What Is the Internet Really For? Cats

A very funny video that shows what the internet really is for… cat videos. A great joke about the practice and culture of marketing and the popularity of cat videos.

I love how cat memes rule the web. I guess for those glued to computers cat’s make better pets, you don’t have to take time precious time away from twitter feeds to walk them.

[Via John Nack]

A very similar (suspiciously so) funny idea: Kittywood Studios: Cat Videos Incorporated

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-12-04

• Walt Disney Obit from the NY Times. Walt Disney, 65, Dies on Coast; Founded an Empire on a Mouse http://t.co/e3Sp6dY5 #disney #
• Photo: Stickers by [rich] on Flickr. Nice stickers. http://t.co/lP3Fx7qZ #
• Nice mid-century Christmas ornament illustration http://t.co/tOyp66lm #midcentury #illustration # Read more >>

How They Did It (Visual Effects Edition)

This week’s edition of How They Did It will focus on the visual effects breakdowns. That is short videos that peel back the layers of visual effects from film and television so you can see how these effects wizards make the unreal, real.

Please note, these aren’t how-to videos, they are more art­ful than hands-on, so sit back and enjoy, because they are still worth the time. They give you a greater appre­ci­a­tion of the skill and craft that goes into cre­at­ing these works, which will help us all a being bet­ter at graphic and motion design­ers.

Troll Hunter VFX Breakdown
See how trolls were made to live again in this fun breakdown from one of my favorite movies from 2010.

Shutter Island VFX Breakdown
These still images will give you a sense of how the disturbing world of Shutter Island was created.

Panic Room VFX Breakdown
Learn the secrets of how the set of David Fincher’s classic film Panic Room was more fake than real.

VFX Breakdown: The hairy parts
Watch the effects wizards at Industriromantik make a normal guy into a hairy Christmas Santa.

VFX Breakdown: The hairy parts from Industriromantik on Vimeo.

The Alii Lounge

I while back I started another blog. The Alii Lounge. It’s a tumblr blog about all things Polynesian Pop, Ultra-lounge, mid-century modern and tiki.  Alii is the Hawaiian for royalty, and if you visit my site you’ll be treated like a king or queen for I only share only the finest Tiki links.

Visit The Alii Lounge

Friday Freebie: Barking up the Right Tree

It’s Friday, so that means it’s time for my Friday freebie. This week a small collection of bark textures and one photo of some imposing conifers. So naturally I call this “barking up the right tree.” Corny I know, but as Walt Disney once told a reporter “We’re selling corn, and I like corn.”  Well, I like corn too and I also like freebies, textures and bark. Hopefully you do to.

Download the Textures >

These images can be used on any projects commercial or personal. Just drop me a line and let me know how you used them.

Random Design Quote

A random quotes from famous graphic designers on design, culture and art.

As a craft, typography shares a long common boundary and many common concerns with writing and editing on the one side and with graphic design on the other; yet typography itself belongs to neither.

-Robert Binghurst, The Elements of Typographic Style