Their Circular Life

"Their Circular Life" is yet another fascinating photography project that captures the very essence of the transient nature of life when studied against an exploration of human behavior.
Using interactive time lapse photography, the project investigates the link between different urban places and the behavior of the humans who visit these places within a 24-hour timeframe. Using a scroll wheel, you can scroll through a day in different places in Italy.
Yes, because your surrounding knows you better than you know her.

Fabulust

Paintings exhbited at Tokyo's 2004 Design Week. Very cool... I love the way the painting is whole yet incomplete.
I strongly recommend skimming through Tokyo's 2004 Design Week slideshow, it has some very interesting stuff. The Japanese never fail to amaze me.

Jeeda

This is Jeeda Dallal, my unbelievably adorable 2-months-old baby cousin, who's basically one more girl to add to a family dominated by boysies.

Creative...

"But you can't buy it. You can only view it here. I guess it's more like art or something."

+Planet Dan

Pretending...

Lyrics of No Doubt's "Don't Speak"

You and me
We used to be together
Every day together always

I really feel
That I’m losing my best friend
I can’t believe
This could be the end

It looks as though you’re letting go
And if it’s real,
Well I don’t want to know

Don’t speak
I know just what you’re saying
So please stop explaining
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
Don’t speak
I know what you’re thinking
I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts

Our memories
They can be inviting
But some are altogether
Mighty frightening

As we die, both you and i
With my head in my hands
I sit and cry

Don’t speak
I know just what you’re saying
So please stop explaining
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts no no no
Don’t speak
I know what you’re thinking
And I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts

It’s all ending,
I gotta stop pretending who we are...

You and me
I can see us dying... are we?

Don’t speak
I know just what you’re saying
So please stop explaining
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts no no
Don’t speak
I know what you’re thinking
And I don’t need your reasons
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
Don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
I know what you’re saying
So please stop explaining
Don’t speak don’t speak don’t speak
No I know what you’re thinking
And I don’t need your reasons
I know you good I know you good
I know you real good oh

La la la la la la la la la
Don’t don’t ooh ooh
Hush hush darling
Hush hush darling
Hush hush don’t tell me ’cause it hurts
Hush hush darling
Hush hush darling
Hush hush don’t tell me ’cause it hurts

The Scream

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" is one of those paintings that I can't quite decide whether I love or hate. It is, after all, a direct symbolism of what myself and so many other people feel like at various times in our lives, and a feeling I would spend my life trying to avoid.

Munch painted this work to express loneliness and awful despair. Standing, screaming...

Yes, That's Real Money in There

That's what I call great advertising.

+Signal Vs. Noise

Saturday Night Live Disco Floor Up For Auction

The flashing dance floor on which John Travolta strutted his way to stardom in "Saturday Night Fever" is being put up for auction. Wow, that's something I'd love to buy!

+Yahoo! News

Monopoly and Funoon

Alright, picture sharing mood, for after all, sharing is caring, and this is the first time I see these pictures so I'm rather excited.
Syria department trip again, this time we're all playing Monopoly(my back to the camera) late at night and eating brick-oven grilled chestnuts.. Fadi and I cheated our way to victory...
Yes, I know, we're a pleasant bunch.

Ban Comic Sans

There are tons of horribly ugly fonts, and worse yet, there are tons more people who exploit ugly fonts(like I'm exploiting Comic Sans now). And maybe thats why fonts become ugly, because when you think about it, if certain fonts were only used in the right instances...
According to Ban Comic Sans,"These widespread abuses of printed type threaten to erode the very foundations upon which centuries of typographic history are built. While we recognize the font may be appropriate in a few specific instances, our position is that the only effective means of ending this epidemic of abuse is to completely ban Comic Sans" Ok, they might be taking it too seriously, but whatever, I agree.

Ban Comic Sans!(Or alternatively, you can join the Comic Sans Appreciation Society)

+Shiny Shiny

Spotted in Egypt...

One of the most fascinating scenes we saw in Egypt. Very dusty, very old, obviously untouched for at least a decade, and with 50% off! Bargain.

Syrian Candy

Wow, I just found this picture , and I don't remember it even being taken! It's from a department trip to Syria almost 2 years ago. We had just finished "studying" the Ummayyad Mosque, and we were all tired and hungry, then, Candy!
Anyhow, I think this is a good picture. I love the way the candy looks... The old walls as the background, the rusting trolly... Syria is a very interesting country.

Picture courtsey of Fadi.

Beautifying Amman

The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has recently set up a committee charged with making Amman a more beautiful city. In addition to combating illegal practices, the Amman Beautifying Committee is set to go into partnership with the private sector. GAM has also started a competition seeking to engage Amman residents in general, and the youth in particular, in efforts to make the capital a more beautiful place to live.

[Via Aquacool,Jordan Times]

:)

Virtual Roba

Yes, that's "Virtual Roba". Not sure about the haircut, but maybe if you remove about half the volume and mess it up it'll look more like mine, and of course, forget the facial features. I now know to always stand facing people because my "karsh" shows when I'm standing sideways...

Anyway, it's cool, and I can actually use it to try on clothes whenever I shop online at several stores. Not that I shop online... Still cool.

You can create your “My Virtual Model” either on the company’s website, or directly on the site you want to shop at(note to self: NEVER shop at Sears, horrible shoe choices).


Oh, yes, its 4:31 AM. And I will not watch the NBA All-Star game. Well, at least there were no Fantasy NBA lineups this weekend(the boys hog the computer otherwise)....

4:55 AM. Rise and shine!

+Popgadget

Is There Anybody Out There?

3:17 AM. Can't sleep. Need to wake up early. Feeling very annoyed at something. Only have 8 people on my messenger list and they are all away/offline. Everyone in my phonebook is probably sleeping. AH!
Yes, I know this is not a diary.

3:34 AM.Again, not feeling particularly eloquent. Can't really type because everyone's sleeping. Will modify lyrics to embody my frame of mind. Love Control+V.


Hello.
Is there anybody out there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?
Relax.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can’t explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

From Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb".


3:42 AM. Sharing art now:



I love Van Gogh. Would you cut your ear for love?
The Catholic church refused to allow Vincent's burial in its cemetery because Vincent had committed suicide. A nearby church agreed and the funeral was held on 30 July. On my birthday. Ironic.

Ah. I need to cut down on the coffee.

Ohh-Kay!

I haven't used my Yahoo! email to reply to anything in ages, and today, while replying, I was surprised when I got this window as I pressed send:



Alright, aren't we taking this a little too far? I'm all in for anti-spam, but figure out a better way! I avoid commenting on blogs that have this "Character string technology" because it always takes me several tries to read the characters correctly, so how am I supposed to handle having to squint to figure it out every time I send an email?!

P.S. I already wear glasses

Oh, Yes, I’m Guilty

I love No Doubt, the old No Doubt anyhow(yes, not that commercialized crap they're selling now, although I do respect their trying to reach out to the younger generations).

You must understand, No Doubt are VERY different from what I usually like to listen to(I prefer my music heavier and more intense), but no one manages to reach down into my soul and touch me except No Doubt. "Return of Saturn" remains to be one of my favorite all-time albums.

Well, anyhow, today, I was listening to "Return of Saturn" and I was utterly amazed at how this album manages to so perfectly portray my state of mind at very different phases in my life. I know that it's lyrics aren't 1/10th as deep as Pink Floyd's, and that the music isn't as great as Led Zeppelin's, but I still find the music magical and the lyrics so beautiful.

Lyrics to "Comforting Lie"

"I started out on the wrong foot, now I’m not myself
I am Jekyll, I am Hyde, found this place to hide, come seek me
Oh, so up and down, so back and forth, so insecure
Can’t get this taste out of my mouth, swallow it down, pretend

And hold it, hold it all in
Let it build up, oh, build a bomb
And blow it, blow it away
And clear it all out, just end it

I’m just a normal person without those problems, when did it change?
Admission so embarrassing, I’m on the verge of tears again

Oh look, I took the band aid off. did I take it off too soon
Hysterical confession, my big courage is blue

Oh, hold it, hold it all in
Let it build up, oh, build a bomb
And blow it, blow it away
And clear it all out, just end it
And sort it, sort it out
Oh, just give it back, no thank you
And toss it, toss it away
Eliminate, just give up

I, I can’t decide this tug of war
I’m feeling weak, yeah"




Haha, I sported pink hair for a while.

Only Old People Talk About the Weather

It's been beeeeee-yooooo-teeeee-fulllll! Nice enough for a picnic and I'm not even a picnic person! I'm still figuring my way around a 4-season year(in Saudi Arabia, you only get Fall and Summer), and I really hate being so cold.

Note to self, weather becomes nice around the end of February in Amman(so that I wouldn't have to kill myself waiting next year).

Buzz Bunny & the Loonatics

Naturally, every long-living cartoon character will need to evolve some how, just like the graceful evolution of what has now become a living, breathing legend-Mickey Mouse.

Now, "hoping to breathe new life into its animated Looney Tunes franchise and prop up the WB television network's slumping Kids' WB line-up", Warner Bros. is planning to launch a new cartoon series this fall based on "re-imagined" versions of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, Lola Bunny, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Hm... reimagined? I'm thinking more among the lines of "monsterized".

"Loonaticky" indeed. I mean, I'm all for superhero's and stuff, but you don't have to make them look so evil!
Reminds me of shock I recieved when I saw this decade's popular toys last month.

I don't have any kids around me, are children these days so different?

+ Post Gazette, Boing Boing


Update: Intrestingly, it turns out that "Buzz" is the name of a copyrighted character created by Dutch freelance designer and illustrator Metin Seven. Wow. That's going to cause problems for Warner Bros. Thanks Buzz!

Lost in Jordan University

I hate routine, really, I do. I'm furtherly very much the night person, so I also hate the day time. Finally, I usually don't mind school, but I do mind it when all my classes are along the lines of "Environment Studies" and when my days all start before 10:00 AM. So yes, if you don't want to listen to me whining(which I hate doing), you can read about making yourself a homemade coffee machine here.

So yes, basically, school starts on Sunday(I think, my friends say it starts on Tuesday and the JU website says it starts on Sunday, I don't know who to believe, does anyone have any idea? Nader? David? Ammar?) My biggest concern at the moment is pushing my waking hours back into the day-time so that I can wake up at 9:00 AM on Sunday instead of 3:00 PM. Well, at least the second semester always goes much faster than the first.

The picture, by the way, is of our much prized "Big Ben", and there's Abu Yahya the university's photographer glaring at me for not using his services(alright, you can't really see him, but he's always glaring).

Wow, I really thought I had so much more to whine about. See? I told you I'm a very easy-going person.

Oh, yes, thank you if you read through to the end of my whining.

Update: Alright, apparently school starts tomorrow(Ammar, thanks). How cool. Sami, sheklo I'm going to sleep through the first week myself ;) Hahaha, ROAR! :P

Suicidal Feelings

I think this ashtray is great on so many levels. First, it's very creative, I absolutely love the idea, and second, it actually has a point- Smoking is suicide.

+Sawaya & Moroni
+Cool Hunting

Fight Me!

Although I'm a very peaceful person, I love to "fight", especially when the other person is my size. Unfortunately though, everyone around me is much too big to wrestle, except for my youngest brother Ghassan. I always win, and apparently, "Google Fight" has his sources :P



Well anyway, there are many more cool "Fight" examples with "Google Fight", like God vs. Satan, and Pamela Anderson vs. your girlfriend.

+Josh Rubin

Abdo

Introducing Abdo, a waiter at "Cups & Kgs", who dresses up as Santa during Christmas, wears a black tux when its Eid, and spends the rest of the year inviting coffee-lovers to try his coffee. Ok, tell you the truth, he creeps me out, but I must admit that his coffee is probably the best in town. I also love the location- between the 3rd circle and Shmesani, amidst a very crowded Amman-style "main street", and I love sitting outside watching the cars speed by. I also love the fact that since it's just a little coffee bar, so it's very practical for rushed coffee.

Sharing some pictures:


View from outside


My favorite drink is Hazelnut Caramella, along with their very yummy white chocolate brownies.

Did you know that I'm completely addicted to caffeine?

Yes, That's Drew Barrymore

"50 First Dates" hand-painted rural Russian movie poster showing Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

I'm posting this because it reminds me of Concord Cinema in Jabal Al-Hussein-slash-Shmesani. Back in the day, it used to be the best cinema around, and going there was a treat.

Anyway, point is, they still hand-paint their movie posters, though I must say, they do a much better job than these Russian people(weird, Russians are amazing painters).

+Design Boom
+Boing Boing

Summer Moon

Air guitaring to Led Zeppelins "Since I've Been Loving You". Damn good.
Sharing the lyrics of another amazing Led Zeppelin song, Kashmir:

Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace, like thoughts inside a dream
Heed the path that led me to that place, yellow desert stream
My shangri-la beneath the summer moon, I will return again
Sure as the dust that floats high and true, when movin’ through kashmir.
Oh, father of the four winds, fill my sails, across the sea of years
With no provision but an open face, along the straits of fear
Ohh.


P.S. I really like Asala.

Abha Gheir!!!

I don't care if no one will understand why this cake is funny, but I've been cracking up for the past 10 minutes.
Let's just say, Jeddah Gheir, stuck in Abha for your birthday, you've got nice friends.
Oh, yes, picture courtsey of Sara.

On Coffee, Silicone & Incoherency

Flashback- Me trying to make my friend real coffee without an actual coffee machine, horrible mess of sieves and too many coffee pots, I wanted a coffee machine. End of flashback(haha, I've become a total geek, I resisted writing "/flashback").

No more wanting a coffee machine, the geniuses at Engadget are helping me maintain our we-make-our-own-stuff deal(yes, lipbalm, paper, exfoliating soap, window insulation, trollies, cards, etc., etc.)- a home-made coffee maker. Yay, using a silicone gun(I have an obsession with epoxy). Portable.

Not feeling particularly eloquent at the moment. I'm going to go make myself some coffee.

The Ocean Accomplice

Remember the collage post? Well, here's work by someone more talented than I am with collages:


Mixed media collage by Leila Dallal
February 11 - March 25


Isn't it magical?

There was another piece in the exhibition's website that caught my eye;


Kara Duval with Post-It Stained Glass

I really wish I could go to this gallrey, but unfortunately, Texas is far away, if anyone's interested though you can check out Gallery 1724's website here.

Boo!

Phil Worthington's Electro-Shock coat combines wearable technology and augmented sensations that serve as a visual and actual warning to others- stay away.

The prototype design is a coat with warning strips of fur that become electro-statically charged in situations where the wearer feels threatened. When charged the fur begins to stand on end; a visual indication that the wearer is uncomfortable. If someone invades the wearer's personal space they will begin to feel a second warning; as they enter the coat's electrostatic field they will feel tingling skin sensations and their hair will stand on end. The fur will begin to twitch toward them and emit crackling sounds. If the 'threat' proceeds to touch the fur then 100,000 volts of electro-static charge discharges from the fur, into the offenderís body (non-lethal but definitely a bite).

I love it, love it, love it. I'd never need a coat like this because I'm a very happy-go-lucky person, but I know people who need this jacket sooo bad! I hate pissy people :\

Hugs Over SMS

Not available to be bought yet, but I really do love Mark Argo's Hugms. Hugms sends a text message when you squeeze the Bluetooth-connected, light-up sensor. The message varies depending on how hard and how long you squeeze your Hugms. Long squeeze: 'hhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuggggggg'; Short hard squeeze: 'hhHHUUUUUUugg'. Even better, if the recipient of your hug has a Hugms, their own device will glow with light and they can give a squeeze, letting the sender know their hug is being returned.

+Popgadget

No Laws. One Rule. Never Fall In Love.

I've been very lucky with good movies this year- first it was The Incredibles, then Big Fish, and now, Moulin Rouge.

Damn, words honestly cannot express how impressed I am Moulin Rouge! Everything about it was "Spectacular, Spectacular"- the music, the dancing, the customes, Baz Luhrmanm's beyond amazing directing.

Oh, wow. For 127 amazing minutes, Luhrmann and the cast managed to transport me to a world of beauty where fantasy is reality.

I'd recommend this movie to anyone, it's simply a masterpiece. Luhrmann is a genius.

Are We Related?

My aunt and I have spent the last few days digging up the past- making phone calls, reading old scripts compiled by my great great grandfather, and spending hours hunched over Photoshop. I must say, I'm quite happy with the result; a 10-generation family tree of my mother's family, Dallal.

This is the first time I ever study the genealogy of a Palestinian family, and I was deeply fascinated by the results. Although we're aware of the fact that my mother's family is originally from Mekkah, it is impossible to trace back to over 900 years ago, so we decided to start tracing from Yousuf Tahboob, who migrated from Hebron to Nablus towards the end of the 1600s, and who was to become the first Dallal of Nablus(Dallal:a person who pampers something/someone. This title was given to him because he was a fez-seller and he used to sing to his fezes).

Our branch of the Dallal's continued to live in Nablus until my mother's great grandfather moved to ToulKarem in the beginning of the 1900s. Later on, our branch of the Dallal's moved out of Palestine permanently when my grandfather and his 2 brothers moved to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the U.S. around 1950, and that is where each of the brothers' families continued to live.

Most of the rest of the Dallal branches have moved to Jordan.

Another interesting thing I discovered while compiling the tree is how the Dallal's and the Saqf-Il-Heit's are always marrying each other.

I posted the family tree we compiled here. It's in Arabic, but if you do read it, take a look, we might be nasayeb :P You can find my family if you trace Yousef-> Qasem-> Mahmood-> Hussein-> Jamil-> Shakeeb-> Rula.

Next project will be the Assi family tree, which I'm guessing will be impossible, as my dad alone has around 112 neices and nephews. I do though know the story of why we became "Al-Assi" - "Al-3assi" means the disobedient, so when you're saying Roba Al-Assi, it litreally translates to Roba the Disobedient. Around 6 generations ago, Baker Al-Mutabaqani of Al-Madinah(Saudi Arabia) ran away to Palestine, and thus was given the title "The Disobedient" or "Al-3assi" because he disobeyed his family. The title stuck and became our family name. How romantic right?

Flickr Graph

Just when I thought I got enough of Flickr applications, Flickr Graph- a social network visual- pops out from no where. Hehe, and I love it!



Flickr Graph is basically an application that explores social relationships of Flickr users. Here's a screen shot from what I got when I entered my Flickr username.
My favorite thing about the application is their use of the fluid, life-like web that you can move around and play with. Try clicking on your icon, spinning it around, and then throwing it off far away from your screen.
Reminds me of Soda Play, which I never got the hang of.

A Painting A Day

Although I'm the biggest believer that art should never be a routinely task, I still found Duane Keiser's "A Painting A Day" project rather absorbing. Most of the paintings in this project are postcard-sized oil sketches of everyday objects painted on site, using a modified cigar box as an easel. Here are some of my favorites:







What I love about these paintings is that although the artist's technique is generally rough(look at the very strong and defined brushstrokes), he manages to also capture the smooth and transparent qualities of the object he's painting.
Gorgeous.

Macromedia Partners With Nokia

Macromedia said that Nokia Corp. has agreed to a partnership that gives Macromedia a big boost in its efforts to convince developers to use its Flash technology in building mobile-phone applications(Sourc:Yahoo! News).

Brad Akyuz, analyst for market researcher Current Analysis, says, "With the Nokia move, Macromedia now has a chance to expand its reach globally. Nokia's smartphones are retailing basically everywhere in the world."

Although I'm only a fan of Flash when it comes to gaming(a heavly Flashed website is a nightmare to me), I think that Macromedia is doing a hell of a great job. I'm also strongly biased towards Nokia, so I'm rather excited to see the results.

On a side note, my favorite logos are those of Macromedia.

Press Photo of the Year 2004

Sniper victim in morgue, Gaza
Kristen Ashburn, USA, Contact Press Images.

Shocking. This picture sent shivers down my spine.

+Sabbah's Blog

Dusty Relief

Ok, so maybe this is disgusting, but it's fascinating as well. R&Sie is developing a piece for the Bangkok Art Museum that literally feeds off the city's pollution. Titled "Dusty Relief", the installation will use electrically charged wire that pulls all the floaties out of the air and effectively grows fur. They're also apparently working on some other cool projects as well— think buildings whose walls and floors can change on the fly based on the "needs and desires of the inhabitants". Very interesting don't you think?

+Gizmodo

The Dermabond :)

The Dermabond is a dream come true for me, as I'm deathly afraid of needles. Dermabond (from the latin for 'skin' and 'sticky'), by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary is a liquid stitching system— simply pinch the wound to bring the skin together, apply two layers of Dermabond, and hold for about a minute. It forms a durable, flexible bond that stays around for about a week. Wow, magical.
Glue is the essence of modernism isn't it?

+Gizmodo

May the Shcwartz be With You

I never liked "Star Wars", which is actually very weird, as I'm a complete freak for science fiction, fantasy, aliens, time travel, and freak shows. But I do love "Spaceballs", Mel Brooks' zany 1987 "Star Wars" spoof, which I watched a million times as a kid and spent so many countless hours laughing about.

Once upon a time warp in deep space, the struggle between the nice & the rotten goes on... Hahaha. Seriously, what's funnier than Planet Spaceball's President Scroob sending Lord Dark Helmet to steal Planet Druidia's abundant supply of air to replenish their own, and having Lone Starr try to stop them?

Well anyhow, "Spaceballs" will be remade into an animated television series(Source: Boing Boing). Honestly, I can't really see how this could be a good thing, but reading that sent me a wave of nostalgic feelings that I just had to post this.

May the schwartz be with you.

I leave you with one of my favorite "Spaceballs" quote: "Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs-the T-shirt, Spaceballs-the Coloring Book, Spaceballs-the Lunch box, Spaceballs-the Breakfast Cereal, Spaceballs-the Flame Thrower."

Happy Birthday Flickr

Flickr turns one today, and what a pleasant person Flickr was this year! She certainly made the internet a lot more colorful, personal, and enjoyable, at least as far as I'm concerned.
I actually used to hate Flickr a few months back, but thanks to MMM mostly, I am now completely hooked. Yet, at the moment, I'm still annoyed at the recent addition of yet more Flash work to their website :\

Scissors and Stampedes Will Break Your Bones...

When I heard that Ikea was considered one of the 5 most influential brands of 2004, I was surprised. I love Ikea, yes I do- I love their modern and unusual designs, their wild colors, and the whole great quality for great price thing they're famous for. I'm also fascinated by the importance of Ikea on the last few decades' popular culture.

For example, the IKEA Catalogue, containing about 12,000 IKEA products is reputedly the second most widely distributed book after the Bible with a hundred million copies produced every year(Source: Wikipedia). Furthermore, a mind-blowing 10% of Europeans are conceived in an Ikea bed(Source: BBC). Fascinating isn't it?

Of course, naturally, the popularity of such a place also causes hazards, like the five people in the hospital today and the hundreds crushed after the recent opening of Ikea in North London (read rest of article here), and when three people were killed in Riyadh a few years ago when thousands of shoppers were drawn by an offer. Hm... Fascinating.

Did anyone know that Ikea have the best scissors? They're very sharp, they're dishwasher safe, and they've never let me down. They're definitely on my list of stuff I can't live without :)

And this is completely unrelated to the topic, but Google has offered to host Wikipedia(Source: Wikimedia). Wow.

Ferrero, I Love You

I just found out that Ferrero makes all my favorite chocolate products:

Nutella



Duplo



Tronky



Kinder


Ferrero Rocher



Ok, so maybe I'm just utterly lost, but I really had no idea that Any of these products were related. Ferrero, you have my heart.

Women Can't Vote

Women cannot vote and few men registered in the Riyadh area -- just 149,000 in a city of over four million people -- reflecting skepticism that the councils will make much difference to daily life.

Read the rest of the article here.

+ Yahoo! News(Reuters)

Depressing.

Hot

When it's very cold and drab, nothing warms up your bones more than this traditional drink- "ayner". It's basically made of cinammon, water, a lot of sugar, and pieces of roughly chopped(picked of a tree in this case) pecan nuts.
Anyway, just had to share a cup of warmness :)

Kiss and Tell

Trust Saab to develop a breathalyser integrated into a car key, as if their computerized locking system isn't bad enough. I am spiteful because of the many times my poor mother got locked out of her car over the past couple of years, and the last thing a Saab needs is more reasons to lock out its owner.
Well anyway, the keyring works like this: drivers will have to blow into the mouth piece to get the car started, and if the breathalyser senses too much booze on the breath, the driver won't be able to start up the engine. Currently, Saab's Alcokey is in prototype stage and not yet integrated into the actual key, but it's already on trial over in Sweden.

+Shiny Shiny

Weightless, in the Middle of the Ocean

From the movie Napoleon Dynamite: "Okay, turn you head on more of a slant, now, make a fist. Slowly ease it up underneath your chin. This is looking really good. Now, just imagine you're weightless, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by tiny little seahorses."
[takes the picture]

Ok, I guess this is the technique used when taking "glamour shots" to be used on album covers. Proof:





I also managed to find an album cover with Kathem Il Saher knitting(?).



On a better note, Amr Diab has an old Andy Warhol style album. Yeah, the implementation is horrible, but at least he hired a designer who took an art history course.

"Talj, Talj, 3am Betshati il Denyeh Talj"

Today, I woke up to the sound of my phone beeping. Hm, everyone knows I'm a late riser, who dares to message me so early? So I check and find out that it was my brothers' school, asking "the parents" to not send their children to school because of the- ta dum- Snow!
After checking to make sure the boys are still at home, I peek out the window and see that it really is snowing :) Once again(and like every year), the Jordanian Weather Forecast Service was wrong.


Here's a picture I managed to snap from the window

For those who have never lived in the Middle East, snow here is a huge deal :)

Ukulele Books

One day, Peter and Donna Thomas thought to themselves, "We love to make books and we love to play the ukulele. Can we put these two loves together? Can we make a book out of a uke?"
Could they? Yes, they could. I have no clue as to what a ukelele is, and I like my music and my books on separate plates, but what the hell, they look good!








Check out the rest of the interesting designs here.

+Boing Boing

I'll Tell You My Secret If You Tell Me Yours

I hate keeping secrets as it's just the most suffocating feeling on earth, keeping me worried that I will burst out at the wrong moment. And I guess that's why Frank Warren created PostSecret- an anyonymous equivalent to shouting out from the roof tops.

So if you have a confession, scribble it out on a postcard and ship it off to Warren. You know, alternative therapy does wonders, and this project taps into the part of each of us that needs to share; to confess. I think its a heck of an idea as it balances art and psychology and gives the rest of us a reason to smile.
Sharing a few of my favorites:









Ahem, ahem, who has a secret they're itching to share? :P

ICOMBWA!

I'm a Twist

While aimlessly surfing the net, I came upon the "Oreo Personality Test". I found it short, sweet and with amusing results:



The fascinating thing is that when I eat an oreo, first thing I do is twist it open to scrape the cream off as I hate the cream.

How did they know that?!

What Were They Thinking?!

Call me shallow if you will, but I judge a book by its cover. If a person doesn't bother hiring a good designer to design his cover, then I highly doubt that the book will be worth reading. The same goes for almost everything in life including food, electronics, and of course, albums.

Music website ZonicWeb presents a lovingly curated, jaw-droppingly gallery of hideous album covers, that left me shocked and saying, "What were they thinking?!!"

Here's an example below, although there were more hideous and even sadistic album covers that are much too visual for And Far Away... Go on though, browse through the Top 10 and see for yourself.





Hideous.

Update: had to share these, courtsey of Jameed-



*Roll on the floor laughing*

"This Isn't How I Die"

Tonight I watched a movie I've been wanting to watch for a very long time- "Big Fish". Cheesy as it may sound, "Big Fish" was an absolute indulgence for my eyes, my ears, and especially my heart.

"Big Fish" tells a story that beautifully intertwines fantasy and reality to provide a moral about the simple relationship between father and son. It combines so many contrasting details that it literally has something for everyone; werewolves, circus freaks, beautiful mermaids, tucked-away Stepford-like towns, giant men, Siamese twins, WWII, a thousand daffodils, witches, a car on a tree, Danny DeVito's bare behind, Wall Street robberies, fights with jumping spiders, a town where shoes are not allowed, and of course, a beautiful love story.

To make things even more appealing, Tim Burton did a wonderful job directing. He provided a beautiful kaleidoscopic view of a man's life- filled with every color, every flavor, and every emotion. The movie surrounded me with fantasy-like scenes painted with a seemingly magical touch, making it impossible to not be spellbound by the imagery alone.
Yet, it is not for everybody. Most will actually find it confusing and pointless, but good fantasy is like that. It definitely made it into my list of favorite movies though. I give it a 10/10.

I leave you with two of my favorite scenes:





Edward Bloom: "They say, when you meet the love of your life, time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that when it starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up."

In Saudi- Municipal Votes Up for Sale

Vote mongers who are brokering vote buyouts for interested candidates are trying to gain a foothold in Riyadh in the run-up to the Feb. 10 municipal elections.
They are visiting candidates’ websites and e-mail addresses with offers to secure a substantial number of votes for the candidate in return for a certain amount of money.
The candidate said that elections were a totally new experience for Saudis and thus this first round will not be free of errors. He also said that the greatest fear is that people choose the wrong candidates who are mainly after their own interest.

+ Arab News
+ Saudi Jeans

If you're interested, also check out Riyadh Municipality Elections and Arablogger.com.
excerpt: "Our Best Arab Blog Awards (arablogger.com) is now so popular. This candidates to Riyadh-Saudi Municipality Board Members is spamming us. He sent below attached letter to "admin [at] arablogger [dot] com" requesting to vote for him."

The Top 5 Most Influential Brands of 2004

1. Apple, the computer company, has toppled Google, the search engine, to be voted "the brand with the most global impact" in a poll run by Interbrand, the branding consultancy giant. The company, recently described by one fan as having the "attitude of an artist and the eye of an anthropologist", has consistently won plaudits for its sleek, lovingly engineered products and now enjoys commercial success.
The phenomenal popularity of the iPod has transformed Apple’s fortunes. Over 10 million of the must have music players have been sold since the product's launch four years ago. Last year they helped achieve a 300 per cent increase in revenues for Apple – more than offsetting its shrinking share of the computer market.

2. Google, whose internet search engine inspires similar levels of loyalty, usurped Apple as the most admired brand in 2002, according to the poll. But this year the company, which makes 95 per cent of its revenue from paid-search advertising, could only manage second spot.

3. Ikea(center of creativity, and they make the best scissors if anyone is interested)

4. Starbucks(which I'm feeling annoyed towards after I payed 10.5 JD's last week for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake)

5. In a top-five dominated by "shiny", fashion-conscious, western companies, a shock result came among the runners up- Al-Jazeera, the controversial Qatar-based television station.

+ The Times Online
+ Saudi Jeans

Collage Machine

The principle of collage is the central principle of all art in the twentieth century, which is why nothing represents postmodern art better than a collage.
It's also one of the first things they teach to kids in order to develop their aesthetic sides- cut pictures from magazines, and figure out which type of glue would work the best(something I have spent hours discussing with different people).
Now, in the "spirit of post-modern modernity", Collage Machine allows you to exercise your unconscious mind without getting sticky(although I'm one of those people who really enjoys getting my hands sticky).
After a few minutes of drag and drop, here's a result:



Ok, I guess I'll never be a fan of flash. Here's a "year collage" I made in 2001, it might not mean anything to the onlooker, but every single picture used here represents something that was important to me in 2001. Click for enlargment.

Pink and Gold

I can't help but show off my new shoes...
Yum, can't wait till the summer!

The 10 Most Pointless USB-Powered Inventions

I'll tell you what- they are taking the USB-craze wayyy too far! At first, when it was only the USB sushi flash drive and the USB watch, I could handle it, but now, with the arrival of USB incense burners and USB flowerpots, I just have to rant.

Here are the top 10 very pointless USB related technologies that I have come upon these last several months:



1. Stuffed animal USB flash drive, because the little daughter really needs a flash drive.







2. USB-powered fan(if only it didn't look like the 1 JD stuff you find being sold in streetlight intersections in Jordan)







3. And the best of the lot, a USB-powered nail polish kit. Hm...










4. Of course, there has to be the commercialized Christmas share of USB-powered goodies, one which is the drumming, singing Santa.









5. And a snowman and a christmas tree that ligh up(weeh!).








6. Desktop Decorations- because an aquarium would look utterly gorgeous next to my optical mouse...







7. Make your computer the perfect party station- use your mp3s with a USB-powered disco ball!











8. The USB-powered eye massager










9. The USB-powered aroma pot(what happened to good old pretty tea lights?)








10. And last but not least, the most pointless invention of all; The USB-powered Noodle Strainer!!!

test

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Red Glasses

Ok, so at the moment, I'm dying for a pair of cool red glasses like this pair(in the picture) that I used to have many years ago.
Alas, they have been laying in my drawer as two pieces for the past 4 years because my cousin Basem sat on them :\

Crayons Pulverized

Oh, my God! I think this has become my favorite photograph.
It is an image of Crayons being pulverized by a bullet.
Love it, love it, love it.

Check out other images of everyday objects being shot in Ballistics Album .
m7ammad, I think I finally found a good use for your Air Soft guns :)

Mindlessness

As my friend Sara says, bowling is a mindless sport that I will never be able to master.

Dave White Sneaker Art

Ok, I'm loving this. Dave White, the artist behind these works of art, describes himself as a "Sneaker head". The purpose of these sneaker art works is to immortalize his favorite sneakers in pop art portraits.
Look at the depth! It's amazing.

He even immortalized one of my favorite sneakers, The Adidas Superstar:



I never thought pop art, sneakers, and oil colors will go well so well together.

+ The always amazing Cool Hunting

Leos are Arrogant and Disgusting

Although I don't believe in magic, future-telling, horoscopes or any of that crap, an interesting forecast gets me reading. Here's an excrept from the weeks Leo forecast from Crazy Horoscope:

"Clean up your appearance! Stuff a rag up each nostril and play the panpipes using a rack of shoes instead of a set of pipes."

Haha. And from "Leo Personality":

"You like to sit around the house while others serve you toasted pixies on a stick. You often like to pretend you are a cat when nobody is looking(I disagree, I met a taurus who's like that though)...
Your ruling abilities enable you to excel in skills like painting turnips pretty colours, flower arranging for squid weddings, and causing others to rock backwards and forwards in a wheelchair. An ideal job for you would be something creative yet challenging, such as building robot wenches from old pinball machine parts or a make-up artist for maggots.
Getting a mate is not really an issue for you. Its getting one to stay with you for more then 5 minutes that's the problem. Next time you meet someone in a bar, try to avoid ramming your shoes up their nostrils, calling them "Mr Blobby" and running away giggling..."


Lame, but whatever, it's different. Yet, nothing beats that horoscope personality analysis that circulated a many years ago as a forward... Yeah, it became too popular in the end, but it was funny at first. Hm, what was it?
Ok, I found it through Google:

"You consider yourself a born leader. Others think you are an idiot. Most Leos are bullies. You are vain and cannot tolerate honest criticism. Your arrogance is disgusting. Leo people spend most of their time kissing mirrors."

Ahem. Short, sweet, to the point.

So what's everyones horoscope?

The Essence of Unenthusiasm

Today was my final exam, yippee(yeah, weli bisma3ni bi2ool I actually '3alabet 7ali this semester).
Now here comes 20 Mazen-free days.


For your "entertainment pleasure"- the "gerdein o 7ares" of Funoon hard at work during one of our last tests. I have no idea why anyone would paint the walls of a university using an ugly green pistachio color... Ask the IT department(they, for a reason uncomprehendable to me, refer to themselves as KASIT. Or something). Funoon is pretty and pink.

Sign-swallowing trees of Spain

Almost thirty years ago in Cambre, a small village in the northwest of Spain, some road signs were placed on trees to indicate that a taxi stand was nearby. Today those signs are almost impossible to see, because they have been almost completely swallowed by tree bark.

+Boing Boing

Who Likes Pink Floyd?

A part of this semesters Two-Dimensional-Design syllabus was to choose a band, create an album for the band(make up song names, album name, theme, etc.), and then create a CD cover for the album. It was plenty of fun, because unlike the other projects we had to do for this class, this project wasn't limited to paper, and we could also let our imaginations run wild without having to worry about functionality.

The band I ended up choosing was Pink Floyd. I called their album Continuum, and my theme was the abstract concept of time.

Since Ihad a lot of posts last months freaking about the process of implementing, I had to share the results(and whoever dares to say it looks like blood will have his/her feet stepped on!)





As I said, the concept is the unstability of time(minutes fly, days crawl, years run, yada, yada, yada), so I chose ethanol(inside the lid), which is always changing, to represent this characteristic(Ethanol is used in thermometers, always contacting and expanding).



The CD is at first suspended in mid air from the lid, but then, you can flip the lid and use it as a CD storage shelf.




Anyway, like I said, we could let our imaginations run wild. There were some other really interesting CD cover projects that some of my friends did, so I'll probably share them later.

Blind Beauty

Believe it or not, but this painting was painted by Armagan, a Turkish painter who was born blind.
I'm stunned! Look at the colors, the contours, and the sensitivity behind the painting.
Read how the scientists explained this phenomena here.

+Boing Boing

Footsteps

As they say, it's not the size of your Nikes, Adidas, or Manolos that matters. It's the size of your ecological footprint -- the amount of land and water required to sustain your lifestyle. And the size of your footprint may surprise you- it certainly surprised me. I knew that my feet are big, but I can't believe how wasteful I am in comparision to the rest of Jordan. What size is your own footprint? Maybe we can help out if we realize how bad we're affecting nature, for we only have one world.