MMemes

Ten Thousand Pictures of You

Moxx — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:58:29 +0000

This:

Ten Thousand Pictures of You from Robin King on Vimeo.

Sorry, you’ll have to click through to see it.

Semi-Intelligible Spam Comments

Moxx — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:31:31 +0000

I don’t know about the volume of bogus comments other blogs get, but around here it’s close to 99%. More than likely that figure owes to the low volume of legit comments we get. But it doesn’t change the fact that we get a considerable number of ‘posts’ which are clearly serve no other purpose than to drive traffic to sites other than this one. All of which files tidily under ‘golly, someone on the internet is trolling for traffic’ — a practice just slightly younger than the internet itself.

Spam has come a long way since Mr. Thuerk’s 1978 innovation. While there was an earnestness to his post (it was little different that hanging up posters around the neighborhood for your weekend garage sale), the pervasiveness of email created an ideal set of circumstances for potential shysters: a massive audience using a new, unfamiliar technology interacting anonymously without regard for geography at dismissibly low per-contact cost. Under those conditions, honest, garage-sale tactics quickly got lost in the flood (something Craig Newmark was able to take advantage of just a few years after spam). The new email spammer needed to rely on other tactics, namely deceit.

But, you know, I didn’t set out to write a dissertation on spam¹, just to call attention to a new strain of it that keeps cropping up in the MMemes mailbox: adoring comments from fake fans.

I have to admire the brilliance of the tactic. Blogs take a lot of time and energy², and the vast majority of bloggers suffer from a lack of positive reinforcement. Three hours to write a post and only 25 people bothered to read it, you might hear a blogger complain. I could’ve spent that time doing [fill in activity other than blogging]. In that attention starved mindset, who wouldn’t want to get feedback like this:

This is a incredibly beneficial read for me, Have to admit that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw.Thanks for posting this informative article.

Finally. Someone who really appreciates all the effort I put in around here. Thank you Mr./Ms… Italy Tour Packages? Oh, fooey. Honestly, it’s a wonder more bloggers don’t just leave these comments up. At least they look nice, even if they’re a little like having a tea party with cardboard cutouts of the cast of Friends. Here are some others we’ve gotten just this week:

This writing is very simple and honestly it helped me a lot. Thanks.

That’s for a cleaning service in the UK.

Excellent post, I will be back to read more from you.

That one’s selling mold removal.

Your weblog appears astounding – complete with high quality posts.. and so forth. I feel you’ll get even much better achievement with including some a lot more video clips and photographs. What do you believe. While I’ve bookmarked it. Thank you.

That one’s from Russia; not sure what they’re selling.

Can I just say what a relief to find an individual who truly knows what theyre talking about on a internet. You really know how to bring an problem to light and make it important. A lot more individuals must read this and realize this side of the story. I cant feel youre not additional popular due to the fact you really have the gift.

This one seems to be from a pro-Limewire conspiracy theoretician.

Informative post, this is. It is always nice to come across a post that is useful.

A realtor. From Dagobah possibly this one is.

This is a really good read for me, Must admit that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw.Thanks for posting this informative article.

Cosmetic surgery.

On behalf of the MMemes crew, hanks to all of our adoring readers. You’re the cat’s pajamas.

***
¹If you’re really interested, the Wiki elves can help you out.

²…as a look around the MMemes publishing record will attest. Sheesh.

Bill O’Reilly Can’t Explain It!

MsWriteNow — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:19:04 +0000

Last month, FOX News host Bill O’Reilly showed the nation how easy it is to gain internet infamy virtually overnight. In a debate with American Atheists president David Silverman, O’Reilly tried to prove God’s existence in true ignoramus fashion by citing the ocean’s tides as a perfect parallel: ‘I’ll tell you why [religion is] not a scam, in my opinion. Tide goes in, tide goes out. Never a miscommunication. You can’t explain that. You can’t explain why the tide goes in.’ Well, the moon might feel a bit differently about that one, Bill.

O’Reilly later attempted to clarify his comment with the following question: ‘But where’d the moon come from?’ Eh, not so much. Scientific dubiousness aside, the inter webs people knew this one was just too damn good to leave alone, and in a matter of clicks, O’Reilly’s gaffe was well on its way to becoming a full-fledged meme. And by golly, I’d say it’s just about gotten there! Take a peek at some of the greatest hits so far and, if you’re feeling inspired, peruse and create your own at Meme Generator. Once again, Bill, your supreme stupidity never fails to entertain and astound even the most jaded of us.

Movie premakes

Moxx — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:43:45 +0000

Remember that sweet 2008 meme, ‘Sweding’, under which people would remake classic movies without the pesky constraints of talent or budget? In case you don’t, here are a bunch of Sweded films available on YouTube and, for your viewing pleasure, my personal favorite, the remake of Tron:

Anyway, Sweding had jumped the shark by Spring Break 2009, leaving budding low budget film directors with little to do to fill their free time beyond the tried and true mashup. Until now. Or, apparently, until around August 11, 2009¹ when writer/director/editor/art director Ivan Guerrro had the crazy idea to show us what Forrest Gump would look like had it been released in 1949. He followed with Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, and the best of the Star Wars franchise, The Empire Strikes Back:

Chock full of awesome, the Premakes movement was off.

While Mr. Guerrero, aka whoiseyevan, would seem to be the undisputed leader of the movement, it wouldn’t be a movement if it was just one person doing it. Here are some other goodies pulled from a YouTube search for Premakes

Star Wars

and, as mentioned above, Raiders of the Lost Ark

***
¹ So I’m a little behind on my memage. Sue me.

Chocolates OUTSIDE the box

KahluaJ — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:32:12 +0000

So Valentines day is coming up, and the easiest way to please that special person in your life is with chocolate!! But are you tired of the same old, same old? I sure am! I scouted the internet for some interesting and OUT OF THE BOX chocolates to entertain and romance your loved one.

For that person with the adventurous streak, try DUDE, SWEET CHOCOLATE. With flavors like the Miso Happy (red miso, tahini, black sesame), Black Gold (black garlic, sweet wild mushrooms) and the Parique (Louisanna tobacco, cognac), you are sure to find something that is completely original and sure to be a conversation piece.

Dude Sweet Chocolates

For your sweet-toothed sweetheart, John and Kira have these sweet little love bug chocolates just in time for Valentines day! Caramel infused with a touch of real honey, there is no doubt these are the cutest chocolates ever!

John and Kira's lovebugs!

If you’re more the humorous type, maybe your significant other will appreciate The Onion’s version of the classic heart shaped box of chocolates. Filled with nothing but tootsie rolls, this tin clearly states “Please Don’t Use This Holiday To Reflect On Our Relationship And Realize You’re Better Off Without Me”. But then again, maybe you dont want to go there…

The Onion's version of romantic

If you’re feeling all hot and spicy, you might want to try Moonstruck Chocolates Hot and Spicy chocolate collection! With flavors like Szechuan Pepper and Roasted Sesame, Pistachio Cinnamon and Tequila, and Sriracha Chili and Ginger, there is no telling how much heat you will feel on Valentines Day!

Moonstruck Chocolatier's Hot and Spicy chocolates

And although chocolate covered bacon is no longer ground-breaking, if you are looking to get that bacon fix, try Vosges Bacon and Egg truffles! Each half egg shaped chocolate is filled with soft buttery bacon caramel. Yummm, bacon goodness!

Vosges Bacon and Eggs

So go on, take the plunge and get some creative Valentines Day chocolates today! And if you have any leftover, Id be glad to try!

The simplest way to stay organized

KahluaJ — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:22:59 +0000

If youre anything like me, you love simplicity. I also love (attempting) to get organized. Well today I stumbled upon TeuxDeux, a WAY simple ‘to-do’ list of sorts that is so visually appealing to me, I had to give it a try. The web version is free so I suggest you give it a try! (http://teuxdeux.com). Not only does it move anything you didnt do from one day onto the next day, but it has this cute little cross-out feature that i absolutely love. It also has a ‘Someday’ category for items that arent hot and heavy. Unfortunately, most of my items fall into this category, but still…its helped so far! I also splurged and bought the $2.99 mobile version that quickly syncs up to the web version. This way, when Im on the go I can easily add or remove anything.

Check it out!

TeuxDeux iPhone app demo from TeuxDeux on Vimeo.

Four Icon Challenge

KahluaJ — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:59:51 +0000

I stumbled upon Kyle Tezak’s site and found this four icon challenge post that he did. I thought it was really cool to try and take a classic movie and try to break it down into such simple elements. It is a LOT harder than it looks! Seriously, think about it… what movie would you choose, and what icons would you pick for it?

After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to try my hand at doing ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and ‘Forrest Gump’.

Here are Kyle’s:

And then here are mine :

What would YOURS be??

Business Cards: The Next Generation

MsWriteNow — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:03:02 +0000

Remember your first business card? How happy and successful and grown up it made you feel? The way in which you stashed it ever so perfectly in your wallet, the corners sticking out just enough so that someone might, by chance, happen to notice it as you casually opened your wallet? How awesome it made you feel to say “Take my card…” when someone asked for your contact info (work-related or, more typically, not)? Yeah, well, your card sucked. At least in comparison to these. The cards below come from first-impression gurus, men and women who undoubtedly judge a book by its cover, extraordinarily creative minds with exceptionally limitless funds from which they can blow countless sums on business collateral. And now, some of the best of the best are collected here for your viewing pleasure. Be forewarned, however – it’s virtually impossible for you to not see your current card as impossibly inferior and utterly inadequate once you’ve taken a gander at these lookers. Just try not to make your loyal, but clearly substandard, card feel too badly about itself. We can’t all be winners.

Minimialist movie posters

Moxx — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:02:12 +0000

I forget the specifics of how, but earlier this week I stumbled across a meme of such memishness I was shocked I’d never seen it before: minimalist reinterpretations of classic (or otherwise noteworthy) movie posters. A Google image search for minimalist movie posters turns up a tad fewer than 50,000 results. Here’s the short list, organized by designer.

And here’s a notable contest entry on Worth1000.com by designer Patedoz

Cat versus…

Moxx — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:54:09 +0000

So an unnamed member of the staff made passing reference today to “You know, that video with the cat beating up an alligator.” A video nobody else had seen. A quick trip to YouTube revealed this:

The version embedded here has a hit count just under 3.5 million as of the writing of this post, but there are a dozen knockoff versions with counts in the thousands with descriptinos like “Cat protects people from vicious hungry gator” and “Cat protects kids from alligators”, all of which I expect to see on snopes.com some time soon (for a more rational explanation of the video’s particulars, I refer you to this report by Discovery Networks). But, hey, if cat people find inspiration in thinking their pet might selflessly square off against an opponent with a 2000% weight advantage (as opposed to doing so to protect their dinner), I say live and let live.

Anyway, we here again have a case of predictive text leading to unexpected results. Entering “Cat versus” in YouTube’s search field revealed the following gems.

The obvious Cat versus Dog:

Cat plus Roomba versus Dog:

Cat versus Sarah Palin:

Cat versus Snake:

And, of course, Cat versus Printer: