intertext

I can't believe that I never tried out the "movie" function on my little toy digital camera before now.

This could be the start of something big...

Anyway, here's my first official upload to YouTube: "Robinson comes when he's called"
It's really, really, short.




If you're lucky, I might upload "Robinson chases a ball" tomorrow.
I'm not sure whether or not I wish I had one of Cholmondeley. It would probably make me cry to watch it.

I'm prompted to make this post by two things. Most recently, by sartorias posting some awesome music videos this morning - she and I obviously share taste in music as well as other things.

Then, I've had for some time a curious bitter-sweet reaction to the news posted hither and yon about the Northwest Passage opening up because of global warming. When I was in China, I gave a talk about Canada to my students and told them if they really wanted to understand Canadians they should listen to Stan Rogers, "Northwest Passage" and I copied out the words for them and played them my tape of it. It's one of those "heart songs" for me, with all kinds of complicated resonances, not least of which is the tragic fact of Stan's too early death in a plane crash/fire.

Here's a really nice video version of it, with eye-candy. Apparently Paul Gross sang the song in the last episode of Due South - he must feel about it the same way I do. That many of us do - this song was chosen in a CBC radio poll some years ago as Canada's unofficial national anthem.

For movie fans: news of a fascinating new documentary, The Pervert's Guide to Cinema. You can read about it and listen to excerpts at Open Source

I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to, but for those with too much time on their hands you can Shake up a Sonnet by rearranging lines from all Shakespeare's sonnets.

The latest in the lolcat craze: Schrodinger's lolcat

And finally, I'm going to join the throng of people recommending this beautiful and fascinating video:

I just have to share Storm's Story, a YouTube video recording a year in the life of a beardie rescued after Hurricane Katrina. The shots of the dogs after the hurricane made me cry, but also very glad that I sent a large donation to the Humane Society to help with rescues. Storm is obviously a lucky dog; he looks so happy and loved. Beardies are the best!

I just have to share this surreal, bizarre and strangely touching video from YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETQ0urHjSIk


Enjoy!