While etsy.com has many wonderful creations on it available for purchase, not everything is all that desirable. (Exhibit A: fish in a squirrel suit…I mean, really, who thinks this is good?) Along comes Regretsy. Regretsy picks out the best of the worst for your viewing pleasure. I like how they titled their blog: Regretsy – Handmade? It looks like you made it with your feet.

Go see. And if you do purchase something they mock…well, I don’t want to know. 🙂

Thanks to giselaj for this

If you liked Nuit Blanche (or you are interested in modern art generally), you should note that the short list for the Turner Prize 2009 has been announced. The Guardian has a great rundown of the artists on the short list, as well as the Prize in general. The Turner Prize is always interesting and often controversial. Visit the site and wade into the discussion.

(Thanks to Lucia Orth for the pointer!)

The great Toronto blog, Torontoist, has a excellent run down of the Nuit Blanche festival that occurred yesterday, including lots of  photos of the event.

One photo that really struck me was this one.

I believe it’s by Jeff Koons. It’s appropriate to see him in the Eaton Center. The Center has a famous installation of these beloved geese

And Koons work echoes this to some degree, though the differences (in the material and the object itself) is what makes Koons…well, Koons. What I think both work share, besides size, animal association, and suspension, is that they are both appealing to audiences. Koons may be a major figure in the modern art world, but different than artists like Serra or Hirst in that his recent work is appealing to a wide audience. Which makes it great for Nuit Blanche, and perfect for the Eaton Center. Whoever chose to put it there is very smart indeed.

If you are interested in Koons and other things going on in the world of sculpture, check out this.

(Geese photo from Diego_3336’s photostream. Bunny photo from the Torontoist).

Great ad (not surprisingly) from Nike

Nice that it was shot in Toronto, too! 🙂

This is fascinating: the NYTimes.com has a great animated timeline showing the meltdown of the U.S. Financial institutions between end of 2007 until now. Watching the banks shrink (and in some cases, disappear) like this gives you a sense of just how dramatic the decline was. The banks went from a capitalization of $1.54 trillion ($1540 billion) all the way down to $290 billion in March of 2009, essentially losing 80% of their capital. Anyone who thinks the intervention of the governments didn’t matter is dreaming in technicolour.

Now their capitalization is growing back up to a trillion again. Check this out to see who disappeared and who dominates now: How the Giants of Finance Shrank, Then Grew, Under the Financial Crisis – Interactive – NYTimes.com

(Thanks to the Contrarian blog for this tip, too).

After all, they know windmills. Contrary to what I see in North America, the Dutch appear to wisely put them in places that already have alot of noise and aren’t necessarily attractive. This is smarter than putting them in some rural places where the noise bothers people, or in some picturesque place where the view bothers people. If anything, seeing a windmill here:

…would be a welcome sight.

Thanks to the Contrarian blog for this.

Is something to see. 400 km wide and 2000 km long, near Sydney. Sounds big, yes? Take a look:

From the blog, Molt:n Core. (Note: may be mildly NSFW if you have the sound on).

…can be seen in this video here:

Lots of fascinating statistics, linked with a theme, presented well. One of the reasons for the powerful changes that digital technology is bringing on like the juggernaut that it is.

Thanks to thetrendwatch.com for this.

Now that the weather is getting cooler and then colder, we’ll all be spending more time indoors. If you look around and think a) I need to freshen up my place b) I am strapped for funds to do that, then check out this article from Style At Home: 15 best budget buys.

Even with very limited funds, you will get some good ideas to make your indoors seem fresh.

Tomorrow is my 26th anniversary with IBM. When I first joined IBM, they gave me one of these:

…have I seen all of the best Zombie movies? Maybe I missed 1 or 2? Well, if you have been wondering that, EW’s got your back. See the comprehensive rundown (pun intended) of the 25 Best Zombie Movies of All Time.

I found this remarkable video of Anne Frank via The Globe and Mail. (You can see her leaning out of a window).

According to The Globe,

‘The Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam has begun airing the only known video of the teenage diarist on a channel dedicated to her on YouTube.

The channel also features clips of others, including her late father Otto and Nelson Mandela, talking about Anne, museum spokeswoman Annemarie Bekker said Friday. “It is really a great platform to show all the different kinds of films and documentaries about Anne Frank.” ‘

For more, click on the link to the Globe, the video itself, or you can go to The Anne Frank House web site.

Just when I think I can’t be surprised by what I come across on the Internet, I come across something that surprises me.

..is this. If you want to a) do useless marketing analysis b) waste money c) be ridiculed in the process, then do this:

 Domino’s Uses Astrology To Predict Favorites

It’s interesting that YouTube has been around long enough that we can think in terms of the top videos from it. But if you have been watching it with any regularity, you will likely recognize some of the clips featured here:

And if you haven’t been watching YouTube, watch this to see what you missed!

Actually, YouTube is a rich and varied media. These are the oddest of the lot (though “Chocolate Rain” is missing…truly an oversight).

YouTube – 100 GREATEST HITS OF YOUTUBE IN 4 MINUTES (now with list!)

I am impressed by the UK government’s Calling Open Data Developers for their help. If you are a data (or any kind of software) developer, check out this link. But honestly, what I really liked was this:

Truly good advice.

National Resources Canada  ( which is part of the Government of Canada)  is recruiting in 2009. Here’s part of their pitch to new recruits:

“At Natural Resources Canada, we don’t just think outside the box. We work outside the box.

As well as pens, paper and computers, the tools of the trade might include a pick, or a shovel, a GPS and camping gear. And on some days, the closest thing to a colleague might have feathers or fur.
….
We don’t block YouTube or Facebook. Our people decide what tools help them to work as a team and to get the job done. Our very own Wiki helps give wings to the most creative ideas, whether they come from a senior manager or someone at entry level.”

Any companies recruiting new (and not so new) hires should be aware that other organizations are competing for the same people  that you are by offering them access to social media tools as a benefit. Smart thinking on their part.

If you are going to buy a BlackBerry, consider this: BlackBerry Tour trackball woes cause rampant returns, analyst says.

I love my BlackBerry for alot of reasons, but I am not a fan of their trackball. I already had to take mine — a Curve — in for repairs in the first year. In talking to a Bell Canada service employee, he said they were going to be able to repair them in the future for $10. (When I took mine in they replaced the whole BlackBerry, not just the trackball). Why is this? Apparently the trackball is suseptible to dirt and dust getting in it and gumming it up.

I wish the BlackBerries still had the scroll wheel as well as the trackball. I would use the wheel for 90% of my work I am sure. The buttons they have there now I never use.

It’s a bit of a fool’s game to proclaim the 50 best foods in the world and where to eat them. But I think The Observer makes a good case. For one thing, they say the best places to get certain food like vegetarian curry or sushi are located in their countries of origin and in big cities. That’s not surprising to me. Also, the reviewers are people like Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux: they know their food. If Even if these are not the 50 best foods in the world and where to eat them, you could do alot worse than eat these foods in these places.

I was surprised that the best place for steak was El Carpicho, in Jimenez de Jamuz, Spain. But as they say:

Time magazine called it “the perfect steak”. American Vogue’s exacting food writer Jeffrey Steingarten said it was “probably the greatest steak I’ve ever eaten”. They were referring to an enormous chuletón taken from the central rib section of a 16-year-old Rubia Gallega ox, dry-aged for 90 days, and served in the cellar dining room of a rural bodega named El Capricho, near León in north-west Spain.

Certainly with all of that, it had better be fantastic!

I was not surprised but pleased to see that the best place to eat roast chicken is still L’Ami Louis in Paris.

This Paris fixture, open since 1924, is the ultimate French bistro. Heads of state (Clinton, Gorbachev) and cultural giants (Welles, Hemingway) have come here to feast on sumptuous roast chicken, served whole with matchstick pommes frites and a simple green salad. It’s touristy and expensive and the decor is a bit clichéd, but such details become trivial once the chicken (which inspired Simon Hopkinson to write his much-loved Roast Chicken and Other Stories) turns up at the table.

Sure it’s touristy, but I still aim to get there one day and after a day of fasting, do my utmost to devour one of those delicious chickens with lots of frites and mayo and a bottle of cold, crisp white wine.

(Found on Kottke).

Lens blog not only has superb Photojournalism but it also has excellent commentary to go with it. Go see.

As companies struggle with the existing economy still in the early stages of growth, job morale and employee productivity may not be foremost on their mind. But as this article from CNNMoney shows, there is a problem with job satisfaction due to recession that will adversely affect the organization as well. The article is worthwhile reading. Smart companies will try and nip this in the bud and come out stronger as the economy grows.

There’s been complaints that the Obama administration has not done enough to reel in the finance industry in the U.S. after last year’s debacle. The implication is that nothing has been done and therefore nothing will be done. While this is a small thing, the fact that the S.E.C. Seeks to Ban Computerized ‘Flash Trading’ (NYTimes.com) is at least baby steps in the right direction of smartening up the financial industry for their (and our) own good. I hope we see more regulation and governance soon.

Anyone wondering what to do about the situation in Afghanistan should consider what Sen. John Kerry, (D-Mass.) said at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan today. Specifically,

“First it will be the Afghans that will ultimately win or lose the struggle against the Taliban.” The United States is in a “race against time” in a region “suspicious of foreign troops.” Recognize “the decentralized nature” of Afghan politics and society. Be flexible. “What works in Mazar-e-Sharif … is very different from what works in Kandahar.” Be “humble about our ability to bring large-scale change.” Put Afghanistan in a regional context. “Permeable borders are straddled by clans, ethnic groups and militants and what happens in one country can have profound implications for what happens in others.”

People may not like ot disagree with Kerry, but I think what he states is accurate. for more on this, see The Washington Independent » Kerry: ‘Set Realistic Goals’ in Afghanistan

Yup. Not just for cats anymore. All you smart people could use some silliness and a laugh as much as anyone…

Anyone who has owned a dog knows this face. 🙂 For more goofiness, see Loldogs, Dogs ‘n’ Puppy Dog Pictures – I Has A Hotdog!

…can be see in this head on collision between the 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air Vs. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu.

I love the look of the ’59 Malibu, but after this I wouldn’t be caught dead driving one. Actually, if I was driving one, I could be caught dead in it. For this test, it was estimated that the driver of the Bel Air would suffer some injuries, while the driver of the Bel Air in this crash would die right away.

Thanks to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for the video.

Reading this article, Tales From Lehman’s Crypt – NYTimes.com, I was really impressed by how the employees interviewed took little or no responsibility for what happened at Lehman Brothers. Indeed, some of them insisted that it was the regulators job to stop them from doing the damage they did.

In the near term, after the political battle over health care has settled done, there will be a battle over regulation of the financial industry in the U.S. During that battle, there will be people who will say that strict regulation isn’t necessary, while others will insist it is essential. Having this article in mind will be useful while you listen to that debate.

(Image from http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk)

Bento lunches for kids are hot now. If you think your kids would like this:

Then head on over to The Goodbyn™ lunchbox site and you can buy one.

I don’t have anything to add on the whole Kanye West story. I do want to comment on this, though: ABC’s Moran removes tweet with Obama swipe at Kanye – Michael Calderone – POLITICO.com.

Even though the tweets were removed, they were still available as of last night via Google’s caching. (And to be fair to Michael Calderone, he does acknowledge that.) Anyone who thinks they can post things on the Internet and then by deleting them not have anyone see them is in for a surprise. Ask Terry Moran.

Dealing with all the disposable waste that we produce is an important way of being green.  Any way you can eliminate purchasing something you immediately have to toss is a good thing.

I think what we need to tackle as well is things manufactured to be obsolete. One of these things is lightbulbs. Fortunately, there is good news on that front, according to the blog, Inhabitat. According to this post, Panasonic’s New LED Bulbs Shine for 19 Years:

Despite lasting longer and being more efficient than both incandescent and CFL bulbs, LEDs haven’t caught on because of their sky-high prices. But now Panasonic wants to bring LEDs to the mainstream — at least in Japan — with a 60-watt household bulb that the company claims can last up to 19 years, or 40 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

Not only are they long lasting, but they are LED. This is a good thing.

…then I highly suggest you visit Sunshine+Design. You’ll be glad you did.

Apparently Bernie Madoff’s NYC Penthouse apartment is up for sale. This is one of the rooms:

To which I say: is that it?! Disappointing. I would have thought that if you are going to plunder people of as much as he did, he would have much nicer digs. But apparently not. It’s not terrible, mind you, but it is lacking in the opulence of Louis XIV or even Donald Trump. 😉

If you are so inclined, you can see more here

I don’t think anyone is unaware of what cancer is and how serious it is. Awareness is one thing: how one deals with it is different matter. As this video from the Lance Armstrong Foundation shows, sometimes the way one deals with it, unfortunately, is with silence, or by stigmatizing those affected by the disease:

One way to combat this is to know more about cancer. There are lots of ways to do this. One way that I do this is by following people who are dealing with the disease and blogging about it. One such person is a fabulous actor, Lisa Ray, who has starred in one of my favourite films, “Water”. Her blog is here. Another person is a lovely woman from the U.K. named Tracey who is dealing with two cancers.

I am sure there are many others writing about their experiences with cancer (Tracey has links to a number of people on her blog). I encourage you, if you want to know more about the disease and how people are dealing with it, to read their blogs.

Thank you.

It’s fashion week in NYC this week. But really, New York is 52 weeks of fashion every year. If you are heading there, there are (seemingly) endless places to go. However, if you are smart/frugal, consider the places mentioned in this blog post from the Frugal Traveler Blog – NYTimes.com: Bargains Abound for the Frugal Fashionista. You can find yourself some great clothes at a great price.

Be smart. Look smart.