Welcome to London

Two drug dealers unsuccessfully attempt to escape the long, spindly arm of British justice. Having seen the Brighton pier that burned down thirty years ago and remains a rusted eyesore, I have to say, I'm not sure anyone in London is going to feel the urge to remove this car.

Proposition 8

Yes we did.

Yay.

Presidents with weird names

A lot has been made over the past months about Barack Obama's name and it's likely ties with International Terrorism. As history informs us, there have been plenty of American Presidents with weird, vaguely upsetting names, to which Barack Obama must surely be a welcome addition.

Here, in the interest of Bi-partisanship, is a list of Presidents with weird names.

8th President
NAME: Martin Van Buren.

ANALYSIS: Van Buren? Sounds a little like Van Hitler to me. He sounds Dutch and you know what that means. Legalised marijuana and prostitution. Terror threat: 8/10

18th President
NAME: Ulysses. S. Grant

ANALYSIS: The last time I heard of someone named Ulysses they were invading Troy in a giant wooden horse. Terror threat: 9/10

22nd President
NAME: Grover Cleveland.

ANALYSIS: President Grover? He sounds like he has all the manliness and sheer rugged testosterone of that blue pedophile puppet on Sesame St. Terror threat: 1/10 Wimp Rating: Pink

28th President
NAME: Woodrow Wilson

ANALYSIS: Oh man, you just know that the only person who ever called him Woodrow was his mum and that’s when she was telling him off. His college buddies called him “Woodie” which means he had all the smarts of that Bar Tender in cheers. Terror Threat: 7/10.

31st President
NAME: Herbert Hoover

ANALYSIS: A president named after a vacuum cleaner? Sounds like he sucks. (Ha!!). But all joking aide, Herbert sounds like the kind of guy who lives with his mother until she dies and he inherits the house and the cats. Terror threat: 6/10

30th President
NAME: Calvin Coolidge

ANALYSIS: Coolidge is what you use to describe the process of turning a bathub full of ice into 420 cold beers at a frat party. I like a party brother as much as the next guy, but for president? Terror Threat: 5/10 Threat of a panty-raid on the girl’s dormitory: Imminent.

16th President
NAME: Abraham Lincoln

ANALYSIS: Nothing weird about Old Honest Abe’s name, but his vice president was Hannibal Hamlin. Hannibal? Are you f-----g kidding me? Terror threat: RUN!

Why isn't this guy more famous?

Some nice simple, Monday morning fun.

Lady and the Trampoline. Turner and Bounce. Homeward rebound. I could go on. 101 elevations.

Is there intelligent life in Arizona?

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Maybe it's the accent. Maybe it's the "just stepped out of a tent" hairstyle. Hell, maybe it's the phrase, "...but I'm hallucinating all the time, who knows what I'm seeing".

Holy God. Welcome to the future.

Great day in the morn people. The future of eye candy.

Heh heh

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

From Will Ferrel's "Funny or Die".

The Smartest Man in the World.

Chris Langon has an IQ of 210 and is officially the smartest man in the world. He works in a bar as a bouncer. Apart from his enormous brain, life really hasn't handed this guy too many breaks. But at 210, jeez, Einstein is like mentally retarded to him.

The Process

Heh.

Ferrit Her.

Kinetic sculpture from BMW

Skip the music, this is some great stuff.

Awesome Chagall Google Image.

Man, this is the best google image yet. It must be Marc Chagal day somewhere, and to celebrate, look what piece of genius the brains at google design have come up with.

I love it!!

Chewbacca Door

Pick-a-path youtube movie

Ferris Aronofski

Coldplay = Stoleplay

Whoops. The awesome power of web 2.0.

Wwwhat?!!

What happened to your mind, dude?

Sean P-Diddy Puffy Puff Daddy Coombs on how he didn't change his name, but you should vote on his birthday because if he did change his name he totally could, and he'd say "Hey" because he makes hit records, bitch and you need to register to vote anyway.

In the "Damn I wish I done that" Dept.

Check out this great idea here

Pop corn with your mobile phone

Terrifying.

King of Kong

This looks nerdriffic. The World Champion Donkey Kong player, (what?!) held a record that has stood for 20 years. Now, a young middle school science teacher has set himself the task of smashing it in front of a frighteningly large group of middle aged uber-nerds.
More epic than a wizard fighting another wizard. Way more awesome than that wicked cool t-shirt with a flying spaghetti monster second life avatar. More satisfying than an eliminated line of tetris bricks. It's "The King of Kong"; a documentary so packed full of suspense, you'll spill your ear medicine.

The Mindhead Eye on - Youtube Interactive

Hooly dooley. Everyone's favourite office distraction channel is now interactive. Hold onto your butts headsters, this is going to be ginormous, hugagantic. Check out a link to the video here.

Trend for 2008. Craft.

This guitar solo is incredible and along with Ronald Jenkee and a lot of other pop-culture memes, it makes me think a trend is developing in pop-culture attention.

Craft.

Ideas are now everywhere and are being created by everyone all the time. The ones that stand out from this often show an attention to the details and give the sense of being crafted, not just made.
From Honda's "Cog" to Coke's magnificent "Happiness Factory" it seems it's no longer good enough to have the idea, you always have to pull it off better than anyone has, ever before.

Change

Believe it. It's happening.

Numb What...

Wicked cool.

Hello S'traya

Old guy gets angry as hell. This is bloody funny, mate.
For Vicroads and The F*ckin Them!

Mega. For Coke

And as if it isn't already awesome enough, they added Jack White.

The Biggest Drawing in the World

Outstanding conceptual piece for DHL. Wow.

The Ultimate Internet Meme

Wanna million hits on your music video? Take all the big hits of the last few years and mash them into a film clip. Guaranteed popularity. Nice to see Numa Numa and Tay Zonday are still gainfully employed.

Very Cool - NHL

Bizarre Colours seen in China thirty minutes before earthquake.

Conspiracy theorists, start your engines

Porn Doodles

From the Angustastic

The Japanese version of The Office

New Chevrolet TVC

The Straight Talk Express is starting to derail

Movie Slogans that could double as Foreplay Dialogue

The Unpleasant Bill O'Reilly

Angry, angry little man.

MUTO - As part of the Tate Modern this month.

So danm good, it makes me want to misspell.

Cats on a treadmill

Gosh darn it, this is some funny shit.

The Empire Strikes Barack

Debatopedia: The Wiki of debates

For those of you who love a good argument - here.
Let the rants begin.

Obama 2009

Jackie Moon - The man. The myth. The sweat glands.

Courtesy of The Hankinsonion.

Air Jelly - Wicked Cool

Barack Obama's Yes. We. Can. Transcript

JFK really did a number on any President that followed him with his "Ask not what your country can do for you..." line. But Senator Obama's incredible Yes. We. Can. speech is about the most inspiring piece of writing I've heard. Pure poetry.


Yes. We. Can.

We've been asked to pause for a reality check.
We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

For when we have faced down impossible odds;
when we've been told that we're not ready,
or that we shouldn't try,
or that we can't,
generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.

Yes we can.

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot;
a President who chose the moon as our new frontier;
and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.

And so tomorrow,
as we take this campaign South and West;
as we learn that the struggles of the textile worker in Spartanburg
are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas;
that the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon
are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA;
we will remember that there is something happening in America;
that we are not as divided as our politics suggests;
that we are one people;
we are one nation;
and together,
we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will ring from coast to coast;
from sea to shining sea

Yes.
We.
Can.

The 11 Most Unintentionally Gay Rap Lyrics Ever

This be some funny ass shit, homo.

Neocube - Wicked cool

Hip Hop piano remixed as it's being heard for the first time

New Nine Inch Nails Video Cilp.

If this is the official video it is in keeping with Trant Reznors seeming obsession with self destruction. It's like when Brad Pitt ugiled up his teeth to play Tyler Durdin in Fight Club. Great music though.

Aww yeah, I gots mah tickets for Interesting 2008

Who knew Russell Davies' first name was Mark. And why he chooses to go by Russell. Interesting 2008. It raises more questions than it answers. And me and the Angustastic will be there.

High Definition on You Tube

This trailer for Hancock, Will Smith's new cool anti-hero action-hero movie is great, but check out the HD sound and vision now available on everyone's favourite stream at Youtube.com

Obama 2009

Artwork by Shepherd Farey of Andre The Giant and Obey fame. Just beautiful.

I love Japanese people soo much

Can you smell what the Bar-rack is cookin!

Best election EVER! Go-bama. Go-bama!

"Charlie Rose" by Samuel Beckett

I've loved SB since "Waiting for Godot". Fascinating writer - he harnesses the power of vernacular and language to overwhelm plot and hold attention in place of drama. The Power of Blarney. To be sure.

Schizophrenia linked to pre-natal influenza

A new study by scientists at Columbia University confirmed a link between pre-natal influenza infection and schizophrenia:
One percent of the world’s population suffers from its symptoms of hallucinations, psychosis and impaired cognitive ability. The disease destroys relationships and renders many of its sufferers unable to hold down a job. What could cause such frightening damage to the brain? According to a growing body of research, the culprit is surprising: the flu.
If you are skeptical, you are not alone. Being condemned to a lifetime of harsh antipsychotic drugs seems a far cry from a runny nose and fever. And yet studies have repeatedly linked schizophrenia to prenatal infections with influenza virus and other microbes, showing that the children of mothers who suffer these infections during pregnancy are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life. In 2006 scientists at Columbia University asserted that up to one fifth of all schizophrenia cases are caused by prenatal infections.
Doctors have known for many years that microbes such as syphilis and Streptococcus can, if left untreated, lead to serious psychiatric problems. Now a growing number of scientists are proposing that microbes are to blame for several mental illnesses once thought to have neurological or psychological defects at their roots. The strongest evidence pertains to schizophrenia, but autism, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder have also been linked to bacterial, viral or parasitic infections in utero, in childhood or in maturity. Some of these infections can directly affect the brain, whereas others might trigger immune reactions that interfere with brain development or perhaps even attack our own brain cells in an autoimmune mistake.


Check out the full story here

Brain damaged hilarity.

The Man has style.

Design Candy

For Jon & Georgia. Enjoi.

Weatherman.

Seven day roadtrip compressed to four days from LA to NYC

From the Angustastic.

How to achieve your childhood dreams

Advice from a man with terminal liver cancer.

Creativity. Like. No. Other

Another gem from Sony.

Wine Bottles + Radio Controlled Car = Mario Theme Song

What genius invented this?

Best Sweded film EVER!

Tron
Uploaded by freres-hueon

Tron. Sweded. Sweet.

Pink Five - Star Wars Fan Film

Before Sweded, there were fan films. This is like totally one of my favourites.

AtomFilms.com: Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | Comedy Central

The Most Ultimate Line Rider of all time.

Stephen Pinker Fan Club

Aww yeah, the main man of mind memes, Stephen Pinker finally has a fan club, and no it ain't all about the hair. Check it out here. It's almost enough to forgive the CIA for bankrolling facebook.

Greatest Youtube comments EVER!!

This video of a man crushing a canteloupe or rock melon with his thighs, while only ordinarily weird for youtube has some of the funniest comments I've ever read. Try reading them to a friend in an Arnie accent. Go Mighty Deathscissors! Go!

Emcee impressions

Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and DMX, all in the one man. Freshizzle mindhizzles.

It begins...

The only Olympic torch in living memory that runs a serious risk of being extinguished en-route to the opening cermony.

Outstanding

Right down to the last detail. Absolutely outstanding. Visit here Courtesy of The Angustastic

A great speech.

Lovely use of trochaic pentametre, stirring pathos, triptych repetition and other nerdly word things. A great speech read by a great man. Fingers crossed.

Pimp my passenger

The mind head eye on - Ted Talks Update

If you're like me, you may have missed a few TED Lectures as they continue to supercharge the world's conciousness. Here, on Mind Head, we bring you a little update.

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened -- as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding -- she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.




In a wide-ranging talk, Vilayanur Ramachandran explores how brain damage can reveal the connection between the internal structures of the brain and the corresponding functions of the mind. He talks about phantom limb pain, synesthesia (when people hear color or smell sounds), and the Capgras delusion, when brain-damaged people believe their closest friends and family have been replaced with imposters.


-->


What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Buddhist monk, photographer and author Matthieu Ricard has devoted his life to these questions, and his answer is influenced by his faith as well as by his scientific turn of mind: We can train our minds in habits of happiness. Interwoven with his talk are stunning photographs of the Himalayas and of his spiritual community.

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Larry Lessig gets TEDsters to their feet, whooping and whistling, following this elegant presentation of three stories and an argument. The Net's most adored lawyer brings together John Philip Sousa, celestial copyrights, and the "ASCAP cartel" to build a case for creative freedom. He pins down the key shortcomings of our dusty, pre-digital intellectual property laws, and reveals how bad laws beget bad code. Then, in an homage to cutting-edge artistry, he throws in some of the most hilarious remixes you've ever seen.

-->


What if human consciousness isn't the end-all and be-all of Darwinism? What if we are all just pawns in corn's clever strategy game, the ultimate prize of which is world domination? Author Michael Pollan asks us to see things from a plant's-eye view -- to consider the possibility that nature isn't opposed to culture, that biochemistry rivals intellect as a survival tool. By merely shifting our perspective, he argues, we can heal the Earth. Who's the more sophisticated species now?




Energy guru Amory Lovins lays out his plan for weaning the US off oil and revitalizing the economy in the process. It's the subject of his book Winning the Oil Endgame, and he makes it sound fairly simple: On one hand, the deadly risks of continued dependency, and on the other, some win-win solutions.




Juan Enriquez offers a glimpse of some ground-breaking research to explore the potential of bioenergy. Our current energy sources -- coal, oil, gas -- are ultimately derived from ancient plants -- they're "concentrated sunlight." He asks, Can we learn from that process and accelerate it? Can we get to the point where we grow our own energy as efficiently as we grow wheat? (Less than a month after this talk, his company announced a process to do just that.)



Stephen Petranek reveals the question that occupies scientists at the end of the day (and the beginning of happy hour): How might the world end? He lays out the challenges that face us in the drive to preserve the human race. Will we be wiped out by an asteroid? Eco-collapse? How about a particle accelerator gone wild?



Enjoi headsters. Carpe Cranium.

God bless the internet.

Rick James. Genius.

Look what Jaime did.

Yay! Gold baby. Check it

Nice. nice. Nice. Nice.

Morality 2012

The social and cultural psychologist Jonathan Haidt talks with Henry Finder about the five foundations of morality, and why liberals often fail to get their message across. From “2012: Stories from the Near Future,” the 2007 New Yorker Conference.

Check it out here

Plus, you can download all kinds of neat podcasts from the new yorker festivals free from iTunes. Here
Everything from The Future of the Web and Intellectual Property to Gaming, Genius and Mobile Technology.

It's like watching a TED lecture, with a martini.

Did the Clinton Campaign Doctor Obama Footage to Make Him 'Blacker'?

Oh dear. CHeck it out here

Autism Awareness Week

One of the nicest things about the Web 2.0 is you meet cool people. From this blog alone I met Sandra Kiume (of Channel N), a writer from WIRED, students from the Neuroscience Course at Harvard and a boy who interviewed Steven Pinker after asking me who I'd most like to interview in the entire world.

The blogging for Autism Awareness Week comes about the same way. For more info, visit here

A woman with autism shares her experience.

The first few minutes may seem strange, but it is all explained eloquently and with insight by the woman herself. Really quite beautiful in the end.

US to enforce seven day waiting period on Suicide vests

In The Know: New Iraqi Law Requires Waiting Period For Suicide Vest Purchases

The Mind Head Eye on - Behavioural Economics

John Ward of England’s B&B Dorland once noted that, “Advertising is a craft executed by people who aspire to be artists, but is assessed by those who aspire to be scientists. I cannot imagine any human relationship more perfectly designed to produce total mayhem”.

Marketing people like numbers. They like figures and statistics and pie charts and graphs. When they talk about advertising they like to use words like “Market share” and “Brand awareness” and they like to measure these words with numbers.

The trouble is, the way we get these numbers is by asking people what they think and science is starting to show that people have very little idea of what they think.

The science that does this is called Behavioral Economics. It applies scientific research on human and social cognitive and emotional biases to better understand why people like what they like, buy what they buy and think the way they think.

Today, we at Mind Head offer you a tasty menu of links to gorge your inner infovore with a crash course in behavioural economics.

Better art through science, people.
Who’s with me?

Starting with a wiki page on the subject, here

An interview and a little background on the father of Behavioural Economics, psychologist and 2002 Nobel prize winner, Daniel Kahnamen, here

You can see his 2002 Nobel Prize Award lecture on behavioural economics here

And another lecture here.



Here’s a paper on utility theory, or the idea that people do not always act rationally when making economic decisions, here

Another paper on measuring subjective well-being here

Another paper, (these are well worth printing out and reading) about the irrationality of people’s economic decisions and how we can work with them with specific mentions of advertising here


And a final video lecture on Psychology and Behavioural Economics here


Enjoi.

Google Online Advertising Solutions

Insanely hard video game

Ahhh the sweet smell of eight bit victory. The insanely hard "I wanna be the guy" video game mashes up 1980's vid-game aesthetics with 2050 game play. For anyone who can remember Astro boy before we got old and he got retro.

The Age of Cool Shit

Alex Bogusky once observed that noone cares about advertising. They just want cool shit and are happy if a brand makes it for them.

With that in mind, we at Mind Head bring you, this wicked cool shit.

Sorry.

The web is watching you

So this police officer abuses some 14 year old kids and someone films it and puts it on Youtube and then 72 hours later someone posts the guys name, phone number and home address and a month later the guy gets suspended for being an asshole.

Doncha just love it!!



Story here


UPDATE**

Less than a week after the video hits youtube.com, a second video of the officer roughing up a young artist surfaces. The Officer in question is a 17 year vetran, so you have to wonder how many others have been the subject of this rough justice. Officer Rivierie, I hope you enjoy your steaming hot plate of justice, served with a side order of WHOOP-AH! Heh

Rubicks Cube Solving Robot

Mark this date. It's the day the machines began to take over. This guy should be given a Nobel Prize for this.

Brawndo and powerthirst - Holy f*cking shit!

This is the best thing to come out of 150 years of advertising.

Video lectures on Neuroscience

Aha, I return. Like Frodo Baggins from the Mountain of Doom, only with all my fingers. This link to a series from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute on neuroscience was kindly donated by Mark "The Wingman" Dingman.

Check em all out here and also here