30 Minutes or Less (2011)

There's something epic about a red-band trailer. All of the profanity, innuendo and general buffoonery only seen in the movie can be squeezed into a 2-minute snapshot of hilarity... And I love it. Another thing, or rather things, or rather people I love are Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride. Not only are they all good actors, but they piss comedy in their sleep all over the place. '30 Minutes or Less' brings the three together in a slapstick adaptation of the not-so-funny collar bomb robbery of 2003. The plot centers around a pizza delivery man who gets coerced into robbing a bank by kidnappers, who fasten a bomb to him. If he takes the bomb off, it explodes and... well you get the picture. Jokes ensue. Ansari and Eisenberg play the protagonists and McBride is the dimwitted criminal. Yeah, they're character actors, but they do it well. Check the trailer, which is definitely NSFW (not that it would matter... It's Saturday) and tip your pizza delivery man. Word.

The Greatest Story Ever Sold (2011)

Ever wonder what it takes to really fund something? Ever find yourself debating how certain entities get their voices heard while others seem to fade off into a sea of obscurity? Ever think about why marketing, PR and advertising have become the go-to professions in almost every industry? Well, this is the movie for you. Morgan Spurlock, AKA Young Big Mac AKA 'I'm Sh*tting Out McDoo-Doo', otherwise known as the director and creator of the documentary Super Size Me is embarking on yet another journey of film-making genius in his new movie The Greatest Story Ever Sold. The work is, simply put, a movie about advertising, funded by advertising. *recovers from mind-blowing*

Sponsored by POM, Spurlock seeks to find other avenues with which to fund his movie, all the while pointing out the fallacies, half-truths and cutthroat techniques that advertisers use to get into your pants pockets. Spurlock essentially punks the media, showing how ever-so-minute product placement is creeping its way into everything, including his movie. It's almost like Inception, cranked up on consumerism. The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and is set to hit theatres soon. Check the trailer, and keep your eyes open for more advertising overload...

DOUGH Donuts

Props: Emilio Sparks

I pride myself on being a fat kid at heart. In fact, if you follow me on Twitter (@EvWasLike) you know my almost addiction-like love for all things bacon. My other food weakness is definitely donuts, though, Krispy Kreme to be exact. Yet, they might have some competition on the horizon with DOUGH Donuts in Brooklyn cooking up hand-made confectionary sins fresh every day. In the above video, the head chef Fany Gerson describes the process for making their siganture Dulce de Leche donut topped with almonds, among other original donuts. If you have a love of foodgasms, then I highly suggest a stop here. Gerson works on her recipes for months, with even more testing, so you know they're good money. Honestly, watching this is making my stomach want to secede from the rest of my body. I'm about to go find me some grub. You guys enjoy the video...

'Virgin Oceanic' Mission

Whoever said money can't buy you an unlimited canvas to paint your wildest dreams was clearly out of their cotton-picking, cubicle-working mind. Richard Branson does that every single time he comes public with another one of his outlandish expeditions, projects and expeditions, boldly going where no civilian is technically allowed. On this episode of 'You're Mad You're Not as Rich as Me' Branson has unveiled his pet project of the deep seas, the Virgin Oceanic project.

Branson's company has built two custom underwater crafts: a one-man submarine, and a catamaran that will serve as the docking station for the sub. The submarine apparently has the capability to dive to the deepest parts of the world's five oceans, and through the Virgin Oceanic mission, will attempt to do so. It will not only be the first initiative to try a one-manned expedition, but also completely privately-funded. I suppose Branson got tired of base-jumping and would rather duel with the threat of 13 million pounds of water pressure bearing down on him. Despite his random thrill-seeking, this a pretty cool initiative. The video and other data collected will be ahead of their time. Makes you wonder why Branson isn't hob-knobbing with governments a little more. Check out a video trailer of the two watercrafts, both setting sail later this year...

Respekk: Virgin Oceanic

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Ohhhhh Davey... This summer's looking like another doozy for superhero movies. With the Spiderman franchise reeling from a lackluster third movie and a failed musical, and Iron Man 3 not seeing the light of day for a while, the Marvel universe needed a new superhero movie to blow open the box offices again. Speaking of Iron Man, at the end of the first one, we were introduced to the 'Avengers', a group of superheroes that fights "the foes no single superhero can withstand." This summer we get a look at the first Avenger, Captain America, played by Chris Evans (wasn't he the Human Torch, though). From the trailer, it looks like the dialogue is going to be very well-written and the action well-placed. Set during World War II, I'm interested to see how they tie in the rest of the Avengers, considering the Avengers movie coming out in 2012. Additionally, the Red Skull arc needs to be done well, given the flop of a Captain America movie from the early 90s. All in all, it looks promising. Hopefully, they don't kill the genre for good...

Kinetic Architecture

This is quite possibly one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Seriously. The good people over at Yanko Design introduced the Kinetower, a new build for skyscrapers that utilizes sunlight to transform a building from a traditional straight-up structure to something of a flower. The Kinetower uses a material that is rigid as high grade steel when taut, but flexible when loose. The result is a building that can open itself up to sunlight and wind, meaning a much more energy-sustainable structure. Rather than using man-made electricity, solar and wind energy can be utilized for a building that essentially powers itself. The applications for this design are endless, and with a premium being placed on 'green', I wouldn't be surprised to see the Kinetower in the works somewhere soon. Hopefully the US will get its head on straight and order a bunch of these. Check out some more renderings of the Kinetower after the jump...

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Tax Breaks for the Rich vs. Budget Cuts for the Poor

More infographics. One more time, but really for your mind. If you haven't been paying attention for the past 6 months or so, the United States is at a crossroads of economic discourse. The haves and have-nots have always been disparate, but with the extension of George Bush's tax cuts, the distance between the two is set to grow exponentially. Conservatives, most notably the Tea Party, have put forth rhetoric saying that tax cuts for the rich will boost the economy by encouraging trickle-down economies. Basically, they're implying that by supplying the rich with more disposable and untaxable income, the rich will re-invest that money back into businesses and it will ultimately trickle down to the poor.

Yet as we've seen over the past decade, whether it's the financial collapse of 2008, the increasing tension between labor unions and owners, or our country's still-laconic economy, the rich have no intention of putting money back into the economy. They're content to put their money away in interest-bearing accounts and offshore entities to keep it 'safe'. What conservative political pundits fail to mention, though, is the crippling effect it has on the rest of us, further shrinking the middle class and widening the gap between the rich and poor. And all of this is lieu of the now GOP-led Congress threatening to cut numerous programs that would help the 'lower' class of the country. The infographic above compares the two: the tax cuts for the rich, and the cuts to programs such as early childhood education, teacher training and after-school programs, and job training for the unemployed. The good people over at the Center for American Progress put it together in the hopes that it would enlighten those blinded by conservative bullshit rhetoric. See what all the hub-ub is about above, and remember to VOTE so we don't have a government hell-bent on propping up the same elite class that propagated our financial collapse...

Charlie and the Apple Factory

I've been a faithful Mac since 2006, but wasn't always as sold on Steve Jobs' baby as I once was. Apple products and their fanboys were annoying at one point, mostly because I was too busy playing Icy Tower and Text Twist to want to pay them any mind. Yet, I still was drawn in. Why and how do Steve Jobs and the Mac army make such addicting products? Obviously the marketing is big, but what else makes #teamiPhone so devoted. College Humor takes a stab at why in the video, brewing up a funny parody of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. What Charlie finds in Steve Jobs' factory might make anyone hold off on Mac purchases for a little while. Plus, it's never too late to get a good laugh out of Bill Gates' decade-long fight to get the edge back for Windows. Check out the video on whatever iProduct you have...

Crisis in Egypt

Source:http://www.onlineclasses.net
Click on the graphic to

What's this? Another infographic? Yes indeed, friends. More infographics than you can shake a leg at today. Excuse the ridiculous size of this one (HTML and I are sworn enemies today), but pay close attention to what it's dealing with. The political crisis in Egypt has taken the world by storm by juxtaposing the political and economic ideologies of the West with the religious cultural shift going on in Middle Eastern countries as of late. The above infographic is not only a timeline of the conflict in Egypt, but also an analysis of Mubarak's tenure as the President of Egypt. While this graphic cannot display every minute detail of the crisis, it's helpful to get a generalized view of the situation. Lord knows this is the most objective information that most Americans will ever get on the situation...

The Political Reach of Sarah Palin

Source: Online Colleges

One of the best things to come out of this 'social media era' is the rise of celebrities born of this era. One such 'celebrity' (clearly I'm using the term loosely) is the probable Republican candidate for the 2012 Presidential Election, Sarah Palin. Now, we won't get into how much I loathe that woman, or hope she would fall into an Alaska-sized ravine of broken glass and AIDS needles. That would be profane and distasteful. Instead, we're going to take an objective look at the political reach of Ms. Palin, how she's gotten that reach, and who is included in that reach. The above infographic gives a history of Palin's life, who she's endorsed politically, and even her most used words. I can admit, I didn't even know some of these things about her. If you need some fodder for your budding Sarah Palin hatred complex, look no further...

Real Life Mario Kart

I've been waiting for this since my Nintendo 64 broke in 2001. Mario Kart is an all-time great game and a personal favorite of mine simply because of how addicting and how extensive of a game it is. Videographer Freddie Wong decided to take his video game addiction a step further and make a real-life version of Mario Kart, complete with those pesky turtle shells, the stars, speed arrows and that annoying ghost that would take forever to put you back on the track after you were knocked off. Thanks to some good video editing and CGI, it's actually a pretty nice video. Now if only we could get the same thing going for Sonic the Hedgehog... *dream clouds appear*

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Prequels always make me nervous. Not because I'm afraid the directors will fudge up the story, because they always do. Not because I don't like having to rewind my cinematic memory of the story, because that's half of the fun. Prequels suck because you have to try and envision the characters at a different state of mind, something that the casual movie fan doesn't actually think about. The prequel in the X-Men movie series, 'First Class' shows how Professor X and Magneto went from best friends to sworn enemies based on their reaction to the world's stance on mutants during the Cold War. I'm really excited to see how each character develops, especially as a young adult, and to see who else is in the movie. From the trailer, you can see Mystique, Beast and maybe Nightcrawler (I'm not sure), but the rest seems up in the air. I hope they blow this one out of the water, because X-Men has been the best comic book movie series since Spiderman went loony on us. Check the trailer...

The 'Skin Gun'

Jumping. Jehosephat. When we talk about 'the Future', THIS is what we are referring to: using knowledge that we've had for decades and using it to contribute to the betterment of medicine. This National Geographic video shows the 'Skin Gun', a practically brand new invention that uses healthy stem cells grafted from a healthy part of a patient's skin to 'spray paint' over damaged or burned skin. The result is a healing process that is almost less than a week elapsed. Inventions like this are exciting because they show the extent of our handle on technology, but disappoint me because this kind of innovation has definitely been around for a while. The whole 'stem cell debate' has been drawn out too long at the expense of scientific discovery and medial breakthroughs. Now that the regulations on stem cell research have loosened up a bit, I'm anxious to see where all this research goes. If we get anything comparable to the 'skin gun', then 'the Future' should be a lot brighter.

Solar Death Ray

Forget DARPA and their supposed 'futuristic weapons'. They take decades to do everything, unlike this 19-year-old teen from Indiana who made his own very own death ray for $90, using nothing more than a traditional satellite, 5800 little square mirrors and the power of the Sun! *cue Birdman theme music* When its one-centimeter heat spot is focused correctly, the 'death ray' sets fire to anything in its sights, which is impressive for some kid in his backyard. At the end of the day, it's a nice way to mess with your neighbors. Definitely time to scheme on one of these for the summer...

Video Games vs. Real Life

The line between the real and fantastical is something that I ponder on the daily. If not because I love video games, then because our world is oftentimes too rooted in what is real and what isn't. Thus, I always wonder what would happen if the portal between the video game world and ours was somehow opened in a Space Jam-esque phenomena. That is the inspiration for designer & illustrator, Aled Lewis' project Video Games vs. Real Life. Lewis takes some classic video game characters from early video game-dom (sp?) and juxtaposes them with where they would probably end up if given a shot at real life. See if you can name any of the characters after the jump...

3 Minutes

The day that light sabers become a standard in combat, is the day I will be first in line waiting to unleash the Dark Side of the Force on an unwitting adversary. Such is the premise of this short movie, 3 Minutes. I won't divulge exactly what goes on in the 3 minutes, aside from it is action-packed and involves the use of light sabers in an industrial park. The Ross Ching-directed short film was shot using a Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon 7D, which explains the crazy picture quality for a non-professional movie. Honestly, talk won't suffice for this bad boy. Check it out and decide whether you can handle 3 minutes...

Game of Thrones

It's been a while since the term 'get medieval on that ass' has been usable without drawing stares, weird retorts or general confusion. This April, though, I'm going to break that one out, just because HBO is trying to do the same with its new series, 'Game of Thrones'. The show revolves around the fictional (or stylized?) region of Westeros, where the summers can last decades and the winters can last a lifetime, and the struggle of numerous noble families to acquire the Iron Throne. It's early, but I can definitely tell that HBO has another hit on their hands. The scenery looks just as dark, rustic and bubonic plague-infested as it can given out paltry knowledge of medieval society. Then again, who's looking for that with all of the sex and violence coming from the trailer? Either way, it's time to start boning up on your swordsmanship and jousting...

Limitless (2011)

Can we stop using Kanye's 'Power' as the theme song for every movie, TV show and sports segment?

Have you ever wondered what you could do if you were the 'maximum' you? Maximum, as in using all of your potential and all of your abilities at your best. Optimization has been a goal of behavioral engineering for years. Technologically, of course, we're years from such a feat, but Hollywood has done the legwork for us. 'Limitless' is the story of a formerly coke-addicted writer coming across an experimental drug that maximizes the user's potential. Within a few days, Bradley Cooper's (who's becoming a favorite actor of mine) character finishes a book, predicts stocks, learns a language and becomes a more charismatic version of himself. Trouble comes afoot when he discovers that his 'miracle pill' is part of a greater plan. The movie looks like it's going to be interesting, if not because Robert DeNiro is in it, then because of the idea that there is a 'pill' to improve oneself. Somewhere in some underground laboratory, there's a team of scientists hitting their heads on a wall because Hollywood stole their idea. I guarantee their version wouldn't have been as entertaining, though...

Undercity

I know I'm not the only frequent NYC Subway rider who wonders exactly what the tracks, tunnels and rails look like outside of the train. These guys, street historian Steven Duncan and videographer Andrew Wonder, got to see just that in their expedition in the belly of the beast known as the Subway. Armed with a Canon 5d Mark II camera, an LED flashlight and a ridiculous knowledge of the inner workings of a rapid transit system, Duncan visits numerous train stations (abandoned and functioning), and runs amok in the tunnels, all while dodging trains, transit workers and cops, and the deadly third rail. Duncan sees everything from decade-old graffiti to a bunch of tunnel-dwelling citizens, some of whom had lived in the Subway tunnels since the 80s.

The most interesting part of the documentary is Duncan talking about some of the penalties for getting caught trespassing, and seeing him maneuver around the Subway tracks and restricted areas, even while people are in plain view. He even shows the viewer New York City's first sewer at Canal Street on the trip, going in a manhole. My question is, how in the world does one become an urban historian, or know about some of these places, without having nearly died a few times? I'm guessing he's done this before, as Duncan alludes to being in Paris and getting caught trying to climb the Cathedral at Notre Dame. Although, this really piques my interest, it's a bit too crazy for me, especially when you think about the smell. Either way, Duncan's journey is visually stunning for those of us curious about the workings of the city's underworld. Too bad he didn't catch any of the sewer dwelling alligators... or the mole people. I'd actually pay to see those...

PS: All you Brooklyn people are going to love the end.

Robot Waiters

I never thought I'd see the day... Well actually, yes I did. Prophesying an 'I, Robot'-esque scenario aside, this is pretty cool. At Dalu Robot Restaurant, a hot pot joint in China, you'll never have to tip your waiter or worry about him spitting in your food. The restaurant owner also doubles as the proprietor of a robotics firm, so he decided to mix the two. The robot waiters drive around the restaurant on tracks and use radar and magnets to maneuver. I'm not going to lie. It's a bit creepy at first, and isn't as comprehensive, as you still have to take the food off the trays. Still, it's a fun change for those of us looking for some tech in their eating experience...