Honda’s new hybrid, the Insight, is getting introduced with this incredible commercial which has a bunch of the cars using their headlights to make pretty pictures.

(Tom has one of the 12,000 original Insights, a 2-seater, which was made until 2006.)

This one has been making the blog rounds the past few days: Erik Solheim took pictures of the view from the same place on his balcony for a year and then made a beautiful video showing the entire year in 40 seconds. There’s also a 2-minute version:

And, by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

How Erik Solheim did it

Check it out: Wilbur Hall’s comedy vaudeville act abusing a violin (and a little later, a bicycle pump). It’s amazing that he’s actually a really good player. Even more so when you learn (according to Wikipedia) is that his first instrument was trombone.

tidbits: The British composer, Oliver Knussen, mentioned in an interview that this video was a source of inspiration for his violin concerto, which is how I came to find it. Hall played with some great bands, Paul Whiteman’s. Whiteman was the guy who got Gershwin to write his Rhapsody in Blue. Wikipedia also says that Hall reprised this bit on The Gong Show in the 1970s…

Check out this neat-o optical illusion. Focus on the dot in the center of the castle until the end of the video. (Play it full-screen for less distractions.) Now, check out what really happens after the jump:

Remember the grey image when you first saw in the post? That’s all that’s happening in the second half! Your brain fills in the colors.

via Towleroad

The pessimist in me senses a metaphor for our recent political landscape in this video of the teacup ride at Disneyland after a rainfall, empty and deserted and yet, still running. Or perhaps it signifies another year drawing to a close. Whatever, take a look…it’s pretty cool.

     via BoingBoing

Does anyone use tablecloths anymore? Here’s a modern take on that childhood fantasy of livening up a boring dinner. The kind of thing you used to see on Johnny Carson.

  via BoingBoing