A Revolution in Coffee Insulation

As a habitual coffee-nurser (I’m talking like…3 hours for one cup), keeping my coffee hot all the way down to the dregs is pretty important.  It’s not often there are scientific advancements in the coffee sleeve but now that I’ve found one I’m pretty stoked.  I give you: Heatswell by Scott Amron

This new cup and sleeve in one offers benefits to the retailer like lower cost and lower shipping, and the we the coffee-drinking populace will enjoy a thicker, more comfortable fabric sleeve; and of course skipping the slipping and sliding of the traditional cardboard versions.  Not to mention both barista and customer alike will stare in awe as the cup transforms from the touch of it’s hot contents.

~Carly
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Perfectly Perfect

With devilish dolls, chained up teddy bears, and a high flying circus melody Elizabeth and the Catapult’s newly released video for “Perfectly Perfect” calls to mind the innocence of childhood days as well as the bits of bad we all hold within. The tempo belongs under the big top, and I can just picture acrobats doing soaring splits above my head, as clowns play pranks on one another, and dainty ballerinas balance on elephants’ backs. This is one of the best videos I’ve seen in a while, and I love the speech-like quality of the vocals, bringing to mind Fionna Apple’s song “Extraordinary Machine”. The stop motion filming and the vintage Toy Story feel portrays something so magical, yet utterly haunting. It’s like that doll in the corner of your room: her porcelain skin so white and pure, her hair neatly curled, and her teacup by her side. She’s a wonderful companion, however when the lights go out her shadow seems to move and teeter– Making us wonder if perfect things can have perfectly imperfect plans.

~Steph
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The Good Old Days

               


This book is so last century! Quirky, yet brilliant, author Lesley M.M. Blume has conjured up all the delights of yesteryear in her new “encyclopedia” entitled “Let’s Bring Back.” She calls for the renaissance of quill pens, three martini lunches, fainting couches, telegrams, barber shop shaves, and dainty white gloves. It is said that history repeats itself, so why shouldn’t these old age styles and customs do the same? This guide to days gone by is filled with gems of information, and is brimming with nostalgia. In a world where books are being replaced with iPads and speakers emit Jay-Z instead of JAZZ, it is reassuring to know that there are people, like me, who yearn to live within the black and white photographs that depict an age where every car ride was an occasion and tea time was mandatory.

Break out your monocle, puff up your petticoat, and take a trip back in time.

~Steph
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Refraction

It’s a great day to watch a mesmerizing little video and just relax.  That’s why I would be remissed if I didn’t share with you this video by Jesse Zanzinger.  Shot through oil and water, the everyday becomes a little more interesting.  Switch to full screen and watch how Zanzinger turns the Sesame Street Pinball Countdown into something pretty trippy to the music of Four Tet, in Refraction.

~Carly
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Splatter Paint

Here at A Little Bit Weird, we love flying paint. Anything that requires us to put on our painting caps and get a little messy makes us jump for joy. Remember that time we made a Jackson Pollock? Now, if only we could have slowed that process down by a bajillion and filmed the paint flying from our brushes in super slow motion. This is what it would have looked like. “Floating” is a beautiful video of high-speed footage of flying paint. The suspended movement and exquisite forms captured in the video show that making art can be even more stunning than the finished product.

Paint fight!!!

~Steph
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I Heart Eliza Doolittle

Damn it’s catchy! The lovely British songstress Eliza Doolittle’s tunes are girlie, light, and incredibly fun. Her single “Skinny Genes” was a smash hit across the pond, and I absolutely adore the video for it. How fun does that party seem?! Doolittle’s smooth and delicate voice is enhanced by the sheer quirkiness and humor of the song (please try to count the sexual innuendos made in this video…tee-hee-hee). With her song “Rollerblades” currently featured as the iTunes free song of the week, something tells me that America is going to be hearing a lot more of her! While she hasn’t released a full album yet, her self-titled EP is available. It includes another gem of a song called “Pack Up.” This jazzy sensation fills my ears with melodic joy, and I can’t help but dancing along. Fans of Lenka and Yael Naim will be delighted!

It seems to me that Eliza Doolittle might just be a very “fair lady” indeed.

~Steph
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Yozzup presents: Bach From The Dead

I hope you all enjoy this spectacular stop motion animation and kickin’ soundtrack. Ryan Gruzen of Yozzup! constructed frame after painstaking frame in his very own living room, (which seems quite nice, by the way). Enjoy the Bach, enjoy the stop motion, and make sure you let Yozzup! know how awesome this video is.

Cheers,

~Nick
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Simply Awesome – LED Room

Smack Nightclub in the UK recently installed this ridiculous LED dance hall. It’s insane, and I want to be in it.

~Nick
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How does an abstract artist explain their work… to their parents?

I often wonder if an artists’ creativity is genetic.  Surely there’s some part of their talent that stems from that of their parents or grandparents, right?  If there is, does that mean their parents automatically share the passion and understanding of their work?  It can be hard to explain abstract work to anyone; but this video (part of a nine-part series), How to explain it to my parents, explores the challenges of bringing parents into the mix.  Watch this video by Lernert & Sander on Vimeo for Martijn Hendriks’s conversation with his mother about his birdless version of Hitchcock’s The Birds.

~Carly
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‘Tis the Season!

New Grass Country Club “All I Want for Christmas is You” Dec.11,2010 New Orleans, LA

All I want for Christmas is this song! This indie-rock/folk/acoustic/wonderful rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” was performed by New Grass Country Club. They opened for another New Orleans band Sun Hotel (check out “Honey” below). My dear friend attended their Christmas Party concert in NOLA and showed me their album. It was like Christmas for my ears!

Watch the bands making musical magic while recording their Christmas EP.

Talk about starting the holiday season off on a good note!

Sun Hotel “Honey” from their album “Team Spirit” New Orleans, LA

~Steph
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