otters holding hands

This is the best piece of screen based filmic media I have seen in the last 50 hours. I know that otters holding hands might not totally rock your world, but just watch the tape at 1:15 when they break apart and re-hold hands. Try not to feel anything.



Along with backflips and jousting, I have a theory about how cute animals teach us important human traits. That's all for now though.

from www.cuteoverload.com

a london transport employee's subtle cry for help?

if you take the number 48 towards walthamstow from outside of liverpool street station for four stops, this is what you see atop the stops themselves. tis possibly my favourite discovery of the year as i like to daydream that it is anything but a coincidence. nothing like a drop of methodical desperation for the world to overlook i say.


a london transport employee's subtle cry for help?, originally uploaded by littleblueme.

I found this via a friend of a friend's flickr. Let's start a big google maps mashup spelling out various words around London bus stops!

rav 4 jousting

I have been researching a lot about modern jousting e.g. on bicycles, unicycles, etc., along with other forms of dueling recently. It's part of this thing I'm working on relating to chivalry, ethics, and other stuff. So, anyway, completely by chance, I found this clip on youtube:



I know it's old news, but anyhow, for the 3 seconds before I realised it was a spot, I was totally stoked. I had been thinking about all the different modern platforms possible for jousting, and hadn't thought about standing on top of cars.

My 2 complaints:

1. It's not real (neither is the rav4 bowling spot). The whole thing would have been made really engaging and interesting if they had actually tried to do it (e.g. like Jackass style) - outtakes, injuries, etc.

2. How did they possibly get approved? Both spots are based on real life ASBO behaviour, and I, for one am definitely going to try to imitate the SUV jousting one, which will almost certainly result in me being injured.

By the way, if anyone would like to joust on bicycles, or other forms of steed this summer in East London, please let me know. Here's an example of 2 kids in the US bike jousting. Ours is going to be faster, more realistic and higher impact. We're currently researching technologies, and would love any help.

make recycled art! club night this thursday 22nd march

info at www.myspace.com/hungamunga

This Thursday 22nd March, at Favela Chic (Great Eastern Street, nearest tube Old St), I’m helping a bit with this recycled art/craft club night. It’s a little bit to raise awareness of recycled environmental stuff, and little bit so that people who aren’t really ‘arty’ (i.e. haven't drawn anything more than a brand diagram for the past 10 years) can come and mess around and have fun. The idea is that:

1. People turn up with bits of rubbish, cans, boxes, wood, etc…

2. We provide glue, paints, staples, scraps, colours pens, general art stuff

3. Everyone sits around listening to music, getting drunk and having a good time making stuff, drawing, painting, whatever. Then we dance badly to the finest DJs.


this is a thing I made from cans, spoons and cartons at a previous event

The whole thing is going to be absolutely dope. Especially as my friend Ben is playing, who rocks. Hope to see you there! Info at www.myspace.com/hungamunga

chart police! offence code 187 - meaningless axis

nowandnext (of trend blend tube map fame, which I loved) have just released

a new Innovation Timeline visualisation chart.

It's quite pretty, but what does the Y-axis represent? On top of this, it doesn't actually make things any clearer or more meaningful than a vanilla list would. Nice background though.

I have reported it to the newly formed chart police.

real time twitter map

Twitter mapped realtime onto Google maps. There is something about global maps with realtime information on them that is really sweet, especially when each blip is a real person doing something. I can imagine a lot of fun games and apps you could create using this.

Link to it here at Twittervision

backflips

I've started a new blog/repository for clips of people doing backflips with an almost unbelievable array of techniques and equipment.

This isn't totally frivolous as it sounds, as to me, a backflip represents everything good and great about being human, like:

* dedication
* play
* athleticism
* now-ism
* bravery
* freedom

here's a couple of clips to show you what I mean:

wheelchair backflip



the double moonsault
by they way this is a cute example for Herd readers out there - listen to the spontaneous crowd chanting


You can find the WhyBackflip blog here

plannersphere-beers

Last Wednesday night a bunch of planner-esque people with blogs all met up and drank beer in Shoreditch. Thanks to Faris for organising. The phrase which seems to fit best is "jolly good show" and I enjoyed meeting everyone and putting faces to URLs.

Anyway, this has given me an excuse to act on Russell's post about the science scout badges, which I loved. I've made an inaugural plannersphere beer badge - BeerSphere I, for all the attendees, whom I think are (sorry if I missed anyone):

Faris, Stuart, Caroline, Ed, Dan, Asi, Amelia, Nicola, David, Corporate Blawg, Rachel, Franjse and Izzy


(The background colour differences are just for different blogs. Click through to the images on flickr , and click the 'all sizes' button to get the code so you can proudly display them on your blog. Or not)

Which leaves questions:

1. What do you guys think? I personally like badges, but I grant they don't do much.

2. What other badges would anyone want? Powerpoint related ones? Maximum number of diagrams drawn to explain one strategy? "Metaphor III"? Post of the Month and APSotW I guess.

Let me know in the comments section and we can all get more badges. Also if you want the Photoshop file, I can email it to you - I certainly don't want to have a monopoly on badge construction.