I come calling in my Sunday best

Video may not have killed the radio star, but digital certainly killed the Polaroid. I was at a photo festival last summer where Mary Ellen Mark spoke about stockpiling the 20x24 large format film she's been using for her prom project.  It will now last only as long as she has the film to do it.

I don't think she would consider the Poladroid an adequate replacement, but it is a super fun little widget. Creator Paul Ladroid obviously put a great deal of thought and care into recreating not just the look of a Polaroid snap shot, but the whole experience.

Once you download his free application, you get this nifty little icon on your desktop. Then you simply drag and drop your digital files onto the camera. You know the conversion has been successful when you hear the familiar "whiiiiiiiiiiiiir CLICK".

A thumbnail image pops out, and takes several minutes to "develop".  While you're waiting, you can actually grab and "shake" it. That's right, you can shake it, SH-SH, shake it like a ... well, you know ...

The file is ready when a little red check appears on the thumbnail.   A larger, high res JPG is also created.  It took me a few minutes to figure out exactly where the JPG had ended up; however, if you click on Poladroid and Preferences (on the tool bar), you can see which folder it's saved to.  You can also only "take" ten pictures at a session - just like the number of shots in a film catridge.

So get cracking.  You can share your favorite snaps at the Poladroid flickr group.

Global Street Style

Obsessed with Japanese street style as I am, on a pleasurable trip to Japantown in San Fransisco, I purchased "Ganguro Girls", a book that consisted of nothing but pictures of Japanese girls photographed on the street wearing Ganguro style clothes. What can I say? It was cheaper than "Fruits". There was wild, but inspiring stuff in between those pages (And don't worry Lolita Bible, I am coming for you too!).

Which leads me to a list of websites Lucky Magazine called the "best" for global street style. Most of the time, I think Lucky magazine has degenerated into an overpriced, unforgivable style rag that pressures their readers into thinking a thousand dollar pair of trendy boots is a reasonable investment (Oh, Lucky! How far you've fallen!). However, sometimes they still come up with some really good gems.

Each sites below shows snaps of funky fresh, daily wear from a corner of the globe. (Oh, my blog nation, how I love thee). Notice that DC doesn't have a blog in the list. Get cracking, my photo journalists!

• Copenhagen - copenhagenstreetstyle.dk
• Tokyo - style-arena.jp
• London - glamcanyon.blogspot.com
• Berlin - stilinberlin.blogspot.com
• Paris - garancedore.fr
• Tel Aviv - thestreetswalker.blogspot.com
• Buenos Aires - onthecornerstreetstyle.blogspot.com
• Sao Paulo - freakstyle-freakstyle.blogspot.com
• Manila - mnlstyl.blogspot.com
• Everywhere - facehunter.blogspot.com

Remember, seriously good fashion, takes seriously good research. And anyone that tells you that it doesn't, is trying to sell you something.

Fontgasm

Looking for a way to add some flair to your blog, annual report, or TPS cover pages? urbanfonts has a collection of 8,000 downloadable freeware fonts. They're grouped by categories like Adventure, Scary, and Graffiti. Some of my favorites are found in the Famous group. But then, how could my little fangirl heart not love Angel, Blade Runner, or Floydian?

Shown: HaloRegular by Will Turnbow

via Cupcakes and Mace

Velleity

As I was falling asleep, I woke up repeatedly last night wondering if I had left the gas on. The culprit was a pea soup, so desired by my sick husband, that refused to soften over three hours (and no mother, I did not put the salt in too early) after which, I finally succumbed to throwing into the refrigerator to try again the next day.

Giving up shortly before midnight, I went to bed. Yet I stuck my glasses back onto my nose, twice. Twice, I placed my hand on the covers, prepared to throw them off, suck it up and check to see if in fact, I had turned off the stove. Yet I never got up. I lacked the desire strong enough to inspire movement.

Which brings me to our word for today, velleity (vuh-lee-i-tee).

Velleity is a mild wish or urge too slight to lead to action. A mere wish, if you will, unaccompanied by an effort to obtain it. For instance, say that you have a wish to change the cable channel, unaccompanied by a desire to find the remote control. (Q: Honey, why have you been watching Animal Planet for three hours? A: My own velleity). Or say you have a desire to catch the bus for work, unhampered by the impetus to run and catch it. (Velleity prevented me from being on time, boss).

I grant that velleity is a little harder to work into day-to-day language as the words I typically post, likely because it has no corresponding adjective or verb form like other English words describing emotions or desires (emotion/emote/emotive, desire/desire/desirous, anger/angry/angrily, or wish/wish). But as I've often said, English is a malleable language. Perhaps velleitious will catch on as well as humongous.

Depression Cooking with Clara

All right, I have to admit that recession woes have kept me up at night. But you can have a night light by watching this little grandma's YouTube cooking show, "Depression Cooking with Clara" and learn how to stretch your potatoes at the same time.

Learn more about 91-year-old Clara and her cooking tips at the Washington Express's article, "Potatoes & Po-Ta-Toes: 'Great Depression Cooking With Clara'". But the real gems are her videos, where she teaches you how to prepare simple, filling nutritious food, short on budget but long on humor. In each segment, she interweaves stories from her Depression Era childhood. Just like you wish your Grandma did.

Today, there are no words big enough

Jezebel via Getty

Tourist Trappings

Tourists. Gotta love 'em.. Or do we? The Express came out with a nifty guide for those visiting our fair, freezing city for the historical inauguration of Barack Obama. Take a peek at their article, "Tourist Trappings: Advice for Out of Towners". And for god's sake people, stand to the RIGHT.

Hope - Change - Obey

Few political symbols have become as iconic as quickly as the HOPE and CHANGE posters created for the Obama campaign by artist Shepard "Obey Giant" Fairey.

Thanks to Paste magazine's Obamicon, you too can turn any photo into a symbol for the ages. (via Jezebel).

Paste, by the way, is well worth the price of admission for their monthly sampler CDs alone.

When the reds and blues start to run together and you need to take a break, check out this interview with Fairey and publicist Yosi Sergant from October 2008, where they talk about the genesis of the idea and its popularity and sudden ubiquity.

Spoon

You don't have to live in New York City (or be a serial tourist) to take home some of the most excellent jams and pancake mixes ever known to man, made by Flatiron/Chelsea sweet spot, Spoon. Now you can snap up lemon curd, peach jam, and Vermont blueberry maple syrup without ever fighting the breakfast rush. Spoon is offering their jams, breakfast and baking mixes in their new shop area online. Spooning was never this easy.

You don't suck at Photoshop

Worth1000.com 's regular contests offer plenty of examples of people who know their way around masks and layers.  

Recent themes have turned celebrities into clowns, and Old Hollywood divas into manga characters.  My favorite is the Superhero ModRen Series.

I loved Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman back in the day.  I spent a great deal of time in my backyard imitating her patented twirl, sure that the transformation was going to happen any moment.  

I was not a child with the firmest grasp on reality.   Although I haven't tried it in awhile ... you never know.

The New Year brings new beginnings and I couldn't be happier to welcome contributor wax|wendy to CandyBuffet. Wax|wendy loves neutralizing productivity with random tidbits of subculture just as much as we do and her posts combine an irascible scrutiny of science, politics and style with wry wit and a generous peppering of geekdom. Otherwise that je ne sais quoi that makes each of her golden-fried morsels, mouth watering.

For a sweet tooth with an extra celebrity bite, also check out her blog at waxwendy.blogspot.com

wax|wendy

The New Year brings new beginnings and I couldn't be happier to welcome contributor wax|wendy to CandyBuffet. Wax|wendy loves neutralizing productivity with random tidbits of subculture just as much as we do and her posts combine an irascible scrutiny of science, politics and style with wry wit and a generous peppering of geekdom. Otherwise that je ne sais quoi that makes each of her golden-fried morsels, mouth watering.

For a sweet tooth with an extra celebrity bite, also check out her blog at waxwendy.blogspot.com

Freshome's guide to "The World's Most Inspiring and Creative Hotel Rooms", also makes good brain fodder for decorating children's rooms (or perhaps that sewing/craft room you never got around to organizing). Peruse and have fun.

Christmas Beer Yields Christmas Cheer

Now as the 12 days of Christmas are drawing to a close, there is still away you can feel the Christmas spirit. The NPR Morning Edition segment "Christmas Beer Yields Christmas Cheer," highlights the favorite Christmas ales of beer connoisseur Don Russell (better known as "Joe Sixpack" of Philadelphia's Daily News.

Christmas beers have been common among small European brewers ever since the Middle Ages and so institutionalized that by 800 A.D., Norwegian farmers were required by law to brew a Winter beer with as much grain as the combined weight of the farm's husband and wife. Due to the explosion of fine craft beers in the past decade Christmas beers and Winter Ales are now again plentiful, so raise your glass and remember to thanks the ancients for this venerable and tasty custom.