X Marks The Water

Last weekend I was standing on a railroad bridge (I know, naughty, naughty!) looking down at the muddy water. And I loved the look of interlocking 'X's made by the shadow of the trestle. I had no idea that the underpinnings looked like that, since I was too chicken to hang over the edge.

But I couldn't resist taking this photo.

Now its today's daily dose of 'Art Every Day'.

*See other's art: Twitter hashtag #aedm2010, or Search

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Speaking of 'X's... here's how to
play the X-Files theme (rem that?) w/ 'Synthesia'
Like doing it with a 'Guitar Hero' keyboard :)
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*If you're new to Synthesia, here's a quick demo:
p.s. Its playing 'Dreamy Piano', if you like the tune.
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Wylde Cat Life

'Wylde Woman with Cat'
{left}

is a coloring page, drawn & donated by Tammy V. for this November's art month. ('click' to go see her)
- Thanks Tammy!

I used a detail from her image to make...

'Wylde Cat'
My 'Art Every Day' piece for 11/8

Yes, again with my left hand.
But just coloring in this time.
Hey, had a busy weekend. ;-)

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A little extra fun: 'I Love The Cat Life'sung to the tune of 'I love the night life'

Whoever re-wrote these lyrics must have a cat...

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*Not quite wylde enough? Need more wild-cats?
Click for mentalfloss's page of rare cats

including this beautiful Margay Cat

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Sunshine Cinema

We've all seen movie trailers...
But this time the films are in the trailer?

Based in the UK, 'Sol Cinema' is a tiny, solar-powered movie house that seats eight adults or up to 16 kids if they're really, really friendly.



Their facebook page claims them to be the
World's Smallest Solar Powered Theatre.
Can't imagine anyone inside this tiny theater disputing it.

Think they'll host the premiere of this upcoming flick?:

Claustrophobia
?

* artwork is mine, for
'Art Every Day' November.


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Leaf Away With Me

'Leaf on Water' - I walked by a leaf on a puddle today. All around it was a strong reflection of the sky. That became the challenge for my left hand today.
(I'm normally right-handed)

Is the blue 'shimmery' enough to be water?
Or does it just look like I distorted a blue sky?

I used the highlight/hold-shift function to slide color in the leaf, and used the rudimentary 'airbrush' function for the water. Perhaps a bit too rudimentary, since its hard to get a genuine 'dappled' look that way. Then again, I wanted to capture the impression of it, and not necessarily duplicate the reality... :-/
My 'Art Every Day' Month piece for 11/6

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Plus a video of the season; love the images he chose:

Paolo Nutini singing 'Autumn'
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An Egyptian Stroller

What you get from watching a PBS special on the Pharoahs, and not seeing even one of them walk...*

I do like the colors - why stick with desert tan, right?
Not sure if I like the texture, let me know what you think.

*Done with my left hand, using Microsoft Paint (!)
and texturized/reduced via Photoshop Elements.

My 'Art Every Day' piece for 11/5

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Just for fun - MTV video of The Bangles 1986 hit:
'Walk Like An Egyptian'
I'm sure that's really how those early types strolled...
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Flying Art

My Modern ScareCrow, done for a local art fest.

Didn't win, but it does spin nicely in the breeze.

And no crows landed on it.

*did the construction before H'ween, but just did the pic today, so I can enter it as my daily dose in this 'Art Every Day Month'... ;-)

Find other's art via Twitter, hashtag: #aedm2010 (or search twitter)

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And if you'd like a Thursday Travel Tip, here's mine:

The contest was held near La haska, PA, at a place called Peddler's (tho no one has a cart) Village. And now's the time to make holiday plans. Every store there is unique, no chains, so they get a lot of shoppers at gift giving time.

Its like a giant outdoor mall, {store map} with cobbled paths and quirky decorations. Plus lots of food, lodging, a kid play center, and a great variety of wares.


Half of the units are grouped around a big sloping 'village green', so disabled travellers beware. The closest Int'l airports are Newark & Philly; just click on the map for more info and reviews.

*And don't forget to tap her palm tree above if you'd like to enter phhst's most recent travel contest!
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Left Handed Art

My 'lefty' Mona Lisa
Now's the month for it.



Normally I do everything righthanded.
But lately I've been using my left hand to do art on the computer. (My mouse is on that side) So I'm joining this November's 'Art Every Day' month to see what comes of it.

Welcome to my left-handed month of art!

(plus my usual hits & bits ;-)

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Just for fun:

PSJ's 500 years of Women in Art, in 173 seconds.
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Jamie's Day Out

_{artist: Jamie Wyeth {click to go there}}
"Pumpkin-Head"

Happy Hallowe'en!

p.s.
Expecting timely tiny terrors traipsing by for treats?
Bookmark this, its handy:
Find Your Local Time of Sunset

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p.p.s. Her blog party's over,
but here's a bit more H'ween.

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Creature Comforts

Freaky finds for the family.

For your infant, the Zombie Devil Duckie:

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For bigger kids, A Remote Control Zombie, seen here fighting his arch nemesis, the remote control empty pants:

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For adults that are that kind of 'adult'...

Roxxy the Sex Robot:

"Hey there (pause) Stud"
"Do you like Porsches?" (was that 'porches'?)
"Are you ready to give it to me (pause) Stud?"
"Ah (roboticly) thats nice"
"You have a nice weiner." (and so on....)

As for me, I have no words re: this zombie date...

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Finally, for the oldsters, a Robot Nurse... ...planned for euthanasia?


At least one of the above seems montrous to me.

So this post is part of ThemeThursdays 'Monster' day.
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Wearing A See-Thru Shirt

Now everyone will be able to sneak a peek... as long as you keep your battery charged.



A camera on the back linked to an LCD on front.
Makes a 'Portal' costume, inspired by the game.

Cool - you can see what's behind inventor Ben Heck.

The real fun part? You could win it.
Enter Here, by Friday, Nov. 5, for the chance to win an autographed portal t-shirt created by Ben & Jason.

p.s. When you get to the 'quiz'?...
The Answer is {C.} Tweezers

Hm, He could sell millions to golfers,
as their 'Hole In One' Halloween costume.
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Hobbling Along

Saw this vid and thought 'Hobbit already?.. Fun!'


Its good, but turns out its a fan-made 'trailer'.


As for the real movie?...

The good news for Hobbit fans:

Filming starts this winter, since MGM & Warner Bros. finally gave the go ahead for work on 'The Hobbit' to resume.

To recap, the movie has been officially greenlit, and Peter Jackson is definitely signed on to direct. Plus many of the sets have already been constructed, and the scripts are said to be near completion, with over $30 million spent so far on this epic.

The bad news:

The studios don't have all the ca$h they need.
(And union disputes may add more delay$)

They've only cast half the roles so far.

It will be in two parts

The really bad news:

The current projected release...

'The Hobbit 1' arrives in theaters Dec 2012
'The Hobbit 2' comes a year later, Dec 2013.

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So, in the meanwhile, here's another fan-made promo:



*Or wait it out by making Minas Tirith outta t'picks.

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Agitating Aquatic Animals

This is Yan Lu's new 'water conservation' invention. It fools aqua-wasters by making it appear that the goldfish's water is being drained to wash your hands. Its water is actually pumped to a hidden reservoir.

Yes, its an interesting trick, but I'm sure it freaks the fish out to have its life support pumped half-away every time a human turns up.

Or how about the life of these Asian fish:

*seen in market in Kowloon

Can goldfish die of stress?

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But at least Goldie's safer than these crabs:



Yes, live crabs in a vending machine.
This gizmo is in a subway station in Shanghai. Do they pocket a live crab or two before boarding the train? And what's in those bottles at the bottom? Sauce?, or beer, or maybe an aquatic anesthetic?

I can just see the headline:

SE Asia Watery Wildlife Worried Weekly

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