Wow from around the Net: Smart Monster

Never have I proclaimed myself to be a car guy, actually it is quite the opposite I know very little about cars. That doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to do any of the basics and I don’t think I will find myself stuck on the side of the road anytime soon panicking because I do not know what to do. It just means you probably will not find me hanging around a garage spouting off about what make and model are the best or how to fix an engine.

That all being said, not being a car guy, does not mean I cannot appreciate a beautiful vintage car.  I also have an appreciation for anyone willing and able to pour the necessary time and money needed to build and restore a beautiful one. On the same note I can really understand how hard and creative you have to be to take a ridiculous notion and make it into a fantastic reality.

A co-worker of mine discovered a talented gentleman who took a ridiculous idea and turned it into something so hilarious it is awesome. A Greek rally racer by the name of Stefan Attart is the man who birthed a wonderful creation, a mix of cute and seriously intimidating. Stefan brought forth into this world a Frankenstein type car in the form of a monster truck smart car.

Check it out:

Seeing this bad boy tearing up a mud hole would be a riot and this is the first time I have every really thought that the Smart Car could be seriously cool. The only thing that I am still curious about is if he kept the stock features of the smart car when he did the over haul, heated seats and mud driving would be a great combination.

Sincerely Urban Yeti

YYC Adventures: Chili Peppers and Rebirth BB

Last night I experienced my second time ever witnessing a live performance of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. For my birthday which was last week my dad got tickets so that the two of us could go and see the band. My father and I went to go see the peppers together about six years ago while they were touring for their album Stadium Arcadium. 

Last time when we saw them they mostly played songs of their then album and with so many hits it was a bit of a disappointment. So I was hoping that with their new guitarist that they would play all of the hits that we have all come to know and love. The Red Hot Chili Peppers has always been one of my favorite bands mostly because they are one of the few bands where the base guitarist is better than the guitarist.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are such a strange kind of band that finding a band to open for them is a bit of a challenge. This is mostly because the band itself breaks a lot of boundaries within the genre of Rock, combining the likes of Hip Hop, Jazz and Rock into a new entity. Back in 2006 when they came through Calgary the band that opened for them was “The Mars Volta Project” and experimental metal group. With all of that in mind I was very interested to see who would open up for them this time around.

The Band that wound up opening for the legendary Chili Peppers was a band called Rebirth Brass Band. It is a large brass style ensemble that has a sound that reminds me of what you should expect to hear when you go to Madre Gras. I think these guys would bring the house down in a smaller venue where there was room for some good old fashioned swing dancing.

Check them out

The Peppers brought a lot of enthusiasm to the stage and proved that even after 30 years they still got it. As always flea astounded the audience with his fantastic skill of slapping the base, I cannot think of anyone who can do it better. Every song was led into with an impressive instrumental interlude that showed of the skills of the drummer and flea.

The one down side to this show was even though they seem to have astounding light technicians and a well timed video to go along with everything, they left no room for audience interaction. One thing that I enjoy when going to a live show is how the performers interact with their audience. This is one attribute of showmanship that I found to be distinctly lacking with the Red Hot Chili Peppers show.

However with that being said they put on a fantastic show and there is a reason that I will always consider this band in my top five bands of all time. I hope to see them again in my life time if they are still touring, hopefully they don’t go the way of Mic Jager and the Rolling Stones.

Sincerely Urban Yeti

Geekdom Crossover: Star Wars Princesses

I am sorry that I have not been posting as frequently as I had promised that I would this last little while. Life has become significantly more involved than it has been before with the purchase of a house and my job becoming busier I am not finding the time to write as much as I would like. Here is a quick post just to prove that even with all the new found stress I am still thinking about this blog and it has not been forgotten. Part of the problem lies in the fact that I have packed up two of my home computers and am now down to being only able to use my Wifey’s laptop.

For those who have spent the last few weeks living under a rock of some sort, the big thing in geek news is that Disney bought Lucas Films. This means that the famous Mickey Ears now encompass the sci-fi film master piece of Star Wars. With the new purchase Disney also announced plans for a new sequel trilogy that is set to take place after episode 6.

This new confirmation of the long talked about sequels brings mixed emotions in the geek community. For starters after the abomination that appeared in the first movies by the name of Jar Jar Binks, fans are worried that the franchise may decline further. Between Jar Jar and the annoying character from the new clone wars series by the name of Asoka, both of whom are characters created to make kids connect with the franchise, we can only hypothesize how Disney will do on this front.

On that front however the internet is abuzz with images combining the two universes of the colourful Disney characters with the more adult characters of Star Wars. One idea that most people have seemed to latch on to is that with this there is now a new Disney Princess. It seems that the strong willed and rebel leader, Princess Leia, has joined the ranks of Arial, Snow White, Belle and Cinderella.

The Princesses have received her into the fold quite well, or at least as according to this user made musical. It seems to me like the princesses are going to have their hands full making this strong female icon into a dainty princess.

There also seems to be tons of fan art about this new princess that is making its way out of the woodwork. Since the announcement it seems like the internet has exploded with fans who are showing how they like the idea of a new Disney princess.

  

 Well that is all for now and I apologize for my absence as of lately, hopefully after I am moved in I will be able to post more. Also once I get settled into my new digs I will have the space needed to work on some of the projects that I have been holding off on. 

Sincerely Urban Yeti

Wow from around the Net: Halloween Pranks

Let us start today with how I want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween and wish you all a happy Hump day, I guess this makes it a Happy Halloween Humping Day.  Usually Hump day signifies the low part of a week, so close to being over and yet the weekend still seems so far away.  However with the fun holiday of Halloween paired up with the super slow Hump day it makes for an interesting time.

Most people take the time on Hump day to post about funny things to make the week seem not as bad. Tonight being All Hallows Eve the night where all of the tricksters rule the night and harmless pranks are afoot. To start this day some of my co-workers decided to get in the mood early by “renovating” another co-workers cubicle.

On the topic of pulling pranks on friends it is now just over two weeks until I move into my new house. This subject actually relates because I think that me and one of my tenants may start a prank war. This is something I am actually excited about because it means that I will finally have someone good humored enough to deal with some pranks. This is all dependent upon if he is game to do such a thing or not, maybe I should ask him or not, this could go JackAss.

Also with Halloween and Pranking in mind I founds this hilarious account of a prank that this guy pulled. His description, and his facial expressions while talking, of what he did is so funny I almost pissed myself from laughing so hard.

Tonight I am celebrating by going to a Halloween party for me and I hope to share with all of you how that went tomorrow.

Sincerely Urban Yeti

Wow from around the Net: When Creativity Strikes

It hit me today that with all that has already happened and all that is still in the process of happening that I am in a bit of a lull. There are a significant amount of projects that I want to do and yet all of them need to be shelved for now. It is almost to the point of frustrating because of coarse it happens that the second I get inspiration is exactly when I cannot do a thing about it, talk about a serious case of Creative Blue Balls.

I guess for now I will have to live the fact that because I am moving into a new place it means that I just have to be a little patient. Soon enough I will have the space needed to bring all of my imagination’s wondrous creations to life. To keep on top of all these ideas I have been writing lists so that when the chance arises I will remember what I wanted to make.

When my creativity is beginning to hit a low point sometimes I find that all I need is a swift kick in the pants. For this reason I tend to keep a few inspirational quotes saved on my computer for just those moments when I need a lift.

Here are a couple of them.

Or check out this site that a friend showed me when we were in school for random words of encouragement.

Help Me BeFucking Creative

Well ether way my lack of creative output does not stop me from looking at what others have accomplished. Whether I am already inspired or am in despite need of some sort of creative epiphany I am always on the lookout for amazing things.

Here is a video that transitions from black and white to colour without the use of any technical aides.

The world is our oyster as long as we always choose to listen to our imaginations rather than snuff them out of existence.

Sincerely Urban Yeti