GET INNOCUOUS!

I guess I would describe myself as painfully self-aware.

[hodgman]

Start GOING DEEP WITH DAVID REES this very night. 

14 years ago this summer I met David Rees for the first time at the COOLIDGE in Brookline, Massachusetts. 

Prior to that I knew him only from his self-published clip art karate comic entitled MY NEW FIGHTING TECHNIQUE IS UNSTOPPABLE.

Jay Evans gave me that comic in the spring of 2000 when something very sad was happening in my life, and I laughed so so hard. It was a good gift. 

So I invited him to this event I was doing at the Coolidge, and we have been friends ever since. But I do not praise David Rees because he is a friend, but because he a GENIUS.

Consider his body of work:  —The incredible clip art water cooler war comic GET YOUR WAR ON.

—An instructive and actually moving book about PENCIL SHARPENING based on his ACTUAL CAREER as an artisanal pencil sharpener. 

—The hilarious series about domestic spying called CODEFELLAS starring the great EMILY HELLER. 

(I was also in CODEFELLAS, PS, because if David ever asks met to do something, I answer YES, and I never ever regret it.) 

Dude has made me laugh harder and think harder about life and art than anyone, and tonight he will start helping you to think CLEARLY for once about HOW TO MAKE ICE, HOW TO DIG A HOLE, and HOW TO TIE KNOTS. 

SO PLEASE SAY “YES” TO DAVID REES.

I really think you will enjoy this show.

And as always, despite your natural internet preferences for streamin’ and swipin’, I would consider it a favor if you could find a way to watch it TONIGHT on TELEVISION at 10PM on National Geographic’s channel, and perhaps let social media and @NatGeoChannel know that that’s what you’re doing.  Throughout the day I will be sharing more of my favorite DAVID REES short films.

I am also looking for a place with a television in Maine so that I can watch the show tonight as well. 

CONTACT ME IF YOU CAN HELP.

Otherwise, that is all. 

signed, John Hodgman.

PS: Please feel free to retweet and retumbl this letter so that we can remain friends. I REALLY WANT THIS SHOW TO SUCCEED, and I do not make any money off of it. 

PPS: TONIGHT AT 10PM ON NATIONAL GEO’S CHANNEL TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT (July 14, 2014, “Bastille Day”) TONIGHT! 

[explodingdog]

on my way!

[christylst]

[trynottodrown]

SeaWorld could be in trouble because of “Granny,” the world’s oldest known living orca. The 103-year-old whale (also known as J2) was recently spotted off Canada’s western coast with her pod — her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But while the Granny sighting is thrilling for us, it’s problematic for SeaWorld.

First of all, SeaWorld has claimed that “no one knows for sure how long killer whales live,” when simple figures or even living and thriving examples — like Granny — can give us a pretty good idea. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation project estimates that whales born in captivity only live to 4.5 years old, on average; many of SeaWorld’s orcas die before they reach their 20s. Perhaps because of their reduced lifespans, the whales are forced to breed continuously and at perilously young ages, which could also diminish their overall health.

Another key aspect of an orca’s life — which is missing in captivity — is the ability to swim up to 100 miles per day. When Granny was spotted earlier this week, she had just finished an 800-mile trek from northern California along with her pod. According to animal welfare advocates, long-distance swimming is integral to orcas’ psychological health and well-being; SeaWorld, however, has gone on record claiming that orcas do not need to swim hundreds of miles regularly, ostensibly to defend the parks’ cruel practice of keeping massive, powerful orcas confined to cramped tanks.

Since Granny was first spotted (as early as the 1930s), she’s believed to have mothered two calves, who in turn have had calves of their own. (One of her grandchildren, Canuck, reportedly died at the age of 4 after being captured and held at SeaWorld). As her pod has grown, Granny has kept up with them — without being separated through human intervention — and traveled astonishing distances with her pod annually. Orcas at SeaWorld are routinely separated from their pods, which has been known to cause huge mental and emotional strain and can prevent calves from developing normally.

Granny doesn’t simply represent an impressive feat of nature; she embodies what’s wrong with SeaWorld by being a living example of what’s right in the wild. While it’s true that most wild orcas don’t live as long as Granny has, their lifespans are still dramatically longer than those of SeaWorld’s whales (the NOAA estimates that wild female orcas, like Granny, live an average of 50 to 60 years). Their lives are also filled with much more swimming, exploration, variety and bonding with family — in other words, their lives are likely filled with much more joy.

SeaWorld and marine parks profit off keeping orcas and other marine animals in captivity — despite evidence that captivity not only induces unnatural behaviors in whales, but also endangers trainers. Join us in pledging never to visit SeaWorld or other marine parks until they empty their orca tanks.

(source)

[markrichardson]

For some DFA drums: It’s simple, but not so simple. Firstly, I like to “deaden” the room quite a bit. I put blankets up on the walls and stuff. And maybe something blocking the drums from the rest of the room with a big duvet on it, to make the reflections less. Then, listen standing in front of the drums when someone plays… Is there a lot of “low mid range”? If so, put something like a plush chair near the kit. Then, I like to make a “kick drum hut”. My favorite thing is to put a piano bench right in front of the kick. That way i can keep the mic on the kick outside the drum while still getting less bleed. Then, take the bottom heads off the toms and deaden them with some fabric gaffer’s tape and small squares of neoprene mouse pad. So they go “thud” instead of “booooongggg”.

LET´S NERD! — TERJE ASKS SMART PEOPLE STUPID QUESTIONS VOL 1: JAMES MURPHY (DFA/LCD)

If you’ve ever wondered why LCD’s drums sounded so awesome, James Murphy explained in detail how it worked in a 2011 interview with Todd Terje (!).

(via markrichardson)

[jurgenfjurgen-deactivated201904]

[andreinandrea-blog]

Re-Imagining Fruits and Vegetables.

Sarah Illenberger.

[weloveshortvideos]

[boxesmadeofcardboard-deactivate]

more

[adversityyyy-deactivated2018111]

[pickledelephant]

Behind the scenes of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

[boxesmadeofcardboard-deactivate]

Someone please pay me to write and edit things. 

[jennliv]

Cat’s eye

[teracotta]

[nprmusic]

Can we all agree that Carl Kasell’s grumpy face is the best part of OK Go’s Tiny Desk Concert?

[nprmusic]

Broadcasting legend Carl Kasell just announced that he’s retiring from Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me this spring and we’re still sure this GIF set is one for the books. We’re all gonna miss you, Carl! 

[diorpaint]

[diorpaint]

[ohparasite]

Stills from How to Sharpen Pencils by Kenneth Price, starring artisanal pencil sharpener David Rees. Watch the video here.

[howtosharpenpencils]

I lost my favorite pencil-cleaning rag, pictured here. :-(