I recently came across some minimalist portraits of cultural icons by Israeli illustrator Noma Bar. I was immediately drawn to these pieces for their brilliant use of negative space, elegant subtlety, as well as Bar’s use of an object or symbol embedded in the design that helps identify the subject. (I especially love Bill Murray’s!)
Can you guess them all?
All these illustrations, and many more, can be found in the book Guess Who?: The Many Faces of Noma Bar.
Via Brain Pickings.
Welcome to today’s installment of Cool Tool Tuesdays, where I feature a favorite item from my life and spotlight it so that others who are not familiar with the product may also benefit from it. A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, hardware, material, or website that I have personally tried and love.
Do you have any questions about today’s cool tool? Would you like an item featured in the future? Please leave a comment to this post, or send me a message via my contact form. Enjoy!
If you are a regular Photoshop user, you are probably familiar with Photoshop Actions.
If you have no idea what Photoshop Actions are, go read “What Are Photoshop Actions?” over at the MCP Photography Blog. You can also check out this FAQ at Totally Rad for more information, instructions, and tips on installing and using actions.
Now that we’re set on that, let’s move on to today’s Cool Tool: MCP Actions’ Free Facebook Fix Photoshop Actions!
This FREE set of actions for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements includes 11 actions to resize, sharpen, watermark, and brand your photos. Why does it include Facebook in its name? Because this set is created with Facebook in mind by not only resizing the photos to Facebook’s 960px-wide gallery interface, but it also converts your photo’s color profile to sRGB IEC61966-2.1, which optimizes your picture’s colors for the web.
The Free Facebook Fix Photoshop Actions also include one of the best sharpening actions I’ve come across. Take a look at the following picture of Aerin, before I ran the Free Facebook Fix Photoshop Action and after:
The difference is subtle, but noticeable. (Click on the image to see the full version.) The effect is remarkably evident in the eyes — the sharpening action creates a bright and alert look to practically every pair of eyes I’ve run it through.
MCP also offers the sharpening action by itself, called Free High Definition Sharpening Photoshop Actions. I use these as the final step in almost all my pictures, and I know that many professional photographers do too!
Be sure to check out the rest of MCP’s amazing actions. While most of the sets are $30 and up (the whole shebang is $1085 😯 ), many amazing sets can be downloaded for free here.
And, as referenced above, Totally Rad is another company that offers amazing Photoshop Actions. I’m so glad I purchased TRA1 and TRA2 when I was still working full-time and had the money to spend, because I use their actions on almost all of my pictures too.
Don’t have Photoshop? Both MCP and Totally Rad offer Lightroom Preset versions of their Photoshop Actions, and many of my photographer friends prefer Lightroom to Photoshop. And while Photoshop Elements is not quite as powerful as Photoshop itself, it has most of the tools that non-professionals require — not to mention that it is a steal (at least compared to regular Photoshop) at $79.
You can also find hundreds of FREE and amazing Photoshop Actions just by searching for them. If you are not sure where to start, here’s an article called “The Ultimate Collection of Useful Photoshop Actions” which showcases more than 350 actions that are handpicked by Smashing Magazine.
Enjoy, and action away!
In preparation for Superbowl XLVI, Christian comedian Tim Hawkins has created this official handbook of worship signals…non-denominational, of course. 😉 I’m sure all my Christian readers — in addition to anyone else who have witnessed passionate Christian worship — will appreciate this with a big laugh.
Are you suffering from a case of the Mondays? Well, I’ve got good news for you, because this week I’m offering an exciting giveaway from Next Day Flyers!
Next Day Flyers is an online printing company that delivers top-quality printed marketing materials with one of the fastest turnaround times in the industry. Their printing procedure is environmentally friendly with the use of recycled materials and waste-reducing processes. All print jobs are subjected to a 33 quality checkpoints before being shipped, and their Online Design Center ensures that designing, and ordering print jobs are as easy and painless as possible.
Next Day Flyers has operated out of Los Angeles for the past 13 years, but they recently opened a new printing facility in New Jersey which means that not only can customers take advantage of the dual-coast time zones with extended business hours, they can also benefit from faster printing and lower shipping costs.
To celebrate the opening of their new, solar-powered facility, Next Day Flyers has graciously offered to give one of my readers a FREE set of 500 business cards! The cards can be printed in full color on both sides, on 14PT ultra-thick cardstock with a UV or matte coating. Next Day Flyers has also offered the winner of this giveaway free shipping within the United States.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to use business cards just for business purposes! You can use this credit to print coupons, save-the-dates, appointment cards, or even mini greeting cards. Since Next Day Flyers allows you to upload your own design, the possibilities are endless.
To enter this giveaway, simply use the Rafflecopter widget below. Not sure how to use Rafflecopter? Watch this 45 second video for a tutorial on how to enter a giveaway using Rafflecopter. There are 5 methods of entry, with the first method (commenting on this blog post) being mandatory while the third method (Tweeting about the giveaway) can be used once per day:
This giveaway will end on Friday, February 3rd, 2012, at 11:59pm, at which point a winner will be randomly chosen and announced here.
Please use a valid email address and/or Twitter handle so that I can contact you if you win!
Sorry, this giveaway is open only to residents of the United States.
Good luck, and thanks for entering!
A good illustrator can capture the essence of a person or a character without having to make the illustration look exactly like the person it is based on. And this is precisely what Anna Rettberg has done in the following illustrated mashup of popular television characters from various shows.
Check them out — isn’t it amazing how these characters can be immediately recognized with the use of one prop, a certain pose, and/or facial expression?
That, or I watch wayyyy too much TV. 😛
Can you recognize them all? I will post the answers as the first comment to this post!
Welcome to today’s installment of Reverent Sundays, where I write about an aspect of my faith. This can deal with recent books I have read on Christianity, my thoughts on religion and current issues, as well as particular messages I find touching and/or powerful. I am aware that most of my readers are not religious, and that is fine — you are more than welcome to not read these posts if they make you uncomfortable, enrage you, or bore you to tears. I am open to debates and discussions in the comments section as long as everyone remains respectful. Enjoy!
The parting of the Red Sea. Joshua stopping the sun. Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.
The Bible is full of miracles such as these, and whether you believe that they actually happened or not, you can’t deny that they are magnificent stories that can only be classified as miracles.
But as people who live in this modern world, we can’t help but question: if there are no awe-worthy miracles happening today (and if they were, they would surely be covered by Fox News 😉 ), why should we even believe that they happened in the past?
(image source)
There exists a common misperception behind this question. And it is the belief that the miracles of the Bible occur continually throughout biblical history.
While it is true that the Bible is filled with miracles — about 250 of them — most of these miracles occur in very small frames in history, and during three time periods in particular: during the times of Moses, Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus and the apostles.
So why then? It is because those were the times when God was confirming new truth and new messengers with that truth. It is during these times when God was creating new covenants with mankind.
And during all the other times in the Bible? There actually exist huge gaps where there are no recorded miracles from God — sometimes even hundreds of years! And the reason for this is because there was no need to confirm messages from God, and miracles usually acted as ways to confirm new word from God.
Thus brings the explanation behind the lack of biblical miracles today: because if the Bible is true and complete (which we believe), God is not confirming any new revelation and, as a result, does not have this main purpose for performing miracles. In other words, there is no new word from God that needs to be confirmed by God.
Now, I am not saying that God cannot perform miracles today, or that He never does. Being God, He can conduct a miracle anytime He wants. It’s just that He may not have a reason to publicly display His power the way He did during biblical times because all of the truths He wanted to reveal have already been revealed and confirmed.
I personally believe that smaller miracles continue to take place today, but that they almost always take place with people who have been forsaken or forgotten by the rest of the world — those who need God’s help the most, and are usually cut off or shunned from society. (And, as such, news of these miracles do not reach us.) Or, in places where Christians are persecuted for their faith, as in the case of Brother Yun.
Besides, do we not witness small miracles every day? 😉 I know that I do, whenever I look upon the faces of my daughters.
My mother has been telling me ever since Aerin was born that the best way I will survive the next two decades is by getting both girls to help me out as soon, and as often as possible.
Obviously this is still an unreasonable request to ask of Aerin, but now that Claire is walking — and growing more curious and precocious with each passing day — we have slowly begun to teach her little ways to help around the house, and with her little sister.
For example, yesterday as I was cleaning I made a little game of it by pointing out dirty spots, making an overly exaggerated disgusted face as I said, “더러워!” (“Dirty!” in Korean), then wiping up the dirt, showing her how the dirt was now on the paper towel and not on the floor, making another disgusted face as I pointed to the soiled paper towel, then throwing it away in the trash can. And every time a dirty spot disappeared I made a big spectacle of it by clapping and saying “Yay!!!” Soon, she caught up and wanted to help out too.
It goes without saying that she wasn’t much help — if anything, she slowed down my cleaning time significantly as I needed to wait for her to slowly and deliberately wipe, and go over the dirty spots myself again because she did not get everything — but just the fact that she wanted to help out, and was so proud of herself for doing so, made it all worthwhile.
Claire’s latest word is “Juice!”
It is also evident that Claire loves Aerin and wants to help out with her as much as possible, because she will almost always learn copperative activities on the first try, or the first time we ask. For example, the very first time that I made a bottle for Aerin and gave it to Claire, telling her “Go bring this to daddy so he can give it to your little sister,” she did it right away. And the very first time that we asked her to bring us one of Aerin’s diapers from the other room, she did that without hesitation too.
And heavens forbid that we even burp Aerin without her — every time that she hears the telltale “patting on the back” sound, she will practically run into the room and insist on burping her little sister too.
J rolled his eyes at me when I told him of our little cleaning game yesterday. “You’re not gonna turn our girls into neat freaks like you, are you?”
“Of course I am! Wouldn’t you rather have a clean house than a dirty one?”
I also like to remind him that whenever his mother plays with Claire, she always ends playtime by putting toys back in the toy box, so that Claire will know that that’s where they belong when they’re not being used.
I think Claire is definitely starting to catch on. Because now, whenever she sees a dirty tissue anywhere, she will pick it up and throw it in the trash. 🙂
Danish bus company Movia runs a night bus service which caters to the Copenhagen party crowd and other nocturnal creatures. This double layered video (which activates on mouseover) acts as a reminder to the folks who continue to party late into the wee hours of the morning when taking the night bus might be a better option. Or, as the copy says: “Is it time to get home?”.
Wait for the below movie to load, then move your cursor over the unfolding scenes to see how you think you look versus how you actually look when you’re drunk. Having been in the situation myself numerous times in my younger years, I can attest to the hilarity of each scene. 
(Ed. note: I have decided to hide the rest of this post from the front page so that the movie doesn’t automatically start playing for those who do not want to see it. Click the link below to see the entire post!)
J turns 34 today. I see no reason to hide his age, because he becomes more handsome, more delightful, and more lovable to me with each passing year.
A snapshot of my handsome husband as he waits for me on our wedding day.
(Photo by Danny Weiss)
Circa 1997.
We look SO young here! Our bodies may have aged, but we still love each other with a
childlike giddiness.
Thank you for sharing your life with me. Thank you for all that you are and all that you do. May all your wishes come true, and more. 🙂
It’s been a long day. Looking at these sugar-sweet illustrations from Berlin-based artist Ingrid Aspöck is exactly what I needed — I hope that they put a smile on your face too!
Via Bit Rebels.
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the "About" page.
These represent the current most popular posts (by pageview). If you would like to see a more comprehensive list, please see my Popular Posts page.
 Arkangel James Rollins |
 Revenge of the Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell |
 The White Lotus |
|
