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I did this stuff in the mid-90s (although the technology then was not as sophisticated). When I moved to New York in 1997 I had to choose between a job doing more cellular visualization at Columbia Medical School or doing Web production at Ziff-Davis. The Web seemed more exciting at the time and the ZD office was a shorter commute, so that's the path I chose. I wonder how different my career would have been if I had chosen differently.

My dad (a professor) sent this in with the note:
"This video is funny and close to what a professor sometimes feels like saying."

I had not heard of the movie Mary & Max until recently, although it won many awards after it was released in 2009. It's enormously charming and touching and I recommend it to anyone, particularly anyone who enjoys stop-motion/"claymation" (or is interested in stories dealing with Asperger's Syndrome, since one of the characters has that condition).

The website is also very well done - perhaps the best movie-promo site I've seen.

Using animation to spice up a lecture is a great idea. And although I've heard many of the concepts in this lecture before, is quite interesting. It's common knowledge among creative people (programmers, designers, engineers - anyone who creates, not just artists) that satisfaction is often more compelling a drive than cash. Open source software is a great example of that . Yet employment is typically based solely on financial compensation. Money is a great motivator for many activities, but it's not the only one.

PES has a how-to in this month's MAKE

I first saw PES's work with RoofSex

Many more at eatpes.com

Some of the most charming visual experiences I've seen in the past ten years have been made by Czech artist/filmmaker/game designer Jakub Dvorský, creator of both Samorost and Machinarium.

Now, he's working with Jan Sverák, who directed the very charming Kolya, to create Kooky's Return which looks wonderful.

From the official site: kukysevraci.cz

"When asthmatic, six-year-old ONDRA is forced to throw away his scruffy, sawdust-stuffed old teddy bear, KOOKY, he prays for the safe return of his furry friend. Soon afterwards, across town, Kooky is about to be crushed in a rubbish dump when he suddenly comes to life, making his escape into a mysterious forest. The naïve, cuddly Kooky needs help to survive amongst the rough-and-ready creatures of the forest and he finds it when he meets the crotchety forest guardian HERGOT. Hergot is in charge of watching over the forest, but he has his enemies too – the malevolent NIGHTSHADE plans to take over the forest, by proving that the short-sighted but good-hearted Hergot is not up to the job of guardian.

Using puppetry and live action, Kooky is both an inventive, thrilling family adventure and a celebration of the childhood imagination."

Can you believe that the Homestar Runner guys have been making their Flash cartoons for ten years, and they're still as hilarious as ever?

They sometimes collaborate with They Might Be Giants, and this week's cartoon is one of their group efforts.

One regret I have is that I never saw them play live when I was living in the Atlanta area.

A collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí

More info