Gobbledygook!

Is it me, or are well-made ads for products some of the most entertaining things on the internet? I friggin' love me a well-made ad (remember the Old Spice guy?), so much so that I'm willing to share a well-made ad with you. Just think about what this means if you're a company that wants to get its name out there. Let's say you're a company. You've got a budget of 2 million dollars. You could spend $1 million making a pretty-sweet ad, and then the other $1 million buying time on TV (and then hope that people don't TiVo right past it), or you could just spend all $2 million on making an ad that's twice as awesome. Then post it on YouTube, and wait for schmucks like me to smear it all around the internet for free. Check out this ad:


This man is awesome! Who doesn't love a stinkin' rich Russian speaking in broken english? See that tiny giraffe? I WANT ONE!!

Or this ad:





I MEAN COME ON! WHO DOESN'T WANT TO GO OUT AND BUY A KIA?



Ok. Enough kow-towing to the gods of capitalism.


Another beautiful thing that the internet brings us is Tiny Desk Concerts from NPR. I love music, and like many, I place great value on bearing witness to the acto fo music creating (usually in the form of going to a concert). There's something so magical about being in the room with musicians when they're engaged in the act of making music. It's the same as viewing any live performance, be it dance, or theater, or a sporting event -- there's a magic that cones from actually being there that a video just can't transmit. However, these tiny desk concerts are the next best thing. My recommendation would be to download the whole concert via their podcast (so you don't have to deal with lousy video quality). I've been swept away by the intimacy, honesty, and candidness transmitted across the internet to my computer screen. Here are some of my favorites:

Gogol Bordello plays a raucous, drunken, and incredibly fun set of gypsy songs. By the end, I'm ready to start dancing on my desk too!

Tom Jones blows my mind with his voice as much as his song choices. Could this possibly be the same guy who brought us "sex bomb?" Enjoy:





And lastly, I'm planning on going to Interbike, the cycling industry's trade show, held in Las Vegas, Nevada. I've never gone to this strange gathering of the nation's bike dorks, but I feel I'm ready. I'm finally dorky enough to attend. I'm not sure what I'll do (probably run around with a chicken with my head cut off trying to get autographs from the pros!), but I'm pretty sure I'll have fun.


Ok. Enough.