Most people are familiar with the iconic look of the side mounted Graflex flash, the one that's always attached to those bellow-bodied folding Graflex cameras in old movies and TV shows.
This bright flash was often used as a comedic element, something that would blind the characters and deliver a laugh, but did you know it was also used to make movie history?
This video by DigitalRev In-Focus reveals how crafty prop builders used the battery tube from the Graflex flash to create the iconic lightsaber Obi Wan passed on to Luke and inadvertantly made movie history.
The Secret Of NIMH might not be Don Bluth's highest grossing film (that honor goes to Anastasia), nor is it his most popular film of all time (that's split between An American Tail and The Land Before Time).
But the animated adaptation of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH was Don's first film after he, John Pomeroy and Gary Goldman left Disney in 1979 to form Don Bluth Productions, and it totally blew 80s kids away.
The Secret of NIMH had suspense, intrigue and mice in mortal danger. There were sword fights, an old wizard and a magic amulet, and the characters are so sympathetic viewers can't help but hiss at the wicked rats led by Jenner and root for the Brisby family.
Speaking of the Brisbys- their name in the book is "Frisby" but Wham-O, makers of the Frisbee, made them change the name because it was too similar.
There's also the matter of Jenner's reluctant sidekick going nameless in the film, and since he's the one who puts an end to Jenner he deserves his name to be known, so here's to you Sullivan!
But what's up with the name NIMH? It stands for National Institute of Mental Health, which was only mentioned by the Farmer's Wife once in the film, but explains a lot about those rodents going psycho!
McDonald's has always tried to personalize the experience of dining at their restaurants in every way possible, from the (formerly clowny) decor to the food packaging to the little golden arches on every napkin.
They even have the largest drinking straws in the fast food biz, which some people feel are partly responsible for the rise of obesity in America, and now McDonald's is about to make history again with their new S.T.R.A.W.
It stands for Suction Tube for Reverse Axial Withdrawal, and it's the most over-engineered straw ever created, made to optimize consumption of McDonald's new half-mint half-chocolate shake.
Since no-one wants their chocolate to mint ratio to be compromised by poor technology, mcdonald’s turned to two highly-qualified engineering firms, JACE and NK labs to create the STRAW.
The STRAW is a J-shaped, snorkel-like vessel that provides optimal flavor flow dynamics. the tube has side openings to suck in both layers at once, and is engineered to work just as well at the bottom of the shake as it did at the top.
The fact that McDonald's hired two engineering firms to create a new milkshake straw may seem a bit crazy, but if you're a fan of milkshakes you know you wanna try one!
Everyone wishes they could vacation forever, roaming where they want to even if that means roaming around the world.
But between our jobs, domestic responsibilities and limited funding the dream of vacationing forever must forever remain a dream...or does it?
If you wear a vacation-themed t-shirt from the NeatoShop the travel fun never has to end, and now until February 26th all shirts in the shop are up to 20% off!
Jean-Michel Basquiat didn't live long enough to see how his loose, abstract style would inspire artists to make a beautiful mess, nor did he get to see the awesome movie about him starring Jeffrey Wright.
But while he lived he saw damn near every side of life in NYC, from squatting in abandoned buildings with junkies to living the lush life with wealthy patrons in artists' lofts and penthouses.
Basquiat saw so much more than other young people, and his vision made him famous once he started sharing it with us all through his paintings.
These rare photos were taken by his girlfriend Alexis Adler in the East Village apartment they shared in 1979, at a time when young Basquiat was still free- free from fame, free from drugs, and free to really enjoy life.
Zombie lore has changed quite a bit since the first Night Of The Living Dead film, and zombies have gone from being strictly undead eating machines to humans afflicted with a life-altering virus.
That means if and when a cure is found for their condition zombies may be able to rejoin human society, that is, if they're no longer seen as a threat:
In the aftermath of a zombie outbreak, zombies are cured and exiled to secluded camps. There has been talk about rehabilitating post-zombies back into society. Steve, the journalist reporting on the case, thinks the zombies still pose a threat to society. He ventures into one of these camps to prove to the world that rehabilitation is out the question.
JNCO took the fashion world by storm in the 90s by making ridiculously baggy jeans with the widest legs ever produced, which made them extra floppy, saggy and often made them look like an ankle length skirt.
With JNCO set to bring big legs back to the jeans scene VICE writer Devin Pacholik decided to see what he missed by not owning a pair of JNCO jeans in the 90s- so he bought a pair and wore them for a week straight.
Devin wore them to the symphony, the mall, while giving an university lecture, while hanging out with friends, while performing at a podcast taping attended by 200 people and out on a date with his wife.
After each event Devin asked people for feedback on his big, bold fashion statement and they told him things like "these are literally the worst things I've ever seen", "I thought you were going to kill me" and "I love them, I have the same ones".
And through it all Devin learned about trends, unwanted attention and the folly of using too much fabric to make a pair of jeans.
Photographers have always known they don't need fancy equipment to take a picture, because many early cameras were nothing more than a box with a hole in it and a glass plate covered with emulsion inside.
So when shutterbugs make their own cameras it's so they can take an unique image with their handmade creation, one that can't be taken or replicated with a normal camera.
That search for an unique image is what led Mich Farrell and Cliff Haynes to combine 32,000 drinking straws into an unusual analog "Straw Camera" that takes the most unusual photos.
The straw camera measures 20 x 24 inch, and the two artists have experimented to produce black and white, color, and negative images. They also explored the use of corrugated plastic instead of straws, to achieve a more even effect.
Haynes explains that the straws have a ‘raw’ f stop, where a 254mm long, 22mm wide straw gives an aperture of about f127, which they used as a starting point for exposure. Each straw has its own density and hue, and the analogue creation gives a straight indexical rendering of whatever is placed directly in front of it.
I think squirrels are swell little critters, and it really chaps my hide when I hear about people killing those little bushy tailed brats for no good reason.
However, I don't like squirrels enough to invite them into my home or party with them, but photographer Ashly Deskins does and the photos she takes at her squirrel parties are totally nuts!
Ashly sets up little parties on her back porch then waits patiently for her party guests to arrive before taking absolutely precious pictures of the squirrels eating and enjoying the festivities.
In an effort to keep the squirrels she has named Luna and Neville, and their friends, coming back to her yard Ashly is constantly changing and improving her party scenarios:
“It started with just some little props and eventually led to me buying flooring to create more detailed images,” Deskins said. “By observing the squirrels, I can determine what they feel comfortable jumping on… and what I can or can’t use.”
As a child my sister was terrified of escalators and I never understood why, until one of my friends almost lost a toe to some particularly sharp teeth on the edge of an escalator.
He was wearing flip flops at the time so the argument could be made that it was as much his fault as the escalator's, but seeing his toe after that incident made me switch to stairs for years to come.
Escalators are safe until they decide to drop out beneath your feet or gobble up your shoe, so ride that moving staircase with caution, folks- and keep all your toes where they belong!
Goats are interesting critters with fascinating minds and bold personalities, and that's why they're popular pets both on and off the ranch.
Sadly, some goats are treated poorly by humans, but if they're as lucky as Pearl the goat they end up in a rescue center like the Gentle Barn in Tennessee, where they can meet new, and much nicer, human friends.
And even though Pearl was abused by her former owner she still has lots of love to give to her favorite human friend- the UPS man.
There's a special level of Hell waiting for people who swoop in and steal your space in a parking lot when you're in the process of pulling into the space, and those parking spot pilferers make us see red.
But rather than risking jail time by smashing up their car (or their heads) we need to find a crafty way to get revenge, or we can just live vicariously through these staged videos and imagine how good it would feel.
The first revenge- wedging the space thief in so hard they can't get into (or out of) their car. As you can see in this staged video it helps if you are driving a convertible when you pull this stunt.
The second revenge requires a Jeep or some other vehicle with a mounted tow chain, so you can hook it up and drag that deadbeat spot stealer outta your spot!
But don't block other drivers in with the jerk's car, like the driver did in this staged video- have the decency to tow it up onto the curb, where it's sure to get towed straight to the impound lot.
People use the words coffin and casket interchangeably when talking about funeral arrangements, but morticians know there's more than just a price difference between the two-the difference is in the shape and function.
Coffins are the octagonal burial containers made wider at the shoulder and tapered at the feet to fit the body, and they're used pretty much exclusively for burial.
But by the mid-19th century undertakers had become funeral directors, and they needed something more luxurious and showy than a coffin for viewing purposes- so the casket was created.
Caskets are lined and typically rectangular shaped burial containers with hinged lids and decorative elements, and nowadays caskets are often custom made to suit the deceased to a T.
In the world of sports trading cards professional athletes get all the love, but what about all those professional actors who play athletes in movies and TV shows? Don't they deserve their own commemorative trading cards too?
There's a card for Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, Keanu Reeves as Shane Falco, Michael J. Fox as "Teen Wolf" Scott Howard, and Chevy Chase as Ty Webb in Caddyshack 1 and 2 too.
Na-na-na-na indeed sir! Cuyler's way too cool illustrations for Trading Cards 2, the trading card set of my unathletic dreams, is currently being shown at Gallery 1988 now through March 7th.
When cartoons were wholly crafted by hand animators used all kinds of tricks to speed up the process, and one of their tricks made a character's hands more visible, emotive and easier to animate-they put gloves on 'em.
This small change made a world of difference for early animators who were discovering rounder was better in a character design, and simplification saved precious time during production.