I have to confess that I was one of those a-holes up at the butt crack of dawn today doing last minute shopping but I have reasons why, and I guess so did all the other shoppers around me. Thankfully it was not that crowded / insane…yet.
With being out of town for the last week I did not have much oppertunity to do the limited shopping for friends and family so it was completed this morning. I got good gifts, I done good yes um uh huh.
There is still some time before I get to see family and friends rip open the newspaper wrapped gifts so what better thing to do then to find some amusing content to post on this wonderful website. I thought today that I would post some of my favorite YouTube videos for your entertainment. I tried to keep the cussing to a low so if anything sneaks in there my apologies…
Have you ever seen a GI Joe PSA?
Rock Me Diabeetus:
Freestyle Rap Battle (translated):
Techno Viking (fun starts around the 1:00 mark)
And since it is the holidays… I always seem to see this clip of Tony Rizzo eating the sidewalk on Fox 8. Cracks me up every time:
Still looking for more? How about some Seth McFarlane humor (good stuff starts at the 30 second mark):
and finally…
Hope I was able to entertain you all a little bit. Enjoy the day!!!
While killing some time I found a couple of videos related to Daft Punk I had to share. It was interesting to see some of the stuff I found. Many of you may not know this, but Daft Punk is one of my top 10 bands of all time. I just don’t talk about them too much.
I love robots and still love me a little electronic music. Daft Punk is the perfect combination and I can not wait until they come out with new material.
Anyways… Here is a clip I found explaining the history of where some of their samples came from:
Here is a follow up to that video:
Did you know that Daft Punk had a movie? It was called Electroma and I need a copy. Here is a teaser of the movie:
Of course someone out there decided to be clever and make a fast forward remix of the movie (SPOILER ALERT):
So you made it this far huh? Well I suppose you want to help me get a Daft Punk robot helmet. How thoughtful of you. They retail for anywhere between $14000 and $60000 according to various websites…
I agree, that’s a lot of money. Now I know you may not be able to spring that for me this holiday season and I forgive you.
Luckily I have located a couple of sites that sell the helmets and others that tell you how to make them.
These helmets were commissioned by the punk band Daft Punk for a music video. Over the years, LED Effects has received many inquiries from people who wanted to purchase their own helmet. Unfortunately, these helmets are custom designed stage props and cost over $14,000. While the helmets are reasonably simple in design, the cost of labor and materials make it impractical to mass produce and market them. In addition, Daft Punk owns the copyright and concept rights to the helmets, so there may be additional licensing fees to pay. In short, yes, we can build you a helmet, but it will cost you thousands of dollars and take a year to produce. Here is how the helmets were made:
1. A model shop cast the face of the musician. This was used to create a bust which was
used as a template for the design.
2. The next step was to modify a motorcycle helmet. The body was cut away to allow for
cables and electronics. Two pin holes were provided so the wearer could see out.
3. Clay models were created for all the unique parts. This included a back pack and an arm
band controller.
4. Electronic displays were designed using prototype PC board materials.
5. The LED display panels were assembled by placing each LED one-by-one into a plastic
sheet and glued into place. Each LED required three feet of wiring to connect it to power
and control circuitry. The finished panel was bolted to the helmet frame.
6. The LED cabling was routed around the “ears” of the helmet and out the back. The
helmet cables led down to the backpack where the main controller board was located.
7. The system was originally powered by batteries, but this was later switched over to a
power cord system.
8. The control keypad on the armband was a custom manufactured PC board.
9. Exterior plastic molding and finishing materials were custom manufactured by a special
effects studio to complete the helmet. Once these pieces were added, the helmet details
were touched up with paint.
See? That’s an easy homemade gift. So hop to it! I know you can do it. I’ll be waiting.
While checking out Punknews.org this evening I could not help but get excited for the Van’s 2009 Warped Tour. The successful punk rock festival created by Kevin Lyman looks to be getting back to it’s punk roots this year. This will mark the 15th year the festival has been running.
Can you say awesome? WIth Bad Religion, Flogging Molly, NOFX, and Shooter Jennings listed I am going to be there for sure. In fact I may try to hit the Cleveland and Columbus shows… maybe even Pittsburgh!
I have has the pleasure of reviewing and photographing the Warped Tour in 2007 and 2008. I hope again to be able to cover the festival as each year is all so entertaining.
Something that got my attention too was the announcement by Kevin Lyman on NotMTV.tv that there would be some changes at the next installment of the Warped Tour including 40 minute sets, less stages with only one major stage, and ticket prices staying hopefully around the same price. By the looks of the line up too it looks as if he is making a point to actually have a more punk oriented festival in 2009..
Here is an interview with the creator of the longest running festival ever thanks to NotMTV.tv:
I found out some info about the movie thanks to Wikipedia. The movie is acutally is a prequel to the X-Men film trilogy (approx. 20 years before), focusing on Wolverine and his time with Team X, before Wolverine’s skeleton was bonded with that indestructible metal.
This is one movie I will be checking out in the theater.
I finally have a moment here today to let you all know what has been going on.
Yesterday we received unexpected news, my wife’s grandfather passed away.
We the received terrible news yesterday evening that my wife’s grandfather passed. He has been ill for quite some time now and was fighting to live each day. It was sad to see him pass, but he is at peace now. He was a good man and will be terribly missed.
Every year since we met, my wife and I travel to see her grandparents around the holidays. We drive to upstate New York and stay for a long weekend. We had planned on actually coming up today before the sad news we received.
With what happened of course we drove up but things are a little different and a whole lot sorrowful.
There is a lot going on right now. I am not going in to detail about everything but what I can tell you is that I am going to stay strong for my wife and her family and be there for her during this difficult time.
I will continue to do what I do on here when I can. If you need to get in touch with me I have limited internet access. I will be in NY for an undisclosed amount of time to try and help with anything I can.