Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The One Day on Earth Project [art]


The One Day on Earth Project is one of the most comprehensive and coolest global crowdsourcing projects ever, and I am excited to participate. True to my form, I recorded a video log to commemorate the day.



More YouTube videos here.


via PBS.com:

Friday is 11/11/11, and the minds behind the documentary and online video archive known as "One Day on Earth" are hoping thousands of people around the world will film a moment in their lives this day.

Other filmmakers have used crowd-sourced footage to recreate life in a day, but what sets "One Day on Earth" apart is the online community that has grown around it since its experimental launch around the date 10/10/10, said founder and director Kyle Ruddick, who conceptualized and started the project in 2008 by reaching out to people from his home laptop.

The project's participants have since grown to 20,000, and they not only can submit their own video but can draw on the website's archive to create their own masterpieces.


One Day on Earth on the Web:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube



Sunday, November 13, 2011

Perfect Waves & Penis Size [penis]

When it comes to waves and penises, they have more in common than you think. According to Adventure Journal, the best waves are "thicker, not bigger." Doesn't this sound familiar to the ole' girth vs. length argument?



In other penis size-related correlations, a researcher at the University of Helsinki proves that there is a "correlation between a country's average penile length and GDP growth rate."


Fla Boy Kelly Slater Wins 11th World Title [surfing]

Fla boy Kelly Slater won his 11th World Title in San Francisco earlier this month. Despite being from Cocoa Beach, Florida, a town more known for its space shuttle launches than turning out world champion surfers, this central Florida beach town has produced one of surfing's finest.

"Lost" Steve Jobs Interview Gets Limited Run in Theaters [steve jobs, tech]

A “Lost” Steve Jobs interview has surfaced and will have a limited run in theaters this week. It is actually an extended interview and part of the 1996 PBS Miniseries Triumph of the Nerds.

Out of all the creative tributes to Jobs in the wake of his death, this one is definitely the best. Made by the awesome guys at Mint Digital, it is made entirely of MacBook parts.

While most are mourning Jobs' death, this street artist had a different kind of eulogy for him:


The Legacy of Steve Jobs

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Bullitt & The Greatest Car Chase Scenes of All Time [film]


Bullitt (Yates, 1968) is often said to feature the greatest car chase scene in cinematic history.



Here are the top ten car chase scenes according to CNN.


Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Scandalous Lana Del Rey [music]

Apparently I am a little slow on the uptake, but I just heard Lana Del Rey's hit single Video Games and instantly was a fan. I don't know if it was the tubular bells at the beginning, the cinematic orchestration and the snare drum that starts at 2:32, or the video that won me over, but I am a fan of it all.





The music blogosphere is in uproar, accusing Lana of being a "fraud" and a creation of lawyers and music company moguls. Sure, Lana Del Ray is a stage name (a combination of Lana Turner and Ford Del Rey), but many celebrities use stage names. Whoopi Goldberg's real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson and nobody is accusing ole' Whoopie of being a fraud.

She won a Q Award this past October and her single "Video Games" was Song of the Year pre-release, and her first UK show sold out in 30 seconds. Apparently some people must like her, even if the music blogosphere doesn't.

Who cares if she is a product of the music industry? It's not like the music industry has never invented a “product” before – why the big scam over Lana? And who cares if she sounds like Betty Boop in her interviews?

Lana previously released an album under her real name, Lizzy Grant. Now do you see why she changed it?


Find Lana Del Rey on the web:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
MySpace Music
last.fm


Books for Left-Handers [books]

I recently did a post on Lefty's in San Francisco, the only store in the US that caters specifically to left-handed people. Though us lefties are in the minority, there are many books written about left-handedness; two of my favorites are "The Natural Superiority of the Left-Hander" and the considerably more dense read, "The Left-Hander Syndrome: The Causes and Consequences of Left-Handedness."

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Marijuana Inc.: Inside America's Pot Industry [film]



I came across this documentary on the medical marijuana industry in my reader today, and it is worth checking out.

Head over to Top Documentary Films for more free documentaries online. They have thousands of documentaries on countless subjects including drugs, sexuality, history, society, nature, technology, health, etc.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Orchestra Goes Electro [music]

Original Soundtrack by mediaudio

Looking for some new tunes to groove to? My good friend Derek, audio engineer extraordinaire behind mediaudio creates "mostly sample-based, orchestraelectro pieces" - and they are awesome.

Orchestra meets electro in these symphonic jams, and one finds themselves evoking mental imagery as vivid as the music itself as it builds and layers. You might feel as if you are in the middle of an LSD trip trapped in a 1980's video game or in an IMAX theater during the climax of an intense film.

A combination of two seemingly opposite genres, Derek has expertly crafted and weaved the two into a beautiful, eclectic marriage.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Lefty's San Francisco

San Francisco is home to Lefty's, opened in 1979 and the very first store to cater to left-handers in the United States. They also have a large number of items available for sale online.

I'm disappointed I wasn't aware that this store existed when I lived there! I'll definitely check it out when I am back in SF.


A limited number of items are available at the Lefty's kiosk in the Downtown Disney Marketplace in Orlando, Florida.

After checking out the left-handed store at Pier 39, if you're in need of some “adult only” entertainment, head over to Lefty O'Doul's in Union Square for a drink and to watch the game.

Opened in 1958, Lefty's is named after baseball pro and native San Franciscan Francis "Lefty" O'Doul and is the city's longest-standing sports bar - and may be the longest-standing sports bar in the country.


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

California Serial Killers [crime, california]

If you know me, you know one of the things I most like to read about are serial killers. I've noticed over the years of reading about these fascinating people that a great deal of them live and commit their crimes in the Golden State. Why are so many of these killers in California?

While living in Los Angeles, I compiled a list of Californian serial killers. I started out by dividing the list into simply Northern and Southern California, eventually adding Central California, and ultimately, an entire category for just the Los Angeles area itself.

California has a disproportionate amount of serial killers compared to the rest of the nation while LA has a disproportionate amount of serial killers compared to the SF Bay Area and the rest of California.

What makes the Golden State, especially the LA area, such a popular destination for serial killers?


California Serial Killers

Northern California


San Francisco Bay Area


Zodiac Killer

Trailside Killer - David Carpenter

Michael Bear Carson & Suzan Carson


Sacramento


The I-5 Strangler- Roger Reece Kibb

The Vampire of Sacramento - Richard Chase

Gallego Sex Slave Killers - Gerald & Charlene Gallego

Dorothea Puente

Morris Solomon, Jr.

Leonard Lake & Charles Ng (Calaveras County)


Santa Cruz


Herbert Mullin

The Co-Ed Killer - Edmund Kemper


Yosemite

The Yosemite Killer - Cary Stayner

Humboldt


Wayne Adam Ford


Yuba City

The Machete Murderer - Juan Corona

Central California


Bakersfield


Vincent Brothers


Fresno


Marcus Wesson


Southern California


Los Angeles


The Night Stalker - Richard Ramirez (also SF Bay area)
Charles Manson
The Dating Game Killer - Rodney Alcala

The Red Light Bandit

The Grim Sleeper - Lonnie David Franklin, Jr.

The Hillside Strangler - Kenneth Bianchi & Angelo Buono, Jr.
The Freeway Killer - Patrick Kearney (shares this nickname with William Bonin and Randy Steven Kraft)
Su
nset Strip Killer - Doug Clark
Michael Hughes
Timothy Joseph McGee
The Freeway Killer - William Bonin

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo

Chester Dewayne Turner

The Lonely Hearts Killer - Harvey Glatman

Wineville Chicken Coop Murderer - Gordon Stewart Northcott

Mack Ray Edwards

Thor Nis Christiansen

Louise Peete


Orange County


The Freeway Killer - Randy Steven Kraft

Bedroom Basher - Gerald Parker

I-5 Killer or I-5 Bandit - Randall Woodfield


San Diego


The Clairemont Killer - Cleophus Prince, Jr.


Riverside

Riverside Killer - William Suff
Dana Sue Gray
Phillip Carl Jablonski (Riverside & SF Bay area)


Sources:

List of Serial Killers by Country


California’s Most Notorious Killers


If I've left anyone off the list, feel free to comment or contact me and I'll update the list.