I bought this scary looking hot sauce a while ago. It definitely qualifies.

http://www.brobrubru.com/brobrubru/brobrubru.html

The sauce is ultra hot and pretty flavorless though

I think that since street art has a subversive element at heart, it is fun to consider whimsical humor a subversive act in modern society. Did anyone who saw these little dancing plastic bag critters, or any of the other street art get inspired, even a little bit, to do anything creative? I'd like to think that creativity inspires more creativity, so even small acts can ripple out to have a larger effect on people's lives.

This is great. It is some of the best street art I have seen since Banksy.
http://www.banksy.co.uk/

The bear does look a bit creepy in the image, but I think it is because it is at night. If you watch the videos on the page Iris linked to it is more comical than anything.

I love that simple and unexpected works of art can break people out of the monotony of their day and make them happy for no reason at all.

My favorite example of street art is when the artist "True" replaced the warning signs on NY subways with these:
http://chrisglass.com/journal/images/2007/0613-life-instructions.jpg

I came across these toys when I was looking for a gift to buy for a friend's toddler. I found the doll family names to be odd as well, but just assumed it was inelegant translation. The toys are really well made and have great design. They use organic wood, non formaldehyde glue and soy based ink too. I think I am willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt that they are not trying to program the kids of the world with a Nazi starter kit. Toddlers can't read the box anyway.

Besides, my friend toddler was so enamored with the catalog that he carried it around and every so often would gaze longingly at its contents.

These vehicles are pretty sweet:
http://www.plantoys.com/2007/catalog.php?id=20&page=1

Hmmm.. a bit too chaotic and haphazard for my taste. When it comes to loose brushwork and a rainbow color palette, I prefer John Berkey

http://flickr.com/photos/heilemann/sets/72157594148508643/

I have admired Syd Mead's work since I was a kid. It is one of the things that made me want to study design. His ability to depict a compelling world around each object he designs is amazing. For the most part, "futuristic" designs tell us more about the hopes and fears of the time period they were created in, than what will actually come to pass. Anyone, no matter how visionary is bound to get most of it wrong because they are working within the assumptions of their time. Some have commented that these scenes appear dated, but seriously, some of this work is forty years old!!! The fact that anything still looks even remotely "futuristic" to our eyes is a phenomenal achievement.

This image was begging for a Stormtrooper style bunny helmet and death star easter egg.

I couldn't resist.

http://www.funner.net/?p=112

It sounds like he WAS the most qualified... first hand experience really is best.

I used to have a mild version of this as a kid. I was able to kind of shift back and forth from a "long distance" perception at will. I have not been able to do that since I was about 12 though. I didn't know anyone else had this experience.

Congrats Cory!

Nick D:

Of course I am not saying that reason has no part of the decision making process. I am saying that emotion plays a much larger part in it than most of us consciously realize. I was just trying to put some of the emotional issues out there for all to see.

This discussion is going nowhere if we don't agree what we are arguing about. This goes WAY deeper than is the Prius better than the Hummer and does buying one or the other make me a better person.

I think one of the larger issues is if our purchasing choices are appropriate for our needs. In order to objectively determine our needs, we have to at least acknowledge our emotional wants.

Kevitivity's post highlights how emotional this issue is. SUV supporters see the hybrid trend as an affront to their freedom to drive the vehicles they want and hate feeling judged by people who act holier than thou. "Greenies" see SUVs as wasteful, aggressive and selfish in a world of dwindling resources.

I have a degree in automotive design. Trust me; EVERYONE buys cars for emotional reasons! Car companies work really hard to make sure that they understand the emotional desires of their customers. Designers create cars that tap into those desires. The 16 mpg FJ is for one market segment and the 47 mpg Prius is aimed at another.

SUV's became popular in the wake of mini-vans losing popularity because as more and more people bought them, they were being seen as dumpy "family" vehicles. Mini-vans had replaced station wagons for the same reason. Most people buy SUV's not because they are rugged, outdoorsy, adventurer types, but because they want people to SEE them that way. If hybrid owners walked or rode their bikes, they would diminish their carbon footprint far more than simply buying a more efficient car would.

To grossly oversimplify the point:

SUV owners want to be seen as having more freedom and being more daring than they really are, thus feeling good about themselves.

Hybrid owners want to assuage their guilt and feel like they are getting a good deal with fuel economy, thus feeling good about themselves.

Toyota makes the Prius AND the FJ cruiser. If Kevitivity runs off to his Toyota dealership to rebelliously buy an FJ, while someone else buys a Prius, Toyota will gladly take money from both of you.

I found the following quote here:

http://www.forbesautos.com/advice/toptens/best-luxury-suvs-off-road/01-untapped-resources.html

“Substantially less than 10 percent [of luxury SUV owners] indicate that they actually go off-roading,” says AutoPacific’s Peterson. “We actually think that the percentage that actually
off-roads is less than 5 percent, but we have to go with what the owners report.”

Of the less than 10 percent of owners who actually go off road, I wonder what percentage of their annual driving would be considered off road.

This is not a black and white issue. What people think of the Sierra Club or the opinions of Rush Limbaugh and his ilk seems beside the point to me. We could argue back and forth about that forever. With our current manufacturing technology, there is no such thing as a completely environmentally benign car, but we need to consider how appropriate our design solutions are long term. A giant SUV that is designed to handle rough terrain but is used primarily for freeway driving is an inappropriate and inefficient use of technology and energy resources. The Prius is a much more appropriate choice for commuting. Hybrid technology as it stands is not a total solution, but at least it is moving in the direction of efficiency. Technologies like regenerative braking and engine shut-off at stop lights are smart, practical engineering solutions. We should be looking for more ways to reclaim wasted energy or even better, avoiding wasting it in the first place.

This just made my day.

Edouard martinet has some of the most elegant scrap metal animal sculptures I have seen.

http://www.edouardmartinet.com/contents.html

The spam turkey doesn't really do it for me. The gelatin based ones looked pretty unappetizing too. I did like the sushi version. The stuffing turkey, while not really resembling a turkey very much, was a clever way to make the side dish the star.

The faux turkey theme would make a great centerpiece for a vegetarian thanksgiving. My wife posted our non edible potato-turkey on her blog.

potato turkey

It reminds me of this
hand knitted
wig hat.

With Adobe Illustrator CS3 costing US$599, I can see the appeal of being able to do this easily online. So many people have blogs or websites these days, that it would be useful to be able to easily create vector graphics using a simple program.