Things That Are Rad.

Every so often, the internet is very good to me. Every link followed leads to something unbelievable, or beautiful, or just plan rad. This afternoon has been one of those (rare) gratifying afternoons spent click-click-clicking through links, and my friends: there is a lot of Rad shit out there. I'm sitting here with twenty open internets tabs--a list of shit I don't necessarily want to bookmark, but don't want to forget about either. And I want to share these cyber-finds with you (yes, you!).

It's been a while since I've done a "Things That Are Rad" list. In fact, I've yet to do one here on SCP. I will now remedy this with the first official

Semicolon Comma Period's Ten Things That Are Rad.

Here we go (please note that, while these are numbered, they are not in order of Radness):

10.The Neon Museum
(If I knew the appropriate html to make that header blink, it would be blinking.)

Holy crap I want to hang out here. It has taken Carhenge's place on "The List of Kitschy Crap In The U.S. I Want to See Before I Die" (which would place it only slightly below Graceland, Dollywood, The Giant Head of Abraham Lincoln, and The Mecca of Albino Squirrels).

From The Neon Museum's Website:

"The Neon Museum's mission is to collect, preserve, study and exhibit neon signs and associated artifacts to inspire educational and cultural enrichment for diverse members of our international community."

Apparently, you have to have special permission to photograph the signs, but I want to. I want to photograph those signs. I want to film a movie around those signs. Hell, I want to live among those signs...

They've amassed a collection from the 1930's on, and focus on the evolution of design and pop culture throughout the last century. The above pictures are from a Flickr set called The Neon Sign Boneyard, which could've been a gorgeous set if the light had been better, but is still beautiful.

9.Creative Advertising for "True Blood"



Ok, "True Blood" is awful. It's really not good (or, at least the pilot was terrible. I didn't keep watching after that.) But this is an incredibly clever advertising campaign. I've got nothing but love and respect for whomever came up with this.

8.Disney + Span of Sunset's "Goth Cheshire Cat"



If I was one of those people who thought it was a good idea to get a cartoon character tattooed somewhere on my body, I would get the Cheshire Cat. I wouldn't, but I toy with the idea... Of course, I would get the original John Tenniel rendition, which bears only vague similarities to the Disney version, but that doesn't hinder my love for this piece that's selling at The Sunset Store for $60.

7.Taxidermy



When I was a kid, my grandparents' house was full of taxidermied animals that my grandfather and uncles had killed. Cougars, pheasants, deer, and so on. First I thought they were creepy; then I thought they were enchanting. When my grandparents sold their collection, I was a little heartbroken. I was reminded again how much I love the art of taxidermy when I watched "The Lost Boys" last year. And again every time I listen to the Eddie Izzard bit about trying to fit the whole of the Gobi Desert into a squirrel. And then again today, when I read this article about the modern take on taxidermy in art.

Granted--I'm someone who takes pictures of mutilated birds because I think they're pretty--but there's something hauntingly beautiful about what these artists are doing.

7.a."Trophy" by Caralyn Salas



7.b."Sleeping Bear" by Eiko Ishizawa



(Not really taxidermy, but in the same vein.)

6.Howie's "Hand Me Down" Backpack



There is no way I could ever justify spending £195 on a backpack, but I want it. I want it, I want it, I want it! It's classic and rugged and I want it!

5.The Greatest Way To Say "Fuck You to Your Parents, Ever



From oneplusinfinity:

An 18-year-old has secretly painted a 60ft drawing of a penis on the roof of his parents’ £1 million mansion in Berkshire. It was there for a year before his parents found out. They say he’ll have to scrub it off when he gets back from travelling.

Fuck, I wish I'd thought of that when I was eighteen. I also wish I was the kind of douche-bag rich kid whose parents wouldn't cancel my credit cards upon discovering that I had drawn a 60 ft penis on the roof of their £1 million mansion.

3."New Math" by Craig Damrauer







Baked Fresh Every Monday!

3.Ray Ban's Super Chameleon



Yeah, I know: I'm a total fucking slut for Ray Ban. But I like what they did with this. Also, I still want Wayfarers in every color of the rainbow.


2.RIFLE Blog



Anna Bond (a graphic designer and illustrator out of FL and web-mistress... owner... proprietor... ladyperson of RIFLE) started the RIFLE blog in February. She uses it to post updates about her art and what-not, but also to post some of the things that inspire her. Which tickles me pink, since a lot of the things she's inspired by are things I also love (stamp collections, shit from The Evolution Store (and speaking of The Evolution Store, I WANT THIS!), paper illustration work, old maps). It's nice to find that someone else has done all of the leg-work for you. Which leads perfectly into

1.That Jim Jarmusch Quote That's Making Its Way Across the Interverse




One Thing That Is Incredibly NOT Rad:

The fucking chihuahua/wiener dog beast that I'm dog-sitting this week. Jesus. If there was ever any doubt which side of the "Lapdog v. Cat" debate I fell on, this week has settled it: I'm a cat person.

Tenfour.