guest post by Jackson West

A Japanese satellite Kaguya, named after the alien visitor in an ancient folktale, has like its namesake character, finally found its home on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, (JAXA), has decommissioned its lunar orbital craft Kaguya by sending it spinning into the great green cheese in the sky. Thankfully, it was equipped with the latest in hi-definition camera technology, and sent back some beautiful photos as gifts to remember it by — much like the robe Kaguya-hime left for her adoptive parents before returning home.

via Burrito Justice

filed under Space

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Here’s the music video for “Cool in the Cool Way – Invasion of the Hipster Bodysnatchers” by My First Earthquake from their first full-length album “Downstairs”. Speaking of which they are having an album release party tomorrow night, Saturday, June 20th at Cafe du Nord, along with Blue Rabbit and B an Not.

My First Earthquake

filed under Events, Music

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VBS.TV Motherboard produced a really great episode featuring Australian performance artist Stelarc whose work involves extending the human body through technology.

Stelarc is a Greek weirdo who lives in Australia and uses medical equipment, prosthetic limbs, electrodes, virtual-reality systems, endoscopy, and crazy cyborgian human-internet connections to produce shows that fuses the lines between art, performance art, body art, and some kind of futuristic Skinny Puppy electronics trade fair. RIght now he’s setting up a big retrospective in Paris with artifacts and clips of all all his old favorites: Virtual Arm, Stimbod, Stomach Sculpture.

filed under Art, Performance, Technology

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Here’s the trailer for the Arrested Development Documentary Project by Neil and Jeff.

This documentary is the brainchild of two Arrested Development superfans, Neil and Jeff! We have been fans of the show since it was on Fox in the 2nd and 3rd season. After it was stripped off the air we turned to the DVDs to get our AD fix and became even more in awe with the show. When the show was picked up by G4 and HD Net, there was no end to how many times we would see one episode.

We always find ourselves talking about the show, reciting lines and recalling scenes, which always ends in hysterical laughter. In late August, a large group of our friend were planning a trip to Yosemite. We were the only two that ended up going and we talked about Arrested Development all weekend. From this trip spawned the Arrested Development Documentary Project (this is a working name), an outlet to take our passion for the show and couple it with the countrywide fan base to educate others and make them aware of this TV gem.

via Jason Kottke

filed under Film, Television

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TomTom for iPhone on windscreen

TomTom for iPhone was announced at WWDC 2009

The TomTom solution combines two new TomTom products to provide users with state of the art in-car navigation on their iPhone 3G:

  • The TomTom navigation application for iPhone; an Apple version of TomTom’s award-winning turn-by-turn navigation software, including IQ Routes and latest maps from Tele Atlas;
  • The TomTom car kit for iPhone; a specially developed car kit for secure docking, enhanced GPS performance, clear voice instructions, hands-free calling and in-car charging.

filed under Apple, Gear, iPhone

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Paul Addis

photo by Scott Beale

BURNcast.TV is reporting that Paul Addis has been granted parole by unanimous vote from the Nevada State Parole Board. Paul was sentenced up to 4 years for attempting to burn down the Burning Man sculpture at the 2007 event and has been serving time in a Nevada State prison since June 27, 2008. A release date has not yet been set.

UPDATE: Amacker posted more information regarding Paul’s parole.

Paul stated his parole plan: he has work lined up as an auto-emissions inspector in Vegas, and only when his time is up, in February 2010, will he return to the Bay Area. And for how long, it’s unknown, but I think his heart is on traveling.

via Eddie Codel

filed under Burning Man, Fire, People

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Maker Faire 2009

photo by Scott Beale

My friend writer William Gurstelle, who writes for Make Magazine and is one of the producers of Make: Television, has a new book out “Absinthe & Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously” which was recently reviewed by the New York Times.

Written for reasonable risk takers and suburban dads who want to add more excitement to their lives, this daring combination of science, history and DIY projects explains why danger is good for you and details the art of living dangerously. All of the projects—from throwing knives, drinking absinthe, and eating fugu to cracking a bull whip, learning baritsu, and building a flamethrower—have short learning curves; are human-focused, as opposed to technology-centric; are affordable; and demonstrate true but reasonable risk. Each project also includes step-by-step directions and illustrations along with sidebar tips from experts in the field.

Absinthe & Flamethrowers

filed under Books

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The Indie Mart 2 Year Anniversary

The Indie Mart 2 Year Anniversary Party & Design Show takes place this Sunday, June 21st from 12pm-6pm at Thee Parkside in San Francisco.

Boasting over 100 vendors for this milestone event, the Indie Mart continues to offer the best finds in vintage, local design, tees & hoodies, handmade bling, skateboards, lots of unique, handmade oddities and tons of other cool things you can’t image making yourself but wish you could. The event offers a unique shopping experience that includes The Frail, Shannon and the Clams, and Era Escape playing throughout the afternoon on Thee Parkside stage, DJ’s Sarahdactyl and Primo spinning records outdoors, fresh BBQ and sweets served up by local foodies, special D.I.Y. stations and demonstrations, and tons of interactive vendors who will be sewing, painting, silk screening, and creating on the spot. Vendors for this version of the Indie Mart include Nooworks, Shotwell, Four Barrell Coffee, Coma and Cotton, CC Rider, San Franpsycho, Porcelynne and many more. Sponsors include PBR, Renegade Craft Fair, Tricycle Records, Timbuk2, Bust Magazine, and Broke Ass Stuart.

filed under Art, Events

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twitter-iran

“Twitter and Iran” by The Scranton Times-Tribune political cartoonist John Cole.

via The Daily What

filed under Twitter

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“The Vendor Client Relationship” by Scofield Editorial

via Steve Garfield

filed under Humor

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Gulf Breeze UFO

Gulf Breeze UFO?

My Mom shot these photos of a mysterious billboard that asks “When? Gulf Breeze UFO?” located at the entrance to Navarre Beach in Florida, across from the intersection of Hwy 98 and Hwy 87 in front of the Navarre Beach Bridge.

Navarre Beach is not far from Gulf Breeze, which is the location of a famous series of UFO sightings in 1987, documented by Ed Walters and studied by MUFON (Mutual UFO Network).

Does anyone know who’s behind these billboards? Is it to promote tourism or scare people away?

filed under Advertising, Weird

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Remember Sonya the Slow Loris who loves to be tickled?

Here’s another ridiculously cute video, “One Day in the Life of Sonya”.

filed under Animals

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The latest episode of Boing Boing Video features Omega Recoil, an art collective that performs “Electricity Theater” using giant Tesla Coils. They are one of the presenters at this Saturday’s Dorkbot SF 7 Year Anniversary Party.

Omega Recoil is a performance art project combining modern theater, film, science and engineering concepts. We use extreme voltage to make you laugh and make you think.

filed under Performance, Science

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Adam Savage of Mythbusters gave a great talk about “Colossal Failures” to packed audience at Maker Faire 2009.

Adam Savage: "To the moon"

photo by Dave Fayram

via Make

filed under Events, People

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newsweek-stephen-colbert

Stephen Colbert was the guest editor of the June 15th, 2009 issue of Newsweek.

So when Jon Meacham asked me to guest-edit NEWSWEEK, I jumped at the chance, particularly because my guest editorship at Mature -Honeys fell through. I guess my photo essay of sexy housewives reenacting the Battle of Fallujah was too “real” for them.

Of course, guest editing is more than just sitting around tanning myself by the gleam of Fareed Zakaria’s teeth. I set the editorial agenda, assigned stories and yelled at Peter Parker to get me more photos of that web-slinging vigilante, Spider-Man. He’s a menace!

filed under News, Publishing

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President Obama shows off his advanced fly killing skills during an interview in The White House.

Barely Political takes a closer look at Obama’s Kung Fu fly swat.

via Eddie Codel

filed under News

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John Hodgman

photo by Scott Beale

Jesse Thorn has just posted the MaxFunCon 2009 keynote address by John Hodgman.

Hodgman is introduced by Jonathan Coulton.

The Sound of Young America

Bear Jamboree

The infamous “cavorting bears” painting referenced by Hodgman in his keynote.

photo by Scott Beale

filed under Events, Humor

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Bang-Yao Liu created “Deadline”, a really cool stop-motion animation video using Post-it Notes, for his senior project at Savannah College of Art and Design.

Where my idea comes from is that every time when I am busy, I feel that I am not fighting with my works, I am fighting with those post-it notes and deadline.

Here’s the making of video.

via The Daily What

filed under Animation

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Burning Man

photo by Stewart Harvey

Moze has a great write up on the Burning Man blog, “The Evolution of Man”, about the history of the Burning Man sculpture, starting from when it was on the ground and on through its myriad of bases over the years.

Each year the YOUNG MAN became more and more popular in spite of himself and around him developed a scene, a happening, a gathering, a CATHARSIS if you will. He was a fire burning, burning bright, growing each year in stature and reputation

filed under Burning Man

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Casque en l'air XI

Départ Saint André

rue Barillerie

photos by misterstf

Socyberty has a great write-up on Royale De Luxe returning to Nantes, France for Estuaire 2009 with a giant man in a diving suit searching for his niece in their installation “La Géante du Titanic et le Scaphandrie” (”The Titanic Giantess and the Underwater Worker”). misterstf has some are more photos of the installation.

Nantes, the home town of Jules Verne, is situated in western France. Here, near the river Loire a giant deep-sea diver sleeps gently, waiting for his task to begin. Sadness marks his face even as he sleeps. He has been searching the world over for his missing niece and although he may not know it, the end of his search is coming. The diver or scaphandrier as he is known in French will be paraded through the streets of this historic city at the beginning of the Estuary 2009 arts festival. The biannual festival gives the French mechanical marionette street theater company Royale de Luxe the opportunity to unveil their latest creation.

See Previously:

- Royal de Luxe Parade in Nantes

- Royal de Luxe Brings The Sultan’s Elephant To London

filed under Art, Performance

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