It finally broke. The sun is out, the air is warm, and the birds are singing in the trees. And dammit, wouldn’t you know all the fine folks that sit inside and pass around cool stuff on the internet have pretty much disappeared. But not to worry, I still have a few gems for this installment of the tubes!

Cousins

Is there anything cooler than primates? Nepotism is of course a factor, but I really cannot think of a cooler set of creatures. And this time we have two examples of ridiculous primate behavior. As is usual with the animal videos in this series, if you don’t like what you see, head on back to the second Plucked from the Tubes and contact the fine folks who do something about it. Complaining to me is pointless.

I shudder to think what would be possible if I had a monkey sidekick who not only could ride a motorcycle, but fully understood traffic patterns.

Speed Demon

In case you think primates only do stupid shit when a human teaches them, I present the following. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug.

…a tiger by the tail…

I could probably do some research, and some translation to find out (and thereby inform you, the reader) as to why these fine French folks decided to make a cardboard stop-motion animation remake of the Light Cycle scene from Tron.

But why bother… You are already interested enough to click the link. Right?

Wheeeeeeeee

Aside… Someone fund them to do the rest of the film please.

Dude, do you want to watch Point Break?

Neither do I. But even if the urge to torture myself comes up, I don’t want to have to go to the video store and pay some clerk $5 to do so. That’s where this site comes in. They have a bunch of full length (and some clips, highlights, and trailers of) feature films.

And they have some that are much better than Point Break. I promise.

Hulu

Chris Nopper actually did pull his bike out of storage. He gave it a good washing. He left it in the sun to dry. And once dry, he put it right back into the garage and went to get ice cream. He does things like that.

Here we are. Smack dab in the middle of the winter doldrums. The time of year where we all start getting just a little crazy with the thoughts of spring. Wonderful warm sunny days start popping up just a little more frequently. Only to be followed by blizzards and freezing rain. Sapping our hope and reminding us just how much more “winter” we have left to endure.

Here are just a few more fun links to help you pass the time until we can all start leaving the house without fear of falling on our ass on the ice…

Enjoy!

No one’s gonna eat your eyes…

Singer/songwriter Jonathan Coulton has recently made his mark on pop culture by penning the song that made us all finally know that the cake was, in fact, a lie. The surprise success of the game Portal shocked everyone. It was included as a bonus in the Orange Box, a collectors edition of the huge hit Half-Life 2. The little add-in bonus game then went on to win several awards including some game of the year honors. If you haven’t played it yet, please do. A simple little puzzle game that becomes so much more than the sum of its parts. But what really stands out is the music. One simple song that plays during the closing credits was so much fun that it caused all of us video game geeks to go out and find out who wrote it.

And upon finding him, we found joy. Jonathan Coulton has been writing songs for geeks for quite a while. Simple little folky numbers with him and a guitar which contain some of the funniest, catchiest lyrics and hooks since TMBG. What makes Coulton really special is his absolute understanding of how geeks get music. Anyone semiliterate with a PC can find music for free. Coulton gets that, and he is cool with it. Just understand that writing songs is how this guy eats.

Check out his music and videos here: Jonathan Coulton

My highlights include: “Re:Your Brains” and his cover of “Baby Got Back”

Note: Jonathan Coulton will be in the area on April 3rd.  He will be performing at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA. Tickets

Face it. You like watching stuff blow up. You like watching stuff melt. You like watching stuff burn.

Good. Now that we’re all on the same page. Here is an entire website dedicated to doing all of those things and more. This site is like taking all of the “Cool” days in chemistry class and condensing them down to one spectacularly dangerous and entertaining sitting.

Kent’s Video Chemical Demonstrations

I will admit it. Unless you really, really like Daft Punk, the first half of this video is going to be supremely boring. The second half will blow your mind.

I cannot even imagine how long it took the star of the video to get this right in one take.

Watch and be impressed.

Daft Hands

Chris Nopper is tired of the weather. He wants nothing more than to be able to take his bike out of storage, give it a good tune-up, and start working off the beer gut he has aquired over the winter.

Round 1…

Continuing in our series of questionable treatment of animals, this month we move to Japan. Ever wonder who would win in a battle between a giant scorpion and a crayfish? So did these guys. Right up until they found out. Warning: This is not animated. This is not faked. So the squeamish may not want to follow the link. In fact, I’m so sure this is going to bother some people, I have included a second link to go along with the first one.

Japanese Bug Fights

Humane Society International

I for one, fully support our…

…biomech overlords. Utah based research firm Sargos has developed the latest in mechanical fashion. This exoskeleton can assist the wearer in lifting, running, and tip-toeing their way across a battlefield. As you watch, remember that this is developed for military applications. But remember also, so was the Hummer. Visions of soccer moms battling their way through Price Chopper, lifting entire rows of shelves to get to that one last sale item… Beautiful!

Mech Suit

Nothing like a nice hot steaming cup of… Shit?!?

Yum! If you or someone you know are avid coffee aficionados, or at least you thought you were, I have something for you to try. Kopi Luwak is a rare, super expensive, coffee from Indonesia and Vietnam. The beans roasted to make this delicacy are first “processed” by the civet. A small relative of the weasel. These civets eat the ripest, juiciest berries on the coffee plants. Then as they are digested, the fleshy part of the berry is consumed. The woody “bean” passes through the animal “mostly” unharmed, then is “eliminated” only to be gathered up by local farmers. It is said that the digestive enzymes of the Civet impart an earthy, musky flavor to the resulting brew. For the coffee drinker that simply must try everything, the following links can tell you more. I think I’ll stick to Dunkin Donuts.

Civet Coffee

Wikipedia – Kopi Luwak

Tired of this Shit? Then send in your own links to the funniest, strangest, or most interesting things you have found on the interwebs. If we like them, we will add them to our next installment.

Chris Nopper has an obsession with the bizarre, but only if it is delivered to him in electronic formats. Seriously, you should hear him talk about his collection of “tree” sound files. He seems to think they are “amazing.“

Disclaimer: As of publication, all of the following links are valid. We take no responsibility for the content contained on the sites linked to. As with all sites, the shifting grains of sand that make up the internet have a way of moving things around. If you find that these links no longer work, you should have been here sooner. Google is your friend. If you find something you don’t like on any of the pages linked, find a tissue.

Shall we begin?

1. Animal Cruelty or funniest thing you have ever seen?

We will start you off with a double shot of videos that are sure to ellicit a responce. Both feature cats in human made contraptions. I will leave them up to you and your particular fondness for our feline friends to judge…

Auto-Wash?

Do cats always land on their feet? How about in zero-G?

2. Arrested?

“This is Michael Bluth.” And so begins a masterpiece of modern television. I know, that isn’t saying much is it? In a swamp of boring, rehashed jokes and worthless reality programming Arrested Development was a fan-boat skimming atop the muck. It was sometimes brilliant, sometimes slapstick, but always entertaining. And now season one is online and free to watch. Warning, you will get hooked.

Arrested Development Season 1

3. Window to the World’s Soul

Web 2.0 promised users something new, right? Sites like Myspace and facebook(however soul-stealing they may be) have fallen a little short of spectacular in my opinion. But occasionally, out of the “new” internet, up pops a site that really does push what a website can be. Flickervision is what I think of when someone mentions web 2.0. Using a mash up of Flicker.com and google earth, this app shows you every photo someone uploads to flicker, and where they are uploading it from. Hypnotic is the best word to describe this site. Never knowing what may pop up next, it is truly hard to pry yourself away.

Flickervision

4. Crazy Amazons

Amazon.com sells some weird stuff… Finding one of these bizarre items can be entertaining in itself. Then there comes the comment sections. Check out these gems…

Milk?

Uranium Ore?

Cottontail?

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this little look into what the editors here at Project 413 like to do to entertain ourselves. If you have any websites that you think we or others would enjoy just email them on over. If we like them, they could make it into the next installment. If we hate them, well, you just wasted your time didn’t you?

Chris Nopper spends way too much time on the internet. When a deadline looms, there is nothing he enjoys more than sending the other members of Project 413 a stupid, strange, or otherwise bizarre link that has nothing to do with his assignment. He is funny like that…