San Francisco based Encyclopedia Pictura created a wonderful 3D animated music video for the song “Wanderlust”, from Björk’s album Volta. The 2D version of “Wanderlust” premiered today on Yahoo! Video and to prepare for the release of the 3D version of the video on April 14th, you can send in for a pair of 3D glasses.

Here’s the behind-the-scenes making of video for “Wanderlust”.

via Stereogum

The latest project by street artist Mark Jenkins is “Signs of Spring”, featuring street signs that appear to be growing out of the ground in Washington DC. Marks’ previous projects have included the Storker Project and Meterpops (see my previous post).

via Wooster Collective

photo via Mark Jenkins

The New York Times recently published “A Veteran MAD Man Remains in the Fold”, a really great article about Al Jaffee, the 87 year-old artist who’s been creating those wonderful Fold-Ins on the back page of Mad Magazine since 1964. The article includes a gallery of his Fold-Ins past and present.

Here’s an example of one of Al’s classic back page Fold-Ins from Mad Magazine spoofing the 1972 presidential election.

“Mad Fold This Book!: A Ridiculous Collection of Fold-Ins” is a book of Al’s Fold-In art that was published in 1997 and is still available.

photo by Librado Romero/The New York Times

illustration by Al Jaffee

Members of the Crossville, TN Chapter of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster have installed a giant Flying Spaghetti Monster statue outside The Cumberland County Courthouse in Crossville, Tennessee.

Here’s a statement from the group:

We are lucky enough to live in a country that allows us, its citizens, the freedom of speech. I have chosen to put up a statue of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to represent the discourse between people of all different beliefs. The many faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds of Cumberland County’s residents make our community a stronger richer place. I respect and am proud that on the people’s lawn, the county courthouse, all of these diverse beliefs can come together in a positive dialogue. Here, we are all able to share the issues close to our hearts whether it is through a memorial to the soldiers killed fighting for our country, the Statue of Liberty honoring our nations welcoming promise to all, a group’s fight to stop homelessness, or powerful symbols of faith. I greatly treasure this open forum between everyone in the community.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a pile of noodles and meatballs, but it is meant to open up discussion and provoke thought. Being able to put up a statue is a celebration of our freedom as Americans; a freedom to be different, to express those differences, and to do it amongst neighbors -— even if it is in a noodley way.

Here’s local news coverage of the installation.

UPDATE: Daniel Terdiman did a follow-up story on CNET News.com where he spoke with Ariel Safdie, a member of the Crossville, TN Chapter of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who was involved with the installation.

via The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

photos by Ariel Safdie

Over the weekend, WordPress released WordPress 2.5, the result of over six months of development. It comes with a bunch of new features and improvements, including a redesigned dashboard developed in collaboration with Happy Cog Studios, dashboard widgets, tag management, a password strength meter, new built-in photo galleries, plugin auto upgrades and a bunch of other great stuff.

WordPress 2.5 also includes one of the features I’ve been waiting on for while, the search feature now searches both posts and pages (previously it was just posts).

When upgrading, make sure to check to see if your plugins will work with the new version. Here’s a list of WordPress plugins that have been tested for compatibility with WordPress 2.5.

The theatrical premiere of “Head Trip”, the documentary about the 2003 Doggie Diner Dog Head cross-country road trip, takes place this Thursday, April 3rd as part of The First Annual Pranks Film Festival at The Roxie Cinema in San Francisco. The screening will feature a live interview by V. Vale of RE/Search Publications with the filmmakers John Law and Flecher Fleudujon. “Head Trip” is produced by Central Services and Truth Serum Productions, in affiliation with Laughing Squid.

Just as the bombs started falling on Baghdad in early 2003, some of San Francisco most eccentric performers and whimsical characters (Bishop Joey/Ed Holmes, Steven Raspa, Blake More, Jarico Reese, etc.) set out for New York City accompanied by three ten foot tall, three hundred pound fiberglas Dachshund Heads. Careening across America, the crew visits the Grand Canyon, Graceland, the Gateway Arch, Mt. Rushmore, the Washington Monument and many other celebrated roadside attractions along the way. Hauled in tow behind the SF Cyclecide Bike Rodeo’s 1966 Gillig Autobus, the Doggies encounter the spirit of America during a confusing period. Roadside encounters with citizens and rendezvous with eccentric artist comrades through out the “Middle” States are the heart of this journey.

Here’s the “Head Trip” tailer.

See Previously: “Head Trip” Doggie Diner Jamboree Photos

Joshua Allen Harris has created some fantastic New York street art in the form animals made out of shopping bags positioned on subway street grates that cause them to periodically inflate and animate.

Here’s video of two of his installations, “Air Bear” and “Street Zoo”.

via Wooster Collective

“The Job” is a satricial short film about the immigration debate, written and directed by Jonathan Browning of Screaming Frog Productions.

Last week I posted videos of Boston Dynamics’ amazing BigDog quadruped robot, which now have been spoofed by the viral video company Seedwell, who made this hilarious BigDog Beta parody video.

Thanks to Karl Long for the tip!

So you’ve seen them before, those mouse following Flash pages, but I think that cubo.cc is probably the most creepy one out there.

via Jason Kottke

Here’s a MacBook Air Parody featuring the debut of the amazing SuperEnvelope. The video was created by the University of Maryland comedy group The Bureau.

“Cupcake Cutthroats”, today’s episode of Boing Boing TV features those awesome cupcake art cars (aka “Mobile Muffins”) created by Kinetic Pastry Science that you may have seen zooming around Burning Man or Maker Faire.

Here some photos I shot of the Mobile Muffins at last year’s Maker Faire Bay Area.

photo by Scott Beale

Here’s the brilliant 1959 comedy album “How to Speak Hip” by Del Close and John Brent, converted from vinyl by Skeyelab Music. Like dig it man.

via Ze Frank

Power Tool Drag Races is returning for two weekends in May, first at Maker Faire Bay Area in San Mateo on May 3rd and 4th, followed a weekend of racing action at The Ace International Speedway in San Francisco on May 17th and 18th. They are currently accepting race entries, here are the The Rules and Registration.

IT’S THE POWER TOOL DRAG RACES!

THRILL as big-block belt sanders and supercharged steam-powered arcwelders put the hammer down on our Custom Made Power Tool Drag Racing Track!

CHILL as machines reach speeds of up to SIXTY WHOLE MILES PER HOUR with LITTLE REGARD FOR PERSONAL SAFETY!

SPILL your beer as you revel in the very height of redneck gearhead culture!

YES! IT’S *THOSE* POWER TOOL DRAG RACES!!

Every year the very best and brightest take to their garages, the
plumbing aisle at Home Depot, the tools section of OSH, and the empty
lots behind their neighbors’ trailers to build THOSE MACHINES WHO REIGN
SUPREME!

75 Feet of skillfully machined fiberboard Power Tool Drag Racing Track
await the competitors on race day!

BE AMAZED at the high-tech timing system that tracks Each and Every Vehicle
BE AMUSED at the charming antics of our well-known Power Tool Drag Race
Announcers!
BE APPALLED at the smell of RAW ADRENALINE and 20-W-50 in the air!

BE SUPER EXCITED that the Power Tool Drag races are making up for lost
time and having TWO! YES! TWO! separate events this year for your
sun-burnt, greased-up, over-beered, de-hydrated pleasure!

OH MY EFFIN’ GAWD, IT’S THE EFFIN’ POWER TOOL EFFIN’ DRAG RACES

See Previously: Power Tool Drag Races Photos

photo by Scott Beale