David Lynch on the Creative Process

I’ve always been amazed how David Lynch has made a career out of making entertainment that’s always on the cutting edge (everything from Eraserhead to Twin Peaks) — yet while his work has been very avant-guard it has always been so popular. Below is a related segment on how Lynch also finds inspiration from mediation:

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Canada Defiles an Astronomical Treasure

That man you see in the photograph above is an international treasure. Under that rejected humble facade is none other than Charles Thomas Bolton who will one day be seen as one of the great astronomers of all time. He was THE first man to discover a black hole:

“In 1972, Bolton made a discovery in astronomy that was so important it guaranteed him a place in the history books: he was the first astronomer to present irrefutable evidence of the existence of a black hole. The black hole in question was Cygnus X-1, which lies at the centre of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Bolton detected its presence by observing star HDE 226868 wobble as if it was orbiting around an invisible but massive companion. His calculations demonstrated that the companion could be nothing less than a black hole.”

So why is one of the best astronomers in the world — a grown man who is 65 years old — crying on the steps of his observatory? After 73 years of the observatory being open the University of Toronto sent Bolton an email informing him that he had 10 days to get get off the premises because the University in their “wisdom” had decided to close the David Dunlap Observatory:

Dunlap Observatory closing sparks anger, frustration

“In November, the university voted to close the observatory and sell it to the highest bidder, and redirect the money from the sale back into the school’s astronomy program. Yesterday it confirmed it has a “firm agreement” with a buyer and it’s looking to close the deal by month-end. It did not disclose the buyer or the price.”

The university used the excuse that the observatory was no longer useful due to light pollution, but this is a lie as the facility is perfectly useful long-term research programs and large survey programs where relatively few observations are taken of a large number of stars. But more shocking than the closure of the observatory is the poor way the university is treating Mr. Bolton. It’s heartbreaking to think that when you’re looking at that photo that they carrying out 37 years of his life’s work. The University of Toronto should be ashamed of their shoddy treatment of a man who is a real life hero.

I’ve spent my life wondering about the barbarians who sacked the library of Alexandria, I always imagined that it’s same primitive minded folks like the Taliban that destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Well what makes this case sad is that the man responsible for this move is David Naylor the 15th President of the University of Toronto who amongst his other honors is that he was a Rhodes Scholar. I’d love to know if Naylor has seen the photo Bolton crying on those steps and if so how he can he sleep at night knowing that he defiled an living astronomical treasure?

Are Solar Sails Set to Become Reality?

Unlike rockets solar sails work by tapping into the power of the sun. The first person to propose a solar sail was Johannes Kepler in the seventeenth century, although it wasn’t until 1984 when an article by engineer and science fiction author Robert L. Forward stirred serious interest in the subject. In 2001 and 2005 the Planetary Society made two attempts as testing the concept, but the mission was scuttled due to malfunctioning rockets.

But solar sails may be set to become reality shortly as NASA is getting ready to test the concept again with an ultra-thin, 100-square-foot sail called the NanoSail-D. The sail was developed in less than six months and features xtremely lightweight gossamer fabric designed to glide into space. The NanoSail-D is set to sail into orbit on July 29th and you can follow the progress with this mission dashboard and get updates via Twitter too:

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Felix the Soda Fiend Cat

Digital archivist (and artist) Todd Franklin unearthed this amazing Felix the Cat soda bottle cap for Felix Orange Dry. It’s funny that we always associate Disney characters with early mass merchandising, but by doing that we over look the other cartoon characters who helped exploit pop culture!

Marvel Mummies Attack Manhattan!

The above cover for Marvel Adventures Hulk #13 caught my eye for a number of reasons: First there’s the pre-aged look of a pulp fiction magazine, but then as you look further you see that the mummies are the good guys — oh no! This illustration is by Sean Murphy and his characters have a nice cartoony quality to them as seen in the detailed image below. This most mummified issue will be out on July 9th.

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Have a Happy Fanboy Fourth of July

Rockin’ and a-rollin’, splishin’ and a-splashin’,
Over the horizon, what can it be?
Looks like it’s going to be a free country.

Shown above is a vintage 1975 Schoolhouse Rock animated interstitial on the subject of No More Kings. The music and lyrics are by Lynn Ahrens, and the animation is by Kim & Gifford Productions.

Fried Gyoza Cell Phone Straps

If you’re a foodie fanboy who likes fried gyoza then you’ll get a kick out of this cell phone strap:

Miniature Mania Gyoza no Shogun

“There’s a hole-in-the-wall eatery near our office building that sells four fried dumplings for a dollar. They’re greasy, glistening with oil, and piping hot. We know they’re not healthy or good for you but a buck doesn’t go far anywhere else… except there. Four dumplings is basically a relatively filling lunch for a wretched dollar.

When Bandai started preorders for the Miniature Mania Gyoza no Shogun straps on Tuesday night, we thought of that fried-dumpling-hole-in-the-wall. In Japan, gyoza are fried dumplings and the photo to the left shows six of them on a platter. Instead of wolfing it down however, you’re supposed to attach it to your phone. In addition to the gyoza strap, Bandai’s Miniature Mania set of food-themed straps include a plate of fried chicken and a beef dish. ”

Please Note: As a vegetarian I don’t approve of either the fried chicken or beef cell phone straps, and if you do order this item please inform everyone that the gyoza is in fact vegetarian — or faux vegetarian as the case may be…

Put a Domo-kun Hat on Your Dome

The Domo-kun Plush Hat is a must for any fashionable anime fanboy (or fangurl).

Missing Metropolis Scenes Discovered

This is amazing news, even if the footage isn’t in great shape it would be nice to find out more insight into the original story:

Missing scenes from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis discovered

“For 80 years the original version of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” has been considered lost. The ZEITmagazin shows details from the missing scenes of the 1927 masterpiece for the first time in its Thursday edition, and reports exclusively on how the film was tracked down in the archive of the Museo del Cine (Cinema Museum) in Buenos Aires. Through this new discovery, key scenes from the silent film become more intelligible, minor characters now have leading parts.”

Batman Alert: Cool New Dark Knight Poster

I love the design of this new poster for The Dark Knight, it’s great to see a major Hollywood studio take an illustrational approach for a change instead of the same old pretty photos. Click on the image to see it at full size.

Fujiya Peko Poko Chocolate Pencils

With Fujiya it’s never about the chocolate itself but the packaging! What i like about this product (click on the image to see it at full size) is that not only do you get the four chocolate pencils but there’s also a nice little small button you can wear as a keepsake to show your Peko or Poko loyalty. There are twelve potential button designs that you might get, shown above is Peko-chan enjoying her watermelon while hanging out at the beach with her doggie.

ThermO the Coffee Friendly Robot

It was a sad time in the kingdom as the Starbucks Empire started it’s decline as 600 cafe outposts closed their doors. But in a far corner of the galaxy a new hero arose to take on the ills of the uncaffeinated masses: His name was ThermO, the ice coffee friendly robot!

The clever and creative scientists behind ThermO are lockwasherdesign.com.

Amelia Earhart Vanished 71 Years Ago Today

“I lay no claim to advancing scientific data other than advancing flying knowledge. I can only say that I do it because I want to.” — Amelia Earhart

Amelia is a real hero to me, I see her as a true pioneer in every sense of the word. We tend to forget today that once upon a time that aviation was once the stuff of cutting edge technology. But back in the 30s aircraft were very futuristic, so much so that in the 1936 film Things to Come H. G. Wells has a band of united airmen saving the world from the next dark age. Amelia Earhart was very much the face of not just aviation but the notion of progress itself. She wasn’t only exploring the frontiers of flight, but of equal rights for women as well. I think today, 71 years after she disappeared that we can still learn a great deal from her.

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Tim Burton Toxic Boy Toys

I’ve always loved Tim Burton’s design sensibility. So when I found myself exploring one of my favorite toy sites these cute goodies caught my eye:

Tim Burton Toxic Boy PVC Set

“Inspired by “The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories” by Tim Burton. The Toxic Boy PVC Set includes three painted 4 inch PVC figures: Roy, the Toxic Boy, Mummy Boy, and Jimmy, the Hideous Penguin Boy.”

Donkey Kong Decor

ThinkGeek is carrying Nintendo themed wall decals so you can decorate your abode with that special fanboy touch:

Cover Your Walls In Mario

“These awesome vinyl restickable wall-stickers. Featuring Mario and his friends and enemies through his evolution from 15 pixel high sprite to fully 3d-rendered hyperbeing. Do a faithful recreation of your favorite levels, or create your own, using your own space as a template.”

Is Mars Ready for Human Agriculture?

It’s looking more and more like Mars might be ready for some terraforming:

Martian soil could grow turnips, Phoenix finds

“Some Martian dirt has the same basic chemistry as garden soil, a new analysis from the Phoenix lander suggests. The find widens the range of organisms that might be able to live on Mars. Although the analysis is not yet complete, the lander has already found trace levels of nutrients like magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride. Although these ingredients were known to exist in Martian soil, until now no one was sure whether they would be soluble in water and thus potentially available for life.”

Of Muppets & Musicians

Johnny Cash meets Oscar the Grouch.

Furry Happy Monsters! REM parodies their smash hit Shiny Happy People…

Alice Cooper on the Muppet Show in 1978 performing School’s Out for Summer.

Elton John playing his 70s hit Crocodile Rock on the Muppet Show.

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Wall-E: Our Top Five Fanboy Collectables

The Art of Wall-E Because Pixar preproduction artwork is always worth showing off on your coffee table.

Wall-E Robot Tin Lunch Box Case This looks like it would be fun to mod or to bring to work.

Super Technology iDance Wall-E Tech toys date the fastest, but they also best reflect the era that they were produced in — which makes them cool to show off in the years to come.

Wall-E PosterBecause posters are a well know inexpensive interior decoration technique for fanboys.

Wall-E Tattoos Show your co-workers how hardcore you are about Pixar.

Diablo III Cinematic Teaser

This looks like fun!

Ultraman Limited Edition USB Drive

Fanboys of live action Japanese TV from the 60s will dig this limited edition Ultraman USB Drive which is produced by buffalo.jp. Each Ultraman will store 2 gigs and only 3,000 of these little guys will be produced,

Found via geekalerts.com and Geeky Gadgets.

Clever Wall-E Advert

This advert on the side of a bus shows how Pixar knows how to get all the details just right, I love the concept of this giant version of the character holding onto the door while moving through NYC traffic. Just click on the image to see it as full size.

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea: First Trailer

Calling all Miyazaki fanboys and fangurls: this is the first trailer for the upcoming film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea and it’s looking pretty cute! This video below shows off quite a bit of pre-production art:

…and I know you can’t get enough of that catchy theme song:

Ronald McDonald vs. Colonel Sanders

I’m assuming that this is a fan made video of a faux fast food mascot videogame, but with Japan you never quite know…

Madame Mirage is Femme Fatale Collection

The above cover for the Madame Mirage collection immediately evoked the essence of a 70s movie poster for me, although I have to admit that the featured characters are sporting film noir and goth attire. But the sultry spirit reminds me a bit of a James Bond girl which might be giving me that early disco vibe. The cover artwork is by Kenneth Rocafort, and this trade paperback will be published by Image Comics. Here’s the description:

Madame Mirage (Oversized First Issue!, # 1)

“From the magical mind of Paul Dini (Countdown, Detective Comics) comes a new, original femme fatale story that combines elements of film noir, tech, and superhero comics. Superbly drawn by rising star Kenneth Rocafort (Hunter-Killer), this volume collects Season 1 of this amazing story, a cover gallery, and insightful behind-the-scenes material, plus an all-new cover by Rocafort!”