bookofjoe

'Ataque de Pánico!' (Panic Attack!)

A lot can happen in four minutes — and in four days.

Consider, for example, an unknown producer in Uruguay named Fede Alvarez, who spent about $300 to make the four-minute long movie (above) depicting a robot invasion of Montevideo, the capitol of Uruguay.

Alvarez told the BBC, "I uploaded 'Ataque de Pánico! on a Thursday and on Monday my inbox was totally full of emails from Hollywood studios."

Since being posted in early November the video has gone viral, currently approaching 2 million views, and has resulted in Alvarez signing a $30 million deal with Sam "Spiderman" Raimi's Ghost House Pictures to make a full-length sci-fi thriller.

[via Joe Peach]

How to take a camera-toss photo

I hadn't a clue re: what a "camera-toss photo" was until I read Ryan Gallagher's tutorial, brought to us by the redoubtable Steven Leckart, in the December 2009 issue of Wired magazine.

Here's the drill:

1. The camera: One with manual controls works best. Start with a shutter speed of between one-half and one second. If the image is too dark, lower the f-stop to increase the aperture. Too bright? Use a higher f-stop.

2. The subject: Target a few bulbs or candles at least 3 inches apart (any closer and the lights will bleed together) and position yourself about 3 feet away — enough distance to keep the lights in the frame.

3. The toss: It can take up to half a second for the shutter to engage after you press the button. Time it so the shutter opens just as the camera launches. Altitude? Six inches should do the trick.

4. The spin: Experiment. End-over-end creates linear patterns. On-axis gives you spirographs. Feel free to go nuts; should your camera take a spill, it's the perfect time of year to ask for a new one.

5. The shot: Upload your best camera-toss images to Flickr with the tag "wiredcameratoss" and a CC license. We'll check them out and post our faves at wired.com/magazine/cameratoss.

Alexia Onion Strips — Weltklasse junk food

Crunchy, tasty and addictive: that's how I describe my favorite snacks.

This one just ascended to the commanding heights.

Love at first bite.

$14.61 for six bags.

Ummm.

[via Cary Sternick]

Helpful Hints from joeeze: How to serve caviar

Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan asked Alexander Petrossian for his advice on the subject, related in her December 17, 2009 Wall Street Journal "Tricks of the Trade" feature, which follows.

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How to Serve Caviar (Forget the Capers and Silver Spoons!)

To say that Alexandre Petrossian, grandson of one of the founders of Petrossian SA, is a connoisseur of caviar would be an understatement. Mr. Petrossian, who is managing director of the Paris-based caviar purveyor's U.S. restaurants and boutiques, had his first taste of caviar when he was less than a year old and now has to sample caviar every day for his job.

Aside from that, however, he tries to limit his consumption of caviar to once a week so that it remains "special" to him.

When he selects caviar for himself or for parties, he starts by looking at it carefully. "You don't want to see anything too oily or wet. It means that [the eggs] ... may have a metallic taste or may be a little old and have started popping inside the tin," he says. "You want caviar where you can see every egg clearly."

Next, he makes sure to smell it. "The smell should be a little sweet—you want to smell the ocean, smell the salt a little but it shouldn't smell too fishy," he says. He advises shoppers to buy caviar at stores where they can look, smell and even taste the product.

At parties, Mr. Petrossian likes to serve caviar in its tin; you don't want to transfer the eggs from the tin to a serving dish "because you will break the eggs," he explains. "They are very, very fragile." He fills a large silver bowl with ice and places the tin on top. Mr. Petrossian likes to surround his serving bowl with dishes containing creme fraîche and half-inch-thick toast points bearing a very thin layer of butter. He generally avoids setting out common accoutrements like blinis, capers, onions or hard-boiled eggs. "If you spend that much on your caviar, you want to taste every single bit of it."

Mr. Petrossian tries not to drink coffee, smoke a cigarette or eat mints shortly before eating caviar so he won't muddle his taste buds. (He also tries to cleanse his palate in between tastes, making sure to take a swig of champagne, vodka or sparkling water before a new bite. "You want a new experience every time you taste it," he says.)

Another tip: Avoid setting out silver spoons with the caviar, as they sometimes lend a "chemical" taste to the eggs. Instead, use stainless steel, wood or mother-of-pearl spoons.

If serving a few kinds of caviar, he is always careful to serve them in order of the intensity of taste, starting with milder-flavored caviars like Transmontanus and moving into ones that have a more intense taste like Osetra. As with cheese or wine, if you start with the stronger versions, Mr. Petrossian notes, it will be hard to taste the milder caviar after that.

When it comes to eating caviar, Mr. Petrossian likes to put about half a teaspoonful into his mouth and keep it there for a moment. "The first taste is always very buttery," he says. Then he likes to roll the eggs around his tongue a little so he can savor the flavor. "You pop the eggs with your tongue, play with it a little and then you swallow," he says. After enjoying the taste in his mouth for a minute or so, he takes a swig of champagne or vodka and then repeats.

Troll Chair

Created by Danish design firm Lund & Paarmann, made by LOP Furniture.

"Inspired by fantasy books, Dumbledore, trolls and cold winter days."

Icelandic sheepskin, full grain saddle leather and oak.

Apply within.

[via plusmood]

First witnessed undersea volcano eruption

A submersible robot captured the footage 4,000 feet beneath the surface of the ocean south of Samoa in May of this year; it was presented yesterday for the first time at a geophysics conference in San Francisco.

Where's James Cameron when we really need him?

Angelfish Colander

 $14.95.

posterous — 'the dead simple place to post everything'

They're playing

my TechnoDolt™ song.

Corn Dog Lip Balm

"This luscious lip balm will keep your lips plump and moist just like a hot dog inside that delicious fried corn bread batter."

Mmmm.

$2.95.