Her Morning Elegance

A while ago, (I'm looking at you wax|wendy) I realized that CandyBuffet is really about the most creative, fulfilling time-wasting that can be found on the interwebs. The marvelous kind of time-wasting mind you, the kind that tells you to finish that novel, to learn about a new artist, are experience something mind-blowingly hilarious.

Here at Candy Buffet, we often point out the stickily interesting in painted or sketch art (and sometimes the painfully geeky) but not very often do we encounter the intriguing in independent video. Well, no more, I happened upon Oren Lavie's YouTube video, "Her Morning Elegance," by way of ModLife's Blog (that's another post). Oren Lavie is a little known Israeli artist, and "Her Morning Elegance," is a visually breathtaking, stop motion music video, the kind of dreamy, wackily exhilarating stuff that manages to be both provocative and hectic, while reinventing your whole day. Just watch it.

10 Healthy Habits That May Help You Live to 100

Don't put down that dental floss yet. The good news is that genes may be less of a factor in how well you age then we thought. The biggest factors may be how well you live. There are obvious steps you can take like being active for 30 minutes a day, eating five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding cigarettes and excess alcohol (good bye clove cigarettes! I loved you!). But there are less intuitive steps you should take outlined in the U.S. News and World Report's article, "10 Healthy Havbits That May Help You Live to 100".

In a room above a busy street, the echoes of a life

Viewed from above, these sixteen spiral staircases take on a wonderfully abstract quality. A nautilus translated into stone, brick, and metal or the inner workings of a steampunk engine. I'm pretty sure the example from Ljubljana Castle is actually a portal to another dimension. M.C. Escher would be proud.

Gigulate

Conquering the world's latest music news, blog musings and gig listings and hastily sorting them into a tasty snack, Gigulate launches this week to perform the delicate balancing act of getting you up to speed on the music scene and finding the gigs everybody is talking about in just a few seconds.

At every minute of every day you can check out a meaningful snapshot of the music world (with relevant concert listings in your area) or browse their archive of artists and music sources and play indie (or whatever your into, mate) stalker to find out where your musical boy/girlfriends are, what they doing, where they are playing next, and who they are playing with.

Isn't it nice to have someone to do your stalking for you? Especially the rabid, music obssessed journalists at Gigulate who do the dirty work of churning through the industry's dirty laundry.

Oh, yes, and I know one of the snappy lads who works there. Also, the brainy bird logo is cute. Check it out for yourselves at Gigulate's site or blog.

Article I, Section 8, Clause 17

A constitutional conundrum 200 years in the making - the issue of DC voting rights - may finally have a resolution. And a no less august body than the New York Times editorial board has weighed in on the topic. They're for it.

In other DC news, 25% of respondents to a recent Pew Research Center survey said they would like to live in the District. That puts the city at the same desirability level as Atlanta, New York, and Chicago. I wonder if my potential neighbors are aware they won't be able to vote. At least, not yet.

Fabulously Green

Stephanie Zhong's blog Fabulously Green dishes out "modern fashion and design for people who love style and respect the planet". Hip, cool, fresh and stylish, Zhong gives us gifts, apparel, and home décor that proves that "looking good" can ride in the same fashionable hybrid as "doing good". Plus, with BFFs like "Crib Candy" and "Design Crack" she's got an admirable aesteic that's simply irresitable. As an extra bonus, she also provides city guides for New York and LA. (Come on, Fabulously Green, give us DC and London!).

Is it Life or Just a Play

Greg Stekelman and Invisibilia have just caused my work day productivity to plummet. If you need me, I'll be in Photoshop, digitally removing people and replacing them with drawings (there's a handy tutorial). Greg has this to say about the finished products:

Maybe the pictures illustrate the idea that we all want to remove ourselves from life, and replace ourselves with fictional, self-created versions of ourself. We want to fictionalise our own existence, and impose order and narrative where there is none. Or maybe it's just tracing.

He also says he wasn't inspired by Aha, but the final images do have a definite 'Take on Me' quality.  Pipe wrench not included.

Pirate's Booty

"Pirate's Booty" from LA Magazine gives the inside scoop on the secret life of character actors from the view of a former Disney Amusement Park worker who portrayed Captain Jack Sparrow. Giving the real story on fuzzies, painted on Abs and promiscuous mothers, the article is an outrageously close look at the perks and consequences of dressing up and playing characters for money, fun and lifestyle.

And if you or someone you know likes to dress up for Halloween, movie screening or, say, at an anime convention now and then (no one I know) Captain Jack can give you an invaluable peek into the "playing in costume" subculture.

Tiny black holes for all!

I'm fascinated by the Large Hadron Collider (we're all big fans here at Candy HQ), and I was disappointed when the LHC was forced to shut down in September following a liquid helium spill. Now comes word from CERN that they have received recommendations for a restart schedule. An exact timeline may be released in the next few weeks, and experiments could resume by late 2009. Huzzah!

Unless there's another incident. The tone of CERN's press release seems to indicate they're taking a more cautious approach than their previous "Let's see what happens" stance. But have they adequately planned for interference ... from the future?

That's the theory explored by Harvard physicist Kevin Black. Could particles created by the LHC in the future travel back in time to shut down the system to avert some disaster? Are there particles with competing agendas? Could some rogue Bosons have slipped a little further back to give da Vinci ideas? Does Triangle Man hate Particle Man? It's a lot of theoretical science-stuff for this history major to digest, so I'm going to fall back on the time theory with which I'm most comfortable.

Think Like A Student

When moving into a new space (as soon I hope to be doing), it can be rather daunting when facing redecoration, especially on a tight budget or in these economically challenged times. No matter how much research one does with magazines and design books and internet surfing, there comes the moment when you need to throw paint (or fabric or magazine covers or) on the walls. Remember, first and foremost to be fearless, as mentioned in the below New York Times article "Thinking Like A Student". Read the words, but the real jewels of inspiration are to be found in the accompanying slide show, "On the Cheap", showcasing great looking spaces on small budgets put together by design students.

Auditorium

I adore music. And I love video games. And let's say I have a penchant for solving puzzles. That's why I can't get enough of Auditorium, an ingenious and addictive multisensory game that is part brain teaser, part light sculpture, and part musical concerto.

In the author's own words, the game emphasizes discovery and play. There are no right or wrong answers and there are many ways to solve every puzzle.

Be that as it may, after solving a level, gratification is instant: the completion of a mind-blowingly gorgeous symphony. I felt chills of enjoyment, which you can't buy at a store.

Right now you can play the demo which is categorized into movements called "Acts". And then, if you're like me, you'll be on pins and needles waiting for the full version (and perhaps and ipod application) to come out.