elevation 6789

Letterpress printing is a technique that has gone out of favor, but not out of style. The output of a quality letterpress is visually impressive. Each individual letter set and spaced to within fractions of an inch. Imagine doing a whole book like that. Reading would cost a fortune. The type is really something to be appreciated as there is a whole other dimension to a letterpress print than there is to the laser printed copies we see today. To see a craftsman like the man in the video dedicate the time to master such an outdated skill is awesome, especially in these days of e=mail and xerox machines.

Another video documenting the Letterpress Process
A gallery of Letterpress Prints

Labels: interesting

No two are the same. Their formation is determined by the temperature at which they form. There are some various basic shapes like radial arms, plates, and even cylindrical shafts. They take up the familiar six sided shape because of the 120 degree bond found in a water molecule and its interaction with crystalline structure.

A snowflake observed with a scanning electron microscope reveals the intense symmetry and extremely detailed crystalline structure of a typical snowflake.

For more regarding these intricate little ice plates, National Geographic has a feature with some highly detailed photos, and more regarding the relationship between temperature and physical structure of various snowflakes.

Labels: interesting

Video and photo editing are everywhere around us. It can be used to smooth over wrinkles, superimpose a background, or just make your average teenage girl feel insecure. People really don't look like those pictures in advertisements, and if you find one that isn't 85% plastic and doesn't need airbrushing, have her shoot me an e-mail. There was a saying back in the 1920's that called a woman 'waterproof' if she didn't need any make-up to be gorgeous. Now, the term would have to be Photoshop-proof which doesn't exactly flow off the tongue. Remember that Beauty is only skin deep and computer modified images won't be seen swaying down the street. It is nice however to see some uses of editing in good fun, like for instance this guy catching sunglasses with his face, or these mashups of fruit and vegetables with animals. Some of these editors are unbelievably good, even starting from a blank sheet they can make realistic looking images. Take for example this photo quality reproduction of an image of Scarlett Johansson.

Labels: art, interesting, photoshop, video

World Famous In New Zealand Since Ages Ago.



Back in the day...when mens fashion wasn't cutting it...

L&P advertisement: Stubbies




Back in the day...the place to be all summer was the school pool. Luckily your mum was on the PTA and had the pool key

L&P advertisement: School Pool.



For the record L&P is a sweet carbonated lemony soft drink bottled solely in New Zealand. Their (former) ad campaign is absolutely hilarious.


Also listen to the ...L & P radio spots


Back in my day at the pool it was Dr. Pepper and Payday candy bars. The depth charge was called a jack knife and it wasn't Teresa McKee getting soaked, it was the irritable half asleep lifeguards. Mr. Moore, the pool caretaker, was Mr. E and there was always too much chlorine in the pool. Blonde girls would come out of the pool with a nice green tint to their hair and opening your eyes underwater meant that you would need a nap immediately upon returning home. The diving boards were used to hone our quarterbacking skills by throwing nerf footballs at unsuspecting jumpers and no one wore a 'man skin.' The concrete pool deck was used as a towel if you just rolled over a couple times. The 'wait a half hour' rule after eating was constantly broken and touching the bottom at the deep end was a great accomplishment. There was no need to stop by the office because everyone knew that our pool pass was in the box. Nobody ever really swam except to get to the side after jumping off the diving boards and getting kicked out for 15 minutes happened about every 16 minutes.

Labels: funny, video

Australians get high by smoking skittles. Many more at...

New and Improved Stereotypes

Labels: art, funny, interesting

...might be the most twisted/hilarious guy ever. If one person has influenced the slang I currently use, it would be Mr. Neely. You can't watch these animations with any sort of preconceived concept of reality.


Professor Brothers

"I dropped some real flow on the cherriest of all shoes."
"The weather had just changed into bullshit."
"This eye pastry just kept buying me drinks."






Babycakes!

Walking Potion: 10 parts Sugar
90 parts Whiskey





The Brad Neely collection on Superdeluxe


Also recommended ...
Cat People
George Washington

Labels: animation, funny, video

Allegedly the German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They, it is alleged, not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, call sign Speedbird 206.

Speedbird 206: "Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway."

Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven." The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.

Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"

Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."

Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?"

Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark,... and I didn't land."

Air Traffic Controllers are funny.

Really interesting images by Chema Madoz

Creative Photos

Labels: art, interesting, pictures

Chris Jordan makes artwork using many small things put together to give a visual representation of American culture. This image is just a fraction of the actual piece which represents the 100+ thousand cans of soda consumed by Americans every 30 seconds.

An American Self Portrait

Intolerable Beauty


We could stop drinking so much soda, we could use canvas shopping bags, we could buy a Prius instead of a Denali. In America that is just what we do not. We do diabetes, pollution, and huge carbon footprints. Seeing it in a visual context though made me realize that perhaps this is all getting a little out of control.

Labels: art, interesting, pictures

Labels: music, video

A 1993 Tarantino written Tony Scott directed flick with what might be the best cast ever assembled.

Walken
Pitt
Oldman
Arquette
Slater
L. jackson
Kilmer
Hopper
Sizemore
Gandolfini
Black

Seriously, one hell of a movie.

Also, maybe don't tell a mobster who proud of his Sicilian heritage, that his ancestors bred with the Moors, making him part black. Christopher Walken will blow your head off because he hasn't killed anyone since 1984.

Labels: movies

Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip


Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover, thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.

Thou shalt not use poetry, art, or music to get into girls' pants. Use it to get into their heads.

Guns, Bitches and Bling were never part of the 4 elements and never will be.

Labels: art, music, video