My Web Gems
I'd like to share some fun content with you as well as my personal favorite websites. They offer educational and entertainment value, but can lead to many hours of procrastination. So be sure you finish up any pressing business before you visit the sites below. I will add content weekly as I discover new treasures.
Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.
December 13, 2010
Watch this beautiful handdrawn 2D animation by Ryan J Woodward. There's something about this short film that leaves it open to individual interpretation. The music "World Spins Madly On" by The Weepies works brillantly with the story. At 24 frames per second, this 3 minute film would have taken at least 4320 finished drawings. The film explores the human figure and relationships through the world of dance. It's hard to put into words and watching this little video left be kind of speechless. Sadly, the film got rejected by the Sundance Film Festival. Visit ContedAnimated for more information on how this masterpiece was created.
Zidane Fencing for Adidas
December 8, 2010
Adidas commercial featuring an awesome fencing clip with French Soccer Star Zinedine Yazid Zidane. Zidane is known for head-butting Materazzi, an Italian player, at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Berlin. Adidas sporting clothes, shoes, etc. are well known internationally. Personally, I like their products a lot. More importantly though, the advertisement has some cool fencing scenes that actually makes fencing look cool on camera - not going to find this at the Olympics! This clip totally beats the weird James Bond duel in Die Another Day.
Twitter
December 1, 2010
Twitter is one of those sites where you tell yourself you're never gonna use it, but somehow become addicted to - kind of like cellphones or Facebook. Twitter offers a different type of social media that isn't quite intuitive. Unlike Facebook which is based on having Friends, Twitter is based on following people and having followers. You use it similar to RSS feeds except instead of content from specific websites, you can read content from people you're interested in. This could be your friends, favorite news sites, or even celebrities. The content you share is limited to 140 Characters. Personally, I think Twitter offers a lot more than Facebook. Both can be used for procrastination, but Twitter often offers more relevant information than what your friends ate for lunch. Try it. Then give it up, cause it's gonna eat up your time.
How to Live Before You Die
November 23, 2010
If you haven't seen Steve Job's 2005 commencement address to Stanford graduate, take a look.
Even if you have seen it, it never hurts to watch it again. The video is available as a free download on Youtube, so you can save it for later. Steve Jobs is the founder of Apple and Pixar and has acheived a lot despite the challenges he outlines in his speech. He is known to be speeding around the Bay Area in the Mercedez without a license plate. Good advice for the college or high school graduate.
Here for Full Transcript. My favorite part:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”Steve Jobs, 2005
Mint Life Blog
November 17, 2010
Mint is the go-to site for any money related information. The blog contains valueable advice for anyone on how to spend and save money. Everything from saving for college to retirement is covered in depth. You're sure to find information here that's relevant to you.
Mint is also a free web based service on tracking your bank accounts and investments. It is on Time Magazine's 50 best websites for 2008 and 2009. You can use it to make budgets, set goals, and connect your bank account to it. They offer very professional service that doesn't cost a cent. Mint is based in Mountain View, California.
As Real as Your Life
November 9, 2010
Everyone plays video games. In this TED talk, David Perry discusses the innovations that video games are brining to the next generation of people. He screens a movie created by Michael Highland (2003 UPenn Graduate) about these effects. The movie is called As Real as Your Life and depicts the creator's addiction to video games. He notes how video games are able to make us feel emotions and even believe we have the ability to do things we do in the game. He depicts video games in a positive light for their potential in changing the way people communicate, interact, and live.
Let Me Google that for You
November 4, 2010
What's more annoying than someone asking you a question that could be solved via Google in less than two seconds? It's okay though, because with Let Me Google That For You, you can teach your friends how to find the answers by themselves. Let me Google That for you works as advertised. When you have a question, you can type it into the box and the site will show you how to Google Search.
So next time your friends ask you what two plus two is, type it into lmgtfy.com and send them the link. Be glad they won't be asking you questions anytime soon
Weird Al- Don't Download This Song
October 24, 2010
I was on a rrroll with my first two posts of Rotten Tomatoes and Radiolab. I couldn't find a worthy third 'R' to complete the set, but I rediscovered Weird Al while scavanging Youtube.
Weird Al does parodies of songs, with humourous lyrics set to the same melody. Don't Download this Song is a riff off of popular charity songs like We are the World. The song delivers a powerful message on why we should never pirate music. Ironically Weird Al made this song available as a free download without DRM on his Youtube page.
Radio Lab
October 22, 2010
If you aren't interested in watching the news or reading long articles, Radiolab may be a great alternative for enriching your knowledge with new ideas. Their shows can fuel your curiosity with topics concerning science, philosophy, and human experience. Each episode is one hour long and available free as a downloadable podcast.
Based in New York city, the radio show has done many things well. Their content is always relevant and draws from current research as well as historical studies. Professionals are interviewed in each show to present their insight on the topics. The show successfully poses intriguing questions and, with eight seasons worth of episodes so far, there is plenty of information to keep you thinking for a long time.
SHOWTIMES & TICKETS |
Rotten Tomatoes
October 21, 2010
Rotten Tomatoes (RT) is an essential site for every serious movie fan. They offer the best online community of movie-goers and critics to make discovering great movies easy. My favorite tool on this site is the Tomatometer (TM) which allows me to quickly determine if a movie is worth watching. For example, The Last Airbender earned a 6% TM rating, which prepared me for the 1hr and 43mins of torture in theaters.
While the site is generally limited to American movies, it is a great source for any movie related news. They have articles, interviews, pictures, and other content on the latest movies. Visit regularly to gather the best movie information available.