TresSugar

Climate Matters Video Contest: Send the President a Message

CitizenSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:25 -0700

I love when creativity and politics come crashing together, and when there's $3,000 at stake - as well as a chance to influence the next president's thoughts on the climate - well, I might just be hitting the "record" button myself. The video service Vimeo (kind of YouTube-y but cuter) is running a Climate Matters contest, aimed at opening an eco-dialogue via video.

Any time between now and Sept. 22, you can make a video like the one above with an environmental message for leaders in Washington DC. This one advocates for the EatTheView organization, showing how one citizen planted a garden in front of his own White House and its strength is in its adorable simplicity. The top 10 videos in the contest will be distributed to lawmakers in Washington, and the winning video will be broadcast on national TV along with a $3,000 prize.

Like the Obama in 30 Seconds contest, technology has democratized the political discourse in important, charming, and creative ways, and I'm happy to see it. Maybe Liberty and I will have to put together a little video entry of our own. Would you?

Source

In a Dream: a Memoir Told Through Mural

TresSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:00:00 -0700

When Isaiah Zagar moved to Philadelphia in the 1960s, he started creating a massive mural made of shards of glass and tile on the side of an abandoned building. The ongoing art chronicled the highs and lows of his marriage and the life of his two sons, one of whom has now made a documentary about the memoir in mosaic, called In a Dream. Check out the trailer below.

IN A DREAM: Extended Trailer from Herzliya Films on Vimeo.

In a recent interview, filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar talks about his parents' hippie existence and the impetus for the project: "My mother decided I should film my family, sort of in the same way she decided my father should make art about our family." The documentary, which airs on HBO 2 tonight and comes out on DVD in September, records his father's nervous breakdown and his brother's time in rehab. I love the line in the trailer when Isaiah says, "You know a lot when you lose something. When you got it, you don't know." Now I really want to see this mural.

Video: Don't Let God Be a College Casualty

TresSugar — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 02:00:00 -0700

When I came across this video, I couldn't tell if it was satirical or serious. In it, sweet Kim leaves for college after saying goodbye to her parents and boyfriend. Nine months later, she returns pregnant, angry, and spouting off information about the South American rain forests.

The College Casualty from Mark Nauroth on Vimeo.

At the end, the dad reveals the video's purpose: it's an ad for College Weekend Workshop, a course broadcast live over the Internet and into churches with the purpose of preparing Christian students for college so they can get a degree without losing the faith. College Weekend Workshop says that too often, saying yes to college means saying no to God.

Using some confusing humor, the group wants to tap into parents' fears that their children will come back from college completely different. (Namely, radical feminist, heavy metal, spiritual hippie types.) Parents need not fear, though, because there is a way to continue to influence your kids' values. All you have to do is sign up for (and pay for) the workshop!

Do you think there's some value in reinforcing an adolescent's beliefs, or should young adults be encouraged to think for themselves?

Intimacy Device Helps Long-Distance Couples See the Love

TresSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:43:34 -0700

No, not that kind of intimacy device; this one has glimmers of science fiction. But if you're in a long-distance relationship, some British researchers want to help you get more intimate with your partner. A new invention, dubbed Mutsugoto, allows couples to "communicate intimacy" by drawing with lights on each other's bodies. Sounds hot!

The device promises to go beyond phone calls and email by allowing people to "communicate through the language of touch as expressed on the canvas of the human body." But it's not as simple as reaching out and touching someone.

Here's how it works: couples wear touch-activated rings on their bodies, and a camera mounted above the bed reads the rings. When one person moves the rings over her body, the strokes are transmitted and projected as light on the partner's far-away body. When the strokes cross, the lines change color.

This device might be a creative way for long-distance couples to break their routines of communication, but video chats still sound a lot more practical to me. To see a video demonstration, read more.

Mutsugoto from Distance Lab on Vimeo.

Source

Recovery.Gov Takes a Shot at Transparency

LibertySugar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:01:00 -0800

Bringing the pledge of transparency to Internet life, the White House has officially launched Recovery.gov - a website that lets you track the stimulus money.

The President says, "instead of politicians doling out money behind closed doors, the important decisions about where taxpayer dollars are invested will be yours to scrutinize." To help you scrutinize, the site has features like an interactive map showing you how many jobs will be created in each state, graphs breaking down stimulus funds, a timeline for crucial upcoming milestones, and a place for you to share what's working, and not working for you.

Who doesn't like graphs and maps, not to mention a little accountability?

To see the President explain the site on video, read more.

Your Money at Work from White House on Vimeo

Briefing Book! Gay Couples Ask: Please Don't Divorce Us

LibertySugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:30:50 -0800

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce . . . from Courage Campaign on Vimeo

Gay Marriage: Proposition 8 could result in forced divorces, so couples make compelling plea. - SFist
Stimulus: Is the stimulus plan really better for men than women? - Slate
Transportation: Personal rapid transit? Automated transport pods, that could replace cars, unveiled at the Wold Future Energy Summit. - Good
Octuplets: Nadya Suleman defends her decision to have 14 children. - Jezebel
Taliban: Republicans admit they're the Taliban? GOP Rep. Sessions says Republicans should model their insurgency after the Taliban. - Wonkette
Bush: eBay find of the day: Bush shoe attack oil painting. - GiggleSugar

Giggle Links

GiggleSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0800

Make your own zombie barbie. - Craftzine
You know you'll make an ass of yourself at the holiday party, why not prepologize? - Prepologize
What if people lived like penguins? (NSFW). - Vimeo
Mayor Gavin Newsom's hair welcomes you to San Francisco. - SFist
Best website ever! - I Love Nacho Cheese
How you open your gifts reveals your personality. - Q104.3
Rob Zombie's inner monologue while standing in a movie line. - Holy Taco
How to spend $53K a week without really trying. - BoingBoing

Welcome Back Prank

GiggleSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:00:00 -0800

Oh, man. I just came back from a trip. I wish Improv Everywhere had been there at the airport to welcome me back! Although, I am sure I'd be as perplexed as these folks were when suddenly friends they didn't know they had started handing them stuffed animals and flowers . . .

Welcome Back from ImprovEverywhere on Vimeo.

America's Next Top Reject

GiggleSugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:00:00 -0800

Modeling is great, but day jobs are fun too- unlike grandma's knit poncho...

Sexy Jess on Vimeo