The speed of change - 140 characters

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Twitter has been around since 2006, allowing users to update the mundanity of life 140 characters at a time. 2009 may well mark the point at which it went from a toy to a powerful communication tool. Trendhunter has put together a list of 13 ways Twitter enables activism - whether it's fans trying to save their favorite TV show, or voters in Iran struggling to preserve their rights and make their voices heard. Tweet, tweet.

How to Be a Villain

Well, birthday time is coming (as it inevitability does) and with it comes cupcakes stickers (thank, goodness, because my laptop was looking quite forlorn). Gifted with the cupcake stickers came a canary yellow book called "How to be a Villain," by Neil Zawacki. Somewhere between the warmly hilarious machinations of Austin Grossman's "Soon I Will Be Invincible," and the self-esteem building practicality of Marjorie Hillis's "Live Alone and Like It," Zawacki creates an entertaining, annotated, illustrated guide outlining the ways to develop your inner darkness, all the while reassuring us that "there is an aspect of evil that is right for you,". Read now and laugh. Laugh, your evil laugh.

The King is Dead

Who can but watch numbly for hours the media frenzy that ensued after Michael Jackson's death. It seems that even this is but fodder for their gossip mills. Thank goodness for Boing Boing. I direct you to, "The King is Dead: Lefsetz on the passing of Michael Jackson," their article by music industry writer, Bob Lefsetz, showing the sympathetic side of a man who'd been on the world's center stage since the age of five.

Arcobelleno Farfalle

My nature is prone to obsession, and rarely has that been so true or so quickly accomplished as when I caught sight of this picture of arcobelleno farfalle (rainbow, bowtie pasta) on FoodStories last Friday.

Hard to find, expensive, (around 19 American dollars a pound), I feel like I've been given a quest, not lightly undertaken and never forsaken.

Now, I just need to choose a magic user and a thief...

Readers of Boing Boing interview Michael Moorcock

What else needs to be said about the awesomeness of this concept. Tachyon Publications recently coordinated an interview on their blog, "Saving the World, One Good Book at a Time", where "The Readers of Boing Boing Interview Michael Moorcock". Who best to explore the angsty, bedeviled history of the creator of Elric of Melnibone, now the fiery-eyed, white-haired, quintessential symbol of fiction's antihero. Such gems discussed are how Moorcock based Elric on himself as a teenager and the connection between fantasy and science fiction genres and heavy metal.

And if you don't know who Michael Moorcock or Elric is, I..just. can't. uh. What? I just don't know who you are anymore.

Look Around You

I was first introduced to "Look Around You," at a random birthday party. The series consists of eight, ten-minute shorts parodying British school films from the 70s and 80s. Apparently, every country is subjected to learning films of ridiculous nature in their youth. I laughed so hard I wept. You can catch most of the episodes on You Tube, including my favorite, "Maths".

The Cartoon Network's, "Adult Swim" showed the entire series back in January (you can check "Look Around You" section to find out when they'll be back. Also, the BBC has a follow along site with bonus materials like bogus quizzes, text books and even a periodic table (check out the atomic mass of "wood").

Splitter - Fun with Physics

Here at Candy Buffett we do enjoy smart, engaging time wasters. Designers Eugene Karataev and Artem Popov have come up with a winner called Splitter. Your goal is to get the smiley guy to the exit using physics and judicious slices. Levels get progressively harder, and you can restart a level as many times as you need to. Get stuck, and you can either click on 'Levels' and jump to the next screen, or take a peek at the solution. Both are thoughtful options to keep players from chucking their laptops across the room in frustration.

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The heady scent of childhood

Release both your inner artist and inner fashionista with these fantastic Crayon rings by Timothy Liles.  Available for sale at The Future Perfect, they're a little spendy at $50 a set, even if they do come in a cool wooden box.   I might have to get in touch with my inner DIY, and try my hand at casting a set of my own.  Imagine the possibilities. 

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Semi-Civillized

Just finished reading Sheri Tepper's "The Margarets" (Oh Sheri, why must your magnificent morality tales always peter out at the end) where future Earthians aren't passing muster as an intelligent or civilized species under the guidelines of interstellar trade organizations that classify newly discovered organisms, thusly in order to conserve the limited amount of habitable planets:

• Civilized - Those who know, care about and protect their living environment to sustainability
• Semi-civilized - Those who know and care about their living environment but are prevented (by public apathy, commercial interference, religious opposition, governmental corruption and the like) from protecting their living environments
• Barbarians - Those who know but don't care about their environment (<-- Ann Coulter)
• Animals - Those who do not know

It got me thinking (in a powerfully ruthless than mildy disconsolate sort of manner, thanks science-fiction, that I am wont to do), about all polices rooted in our regular life that we don't agree with but feel powerless about and therefore make ourselves powerless about (semi-civilized), or numbly pretend we can't do anything about until we no longer care (barbarian).

Thanks to Boing Boing, I found Skin Deep which is a non-profit database listing all the toxic ingredients in your cosmetics and personal care products (Hey start at the bottom, work your way up). Skin Deep is non-profit because the FDA doesn't require companies to test their products for safety (Barbarian? Semi-civilized?). Use their database, like I am, to horrify yourself on a daily basis, or perhaps to find out what you are allergic to in Maybelline's Great Lash. Now start composting.

You expect me to believe that?

Tomas Mankovsky has created a fantastic, inventive stop-motion film entitled "Sorry I'm Late".  It's similar in spirit to another Candy Buffet favorite, "Her Morning Elegance".  Playing with perspective and found items from around the house, Tomas reminds us that it's the journey, not the destination that matters.

Check out the making of page for animation tests, story boards, and behind the scenes stills showing how they put it all together.

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