Link roundup

1. You should probably be very suspicious of the Kinect and what footage it's recording and broadcasting to Microsoft.

2. Hello Kitty finds herself delicious in these paintings by Kristin Tercek.

3. "In a possible symptom of environmental decline, Alaska’s birds have experienced a sudden and inexplicable rash of beak deformities." Via.

*Buy Hello Kitty toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Two different Gap logo generators.

2. Bruce Schneier describes the Stuxnet worm in detail.

3. Microsoft sent a really ugly Lego version of its new phone to executives to get them excited about eventually getting the real thing. I guess? It's hideous. Via.

*Buy Lego minifigs at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. Chipotle says paying an ad company was a waste of money. (Their product is actually good, and thus they don't need to spend a lot of money on advertising.) Via.

2. It appears that the outline of Bill Gates's mugshot photo is the default photo in Outlook 2010. Via.

3. Jessica Alba's nude scene in Machete was computer generated.

4. Interactive map shows crime in Los Angeles. Via.

*Buy Sin City toys at Amazon.

Lost World Fairs

Microsoft has a new site called Lost World Fairs to show off fancy fonts available in its latest version of Explorer. Right now, there are three fairs: El Dorado by Naz Hamid, Atlantis by Frank Chimero, and the Moon by Jason Santa Maria.

Atlantis is particularly fun to explore, and I took the liberty of cropping it into several widescreen desktop wallpapers (what you see below is probably roughly half of Atlantis):









*Buy World's Fair posters at eBay.

Double Rainbow guy used to promote Microsoft

Double Rainbow Guy reenacts his rainbow worship to promote some image...thing for Microsoft. The ad will get them links, but it ain't gonna get them business when they're competing with magic like this:



The newest iPod Touches and Nanos are already up at Amazon. Via.

Red Ring of Death/Jolly Roger (link roundup)

Red Ring of Death/Skull and Crossbones t-shirt by Jonah Block on sale today at Tee Fury.

And a few more links:

1. Now this is how you trash talk:

He is the ugliest thing I have ever seen. I have watched Lord of the Rings and films with strange looking people, but for a human being to look like he does is pretty shocking.

You got have some guts to say that about a 7'2" boxer. Via.

2. Sports Illustrated says the media protected Ben Roethlisberger (and enabled him) so as to preserve their relationship with the Steelers.

3. CBS apparently loses a whole lot of money on the NCAA tournament every year.

*Previously: Pinwheel of death.

*Buy boxing posters at eBay.

Ribbon Hero - - a video game that teaches how to use Microsoft Office

Unless this is a sophisticated joke, you can now download "Ribbon Hero," a game that teaches you how to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. You get points by completing regular activities, and can also participate in challenges. Here's an essay about the project.

Maybe the money and time would have been better spent designing more obvious interfaces? Via.

*Previously: Jesse Schell describes the near future, where every moment of your life is part of a video game.

*Buy The Soul of a New Machine at Amazon.

Create a rocket contest

Steve Talkowski worked with Creature on a design a rocket contest to promote Bing. He turned a rocket designed by students into this:




He posted more images at Flickr.

*Previously: The Windows 7 desktop wallpapers.

*Buy rocket ships at eBay.

A good contender for worst ever sports uniform (link roundup)

Can't quite tell if this old Tucson Toros jersey is so ugly it's cool, or just ugly. Here's what the Toros look like now. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Here's what the Blue Screen of Death looks like in real life. Via.

2. Sounds like the start of a horror movie: It took months to notice that a downed power line in the forest near Eureka, Montana had electrocuted over a dozen animals.

3. Thomas P.M. Barnett: "one has to notice the pattern that, wherever we intervene inside the Gap, we tend to birth states within states--in effect, deconstructing colonial constructs."

*Previously: Ugly Stade Français jersey; Burger King jersey.

*Buy Tucson Toros collectibles at eBay.

Windows 7 Whopper (link roundup)

Microsoft is promoting Windows 7 in Japan with the Windows 7 Whopper at Burger King. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. In case you missed it, wild claims of sexual improprieties by Steve Philips and other ESPN employees.

2. You can now play Bioware's free webgame Dragon Age Journeys. (I lost interest almost immediately.)

3. Corey Lewis' version of Longshot in Strange Tales #3 looks pretty good.

*Previously: Former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick's real last name is...

*Buy X-Men action figures at eBay.

Domo at 7-Eleven (link roundup)

Go here for a gallery of photos of Domo-themed packaging and goods at 7-Eleven. There's also a minisite. Via.

And a few more links:

1. "The Swimming Cities of Serenissima is a fleet of handmade boats and a crew of artists traveling the Adriatic Sea from Slovenia to Venice this May and June, 2009. Here's the dedicated site." Via.

2. You know the phrase "heard it through the grapevine?" Well, this is the grapevine. Via.

3. Microsoft's ads all seem to go viral for the wrong reasons, but if you do want to throw a Windows 7 party, you might be able to get some swag like this. Via.

*Previously: Domo/Jaws mashup.

*Buy Domo toys at Amazon.

Oni facemask bandana (link roundup)

Costumes don't get much easier than this - - $10 Oni mask bandana on sale at Etsy. Via.

And a few more links:

1. A new law in Los Angeles requires that all new single family homes built in the city have some type of finish that is resistant to graffiti spray paint.

2. New free antivirus software from Microsoft.

3. The girls in the Sweet Valley High novels used to be described as "a perfect size 6," but are now described as "a perfect size 4." Random House was apparently proud to emphasize the change. Via.

*Previously: Tentacle bandana.

*Buy Japanese mythology collections at Amazon.

Duck Hunt/Space Invaders mashup (link roundup)

Duck Hunt meets Space Invaders in this image by Ryan Snieder. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Interesting background on Bill Gates' background (he was a hacker/troublemaker in high school) and the baby steps he took on the way to starting Microsoft.

2. A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held in Austin, Texas, and the occasion was marked by a photo of dignitaries holding special golden shovels. One random lawyer simply got in line with the VIPs, took a shovel, and posed for photos. His presence wasn't noticed until afterward.

3. Some of the craters on the moon are believed to be the coldest place in the galaxy, colder even than Pluto. Via.

*Previously: Space Invaders desktop wallpaper.

*Buy planet mobiles at Amazon.

Microsoft Taxidermy ad (link roundup)

Funny/creepy Microsoft taxidermy ad. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Ilsa, Willie, and Marion cosplay.

2. John Phillips reminisces about growing up in a town where trains commonly collided with cars.

3. Maps of fairy tale land.

*Previously: Jar-Jar stars in a Microsoft ad.

Buy vintage maps at eBay.

Microsoft has finally found its pitchman, and she's a little girl named Kylie

I love the new ad for Windows 7, featuring a little girl making a happy slideshow. Kylie should be Microsoft's permanent pitchman.

*Previously: Microsoft sent salesmen slabs of concrete.

*Buy unicorn coloring books at Amazon.

Metroid Lego (link roundup)

Samus vs. Metroid Lego diorama by Moose Greebles . Relatedly, there's a couple of Metroid Prime Trilogy desktop wallpapers available for download here.

And a few more links:

1. Stylish drawings of the Alien and Colonial Marine.

2. How did the major driving direction programs deal with the Bay Bridge closure in San Francisco this weekend? Of Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, two out of three provided directions indicating that they were aware of the problem. One did not. Want to guess which one failed?

3. Wild story about apparent police corruption in the town of Jericho, Arkansas.

*Previously: Samus enjoys some sausage.

*Buy Metroid toys at eBay.

Jar-Jar stars in a Microsoft ad

OK, for those of you who missed it, here's a typically bland Microsoft print ad, featuring a beautiful cultural rainbow (and what looks suspiciously like a MacBook).



The Polish apparently aren't as enthusiastic about the colors of the rainbow, and the ad was slightly modified for that market:



TechCrunch invited parodies, and received a huge number. My favorites star Jar-Jar and the blue screen of death:



I mean this sincerely, the Clone Wars episodes featuring Jar-Jar were so funny that I've become quite fond of him.

*Previously: If Jar-Jar became Dr. Manhattan.

*Buy Jar-Jar Binks toys at eBay.

Microsoft sent salesmen slabs of concrete? (link roundup)

The notes to this ad campaign by Y&R for Microsoft say:

We wanted to show software sales staff that Windows breaks down the walls in customers lives. So we showed them what that felt like by putting our letter in a concrete envelope, complete with a hammer to smash it open. The letter invited them to join a sales promotion where they could win a trip to where the Berlin Wall used to be.

Leave it to Microsoft to unnecessarily complicate something easy. Via.

And a few more links:

1. The interior of the Paris Social Club is straight out of Tron.

2. Desktop wallpaper sized painting of a robot run amok by Joe Alterio.

3. Employees of the FAA's air-traffic-control unit are being used to process claims made in the Cash for Clunkers program. Via.

*Previously: Microsoft waterslide ad.

*Buy Tron toys at eBay.

Hey, Microsoft can make a good advertisement (link roundup)

Well, at least an advertisement that's fun to watch. As I understand it, this "megawhoosh" viral spot featuring a wild ride on a water slide is supposed to promote Microsoft Office at a related site. It's all explained here. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Download a paper toy and win a skateboard.

2. Stuffed platypus.

3. Participate in the Scribblenauts art theme and you may win a Threadless credit.

*Previously: Extremely fit 72-year-old goes down water slide and skims an amazing distance over the water.

*Buy platypus toys at eBay.

How to Train Your Dragon (link roundup)

Concept art by Pierre-Olivier Vincent for Chris Sanders' upcoming Dreamworks movie How to Train Your Dragon. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Big gallery of photos of what the Microsoft retail stores will apparently look like. Not surprisingly, it looks like they're going to overdo it and be more like the oppressive Sony stores, rather than the welcoming Apple stores.

2. Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have decided to live in separate homes. Via.

3. Don't miss out on your chance to win Watchmen on Blu-Ray.

*Previously: A dragon in a wagon.

*Buy Watchmen posters at eBay.