5MadMovieMakers shows us the perfect way to ruin a xylophone: "A total of 374 black-and-white '65 Ford Mustangs hit some black-and-white xylophone keys to play the world's first die-cast song. … Yes this video is edited on the computer but it would've been difficult to film otherwise. Filmed with a Sony VG30H camcorder and edited with Adobe Premiere Pro 2019."
Hotwheels Xylophone
People in COVID-19 lockdowns listen to nostalgic music on Spotify
I'm coming a bit late to this one, but Timothy Yu-Cheong Yeung recently analyzed Spotify listening trends, and found that people in COVID-19 lockdowns prefer to listen to the oldies. His paper reporting his findings is here, and there's a good story about it in the Guardian (they created that cool chart, above). Yeung based… READ THE REST
The original, wonderful, folky, and slightly schmaltzy recording of "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
Folk legend Pete Seeger penned "Turn! Turn! Turn" in the the late 1950s, but the release of his recording was preceded by the above 1962 version recorded by folk trio The Limeliters. One of the players on that Limeliters session was Jim McGuinn (later known as Roger McGuinn) who went on to form The Byrds… READ THE REST
Simon Stålenhag directed a music video for Duvchi
I'm a big fan of Simon Stålenhag (previously at BB) but found the screen production of Tales from the Loop more cold and distant than his disarming, monumental artwork. His own directorial debut, though, is full of warm magic: the video for Geronimo, a song from Duvchi's forthcoming album This Kind of Ocean [Amazon]. He… READ THE REST
These vibrant colored pens are also ultra-powerful magnets–and a fidgeter's dream come true
Who doesn't want fun things to play with on their desk? The problem is that too many fun toys make it look like you're not doing any work. So, the trick is to find functional, seemingly innocent-looking items that can satisfy all your fidgety idle hand needs. If you need more useful, yet fun entertainment… READ THE REST
The PowerUp 4.0 attaches a computer brain to your paper plane
If you want to engage in some joy this holiday season, we have the perfect gift for your fun-loving family member, or even for yourself…you can now effectively turn paper airplanes into drones. For those who have spent countless hours meticulously folding aerodynamically pure paper planes that can slice through the air like a real… READ THE REST
StartMail privatizes your email with a level of security you might not have known you needed
For years, you've heard experts talk about having a solid VPN service to safeguard everything you do online. It's sound advice, especially when you consider what can happen if someone gains access to sensitive information, like your bank access details or online account logins. Yet, too often, we overlook the fragile state of our own… READ THE REST