Slick time-lapse video of traffic flow in the Vietnamese capital city:

This reminds me of the time I went back to visit Metro Manila with my family in 1999.  Nighttime traffic flow was much like this, except with twice as many jeepneys and four times the number of cars (daytime traffic, however, looked like this, basically a massive multiplayer game of Filipino Frogger).  The first couple of nights left me terrified that we were going to be in some sort of horrible accident -- I think the traffic lights and lane markers were more of an afterthought than anything else -- but we emerged unscathed and breathless through every intersection and lane change.

The secret, it turned out, was to have an extremely heightened sense of awareness of all the other vehicles around you, to take the right of way as needed, but yield accordingly.  The result was a pleasant and harmonious experience of flowing, like a current of water.  Unsurprisingly, that realization made for much more exhilirating subsequent rides, all without incident.

Somehow I don't think this would work here in the States.

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Lakai: "Fully Flared" Intro.

Fully Flared is a skateboarding video featuring pro skaters dodging carefully-planted explosions in super slow-motion.  Spike Jonze directed the introduction.  From Wikipedia: "According to Brandon Biebel, the most dangerous part of the introduction was Mike Mo Capaldi's 'Switch Napalm Flip', which was followed by a staircase being blown up with napalm."

Stuff blowing up in slow-mo is damn cool.

In other news, I'll be posting sporadically over the summer as I'm taking classes for the next eight weeks -- priorities and all that.  I've admittedly lost the rhythm of posting entries (this is the first one in over a month), but hopefully I'll get back into it as my schedule permits.  I'll also try to catch up on my neighborhood posts, so expect me in your comments section in the next few days.

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"abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"

Very close to the end of the semester now, so I'm afraid Vox will have to take a back seat once more as I get my ass kicked by final exams.  Be back soon.  If I survive.

In the meantime, enjoy this nice little clip, featuring a father and son from Amsterdam creating some calligraphic art side-by-side.  From the notes:  "Spontaneous jam sessions in our studio inspired us to make this film about the fun drawing letters."  It does look like fun, doesn't it?

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Mixtapes.

Lately I've been staying up later than I really should, feeling contemplative (dare I say ... emo?  Say it ain't so), so here's my current Muxtape playlist:

3:37 AM & Drizzling: Essential Listening for the Occasional Insomniac

1. Deadly Avenger - "Everyday Is Valentine"
2. Amel Larrieux - "Gills And Tails"
3. Amy Winehouse - "Love Is A Losing Game (Instrumental)"
4. Bang Bang - "Bye Bye Blues"
5. Natalie Gardiner - "Slowly Softly"
6. Mozez - "If I Fall"
7. 40 Winks - "Melancholia"
8. Zimpala - "Adios"
9. Stateless - "Down Here"
10. Little Dragon - "Stormy Weather"
11. Telefon Tel Aviv - "Lotus Above Water"
12. Attica Blues - "Tender (The Final Story)"

Play it here and let me know what you think (I recommend opening it up in another tab and listening as you surf).  If you've made a Muxtape, please post your link in the comments.  I'd love to hear it.

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The last bit is the best.  So damn funny [NSFW for language].  Happy Saturday.

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Test.

I've been crushed with school stuff lately and have a couple of physiology exams at the end of the week, but should have some time to post some new entries after recuperating this weekend.  Stay up everybody.

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I usually do this a handful of times a year, and it's getting warmer out, so I shaved my head.  This time around I went with the #2 guard (instead of just using the blade by itself) which gives a nice close cut without going all the way down to the scalp.  Much easier to get ready in the morning, and my shampoo and conditioner last for months.

Plus I get that breezy cool feeling on my head every time the wind blows, and my hats fit much better.  Just thought you guys would like to know.

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British Army Tests LSD on Soldiers.

Because hey, it's Saturday.  From the narration:  "Constructive action was still attempted by those retaining a sense of responsibility in spite of physical symptoms.  But one hour and ten minutes after taking the drug, with one man climbing a tree to feed the birds, the troop commander gave up, admitting that he could no longer control himself or his men.  He himself then relapsed into laughter."

Video could've used a funny soundtrack though.

[via Wired]

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Dragonfish Banner 12.

Feeling the need to update my blog a bit, I made a new Dragonfish banner image.  Obviously the inspiration came from comic books, so hopefully I did them justice!  This was my first time messing with distortion and perspective on the lettering, and I think it turned out fairly well -- there's always lots of room for improvement though ... I've been dabbling a lot more in Photoshop lately and will be trying more techniques in my new obsession of creating fake album cover art (some of which I may post here in the near future).  Feedback, as always, is definitely appreciated.

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"EEHHMSTM" Screencap.

Ah, rabbits.  Here's a great video [Flash] from the Australian band TISM (This Is Serious Mum) called "Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me."  While the depressing title might sound like one that Dashboard Confessional would come up with, the song itself is pure unabashed pop rock:  funny, upbeat and catchy as hell.  The video, although simply animated with few colors, is creative and really well-done (especially with regard to facial expression and body language) and quite different from the usual crap being broadcast on your mainstream music television channels.  A summary:

The video was chosen from a multitude of entrants in a competition. The winning entrant was a cartoon [by Bernard Derriman] featuring two rabbits, one a depressed singer and the other a masked keyboardist ... The number on each bunny's chest indicates the number of times it has had sex. The main bunny, commonly known as "The Sex Bunny" in Internet circles, has the number "1". Other bunnies of various ages and appearances are shown, some with surprisingly high numbers (in one version of the video, a jaded-looking male rabbit with a handlebar mustache claims an impressive 10,419). Despite the singer's lament, one bunny is shown who has had even less sex: the masked keyboardist, with a number of "0". [from Wikipedia]

Which got me to thinking a little.  How differently would we treat each other if we had our own "numbers" prominently displayed on our chests (or floating above our heads)?

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