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.

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

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.

Erasing Jon Arbuckle

This is sweet--I posted a blog entry about the popular web comics created by artist Dan Walsh titled "Garfield Minus Garfield", where Dan erases Garfield out of the comic strips to reveal the real mental nature of the cat's master, Jon Arbuckle. Well, thanks to this anonymous person who came across my page, he gave me a link to another Garfield-inspired webcomic series where this time, Jon Arbuckle is erased out of the comic strips. As the blog author puts it:



"In 1989, Jim Davis drew the following series of six Garfield comics in which the fat, orange cat must grapple with his greatest fear: being alone. With the popularity of Garfield Minus Garfield and the fantastic nature of Photoshop, it now seems possible for Garfield to live his fears. So with that in mind, be prepared to view a world were Garfield must tackle his greatest fears, where there is no Jon Arbuckle, Odie, or Nermel. Where Garfield's only friends are the mice and spiders which still inhabit his house. Welcome to Garfield Minus Arbuckle."




So it doesn't always have to be Garfield! :)


To view the rest of the archive of Garfield Minus Arbuckle, click here.


Enjoy the series!

Image aggregated from Garfield Minus Arbuckle and is property of Jim Davis and/or the owner of the blog. Please contact them for use of the image.

Erasing Garfield

What do you get when the witty orange feline friend of Jon Arbuckle disappears from their side of the world?

You got hilarity of course!

Artist Dan Walsh created the amusing website Garfield Minus Garfield where he deliberately erases garfield off the comic strips, giving it a whole new spin. As Dan puts it:

"Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb. "

To view the rest of the comic strips archive, click here.

Image aggregated from Garfieldminusgarfield.net and is copyright by Jim Davis and/or Dan Walsh. Please contact them for use of image.

It's Geeky and it's Cute!

If you have old computer units that are no longer working, then you can probably make yourself your own computer chip trivet! It makes a nice conversation piece, seriously. :)

Isn't it the nicest thing to ever grace your computer table?

To learn how to make one, click here.

Image aggregated from Evilmadscientist.com and is copyright by the author. Please contact them for permission to use the said image.

A Little Fun With Mars Photos

Art101.com plays with some Mars photos taken by NASA.

To view the rest of the Mars gallery, click here.