Alex Grey: Metaphysical, Anatomical Illustrator

Meet Alex Grey, a superb artist-illustrator who combines detailed human anatomy with the concepts of metaphysics and spirituality. His works are amazing visual adventures that feature living things, their internal workings and the mystical energy that flows through them. Personally, I have seen his "Sacred Mirrors" series on display and it is quite provocative and fascinating. I'm sure you will look at his works in wonder.

www.alexgrey.com/

LabMassiv: Model Photography And Illustration Site

LabMassiv appears to be a website that features portfolios by photographers and illustrators that deal mostly with fashion, glamour and models. There are some very stylish and interesting images on display in the various collections. Click around.

labmassiv.com/gallery/main/

Lego Blocks For The Kitchen

Want to remodel you dingy kitchen? Forget IKEA, head to Toys-R-Us and pick up an assortment of Lego block sets. You'll need several. GeekSugar displays an article showing how Lego blocks have been made into colorful kitchen counter islands and other similar household structures.

www.geeksugar.com/Lego-Kitchen-Rocks-20000-Colorful-Pieces-5976628

Flying Spaghetti Monster, The Intelligent Designer

In response to the idea of an "intelligent designer" of life and the universe, one individual has proposed that the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" is in fact that entity. At least it is as good a candidate as any other is his opinion. The idea has slowly spread and has now achieved a cult following of sorts. Take a look and see if the FSM has not touched you with his "noodly appendage".

www.venganza.org/

Video - Amazing Good Luck and Near Misses

Caught on video is a series of astounding examples of instant good fortune. From amazing random acts to barely avoiding death. Your jaw will drop. - If you look around on YouTube, there are several other compilations.

On Facebook www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1052539548733&ref=share

On YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD19Os5oUTg

Brutally Honest Mobile Home Liquidation Commercial

Here's a commercial from I Love Local Commercials that takes honestly as its direction. It's for a small company that sells used mobile homes and they make no bones about the situation. Very effective and funny. "Buy from me... or don't. I don't care."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-RLqLx1iYI

Online Books & Upton Sinclair

A friend of mine on Facebook called my attention to a site called "Read Print" that contains over 8000 free books that you can enjoy in full. I browsed the various categories in the site's library and came across a book by Upton Sinclair that I found of interest. It is titled "The Profits of Religion" and expresses Mr. Sinclair's views of organized religion and the effect that money has upon it. Take a dive into Read Print and see if there is anything you might like to absorb. - One side note. Since the information was digital text, I had my Apple computer read it to me.

www.readprint.com/chapter-47468/The-Profits-of-Religion-Upton-Sinclair

Video - Piling Food On Very Patient Pets In Japan

If you've ever seen a Japanese game show, you know they try to be as novel, clever and outrageous as possible, always incorporating a bit of self-torture and humiliation in their on-screen antics. Here we see some very well-disciplined animals that are having food piled up on or around them. The goal is to see how much food you can place near the pet before the pile comes tumbling down.

(on Facebook) www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1109991159920&ref=share

(on YouTube) www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLmSgjPLJPs

Video - Flying Down Mountains In Wing-Suits

This video is pretty incredible. It shows people skiing and jumping off high cliffs, then flying down the sides of mountains in "wing-suits". Not unlike what a flying squirrel does. This is amazing and outrageous. Extremely gutsy. They do have parachutes to help them land.

(on Facebook) www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1231939487068&ref=share

(on YouTube) www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4U6T_BB1N8

Drudge Report Archives

For those of you who follow the Drudge Report, there is a site that takes a "snapshot" of the Drudge Report every 2 minutes. It's useful when you want to go back and find a story the Matt Drudge linked to. Or to follow trends.

www.drudgereportarchives.com/

Video - A Myers-Briggs Personality Test Overview

A cute and simple animation that does a really good job of summing up the qualities of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI is a psychological test that separates people into 16 distinct groups, based on 4 pairs of personality attributes.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF1sqE8lb0o

Micro-Photos: The Eerie World Of Tiny Things

Wired magazine offers a collection of the world's best images taken through a microscope. Sifted from over 35 years of scientific photography.

www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/photomicrography/all/1

Some Wonderfully Interesting Office Spaces

The EightyOne design firm blog features a collection of fascinating office spaces from a number of companies known for their creativity. See where employees at Google, Pixar and Lego do their thing.

www.eightyonedesign.co.uk/how-would-you-improve-your-graphic-design-studio-or-office/

Piano Stairs - Using Fun To Change Behavior

The folks at Volkswagon think that "fun"is a great and easy way to change people's behavior. Visit "The Fun Theory" website and see a number of clever ideas. Below is a video about turning a subway stairwell into a piano you can play by walking on the steps. Cute and clever. (on Facebook)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw

Video - Sarah Silverman Feeds The World

Comedian/actress sarah Silverman has a novel idea about how to deal with world hunger. Sell the Vatican. Watch her explain the concept in this video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bObItmxAGc

Video - A Lesson In Fighting

I don't know if this is real or from a movie. Or if it is spontaneous or staged. Either way, it makes a good point about fighting and showing off. Watch and you'll be amused. On Facebook.

www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1036035337711

Evernote - A Convenient On-Line Place For Your Notes

Evernote is one of the net little utility websites where you can store and access your personal notes. Kind of like a small virtual file cabinet, you can upload and organize various kinds of data that can be reviewed later from anywhere. You can also tell friends where selected pieces of your information are. It's quite handy. Give it a look!

www.evernote.com

Burning Man 2009 Video - An Adventure In 10 Minutes

Here's another wonderful video (on Facebook) of the 2009 Burning Man event in the Nevada desert. It looks like a fantastic experience.

www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=179538692576&ref=share

Google Voice: A Phone Number That You Control

My friend Mike turned me on to a potentially handy service. Google Voice. Another one of the reat services Google provides. With Google Voice, you pick a telephone number from their list of available choices and it becomes assigned to you. Now the great part is that you can assign that number to be directed to any other phone in the world, at any time. So if you switch cell phones or providers, no problem. And if you want your phone number to ring grandma's phone temporarily, that's easy, too. There are also a number of other convenient features associated with this FREE digital service.

To get on board, you have to make an application and later be invited to join. This can take a little while. Both Mike and I discovered that it helps if you have a G-mail account.

www.google.com/voice

MommyGoggles: Motherhood Made A Little Easier

Mommy Goggles is in some ways a one-stop shopping site for day-to-day things a new mom might want to spend her time doing. Filled with contests, a gift guide, fitness ideas, product reviews, and links to related sites. It's a cute little blog / directory that caught my attention. Hopefully you'll find some value in this proud parent's efforts to collect and share information.

www.mommygoggles.com

Forget The Product. I like The Package. - theDieline

Another website for design nuts like me who often swoon at the sight of a stylish box or bottle. The Dieline website has oodles of new container designs to sample. View examples by industry and "substrate". And be sure to check out the design firms in the directory.

www.thedieline.com

Be Inspired By The Artist "Sand Dancer"

New Zealand beach artist Peter Donnelly will knock you out. He spends a lot of time on beaches drawing marvelous patterns and illustrations in the sand with a rod and a rake. Quite a free spirit, his charm will infect you and draw you in. GEt ready to smile.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ZqKmaN2qw

Businesses And The Issue Of Trust

Here is an article and video from Business Week regarding "trust" as a marketing factor in business. Take a look and get some insights on how businesses deal with the issue of trust when it comes to communicating with customers. The story may give you some insights about how business is really conducted.

www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_39/b4148038492933.htm

Doctors Talk About Healthcare System Reform

"Health, Money and Fear" is a really terrific 48-minute video that discusses an overhaul of the entire healthcare system. As told from the perspective of a number of practicing doctors. It is not limited to just dealing with the Insurance industry.

blip.tv/file/2266267

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSyGD6uoR0

A Look At The Heart Of Fox News

While doing my nightly review of Ain't-It-Cool News, I came across a story about a documentary called "OutFoxed", which takes a look at Rupert Murdock and his sub-company, the Fox News Channel. Below are the eight YouTube segments of that video. I think you will find this information quite revealing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXNvDD13hoY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkncRJZgPEk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkJYxBSldBU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5J-nYLJHJg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYWm0ycnLN4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9y3tO-lIpI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-hLxTL8wMo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTEWTzqtZAw (audio disabled)

Is Obama the Anti-Christ?

Here's a clip from the Rachel Maddow show citing a poll taken of New Jersey conservatives. The second half of the segment discusses that results that show 1 in 3 Jersey conservatives either think President Obama "is" or "might be" the Anti-Christ. Contains an interview with Frank Schaeffer, author of "Crazy For God" which is highly critical of the "evangelical subculture".

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show#32886436

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Robert Reich Discusses The Public Option

Here's a short video on Facebook that clearly explains the so-called "Public Option" component of health care reform. Delivered by former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich.

www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=160544446109

Blog Examples From SquareSpace

SquareSpace is a customizable blog publishing platform, similar to Movable Type, WordPress and TypePad. Here is a link to their "examples" page, where you can dive into a number of interesting blogs.

www.squarespace.com/examples

Cute Animation From Kansas City Art Students

My friend Steve Mayse, an instructor at the Kansas City Art Institute, directed me to a great little video some students at the school had created. Their effort "Dried Up" is a professional-quality piece of stop-motion animation. I think Steve gave them some input on their set construction technique. You're sure to appreciate the thought and care the kids put into their production.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdCUvFXQzSk

A Song For People Who Loath Facebook

Do some things about Facebook really irritate you? Musician Kate Miller-Heidke can relate, and has written a little ditty to express your feelings about this all-too-popular online service.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7MuwPlOiNQ

Wonderful Nature Videos At Babelgum

If you like nature and topics related to the environment, the Babelgum website has a collection of brief (and not so brief) documentaries for you to take in. Many of them are very well done and enjoyable to watch. Be sure to click the "Browse Videos" button to see a list of the 3283 selections there.

www.babelgum.com/channel/ourearth

Political Fact Check - Obama Addressing Students

Back in September 2009, there was a lot of fuss about a televised address President Obama was going to make to school children around the nation. Some critical sources said that this was the first time any US President had made such an address. To set the record straight, other presidents have also done this, with the acceptance of the citizenry for the most part. From PolitiFact.

www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/sep/03/arne-duncan/barack-obama-not-first-president-address-school-ch

Have An Issue And Need Some Signatures?

Are you trying to gain support for a social issue and want to collect signatures to show the support you have? If so, then Care2 has a website for you. On it, you can set up a petition and solicit people to add their names to the list. Conversely, you can see what other petitions are currently circulating. If you come across any you resonate to, you can add your voice to the crowd.

www.thepetitionsite.com

Cartoon - Why The USA Needs Universal Health Coverage

Here is a simple, straightforward explanation of why we need universal government-run health insurance.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jng4TnKqy6A

Where On Earth Do Babies Come From? (Birth Rates)

Relating to my recent entry about expanding populations, here are some statistics about which countries are producing the most babies, per citizen. It's a good indicator as to which areas have expanding populations and which have lower growth.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_by_fertility_rate

Support For People With Questionable Ethics

Well, I suppose it had to happen. Businesses out there service nearly every conceivable social niche. But here's one that's a bit unexpected. A professional lying service. The Alibi Network covers for you if you don't want anyone to know what you're actually up to. Having an affair? Don't worry. The experts at the Alibi Network will provide you with everything you need to give the impression that nothing is out of the ordinary. Go ahead. Give it a try!

www.alibinetwork.com/index.jsp

Making Your Photoshop Lifestyle Better

There are all sorts of Adobe Photoshop users out there at different levels of experience and competence. Most of these folks, including myself, want to increase their knowledge know-how when it comes to using this amazing program. The 10 Steps website helps Photoshop users along by giving them tutorials, resources and plenty of inspiring images to contemplate and emulate. Are you a digital artist? If so, roam the pages and see if 10 Steps can add to your abilities.

10steps.sg

How To Keep Your Cat Off The Counter

Blender Defender is one person's inventive solution to keep his cat off the kitchen counter. The creator of this behavior-correcting system rigged together several pieces of hardware to produce an effective deterrent to his overly-curious pets. For the most part, it requires a motion sensor, a blender and a strobe light. The site will show you the rest. If nothing else, you'll love the videos and dream of having one of these items at your command. "Down Kitty!"

www.plasma2002.com/blenderdefender

World Demographics Are Changing

There has been a lot of talk from time to time about how cultures of the future will have a different mix of ethnic groups from those of today. In the USA it is easy to see a steady increase in the number of hispanic citizens. Sometime in the not too distant future, hispanic individuals will account for the majority of people in American. This movie, however, focuses on the rise in numbers of Islamic people across the world. That scares some people, especially those who are currently in the majority today.

I've discussed this video with several friends and they seem to think the numbers sited are questionable, along with the conclusions offered. Also, the mythbusting website "Snopes" rates this video as "Mostly False". The important thing to take away from this motivational video is not so much the information, but more the perspective of the people who made it.

www.metacafe.com/watch/2796221/changing_demographics

www.snopes.com/politics/religion/demographics.asp


Changing Demographics - Amazing videos are here

Conservapedia - Making Things Right

I guess Wikipedia simply isn't good enough. As you may know, Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia with entries written by online users. Everyone is free to provide and edit information. To keep material factual Wikipedia is moderated and forces its contributors to accurately site their sources.

Now, however, there is a new online reference that wants to clean up the mish-mash of information created by random citizens. Conservapedia wants to limit itself to a strict Conservative world view. Nothing else is acceptable. So, if you want to disregard everything Conservatives don't want to discuss or admit exists, this is the place for you. I understand the founders are even re-writing the Bible to rub out anything a Liberal might gravitate to.

www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page

Great 3-D Futuristic Illustrations

Think Syd Mead. Think Blade Runner. Think Jacob Charles Dietz. Jacob Dietz is a highly-proficient 3-D illustrator that has a fetish for futuristic, sci-fi scenes. The kind of stuff that belongs in video games, movies and book covers. If you like fantasy worlds full of flying cars, mega-skyscrapers and spandex-clad citizens, you should rush to his site right now. I think he'll sell you his models and textures. And maybe even some prints.

site.jacobcharlesdietz.com

AdPunch - A Running Commentary On Recent Ads

AdPunch is not a site simply showing all the recent noteworthy ads that have been published. Operated by several advertising enthusiasts, it selectively comments on ads the editors take interest in. A site good for consumers and creatives alike.

www.adpunch.org

GoGirl - Male Convenience Comes To Women On The Go

GoGirl is one of those products that is a brilliant oddity. In short, it is a pink plastic funnel that allows ladies to tinkle like a man. Or something close to that. This item helps women cope with many of the undesirable situations they find themselves in when it comes time to finding a suitable place to relieve themselves. Personally, I don't know anyone who has tried this, (or will admit to trying it), but it looks like a good idea, in theory at least.

www.go-girl.com

Seriously "Out There" Human Haircuts

People, on occasion, like to experiment with new hairstyles. These, however, go way beyond the call of duty. A collection on Oddee of super-wacked-out trim jobs. I'm guessing most of you (not even me) would EVER do this to yourself.

/www.oddee.com/item_96572.aspx

Weird Dog Haircuts And Dye Jobs

Three sites showing the crazy ways people decorate their canine companions. Good Lord!

www.dogguide.net/blog/2008/05/no-im-not-kidding-15-photos-of-dogs-with-dye-jobs

declubz.com/blog/2009/03/26/weird-dog-award-or-it-seems

geniusbeauty.com/humor/bizarre-dog-haircuts

Art And Copy Trailer - From Apple

A film about advertising, "Art and Copy" focuses on creative powerhouses from the 1960's forward. If your line of work is marketing-related, you'll appreciate this look back at advertising history.

www.apple.com/trailers/independent/artcopy

Healthcare Explained On Napkins

This is a very simple and straight-forward explanation of the healthcare system and subsequent reform attempts on a series of napkins. You'll get it!

www.slideshare.net/danroam/healthcare-napkins-all

Healthcare Napkins All

View more documents from Dan Roam.

Daily Show Clip - Fox News: The New Liberals

This is a great segment from sly Jon Stewart at the Daily Show. August 19, 2009. Jon shows clips from Fox news criticizing Liberals for certain actions, then shows Fox personalities doing the exact same thing. Only only logical conclusion is that Fox News has now gone Liberal. Oh, the hypocrisy!

www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-august-19-2009/fox-news--the-new-liberals

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Fox News: The New Liberals
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

The Trunk Monkey - We All Need One

A series of 4 commercials from the Suburban Auto Group that show the clear advantages of having a trained monkey in the rear compartment. Very funny!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-fB34sTmls

Charts - How Men And Women Argue

The geniuses at Maxim Magazine have it all figured out. Finally, two easy to follow charts explaining just how Men and Women think during an argument. It's all so clear now.

www.maxim.com/humor/stupid-fun/83602/how-men-women-argue.html

The Wickedness Of The Liberal Agenda

Writer John Gray takes us through "A Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican" and shows us all the great things Liberals have given us. In spite of being told by media pundits that Liberals are awful people, Joe has a pretty good life because of them. See if you agree.

www.recreatingtampa.com/2009/08/13/the-wickedness-of-the-liberal-agenda

Damn Cool Pics Blog

Another blog with all sorts of eye-catching images to explore.

damncoolpics.blogspot.com

Chomsky - Manufacturing Consent - Final Chapter

Here is the final segment of Noam Chomsky's video "Manufacturing Consent". It talks about our social and political future and the choices we need to make. I very much agree with what is being said on the clip and suggest that you give it a serious viewing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3BmFf58UPg

Very Conspiratorial Video - On Facebook

A friend of mine called my attention to this video about the United States' presence in Iraq. It very much comes across like a conspiracy theory, but like all good conspiracy theories, it makes a pretty convincing story. This one is very Chomsky-esque. Listen at your own risk.

www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=111557732551&ref=share

Anti-Reform Mobs - A Note On Facebook

Here's a note I came across on Facebook, briefly making points about the various organized anti-reform activities going on in America. Worth taking note of, I think.

www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=114807440137&id=12301006942&ref=share

How Will America Eventually Come To An End?

Things change. Like Rome, the American civilization will eventually dwindle and be replaced by some other super-state. How is that going to happen? An article at the Slate website ponders this issue and lets you choose from 144 possible scenerios.

www.slate.com/id/2223851

www.slate.com/id/2224425

sdn.slate.com/features/endofamerica/default.htm