The Unified Theory of Primetime TV in the Year 2010

Or in other words, a rough venn diagram of what everybody seems to be watching this year. It's all there. Looks about right, huh?

Take a look, it's in a book, a reading....chair

Great, now I have that song stuck in my head. "Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high, take a look, it's in a book, a Reading Rainbow..."



Sigh, anyway....

You can see for yourself what's going on up there. You don't need an explanation, right? It's a book. It unfolds into a chair. It's quirky. It's called "Take a Seat." The end. :P

Chillout - Hey, you're okay, you'll be fine, just breathe :)

The spot where you put your cursor and click to see the link

This is how I viewed the site and what I would recommend you loosely follow:

1. Start skimming the left-hand explanation text.
2. Bounce to the right-hand side when something catches your attention or you want more info.
3. See the first little "play" button for a sample.
4. Try not to giggle at it sounding cheesy.
5. Click the next sample and only listen to the first few seconds.
6. Rinse and repeat with the rest, skipping down the page, only absorbing what initially feels interesting or important. Get a feel of what's going on.
7. Giggle at the one he labels his favorite.
8. Read the last bits and smile to yourself.
9. Listen to the final product and think "wow, that actually turned out amazingly well."
10. Scroll all the way back up to the top, thinking that maybe you should read more of the stuff that was originally skimmed over, but instead, notice that there was a player at the very top of the page that you missed entirely.
11. Determine that the song was much more valuable and appreciated having read everything else 'first'. (Had I hit play first, I probably would've listened to a few seconds, and then closed the tab....what a shame).
12. Share it with others with instructions to skim the rest before listening to the completed song.

Hey, you're okay. You'll be fine. Just breathe. :)

Facebook Friday Flashbacks - Bouncing bunnies, cat owls, and 4 chords

Yet another in a series of link dump compilations including all the funky things I've found and shared elsewhere. There are lots more shared on Quirky Jessi's Facebook, but here are some tasty morsels:

• Winterbells bunny bouncin' game.
  
• This guy is simply amazing. It's a Chinese guy who ultimately forms thousands of noodles by hand...in a matter of minutes and before you even realize what he's done. So awesome. Just keep watching 'til the end.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Really cute chick comic about the smartest question. Click here for the large version that won't fit on my site. 
• 77 hilarious look-alikes. They really are hilarious, so clicky.
  
  
  
• 8 websites you need to stop building. No really. There are too many as it is and most of them suck anyway, so if you're toying with an idea that is similar to any of these, burn it now. 
• Axis of Awesome is a comedy musical group that demonstrates here how all you need for a hit song is 4 simple chords. They compiled quite the list of songs that use just those four. You'll enjoy. :)
  
  
  This video even has youtube tags on screen so you can see the song titles.
• 
  This one looks even better in its larger form.

Through May 13

Styrofoam art brings home the bacon

In the midst of barbecue season, we're bound to come across a few more styrofoam cups than usual, but these are far from the norm. Cheeming Boey has a better use for Sharpies and those oh-so-horrible-for-the-environment styrofoam cups than just drinking.

At first I thought it was just a quirky hobby that gained some internet publicity, but turns out, this guy has a major business now and each cup sells for hundreds of dollars. Seriously, how come I can't think of things like this? And be talented enough to follow through with 'em? lol





Cheeming Boey website
Boey's Flickr with lots of cup examples
My source that includes a video at the bottom

Pajama Jeans - When your head says jeans, but your body wants pajamas

Well if the reviews I've seen for Pajama Jeans didn't suck and quote things like "horrible butt cleavage" these would be perfect for me. I love me a great pair of jeans and that's pretty much all I wear outside the house, but sometimes, you just wanna be comfy, right? I'm sure if your butt and figure look like that woman's, these would be great for you, too (at least before the first wash where they fall apart, right?). Who thinks of these things and why couldn't I have thought of it first??

~Edit~ For the record, I hesitated before selecting "fashion" as a tag for this, lol.

Another cat who is more successful than I am - Shiro balances cucumbers

What is it with people and wanting to put things on cats?

If you're out of the loop, there's actually an entire site dedicated to putting stuff on cats, StuffOnMyCat. And wigs are still wrong, too.

The guy up top is actually of a special kitty named Shiro who has become quite the celebrity in Japan with his "trademarked squint" and balancing acts of all sorts of silly things on his head.



In case your time on the internet hasn't produced enough "cute cat pictures" then you should head over to see more pictures of this one who has *two* books published. I really hate being jealous of a cat....

Facebook Flashback Friday - Art, vegetarians, and mad parking skills

Here's another in a series of link dump compilations including all the strange things I've found and shared elsewhere. There are lots more shared on Quirky Jessi's Facebook, but here are some snippets:

• Any World of Warcraft players out there? This one is for you PUGers. 
• Sometimes I don't post something here because I've already posted similar stories before. There are more well-positioned photos here: When a photograph is not just a photograph.
  What a pretty "flower girl."
  
• Some very interesting illustrations on this Design War post.
  
  
  Check out those colors and ignore the fact that she's not wearing very many clothes...
• When a lion figures out he's really a vegetarian....
  
  And several other interesting reverse-perspective comics.
• On May 12th, I shared this thought of the day: "Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, just pee on it and walk away. :P"
• Intense bento creations, including PlayStation, Hello Kitty, Mario (of course), Windows, Nintendo DS, and several others.
  
• 
• And this gem was found at gifbin. She does a better job parking than most people we see.
  
  

Through May 12

Oil Spill Perspective - It's not always has major/minor as you think

I'm not going to discuss the whole oil disaster that's going on right now, but of all the links, pictures, parodies, bashes, political debates, etc, etc, etc, that I've seen, here are two serious maps that I thought showed some really good perspective. It's hard to imagine how big the spill is, but these maps show them from the best and worst possible lights.

The first one, is If It Was My Home* which lets you put in your city and it'll overlay a black spot the size/shape of the oil spill. Most likely, it'll appear huge and crazy insane, like how it covers a few entire states in this one:



And the second, is of this map which shows a comparison of the world where previous oil incidents have occurred with their corresponding sizes.



*I'll pretend that it doesn't really bother me that,
grammatically speaking, it should be "If it *were* my home"...

Michelangelo Nintendo remix - "Game Over"

It's been a while, right? Right!

So I like quirky art and I love original NES Mario, so of course I want this beauty in my living room. Or maybe out in the garage or something where it might actually fit, but nevermind that.



Drawing direct inspiration from the original La Pieta sculpture of Mary and Jesus by Michelangelo, Kordian Lewandowski created this piece using the Princess and Mario instead. I love that it's named "Game Over" and this quote sums it up quite nicely:

"While the sculpture may not be included in an art history book, it showcases one of the most iconic sculptural subjects of the Renaissance re-contextualized using the storyline of Mario instead of the Bible."

For the record, if I were to put together an art history book, this would totally be in there. History in the making, no?

Here's a view from before it was completed, too:

Facebook Flashbacks Part 1 - Dancing, crying, and saving the environment

Here's the first in a series of link dump compilations including all the bizarre things I've found and shared elsewhere, but never got around to posting here. There are lots more on Quirky Jessi's Facebook, but here's a yummy taste.

• Sometimes I post things that I find a bit too racy for QJ. Here was a "white woman's workout" video.
• Don't forget the men and women who fight daily for ours rights....to party. ;) These guys did their own interesting version of Lady Gaga's Telephone.
  


• Count the rings on trees and feed the little executives in your lungs. 
• The best (worst??) crying scene ever. "Sounds like chubaka (sic) on cocaine." Wow.
• When friends send you links you shouldn't open at work, use this site to preview.
• Just sayin'...
  
•  I doubt this design will catch on or ever get put into action, but you should check out the link. Lots of really great ideas. Square Coke bottles....could you handle 'em?

Through May 12

Turn pencil stubs into full-sized pencils again - Or better yet, a printer

Do people even use pencils any more? I know mechanical pencils still linger and grade schools still require regular Number 2 pencils often times....but outside of that?

Either way, I know there are other ways of using pencil stubs instead of throwing them away, but this one just seems insanely simple. No crazy designs or complex pieces to put the pencils in. Just slip them both in and you're ready to go. I wonder how well it'd actually work, though.



~Edit~

Actually, what about this instead?

Show me those ears - Quirky bares all

Okay, so maybe not 'all' but I have been a very, very busy little bunny over the last few weeks. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you already know this. If you're not, you should be! Duh. :P

No really, you've really been missing out. I've found that FB is quite the great link dump when I have it set up to auto-feed from other places (like Tumblr). And I've been meeting some of the most amazing people (read: incredibly silly, but awesome people like DIY Marketing Nerd Jen and Crazy Jef).

That means, I've also started some new projects, posted hundreds of things you guys haven't even seen, and bared all in a few different ways. So over the next couple weeks, the goal is to sorta catch you guys up here. You'll probably be seeing several "link dump" type posts where I point you to several different quirky locations all in the same post instead of featuring individual ones.

You'll still be getting normal posts. You have to; they're already scheduled. :P But it's just a head's up that there might be even more posts and a ton more links, so clear your schedule for some quirky time. Your spouses, kids, dying grandmothers, and dogs won't mind one bit. It's worth it. :P

Oh yeah, and expect to see way more ears. I've got 'em in pink, yellow, white, and two shades of blue. ;) If you want more now, you know where to find them.

Elton John improvises song about oven manual

"We strongly recommend you read this leaflet fully from cover to cover....."

I can't find a definitive date as to when he did this. A few years ago is when it seems to have started spread on the web, but when it comes to articles about him doing this, all I come up with is dozens of posts about how he once tried to commit suicide by sticking his head in a gas oven. Erm, not exactly what I was trying to find, heh.

Filo Sofa - Just peel away the stained layers!

So the inspiration came from filo pastry but it actually reminds me of a house I used to live in.

We bought it knowing it would need cleaned extensively and fixed up some. What we didn't know was that when we peeled away the carpet in the living to replace it....there was another even worse soiled layer. And when we peeled that away? There was another. They hadn't even been vacuumed before another layer of carpet was put on top. Eww!

While I think the filo sofa has a quirky, modern feel going for it, I can't help but think that when a kid spills spaghetti sauce on it, the mom can just pull off the top layer and move on. No more trying to get out stains! :P

Funny airplane announcements - Last one off must clean it

Funny Airplane Announcements

Here's just a few samples from the post:

"Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but
they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and
remember, nobody loves you or your money more than Southwest Airlines."

--------

From a Southwest Airlines employee: "There may be 50 ways to leave your
lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

--------

From a Southwest Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight
XXX to Chicago.
To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and
pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt and if you don't
know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public
unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen
masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and
pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you,
secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling
with two small children, decide now which one you love more."

-------

"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation. In the event of an
emergency water landing, please take them with our compliments."

Who says you can't go sledding in the summer?

The Slicer by Ice Meister (great name, huh?) has ice packs that attach to the bottom and make sledding possible even on snow-less grounds. And when there happens to be snow, you just place the ice packs in the storage compartment and use it like a normal sled. Oh, and it supports up to 200 lbs, so not only for kids either!

Zip-zip-zip - Your high-tops become flip flops

(The title makes me want to use a play on "Snip snap snout, this tale is told out" but I'll refrain, hehe.)



I think Reuters said it best:

"With this stylish, versatile product, boat shoes turn to jungle boots instantly! Rubber sandals become stiletto pumps! Loafers turn to cowboy boots!

Thanks to 40 pounds of zippers embedded in the design, you now only need ONE pair of shoes, for life!"