We Recommend: Your Friday Freebies
Junkee-endorsed bits and bobs to make your weekend better. Includes a mindblowing Toy Story theory, Nimbin's best paper, and a Japanese guy who turns into a turkey.
Each Friday, our contributors send in a bunch of (legally) free stuff they’ve come across this week to help you waste your weekend. You’re welcome.
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Turkey Art: ‘Japanese Man Becomes A Turkey Using Only A Sweater‘
Recommended by: Ben Jenkins
Art has the capacity to challenge us, to confront us with truths we’d rather not face, and, on rare occasions, make us better people. This man uses a jumper to turn himself into a turkey, and it’s really great.
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Awesome Tumblr: Matthew McConaughey Chilling
Recommended by: Jenny Noyes (‘Here’s What’s Happening On Manus Island, According To People Who Actually Know‘)
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Video: Guys rave to The Benny Hill Show theme song
Recommended by: Katie Booth (‘A New Twitter Lie Detector Could Change Everything‘)
Try taking a dance scene from your favourite movie, set it to the theme song from The Benny Hill Show theme song and see if the results are as wonderful as this. Someone on YouTube has turned hardcore ravers into comical acts by overlaying this video from Awakefest 2013 with the song ‘Yakety Sax’, made famous by Benny Hill’s British comedy show.
Last year, Mashable collated a list of movie scenes “ruined by ‘Yakety Sax’”. In the case of the festival-goers, I wouldn’t say “ruined” so much as “made significantly more awesome.”
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Apology: Sorry Asylum Seekers
Recommended by: Steph Harmon
Created by former ABC political reporter Ryan Sheales, SorryAsylumSeekers.com is a hub which popped up a week ago for people feeling sad, guilty, helpless and angry about mandatory detention in Australia. It’s pretty simple to use: you take a photo of yourself and/or your apology and upload it, and it gets added to a growing stream of likeminded others.
It won’t change the policy or the past, and it isn’t a way to palm off your guilt — but much like the vigils held last weekend, it might offer hope to those who need it while reminding you that there are a lot of good people out there, too.
There are also a few dogs, cats and babies. I am not sure of the ethical implications of making an apology in someone else’s name, but it’s pretty adorable:
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Theory: ‘The True Identity Of Andy’s Mum In Toy Story Will Blow Your Mind‘
Recommended by: Elizabeth Flux (‘Is It Time To Return To Downton Abbey?‘)
Just in case you didn’t know, nothing that happens in a Pixar movie is ever a coincidence, and everything and everyone in them are connected in all sorts of crazy ways. Jon Negroni is the author of ‘The Pixar Theory‘, and as of this week he has added a new thread to this ever growing, complex web. Long story short: in the Toy Story franchise, Jessie’s (the toy cowgirl) previous owner is Andy’s mother. He makes a good case, and it made the part of me that enjoys a good time travel/paradox story squirm with joy. Plus hey, in Pixar world, haircuts and hats are more concrete than a DNA test.
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Website: What-A-Misunderstanding.com
Recommended by: Nic Holas (‘This Is The Face Of An HIV Positive Person‘)
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Media: The Nimbin GoodTimes
Recommended by: Alex McKinnon (‘Things That The Government Can Apparently Still Afford As It “Runs Out Of Money” For Medicare‘)
Australian media is at a crossroads — even as old mastheads like The Australian and The Herald haemorrhage revenue and readership, bold new experiments like Guardian Australia, The Saturday Paper and, well, even this website, are springing up all over the shop.
In this hectic landscape, one can sometimes yearn for a publication that harks back to a simpler, more carefree era, before the proliferation of smartphones and human dominance over nature. So it’s heartening to see that a paper like The Nimbin GoodTimes can make such a uniquely successful transition to the online sphere — the end product doesn’t scream any catchy buzzwords like “new” or “trendy” or even “reader-friendly”, but boy is it something.
This is the ‘Weather Watch’ page. It is a photo of the weather.
The free monthly newspaper serves the area around the north-western NSW town of Nimbin, one of Australia’s most eclectic and (ahem) tree-friendly communities, and its website is exactly what you’d expect a bunch of stoned Baby Boomers living in the woods to come up with. Whether it’s the gracefully spinning stars, the exuberant WordArt ‘E-MAIL’ at the bottom of the page, or this photo of the editor wreathed in a cloud of smoke, The Nimbin GoodTimes website has something for the weekend pot-grower and fluoride conspiracy theorist in all of us.
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Seasickness: ‘Epic Storm Off South Coast Of Ireland’
Recommended by: Rob Moran
Growing up, I always wanted to be a sailor. Or a ferry driver. Or a fisherman. Or a pirate. Or visit The Love Boat. Unfortunately, I can’t swim, and gently rocking waves frighten me to tears. And so, I’m forever forced to live vicariously through Captain Haddock and Little Toot and this frightening POV video of some fisherman navigating a pants-shitting squall off the south coast of Ireland.
Yep, I’m pretty sure this is better experienced half-covered in your bedroom blankets. And… vomit.
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