The Excitement Machine

A gentleman named Lucky Jonnie responded to this old post with a link to his gallery of rebus beer bottle caps. Their (unfortunate) official name is "crown ticklers." Thank you Jonnie!

And don't stop there, there is a whole universe of bottle cap collecting out there. It's a world full of frames, broken links, midi music, and slow loads, but that's OK. Bottlecaps.com is the home of Crowncap Collectors Society International, where you can find links to individual enthusiasts' sites (or as they're called in the old country, "kronkorkenseite"). This one out of Finland is pretty stunning. This guy has a page dedicated to cocks on caps. Wim from the Netherlands has a comic-themed collection. See also the dmoz directory for neverending crown cap collecting fun.

It's crazy how much design can fit onto a little 1" metal circle.

:: March 27, 2003

A to Z of Robots (via Speckled Paint)

:: March 26, 2003

"I feel like the government just took a shit on my chest": Last night's Daily Show segment on the Halliburton deal (click on "Bill of Might" ... can anyone figure out how to link directly to it?)

:: March 25, 2003

I made a photolog, where I'll be putting little groups of digital photos that I've taken over the past two or so years. Don't know if it'll be interesting to anyone but the Excitement Machine inner circle, but if you see anything you like, it's yours.

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"Meshcap.com is dedicated to overthrowing what now passes for apparel-based speech. To replacing mass-marketed brand images with their opposite: insignia of defunct organizations, cryptic titles, gutsy social commentary and expressions of pure thought."

(via Yahoo Picks)

:: March 24, 2003

The planets of our solar system in dozens of languages. (Via Incoming Signals)

The winners of the Excitement Machine Oscar Not-Technically-a-Pool: rpritchett and logan j sommers tied for most picks (7 out of 12), and my linguistics department pal So-Hee Kim wins for fewest correct picks (0 of 12).

Some numbers:

Of a total of 32 entries, the number of people who picked:

Chicago for best picture: 12
(most picks; GoNY 7; LoTR 7; the Pianist 4; the Hours 2)

Road to Perdition for best cinematography: 13
(most picks; GoNY 7; FFH 7; Chicago 3; the Pianist 2)

Adrien Brody for best actor: 9
(DDL 9; MC 7; NC 4; JN 3)

Nicole Kidman for best actress: 12
(most picks; DL 7; RZ 5; SH 4; JM 4)

Bowling for Columbine for best documentary: 14
(most picks; WM 7; Spellbound 5; DFD 4; PoP 1; no vote 1)

Chris Cooper for best supporting actor: 11
(most picks; CW 7; JCR 6; PN 6; EH 2)

Catherine Zeta-Jones for best supporting actress: 5
(KB 9; QL 7; JM 7; MS 4)

Roman Polanski for best director: 3
(MS 9; PA 8; RM 7; SD 5)

Nowhere in Africa for foreign language film: 5
(Hero (China) 9; MWP (Finland) 8; ECdPA (Mexico) 8; Z&Z (Netherlands) 2)

Spirited Away for animated feature film: 8
(TP 9; L&S 7; S:SotC 4; IA 4)

The Pianist for adapted screenplay: 2
(AaB 8; Adaptation 11; Chicago 7; the Hours 4)

Talk to Her for original screenplay: 10
(MBFGW 8; YTMT 5; FFH 5; GoNY 4)
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Next year, I be bustin out with regression lines and shit.

:: March 23, 2003

Redesign of the links page now complete.

Society for the Preservation of Space Food Sticks, brought to you by Retrofuture

:: March 21, 2003

"'... Dad literally slept with a [police] scanner under his pillow, and the emergency tone on those radios was like an alarm clock. It would go off and we'd all run out in the dead of night, and we'd be changing out of our pajamas in the car. The first guy out of the house got to ride shotgun with Dad.'"

Irwin Norling of Bloomington, Minnesota was a more modest version of Weegee -- an amateur photographer who (along with his wife and kids) documented crime and accident scenes for the local police department. Norling also avidly documented everyday Bloomington from the 1940s through the early 80s.

Brad Zellar stumbled across Norling's collection at the Bloomington Historical Society, tracked down Norling himself, and wrote this excellent article for the City Pages celebrating the man and his heretofore unrecognized work. Norling died just last month, shortly before the story ran. The article includes an extensive photo gallery -- don't miss the link, it's in a little box to the right.

By the way, Mr. Zellar has another article this week on Bernd and Hilla Becher, a German couple who photographed industrial buildings. He also keeps a weblog.

(so good I posted it to Metafilter)

If Shock and Awe is getting the Chaka Khan song stuck in your head, let me offer this jingle as a palate-cleanser.

In other news, the Excitement Machine was hacked this morning, the index page replaced with a victory message from the culprit! I was flattered, but then found out that every other site on my server was hit too.

:: March 19, 2003

Are you paranoid, dyslexic, both, or neither? An oldie but goodie from Suck.com.

:: March 18, 2003

Wrigley's Juicy Fruit, Doublemint, and Spearmint gum package design through the ages ... via Scrubbles

Hey Austin don't miss this.

LUCHA LIBRE III This is the real deal, folks: Professional wrestling, Mexican style, full-on with flamboyant masks and the like! If you're not familiar with lucha libre, think back to such classic masked wrestlers as Mr. Wrestling I and II and Mil Masceras, the man of a thousand masks. These folks were basically just refugees from the Mexican leagues. Down on the southeast side, there will be 20 masked wrestlers from Juarez, Mexico and El Paso competing in six matches. The bell tolls in honor of Mexican wrestling legend Santo - 10 times to be exact. Lucha libre sensation Chavo Guerrero will be on hand as well. This is not one to miss! Saturday, March 22, 8pm. Dove Springs Community Center, 5801 Ainez Drive, off E. Stassney. $10 ($5, kids 12 and under). 447-5875.

:: March 17, 2003

"When you hear the DRUM BUDDY (unless it is one of those rare moments when it is performing its "violin" or "flock of witches" sound effects) you will know that it is the DRUM BUDDY - it can be nothing else. This is not an old fashioned or "retro styled" instrument. This was even suggested to me by one of my first patent lawyers who was immediately released. The DRUM BUDDY represents the future of electronic instruments."

And the site has the happiest splash page on earth! Be sure to stick around for duration of the music loop. (via Coudal)

:: March 16, 2003

Great moments in anonymous design: I found your glasses

:: March 14, 2003

NYT Magazine article on stuttering, focusing on a cruel experiment done on orphans in 1939.

E-mail from Bryan today:

"I was looking for pictures of Lee Majors. I think she's my hero.

Unfortunately she's passed, but to the benefit of young christian female artists everywhere."

You'll pee your pants this is so cute. Yes I watch Animal Planet all day long. It's on right now, as a matter of fact. Dude, Fred Willard is judging a pet talent show!

ÒThe Revolution will not be televised, it will be digitized.Ó An evening with Chuck D.

by Gregg Clampffer.

I don't know if this classifies as a list or just a lesson. But i learned from it and think others can too.

I listened to some Public Enemy back in the day. I think I even had a Public Enemy T-Shirt for awhile there. I wasnÕt really fighting the power then, and to be truthful I havenÕt fought it too much since. But when I heard Chuck D was talking over at the University as part of a lecture series, I figured it was my civic duty to go.

The lecture in Chuck-D-ology left me with many things to think about and remember. I will list a few below but highly recommend hearing him in person if such an occasion arises for you.

1) MTV should be referred to as E-M-P-T-Y-V, they support the dumbassification of our society -- MTV has helped extend childhood to the age of 29
2) Dick Enberg and Marv Albert were major influences -- Chuck originally wanted to be a sports announcer

3) George W. Bush is sitting up in the white house playing his video game Grand Theft Oil

4) Little Richard grew up next to a train track, his rhythm is derived from that.

5) The Revolution will not be televised, it will be digitized.

6) Scottie Pippen = Osama Bin Laden, they do kinda look the same

7) Imagery can control people who do not know themselves

8) Common nonsense is more prevalent than sense

9) If you are going to represent people, make sure it is something smart people can feel and something the less intelligent can learn from.

10) Whenever you love the byproduct of the people and not the people you are opening them up for exploitation

11) Whenever formal schools and systems have crumbled music has remained a way for people to pass down and educate the next generation

12) Our media replaces heroes with actors and fantasy images.

When we returned to the parking lot from listening on how to fight the power, we realized the power still had us under their thumb. The same University that helped expand our mind by presenting the lecture series dropped a $105 ticket on us and had our car towed.

All told the night cost us $200.

"Her Vagina" by an unknown barbershop quartet. It's a "folksy ode to sexually transmitted diseases" ( -- April Winchell)

The art of Pedro Moraleida, a young Brazilian artist who committed suicide in 1999, is presented lovingly, creepily, amazingly, Flashingly at Cave Cave. (via Dooce)

In honor of spring: here's a collection of beautiful time-lapse photography of plants and flowers in motion. My favorites are the Morning Glory vine twining, the Mimosa leaf's response to heat, and the blooming Passion flower. Via Pop Culture Junk Mail)

:: March 11, 2003

Dutch Babies are a cross between popovers and pancakes, most obviously paired with fruit and sweet syrup or cream but also potentially delicious with savory toppings. I made one today after reading the recipe on Circus Belly. Here's an aggregate of her recipe with others on the web:

Two or three eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
Optional: A dash of salt
Optional: A little vanilla extract and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg, if you're going sweet
Whatever amount of butter you're comfortable with

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Put a nonstick pan in the oven with some butter in it. Whisk eggs, milk, flour, and some melted butter together. Take pan out of oven and tip around so butter coats the bottom. Pour in batter and bake until puffy and has golden brown bubbles on top.

Most recipes online seem to do one cup each of milk and flour with four eggs, using a bigger pan.

Delicious! Why aren't these offered more at restaurants? Maybe with the power of weblogs and kitchens, we can change the culinary landscape of America.

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:: March 9, 2003

James Brown is playing the 2003 Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo on March 31. Now that's something!

:: March 7, 2003

I love everything about Nerfect. The Creeps are a good place to start -- and they come in icon form too. The photo-essay A Visit to the Bunny Hutch novelty golf course (bottom of page) is beautiful!

It might be too little too late at this point, but give James Kochalka's Show Respect to Michael Jackson a listen. He's so right.

The Eccentric Art of Lewis Smith (via Metafilter)

:: March 6, 2003

(by MicHael Galkovsky)

Today The Morning News has a photo essay of Austin toilets by MicHael Galkovsky. Some of them are quite coy! The photographer also has a great series on the demolition of the I-35 Montgomery Ward on his site, called Mindgutter. Not to mention more great imagery, Austin-related and not, all under a Creative Commons Attribution deed.

:: March 5, 2003

Ridiculous dog costumes (via Geisha Asobi)

Found Slides, via Magnificent Obsessions

Defective Yeti literally dreamt of this T-shirt, and the T-Shirt Giant made the dream come true. Buy yours today

:: March 4, 2003

(Kofi Annan)

Supertotto's free World leader desktop icons, via Presurfer

(16mm frame from Multiple Sidosis)

"Sid Laverents writes, directs, stars in, edits, and shoots his own films. He even builds his own camera equipment. Now 93 years old, Sid has labored over his ever-expanding, four-part, autobiographical series, THE SID SAGA, for more than 30 years. Last year his 1970 tour de force, MULTIPLE SIDOSIS, was listed on the National Film Registry as the pinnacle of the home-movie art form."

So introduces PBS's Egg: the Arts Show website. See the segment here (scroll down to "The Sid Saga - Sid Laverents"). The San Diego Amateur Moviemakers Club has more information on Mr. Lavernts, including info on how to get in touch with him to buy Multiple Sidosis on video.

Ostriches Online. It's a store! Full of ostrich-related items!

A couple Tuesdays ago while flippin channels we came across ACAC (that's Austin Community Access Center) channel 16, which was showing a low-budget music video featuring an older man playing in a rock band with a couple of young girls against a backdrop of psychedelic swirlies. I believe the girls were singing. It was very crazy, and Bryan and I were dumbstruck.

A little further viewing revealed that the man's name was Reverend Ricky and the girls were his daughters. The music video served as a bumper between the Reverend's religio-political rants. These weren't your average public access TV rants, though ... well, maybe they were. But he delivered them with a toilet seat hanging around his neck (a John Lennon reference) and sitting behind a plaque that read "Greatest Stud." He made frequent references to "Dr. Laura's Testicle Crushing Machine." All I could tell that he was anti-gay, anti-feminist (yet anti-Dr. Laura as well), anti-Baptist, pro-Beatles, and extremely pro-sex. He made use of lots of props. Witness:

More photos, taken off the TV with our cheap digital camera, are here. We searched for Reverend Ricky on the web to no avail, and he seems to have disappeared from ACAC's schedule. Even though his views are mostly opposite my own, I was drawn to this Reverend Ricky because, damn, what a weird mix of hobby horses. Let us sing the praises of public access TV, hallelujah. Plus, I am hoping to see that band again, somehow, some day.

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I wanted to publicly thank Greg "Airbag" Storey, who gave me one of his tickets to SXSW Interactive. He doesn't even know me, he just offered and I was at the right place at the right time. What a guy! I feel that I should do something at the fest to make him proud. Suggestions?

This was posted on The Morning News almost a month ago, but hey, I'm catching up here: "Madalyn Murray O©öHair in Hell: The Mystery of the Antenoran Chant", Part II of Kevin Guilfoile's series. (Part I here.)

If you don't know the real-life O'Hair saga, here's a story package (including a timeline) that ran in the Austin Chronicle a while ago, back when she was merely presumed dead.

I've been enjoying Vagabonding, a chronicle of one dude's one-year trip around the world. This video of a Tuesday night wedding parade in the streets of Bodhgaya, India made me cry. Does anyone know anything about this Indian music played with marching band instruments?

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Cockeyed and Cardhouse team up in "Color Coded Action Plans for Individual Citizen Terror Alert Response Comedy Piece"