Land of Talk

It may not feel okay somedays, but at least there's incredible music to help you get through it. Throw in a a gorgeous video that feels like a collaboration between Luis Buñuel and Miyazaki-san and color me enamored.

xkcd

Randall Munroe is proof that a simple idea, well loved, can become complicated as all hell.

What does xkcd mean? (44:33)

People act out xkcd strips (7:15): "Cory Doctorow wears a red cape and goggles when he blogs..."; "Richard Stallman... sleeps with a katana..."; "Janeane Garofolo jumping a motorcycle off of the international space station as it crashes over an island with a volcanic eruption and tyrannosaurs..."; "Do you expect me to fly?" (19:15)

Also: Programming while drinking (10:15), "Maybe that's how Cory Doctorow gets to the balloon..." (21:25), lisp book (29:52), "If a raptor were to attack me in this room, how would I escape?" (30:28), River Tam (32:49), "Science. It works, bitches." (33:22), EMP Cannon (38:03), Sudo make me a sandwich (49:01), Braille (49:47), live Google doodle (52:52), and elaborate fight scenes (55:10).

Rent-A-Person

Kurt Kuenne is most widely known for his documentary, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, but he's also been producing brilliant short films for many years. Be sure to check out his award-winning Validation. And, while we're on the subject of uber-cute super-sap, throw Patrick Hughes' Signs on the fire, too.

Inspiring Bicyclist

Whether you're fearing for his life or simply in awe of his talents, Danny MacAskill demands to be watched. Band of Horses playing in the background doesn't hurt either.

A Slow Parade

It's not often I come across a song I really like on a TV show, but if I was hedging my bets, I'd say the next one comes from House, too. "Double A" Bondy is a former member of Verbena, for anyone who remembers them, and he's currently wrapping up a tour in support of his second solo album "When the Devil's Loose."

Check out the use of "A Slow Parade" near the end (37:30) of Episode 9 from Season 6 ("Wilson").

Sherman Alexie

I did a project about Sherman Alexie for a poetry class in college. My favorite poems of his are "Evolution" and "On the Amtrak from Boston to New York City." I remember joking about him having a mullet.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to see him on the Colbert Report. It seemed odd to me that, in searching for a video of the interview, I came across this footage of Alexie speaking shortly after 9/11. Maybe because the poetry class that I didn't go to the morning of 9/11 was the same poetry class in which I gave my Alexie presentation. I could gush about how cathartic his words are for me now, but I'll let Alexie speak for himself.