A FEW THINGS TO MAKE YOU GIGGLE

I am in full force productivity mode these days as the semester draws to a close, but with that focus comes the occasional binge on YouTube (who's with me?!).  Here are a couple of videos I have stumbled across recently that made me giggle, smile or generally forget my massive to do list for a couple minutes. Hope you enjoy!

above | they are doing a ton of facade work on my building right now and the noise is basically like this, with the added bonus of guys in cherry pickers popping by my window every few minutes . . . just a bit distracting, ha!





above | sometimes I feel like every girl in New York is like this; either way, this is a pretty funny parody of a show I regularly watch to make myself feel like my life is reasonably put together (is that too honest?)






above | james corden is hilarious, jennifer hudson is the shiznit and this video just makes me miss having a car . . .





above |  . . . though if I were to be doing my own car karaoke, it would probably sound more like this . . . .



Hope you have a productive day full of laughter and dance/karaoke breaks!

THE ARTIST SPEAKS

FLOWER PETAL FRENZY

How cool is this? Remember when Sony let loose thousands of bouncy balls to represent the HD of their new Sony Bravia tv? Well they have done it again! Sony just released a new commercial in which they exploded a volcano full of 8 million flower petals all over a small town in central Costa Rica. Gorgeous right? It's like this famous scene without the creepy undercurrents!

Read more about the project, see some behind the scenes shots and the final commercial here.


(thanks to The House That Lars Built for the tip)

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!

In honor of April Fool's Day and all things hilarious, here is a quick round up some fabulously funny things I have stumbled across recently.

Amy Poehler, as always, is amazing in the outtakes of this Old Navy commercial.





The Ballad of a Wi-Fi hero is so dead on, except for me it's my fairly luddite husband calling in the cavalry for help. :) Also, the music and graphics are perfect.





Jimmy Fallon's lip sync battles are epic and hilarious. Also, news flash: Stephen Marchant can booty dance! (Also, this clip with Paul Rudd is not to be missed.)


Another thing I have to mention, while I am on the topic of funny: the new show on Comedy Central called @midnight is gut-bustingly funny. It's pretty much the only reason I don't feel insanely bad about going to bed at 1am on the regular. This clip with the cast of Community—another guilty pleasure of mine—sums up the awesomeness of the new show (wouldn't seem to embed properly, so you will have to go to the link!).

OLYMPIC CLOSING CEREMONY: NBC'S SECRETS!

Did you watch the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics last night? I have been a rabid Olympics viewer for the past two+ weeks, so I knew I wouldn't miss it. And just like the Opening Ceremonies, the visuals of the event were spectacular. Like the aquatic scene (above) where thousands of performers wearing shimmering silver suits undulated through the computer animated water like a school of fish.

Or this section of the ceremony where performers took on the role of elegant, soaring cranes—a direct nod to the next winter games host: South Korea.

Where the Opening Ceremonies dealt with Russian history in general, this event was more a look at Russia's contribution to culture. There was therefore a beautiful, dream-like section devoted to Marc Chagall with tiny nods to Malevich; weirdly, there no real references to other important Russian visual artists like the Constructivists (Rodchenko anyone?). Maybe that's just the art history nerd in me wanting more!

There was also a very cool section honoring Russian literature, which uses the computerized stage to project 3D renderings of swirling, page-turning books. Very cool!

Later, during the handover to the Korean Olympic officials, the cranes returned and 'flew' below beautiful illuminated tapestries of light in the shape of large, time-honored trees. 

Finally, the Olympic mascots (a weird trend to be sure!) said a weird animatronic goodbye—the bear (harkening back to the 1980 Olympics) shed a tear of sadness at the end of the Games. Still the dancing children around the bear and the odd flying boat/hot air balloon was cool.But you know what I discovered when I went to put together this post this morning! A bit of an NBC scandal . . . (click through to find out what it was) . . . 

SCIENCE!

The other day I read about the amazing Science Cheerleaders and knew I had to share their story with you. Made up of professional cheerleaders who are pursuing careers in science—in the fields of biology, neurology, engineering, math and more—these lovely ladies are out to encourage young women (particularly young cheerleaders!) to get excited about science. Awesome, right? Learn more about their fun, important work here.

And speaking of science . . .

. . . you may be wondering what these pretty little pouches have to do with the field? Well a percentage of all the proceeds from the Etsy store 'Little Bright Studio', which makes these sweet zippered bags, goes to support teachers in low-income schools teach students science. Love it! Check them all out here.





And then last week I saw this old episode of Ellen on tv with a hilarious segment with Steve Spangler. His motto is 'Make Science Fun' and with this demonstration I think he achieved that goal! He kind of reminds me about this show (and this one!) that I was obsessed with as a kid . . .

Check out more of his great work here.





Last but not least, I wanted to share this inspirational commercial for the new toy company GoldieBlox. Like a combination of Lincoln Logs and Legos, these building-based toys are designed to get kids excited about engineering. In the case of GoldieBlox, though, the toys are specifically created to put girls in the science mindset and let them know they can be anything they want to be. Pretty important message, no?

Thanks for listening to this break for science. Back to our regularly scheduled programming of art, culture and design tomorrow. :)

HAPPY WEEKEND!

I have a crush on Brian Williams and, since I currently own this, I think it's fair to say I love this song. With that in mind, this little video compilation made me giggle in delight. Hope you like it!

Did that pique your interest? Here is my favorite little slices of the internet this week; hope you like them too!

Roads that power your car. Wild!

Good tip for iPhone shutterbugs.

I would buy this just for the bragging rights (and the garage).

Chicken a la iPhone?

I am updating my Netflix queue as we speak.

Excellent article reminding me about a hilarious man. Guess I need to pick this up now.

Google Maps takes to the calle.

I rewatched the NSync/Backstreet Boys battle episode last night. RIP Cory Monteith.

A cast that looks incredibly cool, but how do all your eighth grade friends sign it?

So, so, so excited for this movie to come out (did I mention I was excited?!).

These ideas are perfect for my party-planning mindset right now.

When pigs fly swim!

Get away before summer is over!

I am tempted to make these to give out as favors at a party this September. Too ambitious?


Have a lovely weekend!

FLEET FEET

Comfortable. Light. High tech. Just a couple of ways of describing these cool new shoes being developed by Unbelievable Testing Laboratory and being made of Tyvek!! Given the amazing properties of Tyvek—a construction material—the shoes promise to be long-lasting, breathable and water-resistant. Sweet!

What are you up to this weekend? I am going home to Connecticut and contemplating a quick trip out to Cape Cod to hang out with some friends early next week. So, just in case I don't make it back to the blogosphere until late last week, here are some fun things for you to check out:

The Summer of George.

275,000 dominoes.

This would be perfect for a NYC-themed party.

If You Give a Mouse Rat a Cookie; ha!

Speaking of Parks & Rec, I love Aubrey Plaza and think this could be hilarious.

I stopped watching this show a while ago, but boy is this performance impressive.

Beautiful tumblers.

An interview with my grad school professor on his new exhibition at MoMA.

Well, don't these look tasty.

Montage and Chevron look really pretty.

I would like to own this.


Have a great weekend!



(Tip about the Tyvek from here)

BACK IN BUSINESS!

Did you have a good holiday? You may have noticed I was gone a bit longer than I promised. Whoops! I was in Vermont with my husband's family two weeks ago—enjoying lots of delicious food and hours of reading and playing with my sister-in-law's puppy—and last week I was in Boston doing archival research for my dissertation at Harvard. It was a whirlwind of fun, relaxation and research and in the midst of it I didn't pop in to say hello. Apologies!

Even though I was off the blogging grid, I did manage to sock away some sweet finds to share with you. I couldn't wait to share this awesome video. I have a geeky love of acapella (music made solely with one's voice, including instrumentals) and I found myself watching the television competition show 'The Voice' several years ago when this amazing five-person group Pentatonix rose up through the ranks.  Now they are touring (hooray!) and making incredible videos for our enjoyment. I recommend all of them but this evolution of music (not unlike this) is so well done it's hard to believe it covers hundreds of years!

Learn more about the group here.

UPDATE: I am also obsessed with this song!

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY: A LOVING TRIBUTE BY STEPHEN COLBERT

What a beautiful tribute for a wonderful person. We should all be so lucky to have family like this—both as loving and supportive as Mrs. Colbert and as faithful and kind as Mr. Colbert. I guarantee you will get teary-eyed watching this short video.

I am going home today to spend time with my family. There is no special occasion, I just want to be there to hug them, share a laugh and hang out. (Plus it is really nice out and they live at the beach!) I hope you get to do the same sometime soon too.

Have a great weekend.

p.s. I think I most love the line, "When you watch this show if you also like me, that's because of my mom." So true, so true.

PILED HIGH

How are you? It's been a while, right? Turns out that working full time and studying for the biggest graduate exam of my life at the same time is a little stressful. Who knew, ha ha?!

My apartment is literally overflowing with books (I have roughly 160 checked out from different libraries, plus all the ones I own!) and it's all I can do to keep myself from getting crushed under an avalanche of art history tomes.

Anyway, despite my hectic schedule and lengthy to do list, I do still manage to come across some cool things that I want to share with you every once in a while. So, to tide you over, here are some fun links to peek into while I fall into a black of hole of working/studying again . . . 

I just want to snuggle this guy, is that so wrong?

Free cash from an ATM? Who cares if it is a gimmick!

These are combining my love of maps and tv, perfectly.

Wild modern art meets NYC mansion-cum-art museum. 

This will without a doubt make you cry, but what a story! Someone call Hollywood!

New office supplies to make me drool.

I am kinda in love with this print even though it looks very retro, you?

Slap my initials on this and I would be a happy girl.

I want to go to there.

I wish my school looked like these! I think I would be a lot happier to go there!

A cauliflower cap? Hilarious!

Sigh, if I had more free time, I would be doing this in a heartbeat.

Great party-planning advice, but no space to enact it in my tiny apartment!

Can I move in here or here? Pretty please?

And last, but not least, I think this sums up my life pretty well right now.

Have an amazing weekend! Hope to see you back here next week.

(photo from here)

OSCARS RECAP 2013

Did you guys watch the Oscars last night? I had a ton of homework to do, but I decided to take a break and see how well Seth MacFarlane fared as a host. He was a little raunchy at times (as can be expected for the creator of Family Guy), but overall very very funny. I particularly loved the intro gag with William Shatner; it was smart and clever without being too dry or silly.

I was also impressed by the fashion on view . . . I'm totally in love with Jennifer Lawrence's dress (even though she fell walking up the stairs! clearly not a practical frock) and thought Amy Adams looked ravishing as usual. Did you have any favorites?

Read a complete recap and see more red carpet shots here. Watch key video clips here.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

If you are a college sports fan like me, you are used to watching games on tv that are punctuated with numerous university-promoting ads. Well during last night's football national championship game, I saw a commercial for an unusual type of university: Monsters University.

The ad is part of an ingenious campaign to promote the upcoming Monsters Inc. prequel, entitled Monsters University, due out this summer. In addition to strikingly realistic college commercials they have also created an amazingly clever Monsters University website, complete with degree programs (they have a School of Scaring, and a School of Liberal Arts & Monstrosities!) and an incredibly realistic President's address that almost makes you want to enroll. Not to mention a school store that allows you to select the number of sleeves on your sweatshirt; hilarious!

Even after all that, do you still feel a bit confused about what the movie will actually look like? Here's the official trailer:





But if you want to kill a couple of minutes browsing through a wonderfully creative movie website, check out all the goodness about Monsters University here.

ALBERT EXERGIAN

For the next three weeks I am off on an adventure—the best adventure possible! I am getting hitched, an amazing event and process that has inspired my ongoing series of posts called The Wedding Files. While I am on my honeymoon I will be featuring short and sweet posts every day to tide you over until I return. Hope you enjoy them!

Have you seen the work of graphic designer Albert Exergian? Well his minimal tv show-inspired posters sort of remind me of these superhero tributes and these no frills fairy tales . . .


  

 . . . while his other work reminds me of this beloved Etsy artist. Not a bad combination, right?

See more of his kick ass work here.

THE ARTIST SPEAKS

Amy Poehler may not be an artist in a traditional sense (aka a visual artist) but I will be damned if she isn't an artist of comedy. I mean, have you seen Parks and Recreation?! Genius!


Learn more about Poehler here.

(thanks to A Cup of Jo for the tip.)

TEXAS BOUND

What are you up to this weekend? I am headed to Austin, Texas! Though we will only be there for about 36 hours, I am super excited to go and hang out with my fiancé's family and see where my soon-to-be sister-in-law has been living for the last several years. She just got a super adorable puppy, so there will be lots of walks and playtime. :) I am looking forward to lots of sunshine, swimming and eating myself silly. Hope you have something equally fun scheduled!

Keeping travel in mind, I wanted to share with you a beautiful new travel e-magazine that has been making the blog rounds. It's called Wayfare and it is chock full of gorgeous graphic design and photography. It's one of those publications where you want to ear mark every page and hop on a plane immediately. Check it out the pilot issue here.


Need something else to keep you busy over the weekend? Here are some fun things I have recently discovered:

Have you read the Hunger Games (I read all three in a week!)? Then you are definitely going to want to see this cheeky post.

Speaking of books, I can't wait to add this new classic to my collection.

Also, this is the coolest bookmark I have ever seen.

Instaprint is taking Instagram to a whole. new. level. Wow!

I knew McNally Jackson was cool, but this machine just made it insanely cool.

The Bachelor may be over (at least for now) but this artist is making me want to go back and relive its most hilarious moments.

I have always wanted to be able to dance, so this video and this video are killing me. So cool!

Some great advice that I often have to remind myself to head. Just say no!

Louis C.K. does it again. Hilarious!

For my UCONN fans out there, here's more proof that we can't wait for Breanna Stewart to arrive. Go Huskies!


Happy weekend! See you back here next week!

LADIES NIGHT ON TV

Have you seen how many amazing-looking TV shows are premiering this fall? And so many of them seems to feature strong female leads . . . awesome ladies like Maya Rudolph and Zooey Deschanel. I watched Up All Night last week and was surprised to find myself laughing out loud. Mostly at Rudolph's Oprah-like character, but still, I think it has major potential. New Girl looks super endearing and Whitney could be fun in a Seinfeld (the main characters are idiots) kinda way.


What do you think? Is there anything premiering this fall that you are super excited to watch?

RAP REPRISAL

Remember when Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake did a 'history of rap' medley? Well they went at it again to bring you the 'history of rap part two' this week and, I have to admit, I am swooning just as much as the first time. These guys are just too adorable together. Can you imagine how funny they must be just hanging out together?

Hope you get up to something just as fun as this over the weekend!

WITTY WORDS OF WISDOM

Just two great speeches that I wanted to share with you, in case you feel like slacking off a bit at work on this lovely Friday afternoon. Above, Christoph Niemann (whom I adore, see here, here and here) giving a Creative Mornings talk in April. Below, Amy Poehler (famed comedienne and star of my favorite show Parks and Recreation) delivering the Class Day speech in May at Harvard.

Have a great weekend!

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GOES UP

Oh my goodness, have you seen this project by the National Geographic? They managed to recreate the balloon house from Up and actually make it float (of course it took a lot of tweeking; it is impossible to recreate it exactly)!

Here's the skinny on the project, as listed on My Modern Met:

March 5 at dawn National Geographic Channel and a team of scientists, engineers, and two world-class balloon pilots successfully launched a 16' X 16' house 18' tall with 300 8' colored weather balloons from a private airfield east of Los Angeles, and set a new world record for the largest balloon cluster flight ever attempted. The entire experimental aircraft was more than 10 stories high, reached an altitude of over 10,000 feet, and flew for approximately one hour.

The filming of the event, from a private airstrip, will be part of a new National Geographic Channel series called How Hard Can it Be?, which will premiere in fall 2011.

Cool, right? I can't wait to watch the show when it premiers.

(Want more balloon inspiration? Check it out here.)