A couÂple of days ago, Paul NowÂell (aka Paul the TromÂbonÂist) sent out this simÂple tweet, showÂing what hapÂpened when his iPhone’s voice recogÂniÂtion sysÂtem hapÂpened to capÂture his tromÂbone sesÂsion and turned it into words. The tweet went viral. And now, 65,000 “Retweets” and 198,000 “Likes” latÂer, you can see how the origÂiÂnal recordÂing sesÂsion went down. Enjoy the demo below:
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
This is not your averÂage car comÂmerÂcial. It has the look and feel of the luxÂuÂry car comÂmerÂcials you’ve seen so many times. And yet it feaÂtures a car with 141,095 miles on it. FilmÂmakÂer Max LanÂman creÂatÂed the ad to help his girlÂfriend sell her used 1996 HonÂda Accord. For reaÂsons you’ll quickÂly underÂstand, the video went viral, clocked more than 5 milÂlion views this past week, and when the car was listÂed on eBay, bids soared to $150,000–before eBay apparÂentÂly pulled the plug “due to conÂcerns around illeÂgitÂiÂmate bidÂding.” Enjoy the ad. And rememÂber, “LuxÂuÂry is a state of mind.”
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
As HalÂloween draws nigh, our thoughts turn to cosÂtumes.
Not those rubÂbery, poorÂly conÂstructÂed, sexy and/or gory off-the-rack readyÂmades, but the sort of lavÂish, hisÂtorÂiÂcalÂly accuÂrate, home-sewn affairs that would have earned praise and extra canÂdy, if only our mothÂer had been inclined to spend the bulk of OctoÂber chained to a sewing machine.
Click through the many links on her site and you may find yourÂself tumÂbling down a rabÂbit hole of some othÂer cos-playÂer’s genÂerosÂiÂty.
Press someÂone else’s seams with a straightÂenÂing iron, then kick back and enjoy the vinÂtage ads, phoÂtos of antique garÂments, and the periÂod inforÂmaÂtion that often accomÂpaÂnies these how-tos. And check out the 1913 patent appliÂcaÂtion for Marie Perillat’s Bust ReducÂer, a mirÂaÂcle invenÂtion designed to “preÂvent flesh bulging while proÂvidÂing self adjustable, comÂfortÂable, hygienÂic supÂport.”
If you find yourÂself in New MexÂiÂco, travÂelÂing down a stretch of Route 66, you can driÂve over a quarÂter mile-long rumÂble strip and your car’s tires will play “AmerÂiÂca the BeauÂtiÂful.” That’s assumÂing you’re driÂving at the speed limÂit, 45 miles per hour. Don’t believe me? Watch the clip above.
As Atlas ObscuÂra explains, the “MusiÂcal HighÂway” or “Singing HighÂway” was “installed in 2014 as part of a partÂnerÂship between the New MexÂiÂco DepartÂment of TransÂportaÂtion and the NationÂal GeoÂgraphÂic ChanÂnel.” It’s all part of an elabÂoÂrate attempt to get driÂvers to slow down and obey the speed limÂit. “GetÂting the rumÂble strips to serÂeÂnade travÂelÂers required a fair bit of engiÂneerÂing. The indiÂvidÂual strips had to be placed at the preÂcise disÂtance from one anothÂer to proÂduce the notes they needÂed to sing their now-sigÂnaÂture song.”
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
The worlds of the VelÂvet UnderÂground and Lawrence Welk are pretÂty far apart. On the one side, you have a gritÂty New York band city writÂing lyrics about shootÂing up heroÂin. On the othÂer, a bandÂleader whose “chamÂpagne music” charmed TV viewÂers across MidÂdle AmerÂiÂca for 27 straight years. And yet. And yet.
In this 2007 YouTube clasÂsic, director/producer DarÂren HackÂer found a way to cross the chasm, mashÂing up VU’s 1968 song “SisÂter Ray” with footage from the Lawrence Welk Show. As he explained to DanÂgerÂous Minds, “I rigged up 2 ancient VCRs and a CD playÂer across my livÂing room floor, layed down on my stomÂach, cued everyÂthing up and then manÂuÂalÂly actiÂvatÂed all 3 devices at preÂcise interÂvals, live…in real time. One take, no edits…” EveryÂthing lined up, just like that.
Enjoy “Lawrence Welk Meets VelÂvet UnderÂground” and imagÂine a moment when, cirÂca 1968, VU went mainÂstream on the milÂqueÂtoast Lawrence Welk Show.
As curaÂtor David GonÂzaÂles explains above, he and the 54 HemÂingÂway cats have no plans to evacÂuÂate. They’re going to ride out the storm and proÂtect the novÂelÂist’s hisÂtoric home. We wish them all the best. The same goes to all of our friends in FloriÂda. We’ll see you when the storm passÂes.
In the spirÂit of Andrew SulÂliÂvan’s MenÂtal Health Break, we give you this: The Addams FamÂiÂly DancÂing to The Ramones’ 1976 track, “Blitzkrieg Bop.” For a brief moment, forÂget the hurÂriÂcanes, the threat of nuclear war, the fires burnÂing in LA, MonÂtana, WashÂingÂton, DC and the hearts of white supremaÂcists. Breathe in. Breathe out. And repeat after me. “Hey Ho.…..Let’s go!”
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
Above you can watch “The WoodswimÂmer,” a new stop-motion music video shot by Brett Foxwell. As Foxwell describes it, the film was shot with “a straightÂforÂward techÂnique but one which is bruÂtalÂly tedious to comÂplete.” ElabÂoÂratÂing, he told the webÂsite This is ColosÂsal, “FasÂciÂnatÂed with the shapes and texÂtures found in both newÂly-cut and long-dead pieces of wood, I enviÂsioned a world comÂposed entireÂly of these forms.” “As I began to engage with the mateÂrÂiÂal, I conÂceived a method using a milling machine and an aniÂmaÂtion camÂera setÂup to scan through a wood samÂple phoÂtoÂgraphÂiÂcalÂly and capÂture its entire strucÂture. Although a difÂfiÂcult and tedious techÂnique to refine, it yieldÂed gorÂgeous imagery at once abstract and very real. Between the twistÂing growth rings, swirling rays, knot holes, terÂmites and rot, I found there is a lot going on inside of wood.”
FinalÂly, Foxwell notes on his perÂsonÂal webÂsite: “As a short film began to build from [the filmed sequences], I colÂlabÂoÂratÂed with bedÂtimes, an aniÂmaÂtor and musiÂcian of speÂcial talÂents to write a song and help edit a tight visuÂal and sonÂic jourÂney through this wonÂdrous and fasÂciÂnatÂing mateÂrÂiÂal. WoodSwimÂmer is the result.”
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
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