Life Without Toast - Sibling Rivalry

There's an amazing documentary over at Nature all about The Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient mechanical calculator (also described as the first known "mechanical computer") designed to calculate astronomical positions over time, which was built over 2,000 years ago, most probably by Archimedes in the colonies of Corinth in Sicily. It's absolutely mind-blowing.

The The Antikythera Mechanism is basically a big (very complicated, and way ahead of it's time) clock, which calculates the date of solar and lunar eclipses, as well as when the various "games", including the Olympics, are scheduled to happen. In that way it's one of the few ancient mechanisms which displays not only astronomical events, but also events of cultural significance.

I highly recommend you click on that there link above and spend a few minutes learning about one of the most important archeological finds in history.

There is, of course, also a (long!) page all about it ovar at Wikipedia.

I also recommend spend a bit of time going through the Nature Online Video Archive, there's loads more there that will blow your mind.

For those of you who don't watch the video, it's pronounced "ANT-EE-KITH-ER-A".

(I'd embed the video, but there's no easy "embed video" option and I'm too tired to fiddle with embedding .swf files the hard way. Sorry!)

Posted by Matt at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(with apologies to Adrian)

I took a few "action" photos of George and just had to set them to music. I think I picked the right track. I like 8-second videos.

Posted by Matt at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

What do you think, better than or not as good as the Phil Collins one with the Gorilla?

Posted by Matt at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Matt at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Seriously, buy it. Buy it NOW! All the profits from the auction go straight to charity like.

This Vzaar thing is going to be seriously brilliantly huge, I tells you.

_{[This entry sponsored by s e v i t z d o t c o m]}

Posted by Matt at 9:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This time, a slideshow for those of you who can't quite believe that the picture of me proposing to Nikki is real, here's another 30-something photos of the moment(s), set to some rather appropriate music.

I was going to try to upload all the photos to Flickr, but not everybody would get to see the "story" then, so I thought this was the best way. If anyone wants to see the actual photos (who already hasn't), I can bring me laptop to the weddin' (dodges slap from Nikki)!

Posted by Matt at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)

Dun-dun-DUNNNN!

Posted by Matt at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Here it is ladiesngentlemen, a year in the making*, the final part in the trilogy.

Posted by Matt at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

I was going to just stick this in the links in the sidebar, and then decided that no, it's just TOO FUNNY not to post in the main blog. It's Alanis Morrisette. Stop, no, seriously. It's Alanis, doing a cover of "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas. Genius.

Needless to say, it's a heck of a lot better than the (shite) original, mainly because of the hilarity of it all.

The bit where she nuts the gangsta-lookin' dude in the face is the best bit. :-)

Posted by Matt at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

By Polyphonic Spree:

[via]

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Set laughter mode to "on". This is a video of me playing Zelda on the Wii, fighting on horseback with Moblins riding giant boars in the Eldin province. Blame Dan, he asked for it.

Seriously though, it's a really, really good game.

Posted by Matt at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Ilana Yahav is a sand animation artist. Using only her fingers, Ilana draws with sand on glass table.

_{[via DJ Annie Mac's del.icio.us page]}

Posted by Matt at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

So I was driving home from work the other night and it was horrible weather, all rainy and dark, and people were being really stupid and driving up my arse etc, and then when I was on the home stretch just beside RTE disaster struck, there was an Audi A6 on front of me indicating to the left, so I was moving off slowly to go around them, then they were nearly all the way into the driveway and they jammed on then a little fuck on a motorbike zooms by I jam on swerve to miss him and ended up in the back of the feckin Audi, this is quite possibly the worst thing about the crash, that I crashed into an Audi, it couldn?t have been an old banger, no, it had to be an Audi, 2003 so not that bad, but still!!! So I get out of the car and the girl driving the other car is like ?oh did you just hit my car? (See I knew I should have just driven away!! :P) and I said ?oh god sorry? but then she said (my favourite part) ?oh god it was all my fault? heeeeeeeheeeeeee!! She was obviously never taught like me in that you NEVER admit that it was your fault, ever, even if it?s totally obviously your fault. So we look at the damage there is a teeny scratch on her bumper, approx 7cm long, and that?s it, no dent no anything and the scrape isn?t even down to the metal, then we look at my car where there is a huge dent in the wheel arch, or rather a succession of smaller dents, making one big one, and my mirror is hanging off, soooo annoyed its unreal! So she took my details and was really very nice about the whole thing, although that may have something to do with the fact that she said that it was her fault, she was lovely and gave me a hug and everything which is why I will feel bad screwing her over about it if they land me with a massive bill, I already have a few draft letters written by my ?solicitor? Ciara (she?s a law student ? shhh!!) about how seeing as the driver admitted full responsibility I am sending a cheque for ?X as a good will gesture) its all good in the hood. My poor car though, I feel terrible for it, the Slutmobile is scarred for life. Sob!

(*any donations will be greatly appreciated by the ?Fix the Slutmobile Fund")

Posted by Babs at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Seems almost real, until you hear the words "world's first giraffe-only zoo", and you see the island is shaped like a huge shamrock.

(credit to Babs, who mailed this to me. I dunno who mailed it to her...)

Posted by Matt at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Careful now, you might die laughing...

Posted by Matt at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

[via some dude]

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I'm sorry, I was going to just bang this into the links, but it's just far too funny not to post.

[via Screenhead]

Posted by Matt at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

While sitting at my desk in work today I was emailed this link, all I can say is BRILLIANT!!

Seriously, what is the infamous Hoff thinking, was this produced just for the German fans? Or wha??

Posted by Babs at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

(Video after the jump, so as not so slow down or spoil your browsing experience...)

(aren't I nice?)

Posted by Matt at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

_{Funniest if you're a geek Star Wars fan who has watched 24, imho.}

Posted by Matt at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So, despite being rebuffed by a German TV station after they had requested the use of my lip-synching madskillz and then decided it wasn't what they were looking for, I am continuing to search for a suitable track to use for my next GoogleIdol entry (or rather our next entry, as Andy has an equal chance of doing 'lead vocal' on our next number). There are no prizes for second place this time. Actually, there are no prizes for first place either, but that's beside the point.

So I have narrowed it down to the following: Me and Chan doing 'Dub Be Good To Me' by Beats International, Me doing 'Jump!' by Van Halen, or Chan doing 'I Am The One And Only' by Chesney Hawkes, or a combination of these. But I can't decide which one to do. Can anyone help?

UPDATE: Looks like Van Halen are the current favourites, with Chesney close behind. I'm quite disappointed at the number of suggestions for other tracks though (ie zero). Come on you lot, give a dude a hand. Suggestions will be credited in any video made!

Posted by Matt at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Ah, bollocks.

"Hello Matthew,
thank you very much for your email!

I am sorry, but I have to say that today we decided not to broadcast videoclips from the internet, so we don?t need your clip anymore.

In the last few days we saw a lot of videos from the world wide web and we all agree that it is not the stuff we were searching for.

Thank you very much and have a nice day!

Best regards
Tobias

Well, so much for that. There goes my big chance for my fifteen minutes of German fame.

ps: Fuck them. Fuck them all, the bastards. :-)

Posted by Matt at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

I just got an e-mail from "a German TV-production-company named 'Constantin-Entertainment GmbH' from Munich":

"Since four months we are producing a funny Clip-Show called ?ClipCharts? which is on air at 7.45 PM on the German broadcast station ?kabel eins?.

Within 30 minutes we show twenty funny homevideos, videoclips, webcamvideos and similar stuff like that.

My name is Tobias and I work in the editorial department of "ClipCharts" .

At present we are searching for new funny stuff and in connection with that we found your great videoclip on www.googleidol.com.

If you agree, we would like to broadcast this clip in our show. In this case we need your videoclip as an .mpeg- or .avi-file.

If you are interested in a cooperation with us and agree that we show your musicclip / videoclip on our TV-Show, please write back as soon as possible , because we would like to use your video in the next few weeks! Further details you´ll hear from my colleagues of the legal department, who will contact you."

What should I do?! Do I want to be famous in Germany (and possibly the next Hoff?!)?!

Posted by Matt at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

WHOA THERE!

I just idly checked out Google Idol, after remembering I half-heartedly entered into their latest competition, and discovered to my delight that I had gotten into the semi-final of their 'rock' category, being beaten by the excellent Reaper Videos version of 'You Give Love A Bad Name' by Bon Jovi by a margin of 579 votes to 473! Why didn't anyone tell me this?! Did anyone vote for me (and Andy! He was there too!)? I'm amazed that 473 people voted for something we did when very drunk at about 3 or 4 in the morning, totally on a whim. That's amazing!

If anyone followed the link from Google Video to this here blog, thanks a million for voting for me, and I already have an idea for the next competition, news soon(ish)!

Wow. I'm still pretty stunned. I mean four hundred and seventy-three people who we don't even know voted for us! That's a little bit scary actually. :-)

Posted by Matt at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

Has everyone seen this? If you've ever seen any of the new Saturday Night Live sketches featuring the writing and acting talents of Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg (aka the Lonely Island team), like "Lazy Sunday", or the most recent (and recently del.icio.us-ed by me) "Laser Cats", and wondered where how those dudes got a contract with NBC, here's how. Running time is 19m39s.

Exploding high-five everyone!

Posted by Matt at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I meant to post this ages ago, it's actually the first of two lip-synch vids that I made towards the end of last year, the second of which was my first post on this here blog of mine. I was reminded by Annie's recent post about Google Idol, and also inspired to 'audition' it for the next competition. I hope I'm not being a bit conceited, but I think I kick the ass of most of the entries on Google Idol, except maybe the Two Chinese Guys. Wish me luck everybody!

You may need to turn up your brightness a little. It looks fine on my laptop at home but on my CRT-monitored work computer, I can't see a f***in' thing.

ps: Tenacious D ROCK ASS!!!

Posted by Matt at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Can you see this video?

Chances are if you don't live in Europe, you can't (If you can't see it, it's about a minute long, and shows the US army blowing up an ammunition dump at night). According to this post on Screenhead, it is not viewable to people living in America. Now why do you s'pose that is? And what's the point? You know someone is going to download, convert and upload it immediately to a million other sites, so why bother, Google? WHY? It doesn't even show anything exciting/pornographic/controversial for crying out loud (It doesn't show anything at all in fact, coz it's really dark).

UPDATE: Turns out it wasn't Google who censored the vid, it was whatever dude that uploaded it. Which is slightly more 'ok', and slightly more confusing.

Posted by Matt at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was at my parents' house last Autumn and was outside having a cigarette, when the rooks came in to roost and started making this incredible racket. I ran in to grab my camera, but missed the cresendo, although I got a pretty good sample, as seen in this clip.

The noise would drive some people mad, but personally, I like the sound of rooks, but then again, I grew up with this tree outside my window. As with previous vids, this one is a teeny bit dark, but it's the sound that's important (that and the arty pan-and-twist towards the sky at the end!).

Posted by Matt at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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