Writing and Film

Just some photos of Clydebank…

Back in the late 1970s and early 80s, amateur photographer Owen McQuigan took pictures of his hometown of Clydebank near Glasgow. They’re just shots of ordinary people doing ordinary things in an ordinary town but they have a certain rain soaked, Gregory’s Girl vibe that makes them poignant to those of us have grown up in Scotland. You can see McGuigan’s extensive photo collection on his website My Clydebank Photos. There

Perfectly Timed Photos

These perfectly timed photos featured on American blog, Bored Panda. Being in the right place at the right time counts for more than the latest DSLR. Photo Credits: bukagambar.com Photo Credits: taringa.net Photo Credits: engine.co.ua Photo by Simon Dawson Photo Credits: iq-1.livejournal.com Photo Credits: nature-wallpapers Photo Credits: dailymail.co.uk Photo Credits: underwatercompetition.com Photo Credits: kolyan.net Photo Credits: unknown Photo Credits: sports.pixnet.net Photo Credits: Pam Mullins Photo Credits: perfectlytimedphotos.com Photo Credits: unknown

It is the woman who pays: a gem from Letters of Note

One of the best sites on the whole damn internet is Shaun Usher’s Letters of Note, a collection of letters ranging from the wise to the witty, the mad to the moving. Among the selection of over 700 letters are words of advice from fathers to their sons, from presidents to their people and from the successful to the aspiring. There are also full throttled rants at injustices, real or

Sci fi covers: from one-eyed sex runts to radiant wombs

The sci fi book collection curated over at Good Show Sir! comes complete with commentaries on the extraordinarily elaborate cover art favoured by the genre. The site’s creators have been sharing these book store finds among friends from years and describe their approach to the covers and the artists who created them as ‘fondly mocking’. ‘We laugh,’ they say ‘but we wholeheartedly salute their greatness.’ ‘I have no mouth, but I

World's smallest stop motion animation

The ultimate crafting video? Dot the 9mm girl triumphs over her microscopic world, tames the marauding fabric and fashions a blanket. Ed Patterson & Will Studd are a directing duo specialising in different forms of animation. Together they are Sumo Science. Their biggest success to date is for Nokia with the film ‘Dot.’ The spot went on to win 15 major advertising awards as well as claiming a Guiness World

John Rattray: 'bearded and slightly beweirded'

If you get past the hair clippings at the start, this is hugely enjoyable. It comes from the Predatory Bird blog of Aberdeen born, California based John Rattray who is, in his own description, a ‘grown man skateboarder’: ‘The above video is a collection of self-portrait clips shot over the course of a 3 month period in which I completely forgot to shave. The more observant among you may glimpse

Oreo Cameos from Judith Klausner

Food art is a funny and easy ingredient for many art and design blogs. Here Judith Klausner has done something different, creating very intricate and accomplished cameos with Oreo biscuits. Judith Klausner explains: ‘My latest series uses Victorian handicraft processes to transform modern packaged foods, exploring how the intertwined histories of gender and craft have shaped one another and our everyday lives. I hope to change the way people see

Movie poster cliches from Christopher Courtois

If you design movie posters for a living, look away now. French blogger and movie distributor, Christopher Courtois has just added another movie poster cliche to his collection.  Femme sans tete – Woman without a head (above) is the latest addition. 2. Man running at a tilt in blue tint. 3. Big, scary eye. 4. Back to back poses 5. Back view of loner wearing long, black coat holding weapon of

Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata

Lavish seven minutes of your Friday on this final scene from Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata – you won’t regret it. The films tells the story of a Japanese family whose lives unravel after the father loses his job. In this scene the parents arrive at a prestigious music school to see their son audition. Unaware that he has been using his lunch money to pay for piano lessons, they anxiously take their