A classic case of 'Form Follows Function'

In the late 1920s, Soviet architect Konstantin Melnikov proposed a worker's dormitory that would "intensify the process of slumber." It was designed with sloping floors, for instance, which would "obviate the need for pillows" (!). Wonderfully, though, the whole building was a kind of machine-womb, because sleep technicians in a central control booth would "command instruments to regulate the temperature, humidity, and air pressure, as well as to waft salubrious scents and 'rarefied condensed air' through the halls."

They would also play a natural soundtrack throughout the dorms with nature sounds, all to perfect the experience of sleep. "Should these fail, the mechanized beds would then begin to rock gently until consciousness was lost." These would have been "sleep labs" for the workers of the Soviet Empire. All fun aside, I just love this building! No idea if it's ever realized, but still..

Gee, didn't see that one coming.. ;p

That certain feeling..

Do you know that feeling? A feeling of remembrance or recognition, and you know about it, but you can’t put your finger on it? It’s like thinking about someone and you can’t figure out their name. But you do know it, yes sir, you do know it.

And finally, once you hear it or when it does pop up, you have that “aawwww” sensation, that ‘that’s it!’ moment followed by the feeling of relief? Finally, you can get some sleep. Really, something like this will keep me up for hours. But once the answer is there, you can get on with your life..

The last time this happened to me ended yesterday, after starting Saturday night. Damn! Suzanne and I were having dinner with my dad and his wife. My dad cooked a great meal (he’s a hell of a chef, with a little help of his beloved wife that is) and we were sitting and relaxing afterwards, discussing all kinds of stuff. In the background he had a CD with great classical music. All of a sudden I hear this melody that I recognize. Don’t get me wrong, there are several classical pieces I know and recognize, but bare with me.

This particular piece of music is definitely used in ‘De Efteling’, my most beloved theme park of all times. I'm kinda addicted to 'De Efteling'. Sure, it was easy enough to read the credits on the cover of the CD, but I still had no idea which attraction/ ride the melody belongs to. And then it started. I just had to figure it out. Finally, after going through my CD collection and several boxes of stuff I hardly touch, I found my official Efteling CD. “You have that?” I can hear you think. Yes, I do. And what’s even worse, when I went to the states 6,5 years ago, I took it with me, just so I could listen to it occasionally.

Anyway, once I had it it took me about three seconds: it’s the music belonging to the ‘Six Servants’ story, which in the ‘Fairytale Forrest’ (Sprookjesbos) is visualized by ‘Langnek’ (image above), one of the Eftelings most famous characters. Anyway, with a sigh of relief I just sent an e-mail to my dad telling him about it. It’s.. uhm.. what’s it called again? Oh, right: "In a Monastery Garden", by Albert W. Ketèlbey!

Not part of the act, but Damn, that’s funny!

'Kasper the Clown' faces prison for punching schoolboy

As a child going to the circus, you might expect the clown to throw a bucket of confetti at you, or squirt you with water from the flower on jacket or hat. You certainly wouldn't be prepared for him to grab you by the scruff of the neck, punch and kick you and leave you needing hospital treatment for cuts and bruises. Unless it's 'In Living Colors' 'Homey the Clown'.

As these pictures show, that's exactly what happened when 12-year-old Amos Lutz met Kaspar the Clown at a circus in Leipzig, Germany. Amos' mistake seems to have been to hurl confetti at Kaspar - otherwise known as Bernd Kalster, 47 - as he walked by.

Clown Bernd punched and kicked helpless Amos to the ground, then claimed it was self defence. Kaspar clearly failed to see the funny side. He took hold of Amos and punched and kicked him, even as the youngster curled into a ball to try to protect himself.

The clown has now been arrested and charged with causing actual bodily harm. He faces the prospect of six months in prison. Amos said: 'At first I thought he was mucking about. But I went down hard on the ground and I saw him balling his fists and growling at me behind his smile. He really hit me hard. He was punching and kicking, swearing at me the whole time. I was very frightened. It's not like I threw a stone at him, just some fluffy bits of paper.'

Kaspar claimed Amos had struck him in the face after the clown told him off for throwing the confetti in an area where there were 'no litter' signs. But bystanders said only confetti was thrown and nothing more.

Amos's father Stephan Lutz, 43, said: 'My son doesn't lie. 'He thought he was being jolly throwing the confetti and this is how he was repaid. The clown's a psycho.'

I can't help finding this highly amusing. Well, it could have been self defense, if Kaspar would have been a clown in Colombia. In this south American country three clowns have been murdered within a years time. Last week alone two clowns were killed in a rain of bullets. Somehow I imagine these guys just not being funny. Ever heard of that Monty Python sketch ‘The killing Joke’?

Start the day shootin' up!

Now here's a mug you can point at me any time! It's the 'Mugnum'; a design competition entry by Mohd Fizea Zaukefli.

He designed this great coffee mug with a handgun grip for people who don't really appreciate mornings. Or just love to drink their coffee quietly, without being disturbed. Like me. A genius solution when you need a shot of caffeine! (*bad pun, I know..*)

We’re good for another year!

Every year a car needs a check-up on it’s technical state, car safety and roadworthiness. It’s called the APK, comparable to the British MOT. The car can either be approved to drive along the Dutch roads for another year, or be disapproved. In the last scenario you can do two things. You make sure it gets the needed repairs and is checked again (hoping it to be approved, of course), or you bring it to a scrap yard, say your goodbyes, ignore the tears and go out to find a ‘new’ ride. Not at the scarp yard, naturally.

My car was up for its APK and to tell you the truth, I doubted if it would pass. It sure as hell needed work. But if the amount of work would turn out to be very valuable, it’s not sure if the car is worth it. I got some new parts and it needed a big part of welding to the bottom. Which made the body as strong and stiff as it once was designed to be, but eventually had an un-expected effect: the door on the drivers-side closes a little harder. The door on the passenger side though, which always was a little crooked, now fits like a glove. The welding seems to have brought back my car in its ‘original shape’, so to speak.

As it turned out on an earlier check up about two years ago it has been in quite a big crash (side impact on the drivers door, analysis has showed), so the damage was, however cleverly disguised (and never admitted) by the garage, clearly visible. Luckily it’s a strong car, and though 15 years old, it’s ready for another year, or approximately 22.000 miles. It drives great. The brakes are re-fitted, the gear-box tightened and the chassis is once again solid as a rock. And best of all, it wasn’t that big of an expense. Sure, money is money, but it’s worth it. Next years APK will be a challenge though, because I do feel the car is coming to its end. And we have had so many adventures together.. But at least now I know I have a whole year to save up for another ride, in case the Clio doesn’t make it. But then again, he did surprise me this year too, so..

There she is.. less than 20 hours old..

Welcome to this world!

Last night (or rather, this morning) around 01:00 AM we welcomed a baby-girl into the family. Rob, Suzanne's brother, and his girlfriend Samanta became the proud parents of a small blond-haired girl they lovingly named Shakira.

There are no photos yet, but I'll post them ASAP. Rob and Samanta asked Suzanne and myself to be the little girl’s godparents! How cool is that? Capiche?

This chart nicely sums up the Bush presidency

PS: For those who were wondering: 'WWGWBD' stands for 'What Would George W Bush Do'. Just so you know.

Internet rage explained: why people misbehave

A New York Times story on the psychopathology of flame wars has -- surprise! -- generated much heated discussion around the internet: John Suler, a psychologist at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., suggested that several psychological factors lead to online disinhibition: the anonymity of a Web pseudonym; invisibility to others; the time lag between sending an e-mail message and getting feedback; the exaggerated sense of self from being alone; and the lack of any online authority figure.

Dr. Suler notes that disinhibition can be either benign — when a shy person feels free to open up online — or toxic, as in flaming. What's behind those flaming hot e-mails or UseNet flame wars or MetaFilter comments? Perhaps, as John Suler suggested, there are a number of factors, including dissociate anonymity, invisibility, a- synchronicity, solipsistic introjection (altered self-boundaries), dissociate imagination, and minimization of authority, as he discussed in his fascinating 2004 paper.

There's truth in this theory. Check it out around you. Blogging to some extend can be anonymous. Revealing your identity though can be liberating to the blogger and add that little dimension based on feeling close to someone, of being trusted with what’s on someone’s mind. By the way, my real name is Jochem Messbauer ;p. The other side is the cruel and mean commenting and posting that occurs on several locations on the internet.

Back when I worked/ did my internship at Shoot.nl, we tried to create a community based on the impossibility of anonymity. Becoming a member and taking part was only possible when your identity was known. The main purpose of this community was to create a safe environment to chat, e-mail and present yourself. Five years ago this just didn't work. Then too anonymity was one of the attractive perils of the Internet. Basically it allows people to do their worst and get away with it. But even when so many people complain about the unsafety of Internet, hardly anything has changed.

Nowadays communities such as Hyves seem to be successful because of the lack of anonymity. But overall it's really people who want to be known who join communities like Hyves. People who don't want to be known but want to be someone completely different even can turn to Second Life. Where, in all honesty, boundaries are really only taken away with money (read this awesome post about SL to get an idea). And let's be fair: sex may just be the biggest element contributing to the success of Second Life. And if you need a second Life for that, maybe you're just better off being anonymous.

Woo-ha ha ha ha ha!

Uhm, okay?

Yesterday was the last day of carnaval. Yes, that four-day binge-drinking event some people define as being culture. Well, I for one am glad it’s over. It’s been a nuisance all together. Loud music, people shouting in the middle of the night, etc. I’m looking forward to tonight, when my first night of undisturbed sleep will arrive. Hopefully.

One thing which made me laugh though was this car. Or better, how it was parked. I came across it at the street we live at on Saturday morning. I can imagine someone being so wasted he couldn’t see the white lines to park in-between, but this is ridiculous. How on earth do you park your car sideways, in between to bigger vehicles? And best of all, how did he get it out again? It was gone a few hours later..

This may be yummy!

Marmite, a spread made from left over brewer's yeast, has announced a special St Paddy's day version made from Guinness yeast. Not a very surprising combination, but interesting nevertheless.

I like Marmite, and I like Guinness. Combined.. well.. that's something my taste-buds can figure out. If I'm ever gonna get my hands on one of the limited 300,000 jars.

Colourful concrete cities

Back in the days when mass-production had priority over design and architecture, the world was dealt a poor hand in building opportunities. Though concrete does have the ability to be shaped into.. well, basically anything, the usage eventually was limited to giant slabs which formed massive apartment blocks. Row after row of soulless ten stories and up flats. Grey, bunker-like, unattractive, massive and most of all, depressing. Some might say they're the result of social housing projects, which in some cases is simply true. Back in the über-social/ communist states these buildings can be found standing around in the thousands, shaping entire districts of cities such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg. And that when the Russians actually know what you can do with concrete. Remember my post on Russian bus stops?

Nevertheless, though communism isn't no longer the apparent social structure in Russia, many people are still living in the social giants of yesteryear. But with a difference: buildings are torn down, replaced or, in case the funding is really low, painted over. The residences of Ramenskoye (southeast of Moscow) are painted with giant, colourful murals that run the whole height and breadth of these enormous, brutalist apartment blocks. Though they're still the same anonymous bunker like depressing structures, they nowadays add a little colour to public life of mother Russia. I can imagine walking around that area just turns a little smile on your Wodka-filled face. Brilliant!

A car ánd chocolate.. reminds me of those surprise-eggs

A Chinese car dealer covered a car in chocolate for Valentine's Day. About 200 kilos of melted chocolate was spread over the VW Beetle after it was first wrapped in cling film (smart move!). Seven people worked overnight to make sure the chocolate car was ready to go on display on the morning of Valentine's Day.

According to China News Network, the car attracted many viewers and lovers (bugs, perhaps?) to the dealer in Qingdao city. I guess this would be the witches' car in a modern version of the Hansel and Gretel fairytale.. This is every woman's dream car, right? But I hate to think how it would be like, standing at the traffic lights, people munching away at your side view-mirrors or bumpers..

Sunday thinker: Fact or Faith?

I am a believer. In myself, that is. Though raised Roman Catholic (baptized and all), I'm not a churchgoing believer. I believe in a higher power, sure, but I don't believe a church is the only place where I can call upon it, or something like that. Everyone is free to believe in who-ever or whatever they like. Really.

But I don't like those same people to attack those who believe something different. The way religious people (well, some of them anyway) tend to ignore scientific fact the soon as it contradicts with their beliefs. It's all lies, supposedly. Well, to tell you the truth, dinosaur bones tell me more about the history of the world then a book, which was translated over a thousand times, written by some guys. A book. Right. Stephen King writes books. Doesn't mean they're bases for a religion. Which would be cool though, praying to the Dog-god Cujo or something.

Anyway, evolution and religion are opposites to say the least. That's why a flowchart is needed. And here it is. Wellington Grey has two flowcharts, explaining the scientific method and the "faith" method. For science, you get an idea, try it out empirically, evaluate it in the face of new evidence, and modify your idea accordingly. For faith, you get an idea, you believe in it. That's basically it. The two can live together, but on a daily bases, the science part does it for me.

Doodling on your placemat.. who's hasn't been there?

Shitty birds..

There we go again *sigh*

Yes, once more it’s that time of year. Carnaval. The southern part of the Netherlands will be going totally mental for the next four or five day. A feast filled with flirtatious behaviour, dressing up and consuming enormous amounts of alcohol, all to the tune of numerous dumb songs filled with the simplest lyrics combined with ‘Lalalalalala’.

This is what some people might call culture. Well, to me, it’s not. Some might say “you’re going to have a great time”, others who might know me a little longer know I hate Carnaval. So far I haven’t been confronted by any of it (knock on wood), but I’m afraid of what the weekend might bring. I bet sleep will be out of the question. As is parking my car, doing grocery shopping etc.

Basically, everything is affected by this ceremony of stupidity. And that’s my point. I don’t mind other people behaving like idiots (to some extend I’m used to that), but don’t let it interfere with the lives of those who just don’t care about that kinda thing. Crap! I’m very much annoyed already. To quote the great philosopher Paul Teutel sr.: I'm getting aggravated.. It's the same ordeal every year! I'm actually getting milder!

True love.. Suzanne knows best

True love comes in many forms. One of them is knowing what makes your partner tick. And Suzanne seems to know me like she created me herself: for Valentines day she got me a DVD box called 'The Monty Python's Flying Circus Personal Best Collection'.

It's a six DVD box set, with one DVD per Python. Every DVD contains the personal best (and the personal second best, in true Python style) from and interviews with (or about, in Graham Chapman’s case, including his hilarious funeral, believe it or not) the Python in question. It's absolutely fab!

So, B, in case you wanna hang out and you’re in for a Pythonaton, in stead of a movie-marathon, let me know! In the mean time, this up-coming weekend I will be Pythoning untill the cows come home, or the penguin on the telly explodes. And the thing is, Suzanne doesn’t like Python as much. But whatever makes me happy.. Isn’t she the best? Oh, and in case you’re wondering what I got her: I bought her the sweater she really, really wanted.

Now I know it's not like you need to give presents, or material business which makes Valentines day special. Heck, it isn't special at all. Every day you should tell your loved one how you feel, not just on february 14th, to use a cliché. But still.. I'm so happy! Albatros!

(Un-)Real?

These multi-function Swiss Army-shades from Not-So-Bright Sunwear must be a hoax -- I refuse to believe that anyone is manufacturing a pair of suglasses with an integrated drinking straw and back-scratcher. The idea isn't even that bad, could work, but a back-scratcher?! Really..

Other car-related info: a lesson in safety ;p

I've been complaining about people who have the tendency to use their car as a litter box. People with rubbish on the backseat, trash on the shelf and stuff under every seat. It's up to them, but they should realize everything lying around has the ability to go on adventure and roll under a gas- or braking pedal. With the results to be expected. As a warning the next story. A bit of an excess, I hope, but still..

The overflowing trash in this Boston woman's car resulted in an accident. According to police, there was so much trash inside 53-year-old Ann Biglan's Ford Focus, it completely filled the inside from the floor to the ceiling front and back. The copious amounts of trash apparently caused the crash.

Biglan told police several old coffee cups and pieces of trash fell onto the gas and brake pedal, which caused her to lose control while backing out of a parking space near the West Yarmouth Post Office. Police said the trash that fell on the pedal caused the Focus to pick up speed, drive over a curb, across Route 28, hit a Ford Explorer and back over a sidewalk. Biglan's car finally came to a rest after crashing into a flowerpot in the parking lot of the West Yarmouth Mobil gas station. There. I rest my case. Clean up your car.

Happy Valentine's Day!

And it's just funny, not a hint, B!

Ehm.. wasn't there a house?

Yup, and I must admit its been a while since my last update on the house. But as a matter of fact, there have hardly been any outside changes. Most of it is done inside now. But at leat the end is in sight. It's going to be within the next couple of months. The exact date I'm keeping a secret! Plus it's not exact yet, so..

Hunters shoots washing machine

A German hunter hit a washing machine, electric drier and the wall before finally killing a wild pig that was on the rampage in a house. The pig had run into the communal wash room of a house in Ketzerbachtal in Saxony, and started shredding sheets and clothing.

Attempts to drive it out of the house failed and hunter Walter Kopinger, 57 was called to kill the animal. Because of the confined space he used a Magnum 357 rather than his rifle but still only managed to hit the animal after several shots.

More great ads

A little town called Fucking

There is a town in Austria called "Fucking." This Google map link shows that there are a number of Fucking roads there, and a quick fucking glance at the fucking satellite view shows a whole fucking lot of trees and farmland nearby.

Besides Fucking, Europe houses more places with brilliant names such as Petting, which is a small town in Bavaria, and there`s a village called "Killer" in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Here in the Netherlands, we have our share of cool names, such as Boerenhol, which could be translated into 'Farmers' ass'.

Around the world other places include Dildo, Newfoundland and the town of Intercourse, Pennsylvania. We shouldn't forget about Climax, Michigan and their annual 'Run to Climax race'. From Climax it is only about 33 miles to the town of Fertile. There is also a Climax in the great state of New York -- and the neighboring towns, believe it or not, are Surprise and Coxsackie. In Norway, there's a place called Hell. Their city counsil website actually says "Temperatures in Hell can reach -20°C during winter." That's just Fucking awesome.

From now on, saying 'Fucking' can't be concidered swearing! And it sure does change the way we play that 'citynames-game' we played B! Imagine how cool t would be if you would get married in one of those places? And your marriage-certificate says you're married in Hell?

By the way, the sign in the image translates to: "fucking, not so fast, please." God, can you believe that?!

My kinda restaurant, my kinda advertising

Disturbing? Maybe, but very strong..

This is an advert for “Fondation Nicolas Hulot”, an environmental French association fighting against human destroying activities and climate changes.

The resemblance to the famous imigary is striking, and very recognizable. The message is clear and does create awareness, though I can imagine some people might object to this. Not just to the visual metaphor, but in fact to the resemblance of humanity to a terrible kind of terrorism.

Oh, thank God!

You know that annoying tune that you can't place or get out of your head? Sometimes it will keep me awake, as long as I can't figure it out. And I'm no singing sensation, so humming it to Suzanne doesn't help either. It's like the first round of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, but without getting an answer! But now, there seems to be an answer! Thank God!

An American company has recently launched www.midomi.com. It's a site that names most tunes that you can hum, sing or whistle a tune into your computer microphone. The Web site relies on voice-activated search technology that analyses sounds and matches them against a music database. Based on the tune users ask it to search, Midomi.com also suggests links to songs that it thinks might appeal to the user.

"With midomi.com, we have created one of the most entertaining search engines on the Web," Keyvan Mohajer, CEO of Melodis Corporation said in a press release this week.

Users can create their own profile, sing their favourite songs, share them and get discovered by other users. A kind of audio youtube, you might say. I doubt if the database contains any songs by Dutch artists like the Dolly Dots or BZN. But then again, if you have a song by one of those artists stuck in your head, you deserve to be tortured anyway. Next up: a website that gives you the name of the actor or movie you can't seem to come up with, just by giving it clues. Anyone?

Remarkable. Tragically true, but remarkable..

This is a snapshot by blogger and displaced New Orleans resident Jonno d'Addario. He explains in the comments on his Flickr page:

"There used to be 1086 pages of residential listings (= above the blue line) in the 2004 directory vs. 765 pages in the new one. Page thickness seems the same as far as I can tell. What's also interesting is that the 2007 directory has a Lasik surgery banner ad (?!) on the top of every page, reducing the number of listings per page to 250 or so; there's an average of about 300 listings per page in the 2004 directory".

It's a tragic truth and consequence to the flooding of New Orleans and many of its inhabitants not surviving or having to flee the area. The idea that some area's and thousands of homes will very probably not be rebuild sure makes you wonder if the register ever will return to its voluptuous pre-Katrina size. In a weird way this is an actual registration of events..

What's with the Thursdays?

For no apparent reason it seems like 2007 promises to be the year when all storms appear on Thursday. The last couple of weeks we've seen heavy winds, rain, flooding, trees falling down and so on.

And today, we're expecting snow. And not that Dutch kind of so-called-snow, that wet and irritating drizzle, but real white 'dry' snow. Presumably we'll have about ten centimetres of the stuff by the end of the day.

I started early today, and I'm leaving early too. Remember what happened last year, at the sighting of the first snowflake? Yes, the Netherlands came to a halt. Well, I am not going to get caught in that mess. I'm going home early and plan on building a snowman in the park. Storm, weather-warning.. yeah, right. Bring it on!

The most luxurious traffic jam ever?

Check out this radar shot of corporate jets leaving Miami after the Superbowl -- a traffic jam of the rich and powerful.

The swiss revival

Last year, or better, exactly one year ago, me and my buddy B went to Switzerland. We visited our buddy Ron, enjoyed Zurich, did some boarding.. well, everything you might have read about back then. If you're a regular visitor to Dailyyoghurt anyway. We experienced some Swiss traditions too. Regarding food and drinks, especially. Cheese fondue being the best one, if you ask me.

Now, a year later, McDonalds, our all-time favourite fast-food merchant, has introduced the Swiss weeks. Coincidence? I think not! As a special they're offering burgers based on Swiss meals. This week the McFondue joined the burger-ranks. Naturally, I had to taste it myself. So, during lunchtime, Wil (a colleague) and I went out for a walk, out to get a McFondue. Though they kept me waiting, it was worth it!

Let me grade it: the taste was an 8,5, the meat was a 9, the bread was an 8, the cheese deserves a 9 too. The size deserves a 9. And that coming from me, eh? Price was a 7 and the eating experience a 6. Why a six? It's big, and slippery, due to the cheese. The meat wants to escape from between the halves of bread. You might need a fork and a knife to eat it, and that's not part of the McDonalds experience if you ask me. Anyway, it's not really Swiss, but it comes close. I just needed an introduction..

No, I’m not jealous. I’m irritated.

Yesterday several Dutch regional papers were presented in the new tabloid-format. I for one applaud this change, because the tabloid is way easier to read and handle. But to be honest, I hardly ever buy a paper. Let’s face it: all the news is on the Internet anyway, and if it’s not, there are three (and another one on the horizon) different papers available for nothing.

Anyway, one of the papers here thought the introduction would be fun if they would give away approximately 1400 comfy beanbags. A good idea, right? But instead of handing them out to subscribers, who have been paying for their papers for years and years, they just scattered them around on five locations, different cities in the area. The idea was that people who sat on them between four o’clock and six o’clock in the afternoon could take one home.

But guess what happened? Hundreds of people who were able to spend a few hours during a weekday doing nothing came out and confiscated the bags, no matter if they had a subscription to the actual paper. They didn’t just sit there for two or three hours: they came out and sat down the minute the trucks unloaded the beanbags around seven o’clock in the morning. Let’s just evaluate: people who are able to sit on their ass for a few hours a day often don’t have jobs. I mean, what boss would allow his workers to take free from work in order to get a beanbag? They’re very likely to be students, elderly, jobless people and/ or social drop-outs. And believe me, there are plenty of those around this city. What do these people have in common? Nine out of ten times they don’t have a subscription to any paper.

The people who have subscriptions are working, in order to get some cash. That way they’re able to pay for a subscription to something like a paper. With the money generated by subscriptions (and advertising, but basically it all comes down to the readers) papers can exist.

So, when a special event related to the paper takes place, the first people you should ‘reward’ are those who support you and actually pay for your event. But on a weekday, these people work. They can’t get out. And the excuse they have done it this way to attract new potential subscribers is rubbish: the people who went home with one of the beanbags are at the end of the day still in able to pay for a subscription or are like me, and read free papers of the digital paper on the internet. Those who did have subsriptions and were able to get a beanbag because they had the day off or something, they very probably exist. But they're a minority. Maybe five percent.

And it’s not that I think only subscribers should profit from this, but I would have done it differently. Let’s face it, subscribers feel ignored. Reward them. Spend some of the cash they spent on this ‘event’ on lowering the price of a subscription. And with the cash you save, you can always organize a tally, so subscribers can react and send in a coupon with their subscription number. Give away fifty or a hundred beanbags. And you still save money! And please, don't say your main intention is media-coverage. You're a paper. You create media-coverage.

With the rest of the money, make sure that every inhabitant of one of the cities gets a free copy of the new tabloid paper delivered to their doorstep. A free paper on the doormat is rewards enough. You might even get some people who can actually pay for a subscription but are subscribed to another paper to give up their old paper and change to your paper. Brilliant! Another big plus, people react out of enthusiasm in stead of greed.

Greed? Yes, greed, because within 24 hours of this event the first beanbags were offered for sale on different websites. And this amount will only grow. People who just want to make a fast buck. It has nothing to do with the fun of owning a beanbag. Now, what do I care, right? I don’t have a subscription, and I don’t care much for beanbags. But its simply the badly thought out and executed concept, the chances they didn’t take and the fact, the ‘unfairness’ that trusty subscribers are neglected and people who don’t deserve it in my book get away with the fun stuff. I can’t stand that.

Weird news of the world..

Teen gets frostbite after barefoot run

BUFFALO, Minn. - A teenager who wanted to continue the family tradition of running around the garden barefoot during halftime of the Super Bowl game has learned a painful lesson.

It was 17 below zero at halftime Sunday in this city about 30 miles northwest of Minneapolis, and D.J. Brown's dad said it was too cold to continue the tradition. But the 18-year-old senior at Buffalo High School ran outside in his T-shirt and jeans, threw off his socks and shoes, and ran around the block.

Brown said he was outside only five minutes, but his feet started swelling and blistering when he got back inside. The pain was excruciating. "I consider myself having a high pain threshold, and this was just so 10 out of 10," he said. "I was, like, chewing on a towel."

He was treated for second-degree frostbite on both feet at the burn center at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and was on crutches and pain medication Monday. His burn specialist said he should be fine, but it'll take a few weeks. "Cold weather is just as dangerous as pouring scalding water on your feet," said Dr. Leslie Smith. Brown, who said he's a straight-A student, chalked up his actions to "teenage arrogance." Brown hopes others will learn from his mistake. "I wouldn't want anyone else to go through this," he said.

Electrocuted owl cuts power to 23,000

CASPER, Wyo. - An owl electrocuted itself in an electrical substation, briefly knocking out power to almost 23,000 customers in south Casper.

Margaret Oler, spokeswoman for Rocky Mountain Power, said the bird tripped the high-voltage line at 10:20 p.m. Sunday, shutting down that and three other substations. She called it the largest outage she's seen in 25 years.

"Our equipment operated exactly as it should have and did not allow the damage to go further," Oler said. It took about an hour to restore power.

Okay, great. But how's the owl doing?

Candice the Ghost: pretty (,) creepy

Artist David Ho's work, seen here, will be shown as part of a new group show opening this Friday at Seattle's Roq La Rue gallery. Also exhibiting will be Ronald Kurniawan and Femke Hiemnstra. From the description of Ho's art:

David Ho’s work is created digitally, yet has the feel and look of aged watercolors. The series he is exhibiting, "Candice the Ghost" is a short departure from his more dark and sinister work. The series is devoted to a story about a little girl who dies and becomes a ghost.

Her desire to become human forces her to look upon the human race with jealousy and rage - a kind of love/hate relationship. But with help from the gods, she ultimately learns to control her inner demons, attain inner peace and help mankind.

This parable uses Eastern imagery and philosophy as its map, though the journey Candice must make will look familiar to anyone who has looked inward at the dark side within.

Superbowl: Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears

Last night was the one most important night in the month of February. It was the Sunday known as super Sunday. It was the night of the Superbowl! And for some stupid reason the whole event wasn't broadcasted on any of the Dutch TV-channels. Bunch of assholes. We're forced to watch a couple of thousand plastic Domino's put up by people who are too lazy or to fucking dumb to work fall over, or some lame-ass anti-social beer-guzzling idiots throw darts in a game that has outgrown the term 'pub-game' and all of a sudden seems to be a sport (yeah, right), but the noble game of American Football is nowhere to be seen. Damnit! Luckily, the Germans know good sports and did show the entire game. It took some getting used to the German commentary, but overall, the did a pretty good job.

The match itself was miserable. Though the location was Miami Florida, rain poured down in unbelievable amounts. So much for enthusiast fans and parties: everyone got flushed away. And after the Chicago Bears started the match with a brilliant touchdown (when sensational Bears rookie Devin Hester sped downfield for 92 yards) within the first 14 seconds, all looked well for me, rooting for the Bears and all. But that was it. After that, the Colts dominated the game. And though some papers claim the two teams were evenly strong and the match only turned the Colts way in the fourth quarter, it was clear from the second quarter on: the Colts were way stronger. Anyway, here's a recap of the match. Next year the location will be Arizona, were it hardly ever rains. And hopefully next year I'll have satellite TV, so I can watch the game live, broadcast by NBC sports or something. It's worth staying up lait for.

MIAMI (Feb. 4, 2007) -- Tony Dungy, beaming and sporting an NFL champions cap, waded through the mob on the soggy field until he found his quarterback, Peyton Manning. And there they stood in the rain, the winning Super Bowl coach and the MVP, finally savoring a moment that was a long time coming.

A wet and wild night of Super Bowl firsts brought Dungy, Manning and the Indianapolis Colts to the top of the NFL with a 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears. A team built for indoors found its footing on a rain-soaked track. The Colts were far less sloppy, particularly their star quarterback, who proved he can indeed win the big game -- the biggest game. "Peyton is a tremendous player, a great leader," Dungy said. "He prepares, he works, does everything you can do to win games and lead your team. If people think he needed to win a Super Bowl, that is just wrong. This guy is a Hall of Fame player and one of the greatest ever to play."
And now he is a champion. So is his coach. "It's hard to put into words," said Manning, who completed 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards with one touchdown and one interception. "I'm proud to be part of this team. We stuck together, won this game for our leader, Tony Dungy." Dungy became the first black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie Smith in a game that featured the first two black coaches in the Super Bowl.

"It feels great. I thought about that as I was on the podium," Dungy said. "Being the first African-American coach to win it. I have to dedicate to some guys before me -- great coaches I know could have done this if they had gotten the opportunity. Lovie and I were able to take advantage of it. We certainly weren't the most qualified."

Dungy's ring wasn't the only first. It also was the first rainy Super Bowl and the first time an opening kickoff was run back for a touchdown, when sensational Bears rookie Devin Hester sped downfield for 92 yards. Over the final 49 minutes, Kelvin Hayden and the Colts defense outscored the Bears offense. And not since the Buffalo Bills self-destructed with nine turnovers in losing to Dallas 14 years ago had there been so much messiness. The first half was marred by six turnovers, three for each team. Even football's most clutch kicker, Adam Vinatieri, missed a chip-shot field goal for the Colts, who botched an extra point attempt, too. When much-maligned Bears quarterback Rex Grossman's wobbly pass was picked off and returned 56 yards for a touchdown by Kelvin Hayden with 11:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, it was over. "I'm so proud of our guys," Dungy said. "We took the hit early with Devin Hester. We talked about it; it's going to be a storm. Sometimes you have to work for it. Our guys played so hard and I can't tell you how proud I am of our group, our organization and our city."

Chicago (15-4), which led the league in takeaways this season, finished with five turnovers, including two interceptions by Grossman. "A frustrating loss," Grossman said. "There were definitely opportunities for us to take that game, and we didn't do it." The Colts (16-4) will take it. It's their first title since the 1970 season, when they played in Baltimore. It was confirmation of Manning's brilliance, even if he didn't need to be dynamic. The son of a quarterback who never got to the playoffs, Manning has been a star throughout his college career at Tennessee and his nine pro seasons with the Colts. It also was a validation of Dungy's leadership. He helped build Tampa Bay, one of the NFL's worst franchises, into a contender before being fired after the 2001 season. The next year, the Bucs won the Super Bowl under Jon Gruden.

Now it was finally was Dungy's turn. As his players hoisted their coach on their shoulders, he switched his blue Colts cap for a white one that read "NFL champions." Dungy was carried from the sideline, then was lowered so he could share a long embrace and a handshake with Smith. "I just told Lovie how proud I was of the moment," Dungy said The Colts reached the pinnacle by winning four postseason games with a defense that made a complete turnaround in the playoffs. And with a running game that perfectly complemented Manning, thanks to Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, who combined for 190 yards -- 113 on 21 carries by Rhodes and 77 on 19 carries by Addai, who also caught 10 passes for 66 yards.

Chicago was denied its first Super Bowl title since its powerhouse 1985 team. These Bears could have used Da Coach, Sweetness and their buddies. It rained from start to finish; there was even Purple Rain during halftime when Prince sang some of his signature songs. And though Vinatieri twice was a victim of the slop, he kicked three field goals. "We knew handling the ball would be tough," Dungy said. "We showed we could win many ways." Hester's spectacular return provided a stunning beginning -- and a severe jolt to the Colts. The local product and only rookie All-Pro this season pumped his arms to excite the crowd before the kickoff, then lifted the fans from their seats with an electrifying run on which he never was touched. He barely touched the ball again as Indy went to squibbing kickoffs.

Peyton Manning had only one touchdown pass, but consistently moved his team into field-goal range. Leading 16-14 at halftime, the Colts spent half the third quarter with a march to Vinatieri's 24-yard field goal. Twice on the drive, Manning fell to the ground while throwing. But he completed them. Grossman had it even worse on Chicago's initial possession of the second half, slipping and getting sacked on back-to-back plays. Maybe he would have done better on icy turf. Thomas Jones, forced to carry the Bears' entire rushing load when Cedric Benson was hurt in the first half, was Chicago's best player. But with Grossman ineffective, even inept, all the Bears managed in the second half was Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal late in the third period.

After Hester's opening dagger, Manning tried to force a pass to Marvin Harrison in double coverage and was picked off by Chris Harris to spoil Indy's first possession, but the Colts struck back on their next series, converting a trio of third downs. The final one was the most important -- Manning got everything on a long pass to the uncovered Reggie Wayne even though Tank Johnson had his hands on the quarterback. Wayne trotted into the end zone for a 47-yard score.

Then the rain ruined three plays in a row. Holder Hunter Smith dropped the snap on the extra point and Vinatieri couldn't get off a kick. Then Vinatieri, well aware of who was lurking deep, squibbed the kickoff to tight end Gabe Reid, who fumbled at his 35, with Tyjuan Hagler recovering for the Colts. But Manning and Addai botched the handoff on the next snap and Chicago's Mark Anderson recovered, the third turnover in the first 8½ minutes. Couldn't anybody play this game? Jones certainly could. He used a sharp cutback to break a 52-yard run, the longest of his career, to the Colts 5, and Grossman found Muhammad in the front of the end zone for a 14-6 lead. Jones finished with 112 yards rushing.

A fourth giveaway in the opening quarter, by Benson on his first carry before injuring his knee, didn't damage Chicago. Vinatieri, who made two Super Bowl-winning kicks for New England, nailed a 29-yard field goal early in the second period, but was wide left from 32 yards at the end of the half. Vinatieri still set a record with 49 postseason points.

This is funny stuff, he he he!

Gelli Baff is a powder that you pour into your kid's tub to turn the water into coloured slime. The goo is a completely harmless powder that soaks up 400 times it's own weight in water. When the fun's all done, add the dissolver sachet and the goo disappears. In fact Gelli Baff is just SPA (sodium polyacrylate).

Sounds like they've found a fun way of marketing sodium polyacrylate, a non-toxic, water-absorbing polymer that's used in everything from disposable diapers to agriculture. A lot of other substances work well for "busting" the slime once you're done playing, table salt is one, but lots of other household products will do it as well.

Now, the first thought that comes to my mind is "would it work in a swimming pool, and if so, how much of this stuff do I need?". Since a colleague of mine moved to Belgium, into a house with.. you guessed it, a swimming pool. April first is coming up!

Making the closet habitable..-ish..

After reading about the tiny flat in London that sold for €250.000,- (yes, apparantly its sold), Flickr user Simple Simon used SketchUp to draw up plans for a renovation of the place that would render it habitable.

His ideas are pretty clever, though it's hard to imagine how this former closet could ever be worth €250.000,-. The former janitor's storeroom measures 7 square meters and has a cupboard place for a shower and kitchenette area. Potential buyers can expect to fork out an extra €45.000,- to make the room habitable as there is no lighting and it is full of rubble.

Even the estate agent selling the property admitted the flat was "incredibly depressing". If you're like me into design and interiours, you might like 'micro compact homes', tiny flats in beautiful design. Even though almost everyone I know has a lrager house, these small houses have some pretty nifty space-problem solving solutions..

How much fun must they've had?

Can you imagine working on this campaign and having to think out some visuals? The fun they must have had.. Think about a sound you probably never have heard, and then visualizing it? You don't think about sounds, you think about situations, and scripts. This should be so easy when you're mind is black and twisted. Like mine. And yes, I did post this 'ahead'.

Another great ad on sound: Bose noise control!

Cute 'n' creepy

Artist Joe Rosales created an occulty-cute Hello Kitty tarot deck titled "Hello, Tarot." I'm curious to what the 'death'-card looks like.

This might be an opportunity for Dick Bruna, creator to that other cute and cudly creature, 'Nijntje'. However, I have no idea if we, the Dutch, would appreciate something like that.

I wonder where I could buy these cards.. You might be lucky if you were to find a set somewhere online if, er, it's in the cards.

Yes, they do attract attention..

Wearing these bras in Boston could get you arrested. Here in the Netherlands though, these things would be huge success when used during 'carnaval', which is due to begin in.. two weeks? But then again, you would attract a whole lot of attention to your boobs. Do you want that? Would you want that for your girlfriend? I wonder if there's an equivalent for the boys..

Marketing misunderstood: LED ad campaign ignites terrorism scare in Boston

There was a terrorism scare in Boston earlier this week -- strange devices were found all over the city. The bomb squad came and detonated one of them, and removed the others. Turns out the devices are part of a guerrilla marketing campaign for [Cartoon Network's] "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." The devices are little LED Mooninites.

A local TV-station reporting on the case has photoshopped the extended finger from the Mooninite LEDs. Compare the before-and-after photos of the uniformed and helmeted LED disposal expert as he carefully removes the deadly object.

The Graffiti Research Lab, creator of the LED Throwie says: "You may have heard about the most recent terror attacks in Boston. This is NOT the work of the Graffiti Research Lab. It’s just more mindless corporate vandalism from a guerrilla marketer who got busted". That’s one way of putting it..

In the mean time some people are looking at the fun side of it. Raplica is selling T-shirts with a Mooninite and the slogan "ATHF is the bomb" to make fun of the foolish authorities who practically shut down Boston. Ashamed of their own foolish overreaction to finding some battery powered Lite Brites and promptly declaring a code red emergency that shut down Boston, authorities are hoping to save face by arresting Peter Berdovsky, who is charged with installing the innocuous signs.

On his personal website, he posted pictures of a small group installing the figures -- little square-shaped men frowning and making an obscene gesture -- on the exterior wall of a hospital, on the awning of a Cambridge bar, at an Urban Outfitters, and a bridge. On another website, he describes himself as adroit at painting, animation, video and sound design, sculpting and installation art.

Personally, I like the idea and the concept. The actual implementation could have been done more carefully, but hey. Plus, I like lights. And be honoust: this much media attention is simply.. priceless.