The results of this month's traipse through the alternately exhilarating and lonely world of the Internet is even more schizophrenic than usual. While the "tow chinese boys" rival Internet heroes Star Wars Kid/Ghyslain and Metallica Drummer in terms of sheer geekjoy, bonsai kittens and hillbilly casinos are sure evidence of the (further) decline of western civilization.
You Tube
Operating on much the same principle as flickr and shutterfly, You Tube allows users all over the world to upload videos recorded on digital cameras, webcams and video phones. Of course you could spend hours slogging through boring vacation videos, South Park impersonators, dog tricks and drunken hijinks...but why bother when you can cut straight to the lip-syncing? Current darlings among the You Tube set are "tow chinese boys," rubber-faced divas who maintain their flow through a dizzying array of haircuts, costume changes, languages and unexplained injuries. (Is that a splint on the frontman's arm in their rousing rendition of "I want it that way"?) The one constant? The uber-nerd busily typing away in the background.
Women & Dogs
The personal collection of a Birmingham, England lad named Marcus who found his first photo of a lady with a dog in a second-hand book. From there his collection has grown to 143 found photos, and his captioning has grown increasingly delightful. Annoyed by the men sometimes found in the background of the photos, Marcus tries to focus on the ladies' choice of footwear ("Her red shoes suggest that she is lively.") and their robustness ("Here she is wearing a pith helmet and safari style outfit and displaying the strength of her legs by supporting herself on her haunches."), but he is nevertheless distracted by the dastardly acts that the men in the background may or may not be committing.
Where Babies Come from in Germany
Gott im Himmel! The editor is so sad she wasn't given this book in her half-Germanic childhood. However, she is glad to add the word "Hodensack" into her pidgin-Deutsch vocabulary.
Ballsies -- The Jewelry with the Most
And speaking of Hodensacken!
Knit Yourself a Uterus!
You can't have a Hodensack without a Gebärmutter.
Bonsai Kitten
Perhaps you fail to see the humor? Ditto. Let's hope this is an exercise in Photoshop.
San Francisco in Jell-O
Bay Area artist Elizabeth Hickok renders the Bay Bridge, Telegraph Hill and Alamo Square in Jell-O. The evil among you may enjoy the gelatinously-inspired "earthquake"--others will just like the pretty colors.
Jethro's Beverly Hillbillies Mansion and Casino
What could be worse than another Wal-Mart, you ask? How about a 60-foot flame exploding from a 200-foot oil derrick? Waitresses dressed like Elly-May, dealers dressed like Jethro and pit bosses who resemble Uncle Jed? You might think this is a joke. But it ain't. Max Baer, Jr.--aka Jethro Bodine on the Beverly Hillbillies--has thrown his hat into the entrepreneurial ring, proposing a hillbilly mansion and casino on a patch of Carson City land abandoned by Wal-Mart. Hey, it's our own darn fault: Americans, after all, "love brands. They feel comfortable with well-known products and identify with them on a very personal level." At least so says Jethro.
Svenska dansband
Not speaking Swedish, our interpretation of the above website is limited to the visual. But we definitely speak the universal language of mustaches, coordinated outfits and crazy '70s album covers.
This month's links were sent in by Listener Fatty Jubbo, faBio, Steinski, Listener John, Listener Roxanne in CA, Mike Lupica and the editor.
Thank you for posting the german book of Sexualaufklaerung! My american husband could never imagine what I meant when I told him we Germans OF COURSE are educated about sexuality as soon as we can read, normally by the end of 2nd grade, when we are 7-8 years old. And I am glad! Because we actually have a natural relationship to our bodies and our sexuality, UNLIKE Americans. Just like every child in that age I had such a book (not this one exactly), and if the prudish Americans would finally start to provide their children with a normal sexual education, maybe they would not act as weird as they do. For example, my husband has never seen his parents naked in his whole life. Oh wow, that is pervert for a German! I am serious, really, this is considered pervert to us. Thank you again for publishing this book, it will be downloaded and hopefully be helpful for many children.
Posted by: Albgardis Ungvarsky | November 01, 2005 at 03:05 PM