First, the sublime:

This video crossed my path via Reddit.  I love watching it when I’m having a bad day.  It perks me right up!

And… The ridiculous:

I also encountered this via Reddit.  I laughed for a good 5 minutes after seeing it, causing my boyfriend some concern.

Hmmm… after reading over this post, I’m thinking maybe my problem isn’t the internet. Rather, it’s Reddit!

You can see the entire series on Rion’s site here.  You’re supposed to be able to buy prints of his work from his site, too, but I haven’t figured out how to do that.  Something is incorrect on the internet!  How can that be?

This was a huge deal for me, because I used to sing (and make up songs) all the time when I was a kid.  But for some reason, I just stopped singing.  I gave up on my dreams and didn’t even bother to try becoming a singer.  In January, I decided to take some lessons.  It lead to me writing a song, and also overcoming some crippling stage fright that I started having after an event that happened 6 years ago.

Basically… it’s been a big year for me.  And I hope that 2012 will bring even more exciting things.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

Yes, this is what it looks like: a machine that lets you copy a key in about a minute without human intervention.  No more wandering around OSH for half an hour trying to find an employee to help me copy a key!  I found this at a local Fry’s Electronics, a few days after I’d locked myself out of my apartment.  I’ve always been fascinated by the way keys get copied, and because of the lockout, I had the perfect excuse to use it.

It’s really simple: you stick your key in a locking mechanism, insert a card to pay for the copy, and wait.  In a minute, you have a new key!  And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can get keys with patterns on them.  I opted for the basic model, which cost about $4.  It’s sort of expensive by hardware store standards, but I considered it cheap for the convenience factor and the novelty.

The machine emailed me a receipt, and I had a new key that works perfectly in my door.  Pretty Darn Awesome!  Plus, this means that if I ever find myself wandering around outside my apartment in a pair of boxers, a t-shirt, a trench-coat, ballet flats and nothing else again, I won’t have to sit in my car for two hours waiting for MB to get home.  (At least I had a book to read while I waited!)

What is it?  It’s a camera that records all of the light in a picture. This means that (a) you get pictures that actually show what a scene really looked like, and (b) you can refocus the picture on pretty much anything within the frame.   It is très cool; awesome, even.  The above image should let you experience the technology.  If not, you can check out the company’s image gallery.  (You should check it out anyway, for more images.)

My tech-lust runneth high.  But at just under $400 for the “cheap” model, it will be a while before I get one.  (Plus, really?  I do not need it.  I have my iPhone, which takes 8MP photos, and a DSLR.  The last thing I need is another camera.)  Still, if you’re interested in new technology their site is well worth a look.

Because we’ve all wanted to escape sometimes.

Address Is Approximate from The Theory on Vimeo.

Faber Castell from eric yeo on Vimeo.

I actually thought, “Whoa, awesome!” after watching this.
I know it’s an advertisement… but I don’t feel bad about posting it, because, well, I like Faber-Castell’s art supplies.

Whee… ART!

Today’s Awesome Thing is: The History of the World, through Facebook posts.

Oh Facebook… you’re an engine for drama, and for the destruction of the English language (not to mention people’s privacy). And yet, there’s something to be said for the way you simplify the world. College Humor used this to great effect when condensing the history of the world into something easily read in a few minutes. I confess: I laughed a lot.

I’ve wondered for years whether or not people see color the same way.  I know that for people who are color-blind, the answer is definitely no!  But what about “normally-sighted” individuals?  Is it possible that what I see as green is what you would call orange?  How would you assess that?

The full answer to those questions may never be known.  However, the above YouTube video shows a clip from a BBC documentary that shows that language apparently shapes our perceptions of color.  As a result, different people perceive color in different ways.  After I got done watching it, I couldn’t help but say, “WOW, AWESOME!”