It writes like a pen, erases like a pencil, and becomes permanent after 3 days. Sounds like magic.
Choosing colors with 0to255
August 2nd, 2010
0to255 is probably the best tool for finding different shades of one color. From their website:
0to255 cures your color manipulation woes. Simply pick the color that you want to start with and 0to255 gives you a range of colors from black to white using an interval optimized for web design. Then, just click the variation you want to use and the hex code is automatically copied to your clipboard.
I Grew Up in High School
July 6th, 2010I might even say that I didn’t grow up in any meaningful way before I started high school.
I’ve always felt like I have very limited memories of middle school and elementary school. The problem, as I realized recently, isn’t that I have few memories. Rather, it is that my memories don’t seem to include my thoughts – what I wondered, what I thought about, and how I felt about certain things. When probing my memories I get plenty of clear images, but I can’t help but feel like an observer; I can see my past-self doing things and reacting to events, but I have no idea what that child was thinking. I mean, I can guess. I’m sure I’d be pretty good at guessing, since I know the kid well, but it’s strange that this isn’t part of the memory.
This isn’t the case for high school though. I can definitely see parts of my personality in that past self. My emotions come back vividly, and they are as much a part of my memories as the actual events. For me, high school is when everything happened. I had my first romantic relationship. I solidified precious long-term friendships. I opened up to people and brought them into my life. I discovered my passions, and followed them with all of my might. I became closer to my friends than I believed possible. I began to seriously think about the future. I kept dark secrets, and shared them with a trusted few. I cried as many tears of happiness as I did tears of pain. I was confused about the world, and sought to understand it. I struggled to understand myself.
All of these invaluable experiences are what allowed me to grow up. And I believe that it was made possible by those around me, who shared my experiences and allowed me to join theirs. By no means do I claim to be grown-up now, but my point is this – in high school, I took my first steps towards adulthood.
NobodyKnows+ – ココロオドル
July 5th, 2010Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Click here to listen without flash
細かい説明はいらないね。この曲はとにかく最高。
不思議な日本語: Typographic Illusions
June 29th, 2010上二本与卉亠十廿卞广下广卞廿十亠卉与本二上旦上二本与卉亠十廿卞广下广卞廿十亠卉与本二上二本与卉亠十廿卞广下下广卞廿十亠卉与本二上二本与卉亠十廿卞广下广卞廿十亠卉与本二上二本与卉亠十廿卞广下广卞廿十亠卉与本二上二本与卉亠十廿卞广下广卞廿十亠卉与本二上
-
コロコロー (((●
猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー
猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー
猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー
●))) コロコロー
ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫
ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫
ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫ーナマ猫
コロコロー (((●
猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー
猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー
猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー猫マナー
DJ Lobsterdust – It’s Fun to Smoke Dust
June 28th, 2010Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Click here to listen without flash.
Another mashup, but this one deserves a category of its own. The focus of the song is actually a recording of a 1982 lecture given by Pastor Gary Greenwald. Greenwald was a fundamentalist Christian who tried to raise a scare around backmasking, claiming that Satan had placed hidden messages into popular songs. His belief was that our subconscious mind hears these messages, but that they remain undiscovered because they are only audible when the song is played backwards. Mix this recording into the very song that he condemns, and you have a wonderful piece of social commentary.
In Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust, the chorus when played backwards sounds like “It’s fun to smoke marijuana.” I was skeptical, but confirmed that what Greenwald plays is actually a true reversal of the chorus. Amusing for sure, but it doesn’t mean much, as the human brain is wired to find patterns in random sequences. This is what leads to things like the face on mars, or fake subtitles for foreign songs.
Satan aside, this mashup is excellently crafted. The lecture is seamlessly integrated into the song, and Lobsterdust has managed to make the speech sound almost musical. The song stays interesting from beginning to end because it follows the lecture, which has a logical progression. I don’t know Midfield General enough to recognize what’s being sampled, but it’s definitely what’s adding the extra kick. The song is catchy enough to listen superficially, and contains enough interesting content to keep you engaged for the entire 4 minutes.
Kings of Convenience
June 21st, 2010Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Click here and here to listen without flash.
Kings of Convenience are my favorite group ever, so it’s about time I featured them. They’re from Norway, and I think the proper term for their genre is “indie folk-pop”. Both of these songs are from Riot On an Empty Street, which in my opinion has their best work.
The first song, Cayman Islands, has the soothing feel that is shared by the majority of their songs, and this track is one of my favorites. Consequently, it’s also the one song I know how to play on a guitar.
I’d Rather Dance With You is actually the first song that I ever heard by them, and the music video is truly excellent.