Digital Ephemera

Another Wednesday has rolled around, so here’s my weekly collection of interesting digital ephemera I’ve found poking around the vast Internet wasteland. Think of me as your guide beyond the digital desert…

Art, Design and Retro Items of Note

New Shag Tiki Print
This new print from the great Josh Agle or  Shag, mythologizes the great long lost Polynesian Pop Palace, the Kahiki Supper Club.

Useful Illustrator Typography Tips from Smashing Magazine
File under: good to know. | Link

30+ Informative Typography Related Blogs
A nice round up of some good blogs that are just your type. HA! | Link

World’s fair of the 1930’s
A nice look back at some of the World’s Fairs in the 1930′s. Includes some of the lesser known fairs. | Link

Movie Posters Animated into Neon Signs By Mr. Whaite
Now these are just cool! | Link

Great Design Freebie
An Elegant Login Form for Photoshop | Link

Star Wars Retold in Pictograms
The Force is strong with these minimalist masterpieces from someone who goes by the handle kisia. | Link

Film, Video and Motion Graphics

Star Wars Begins by Jamie Benning
Continuing with the Star Wars theme, Filmmaker Jamie Benning has created an amazing unofficial commentary video with footage and  interviews about the Star Wars films. Too bad the commentaries on the official discs weren’t one parsec as good as these. For the true Star Wars fan! | Link

Manhattan 4.33pm from Lizzie Oxby on Vimeo.

NY Pinball
A cool short film using New York City as a back drop for a huge pinball game. Now that’s a great use of after effects! | Link

Finally, Something So Bad, It’s Good!

Mr T’s Be Somebody’s Be Somebody or Be Somebody’s Fool
A classic self 80′s kids self help video from none other than the incomparable Mr. T.  Link Please note that some of rap lyrics in the video are credited to the Rhyme Syndicate Boss, Ice-T. Also in an iconic twist you’ll get to see The New Edition with Bobby Brown sing about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. A must see for any pop-culturalist!

More on Amazing Stories…

I posted a few days ago about Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone and Ray Bradbury Theater. I thought I’d share the opening sequence of the later two, while I can only share the great John Williams score for the former. Come on NBC don’t be so paranoid about copyright! Sharing parts of your programming will only increase it’s value!

Ray Bradbury Theater Opening Sequence

What I wouldn’t give to have an office like this!

The Original Twilight Zone Opening Titles

Rod Serling was so great.

Theme Music From Amazing Stories

Sadly it’s not the real opening, but the music is still great.

Opening Credits from PBS’ Mystery

One more for fun. Great art from the (I just can’t get away from this word) amazing Edward Gorey. I will admit as a kid, I would watch the opening credits of Mystery with rapt attention, then would quickly become bored once the actual program started. I guess 10 year old boys weren’t really the target demographic of the show. My loss now that I look back on it, but in writing this I see it is still being produced, so I’ll have time to make amends.

Happy Independence Day!

Hoping everyone has a great 4th of July and Independence Day. Even if one isn’t an American, I think there is still some wisdom and inspiration to be found in the words of Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation…

Read or Download the full Declaration of Independence from the US Archives, or watch celebrities read it:

Of course no Independence Day celebration would be complete with out fireworks!

Or sadly, “Drunk Patriotic Rednecks.“

An Aptly Named Video: Amazing Stories Intro

Church Media Design posted this, if you’ll forgive me, amazing opening sequence for a church Bible Stories series. Hopefully the accompanying lecture & sermons were as cool as the opening credits.
 

“Amazing Stories” Title Package from Taylor Cox on Vimeo.

This church series introduction video was, no doubt,  inspired, at some level, by the Steven Spielberg produced 80′s series of the same name. Seeing this magical opening reminded me of how much I loved watching Amazing Stories as a kid, which had an equally great magical opening sequence. I’d post that too but NBC/Universal is annoyingly paranoid and had users take it down from YouTube and the “internets,” oh well sorry about that.

I never realized this, but according to IMDB the original Amazing Stories series only ran for three years, but I was pretty influential to me, as was HBO’s equally cool Ray Bradbury’s Theater. Of course Amazing Stories and Ray Bradbury Theater had embedded in their DNA traces of the best fantasy show ever created, The Twilight Zone.

Those programs were at the same time dark, hopeful, scary, funny and ultimately magical. Including  Bradbury’s novels and short stories; these influences made me see the world from a slightly off kilter perspective, and I am very grateful I had a chance to be exposed to these works of art growing up.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-07-03

• Good food for thought. RT @webdesignledger: Is It Time to Rethink Website Navigation? http://bit.ly/mK4fwl via @sixrevisions #webdesign #
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• These brushes are out of this world! 500+ Space Brushes for Photoshop – Web Design Blog – DesignM.ag http://t.co/gb3gyoZ #
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• Wild! Quick Tip: Create an Animal Print Text Effect with Adobe Illustrator Pattern Swatches | Vectortuts+ http://t.co/t6RUs7U # Read more >>