Amy Tan: Where does creativity hide?

Amy Tan: Where does creativity hide? is a spectacularly good TED talk about the nature of creativity by Amy Tan. Amy, of course, wrote the Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses.

Her talk is laced with interesting pictures and metaphors. Totally worth your 18 minutes. Also, I did not know she had temporal lobe seizures.

(From your Mom)

Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook.

Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook. is a blog for people whose parents joined Facebook and the teeming millions who like to make fun of them. For some reason, all of the quotes from the kids are in crowded black letters with white outlines and a drop shadow. And encoded as pictures. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

Has it happened to you? Sure happened to meeeeeeee. Fun.

(From Laughing Squid )

The:DISH (Topanga comes back!)

The:DISH is a TV show hosted by Danielle Fishel (better known as Topanga Lawrence from Boy Meets World). It's super trashy and super-low budget. She's done so well!

Buzzfeed describes it as a "lady-friendly version of The Soup for The Style Network."

My first thoughts were first of all... Topanga's real last name is Fishel? That sounds like a made-up garden instrument. You know. Rake, shovel, fishel. I digress.

Second of all... This is what her plans are: "When she's not doing The Dish, Danielle can be found studying for her degree in psychology (with a focus in marriage and family therapy) or hanging with her dog, Anna, a Maltese who does all kinds of cool tricks." Good luck, Topanga!

Click through for the videoes.

(From Buzzfeed)

If I Made a Commercial for Trader Joe's

If I Made a Commercial for Trader Joe's is a Youtube video by Carl’s Fine Films. Basically, it's a love ode to Trader Joe’s set to Tom Jobim's "Águas de Março" (Waters of March). The no-budget video was clearly shot on a Palm Treo.

Simple, soothing, I love it. Makes me miss living by a Trader Joe's.

(From Laughing Squid)

This is Why You're Fat

This is Why You're Fat is an awful, awful blog about the most fattening foods you didn't even imagine possible. Like oreos with extra filling as tall as the Chrysler building, and doughnuts stuffed with sloppy joe meat. Good luck eating again.

(From JenK, and Metafilter)

David After Dentist

David After Dentist is a Youtube video of 7 year-old David who had an extra tooth removed in the summer of 2008. David is still feeling the effect of the dentist drugs, and is vocal about it. I don't know how to feel about this video, but to date 8 million people have seen it. (Or 1 million people people and 7 million spam bots. The data is shaky).

The Wall Street Journal interviewed the father about the controversial Youtube video. From the WSJ interview:

"David’s father, also named David DeVore, says his son was safe the entire time and finds the video very funny. Mr. DeVore says he filmed his son to help ease his fear of doctor’s appointments. 'I was trying to teach him that the anticipation is probably much worse than the actual event,' Mr. DeVore said. 'This might not have been the right case to give an example.'

Mr. DeVore, who had just gotten a small video camera and still carries it around with him, says David was very nervous going into the surgery that day. Mr. DeVore filmed him going into the appointment, stayed there with him during the procedure, and then carried him out of the office to the car.

As the anesthesia wore off, a woozy David tried to make sense of it all. His heavy head swinging from side to side, he says things such as 'Is this real life?' and 'Is this going to be forever?' At one point, with wide eyes, David declares, 'I can’t see anything' and then lifts himself off of his seat, lets out an atrocious scream before wilting back down. David also tells his father, 'You have four eyes' and asks repeatedly if he got stitches.

Of the taping he says, 'I felt bad doing it but I had tears coming out of my eyes after it was over because it was just hilarious.' He showed the video to his wife and David that evening, both of whom found it as funny as he did. Mr. DeVore also posted it on Facebook to share with other relatives. "

Now a parody: David after Divorce.
(From Laughing Squid)

Ninja Ropes Extreme is an online game, where you, the ninja, must cross obstacles by sending out and swinging from ninja ropes.

According Appscout, it was featured in the DVD of the Dr. Horrible sing-along blog,

"About halfway through the commentary, Jed Whedon, Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris sing an ode to an iPhone Web game called "Ninja Ropes Extreme," which they all played during filming and which brought them all together."

Enjoy!

(From Justin, Dr. Horrible).

Important Things With Demetri Martin

Important Things with Demetri MartinWed 10:30pm / 9:30c

Series Preview

Important Things with Demetri Martin is a show on Comedy Central that debuted today (okay techincally yesterday). Anyway, finally, the kid gets his own show!

Previously mentioned, Demetri.


(From The Comic's Comic, Buzzfeed)

The Remnants

The Remnants is a pilot by John August for a sitcom with Ze Frank. Basically a bunch of guys and two girls are left over after an apocalyptic disaster. The creators explain this clip:

"Two minutes from the middle of the pilot for The Remnants, written and directed by John August. Starring Justine Bateman, Michael Cassidy, Ben Falcone, Ze Frank, Ernie Hudson, and Amanda Walsh.

It was shot during the WGA strike in February 2008, using the SAG internet agreement.

The project is currently in development with 60Frames in association with NBC/U, so it could become a series at some point. Either way, we had a good time making it."

Enjoy.

(From Dan Z.)

F*** My Life

F*** My Life is a very plain, text-heavy website for all your mundane, sad sad stories. Anything that would cause a reasonable person to exclaim, "F*** My Life" is game.

Examples:

"Today, my boyfriend was tapping on my thigh to the beat of the music when we were driving to dinner. When I asked him what he was doing he replied, 'Just watching the ripples.' FML
#22681 (6) - 02/10/2009 at 10:11pm by thunder thighs

Today, I was in the car with a group of my girl friends discussing sexual experiences when I looked down and realized my Blackberry had dialed the family I babysit for and had left a five minute voicemail. FML
#22263 (6) - 02/10/2009 at 8:46pm by Embarrassed

Today, I got this HUGE package at my college dorm from my parents with candy, chips, canned soup and all these goodies. When I called my mom to thank her, she replied 'We got rid of your cat, Annie'. FML
#22256 (6) - 02/10/2009 at 8:44pm by melissae "

You can opine on the pitifulness of the quotes by clicking either "I agree, your life is f***ed" OR "You deserved that one."

(From Guy Danus )