Assume Vivid Astro Focus, eat your heart out. The vid is from the documentary directed by Pat Mire, Dance For a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras—the whole film is online, thanks to the amazing Folkstreams; the website has interesting stuff for years. (I got this from somewhere and I can’t remember! Holler if it was your blog.) From an interesting essay on the tradition:

Led by a flag-bearing capitaine, this colorful and noisy procession of masked and costumed men on horses and wagons go from house to house in the countryside asking for charity in return for a performance of dancing and buffoonery. The participants are earnestly employed chasing chickens, the most valued offering, and they pride themselves on their ability to collect enough “live chickens” to feed the entire community “free of charge.”

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DGSF, and former coworker, Chris Murray, who I should point out contributes to Brand New School’s newish soon to be awesome blog “Show and Tell“ pointed me towards this effin’ amazing photoshop nightmare!!!!1!!
Make sure to roll over the images, or you’re missing the punch-line. 

YES:

Three Kingwood teens have been arrested and accused of digging up a secluded grave and removing a skull in Humble. According to court documents, they removed the skull from the coffin and converted it into a “bong,” to smoke marijuana.

And it’s not even an isolated incident!

These animals have way more restraint than I do. You put a bunch of bacon strips on MY face, see how long they last!

Via Killoggs

Sam Sanfillippo was wounded five times in W.W.II, and left for dead twice on Omaha Beach during the Normandy landing in 1944. Now he runs a roadside attraction in Madison, Wisconsin. Dead animal dioramas are his specialty and judging by this short profile/interview he’s a real character. DG field trip destination acquired.

Field review/interview @ roadsideamerica.com (photos are weak but worth the read)
Flickr Set of photos from Sam’s dead animal haven
Another Flickr Set of photos from Sam’s dead animal haven

Thanks Higa

DGSF Samantha passed me a Flickr page belonging to Dr. Odio, collector of awesome. I’ve pretty much given up any attempt to get work done since. Check out his sets, and try to remain calm.

Gravity waves in the clouds are just like waves in the sea—something (such as a pressure differential) pushes the clouds up, the gravity pulls it back down, and the waves just keep on rollin’. Amazing video.

As part of the NY Underground Film Fest, Nasty Nets is previewing a new DVD compilation of their best finds. 8:45 at Anthology.

Saw the Cartune Xprez DVD last night and I gotta say, every time I think this psychedelic animation freakout video craze is going to flame out, I see something else that just ups the ante something fierce. Martha Colburn had a funny Osama bin Laden-meets-Wizard of Oz piece (she did this killer vid for Deerhoof a couple of years back that I saw on one of the RES DVDs), and two of my other favorites were Adrian Freeman and Shana Moulton, but I couldn’t find any decent images on the webs. Oh, and Bruce Bickford.

The DVD homepage has links to some of the bigger names as well: Paperrad, Mumbleboy, Dearraindrop, so you know what you’re in for.

Here’s the testing mechanism for parachutes designed to land rovers on Mars. It’s that Y chromosome that makes me love this stuff! Via Ffffound.