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David Kramer’s high-entropy blog

Cool Art Of The Day

Thomas Allen’s Book Art Photography on Paintalicious.

American photographer Thomas Allen constructs witty and clever dioramas using figures cut from the covers of old pulp paperbacks. Using salacious pulp art drawing’s of the ’40s and ’50s that covered books such as ” I Married a Dead Man” and ” Marihuana Girl’, Allen constructs one set of pictures up close while obscuring another, and in the process creates a different context. Each piece is given a brand new storyline, though never quite strays from their cheeky origins.

This is some pretty creative stuff.  It’s like magazines turned into 3D images.  But Paintalicious also has lighter fare, like The Secret History Of Kiss.

Woot.com turns 5, and still as fun as ever

woot.com, the online geek store phenomenon that sells one item each day, turned 5 last Sunday.

This is one of the more fun way to get deals on the InterTubes.  [almost] every day, at 12:00CST, they put up a new item for sale, and sell that one item until they run out, or 12:00CST the next day.  There’s a lively discussion forum to discuss the products among the other wooters.  Another great thing about woot is they write very funny descriptions of the products.

Every now and again, there’s a woot-off, where they sell a bunch of things in rapid succession, and deprive geeks worldwide of much-needed sleep and focus at work.

I’ve bought several things there, and have always been happy with them.  Just be aware that their cheap shipping is VERY slow.


Mortimer & Monte: In the Break Room
from Woot Video on Vimeo.

Religous “EXCUSE ME!?!?!” Of The Day

I apologize in advance because (1) this is a hot topic that may offend some, and (2) I posted like 87 times today.  However….

I just saw this article on WBUR’s website (the local NPR station) saying the Vatican is starting this huge investigation of U.S. nuns because they’re straying too much from Catholic doctrine, and not promoting church teachings.  Now, I’m not Catholic, and I’m seeing this from an American perspective, and allegation != guilt, but it seems odd to me that all these priests are found doing illegal and harmful things, and it’s all apologies and shuffling them from one area to another, but The Inquisition II is fired up because nuns aren’t wearing their habits.  I don’t get their priorities.

There’s a battle going on in many religious institutions, both internationally and locally, and that’s purity vs popularity.  Should a religious institution stay true to it’s original doctrine and morals, or should it bend with the times just a bit in the name of staying connected to their “target audience”?  Obviously, opinions on this will vary wildly.  Then there’s the cultural differences between different countries.  As that article rightly points out, the US has a highly individualistic culture, so some rules that aren’t a problem in Europe may be harder to follow here.

I would really like some feedback on these issues.  I think it’s an interesting problem.

Beware The Sleeping Dragon

I do not know why.  It is beyond me.  However, it is mildly entertaining in a “Uh, there’s something I’ve never seen that before!”  This guy went around China taking pictures of people sleeping in public.  Over 700 of them.

Witness the splendor yourself.

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