Organizers of the Geneva auto show (one of the major shows) have added 2 webcams on the show floor. Use them to see all of the setting up action.

via autoblog

Quick, say something nice (the website) is a handy resource if you are drawing a blank and don’t have anything to say to your Sweet Baboo on Valentine’s Day or any other day that you need to say something nice to someone.

Via Pop Candy

EBay is revamping its feedback system, arguably the essence of the service. The most significant change to come out of this overhaul is taking away the ability for sellers to provide negative or neutral feedback about buyers.

A big congrats to Bibi’s box for being a finalist in the 2008 Bloggies in the category of ‘Best Latin American Weblog’. Bibi’s box is a vivacious blog that offers of a wild array of interesting finds.

Congrats also to all the finalists in all of the categories. Best of luck for March.

Ever cool artist Moby is making a slew of tracks (70 or so) available for indie filmmakers and non-profits to use. The music is from unreleased material that Moby says is perfect for film. You take a look at mobygratis.com.

“I’m having fun and writing specific incidental pieces of music,” he says. “I also have tons of music that I’ve made over the years that is more atmospheric or instrumental that would never find its way onto a record. So, selfishly, it’s a way for me to find a home for music that otherwise would never get listened to.”

source Reuters via c|Net

The National Post swoons over the substance and technique of Arts & Letters Daily (a truly great website):

Pop over to Found in Mom’s Basement for a great collection of vintage ads.

Stephen Colbert did it and so did the Decemberists and Modest Mouse. Now Bill Cosby is getting in on the green screen challenge to the world-at-large to provide the backdrop for him. Cosby’s video is a fund raising challenge for every American to donate $8 to the U.S. National Slavery Museum. You can see some of the entries on youtube or visit the fund raiser’s site.

via pop candy

As you may be aware, author and literary icon Kurt Vonnegut passed away last week. Stop Smiling Magazine published a wonderful and personal interview with Kurt in their August issue. Any fan of his will appreciate this piece.

Brand New is a blog with a smart idea - tracking the re-branding of corporate logos and their design. Moreover, it also parses out the corporation’s rationale from their press releases so that we can really understand how the new logo will be alter the course of history and improve said corporation’s fortune. At least that is what the marketing-speak would have us believe. Take for example the rebranding of Dairy Queen.

More than once the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” adage applies to the logos we review on this site. But I think this one takes the crown for the least broken with the worst fixin’. Dairy Queen’s ellipse is one of the most highly recognizable marks, it is (was) unique, memorable and impactful. Despite this equity, Dairy Queen considered it was time to change and make the wrong moves in all the wrong places — from the press release: “The traditional logo is the foundation for the new one, a more symmetrical ellipse enhanced with gold and blue curved swishes signifying food and treats. The DQ lettering also has been updated to a font that is more current, adding greater personality.” The new mark has melted into a generic cacophony of unrelated forms (swishes! Italics! Bold!) and colors… Actually, in that respect, the new mark is the equivalent of Dairy Queen’s famous Blizzard treats: A jumbly mess.

Have you ever wanted to know the history of the sandal? Follow this link to not only learn about the history of the sandal, but also trace it evolution through time. The page is by Cameron Kippen, Curtin University of Technology in Perth.

The Submarine Channel is a website/blog devoted to the appreciation of title sequences in movies, tv and other media.

You know what they say about first impressions. That’s why both Hollywood and independent studios are spending valuable time and resources to create the most appropriate main title sequences for their films. At its very best, a title sequence is a self-contained hybrid that combines several moving image techniques – film, animation, cgi – to compress the essence of the film it introduces.

On SubmarineChannel, we love a good main title. That’s why we’ve started an online collection of the most stunning and original ones. Some are engaging or wildly entertaining, funny, exhilarating or deadly beautiful. Some are oozing with visual treats while others hit you hard with their bold and audacious style.

There is an interesting discussion going on over at Delicious Days over how cookbooks cannot compete with recipes sites and especially food blogs.

But cookbooks - in many ways - can’t compete with online recipe sources and in particular with food blogs. For a couple of reasons:

We write because we love our food, which, photographed or not, will land on our plates afterwards. Usually. I dare to claim food bloggers are epicureans, so by no means would someone add hairspray to a painstakingly prepared feast, right? RIGHT? And the inexorably melting ball of ice cream showcased on the plate is real ice cream - likely to have been documented by the bloggers’ cursing about how difficult it was to capture the perfect scoop. It’s all real.

I would have to agree as food blogs enjoy a sense of currency and interaction. Furthermore, if you have a site like Delicious Days that does use brilliant photography, then things come a live.

Likely in the spirit of the gnome in Amélie, there is the website ‘Where’s Mudhead’, which tracks and photographs the adventures of the teddy bear Mudhead. Mudhead has been all over and this week seems to be in Malaysia. Occasionally you will see some friends (of stuffed form) tag along with Mudhead. Visiting the site should put a smile on your face, so I recommend visiting almost daily.

Mini is gearing up for a new marketing campaign that will involve the fictitious crime fighting duo of Hammer & Coop. The whole thing drops on February 17, but you can view the trailer now. At least I believe it is a new marketing campaign for Mini and not a movie in of itself.

Pop over to this site, Corsham Underground Depot, to learn about, and see pictures of, ’secret underground cities’ of England. The ‘cities’ generally were large underground bunkers used for military purposes.

via Look-At-This

Now this is an interesting photo project:

The rules are simple: I put the self-timer on 2 seconds, push the button and try to get as far from the camera as I can.

View the flickr photset and the project’s blog.

via Bibi’s Box

The classic educational toy Speak ‘N’ Spell is now online via this emulator. Let hours of jittery computer voiced fun return.

via found on the web

KarateParty has the list of the 100 worst martial arts movie titles of all time. Watch out for titles like: Best in the Highest, Ninja Supremo, Fist of Unicorn and Flash Legs.

via linkbunnies

Design Milk had a posting yesterday on Portland-based artist Trish Grantham whose work I now absolutely love. She has such a striking sense of play that bursts through her paintings. Check out her website for a full gallery, show information and even to purchase some of her work.