exercise in public annoyance:
OMG WE LIKE TOTALLY DISRUPTED EVERYONE’S COMMUTE BY PUTTING SECRET CAMERAS IN A BUSY TRAIN STATION AND HIRING LIKE 200 DANCERS OR SOMETHING TO LIKE DO A THING IN FRONT OF THEM WHILE NO ONE KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING!!! WE IS LIKE SO CRAZZZZY AROUND HERE!!
But riddle me this, was it better when T-Mobile did it last year?
Or when the Dolly Rockers did it all over London?
Or when Oxfam did it with pregnant women?
Or if you still don’t believe me, you can simply type in “Flashmob dancing” into youtube, and see literally hundreds of examples.
OMG, flashmobbing was SO five years ago!!!
(Oh yeah, also this isn’t “art” or “cool,” for those of you who’ve ever tried to move through a station like Liverpool Street during rush hour know how annoying a demonstration like this can be. Save it for the South Bank.)
Ok, here’s a thought, what if I rip off something that’s not very popular, after all new to you is just as good as a new idea, right? WRONG:
I thought this was cool when I saw it the first time:
and decidedly uncool when you ripped it off.
Right, well what if I rip off a cult novelty band?
Wow, that was disturbingly similar to a show I like to watch:
Don’t worry, Sugar Puff, Coors can play at that, too!
What could THAT be a ripoff of, you ask?
With both of these adverts (as mentioned on TVs Worst Adverts, which I’ll get to in depth later on), I’m not really sure if they are trying to get the cult following of the shows to eat Sugar Puffs/ drink Coors, or if they’re just really really hoping no one’s ever seen the show. In either case, the adverts don’t really work because out of the context of the show neither one comes off as a parody and just ends up being two guys shouting/ rhyming disturbingly at me in weird accents.
And what is it with the obsession with ripping of music videos? Are you assuming no one watches these anymore, because sometimes they do:
Well at least they’ve done it practically non-cut for non-cut.
You only need a couple second of this:
To think it might actually BE this:
And last but not least, is it a ripoff if I am just ripping off another advert?
Seriously, here’s the first one:
And another, does it count as a ripoff if I use the same dude? Well, I suppose less so, but its still lazy on both your parts:
and the original:
I know that the advertising world is basically a spiteful void of any creative ideas, but there’s being unoriginal and there’s just plain copying. With youtube and google video amongst other mediums out there, its easier than ever to be caught out, even if you’re ripping off something not particularly mainstream, so why is it that advertisers insist on lifting ideas nearly verbatim more and more?
