Best Optical Illusion According To Qikipedia

Wonder what makes the optical illusion below so interesting, even author Neil Gaiman tweets about it? If you think the spirals are of blue and green colours, think again :-p

Check out the lowdown on this by clicking here.

Image aggregated from DiscoverMagazine.

The World's Ugliest Dog For 2009...

...and you're looking at him!

Meet Pabst, the ugly (wonder) dog! I don't think he's that ugly, considering how his owners love him to dearly. I think rescued dogs are always so sweet.

Anyhoo...

Yahoo lets us in on some details:

"Pabst, a boxer-mix rescued from a shelter by Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, Calif., won the annual contest on Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Northern California.

It was an upset victory for Pabst, who beat former champion Rascal, a pedigree Chinese Crested.

Pabst's owner took home $1,600 in prize money, pet supplies and a modeling contract with House of Dog."

***

How about you? Will you take care of a scruffy like this? I know I would :)

Image and parts of article courtesy of Associated Press and Yahoo, respectively.

Let Them Get Sober First

We've all had our share of nasty stories inside bar washrooms where we've almost regurgitated our insides out, or we've almost passed out because we have practically drowned our blood in too much alcohol. I guess it's fun when you look back on those times, but maybe not so much fun for people who have had to deal with disabilities, or death in the family, just because some people have insisted on taking over behind the wheels even though they're dead drunk.

The image below shows a washroom with stickers of passed out individuals with messages on their shirts. I think I've seen this before and vaguely remember it as part of a campaign to prevent drunk driving. And I think it's a good way to always remind people to let their drunk friends sober up first before they go behind the steering wheel. Or better yet, just take over the car. Because as you know, when you're drunk and you're driving, it feels like everything is a one way street with green lights.

Image seen from Fun Evil.

The Difference Between Poor And Broke

I came across this quotable quote while aimlessly hopping from one link to another:

Poor is a state of mind.

Broke is a state of wallet.

You can fix being broke;

It's not so easy to fix being poor.

Whoa.

I have no idea if these words came from Joe Heerdink of his I Am Broke website, but it does make a point. His website, which was born out of a random joke, doesn't have much to offer, but it is a nice easter egg in the interweb. (And you all thought it was about how-to-make-your-first-million-stash)

So how did I end up in Heerdink's site? I couldn't trace it back, but I feel like it had something to do with me looking up about the word "broke".

How relevant. :)

Crazy Enough

Oh yes, "Crazy Enough" indeed for a video done in After Effects. This video is a total visual orchestration--two thumbs up for me! I don't even know what the video means! I just love it!

Work done by film-maker Jr.canest (that's his name on Vimeo). Click here to view more of his fantastic videos.

Enjoy!

Via Nozap Blog

Video copyright by Jr.canest

Gone Too Soon

Today two entertainment icons have passed away, leaving grieving fans behind. Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 after suffering from a cardiac arrest, and Farah Fawcett succumbed to her battle against cancer. She was 62. And so I pay homage to these two wonderful artists that have graced the music and film industry in their lifetime.

Charlie's Angel Farah Fawcett and King of Pop Michael Jackson, you will both be missed.

To read the news about Farah's death, click here.

To read the news about Michael's death, click here.

Wiierd Stuff

No, I didn't misspell that :)

Yahoo Games featured an article about what could probably be the most dangerous Wii accessory to date: CTA Digital's Bowling Ball Controller. CTA Digital claims that this is the first ever Wii accessory to be "fashioned" after a real bowling ball (weight and all). That should sound scary, if in case of a freak accident, this Bowling Ball Controller suddenly slips out of a player's hand and flies right into somebody's precious Ming vase. Or worse, somebody's head.

But that's just looking at the worst case scenario. CTA Digital has fitted the thing with a wrist strap to secure it in the player's hand, even though their disclaimer is all but encouraging.

And you think this Bowling Ball Controller is weird? Wait till you see the list of other weird Wii stuff from Yahoo Games, like this Riiflex that's supposed to be a dumbell replica. Why not just hit the gym? Read the rest of the article by clicking here.

Images courtesy of Yahoo.com and CTA Digital.

Ellie's Science Experiment

I have no idea if the blogger is a grade school kid or a university champ. What matters to me, really, is that Ellie's blog is of great environmental cause and it's got me hooked, although if this was drug addiction, then my consumption would've been in tiny amounts because the updates are not really on a daily basis. Then again, it doesn't matter.

Ellie's blog, simply titled "My Science Experiment" chronicles the progress of his/her how-to-reduce-electricity project, something worth doing for each and everyone on this planet, thereby cutting on carbon emission in the process.

But I digress.

Ellie's posts exude that feeling of hope that if every one of us would commit to saving electricity by turning AND unplugging idle appliances/computers, then the world will be a much better place again. Why not join in this effort, ayt? And it's not called a Science experiment for nothing--all results have been gauged by gadgets and whathaveyous, like the OWL Wireless Electricity Monitor, so we'd know that those are not just random numbers.

Check the site out by clicking here. I honestly think it's a nice effort. Even the url is cute: Ellietricity.

I hope it's an A for Ellie.

Blogger Turns 10 and...

...it's asking every Blogger babe and dude: "what's your story?"

Well here's mine.

Before I started The Site Aggregator, I have always been the quiet online observer. I just click and browse from one blogspot to another, often noting the things that have sparked major interest on me. It was just later on in my blog-stalking days that it hit me--why not write about the things that I have been bumping in to on the interweb all this time? And so I have created The Site Aggregator.

TSA is still at its infancy. I must admit, sometimes I just down own up to that header of mine that says "Online 25/8". I don't use feeds. I really do click and click and read and read, because I believe the best stuff in the internet are landed on "by chance". But sometimes, it's just impossible to keep the great things coming, as I am always sidetracked by other things, such as my morning job as an advertising/media practitioner, my afternoon gig as a web developer, and my moonlighting work as a photographer and writer. Not to mention the many hours that I spent going back to what I've always liked doing--just reading other people's blogs. Whew. Quite the superhero that I am. But this is where it gets mushy for Blogger--I have to give credit where credit is due. They have made blogging so easy and quick for everyone that there's virtually no room for creative/artistic fatigue when posting an entry. (I should know what this means because I've tried a lot of free blog publishers out there, and by far Blogger rakes in 4.5 stars for me). It's that easy, it's that simple. And well, reading well-maintained blogs that have been around since 2000, I'm more convinced that I'm on the right site.

And if you're asking why a quasi-web dev like me isn't setting up my own webpage...well actually, I have been juggling three sites. But I just keep coming back to Blogger because, like everyone else, I just wanna blog. :)

***

Okay guys back to business! If you want to submit your own story, bring it on! Write something and send back the link here!

So what makes Blogger extra special for you?

Click here to find out more about Blogger Turns 10.

Cubicle Meltdown

I seriously understand why people are breaking down in the middle of working inside an office cubicle: cramped space, not so much stimulation, deadlines, annoying office workers, the migraine-inducing ring of office phones, etc etc. The list is endless, the stress is all but wearing down. And to top it all off, you got CCTV cameras to film your every ballistic thrashing, as in the case of the poor guy in the video who was spewed with printer ink:

To view the rest of the videos in blogger Ali Hale's list of Top Ten Cubicle Meltdowns Caught on Video article, click here. I must warn you, though, the videos kinda give you the urge to throw a hissy fit yourself :D

Videos aggregated from Youtube.com and are copyright by their respective owners.

Dying Girl Gets Last Wish

This is a real tear-jerker: Yahoo Buzz has monitored search results generated by people who were looking for news or info about a certain California girl named Colby Curtin (photo below) who was dying of cancer and had one little final wish--to see Pixar/Disney's new animated movie "Up". Pixar has been notified of the girl's conditions and her final request. But because "Up" wasn't slated yet to be shown in cinemas, Pixar sent in a representative to give a DVD copy of the movie so the girl can watch it inside her room where she has been confined. Reports later say that the little girl passed away a few hours after watching the movie.

*Sniff, sniff*

At least her last wish came true. My sincerest condolences to the Curtin family.

To read the rest of the Yahoo article, click here.

Image courtesy of Yahoo.com/Associated Press.

Vramak's Fantastic Digital Art

I just love the creative portfolio of this guy:

He's just amazing. It seems that everything on his gallery has been the product of a gnawing idea that has plagued his creative mind for some time. The results are just priceless--even his Flickr profile info is amazing! :

"You are free to add graphic-filled comments, invites to group pools, totally irrelevant (but very flattering) comments and of course genuine comments. :-)

You can also add me as a contact for the sole purpose of expanding your contact list.

You can also fave my pics simply because you want me to fave some of your pics.

To put it in simple terms, you can do whatever you wish to do and I'd be totally cool about it. :-)

C'mon! We all know Flickr's just for fun. Flickr's never really gonna make us better artists. It makes us better plagiarists tho. ;-)"

I love the attitude :)

To view the rest of Vramak's wonderful gallery, click here.

Image and text parts aggregated from Vramak's Flickr photostream and profile page. Please contact the photographer for permission to use the images commercially.

Pure Cholesterol

Now this is a nice layout for a food blog: show everything sinfully delightful but remind everyone of the evils of too much good fatty food by having the angel of death stare at you while you salivate over the pictures. No matter how fast you try to scroll up and down, he's there. Interesting. Woohoo! :-D

Mad food blog that is Pasta-Pizza-Burger, really. Can't help but make you crave for more cheeseburgers and pizza!

To view the rest of the blog entries, click here.

Now I'm hungry!

Still As Interesting As It Was In 2007

It's always awkward when somebody lashes out at news anchors. Especially when that person lashing is a thirteen-year-old spelling bee champ.

I'm not gonna say anything further to this note, but you can view the comments by clicking here.

Video aggregated from Capnken's channel at Youtube.com. Video copyright by CNN.

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Flattery

I know, the photo is just hilarious. But it does drive a point--you need good images for any presentation, images that encompass your topics or bullet points. Case in point, the Elvis Presley impersonator that you're currently seeing. Yes, imitation (or blatant "copying", if you will) is a big no-no in doing presentations. You don't want your clients to see you in a really bad light when you flash the next slide and they see a picture with a Corbis or iStock watermark. Most clients will fire at that--it just means you don't even have the budget to buy dollar images.

But fret not, people. Presentationzen has a neat roundup of websites where you can acquire (read: BUY) images at low prices, depending on the resolution needed. Some of the sites mentioned are:

(1) iStockphoto.com

One dollar for low-rez images and two-three dollars for higher-rez images.

(2) Dreams Time

About one dollar for high-rez images for members.

(3) Shutterstock

750 royalty-free downloads per month for $139 (US) subscription.

However, if budget's really low and you can't buy stock images, you can opt for the free ones. There's also a roundup of websites that offer free-but-not-so-bad images. Some of the sites mentioned are:

(1) Morgue File

Providing "...free image reference material for use in all creative pursuits.

(2) Flickr's Creative Commons pool

Search the myriad photos people are sharing on flickr by the type of CC license.

(3) Image*After

From their site: "Image*After is a large online free photo collection. You can download and use any image or texture...and use it in your own work, either personal or commercial."

I guess the third one is tops, as you can use it commercially. So there, no copyright infringement for you on your web developments! :)

To view the whole site listing, click here.

So there, buy images and get the much needed oomph your prezo needs!

Image and text parts of the link roundup aggregated from Presentationzen.com

Digital Footprints Turned Snail Mail For Grannies

Here's a bright idea: converting your emails/updates/what-have-yous into hard copies so that your octogenarian relatives may fully understand all those LOLs and ROFLs in a way that's comfortable and "closer to home".

It may be a bright idea alright, except that if we have to think "environmentally" along these lines, it would seem like the idea would generate a higher rate of carbon emission--getting electricity to power your laptops/desktop units to printing the emails on fresh paper, the paper having gone through a process that required machineries to run on electricity, gas, mailing the letters requiring fuel-powered vehicles...the list would probably go on and on. I think that's the major downside to this otherwise nice idea. Then again, Grandpa and Grandma may not be that internet savvy, which means getting to log on to Gmail to check their emails would be a big hassle for them. Therefore, receiving the printed emails may actually be beneficial for them.

Oh well. I guess it's gonna take some time to fully bridge the technological gap between the generation abc and the generation xyz. Until that happens, Sunnygram will continue to offer their services to help the elderly people get in touch with the younger ones:

"The company is called Sunnygram, a play on telegram or maybe gramma — though grandpas like Murray might appreciate the correspondence as, say, a Father's Day gift. Sunnygram is the newest entrant in a field of products trying to bridge the technical divide between those who e-mail and their loved ones who don't. Early efforts, like the Mail Station and Mail Bug, tried to create computer products simple enough for the elderly to learn to use. The next generation of services has scrapped that paradigm entirely. Instead, companies like Sunnygram, Presto and Celery are turning e-mails into faxs, phone messages or stamped letters — media senior citizens already understand — so that users can keep in touch on their own terms."

To read more about Sunnygram, click here.

Italicized text aggregated from an article in Time.com and is copyright by its author, Jeninne Lee St.John. Please contact her for permission to commercially reproduce the article.

Image aggregated from Lilla Roger's portfolio. To see the rest of her gallery, click here.

25 Things To Hate About Facebook...

...and that's according to Julian Smith! This is a witty video about his pov on the little things that are quite irritating in Facebook--and my, do they hold a lot of truth. Do you agree with him? :D

I think the poking is tops :D

To view the rest of Julian Smith's videos, visit his channel on Youtube by clicking here. He gets happy when you subscribe, you know :)

Video aggregated from Julian Smith's channel on Youtube. Please contact him for permission to use the said material commercially.

Ultimate Gundam Replica

I may not know the whole deal about Gundam, but I do collect the toys. However they all fall short of expectations against this gigantic Gundam replica that Japan has just completed. Geekologie has some info to share:

"To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the mecha anime/manga/toy/video game franchise, this 18-meter-tall (59-foot-tall) RX-78 has been erected.

Fifty points on the Gundam statue will emit light, and mist will shoot out of 14 different points on the statue. The 1/1 scale Gundam boasts a moveable head and a continuous stream of oh-man-this-is-so-damn-cool."

Wow...just like how we used to see it on TV--Gundam standing as tall as the city's buildings, zapping in on bad bad nemesis. :) Too bad if you're a die hard Gundam fan, you just can't take the statue home to add to your collection. :D

Image and parts of the text aggregated from Geekologie. To read the rest of the stuff, click here. Please contact the authors for permission to use the images commercially.

Kentucky Fried Field!

Oh yes you read that right!

You're looking at what could be the biggest Kentucky Fried Chicken logo EVER in this planet. Hmmm...so when you're bored and just messing up with your Google Earth application, you might as well hunt for this logo. Similar to playing the Where's Waldo game--only this time you have to look for Colonel Sander's smiling face.

Image aggregated here at Likecool.com. It doesn't have much info about the field, but whatever it took to create this huge logo has to have involved massive amounts of somethin'-somethin'. If it was done through Photoshop, then darn good was the output! :)

Please contact the owner of the photo for permission to use the images commercially.

Valley Photos

So a photographer takes only scenic shots of a place. That's fine, that's normal. But when a photographer suddenly sees a place in a different light and starts churning photographs that depict life that's anything but ordinary, then you got art--which is exactly what blogger and photographer Vanda Nagy (if that's her real name) has done which has transpired from her move to L.A.

In her own words, Vanda describes the neighborhood that has been captured by her camera:

"The neighborhood is going through changes. The over inflated real estate market and the new subway line stretching from the Valley to Downtown have started making this generally uncool area of the Valley more attractive. And thus gentrification has started creeping over the hills. It's a mixed bag. Ratty old commercial buildings get bulldozed off, but in the process the mom-and-pop shops, some of which have been there for decades, get forced out of business. Neighborhood stable, Bob the printer finally gave up the fight with cheap home printers and increasing rents, and closed shop for good. Iliad Books, the best bookstore in the Valley fortunately stayed open, but was forced to move."

Very interesting observation, and even more interesting photos over at her gallery--and they don't even need captions for explanation.

To view the rest of the photos, click here.

Incidentally, on June 10th, Vanda Nagy's blog was reco'ed by Blogger's Blogs of Note. Click here to read her very entertaining blog.

And I hope I was right when I used "her" :D

Image and parts of text were aggregated from Valley-photo.com and is copyright by Vanda Nagy. Please contact the owner for commercial use of the image.

Funky Mashup!

As seen from Kutiman's channel over at Youtube. Sorry guys, kind of rushing through multiple workloads :D

Enjoy the video!

Video aggregated from Kutiman's channel at Youtube.com. Please contact the user for permission to use the video commercially.

Light Painting

This is what photography is all about, that is, using light to your advantage. :D

As it seems, not everyone knows how to tinker with the dials and buttons on most digital cameras, so most shots are fired with the usual setting-- Auto + Direct flash. And if you haven't noticed it before, this is the usual setting they use when they take a photo of you for your driver's license, or worse, when police take a mug shot of you. Not exactly the best combination when taking outdoor shots at night. That's where the slow shutter setting comes handy. You just mount the camera on a tripod, fire away and let the light "paint" the picture for you (for about 5 to 10 seconds).

Or, you can get crazy with "light"--flashlights, LED lights, blinkers, the works!--and craft up a creative night shot, just like what these guys did:

So there! Get creative!

For more ideas on light painting, you can check out this cool gallery at Creative Nerds by clicking here.

Images aggregated from Creative Nerds and are copyright by its respective owners. Please contact them for permission to use the images commercially.

The Cool Digital Art Of Will Murai

If I had half the talent of this guy, I'd probably sketch myself endless portraits for my folio! Will Murai (self-portrait below) is a very talented digital artist who has been commissioned by different leading ad agencies for different campaigns. In his about me section he notes the stuff that make up his creative personality:

"Willian Hideki Murai, brazilian, born in Mogi das Cruzes-SP, raised in Arujá, illustrator, comic book colorist, skateboarder for fun, geek by nature and a nice guy.

Worked for clients such as W/Brasil, LewLara/TBWA, CuboCC, Gringo, AlmapBBDO, Marvel Comics, DC comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Editora Globo, Editora Abril, and many others."

His illustration of House as fan art is just impressive!

To see the rest of his work, click here.

Images aggregated from Willmurai.com and are copyright by artist Will Murai. Please contact him for permission to use the images commercially.

The Other Side of Wonder Woman

This is just interesting--I came across a rather unique visual representation of Diana Prince, otherwise known as the uber-mighty lady Wonder Woman at Hereville.com.

According to its creator and site author Barry Deutsch, "the piece itself is pretty large — 12″ by 16″, on a 13″ x 19″ piece of paper. Elements of Wonder Woman’s costume and possessions, as well as lyrics from the TV show title music, are tattooed on the figure."

I must admit, this is very different from the usual Wonder Woman illustrations I see--Diana Prince in a stunning, metallic, red-blue-gold ensemble with hair so fabulous you'd wonder why she even cares to thwart the bad guys. Then again, that's Diana Prince's calling. :)

This was auctioned last year for the benefit of two shelters for abused women, Raphael House of Portland and Bradley-Angle House, and also to thePortland Womens Crisis Line.

To view more of Barry Deutsch's creations, click here.

Image aggregated from Hereville.com and is copyright by its site author. Please contact Mr. Deutsch for the use of the image.

Lucky Misses

I believe these people are feelin' million-dollars right now. They should be, having missed their flight schedules with the ill-fated Air France Flight 447.

Yahoo News lets us in on the details:

"A reservation mix-up, an overbooking and a Brazilian cabbie's passion for soccer are all that saved some would-be passengers on Air France flight 447 from the fate of 228 others who lost their lives in the mid-Atlantic.

The survivors say their relief is overshadowed by the immense sense of loss they feel for those who didn't make it.

"It feels miraculous and sad at the same time," said Amina Benouargha-Jaffiol, who tried to get on the flight Sunday night, even enlisting a diplomat friend to try to pressure Air France to let her and her husband on.

"Of course, at some level we feel lucky, but we also feel an enormous sadness for all those who perished," she said.

For some it was a simple matter of arriving at Rio's airport late..."

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Isn't this the best time to sing Kylie Minogue's song?

"I should be so lucky
Lucky lucky lucky..."

Parts of the article aggregated from Yahoo.com and is copyright by its respective author.

Facebook Magic!

Here's a very random post--I just tried this a while ago and I must admit, it was fascinating :D

Try it while you're on Facebook!

On your keyboard, press UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A, ENTER! Then scroll up or down, click on links, comment etc!

Enjoy! If you feel like this "magic" is slowing down your page, though, you can take it off your page by clicking on "refresh".

Don't have a Facebook account? Create one by clicking here!

Image aggregated from NUAMPS Blog.

Laugh Out Loud Literal!

Don't you just love literally-worded songs in videos? If you loved the literal version of A-ha's 80s hit "Take On Me", then surely you'll love this one--a funny literal version of Bonnie Tyler's "A Total Eclipse of the Heart".

Talk about what Youtube enthusiasts come up everyday! It just keeps getting crazier! :D I believe the video has only been posted for a week but has been picking up lots of viewers--viral, anyone? :)

To view in Youtube, click here.





The music video has been aggregated from Youtube (user dascottjr) and is still copyright by Bonnie Tyler's record label, please contact them for IP issues.