So for a few weeks mafia wars has been hyping this “blow up an armored truck” in celebration of Las Vegas etc. And today was the day. Supposedly at 6pm Pacific time, Snoop Dog will blow the truck up.

I’m still laughing. The production was so sub-standard — the livefeed was blurry, sound kept popping in and out, the presenter had no clue how to present. Snoop was late, and had no clue what mafia wars was. That’s not the worst. At the last second, some idiot told him he was in the way of something (another camera?) and he moved to right in front of the camera streaming the event to 100,000+ online viewers, perfectly blocking the view.

You can’t plan failure this epic.

I want to go to Turkey now to try this ice cream.

This was all over fb a few weeks ago, so I thought I’d bring it out again.

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAl28d6tbko

We were at best buy and I couldn’t help it. Played with an ipad for a bit. Yep, it’s just like a larger ipod touch. It’s still a bit too large for my liking. It can’t fit into my back pocket like the iphone, and it’s kinda too big and heavy to carry around. My maximum size tolerance is the ereader and it’s bigger.

Way cool though. No doubt I’ll get one eventually.

Will it blend? Looks like it does. I watched this with horror.

The Sandpit by Sam O'Hare

Talking about Chicago, here’s a fabulous tilt-shift video of New York, via kottke, including a link to how it was made. Tilt shift makes me swoon.

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9DUVwi7yZc

I wrote vision quest almost 3 years ago, a short story about a blind skiier [warning: fanfic]. At that time I tried looking for examples of how skiier and guide function as a team, and there were only a few articles and videos.

There are more now, just search ‘blind skiing’ on youtube. As the winter paralympics get underway, I just want to express my amazement and awe at the skill and teamwork that goes into a blind skiing team. This is Jessica Gallagher winning Australia’s first ever medal, a bronze, at the winter paralympics.

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P78pl1FUXfA

Perfect timing, Jeff Bridges wins this year’s Oscar, and the first trailer for Tron Legacy comes out.

I was the absolute right age for the original Tron. I loved, loved, loved it. Who didn’t? Even almost 30 years later, it doesn’t look its age. There was something magical about the film that’s hard to describe.

Man, December seems soooooo far away.

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoDCiTsS7dU

If/when I become published I want to design my own covers. I won’t be able to paint or draw them since I’m an awful painter, but I can photoshop and I have definite ideas about what visual elements I want in my book covers.

I have a long way to go and much to learn though. This time lapse video from Lauren Panepinto, the creative director of orbit books shows the amount of skill needed, condensing 6 hours of work into 2 minutes. There’s even a brief interview about her approach. My awe of designers just went into orbit (pun intended).

Comments at bb rightly pointed out how effective this was as a marketing tool for the book. I must admit I am not bought into video trailers for books but based on this particular video, I can see myself checking out the book (due out Sept 2010 and is part of a series). Of course it helps that it’s steampunk and has vampires in it.

video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ-8jYpa1-o

I know I post this last year, but I can’t go through Christmas without listening to this on a loop. It’s my total favourite Christmas hymn.

video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2zxtDh0wlM

Who would have thought a year ago that a technology that corrects pitch which allows singers to perform perfectly tuned vocal tracks without the need of singing in tune would be the source of so.much.fun.

Here, in no particular order are: balloon boy, Kanye vs Taylor, Obama vs fly, Jon vs Kate, octomom, Sully, amongst others — in autotune. I can’t get that stupid tune out of my head, that’s because it’s pitch perfect. snerk.

video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7tfyVbyD08

I caught the Cirque du Soleil cake challenge on the Food Network, which introduced me to the trampoline finale of la nouba. Wow. I mean, wow. It was mesmerising to watch this video — the precision, the control of the acrobats on trampolines, “walking” up a building cube and shooting themselves inside the windows. La Nouba is showing at Walt Disney World. I wonder how long it will be there, because if it’s still showing during gcls week, I’d want to go see it.

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdVzboF2E2Q

This is a clever ad by doubletwist for an update available from tomorrow. A play on the original famous 1984 apple superbowl ad. Not the first time this has been copied or parodied, I’m not sure how the apple fanboi in me feels about this.

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f-zdLqFuHw

Even though there were tons of people around, we made sure to catch ep 1 of the new dollhouse season. It was a Joss written and directed ep and it showed. Very intriguing, very great, it’s gonna be a good season.

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppiF7FYQi_s

This song rotated to the top of my running playlist and it’s such a great song to start a run. I mean, I adore fleetwood mac and (almost) everything they do and Lindsey is a huge, huge part of that love. Yes, he gets disparaged — think the joke about the lindsey buckingham paradox — but even then he’s recognised as a genius.

This is did you miss me from his 2008 album, gift of screws, which has been very well received, albeit not much attention given by the mainstream press and radio stations. It’s a shame. This is a perfect top 40 song, with a catchy hook and the usual killer unstated guitar playing.

oh, while googling the LBP, I came across this:

sudden onset Stevie Nicks syndrome: a serious disability that may be accompanied by Lindsey Buckingham

SNERK.

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcJWFvKQdM8

As a new owner of a sports car, I can safely say that yes, I look at other sports cars. And covet the models I didn’t get — Porsche 911 GT3, antique green MG, BMW M3. And this, the Audi R8. drool

youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYiw5vkQFPw

I’ve only recently come across the use of trailers to promote books. Seems a little disjointed to me, books are text only but videos need sound and graphics. To be honest I have only seen a handful of book trailers that I liked, the others are too forced.

Until this. Leviathan is labelled as a Young Adult book, this trailer makes me want to order it straightaway. Of course, it helps that it’s an illustrated book. And OMG STEAMPUNK.

Important: Simon & Schuster is giving away Scott Westerfeld’s earlier book Uglies, but only for 1 more day. Get it quick.

I’m still on the fence on trailers for books.

link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SukhjDsgeF4

I did 45mins upstairs at the work gym today. Machines cos someone was using the free weights. Like PC vs mac, canon vs nikon, there’s the perennial argument of machines vs free weights. Personally, I like free weights but the machines make me stick to better form. There’s no right or wrong, and if anything I like the idea of switching up regularly.

Speaking of machines and weights, I came across this infomercial on the tdp forum. Its selling point is so ridiculous it’s hilarious. One of the forum commenters posted,

Stupid people. You can do the same motion without spending $20 and get a free facial at the end. You could even make money with it!. I think marketing has the wrong angle

Watch the video and think about that comment. Hee. I’m 12.

Nice article in the NYT about core exercises. It reinforces what I’ve learned since I started the Getting Healthy program — sit-ups aren’t good for you, core means the whole core and great abs are made in the kitchen.

Anyway this is a video I found on the TDP forums that had me chuckling. So much bullshit has been perpetuated by bad personal trainers and inaccurate articles in fashion magazines. I don’t know what mua means but I guess this is a convo between someone who is in the know and the average gullible girl who believes everything she reads in Us magazine. I mean, she said “toned” — such a sure sign.

The concept of extreme opinionated news reporting baffles me. News, by definition, should be neutral. Now of course people can’t help but to have views. But, shouting? We have people screaming on ads — I can’t put these on mute fast enough, otherwise my ears will burst — and i don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the shouting and dramatics on American news shows.

Anyway, this is the astute Charlie Brooker on the difference between US and UK news.

Sigh. Americans [/Giles]

from the award-winning documentary,playing for change, stand by me performed by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it travelled the globe.