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Last summer my pop turned 80 years old. The only thing he wanted for his birthday was a Felix Hernandez bobblehead commemorating the Mariners pitcher’s perfect game. Turns out, they don’t sell those things in stores. That lil’ number was only available at the game. A game I hadn’t attended. So after a lot of […]
Ever since 1999 I have been seeking out lost, forgotten, and unusual Holiday music and sharing it all with my friends.
Below is a list of links to all the past playlist. Stream them, share them, enjoy them.
2012 X-Mas – ERMAHGERD CRUSHMUSH
2011 X-Mas – The Song from Outer Space
2009 X-Mas – Instant Snowflakes
2005 X-Mas – Spirit of the Season
2004 X-Mas – Bah Rump A Pum Pum Humbug
2003 X-Mas – Holiday Clearance
2002 X-Mas – Bring Me The Head of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas
2000 X-Mas – Naughty – ADULT LANGUAGE — NOT FOR KIDS!
This is something that I found. Eventually.
On December 16, 1965, while in orbit above planet Earth, the crew of Gemini 6 added another milestone to their already historic mission.
Astronauts Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford reported sighting an object, a satellite, in a “polar orbit…traveling North to South.”
“Stand by, he’s trying to signal something,” reported Schirra.
The next thing heard at Mission Control was a rendition of Jingle Bells performed by the astronauts using instruments which they had smuggled onboard.
The story is well known. The harmonica and string of bells are now housed at The Smithsonian, and the incident is believed to be the first time human beings ever played music in outer space.
But no recording of the song has ever been made available. Until now.
I’ve been looking all over the Internet for this recording for more than a year with no success. So I started asking for help.
KUOW reporter Phyllis Fletcher pointed me toward NASA’s Media Resource Center in Houston Texas.
After digging around their Web site and calling the phone tree at Johnson Space Center, I eventually reached Librarian Jody Russell. Her contacts in the Audio Department pointed me to the online archive for the entire Gemini 6 and 7 joint mission.
They narrowed it down to 8 audio files for me, which covered about 33 hours of the mission. They also provided me with links to mission transcripts that I could use as reference to find the song.
The message from NASA ended with “…it’s in there somewhere.”
And it was.
Enjoy!
The Saga of Rex by Michel Gagné is one of the most enjoyable things I have read in a long time. But to say I read it seems like a misstatement, since the story is told almost entirely with pictures, not words.
And what amazing pictures. Gagné is a wonderful artist and the worlds he opens up for the reader are stunning, enticing, and charming.
My words certainly can’t improve on the work he as done, so I have included some sample pages from the story.
Hoping to expand the world of Rex, Gagné is working on turning the story into an animated feature. Below you’ll find some video of the project so far. You can learn more about Rex and the other works of Gagné over on his Web site.
All images are property of Michel Gagné
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This is something that I made. And it is one of my favorite things that I have made. Several years ago, I was asked to appear on The Stay Up Late Show to discuss comic books and the upcoming Emerald City Comicon. I am pretty well-versed on both topics, but I didn’t want to show […]
Hance’s WOOKIE THE CHEW blends the works of AA Milne and G Lucas.
The term “mash-up” has become pretty common vernacular in recent years.
The technology available to even casual users is sophisticated enough to make it relatively easy to amalgamate disparate things to produce a new and unique creation.
Pilfered from Shopped Sci-Fi
Such as this delightful depiction of Abe Lincoln as a Ghostbuster. He ain’t afraid a no ghosts, nor no secessionists.
Shouldn’t work, totes does.
But these accomplishments pale in comparison to the efforts of James Hance, a fine artist who’s remarkable skills with paint and brush raise the level of mash-up to, well, to an artform!
Not only does Hance meet the mash-up criteria by mixing Doctor Who with the Iron Giant, or Star Wars with Hitchcock, but he also does a remarkable job of honoring and recreating the styles of classic artist like Picasso, Munch, and Rockwell.
Humorous, heartwarming, deftly executed – his talent and playfulness are in deed a marvel to behold.
Prints of all of these wonderful images, and many more, are available for a mere $15.
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These are some things that I made. Some time near the end of the 20th Century, I was involved in a production of The Scottish Play (Google it, kids. Self-education is very rewarding!) Some how some member of the production had gotten their hands on bags and bags of scrap leather. Don’t ask me how. […]
Hello fiends,
I’m not usually one to go in for themey-themey posts. But, as this is the eve, of the eve, of All Hallow’s Eve (or there abouts) I thought you might enjoy a little music of the season… Of the Witch!
I’ve compiled for your amusement thirty tracks of audio treats for you to enjoy at your late October office party, coven convocation, or lodge meeting.
And before you ask, NO – Monster Mash is NOT included. We here at Buzzlab Industries are a LITTLE tired of Monster Mash being the go-to song for Halloween. Time for some fresh blood.
THUNDER/LIGHTING!
Mu-hu-hu-wa-ha-ha!
Obligatory seasonal clip art
I put this playlist together using a wonderful online service called Grooveshark.
There are quite a few music services out there, but for me Grooveshark is the clear winner.
First of all, it is free to use. Search for songs and artist, play them all you like. Doesn’t cost you a dime. And if you want to save playlist and share them with friends, all you have to do is create a user account, which is also free. If you already have a Twitter or Google log-in, you can join using one of those.
And Grooveshark makes it extremely easy to share songs or playlists on a wide variety of social media platforms, and as an embeddable player on a Web page. Ta-Da!
So dive in, look around, and if you come up with any cool playlist of your own, let me know.
And for all you hardcore Halloweeners out there who can’t live without it, here – have yourself some Monster Mash.
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This is something that I made. Where I work there is an auction held each December, and the proceeds raised are donated to charities. Each work group collects auction items, and some folks choose a theme to make their offering a bit more enticing. A few years ago, someone in my group suggested a pirate […]
UPDATE: it has come to my attention that artist Paul Michael has shut down his Facebook page and Etsy shop. However, you can now find his work at this Marketplace site.
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You’ve probably already seen the handiwork of Paul Michael.
His jewelry has made him Internet Famous!
The first piece I remember seeing online was an engagement ring he was commissioned to make that looks like Jake from Adventure Time. That. Is. Terrific!
His recent follow-up was a highly detailed depiction of Han Solo, frozen in Carbonite and small enough to fit on your finger.
Michael is an imaginative designer, and has many clever designs over on his Facebook page. My favorites are a colorful Captain America inspired band, and a fanciful but spot-on mock-up of Underdog’s Super Energy Pill concealing finger dangler.
The Han Solo ring is now available on Michael’s Etsy site, along with several other Star Wars themed pieces.
All photos property of Paul Michael