Sweet Sounds #01

I'm always looking for exceptional musicians with an aptitude to excite and compose something innovative. About once or twice a year I'll happen along something really quite special. Taking advantage of an unblemished sound, infused with antiquated overtones and hints of modernism, the flawless, emotional lyrics of "New Soul” reflects the talent that lives under the name of Yael Naim. In many respects, New Soul is a passionate, poetic and equally intriguing song with fitting lyrics that compose a story of delicacy. One of 13 songs taken from the album "Yael Naim", every track is a wonderful diatribe that strikes many emotional chords whilst infusing the imagination with images of both complexity and mystery. To hear a stream of the song:

http://www.imeem.com/onenightinbkk/music/mZ5qt_1M/yael_naim_new_soul/

Death Star Canteen

Simply because this is brilliant. I have no idea why this makes me laugh, no idea at all. Perhaps I shouldn't, but I really do find this funny.... click and enjoy.

Desktop Madness #01

I constantly feel the need to trawl through the minutia of the net looking for something to brighten my desktop. For the most part, my searches end with my need for new desktop candy being unfulfilled. But who'd have thought it? I eventually found this truly wonderful image over at Deviant Art. Called Abstract Sunset, its brusque definition and characteristic palette lends the picture a subtle and original edge. Boldly brilliant, with sufficient detail to be interesting, but enough clarity to remain uncluttered, it now has become my new desktop of choice. The full version of Abstract Sunset can be found here: http://mc-cool.deviantart.com/art/Abstract-Sunset-69213569?offset=0

Tilt Shift Photography

Tilt-Shift miniature faking is a creative technique whereby a photograph of a life-size location or object is manipulated to give an optical illusion of a photograph of a miniature scale model.
Altering the focus of the photography in Photoshop (or similar program) simulates the shallow depth of field normally encountered with macro lenses making the scene seem much smaller than it actually is.
In addition to focus manipulation, the tilt-shift photography effect is improved by increasing color saturation and contrast, to simulate the bright paint often found on scale models.
Most faked tilt-shift photographs are taken from a high angle to further simulate the effect of looking down on a miniature. The technique is particularly effective on buildings, cars, trains and people. Some stunning examples can be found at:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/11/16/beautiful-examples-of-tilt-shift-photography/