1., 2.

• Sarah from Yes and Yes guest posts some great advice about travel fashion over at Hi Fashion.
• I hate dealing with service people and getting appliances delivered. Seems that even a woman listed a the 26th most influential woman in media has the same problems!
• Extremely bad advice. “Sometimes I see people at the gym using the machines incorrectly, occasionally in ways that could be dangerous. Should I tell them?”
• If lame is the new cool I’m a total winner!
• Have you heard the good word about His Noodliness the Flying Spaghetti Monster? What about the Pastafarian Condiments the eight “I’d Really Rather You Didn’ts”?
• Such a simple design, but so beautiful. Coat hangers made from found wood.
• Why you don’t have a girlfriend.
• John Hughes, director, producer, and writer, died earlier this month. This touching story shows that even the people you think are out of your reach are still people. John may have been more human than most of Hollywood though.
• Homo sapiens. Distribution: Entire world.
• Glamour publishes a photo of a beautiful size 12 model and readers go crazy. And yet, I have doubts that showing a range of body types in magazines and fashion shows will become the norm any time soon.
• I’m guessing that we’re all familiar with the WTF and demotivational images that get forwarded around and posted online. Well, Cracked.com found explanations for a few of them, and the explanations are about as crazy as the pictures.

• There’s probably no cod.
• This meringue and raspberry ice cream cake looks delicious! If only it didn’t have raw egg in it I would consider making it for Chickie Little’s baby shower. O well.
• Agent Lover introduces a new feature ‘Ask a Gay‘. This month Shaun answers “What happens if 2 bottoms or 2 tops fall in love? does that ever happen? and How do u tell who’s a bottom or top?”. So great!
• Unexpected online eyeglasses epiphanies. Now that I’ve got 3 pairs of glasses that have the correct prescription in them, and the opportunity to buy more, I think every glasses wearer should get on the cheap internet bandwagon.
• A map of Springfield.
• Bows on socks and lacy gloves and cute grey dresses.
• If you’re stuck for ideas on what to write Creative Writing Prompts and Journaling Prompts look pretty great.
• Don’t be sad.
• The Times published a correction in 1969 regarding an editorial from 1920 which stated that space flight is impossible.
• How to get people to hate you.
• If you don’t tell people about your creations how do you expect anyone to know about them?
• These Weapons of Mass Destruction cannot be displayed.

Some facts about New Zealand

While I was away

Disney made one movie, and they’ve been tracing it ever since.

• If you feel comfortable reading books online then you should definitely read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I read it a couple of years ago, but just stumbled across it online in its entirety. Published in 1932 it is a vision of the distant future where reproduction has been mechanised, a caste system is in place, and people are conditioned to accept their place in society. (If you don’t feel comfortable reading books online you should still try to find a paper copy because it’s a great book!)
• I often make plain bread with the bread maker, but this week when we had a few courgettes and mushrooms to use I did a quick recipe search and found a courgette and mushroom bread recipe. It turned out delicious!
• The busiest day for this blog happened when the Murder Burger ad was submitted to StumbleUpon. But they’re not the only ones that can come up with straight talking humorous job ads. Resn (another NZ company) can do it too. Their ad had to be censored by request of Seek, the job site it was posted on. But here’s the original version for your amusement.
• This is a very old post, ancient in internet terms as it was published in 2004. However, it is valuable information for anyone considering writing a book. The author reveals what most wouldn’t, information about living and struggling as a midlist author. It’s a really interesting read.
• Many (most?) of you reading this will be bloggers, and you’re all computer users. You need to look after your body, in particular your fingers, hands, and arms. Besides our eyes hands are often the first things to suffer. Adam Steer has posted some great exercises on the ProBlogger blog to help keep your fingers and arms nimble.

• I get most of my ideas in the shower. I suppose everything else gets blocked out so I can let random thoughts come into my head. Only problem is that you can’t take notes in the shower so I have to repeat the thought constantly in order to not forget it.
  Until now that is (or until someone gets these for me anyway). Aqua notes! Waterproof paper that you can stick inside your shower to take notes. Amazing!
• I love Dooce dearly. I think she is an amazing writer, she’s hilarious, and sarcastic, and real. The final instalment of the story of Marlo’s birth is beautiful and funny.
  

  Not three minutes after taking that sleeping pill I get hit with a contraction that knocks me to the ground. TO. THE. GROUND. Those cramps go from NO, REALLY, I GOT THIS BLOUSE ON SALE! to MOTHERFUCKING SNAKES ON A MOTHERFUCKING PLANE!!!!!!!!!!

• Sometimes when you think your relationship is over, that you’re falling out of love with your partner, that it’s time to move out, it’s actually because something else is going on. Laura recognised that her husband was probably going through a mid life crisis and didn’t mean it when he said that he no longer loved her. What she did to deal with it must have taken a lot of strength.
• OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
• Authority rules, so you need to know how to get it if you want to rule. Brian Clark from Copyblogger has written a completely free ebook on the subject. At a total of 18 well spaced pages it’s not too big, so you have no excuse for not taking a look.
• Vixel of Sparkle and Glitter has been feeding my Gala fascination lately with two great posts (and consequential discussions) addressing some of the current issues in the female blogosphere centring around Gala behind the scenes and whether she is all she and her fans claim her to be.

  I’m going to be completely honest here and say I’ve been following the discussions on Sparkle and Glitter and Cut Out + Keep like I would a celebrity scandal, more so probably – I feel more invested in Gala and iCiNG. I’ve loved hearing other peoples take on Gala and the matter at hand and Vixel’s articles on constructive questioning and copycat accusations have provided a perfect place for discussion. I know I’m not the only one doing it. Why do people feel the need to hide their fascination with this internet blogger celebrity (e-lebrity?) I wonder.

• To throw a bit of whimsy and pretty into this mix take a look at another gorgeous Betsy Johnson dress on a pretty girl in long grass, and learn how to make roses from maple leaves. :D

Matt Mullenweg speaking at WordCamp NZ this weekend. The start of the video shows me winning a prize and shaking Matt’s hand! His session was a Q&A on WordPress, definitely worth a watch if you’re interested in WordPress and where it’s going.

• Try not to think of this as me starting the post off with a downer, more that I’m starting if off with an important piece of writing. Poppy reminds us all that rape jokes aren’t funny.
• Comic Con looks like it really went off this year. Here’s 11 pages worth of costumes.
• Spotters guide to the undead.
• One woman’s story about how her hairstylist saved her life, she lost her life insurance, her life fell apart around her, and how she’s still living and fighting. A big reminder that America’s health care system is NOT ok.
• I can’t believe it’s not butter!
• David Thorne, you may know him as the guy that drew that spider picture. Well, now he’s confusing his landlord.

• First refresh your memory with this photo of Scarlet Johansen, Keira Knightley, and Tom Ford on the cover of Vanity Fair March 2006. Then take a look at this other version. I love these guys!
• Some random pretty pictures for your viewing pleasure.
• Amanda and her cousin Amy.
• Sometimes when people take parts of The Bible literally the only way you can get through to them is through tongue in cheek humour. Unfortunately most of those people are too dumb to get it.
• An embroidered back.
• When internet memes cross over to real life it can break up marriages.
• Bluntcard, a website dedicated to ecards that are blunt. Awesome!

Japanese TV – Ron (Rupert Grint)

I Love You, Man – Paul Rudd & Jason Segel Interview [hilarious!]

• Writers routines which led me to daily routines [currently on hold] definitely makes me feel better about my routine. A routine which consists of getting up at 1pm reading anything interesting I can find online for a few hours, getting some food, and then contemplating what I should write that day.
• Why magazines suck.
• If there were more parents like this then I believe the world would be a better place.
• Zombie costume. You’re doing it right!
• We will never know if everyone sees colour the same way. This site demonstrates something else though, that colour is relative. Quite cool!
• Beetlejuice and The Joker look surprisingly alike.

• What happens when a Chinese woman with a artist son hoards for 60 years? Well, if that son is Song Dong then your life gets turned into one big installation. The background story is quite interesting and certainly explains some of the questions you might have after viewing the pictures.
• The essence of New York captured in lego.
• Flickr Interestingness is a great tool and turns up some truly stunning pictures. Unfortunately most of them are copyrighted and therefore can’t be used on the blog. Until they create a way to explore interestingness using only creative commons photos I’ll be using the Creative Commons Flickriver. It’s a pool of beautiful CC licensed photos, if you’ve got some to submit you should definitely join the group.
• Fireworks and Lightning. If that impresses you then take a look at some more of Antti’s beautiful work.

Facebook – Off

Office 2010: The Movie

• How to suck it up in business lesson 5. Wry & Ginger’s take on doing business on Etsy, this section is about promotion and how hanging out in the forums isn’t a great marketing tool. All of the lessons are really helpful, tongue in cheek, and funny!

• Every person who does marketing, sales, product design or any other job that influences customers directly should spend at least an hour a week answering the customer service lines

  If only actual real life marketing managers agreed with that.

• Maureen
• Phalluses in advertising. The coke one was especially funny/shocking. Does anyone know if it’s legit?
• This little piggy went to market.
• Oh Snap! – How to get shot by the Sartorialist.
• OMG you fail so hard!

• Sleepy dinosaur.
• Make readers feel like they’re in on a secret, and that you’re the crazy person that makes them want to gossip. 10 tips for kicking ass as a freelance writer.
• If 80s has to make a comeback then this is the only way it should be done!

• According to my calculations you have just over a day left to enter into the nameplate necklace competition. Thanks to everyone who has entered and let us know which fonts they like best!
• Tim Ferris (author of the Four Hour Work Week) did a presentation at SF WordCamp and he has all 50 minutes of it on his blog.
  It’s a really great video with some awesome insights and recommendations on building a blog. Tim will also give you some tips on how to Tim Ferris your love life. lol.
• Warning: This elevator may kill you.
• Princess Lasertron was given permission to share the latest letter from the editor for Where Women Create magazine. It’s a great reminder of what us creative types have to be thankful for and that sometimes we need to have a bit of perspective.
• Loading witty retort.
• If I ever have a store I’m either going to need a trustworthy employee or a store hours sign like this.

• If you want people to hear you you need to be loud and proud. You need to market yourself. Sometimes we forget that we need to believe in ourselves before we can expect others to believe in us.
• Jesus <- WTF
• Photography rules.
  

  Before you start photographing remember to take the lens cap off.

• Try to get past the bad English and just concentrate on the amazing photos as you climb up 350 metres!
• Sexuality is fluid, especially more so with women. This interesting article addresses the topic – ‘Why Women are Leaving Men for Other Women‘.
• Please do not disturb.

1., 2.

I hope all of my American readers had a lovely 4th of July (and long weekend if you were so lucky). We actually had someone letting off fireworks near our house on the 4th too!

• The lovely Miss Aimee Marie interviewed me for the latest in her ‘Aimee Marie Loves’ Series. Take a look.
• If you need a dose of cute look no further than My Milk Toof. Cute little teeth travel around and have their adorable adventures posted online for us to coo over.
• Proof that scarification can turn out beautifully if you have a skilled artist.
• Michael Bay is becoming a cult icon, in the same vain as Chuck Norris. [thanks Whit]
  

  Michael Bay has 2 speeds: Slow motion and on fire

• Amazing artwork depicting the Batman baddies.

• Did you know the Bible is being translated in lolspeak?! I picked a section at random and it turned out to be hilarious.
  

  N grrlz ned to not b slutz (liek kep der cookiez to derself LOL) o n don look liek teh slutz eeder

• What would the screenplay of Twilight look like if it was 10 times shorter and 100 times more honest?
• My number one goal in furnishing my home is to have a daybed in my lounge. This one made out of pallets is clever.
• Some people are doing crazy things with their laser cutters, this guy is giving himself tattoos. I wonder how long they last.
• Ties and suspenders are a couple of my favourite clothing items. I need to work them into my wardrobe.

On a different note, I was at the supermarket yesterday and while perusing the chocolate aisle I noticed that both Whittakers and Cadbury chocolate were on special. I went to get a block of Cadbury’s only to find they’d put them in boxes and reduced them in size by 20%!
After a bit of poking around online I see that not only have Cadbury reduced the size while keeping the price the same, they’ve also reduced the cocoa product and added palm oil instead, and most (if not all) of the family size blocks are being made offshore. Looks like I’m going to be a Whittakers girl from now on.

1., 2.

• Mmmmm breakfast. Pretty, pretty breakfast.
• Rollasole seems like such a logical idea. I can’t believe no one thought of it earlier. If you’re a UK clubber with sore feet after a night in heels, you don’t have to walk home in bare feet on the scummy pavement any longer. Just get some rollasoles!
• Diva, a large retailer of cheap jewellery based mainly in the malls of Australia and New Zealand were recently found to be blatantly ripping off designs from Shana Logic, among other artists. Copying the designs right down to colours and beading. Not good.
  Shana just announced that she spoke to the CEO of DCK Ply Ltd (they own of Diva) and they may be coming to a resolution and finding a way to make sure this never ever happens again!
• Mmm smell the reason.

<

• I haven’t seen the second Transformers movie yet, so I can’t vouch for the validity of Charlie’s statement that it’s Michael Bay’s first art movie (lol).
• Amazing street art from Bristol. My favourite is the girl meets boy stencil.
• Emma Watson has grown from a typical dorky looking kid to a gorgeous 19 year old young woman who is widely regarded as a fashion icon. Emma is a Teen Vogue cover girl once again and the photos are amazing. You can also see her fashion timeline, including a pic from 2001 (terrible!).
• Uber geeks don’t have the time to shower.
• Some people just have the knack to photographing food. These pancake photos make me want to eat my screen!
• Pacman gets a fright when he joins twitter.

• Banksy’s show at the opened in Bristol almost two weeks ago and BBC has some images of the installations for those of us unable to pop over and take a look. My favourites are the chickens and the stone slab.
• The world is your apple.
• Who knew that Bruce Willis was so edgy! He shows he’s still a star in his photoshoot with new wife Emma. (Not really safe for work)
• Where do books with sparkly vampires fit into a ven diagram of the parts that make up a good book?
• Check out these amazing Joseph Cartwright photos of a beautiful red head. And then check out the rest of his portfolio.
• But if we started dating it would ruin our friendship where I ask you to do things and you do them.
• In case of fire do not use Twitter.
• Eddie Murphy’s career rollercoaster.
• Aschobi Designs is based in Sierra Leone, a country on the Least Developed Countries list. The label is the first western style to set up in the country. You know someone’s on to a great thing when you’re desperate to see more photos!
• For all of you aspiring erotica writers, some tips from Belle de Jour on how to write sex.
• Beautiful tulle and a wall I’d love to pose against.

A beautiful wee story about girls and boys