Like a Tweet to the Groin

I made the grave mistake of offending the juggernaut that is America's Funniest Videos, saying that (in realizing that they were even still producing the program) they might just possibly be irrelevant in the post YouTube age. Completely disproving my point by taking the better part of three days to respond to the tweet, they seem to take offense. At which point it just got silly and wonderful.

Giant Robot posted about the story, so you can read a bit more there. Thanks to everyone who chimed in. This is why the internet exists. But don't tell AFV. They're busy flipping to side B of that Bananarama cassette.

40 Iterations of Irby

Part of me wishes I'd just found these in a shoe box at some random flea market, having no idea what was going on. The other part of me is really glad I know the story:

Dallas Phys-Ed teacher Dale Irby wore the same outfit for 40 years of school portraits. Starting by accident, building into one of the best, longest jokes ever told. Which should automatically win him either Funniest Teacher of All Time, or a job as spokesman for his local dry-cleaners.

Hats off to you, Mr. Irby. You made me feel nostalgic for high school. For about a minute.

Of the Varied Lines and Lives of JL Hudson

This profile of John Hughes (and his secret writing life as JL Hudson) is nearly as exhaustive as the collective love everyone even remotely aware of the 1980s has for him. It serves as a touching eulogy for the man who made every brain, beauty, jock, rebel and recluse ultimately feel like they had a place they belonged.

Those Eyes

Kemi Mai is well worth following on tumblr. Or you can just stare at this image all day. You could do worse.

Go Retro

I stumbled across Go Retro via this Rankin/Bass post and was hooked. Pam has great taste and can wax curmudgeon with the Rooneyest of Andys. Get thee to the retro!

Frozen Ghosts

Given that most of the country is looking like this at present, it seems a good time to post about these 100 year-old negatives, recently unearthed from a block of solid ice in the Antarctic. Believed to be from the failed Ross Sea Party of Shackelton's 1914-1917 Trans-Antarctic Expedition, the images reveal a chilly glimpse into a bygone age of exploration.

Floating Flora

You may ask yourself: how do I paint a floating, severed tree? This is how.

Mueck's Hyperreality

London artist Ron Mueck creates captivating hyperrealistic sculptures of figures ranging from the massive to miniature. Their jarring detail is akin to a three-dimensional photography, every wrinkle, fold, and pore captured beautifully, often heartbreakingly, in resin and fiberglass. (That he was part of the team who brought us Ludo in Labyrinth doesn't hurt either.)