Smiles, everyone… smiles!

Hervé Villechaize Memorial Park

Our Hero, Hervé Villechaize

About this time last year, I learned about Portland’s Mill Ends Park, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Smallest Park. Frankly, I think that’s horseshit. Mills End is a massive expanse of an entire two feet in diameter, a pastoral paradise of gargantuan proportions, a wasteful use of Portland’s finite downtown real estate.

The park, it is so wee!

Today’s cosmopolitan lifestyle demands a more aggressive approach to public greenspaces. My contribution: Hervé Villechaize Memorial Park. Hervé Villechaize Memorial Park is situated on a sunny 2″ (inches! eat that, Portland!) diameter patch of land in a back parking lot at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in Menlo Park, California. Where Mill Ends Park has leprechauns, Hervé Villechaize Memorial Park has hobos, and occasionally a jug band.

I think Hervé would be proud (even though his park does get run over by a car every now & then).

I guess it was today? Or yesterday? Or was it Saturday? I’m kinda confused. Here’s some St Patricky goodness of many flavors for y’all to enjoy.

Darby O’Gill meets King Brian — it really warms up when Darby plays the Fox Chase at 4:50

Also check out Darby O’Gill’s Wishing Song

Leprechauns Christmas Gold … Not really for St. Patrick’s Day but every holiday needs dome Rankin/bass.

Also, who wouldn’t love the Swedish Chef, Animal, and Beaker singing Danny Boy? [Tip o' the cap goes to Humu!]

Now I’m off for my traditional Irish meal of Irish O’Garlic sausages and a Shamrock Shake …

By my friend Graham Annable. Check out all his inspired animation on the Grickle Channel.

I have a weak spot for all the Sid & Marty Kroftt shows, and kids Tee Vee in general, but the theme song to Lidsville is extra special cool. I think it a bit like Jellyfish. And I really dig how the music changes from bubble gum to popcorn-like when they get into Lidsville.

Just when you thought accordions couldn’t get any nerdier:

This would be perfect for Kraftwerk to do a cover of Lady Of Spain

The Amazing Ultra-Light V-Accordion
Features

The FR-2 V-Accordion offers the incredible digital advantages of Roland’s Physical Behavior Modeling technology, providing true tone and characteristics of the world’s best accordions, but they are significantly lighter than previous models. Perfect for students, stage keyboard players, and traveling musicians.

* Piano-type keyboard
* PBM (Physical Behavior Modeling) enables the true tone and expressive characteristics of the world’s finest accordions
* Additional sounds onboard, including piano, organ and strings
* Eight user programs for instant storage andrecall of your favorite settings
* Lightweight for young students and travelingperformers
* Pad function for triggering percussion sounds and rhythms
* Song function for “minus one” play-along fun
* Battery powered for convenience and portability

Check it out on Roland’s Website.

[via Engadget]

Every moment red letter.

Who wouldn’t want to visit EPCOT after seeing this official take-home video?

“Massive. Wedge shaped. Practical.”

[Via Epcot Central]

Just when I thought I had come up with the most cleverest game ever … I discover Pie Face. Click, click click … whoops! It’s PIE FACE! Everything I thought I knew about everything is now wrong.

I shudder to think about being strapped into that creepy headlock thing while playing a game of dairy Russian Roulette. I bet there’s laws against games like this nowadays.

[Via Booberry Alarmclock]

Delirium was talking about the PBS show Mystery and her comment unearthed vague, uneasy memories of the animated opening on the show. She informed me it was done by the macabre illustrator Edward Gorey. I remember as a tyke, being transfixed with nervousness every time my parents tuned in to to watch Mystery. Of course, Youtube has the opening. I’m ascared.

Oh, I so hope this is a real book. Favorite line? “When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, the daddy wants to give the mommy a special gift.”

[via Digg]