video blowout

2003.07.17
There is No Paddle of the Moment
Making the rounds is this terrific video of a live-action round of pingpong, Matrix style. You owe it to yourself to check it out. (They say they're just regular guys competing on a talent show called Kasou Taishou.)


Smart Critter of the Moment
Crows can create and use tools...in this case, they know enough to shape a piece of wire into a hook to reach a tiny bucket of food stuck in a vertical pipe. As a species we really aren't quite as amazing as we assume...still pretty amazing, but not as unique. Now I feel more bummed about what West Nile Virus has done to all the crows around here.


Virtual Stunts of the Moment
I guess with the release of the PC version of "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City", there are whole things people are doing with it, Mods to adjust the world and objects. Another newish artform is Stunt Video, recordings of people's car and motorcycle stunts within the game set to music. The coolest one is the one with the big graphic ("My jaw seriously dropped") though the SandahX is cool as well...it explicitly claims it doesn't hack the handling of the vehicles, so I'm not sure that the other one doesn't. Still, very well done, and fun to watch.


Flight of the Moment
Some guy in Germany flies remote control helicopters and makes videos. (Click on "Videos" on the left side.) The "Light Aerobatics" one is probably the coolest.


Motivation of the Moment
Reebok warns belly gonna getcha. Catchy!


Cute Cats of the Moment
Managed to find a copy of this that wasn't on a site with a ton of porn ads: Cats being really, really cute. You feel bad for one or two of them but overall it's good fun.