Thursday, January 31, 2008

Humanity Takes A Wrong Turn (Update)

A few days ago, I posted on what I thought may have been the most disgusting food product available to humanity, The Hamburger in a Can.

Well, I thought that the concept of a hamburger IN A CAN would make anyone dry heave until a shoe fell out of their mouth.... HOWEVER! Apparently someone actually ordered this thing, cracked it open and ate it. If you want to read more about his experience then just click here.

Someone needs to call this guy an ambulance, because he is going to die. He will die, if not from eating this THING in a can, then by complete and utter stupidity.

Get "Lost"

Well, when the season finale of "LOST" aired last May, everyone pretty much made number two in their pants over how unbelievable the episode was. Truly, it was a great achievement and end to a season filled with heavy criticism against the creators of the show and how the season had progressed. However, immediately after that fans were hit with the bad news... no new episodes until January. Well, the gnashing of teeth have finally ceased and once again our lost islanders will grace the small screen starting tonight. To get your ready for it... here is a funny video.

David Lynch on Product Placement

David Lynch is still relevant as a film maker. I would dare say he may be one of the last true independent film makers. If you need further proof, just look to the fact that despite warnings he made a three hour film last year called "Inland Empire" that had this plot description, "An actress's perception of reality becomes increasingly distorted as she finds herself falling for her co-star in a remake of an unfinished Polish production that was supposedly cursed." In order to make sure audiences had a firm grasp on the film, he drove the print personally from city to city and screened it himself. So, in a world where independent film makers go from making Sun Dance films to Comic Book Mega Movies in a five minute flip, Lynch still seems committed to the art of it all. If you need proof, just watch the video below. In it he describes in detail his feelings on Corporate Product Placement in the world of Feature Films.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Dr. Steve Brule

Tim and Eric's Awesone Show: Good Job! has returned to the air waves late at night on the Cartoon Network. This means that Dr. Steve Brule has also returned. I recently discovered this show, and fully admit to coming late to the dance, but none the less this odd little show is worth a view on YouTube. It just makes us laugh... and laugh... and laugh some more.

John C. Reily is... how do they say in the business... comedy gold?


Humanity Takes a Wrong Turn


So, quick post here, because I had to. This is just too odd.
ART OF FUNCTION is about the creativity and how we use it in life. Classic Example is the iPod. Elegant design meets high functionality. The MP# player is a good example of creative thinking applied to functional use to create art. The subject of this post is the antithesis of this motto. The banner picture above features a product known as... CHEESE BURGER IN A CAN. That's right. It's a canned Cheeseburger. A cheeseburger one would ingest into your body... after removing it... from... A CAN!!! Now, I readily admit to having a penchant for the Chicken Salad sandwiches and Hot Dogs sold at 7-11; however, not even I would stoop to eating this. I swear this is something my Father would eat on a fishing trip right after he polished off can of vienna sausages. Now for those of you out there reading this and thinking... no way... it's an internet fake. This is photosphoped! Well, my terrified friend, just click the link above and you will find the product page where you can purchase this online. Truly, our cups runneth over.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Random Tid Bits Issue #1


Here at Art of Function, we spend a lot of time surfing the Internet, as I am sure some of you do as well. Often times we read in Sci-Fi novels about alternate dimensions and realities, and I am beginning to think that the Internet is our own man-made alternate dimension. When you think about it, where else can you go, think up something and then within a few keystrokes your looking at evidence of it. It is like you are creating your own reality. For example, one day I was listlessly staring at the computer screen when I thought about Napoleon Dynamite, and that famous quote of his, "My favorite animal is a Liger." I thought that a Liger (half lion / half tiger) was a made up fictitious creature. So, then I typed Liger on Google one day and guess what I found out... Ligers are real. In fact, there is a picture of one at the top of this blog. If you would like to see a video of a Liger then go ahead and click here. The dang things are huge.

Anyway, Random Tid Bits is not a posting about Ligers. It is just a random collection of stories we have found on the internet you might be interested in or not. I hope to do this regularly, and this will be the first issue of it. Hence, Issue #1.

The Mac Book Air: Last week everyone was abuzz as Steve Jobs walked onto the stage at Mac World 2008 to give his keynote speech. Jobs does this twice a year, and last year's keynote was massive as it was the debut of the iPhone. However, this year it was a little bit of a let down. The cornerstone announcement came in the form of an ultra-thin laptop nicknamed "Air". The jury is still out as the new thin-books are just now hitting some consumer review sites, but everyone seems fairly underwhelmed. The idea of a thin laptop that fits in a Manila envelope is something, but the unit unfortunately sacrifices some functionality by not having an internal optical drive. It also supports tech specs that are underwhelming as well. Why spend $1800.00 on a laptop that does less than the MacBook that only costs about $1100.00. I saw a common on a post Digg.com regarding the new Air. "Looks like Apple inventing the perfect laptop for rich who only want to check their email at Starbucks."

Call of Duty 4 Overtakes Halo 3 as the Number 1 Online Game: Well, looks like there is a new boss in town over on the Xbox Live Servers. Game-boys were abuzz with the news that the juggernaut known as Halo 3 was finally de-throned by the risky new Call of Duty 4 shooter. Having played both, I can actually say that Call of Duty 4 offers a much more even playing field, which is a huge critique against the Halo games. Also with new achievements and weapons with each upgrade in skill, online gamers are more invested to play more rounds. Halo 3 is still in my opinion a unique and well rounded game, but I will say, I have not slid it back into the deck since I received COD4 for Xmas.

Artist to Rediscover: The Format: Um... what the heck? How come this band never rose on the charts? I somehow stumbled on this band through iTunes, and downloaded their album "Inventions and Lullabies". Then I was embarrassed to discover I already had two different songs from two different sound tracks on my iPod already... whoops. Never the less, this is a great band for you if you like the pop rock of "Switchfoot" and the vocal styles of a group like "The New Pornographers".

So, this concluded issue #1. Just some random stuff. Really from Ligers to Apple hardware, how random is that?

Monday, January 14, 2008

Adding to the Best of 2007 - Movies!

Well, over the weekend I had the opportunity to see four movies. Yes, four!
Two of which I had suspected would be on my "Best of 2007" and were not because I had not had a chance to review them, but the other two were very interesting little films as well.

First, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, was up first. I had a huge hankering to see the latest Cohen brothers effort, and I was incredibly excited to sit down and watch the film. As a whole, the movie is fantastic. It is one of the best chase dramas ever to be put on screen. Truly, truly fantastic film making by the veteran film making team. Javier Bardem truly deserves his Golden Globe win for his terrifying portrayal of an unstoppable killing machine. Yes, there is violence, and yes, there is tension, so the week at heart will really have to buckle up for the film, but it truly has something to say and it may be the most artful piece of storytelling to come out in a long time.

Second, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, was up next. This P.T. Anderson film is breathtaking for the first two thirds, and then as the lead character Daniel Plainview devolves in his own madness the movie also begins to spin out of control. The ending of this film is highly criticized, and I do see the ending as a somewhat legitimate conclusion, but in the end it is ill conceived and fails to be truthful to the narrative we had seen up until that point in the movie. However, Daniel Day Lewis is more than enough reason to see this film.

Third and Fourth, I was able to catch LARS AND THE REAL GIRL and 1408. Both are not spectacular achievements but well crafted movies for the genre they are living in. So, also worth checking out!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Experience The Crosley Solo!

Are you a sucker for Restoration Products, we are here at Art of Function. So, we feel in love with a gift old St. Nick dropped down the chimney on Christmas day 2007. Now, it's called the Crosley Solo on the box, but it's easier to locate retail wise as The Attic Radio Speaker at Urban Outfitters.

The simplicity of the frame and appearance harks back to a simpler time in America, when bee bee guns were a high tech gift and "I Love Lucy" was America's favorite T.V. show. The gorgeous craftsman ship and detail of the tuning dial and the old extending radio antenna all way to the hardwood case give this little number a quaint yet classy finish. Also the size of the unit allows for it to fit snuggled on your desk at work, or in the corner of the garage.

The sound quality is excellent for a small space or office, and you can really boom out the tunes if you crank the volume to 10. What's best about this unit is that it comes with an audio in line, that allows you to connect your MP3 player or CD Player to the unit and pump out your favorite podcast or that new bundle of tunes you just picked up with a gift card from Grandma!

This unit retails for $98.99 online with shipping extra. However, it is worth it. Wonderful little gift and addition to the mantle. Thanks, Jenny!