R2D2 Beta Version ca. 1871

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Some images are just too cool to caption, but so what.

R2D2 [steam powered beta version] was a mechanical dork even back then. “Tweep Pleeeert REEEP,” means only one thing in droidland, and it’s not nice.

[Image from GadgetConcierge. Related posts here and here.]

It’s National Wash Your Cephalopod Day

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Springtime is here, or almost is, and something about this photo fascinates and disgusts me at the same time, kinda like goth/emo laundry. I’m not sure if these are squid or octopi, but either way something just isn’t right. Obviously they’re being dried for either food or rain gear, but these sentient denizens of the deep don’t deserve to be humiliated like this.

This image has been lounging around in our “What to Do With This” file for a long time, way before we began tagging the images with their sources. We’d be happy to post the real story if only our crack team of webminers could determine the original source. Comments?

[Welcome Ectoplasmosis readers! If you liked these octopi, you might like the RoboSquid. Feel free to crawl slither hydropropel yourselves around here as long as you want. Just leave a trail of bread crumbs slime crab shells to find your way back.]

[Ditto to Tonmo & WHI readers!]

[UPDATE 22 March 08: ORIGINAL SOURCE HERE! (via here).  Our crack team of webminers just got an extension on their contracts.]

Babe Magnet: FU Zebra

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Yet another visual insult for Ford’s industrial designer who came up with the ubiquitous Country Squire. Long before the SUV, Ford was promoting the Family Utility vehicle, even as early as 1947. It was known as the FU for good reason:

“Dad, the FU door didn’t latch, and the heat from the FU vinyl is fusing my Red Ball Jets to the FU plastic floor mat.”
“Well, first, shut the FU, son…”

But back to the grander aspects of this recyclable FU Babe Magnet. It’s obvious that the owner of this prize was awarded the FU when his dad got tired of providing taxi service for Bud Junior’s part time job lobbing Grit Magazine to all the subscribers on Rural Route 4 between Cozadale and Mainesville Ferry at 5AM.

On Bud Junior’s 17th birthday, Dad handed over the keys and title, forgetting that Bud’s Christmas present was a carton of Camels and a belt sander. Bud went to work immediately to un-woosify his ride. He buffed the windows to a fine shine with cornstarch, sold the hubcaps for gas money and ground the cream finish paint down to primer… in stripes. Pure efficient genius.

These days people point and stare at Bud’s Sled ‘O Love. “What the heck are you drivin’, Bud?”
Bud only glares back. “FU.”

[Image from here.]

Saturday Matinee: Animations and Stuff

Russian compilation of animations done with Post-It Notes and a nice dixieland/ska soundtrack. What more do you need?

[Found via X-Blog. If it doesn’t play, go here.]

[If it doesn’t play, go here.]

Nice collection of odd and excellent .gif animations set to someone’s idea of music. The music fits, though. (Some parts are PG-13, might disturb some of the younger folks. Ay cuidado.)

[And if this one doesn’t play, go here.]

Hullaballoo–1960’s television at it’s worst and best. Cameras always focused on the dopeydancers, while the band of the minute (in this case, THE YARDBIRDS, covering Muddy Waters‘ “Mannish Boy.”) were trapped on a closet-sized stage lip-synching to their latest 45rpm hawk job. This band of the minute was way ahead of their time.

[If THAT one doesn’t play, go here.]

The YardBirds were covering Muddy Waters, just like every other British Invasion band, including the Stones.