barcelona (2)

this shutter jumped out. I love it. Maybe with all the stores going into administration, there'll be more of these appearing...?

provoke me

this appeared in the Zurich Hauptbahnhof quite a while ago, and I don't think it's yet been removed. When statements like these are written randomly around the city, i really believe it adds to the culture and humanity of the place.


translation: it's not just your hairdryer that makes you beautiful...courage does too

back[ing]track

whilst pottering around on the internet I found these great beats - courtesy of brothers TheLoes - which are the backing for Traintownbeatz, a new hip-hop collective from Zug, CH.
Beat14 is like an upset Ludovico Einaudi/Beat10 is like the closing credits of GossipGirl/Beat17 is dark but uplifting.
For me, I like these tracks without any lyrics on top.
peace out

flying artwork

I think this is possibly the most beautiful aircraft I've ever flown on. Well done Swiss. Just, please stop with the cheese sandwiches.

parody done good

Jon La Joie is a Canadian comedian who likes being ironic, silly and well, funny. His music video, "Everyday Normal Guy" takes on those cliche rap songs which go on about how superlative their lifestyle is, how many b*tches they can do and just how amazing in general they are. My favourite line has to be, "and I'm pretty good at making paper planes". WARNING: there's swearing. So if you don't like bad words...don't press play.

he does it again

the pope has gone and done it again. In his end-of-year speech, he advocated a return to clearly delineated and defined gender roles . Oh look....there's a dinosaur walking past. Progress, much?

dancing filipino prisoners

after the viral success of an earlier attempt (see the third video) at large choreographed dance...well,greatness...these inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre actually take requests as to what they should learn next.

"low" by flo-rida ft. T-Pain


Soulja Boy / MC Hammer!


The greatest...Michael Jackson's "Thriller". Genius.

amazing things come from small places

I love snowboarding even though I suck (I have been laughed at on the piste...no joke) and what I really love are the amazing graphics you can get on your board - artwork you can put to good use. In the Swiss city of Zug (the small place of the title) there's a small shop full on big ideas... -Welcome Sports- that, as well as selling sweet bags and bindings and blahblahblah, also make their own snowboards - with brilliant designs: like this one. Beautiful. <-

unusual jobs

Being part of the Caviar Squad sound like fun? Then you may wish to get your head checked...

bad names for shops (1)

would you go to a hairdresser with this name?

being happy is not a crime

linking back to this post , yipppee some progress has been made in terms of decriminalising homosexuality...maybe . Around 60 states have signed up to a ahem...'non-binding' declaration, that homosexuality is not illegal. Yes, it's mostly the Western world that are the signatories, and, yes, as expected, many African and Arab states have declared their opposition to it. And surprise, surprise, the USA declined to take part.

My favourite bit was Syria's response, shrieking that "oh no! If we sign up to this...we...um....legalise paedophilia too!" Of course, yes, I'd forgotten, all paedophiles are gay. Just like all Jews have hook noses and like money. What?!

But...it's a start. Big respect for those living under threat of persecution and death for simply following their heart.

uncyclopedia

if you haven't yet discovered the treasure trove of absolute nonsense and ridiculosity that is Uncyclopedia , go now. Right now.
Did you know, for example, that physics doesn't actually exist? Nope, it's gnomes playing tricks on us.
Or even more fascinating is how in Germany , the Autobahns are made of chocolate.
Austria (not-Australia) , Switzerland (also known as Sweden) and England also get the Uncyclopedia treatment.

To give an insight into how uncyclopedia works, here's a little excerpt from the entry about "England"....
"In more recent times, England invented the 1960s,1970s, and the first half of the 1980s. Although owing to an administrative error the copy-write on these decades expired, and The United States now owns all of them, much as it rules the rest of time, space and you.

the ninja turtles were onto something...

Pizza is indeed a crime-fighting weapon...

how idiots rule the world

by being named Robert Mugabe
by spreading lies that poor, desperate people could easily believe since they have no alternative option
by having only TWO other African leaders declare you the illegitimate ruler (thankyou Seretse Ian Khama and Raila Odinga [though Odinga isn't exactly a paragon of everything good and light in the world either)...the rest...well...
by wrecking your once proud country so that really, staying alive is more important than politics.
(and for a little light relief, here's 'Robert Mugabe's' personal homepage - or maybe just written by someone who still has a sense of humour and hopefully is still alive)

blow it...then eat it. i'm talking about vegetables by the way

First up, we have the the "broccoli ocarina"


and now, a cucumber trumpet...


and finally, the radish slide whistle...


this guy is nuts. if only i had that much time on my hands...

man oh man

whilst women are forcefully encouraged to rid themselves of hair from wherever possible, some men try to keep it there as long as they can. if only this place wasn't their head. when they're balding. Joy of joys, may I present the comb-over photo gallery. Look at it and weep...and promise never to do anything so stupid yourself.

where did this come from

men / skirts
how to make your own "toilet radio" to boost your intellectual side whilst you poop
yowser. all about plastic bottles and recycling.

happy international human rights day

it rubs off

if you're happy...
you're making someone else happy.
sweet, huh?

those things you never knew you never knew

(to quote pocahontas)

like...um.... how to make your very own digestif "to snap you out of a food coma" or perhaps...

how to untangle your arm whilst spooning for when blood flow has ceased and you really need to pee

what your rights are if you end up under arrest (oops)

or maybe how to cook some food in your hotel room because eventually it gets boring eating out at restaurants the whole time...um...
really?!

wrong wrong wrong

I thought my blog would focus on light-hearted things, colour, photographs and stupidity. but i didn't think it would be this kind of small-minded stupidity. I always wonder why people can't open their eyes to the bigger picture and see how much personal (perhaps inconsequential) actions impact on the world. Smile at a random person in the street - you feel better, they feel great.

"Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means you're standing alone" - whilst I wholeheartedly agree with this, it has to be balanced with the fact that if what you stand up for means people die (see link above), it's time to remove your blinkers, use your judgement, and find a way to make the world a better place.

world AIDS day

Today is World AIDS Day.
Each day, around 8500 people die as a result of AIDS.
We can all do something to help bring this number down. Inform Yourself. Try and resist your urge to scream or hit something when you read what the Pope has been saying. Have a go at these quizzes . Speak up, speak out. And always use a condom.

loo'd behaviour. Udon believe me?

some great things come out of Japan. Chindogu being one of my favourite. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't need a "noodle-eater's hair guard", or my personal highlight, the '10-in-1 Gardening tool', which resembles a giant SwissArmy knife... This interview from PingMag may help shed some light on the subject...or maybe not.
Another great thing about Japan is their love of creativity when it comes to toilets. Glowing seats, musical commodes and team urinal scrubbing. Beyond brilliant.
Finally, these adorable USB sticks are the icing on the cake.

oh dear lord

I wouldn't have thought it possible, but there are some really ridiculous people out there with waaaay too much time on their hands. oh ok, who am I kidding?! of course in the democratic world of the internet, there are bound to be some downright full-on bizarre ideas and creations. the LOLcats were the only first step...here, we have the Bible...translated into LOLcat. Yes, the LOLcat Bible actually exists.
And I must say, if you can understand what the hell it says (take this page for starters) then I'm sorry, but you too now join the League of People Who Need To Reassess Their Life. Keeping you company will be those people who write pages like this... why oh why, dear lord?!

emergency

It's something you don't ever think about until you read an article about it: you're in danger, cannot talk, so dial 999 (or 112) for the emergency services. But...you can't talk to the operator.

So, what happens next?

Read here.

Basically - dial 999...and if you are in no position to talk, then press 5 5.
Why hasn't this been public knowledge until now?!

heidi happy

so I discovered this morning that I've won a free ticket to go see Heidi Happy . No, I'd never heard of her before either...so I found some of her music to listen to, and I am happy to say, my evening will be complete as long as I hear this song: "Something Is Missing" containing the choice lines, "The man I love is 12 hours away, at least we can Skype - but what a weird solution. I'm horny....and bored."

good news

1. the world is one step closer to having Arrested Development: The Movie

2. you're most likely smarter than these Darwin Award nominees

3. nicht lustig exists.
translation: Mrs Baumgartner, your son is once again ignoring the food-chain..

a music video that's more than the song

Gnarls Barkley - Who's Gonna Save My Soul

gone but not forgotten

The wonderful thing about Tigger, is that Tigger's a wonderful thing...
No, the wonderful thing about the internet is how one person's hobby can become an invaluabe resource for the rest of the world. Which is in stark contrast to those people whose hobbies are this, this, or this.




Which is how we arrive at "Find-a-Grave" , one man's project to bring together a database of graves. Genius.

what if...?

the super mario brothers were communists?
them being plumbers was all just a ruse.
this is what they were really up to, whilst you were twiddling away trying to save the princess.
Smashing blood-sucking evil capitalist mushrooms. Of course.

And what about those poor people who have had to suffer the injustice of wikipedia informing people about evolution? Now, they must suffer no longer as CreationWiki has been brought into existence. How about we start with the 'Great Flood' before suspending disbelief...

come-uppance

youtube is full of surprises. we all know that already. however, that doesn't lessen the delight you feel when you catch a gem - like this brilliant short film, "The Black Hole"
Made under the auspices of FutureShorts it is, I think you will agree, terrific. Go visit their channel on YouTube to find more treats.

old age pensioners get down with the kids....in their own special way

I really love old people sometimes.

[discovered on the wonderful Hecklerspray]

trousers

it seems to be spreading, the trend of showing all and sundry your underwear (if you're a boy, it's sometimes cool...but for the girls, it seems the rule doesn't apply. why is that?!). littleredboat has a wickedly amusing rant about this phenomenon. I must admit, a little low-slung on the trouser front is appealing - however, having your backside hanging out does seem to bring into question your intelligence levels.

crash...boom...pow

so how many times have you been sat, wondering, "now, where can I find the sound effect of 'water under a pier'...or even the sound of 'a journey on the Paris Metro'?" Never? oh....
Well to satisfy that now-nonexistent-but-soon-to-be-insatiable audial lust of yours, simply visits SoundSnap and indulge that dirty habit

so, once upon a time, Orange decided to make things unlimited. and they asked a creative agency to come up with something unlimited for their marketing campaign. this website was the end product . is it unlimited? keep scrolling down....and down....follow the rainbow.... to find out. along the way, draw a little. or talk to the robot. maybe play with the birds. just remember, your time isn't unlimited....get back to work already.

what's in a name?

I was thinking today how there are so many product names, some bad (Pocari Sweat, a Japanese re-hydration drink, anyone?), and some really great - so great in fact that they have entered everyday language as a generic term (hoover for example). And here's a little slideshow explaining how some famous products got their names.

twelve angry men

when it comes to films, I won't force myself to enjoy something just because people tell me I have to, because "it's a classic." [ghost, anyone?] But I will take a look at something I either previously wrote off, or have never imagined myself watching, if people I respect recommend it to me. that's what happened with 'twelve angry men'. I started watching....and now I can't wait to finish, even though i know what's going to happen (I read up on Wikipedia). that's surely the sign of a great film.

prince phillip

prince phillip is brilliant. in an overly cautious, PC world, he really can make you giggle. At this site you'll find some of his "best of..." moments, all nicely plotted on a map.

who painted my door?

this is a photo i took, in a sidestreet in Barcelona - i love the colours, the artwork...and the spontaneity of it. the old man had no idea he was having his picture taken. my favourite sort of photography. barcelona is great for wandering round, looking at graffiti - there are some really creative artists at work - and of course, the ubiquitous tags scrawled on available empty spaces. i don't personally understand the mentality of tagging - especially when there are 3 tags within about 4 feet of each other. why would you do that? do you have the memory of a goldfish?

electricity cables

those big fat wires, high up in the air.
they must get lonely.
which is why these people get sent to keep them company.

books

The Bittersweet Art of Cutting Up Books . What happens to books that are no longer loved, read, treasured or sent on a permanent vacation to the attic? People do great things with them. That's what.

Drainpipes

when it comes to houses, drainpipes aren't exactly what spring to mind when the creative juices start flowing.

mistake.

Proof that drainpipes can be... ...i hesitate to use the word, 'cool'

rather than always adding to my bookmarks...i thought i'd start a blog instead

isn't that just what the world needs right now?

so, a rather varied collection of news which makes me smile, art, graffiti, links and other things. and when stupid things happen to me.

this won't change your life. that's what fresh air and school is for.