Permalink    Labels: Confusion, Stockholm, Wackiness, Food

Made by Pierre Letarte in 1972 for the National Film Board of Canada this 30 minute documentary follows the formation of the first Quebec Nordiques team formed for the WHA. Absolutely amazing time piece that shows how the logo and uniforms were created and includes a number of interviews with the players that were coached briefly by Maurice Richard.

Permalink    Labels: Documentaries, Hockey, History, Lost Classics

Some things are truly meant to remain lost and I think if George Lucas had his way this would never be played again anywhere. Actually, I think he'd probably go back in time and tell himself not to have anything to do with this shameless piece of crap televised dribble. In his defence he didn't direct it and has ensured that it has never been shown on television again since its original broadcast in 1978. It has also never been sold in any form...not even on Laserdisc.

This is truly painful to watch, and doubly so if you are actually expecting to be marginally entertained by characters you are familiar with (such as say Bea Arthur....yes, Bea Arthur is in this.)

Anthony Daniels, C3PO, actually refered to this slop as, "The horrible Holiday Special that nobody talks about." Lucas has reportedly stated, "If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it." It has also been called, perhaps accurately, "The worst 2 hours in television history."

But, seeing as how it is almost Christmas, feel free to treat yourself to this 2-hour long slow motion train wreck. It truly needs to be seen to be believed. The positive side? Attack of the Clones is going to look like a masterpiece compared to this.

The video can be viewed via Google Video (above), but is also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone on this page:

The Star Wars Holiday Special

Permalink    Labels: Space, Google Video, Science Fiction

I don't get this for so many different reasons. Firstly, I don't know why it is being built at the end of December when it's -9°C and there is a foot of snow on the ground. Secondly, I don't know why it has images on it to begin with. Thirdly, I don't understand how this got past the initial design phase to be built in this area of Stockholm. Lastly, I cannot figure out how the "story" on the building ends.

Let's go through this step by step starting at the top:
1) The guy gives the girl a star.
2) They fall in love sitting down.
3) They dance...and stuff...
4) She is preganant.
5) ???

We have a theory here at the office that he is taking care of the baby while she watches. From a bench, or toilet. We aren't really sure. Or that he is baking bread. Or packing his bags to go. Or making a sandwich and that she is waiting for the bus. I guess someone out there knows. I just want to know why?

If you are wondering where you can view this attraction in person, it is on Lugnets Allé in Hammarby Sjöstad south of Stockholm - or in the south of Stockholm depending on your politics.

Permalink    Labels: Stockholm, Confusion, Bad Architecture

Here's your chance to learn everything you needed to know about the past and present situation in modern Tibet. This award winning documentary, released in 2003 after 10 years in the making, shows through interviews and news footage the true grimness of what Tibet has gone through over the last five decades.

After watching this nearly two hour long documentary you will probably feel compelled to attend a Free Tibet rally or at least buy a bumper sticker...

The video can be viewed via Google Video (to the right), but is also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone on this page:

Tibet - Cry of the Snow Lion

Permalink    Labels: Asia, Tibet, Documentaries, Google Video

I like to think that you can pretty much find humor in anything, case in point an ATM machine we used in Brussels over the summer.

For some reason whoever designed the graphic instructions for the CBC bank in Belgium really took it upon themselves to come up with something amusing. If only all ATM machines were like this, it would make dwindling your bank account so much easier...I actually had to remove the sound since we were laughing like a bunch of idiots watching the screen...

Permalink    Labels: Belgium, Confusion, Whackiness

Note that the links no longer work...

I thought of this considering the weather and that we are coming in on the homestretch of Christmas.

This was done about 3 years ago for a publishing/magazine company I worked for as a Christmas promotion.

The entire image is actually done with layers, textures and effects in Photoshop. (It actually works quite well as a freehand painting program...) The overlay is a simple Flash grid that presents the current date (still accurate) as a link to a specific offer for books or a contest.

The view is supposed to be from the inside of a hobby shop looking out onto the streets of Stockholm with the city hall in the background. (And a fox beneath a streetlight for reasons I can't recall.)

The most amusing part of making this was the snow, especially the footprints and the slight changes in color and texture.

Permalink    Labels: Projects, Snow, Stockholm

This is the umm...beautiful view from work on this windy, cold and snowy day. Looking south you can barely make out the ski slope in the background and a huge water tower further on. Not to belittle this particular area of south Stockholm but it looks like Vladivostok on a day like this. It also feels like it.

It has snowed all day, I think in the end we accumulated about 8-10 inches in some places. The rest of this week is supposed to be below freezing. So, with some luck, we may actuall have snow on the ground for Christmas for the first time in a number of years.

Permalink    Labels: 1 Minute Video, Snow, Weather, Stockholm

We've been getting the first real snow of the year over the last few days. I think they are currently forecasting a "class 1" snowfall for the day here. That indicates slippery conditions and possible delays/problems with traffic and other communications.

Stockholm doesn't actually tend to get much snow, although it's a welcome site as it brightens up the constant dusk that is in place between November and March.

The film to the right was taken on the way to work this morning. It is filmed from the tram that skirts the side of the city.

Permalink    Labels: 1 Minute Video, Snow, Weather, Stockholm, Trains

Made for the BBC in 2000, this is a kicked in the teeth documentary focused on why the Challenger disaster happened and how it could have been avoided. It features interviews with key players in the decisions that were made - and not made - that led to the explosion.

Not entirely pleasant to watch, but something that is important to understand in hindsight. If you aren't familiar with o-rings and minimum temperatures than this will be 50 minutes of enlightenment.

The video can be viewed via Google Video (to the right), but is also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone on this page:

Challenger, Go For Launch (BBC)

Permalink    Labels: Google Video, History, Documentaries, Space

Like anyone who grew up in the eighties I watched an absurd amount of Scooby Doo. Somehow I've managed to avoid buying all of it on DVD, which is probably a good thing since I don't have any kids to blame such a purchase on.

As I remember it, and I'm pretty sure I saw all of them at some point, this one was the creepiest of the lot. You more than likely remember it as well since it's hard to forget. This is the one with the sanitarium, the mad doctor, the organ playing with the dancing dogs etc. It is from, if you keep track of these types of things, The Scooby-Doo Show, Season 1 and aired in 1976. This was episode number 7.



You are probably not supposed to, but if you really want to you can download a small version of it as an .avi here from Ovi...for umm educational purposes.

Permalink    Labels: Lost Classics, Mystery

Adventures by Morse was originally broadcast during 1944-45 and was written and directed by it's namesake Carlton E. Morse. It comprised a total of 8 different stories with a varying number of episodes. In total there were 52 30-minute shows done.

Described on the Wikipedia page:

"Captain Bart Friday was a globe-trotting San Francisco-based private investigator portrayed on various shows by Elliott Lewis, David Ellis and Russell Thorson. Jack Edwards played Skip Turner, Bart's sidekick from Texas. The tales covered such areas as espionage, kidnapping, and murder, along with secret Nazi bases, snake worshipers and voodoo."

I think the one that truly stood out amongst the rest was the series titled "The City of the Dead" which was without a doubt the creepiest. It was the first to be broadcast, and one of the longest coming in at 10 episodes (5 hours). It involves a broken down car, a cemetery, a couple of criminals and a seriously elaborate plan that would have been fitting for Scooby Doo if it weren't so eerie.

You can download all of the different series, this one being the most highly recommended from Archive.org here:

Archive.org: Adventures By Morse (Complete)

Permalink    Labels: Audio Drama, Archive.org, Mystery

This is from a really interesting website called Grandpa's iPod, which for lack of a better description is described on the site like this:

"My grandpa was an engineer at Detroit's WJR radio beginning in 1943. He kept what was considered "trash" at the time: the on-air master transcription discs of the radio shows that he liked. He also cut a lot of discs for his own use. I've inherited his collection of over 250 discs. If he were alive today, these are the things that would be on his iPod. "

This is from Christmas in 1945 and features 6 songs including, and I quote, "the hippest, coolest big band arrangement of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”. If you've had enough of Wham take a listen.

Permalink    Labels: Music

The Dark Island was originally produced as a 6 part television series by the BBC in 1962, from what I understand no copies of the show actually exist at this point. The BBC produced this radio version in 1969 - and the book to the right appeared a few years later. It was referred to as a "story of espionage in the remote islands of the Outer Hebrides".

The basic premise is described fantastically in the Wikipedia entry as this:

"The plot involves the discovery of a mysterious torpedo found on the shore of Benbecula. A Naval team descends on the area to deal with the torpedo accompanied by Nicolson, an intrigued security officer. Further investigation of the torpedo reveals an international spy kit, the contents of which include a Finnish passport, British and Swedish currency, and most intriguing of all, a fragment of sheet music.

This is an absolutely brilliant piece of radio drama and a great story. It's got everything: remoteness, islands, intrigue, mystery, murder...

You can download all 6 parts, roughly 3 hours total from TimesPast here:

The Dark Island - BBC Radio 1969

Permalink    Labels: Audio Drama, Mystery, The Ocean, Islands

Terry Jones, of Monty Python fame, takes a look at the different types of people and their lives during the Middle Ages. Includes eight episodes of about 25 minutes a piece. Entertaining, educational, and at times quite funny, these were done to debunk the way must of us think about the way life was during this period of time. The series was actually nominated for an Emmy in 2004.

The first part can be viewed via Google Video (right). It, and the other 7 parts, are also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone via the following links:

Part 1 - The Peasant
Part 2 - The Monk
Part 3 - The Damsel
Part 4 - The Minstrel
Part 5 - The Knight
Part 6 - The Philosopher
Part 7 - The Outlaw
Part 8 - The King

Permalink    Labels: History, Documentaries, Middle Ages, Google Video

Classic, somewhat low budget horror film made in 1967 involving the famous Professor Bernard Quatermass. The IMDB description can be found here.

From IMDB:
"While digging a new subway line in London, a construction crew discovers first: a skeleton, then what they think is an old World War II German missle. Upon closer examination the "missle" appears to be not of this earth! This movie examines the age old question of how we came to be on this planet. It is suprizingly scary."

Actually quite an entertaining film despite the absurd plot.

The video can be viewed via Google Video (to the right), but is also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone on this page:

Quatermass and the Pit

Permalink    Labels: Movies, London, Science Fiction, Google Video

One of those films that nobody seems to have heard of and fewer have seen. Starring Charles Bronson as a bare knuckle street boxer during the depression in New Orleans, and James Coburn as his loud mouth, con-man, manager type. One of the better movies both did towards the beginning of the end of their careers. Bronson did this just after the original Death Wish and Coburn went on to do Cross of Iron just a year or so later. Worth a watch if you can find it, it's available on DVD but probably needs to be ordered. The trailer below doesn't quite do it justice...

Permalink    Labels: Lost Classics, Movies

About 5 years ago I took a basic web design class. One of the things it involved was Flash. We were given various assignments to create different websites for different subjects. This one was for a fake movie site.

Flash has sort of taken on a different dimension since 2005, but it was amusing to dig this up and see one of the first things I ever did with it. Not exactly a masterpiece by any measurement, but it was fun to make.

I remember combing the interwebs looking for wolf and wind sound effects and even made a title song in GarageBand. Once in the pub you can click on the different elements and even watch the paltry trailer for The Tavern.

So, saved for all prosperity, one of Stockgnome's first forays into the dangerous world of Flash...

Permalink    Labels: Projects, Snow, Alaska

Peter Tomarken must have been losing it a bit in this no whammies spin battle from 1984. (Apparently it is referred to as The Famous Spin Battle. Who knew?) This is about as good as it got for 80's game show television...even without the Big Bucks.

Permalink    Labels: Whackiness, Lost Classics

I am just as perplexed that everyone else hates this movie as I am by how funny I think it actually is. Normally one would assume that the majority (say 98% of the people who have seen it) would be right, but I'm not going to buy that. No, they are wrong and we 2% are right. They just didn't get it. "Man oh man do I hate them fancy lads.."

Permalink    Labels: Lost Classics, Movies

Anyone who has worked with any manner of design on a computer has a lot of fonts. Tons of them. Annoying amounts that take f o r e v e r to scroll through. I am one of those people. I am also one of those people that likes Tolkien's books...but not the films. Hence, I like this font.

You can't really use this font if you need to send someone an invoice (although it beats Comic Sans), but it's good for say a going away party. I think I've used it for like 4 years for a screensaver clock.

Hobbiton Brushhand was created by Nancy Lorenz and is available in .ttf format. It, as well as a number of others related to Tolkien can be found on her website here:

Nancy Lorenz - Lothlorien :: Fonts

Hung on a wall at Liljeholmen subway station, Stockholm:



Translation:

Dentist If you want to visit a very skilled dentist that also has humane prices, go to Västertorp Centrum across from the subway station.

Do you want a dentist that is desperate enough to hang hand made signs up with tape on subway station walls? I thought this country had some form of socialized health care. How can dentists be reduced to this...type of advertising.

Permalink    Labels: Whackiness, Stockholm, Advertisements

This is a comedy drama done for BBC Radio 4 in 2002 and was written by Nick Frost (Spaced, Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz...) and comedian Matt King. To quote Wikipedia, since this is some pretty strange stuff:

"Milford (King) and Parker (Frost) get sacked from their jobs in a soft furnishings factory in Crouch End. As they are clearing out their lockers, they fall into the magical world of Gravy. Frost described Gravy as a 'Tolkien-esque world with supermarkets and banks'."

Pretty much everyone from the TV series Spaced is amongst the cast including Julia Deakin, Peter Serafinowicz, Simon Pegg, Kevin Eldon, Daisy Jones, Joseph Marcell and Mark Heap as Marmite the Dwarf. That in itself makes it amusing to listen to.

The series only ran one season, 6 shows of 30 minutes a piece, and would have garnered a second season but Matt King decided to move back to Australia instead.

I'd give you a plot synopsis but it's all over the board, but it does have a lot of Tolkien elements involved. Let it be said if you like the characters from other shows or movies it's worth a listen and is quite funny at times. You can download all 6 episodes from the Zombie Astronaut (who I am greatly indebted to for offering so much great audio over the years). The post is about half way down here:

The Sofa of Time by Nick Frost and Matt King

Permalink    Labels: Audio Comedy, Audio Drama, Tolkien, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Some insane amateur video above showing conditions at Waimea Bay yesterday. The waves could hit 50 feet today prompting the first Eddie Aikau Competition in 5 years. The event, which requires perfect conditions and waves over 30 feet, is not officially on quite yet but, if when it gets the go ahead, surfers have a 12 hour window to register and get to the North Shore...this has people already flying in from Brazil, Australia and South Africa. This would be only the 8th time the event has been held since it started in 1985.

More on the contest and Aikau can be read on Quicksilver's official site for the competition here:

2009/2010 Quicksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau

Permalink    Labels: The Ocean, Surfing, Weather

I still believe that Twitter made a big mistake by not accepting Facebook's offer of a billion clams to take over their company. What was once a rather good idea is now hitting the threshold of its relevance. I know there are people that are still obscenely hooked on the service, but the likelihood that it will eventually become the next balloon to burst is becoming more and more likely. Case in point - an article in the latest Cap & Design (a Swedish design magazine, by designers, about designers and well, design.)

The article, entitled "Get Big on Twitter", leads the reader through the steps needed to get yourself noticed on Twitter. Here are just a few of the helpful tips they offer on how to succeed:

Prepare a photo, taken by a professional if possible, of your entire face.

Follow others who have a lot of followers with similar content as you. After that, follow their followers (they more than likely have the same interests as you.) Don't be embarrassed to add 500-600 people in the first few days. Better to add too many than too few.

In the beginning of your Twitter career you should follow as many people as possible so that they notice you.

Retweet people and imply to people you know that they should do the same every time they like a link that you post. Say thank you when you are mentioned.

Tweet during the same times that others do, otherwise they won't see what you have written.

If you have something important to say repeat it two or three times. Post a lot of pictures if you have done something extraordinary.

Add your Twitter address to your e-mail signature, on Facebook and everywhere else you can; as a sticker on your computer, printed on your business cards and write it on the office's whiteboard.

There are more, but I'm sure you get the point. Hard to believe, but there are people who not only do this but full on advocate it. Hear that? That sound is the death knell of a small blue bird.

Permalink    Labels: Confusion

About a week ago I was walking in the area adjacent to the central station here in Stockholm. At this time of year, the cold and wet season, plattan (as it is known) has a sort of Christmas market going on. The sweatshirt to the right was one of the fine items on sale.

It always strikes me as a bit disturbing that there are people who actually make clothes that involve blatant profanity (and provacation.) Granted you won't find something like this at The Gap, but you will find it scattered throughout the countries of the world that don't have English as a first language. (Japan is a great example...) Even more disturbing is the fact that people buy them...and then somehow find a suitable occasion to wear them.

Now, back to the sweatshirt on the right, there are so many things that are wrong with those six words put together that my head spins. First off, Swedes have an affinity with English swear words. They dot main stream media in everything from book and film titles to advertising and even actual journalism. They do not have the taboo that exists elsewhere with their public use and thereby lack the weight they would normally have. (They have even been Swedified and incorporated into the language. Example: when something has gone completely wrong it is uppfuckad. No translation needed there...) However, this particular phrase goes beyond that. If it had just said "Fuck You" then I wouldn't have bothered to take a picture. But no, it say's "Fuck You I Drive A Volvo." How does one decipher that message?

I can only assume that there are some tourists picking these up because they are so bizarre. It would be like going to France and buying a t-shirt that says "Fuck You I Eat Croissants!" I mean, there can't honestly be someone on this planet that drives a Volvo that is so content, satisfied and down right ready to defend his choice of vehicle (unmitigated) that he would ever actually say that - let alone wear it. That's like getting in a fight at a bar over what conditioner you use or what type of sunblock offers the best protection. In addition to that, this is Sweden, where 1 in every 4 cars are made by Volvo. (Roughly 1 million.) So, feeling outnumbered and misunderstood isn't really an issue. No, it's just not possible. At no point, ever, has anyone ever uttered that phrase or probably even thought it.

In the end, I will have to write it down as irony. If it had been SAAB things would have been different...

Permalink    Labels: Stockholm, Whackiness

I've always been fascinated wtih India and it's history (and it's food). Granted I've never been there but this was about the next best thing.

Michael Wood did this 6 hour documentary for the BBC in 2007 and it is an amazing look at the country. Wood, who can be almost too cheerful at times, is a remarkable historian and he leaves few stones unturned here as he sifts through two thousand years of culture while crisscrossing the subcontinent.

As I recall I watched nearly all of this in one day while at home in bed with a cold. Whenever you have a cold I can advise the same remedy.

The first part can be viewed via Google Video (above). It, and the other five parts, are also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone via the following links:

The Story of India - Part 1
The Story of India - Part 2
The Story of India - Part 3
The Story of India - Part 4
The Story of India - Part 5
The Story of India - Part 6

Permalink    Labels: History, Documentaries, India, Asia

Occasionally (read at least once a month) I see advertisements on the subway here in Stockholm that completely throw me off. It's as if for a moment I am living in a parallel dimension where things I know shouldn't actually be allowed, happen anyways.

Enter this ad for the Rubik's Cube - note it is the original - that appeared some time back as part of a campaign for Teknik Magasinet. I was hoping that additional items, such as the Lite Brite or Etcha-a-Sketch, would also be considered "Orginal gangsta shit!" but alas the Cube was the only product to receive the honors.

Who it was in the chain of reviewers and designers that thought that this was:

A good idea

Good marketing

deserves some credit. If I hadn't actually seen this numerous times with my own two eyes I would have thought the image was Photoshopped. But, trust me here folks, this is just too bizarre....

* Yes, it's true, an original Rubik's Cube does cost like $30 in Sweden.

Permalink    Labels: Stockholm, Advertisements, Whackiness

John Wyndham, probably best known for The Day of the Triffids and The Midwich Cuckoos (ie Village of the Damned), wrote a number of lesser known works that are of no less value in the world of speculative/science fiction. One of them, The Kraken Wakes (published in 1953), has been broadcast in a number of different versions through the years as a full cast audio play. This particular one, done by the CBC out of Vancouver, is available in all 5 parts - roughly 150 minutes - on Archive.org.

As like a number of Wyndham's apocalyptic tales you get to follow along and unravel a mystery that brings the world to near destruction. Loaded with the author's great ability to bind science with the impossible it really is an entertaining story. The 40+ year old broadcast does the book justice, and the age of it gives it something that a modern adaptation would lose.

You can download the MP3 files, 131 MB for all 5 in a zip file here:

The Kraken Wakes - Full Cast Audio - CBC 1965

Permalink    Labels: Audio Drama, Science Fiction, Archive.org, The Ocean

YES! Snow! I love snow (otherwise I wouldn't live in Europe's Attic) and here we've got a documentary all about it.

Modern Marvels takes a 45 minute look at how snow forms, snowflakes, blizzards, snow removal and even how to build an igloo! Everything you ever wanted to know about the best weather in the world...

The video can be viewed via Google Video (to the right), but is also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone on this page:

Modern Marvels: Snow

Permalink    Labels: Documentaries, Google Video, Snow, Weather

Made in 2001 this is a one hour documentary that gives a rare (and somewhat frightening) glimpse into what life in modern North Korea is like.

It was made by Dutch filmmaker Peter Tetteroo and received the International Emmy for Best Documentary. It was filmed over the period of one week.

Even after watching this you'll find yourself perplexed with the paradox that is the DPRK. In fact probably more so than before you saw it...

The video can be viewed via Google Video (to the right), but is also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone on this page:

Welcome to North Korea by Peter Tetteroo

Permalink    Labels: Documentaries, Google Video, History, Asia

This is, for the most part, a documentary about Cyrus Field who laid the first transatlantic cable more than 150 years ago. Despite accomplishing something that was considered ridiculous (like putting a man on the moon) he has been left out of most history books.

Considered at one time to be the "greatest American" Field is given some oft forgotten credit in this documentary done by Modern Marvels. If anything it certainly proves you can accomplish something through determination no matter what the odds.

The video, which is about 45 minutes long, can be viewed via Google Video (to the right), but is also available for download in mp4 format for the iPod Touch and iPhone on this page:

Modern Marvels - Transatlantic Cable (Cyrus Field documentary)

Field, incidentally is actually a distant relation of Stockgnome....

Permalink    Labels: Documentaries, Google Video, History, The Ocean