Another favorite: Doors of Perception.



If I ever have thousands of dollars to throw around on my own intellectual pursuits, I'm getting a front row seat to a Doors of Perception conference in Europe. A conference chock full of designers, artists, architects, musicians -- whatever strikes their fancy -- all talking about how design and culture fit together...



Doors is a conference, website, knowledge network, and cultural accelerator. We bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, and designers who want to imagine alternative futures - sustainable ones - and take design steps to realize them.



Yes, it sounds like a bunch of wank, but if you look at their site, you'll realize this isn't a bunch of artsy rhetoric. (The site is ugly as hell, but mind-bogglingly full of fascinating stuff.)



Doors of Perception >> News

Yes, yes. I know.



"Switch" ad parodies are going the way of the dino. But this one is lovely. And it's a cartoon. How can you lose? (via AtomFilms.com)



Dark Side Switch

I guess this gets us back for "Freedom Fries."



Yeah. This'll work.



France bans 'e-mail' from vocabulary



PARIS, France (AP) -- Goodbye "e-mail", the French government says, and hello "courriel" -- the term that linguistically sensitive France is now using to refer to electronic mail in official documents.



The [French] Culture Ministry has announced a ban on the use of "e-mail" in all government ministries, documents, publications or Web sites, the latest step to stem an incursion of English words into the French lexicon.



The ministry's General Commission on Terminology and Neology insists Internet surfers in France are broadly using the term "courrier electronique" (electronic mail) instead of e-mail -- a claim some industry experts dispute. "Courriel" is a fusion of the two words.



Read the full story on cnn.com

Wow. I never thought to try this.



Just one more reason not to like Deion Sanders. Not that I was looking for any more...



Former Cowboy sued over auto repair bill



DALLAS -- A judge listened to testimony Monday and is expected to rule soon whether former Dallas Cowboy Deion Sanders owes money to a body shop for work done on his vintage 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible.



[...] The owner of the repair shop said Sanders wanted to pay only $1,500 of the $4,265.57 bill, saying that Jesus had informed him that was all he needed to pay...



Read the full story here.

A lesson in civility and culture.



This definitely doesn't just apply to Italians. But it appears to be made by an Italian and is one of the funniest, most self-effacing portraits of a culture I've seen in awhile...



Europe and Italy

I'm guessing this isn't available for my ottoman.



It'd be pretty damn hip if it was, man. (via boingboing)



Electric Plaid is a truly unique aesthetic medium. Electric Plaid's textile patterns and colors change magically before your eyes [...] Electric Plaid is the only animated reflective (it doesn't light up!) color change medium in the world. Electric Plaid brings textile design and color mixing into the 21st century. Electric Plaid can be designed to match any interior or taste.



Electric Plaid

Today's Mensa candidate.



(via The Smoking Gun)



JULY 14--Meet Michael Matakaetis. The 23-year-old Florida man was arrested last week after cops pulled him over for suspicion of drunk driving. Matakaetis, who had an open bottle of Captain Morgan Rum in his Lexus, apparently realized he was plastered and would be headed to the slammer. So, according to this Martin County Sheriff's report, Matakaetis decided to try and bribe his way out of the can. But instead of cash, Matakaetis actually offered the cop a stack of Dunkin' Donuts coupons. He noted, without irony, "You can have these if you just let me park the car and I'll walk home."



Read the whole stupid story here.

I'm back. (Finally!) With a cuppla helpful links...

Sorry. Moving and work have been a little overwhelming. But things have finally gotten back to semi-normal. So, back to the blog...



With celebs dropping like flies these days (look out if your name is "Buddy"), these might come in handy. The first one Paul told me about (simple and brilliant), the second is a bit more comprehensive.



Abe Vigoda Status

Dead or Alive