Thursday Traffic | New Year's Eve Edition

All the rush hour traffic of the New Year brings with it both frustration and excitement. However, more than anything, it brings to mind new beginnings. For some reason, people feel that the new year ends the old year. Like all the things from the previous 365 days becomes void. You and I both know that it's not true, but we always look forward to (or dread) the future. Yet it is the future. This evening, dear readers, I thank you for hanging out with me for 2009, and I look forward to giving you more to read in 2010. Happy New Years (this might be late to some and for others, yet to come) and have a wonderful night! Be careful with those fireworks!

Every website now needs its own theme song

So, you know that I am a Hunchaholic already. Now that they have a theme song, I am even more excited about them. This is performed by Lauren Gabriela and Peter Coles.


via the Hunch Blog

Star light, star bright

Light is such an amazing medium for art. I have really fallen in love with light painting. The image above is from BlaisOne's After Dark photostream. Take a look at some of the photography and enjoy this morning's eye candy. Mmmm!

Artist spotlight | M. C. Escher

I think that we can learn a lot from artists of the past. They give art a history (which is important) and they discovered proportions and tricks that make it much easier to create drawings that are almost real. One artist that really brought something to printmaking was M. C. Escher. His use of math to create his art works was impeccable. I have been inspired by Escher during several of my own projects, and I hope he inspires you as well. I have some of his images after the jump for your viewing pleasure. If you want to learn more about him and his work, visit his official website.

A few of my favorite things (part trois)

Welcome to yet another installment of My Favorite Things. I'm just going to jump right into this today, so hit the jump to take a look.

Elegance on two legs

I honestly don't like birds. They get on my nerves. However, there are a few birds that I think are very beautiful and therefore respect. The number one on my list are Japanese cranes. I think they are so gorgeous—almost poetic. The best thing about them is that they aren't awkward on their legs like flamingos (or pink). In fact, their color is one of the reasons I like them so much—red, white and black, one of the best classic color palettes—although overused. Enjoy the image above as eye candy.

Image Japanese Cranes in snow storm by Larry Etkin

Newfound resolve

You know how everyone makes up all these resolutions they will do for the New Year. Popular ones relate to fitness and health (getting in shape, quitting smoking, that sort of thing). I am not one for resolutions, so I never make them. This year, I am making one though. It's very simple—write in this blog. I've been keeping it going for over four months now. If everything shapes up properly, I will be sharing lots of information with you through the year 2010.

If you would like to make a resolution of your own, but can't seem to figure out how, give the hunch below a try.

New Year's Resolutions - make thousands more decisions on Hunch.com

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

No Mickey Mouse conducting brooms or waves in this film. Disney's upcoming film, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, looks like it's going to be good. Trailer is below for your viewing pleasure.

Film Review | Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created quite a collection with the various mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. The name has become indicative of intellectual prowess. No detective can muster up the knowledge like Sherlock Holmes did in his various adventures. You can imagine that I was looking forward to the big screen debut of Sherlock Holmes over this past weekend.

If you have read the stories, then you might be pleasantly surprised to find that this is a brand new idea. It remains very true to how London was during the times. The streets seemed very real and the set design was extremely well executed. However, I know that you care about the setting about as much as dogs care about getting a bath. You want to know the rundown?

The film breathes new life into an old classic. However, there are several things that are pulled from the stories. The most important to me is the intellectual humor. Things that make you laugh are subtle and clever. You aren't knocked over the head with anything. The film has a great plot and the acting is fairly well done. The chemistry on the set was spot on. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law made for a great match. Lots of nice camera work and effects allow for an excellent film. I won't give away any spoilers—this IS a mystery film—but I would recommend it to the appropriate audience. No little kids here.

Grade: A

Image from RopeOfSilicon.com

Happy Christmas!

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Christmas. Stay safe and have fun. If you are a little bored, give Nitrome's Avalanche a try. It has penguins and rockets—what more do you need?

Image via wallpaperstock.net

You'd better watch out

Watch Alma by Rodrigo Blaas. Some video eye candy for your Christmas eve. Happy Christmas to those overseas.

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Turning around and around

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is one of those movies that I loved watching as a kid. There was so much to entertain and I could busy myself with something else during slow moments. However, the moment the film moved to Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle, I loved the kid catcher and the toy maker. In this world of make believe is one of my favorite scenes from the movie that I would like to share with you now.

By far one of the best holiday cards ever!

Find Santa's lost iPhone. Don't ask questions, just click and enjoy. This whole thing is by Modea and it is very creative. Check out their other work on their site.

Superpoked!

The best thing about illustration is that people have so many different styles. One studio whose illustration I admire is Poked Studio. Their work is playful yet somewhat creepy and eerie. I like how something that might be "cute" is given a bit of an ominous twist. Hit the jump for some more illustrations and check out their site!

Surprise, surprise! Images from Poked Studio

25 years and more to come

If you have never heard of Duffy & Partners, it's okay because you probably are familiar with their work. They design quality media for a very large group of clients. While you should definitely take a look at their work, I wanted to draw your attention to their 25 yearly bottle designs. These are very impressive and I look forward to next year's too. Cheers!

Image via Duffy & Partners

And the world will continue to turn

Yesterday was the beginning of winter, and before you know it, it will be spring, summer, fall—winter. Time is moving, we are moving, life is moving. This motion is very nicely shown in the video below. I thought this was a great way to show the importance of branding and why companies need to take branding seriously.

Moving Brands/ Moving World from Moving Brands on Vimeo.

Counting down to more than just Christmas

In three days, Sherlock Holmes will open worldwide. How exciting. Look forward to a review as long as the weather holds out and we aren't facing freezing rain in the DC/Metro area.

Image via Sensory Branding

Holiday cheer

I feel like the holiday cheer is lacking this year. Most people look like they have been Scrooge's best friend this year. I have a theory that people are so stuck on the commercial side of the holidays that they are forgetting that these days are meant for fellowship and thanksgiving. There are really amazing things out in the world and sometimes, you have to take a moment from your everyday routine to see them. If you haven't yet, check out the Hubble Space Telescope Advent from Boston.com's The Big Picture. You'll see some pretty nice images of space. What better eye candy could you ask for? Hope this gives you a bit of a warm, fuzzy, happy feeling.

Unazukin

I think these little Unazukin are so adorable! Apparently, they help you make decisions. Alas, they were all sold out last time I checked, so just enjoy them as eye candy. Yum!

via ShareSomeCandy

Thursday Traffic | 17 December

Ah, welcome to another Thursday Traffic. This morning, I had to draw up courage and walk across the street to the MetroBus stop that I take every day. Each time that I attempt to walk across one of the "children crossing" sections of the road, it seems that cars speed up so they won't have to stop. First, what would they do if I truly was a kid? Run me over? Fly by and never let me pass? Second, will it kill them to stop? I mean, the speed limit is already 25 because it is a school zone, so it's not like it is too much.

Now, I know that pedestrians can be annoying. Trust me, I see them every day. They dart into the street only to end up stopping at the next light and waiting. However, as far as I'm concerned, if I am within the white bars of a crosswalk or the little walking man is flashing, I should be safe to cross the street. Perhaps adhering to the rules will keep traffic from getting so backed up on Thursdays as it is. Oh well, tomorrow's Friday—you can revel in that.

image via a fast internet search

How can you dislike Tim Burton?

Talk about someone with imagination. I finally took a look at the latest trailer for Alice in Wonderland. I cannot wait!

Film Review | The Princess and the Frog

Because of my love of Disney, I went to the theatre to watch The Princess and the Frog. I was not exactly sure what to expect, but I was certain that it would be entertaining. I was looking forward to the return of songs, the more traditional appearance and hopefully a great film. In order to review this film though, I am forced to give away some spoilers, so I am giving the grade before the jump in case you plan on seeing it and would like to be surprised.

So, the animation of The Princess and the Frog was phenomenal. At one point, the more realistic imagery gave way to a sort of vintage poster cartoon look that was creative and still flowed with the rest of the film. The songs were fun and well-composed. I especially enjoyed the music, which is good considering this takes place in New Orleans. The storyline is solid. It keeps you entertained and pulls at various emotions. You will feel angry, sad, happy, scared—it's really well executed in that sense. Kids and adults will enjoy The Princess and the Frog and can probably expect to add it to their movie library when it comes out on DVD some time next year.

Grade: A-

Frosting on top

You know that winter is one week away when you are greeted by an icy wind when you open your front door. I know that for some, winter is just as hot as summer. However, my winters are usually freezing cold. When I slid for a moment over a patch of ice, I realized that it is time for all the cold weather gear—the coats, gloves, hats, scarves and boots. I always try to keep my ChapStick handy because cold weather will really do a number on your lips.

Yet, in this harsh winter chill, I was surprised to see a flock of geese land in a field near my bus stop. I normally don't see birds this late in the year, and I wonder if they were a bit surprised by the weather too. Hopefully, you also see something a little unexpected today—and keep warm (or cool).

image Flock of Canadian Geese/John Forsythe

Julia Sonmi Heglund

I love illustrators that create new, interesting works that baffle your mind. One such illustrator is Julia Sonmi Heglund. She has lots of big name clients like the New York Times, MTV and Threadless.com. You can find out more about her and her work on her website. I have posted a few choice pieces after the jump.

Of course, all images are copyright of Julia Sonmi Heglund

Because of Martha...

Because of Martha (BOM), I learn lots of helpful hints to use around the house. Since there is really no reason for me to keep these insightful tips to myself, I will spread them to you via my blog. However, my first BOM post will not happen until this weekend, so look forward to that!

Thursday Traffic | 10 December

Doesn't Thursday Traffic just roll off the tongue? I was sitting on the bus hoping that no one would sit next to me. You might ask why. You might wonder why it even matters. You might say that I don't own the seat, so how can I try to keep others from sitting next to me.

I'll tell you the answer to all of these questions I have made up for you to ask me. I don't like people sitting next to me because I value my personal space. Do you know how annoying it is to be squished next to a smelly person for thirty minutes? Then, you feel like you stink too. I know that I don't own the bus seat, but I think it is rude to sit next to someone when there are plenty of open space. It gets on my nerves. Anyway, in order to dissuade people from sitting next to me, I normally have my purse and tote bag on the seat next to me. Since I'm listening to my iPod, people usually avoid me. It's a relief on days like today when traffic is moving slowly.

Are you worried about people sitting next to you? Find out if they are likely to do so with this Hunch.

Will someone sit next to me? - make thousands more decisions on Hunch.com

What I like about Audrey

If there ever was an actress that I have admired, it has to be Audrey Hepburn. She, in my opinion, was the most elegant and talented actress of her time. I'm sure you all think otherwise, but there are some things that only Audrey could do. For example, only Audrey could wear a black leotard and dance around a cafe—and pull it off—in Paris the way she did in Funny Face. Not only was she a stellar actress, but she was a great humanitarian. I think that the way she carried herself made her into a better role model than most of the popular actresses today. However, this entire post is just to give you some eye candy.

image from photobucket

Steps of knowledge

Architects and interior designers often craft very effective space-saving methods to make our lives easier. London-based Levitate Architects have given an ordinary staircase a new life with book-lined stairs. Hit the jump for more images and read the full article on Apartment Therapy.

Attention, holiday shoppers

You know, I am not the biggest fan of shopping. Don't get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with shopping, I just prefer to shop with goals. I might browse or window shop to relieve boredom, but I couldn't spend my entire day at a store. So, when I go Christmas shopping, I shop with intended destinations in mind—sometimes, this requires me to only search the internet for the best price. However, this weekend, I decided to join the rest of the world in stores.

I did not partake in the Black Friday sales, but I am glad I waited. The following Monday, I received several coupons in the mail for substantial discounts. So, did I miss out on the sales? No, not at all. In fact, I believe that waiting was the better choice. Other shoppers probably stumbled across several great sales as well—which explains why it was so ridiculously crowded. I wonder if shoppers will wise up next year and get some rest instead of waiting for stores to open at some early morning hour.

Either way, happy shopping to all; and to all a good price!

Gestalt

For most designers, gestalt is a very important part of their work. What gestalt basically means is "closure". For some designs, the viewer can finish the whole shape or form of an object. Continuity: A Flash Puzzle Platformer has a good sense of gestalt. Because it is a puzzle, it is not necessarily easy to fill in the lines, but when things work properly, you get closure. Don't believe me? Try this game out. It's a student project too!

Dale and Peakot

Don't come between a farmer and his hens. Dale and Peakot by Juicy Beast shows you how a simple farmer—Dale—and his favorite hen—Peakot—work together to find every last one of his hens. Shoot yourself some coyotes, mosquitos and fat, kung fu fighting...groundhogs? Best of all, it's free! If you are bored and have a moment, give it a go.

"Green" rant

I've been thinking about this for a while and I'm just going to throw this out there for your consideration. For as long as I can remember, everyone has harped on reducing, reusing, recycling—it was my childhood mantra. Every country has some kind of effort that they make to keep our planet healthy and strong. However, if it mattered that much to everyone, why is it so expensive to be "green"?

I think that everyone should be eco-conscious, but it's hard to make a difference when it costs so much! What is the point of charging people more to do the right thing? It sends the wrong message. It's just like teachers that would punish the entire class when only one person was at fault—it's off-putting and pointless. So why do consumers have to bear the burden of making a good choice? I think it's backwards. First, why don't producers make the big change? If they only produced "green" products, consumers would have no choice but to make the correct choice. The other side is why don't they charge more to make the non-green decision? That would get people going green faster than you can imagine.

I'm sure there are lots of procedures that have to be made and it's too much work, but hey, there are plenty of people who would be willing to work at this. Have you seen the employment outlook presently? And don't talk about how you can save a few nickels for using recycle bags at select grocery stores. In the end, it just isn't effective.

Designed from scratch

Do you know how you eat a processed, pre-packaged cookie and it feels like it is missing something? Well, what is missing is the love that comes in from homemade goodness. I feel that One Fast Buffalo brings love into their design. OFB is in the southwestern US and their work is clean, concise, authentic and fresh. Of course, words say nothing compared to actual work. Go to their site and look around. You can change their background as well, so customize it to your liking—I really like this option. The interface is really fun and unique as well, so it's exciting to explore. If you hit the jump you'll see some of their works that I really enjoyed.

Mailtime!

You know what I don't get much of anymore? Well, the answer is obviously mail. It's true, though. I rarely get any personal mail nowadays with the internet. I wonder if I would get more if I had a really cool mailbox. No, I'd probably just get funny looks, but hit the jump for these creative mailboxes.

images found all over the internet

Thursday Traffic | 3 December

Ah, Thursday morning is always backed up with traffic in DC. What does that mean to you? Maybe nothing because it is night where you are and you had no traffic. Or maybe, it means whatever random thing I thought about while I was stuck in traffic. Welcome to the latest NewfoundJoye installment: Thursday Traffic.

Today, I was watching the traffic go just about nowhere and noticed that someone was driving a purple Mercedes Benz. The agony when I saw that hideous, plum color on such a sleek car. There are some cars that look really good in purple, don't think I am just hating on the color. However, there are some cars that look lame in purple—like a Mercedes. If you don't believe me, I dare you to just google, "purple Mercedes" and see what shows up—I even did it for you. Hideous, isn't it? Tune in next Thursday for another installment of Thursday Traffic.

Caravan Palace

I stumbled upon this and I thought it would be nice to share this with you. Caravan Palace (according to Wikipedia) "is a French electro-swing band based in Paris. The current band line-up consists of Sonia Fernandez Velasco (vocals and clarinet), Arnaud de Bausredon (guitar), Hugues Payen (violin), Camille Chapelière (clarinet), Charles Delaporte (double bass) and Antoine Toustou (electronics and trombone)." The music is really fun and exciting though. Check out the video below for more.

The main squeeze

I don't like pulp in my orange juice or lemonade—I also don't like real fruit pieces in my yogurt—I know, I'm weird. However, this juicer might have me interested in becoming a pulp orange juice drinker, the Orangin Citrus Squeezer. The image above shows the juicer and if you hit the jump, you can view the instructions on how it is used. It truly makes home-made orange juice production look gorgeous, doesn't it?

(via Yanko Design)

Slap phones

Remember the old slap bracelets? They could be straight, or you could slap them against your wrist to make a bracelet? Come one, they've revived them with soft edges so kids don't cut their hands open when they are trying to save them from the class bully (happened to me). Anyway, with the new technology of flexible antennas, I'm thinking that a slap phone would be awesome. You talk on your phone, then slap it against your wrist until you need it again. Really handy, right? For the actual article on flexible antennas, check out Wired's Gadget Lab.

Image of flexible antenna via Wired; Image of slap bracelet via the internet

Film Review | Ninja Assassin

During the Thanksgiving break, I went and saw Ninja Assassin. First of all, I did not have any prior opinions about this film. It looked like it would have plenty of action and that was reason enough to see it. I didn't check out all of the trailers or follow it diligently. Therefore, I can be rather objective in my review. Hit the jump to read it.

We gotta gorilla for sale

Remember Magilla Gorilla? He was 100 times cooler than Grape Ape and annoyed Mr. Peebles like there was no tomorrow. Well, there is this video that comes on Boomerang that I'd like to share with you (now that I can). It's a pretty catchy little song called "Gorilla 4 Sale" by Michael Unger. Check out the video below.

And a partridge in a pear tree

I love countdowns. I am down with the Twelve Days of Christmas, I like counting down to the New Year and I l-o-v-e counting down the twenty-five days until Christmas. How better to do this than with an Adventskalendar? I hope you guys have something that gets you in the holiday spirit—regardless of whether you celebrate it or not. Everyone could use some cheer.

Image via an internet search

Hacking things better

I might just be in love with the idea of Sugru. I'll be certain if I get a chance to hack away with it. Check out the video below.