Two friends of mine of got in an argument once while they were on mushrooms about which of them liked weather more. It went on for hours, which surely felt like days or months at the time. And, in fact, feels like an eternity to some people who know them and still have to hear about it now, decades later. Safe to assume, though, that neither of them likes weather as much as "weather enthusiast and photographer" Martin Rietze, who took this time lapse video from sunset to sunrise atop Germany's tallest mountain, the Zugspitze. The music that accompanies it makes you feel like you're in a spa [...]
Boy, if you had told me early this morning that I was going to spend eight minutes of my day watching a short film about plywood I would have been struck dumb with disbelief. Also probably with fear, because what are you doing in my apartment early in the morning? Do I know you? It seems unlikely. Anyway, your mileage etc., but I found this rather enjoyable. I even learned things! I guess some days are like that.
Do you have seven minutes to watch a video about the birth of the animated GIF? I ask because I have no idea what your schedule is like today. If you do, here you go. Related: Is it really pronounced "jiff"? Because if so I have been embarrassing myself for years now.
Do you know what lenticular clouds are? "Lenticular, or lens-shaped, clouds form near mountains, where the rising air condenses to form the clouds, and the wind gives them their shape." There is an absolutely amazing one that appears 11 seconds into this time-lapse video of the southwest by photographer Tony Rowell. You should stick around for the rest, it's all pretty great (except for an appearance by the stupid moon), but at least check out that cloud.
Did you miss this on Friday? It's very possible that you did. What with the hurricane and the election and the fact that we're about a week a way from Thansgiving—which means the nonstop onslaught of Christmas "cheer" should be forcing itself up into you any second now—it seems like everything has suddenly accelerated, and there's ever so much more to miss. So in case you didn't catch this one, sit yourself down (if you are currently unseated) and enjoy. As far as these things go it's actually pretty good.
Ooh, "State of Play" is being re-aired on BBC America starting tonight. ("The cast is so loaded that a very young, baby-faced James McAvoy doesn't even get mentioned in the opening credits.") Even some of us who unhappily suffer with no BBC America HD are going to record this.
As much as I hate Los Angeles—and, believe me, I go to bed each night praying for the city's imminent destruction even as I beseech the Lord to have mercy on the benighted souls of those pathetic creatures trapped within its confines because of ignorance, delusion or the simple lack of courage or resources that would make any sane person flee in horror, never to return or even speak of one's time there again were one able to make a safe escape—I have to admit, this is pretty cool.
Would you like to take a tour of the earth from space? Then please allow Dr. Justin Wilkinson of the International Space Station to be your guide. Fair warning: If today's shockingly dingy weather is making you sleepy, the twinkly music in the background here is certainly not going to do anything to help. Anyway, enjoy. It's pretty beautiful. Yes, even the moon part. [Via]
"TimeScapes is the debut film from award-winning cinematographer and director Tom Lowe. The film features stunning slow-motion and timelapse cinematography of the landscapes, people, and wildlife of the American South West. Lowe spent 2 years roaming the Southwest in his Toyota pickup truck shooting the film." —Ummm, it looks pretty cool. Plus there's a bear in it! You'll definitely want to go fullscreen on this.
If you put on your headphones and expand this clip to fill your screen you can imagine that you are deep in outer space, watching the planets, far away from your home and all the problems that plague your life. It's just you and Saturn and… nothingness. Sweet, sweet nothingness. The calming joy of oblivion. Anyway, it's a pretty cool video. [Via]
"On an unseasonably warm November night in Manhattan on our way to get ice cream, we stumbled upon what appeared to be a vintage shop, brightly lit display window and all. As we began to walk in, a man sitting out front warned us that we were welcome to explore, but nothing inside was for sale. Our interests piqued, we began to browse through the collections the man out front had built throughout his life. This is a story of a man and his home." —You should watch the fairly short film This Is My Home, particularly if you still have a tiny capacity for happiness. Of course I [...]
Ben Zimmer, who writes a language column for the Boston Globe, has edited a series of clips featuring all of Downton Abbey's various verbal anachronisms. (SPOILER ALERT FOR AMERICANS: This video contains some non-plot relevant bits from episodes 7 and 8, both of which will air in the U.S. on PBS this Sunday, February 12th. Of course, it's possible that you are some kind of scofflaw and have already watched all of season two with some illegal Internet trickery. Shame on you, but yes, you can watch this video without fear.)
Zimmer's written breakdown of the featured clips is here. (But he doesn't even take up with the whole [...]
It gets a little Burning Man/ravey there at the end, but this trailer for something called Timescapes is certainly more enjoyable to look at than what is currently going on outdoors, which is what meteorologists refer to as "relentless, soul-crushing gloom." Enjoy. (The video, that is, not the current weather, because, good lord, if you ever want an accurate representation of how the majority of your consciousness actually feels it is right outside your window.)
