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Posts Tagged ‘Santa’

Daredevil Santa: Human Flying Drone Enables Sky-High Snowboarding Tricks

24 Dec

[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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“This isn’t fake, I promise,” said filmmaker Casey Neistat as he announced the impending debut of his ‘Human Flying Drone Holiday Movie’ on Twitter with a dubious-looking graphic. Anyone who saw that tweet could be forgiven for their skepticism, especially since Neistat was teaming up with fellow YouTube star Jesse Wellens of the channel PrankvsPrank to pull off the stunt. But by all accounts, this footage of the ‘world’s largest homemade drone’ is real, and a Santa-suited Neistat is actually flying 25 feet in the air.

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No one in the world sells a drone that can lift a human being, so Neistat and his team set out to create one. The octocopter drone, which is augmented with a Samsung Galaxy Gear 360 action camera, reportedly took over a year to build, and the video clip was shot at a ski resort in Finland over the course of four days. In it, the daredevil YouTuber zooms down a slope on a snowboard and then takes off into the sky, going higher and higher before the final jump takes him 100 feet into the air, as smoke bombs fastened to his feet emit vivid pink plumes.

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One thing that’s not quite what it seems is Neistat’s single-handed grip on the handle: he’s actually securely fastened to the drone, dubbed ‘Janet,’ by a body harness. The rest of it, as far as anyone can tell, is legit. Looks like fun! Check out how it’s done in the behind-the-scenes video above.

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[ By SA Rogers in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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Santa Claustrophobia: The World’s Creepiest Santa Statues

05 Dec

[ By Steve in Culture & History & Travel. ]

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The ho-ho-horror! Much like creepy clowns, these dark and disturbing Santa Claus statues cross the fine line separating awe-inspiring and just plain awful.

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One would think the bizarre concept of a “Santa Monroe” would be shot down in flames seconds after multiple shocked gasps echoed ’round the conference table. Against all odds, however, the plan was approved and an inflatable, grimacing, pants-less Santa standing roughly 20-feet-tall took his place outside a shopping center in Dongguan, China. We’d make a “Dong-guan” joke here but you probably already have.

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Like Marilyn Monroe’s iconic pose above a subway grate in 1955 film The Seven-Year Itch, Santa’s long red coat appears to be blown upwards by an unseen wind, revealing what should remain unseen to the public at large. We’re figuring the designers took a leap of faith when they gave Ol’ Saint Nick a set of coal-black briefs. To be fair, it’s not as if there was any precedent to guide them. Don’t place all the blame on China though: the idea seems to have been co-opted by someone who embellished the concept further by adding a rather risque garter belt. Nice… and naughty.

Texas-Sized Santa

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In 1953, Jack Bridges, designer of those iconic “Big Tex” statues, was commissioned to create a one-of-kind Santa statue for Dallas auto dealer Porter Chevrolet. The result: an 85-ft-long, 56-ft-tall papier mache Santa that was so large and unwieldy it had to be trucked to the site in pieces. Yes, that’s a real 1954 Chevy Bel-Air Santa’s clutching in his Texas-sized hands. There’s a tragic twist to this tale: area resident Roy Davis, 46, arranged a crane to lift him eye-level with Santa so he could snap a Christmas card photo – a very early selfie, one might say. Like too many modern selfies, Davis’ effort ended badly when he suffered a fatal heart attack and plummeted to the pavement, landing right between Santa’s boots.

Fingered Down Under

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Auckland, New Zealand’s seasonal claim to creepy fame comes in the form of a 5-ton, 60-ft-tall semi-animatronic Santa statue who’s been affixed to the corner of the Whitcoull’s book store on Queen Street since 1960. The creepy factor derives from the statue’s only two moving parts: a winking right eye and a beckoning index finger. Brrr!

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Sadly (for some), in 2014 the $ 180,000 annual expense required to keep Santa creeping folks out was deemed overly exorbitant. Santa’s been lingering – in pieces – in an Auckland warehouse since then. Anyone who misses Kiwi Santa’s slo-mo winking and fingering – you know who you are – can relive the trauma via this video.

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Santa Claustrophobia The Worlds Creepiest Santa Statues

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[ By Steve in Culture & History & Travel. ]

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DIY: Make Photo Gift Tags That’ll Make Even Santa Jealous

13 Dec

Extra photos for bloggers: 1, 2, 3

Makin’ a list, checkin’ it twice. Adding photo gift tags makes everything nice!

What, you don’t remember that line?

Personalized photo gift tags makes exchanging gifts even more fun than it already is.

Trust us, this tutorial will have you singing along to your favorite Holiday tunes while adding style and personality to your gifts.

Forget the wrapping paper, this year we’re saving the tags!

How to Make Personalized Photo Gift Tags

p.s. Follow us on Facebook at 1PM EST today. We’ll be knocking dollars off our Phone Lens Series for every share. Lowest possible price is zero!

Why it’s cool:

ingred-smThese photo gift tags have as much personality as the people on your gift list.

A tag with a photo on it will bring a smile to their face before they even open your gift.

In under an hour, you can dress up even the loneliest lumps of coal under the tree.

Ingredients:

paint-sm

  • Photos to Print
  • Printer
  • Cardstock
  • String
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Xacto
  • Cutting Surface
  • Hole Punch
  • Gift Tag Template
  • Wrapped Presents

STEP 1: Print Template:

paint-smFirst things first, we’ve made this handy template to help you make these awesome photo gift tags.

Download this gift tag template.

Print it out on a piece of cardstock, then cut along the outer edge.

Step 2: Size Images:

paint-smPick your favorite photo of each person on your gift list.

Edit the photos to your liking.

We chose black and white for a classic look, but color would also look really great.

Use any editing software to size your images.

For vertical images, make them 4″ tall by 2.25″ wide.

Horizontal images work, too. Just size them 4″ wide by 2.25″ tall.

Here are some tips on sizing images in Photoshop.

Step 3: Print:

paint-sm Print out your edited, sized photos on to cardstock.

Cardstock will give the gift tags more stability and flexibility than regular paper.

We lined our images up on one page to save paper.

Use your best “photo settings” for your printer.

Step 4: Trim:

paint-sm Use your scissors to trim your photos to the printed edge.

Cut each photo out and set it aside.

For a clean look, make sure you don’t leave any white space around the photo.

Step 5: Trace:

paint-sm Now it’s time to trace the gift tag template onto your images.

Flip the photo over, and trace the outline on the back of each image.

The side edges should line up perfectly, meaning you just need to trace around the scalloped edge of the tag.

Make a mark for the center hole.

Step 6: Cut:

paint-smUsing your Xacto knife and a cutting surface, carefully cut along the lines you just drew.

Take you time, and make smooth motions to ensure nice, rounded edges.

You can taper the sides coming down from the scalloped corners as well.

Now they’re really starting to look like tags.

Repeat this step for each photo gift tag.

Step 7: Punch:

paint-sm Use a hole punch to cut out a center hole for the string to go through.

Line up the dot you drew with the hole punch and punch away!

If you don’t have a hole punch, use your Xacto to carefully remove a center hole near the top of the tag.

TIP: Make sure you don’t punch your hole too close to the edge of the tag. To avoid rips, cut the hole at least 1/4″ in from the edge.

Step 8: Tie:

paint-sm Cut enough string for the number of tags you made.

Measure the string into 8″ sections.

Slip it through the center hole of the gift tags.

Make a knot out of the loose ends.

Step 9: Attach:

paint-smAttach your gift tags to your presents in your favorite method.

Tie them to the ribbon or bow or even tape them down if that works best.

Put them under the tree for everyone to enjoy!

Step 10: Enjoy:

paint-smPlace those fancy packages under your tree, in stockings, or just pass them out for everyone to enjoy.

Take it further

  • Make image transfers on to wooden gift tags for extra special keepsakes.
  • Make photo gift tags in funky shapes like Christmas trees or snowflakes.
  • Display your photo gift tags in a funky old frame for holiday cheer year round.

Thanks to sweetpaul.com for the sweet idea!

Related posts:

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  2. Make Yao Ming Jealous: DIY Aerial Photography Small monkeys madeAugust’s Photojojo possible. (Really) ~Have a cool photo…
  3. DIY: Make E-Z Photo Ornament Greeting Cards Extra photos for bloggers: 1, 2, 3 *NEW Phoneography Goodies!*…


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I am Santa Claus – a Christmas Lego Brick Film

04 Dec

– This year, I am Santa Claus in this house… – Of course dear! Merry Christmas to all! Thanks to The Four Monkeys for the voices, you’r awesome!!! Merci à Marie-Pierre pour l’idée du combat de Père-Noël et à Dimitri pour… la finale! Music by Kevin MacLeod from Incompetech.com Shot with a Nikon D90 because my Canon T3 was broken that week. iMovie and GarageBand were useful, as PhotoStudio too. Jingle Bells by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0. incompetech.com creativecommons.org LEGO ® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this great movie.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
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For The Love Of Santa! 22 Crazy Christmas Decorations

30 Nov

[ By Marc in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

The holiday season is about friends, family, and feeling close to one’s fellow man. This is all well and good, but it’s also an excuse to go absolutely insane with decorations. After a couple of decades living in the same house, some people build up quite a collection of decorations, until it all gets awesomely out of control.

(Images via dontcallmebecky, manolaw, sweetfineday)

The top image showcases a truly wild light show that takes place annually at a private residence. Seeing just one corner of a yard is only a hint of what else they have up their sleeve, and you can see the rest here. The middle image is from the San Antonio River Walk, a festival that celebrates with an incredible array of beautiful lights, with a lot of the high class decorating that is not always present in these set ups. In New York, this glimpse at another private residence makes one wonder how much it costs to power all those lights each year. Click here to see more.

(Images via gridto, forwardeverforward, sketchysantas)

In Toronto, Canada, Benjamin Boake Trail leads to one of the most intense Christmas displays in the city. For sheer luminescence, it’s a difficult one to beat. The second house looks more like the Vegas strip than a place that someone actually lives, while the final image shows a tad bit more class.

(Images via mindlessmirth, villageorigin, christmaslightsetc, dontcallmebecky)

Most homeowners stop decorating once they literally don’t have an inch of their house left to color in lights… thankfully, not everyone does. Whether the house is plastered in lights like the top left example, or the lights leak out into the lawn like the house at bottom right, it’s amazing to see the effort some people put into their setup. Going a bit simplistic is better for some folks, as the top right and bottom left images attest.

(Images via fooyoh, timnealon, tampalights, welovedc)

If someone doesn’t own a house to decorate, or just wants to bring their zest for the holidays out on the road, there’s always the option to decorate a vehicle. This pickup truck takes the cake (and probably extra car batteries) for its intense setup that covers every square inch of its body. Not to be outdone, a blue sedan takes to the night with cool blue colors lighting up the street. A more humble Beetle sits stolidly as a piece of decoration, while a chopper makes waves with lights that make it appear like it’s simply an illustration and not an actual street vehicle.

(Images via gawker, coolfwdmail, 1funny, stickyboydaily)

When it comes to decorating, more is better, right? Some people definitely think so! This top house seems to have entire scenes going on, while the inside of this person’s house in the United Kingdom is filled to the gills, with an annual display they had to shut down after the power bill became too much to handle. The bottom house looks like it’s being weighed down by the incredible number of inflatable decorations they have in place. While the final home has a good mix between luminescent decorations and good old inflatables.

(Images via rofltime, californiathroughmylens, coolfwdmail, walyou)

Intense decorations can look classy, as these homes show. Using only white lights make this house stand out, and the snow around it only serves to help the image. Giant nutcrackers stand in front of the Mission Inn during their festival of lights in Riverside California, and they do just fine without any snow to help. The bottom house wins the award for sheer number of lights, yet they manage to keep it orderly enough to not look too garish. Last but not least, a large house stands adorned in classic decorations, with a faux tree made out of strings of light to decorate the yard.


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[ By Marc in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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10 Items from a Photographer’s Wish List to Make Santa Faint

24 Oct

I was recently browsing through B&H catalog and one thing struck me quite a bit, namely this: Okay, it’s Broncolor, one of the best lighting brands, but… It is a light stand! You know, a stick with wheels. $ 6 000? Come on guys, maybe it makes 0 to 60 mph in 2 seconds? Or what? Anyway, I thought it would Continue Reading
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Inside Gaming Awards 2010: Sony Santa Monica Interview | Pre-Show Red Carpet – Part 5

26 Dec

www.youtube.com Click here to watch Inside Gaming Awards 2010: Winners Recap! Inside Gaming Awards 2010: Sony Santa Monica Interview | Pre-Show Red Carpet – Part 5 Part 5 of our Inside Gaming Awards 2010 Pre Show Coverage! Join us on the red carpet! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Follow Machinima on Twitter! Machinima twitter.com Inside Gaming twitter.com Machinima Respawn twitter.com Machinima Entertainment, Technology, Culture twitter.com FOR MORE MACHINIMA, GO TO: www.youtube.com FOR MORE GAMEPLAY, GO TO: www.youtube.com FOR MORE SPORTS GAMEPLAY, GO TO: www.youtube.com FOR MORE MMO & RPG GAMEPLAY, GO TO: www.youtube.com FOR MORE TRAILERS, GO TO: www.youtube.com TAGS: Inside Gaming IG news machinima dead pixel Kovic twitter youtube facebook yt:quality=high Sark Awards Winners Recap Viewers Choice Best Animation God War Weapon Just Cause Grappling Hook Music Score Red Dead Redemption Innovation In Game Design Reach Halo Hutch Seananners Elissa Pre Show Red Carpet

 

[MODIFIED] Sites to Browse – Misc – Where is Santa Claus? Find out on Twitter, Facebook, iGoogle, and More!

17 Dec

Track Santa Claus using sophisticated equipment from NORAD.

Merry Christmas! A fun site for the young and young at heart, NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) has set up a worldwide Santa Claus tracker website. Powered by Google, you can view Santa’s location as he zips across the world in his reindeer sleigh delivering toys. Santa Cams are set up to record the visit, “ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras pre-positioned at many locations around the world only on December 24th”. You’ll also be able to see how many cookies Santa munches on.

As Santa has gone high-tech, you can also track him via the Google Earth application, allowing the young and old to do some learning as they follow his flight. You can also follow NORAD as they track Santa Claus via their Facebook, Twitter, and Picasa pages. Plus, his location is available on your mobile phone. And, there’s even a gadget for iGoogle….

Read more at MalekTips.
New Computer and Technology Help and Tips – MalekTips.Com

 
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