Culture – Page 34 – St. Eutychus

Off beat travel advice for travel off the beaten track…

I like this. Makes me want to go somewhere fun and exotic.

3. Steal soap from your hotel and give it to kids in developing countries as a present. Studies have shown that distributing soap to kids in poor countries saves lives. Travelers are always thinking up things to give to kids that ask for handouts (pencils, erasers, candies) but nothing beats the gift of clean hands. And don’t just collect 1 or 2 from your hotel bathroom. Hit the hallways while the cleaning staff are having a smoke and grab a couple handfuls from the service carts. When you’re saving lives, Go Big.

Cool list. Got any other novel tips for novel places?

December 6, 2011

Super Mario theme played by Accordion Trio

Yeah. This is a real thing.

Also, while we’re on the subject of impressive Mario related feats – here’s a stop motion of level 1-1 created in 500 hours of painstaking Mine Craft Play.

December 6, 2011

Terry Gilliam on animation and modern film making

Monty Python were, and are, funny. Terry Gilliam is, amongst other things, the man behind the animations in Monty Python movies… and possibly the inspiration for the animation style of South Park. I have no idea if that’s true – but the method he uses here is a bit like the method they use, only with slightly more detailed paper.

Here, an older, wizened, Terry Gilliam, takes a shot at Hollywood movie making, with Steven Spielberg in his sights.

He thinks happy endings are overrated, and stories should be real.

Here he talks about his approach to making movies.

Interesting stuff.

December 6, 2011

Tilt Shift Athens: Good real estate ad for a city going cheap…

I was here once. In Athens that is. Not on the Internet. But only for a day. It’s a great city with a pretty amazing history (and a fairly depressing present).

I love tilt shift.

December 5, 2011

It’s enough to make you miss Saigon: timelapse video of Vietnamese traffic

I’ve never been to Vietnam. Or Ho Chi Min City/Saigon… but this timelapse video of the frenetic traffic in the city is pretty amazing. Imagine learning the road rules…

December 5, 2011

Dogs are the future of the Internet… and the planet

Ladies and gentlemen. I give you. Your future Dog President.

I laughed. Then I laughed some more. Beats the old stick your arms out from behind another person’s back trick…

December 1, 2011

National Geographic Photo Competition separates good photographers from great…

I know hundreds of good photographers (in the age of Instagram, everybody is “good”), and a handful of truly great photographers. Greatness is about more than having a nice camera and a good eye. There’s something ephemeral about the quality of thought and clarity of vision behind the photos in these entries to the 2011 National Geographic Photography competition.

Some samples…