Battleship movie trailer (Yes it's based on the game)

Wow - they really captured the spirit of how I used to play Battleship!

(Although, I'm truly concerned for Liam Neeson's life in this one. I mean, I saw Armageddon. Hopefully he did too)

Visual of an Audio Mashup

It certainly doesn't hurt to start anything out with the iconic Shaft beat, but don't worry, it stays awesome from there...

Don't hold back, just push things forward from Ithaca Audio on Vimeo.

The Guy Code!

I'm trying to decide whether it's the mustache or the lack of shirt that makes this guy seem more legitimate...

Also, as a voice for all "guys," you might want to think about changing up your text notification sound.

[via The Daily What]

Tilt-shift Time Lapse Village

Pretty sure I could live in a place like this...

The Village from Pedro Sousa | visuals on Vimeo.

Not miniature of course. Real sized.

Sure Shot Done by Way of Sesame Street

Like the Beastie Boys? Like Sesame Street? If so, then this video is for you...

Sesame Street breaks it down from Wonderful Creative on Vimeo.

[via Kottke]

What the Hell?

This is simply amazing. Realize that when they go up at the net, they're actively using both feet and FAKING spikes with one foot and hitting it with the other. I'm still stunned that human beings can even do this.

Flirty McFlirtyson

If only this were around when I was in high school, I would have been able to completely scare away the entire female class!

First of all, I have a problem believing Melvin needs help flirting. And the guy with the scarf? He must be there just for research purposes, because that thing is a chick magnet!

[via The Daily What]

Australian Television is Better than American Television

Based on this clip at least...

Everything goes wrong from the word "go" in this morning news show segment. But please stay for the end when the host gets excited for dropping an "awesome" line in at the end. It might be my favorite part, aside from the other guy saying "You better go to another segment!" after hooking the duck (you'll understand when you watch).

"Go to Promo! Go to Promo!"

If this doesn't make you laugh today, nothing will. It seems the age of jet packs isn't as close as we first thought.

The Only Thing Injured Was Her Pride

I've seen some bike crashes in my day, been involved in a few as well. But none ever ended with both the awfulness and awesomeness of this one...

(via The Daily What)

I Won't Be Traveling to Finland Anytime Soon

Good morning! Just wanted to give you some great nightmare material...

(via The Daily What)

Finding Bigfoot Part 2: Hooked

While the title might be slightly misleading, after gushing so much about the first episode I saw, I still had a few trepidations going into the second episode. After all, the bar had been set extremely high; what if I randomly saw the one episode that had everything awesome packed into it.

I felt nervous as the second episode queued up.

Thankfully, my worries were unwarranted.

This second episode took the team to the Pacific Northwest, in order to investigate a series of photos a man took while on a mountain hike. And the tree or other hiker that was so distant, and out of focus brought out the best in the team. Once again, they "reconstructed" the photo, which, to me proved that it could easily have been some random backpacker. The investigators, surprisingly had a different take on the whole thing. Here's the entire episode if you'd care to watch...

If you don't have the time to watch the whole thing, I've taken a few choice quotes from this episode. Hopefully, they can give you some of the flavor of the show...

"I know many of you have a Sasquatch call..."

(I mean, who doesn't really?)

"It's pretty clear from the photographs it's not a bear."

(what isn't clear is that it might be a tree or another person.)

"I've heard Sasquatch whistle twice."

(Not as surprising as you think. Apparently, they love the score to The Sting.)

"Dude, that sounds Sasquatchian."

(Dude, if you don't think Sasquatchian is making my lexicon, you don't know me.)

"See this hemlock? That's exactly what they like to sleep on."

(I appreciate the use of "exactly" here. This guy isn't playing around - he KNOWS what Sasquatch sleep on.)

"I highly suspect you were escorted out of this are by a sasquatch."

(This was in response to someone recounting their Bigfoot encounter. You have no idea how much I wish the B.F.R.O. investigators lived next door to me.)

"Water investigations give the opportunity to do some creative bigfooting."

(Because after a few hundred land investigations searching for an 8+ foot mythical creature in the woods that allegedly throws rocks and kills deer for food, you get bored with the standard procedure.)

Finding Bigfoot Part 1: The Introduction

After the maddening ending (or, according to how you think the non-ending) of AMC's The Killing (and I will always add the AMC part there because they're the ones that ultimately let us all down) I've been absent-mindedly flipping through the television channel lineup wasteland, finally knowing what Moses must have felt like in the desert. While the Philadelphia Phillies usually keep me going, along with the hate watching of Food Network's Next Food Network Star and Chopped, they can only satiate my television appetite for so long.

It got so bad, in my darkest hour, I briefly contemplated watching Treme. But just as I thought all was lost, on my way toward flipping over to the revamped Lingo (yech!) I stumbled across quite possibly the greatest television show in the history of the world...

I'm of course talking about Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot.

Before I go into more depth, I have a confession to make. I was (and let's face it, since I'm actively watching a show based in the genre, still am) a UFO/ghost/Bigfoot/etc. fan. I even started the UGM Club, back in fourth grade to study and get to the bottom of the mysteries of UFOs, ghosts and monsters. My favorite book as a seven year old was a comic book devoted to true stories of UFO encounters (which included an encounter that happened mere miles from my home).

As I've grown, my rational mind has matured, and logically speaking I can't speak to the authenticity to any of these things. While the stories still intrigue and entertain me, I don't blindly accept the existence of any of them. I like to be open minded, but also cynical when it comes to any "evidence." I guess you could say I have the heart of Mulder, with the mind of Scully (at least until before the third time she was attacked/groped/kidnapped by a supernatural creature yet still would obsessively demand a logical explanation and ignore the empirical data in front of her face).

So, a show purportedly looking into the legends of Bigfoot, as well as investigating current sightings with rational, skeptical minds, sounded like a good idea to me.

That Finding Bigfoot is the absolute opposite of that makes it that much better.

I have watched exactly three episodes of Finding Bigfoot - not because I'm plodding through the show, but because I want to savor them, breathe them in, rewatch them in all their splendid, possibly unironic joy. I want to take the same journey that Cliff, Matt, Ranae and Bobo are taking in real time. I want to savor each episode, in each state (who knew Bigfoots routinely showed up in not just the Pacific Northwest, but instates all over our union? I mean, besides the crew at the Bigfoot Field Research Organization, or B.F.R.O.).

I want this show to go on forever.

The show follows 4 "researchers" in the B.F.R.O. travel to a different area each week to follow up on a Bigfoot sighting. At least that's what I picked up watching my first episode. Honestly, I was so perplexed watching it for the first time that I may have missed some of the subtleties of the show. But there are two things I definitely did not miss...two things that I feel are the show's heart and soul.

1. The "reconstructions"

Pretty much every show starts with the team heading somewhere because they heard about a recent sighting. This first show was based in Georgia, following up on a policeman's dashcam video of something running across the road. After seeing the video, the team decides to "recreate" it using a human. You can watch the whole thing here:

Aside from the complete lack of regard for accuracy in recreating these things, (and the fact that I believe Bobo is only around as their Bigfoot model) the thing I love about these "reconstructions," is the validity the entire team puts into them. It's as though running across the road at night proves the existence of Sasquatch! Not only that, to hear most of the members of this team talk, you'd think Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) are about as common and real as deer. There is no doubt in my mind that there is any doubt in Cliff's mind (the de facto leader of the group) that Bigfoots (or Squatches as he loves to call them) exist. And that only stokes the fire of my enjoyment that much more.

2. The Growl/Howl/Screech

This really can't be described. It must be witnessed...

My favorite things from this clip?

• It seems each "researcher" has their own distinct howl, or at least thinks he/she needs a couple of different calls for different situations?
• Everyone involved also seems to think these howls have any effect on a Squatch, going so far as to suggest they heard a howl in response!
• It appears that the preparation/planning leading up to this bellow is quite intense. I wonder if Cliff was just a little mad when he was interrupted before he got one off, much like a pitcher gets annoyed when the umpire calls time in the middle of his windup.

This being the first episode of Finding Bigfoot that I've ever seen it's easy to say that I'm hooked. So much so that tomorrow, in Part II, I will give you a rundown of the best things I heard while watching my second ever episode of Finding Bigfoot.

Until then...

Happy Birthday Mr. Lewis

I make no excuses for enjoying the catalog of Huey Lewis and the News. And so when it's his birthday, you're damn right I'm going to acknowledge it.

Happy 61st Huey! I assume only Ray Parker Jr. is having a bad day today.

(As an aside, name me one other person that can pull off that shirt.)

More Time Lapse Awsomeness of the Heavens

This one comes from the south coast of Australia. Simply gorgeous...

Ocean Sky from Alex Cherney on Vimeo.

Slow Motion Fireworks

Question: What could be better on this 4th of July Weekend than watching fireworks blow things up in slow motion?

Answer: Nothing. Nothing at all.