Long Live Ray Harryhausen!

I absolutely love stop-motion animation. Something about it conveys an otherworldliness that CGI can't match.

Origami Yoda

I've never been especially interested in origami, but now that I have watched some of this tutorial, I may take it up.

I'm also curious about how Fumiaki Kawahata came up with this design. In fact, how does anyone invent a new origami in the first place? I am baffled.

Black Ink

Today, my girlfriend and I spent the afternoon in Black Ink, a store in the Beacon Hill region of Boston filled with miscellany (my favorite) and knick-knacks. From graphite pencils to ceramic tea cups to giant metal paper clips, Black Ink was stocked with a bewildering array of items that took about an hour to sift though. My person favorite was a giant glass jar filled with featureless cotton bags with drawstrings, ready to accept stamps, or pennies, or what have you. I love looking through stores like this.

[Photo taken from the Black Ink website]

Photo Essay of Union Station

Here is an amazing photo essay of Los Angeles's Union Station. I have taken some photos of Union Station myself: the architecture inside is beautiful.

Plan 9 from Outer Space

I am so happy that I found the entire Plan 9 from Outer Space on YouTube. This is supposed to be the worst movie ever made. I have watched about half of it so far. It's definitely bad, but also kind of kitschy. You be the judge.

Oreo Cameos

Have you ever considered replicating women's jewelry using cookies? No? Well, one person has, and the result is extraordinary. I would love to see an art gallery filled with these creations.

Sony ICF-38 Portable Radio

About five years ago, I was looking for a small radio to bring to work, so I could listen to music while I typed and such. I did a little research, and found that lots of people on Amazon had ranked the Sony ICF-38 very highly. I bought one from a local Target, and wow: it has performed exceptionally. It has great reception, easy controls, and -- to my surprise -- does not eat batteries. (I used to have a Walkman that needed new batteries if its two AAs were left in over night.) Consider: I have had the same batteries in my ICF-38 for maybe four years, and have not needed to replace them. True, I don't play the radio every day, but still: four years is a long time. I recommend this radio highly.