FFWD Weekly
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SPLICE
by FFWD StaffMore unuseless inventions
Back by popular demand, 99 More Unuseless Japanese Inventions: The Japanese Art of Chindogu (HarperCollins) brings more bizarre gadgets to the attention of the world. The book includes original photography, concept and source material by Kenji Kawakami, translated by Dan Papia.
A Chindogu is an "unuseless" object that meets the following 10 tenets: it cannot be for real use, it must work, it must have the spirit of anarchy, it must be a tool for everyday life, it is not for sale, humor must not be the sole reason for its creation, it is not propaganda, it is never taboo, it cannot be patented, and it is without prejudice.
So what qualifies? Examples include Portable Armrests, a Smearless Lip Stencil to eliminate smudged edges, a Portable Lamp Post for those dark alleys, Swiss Army Gloves, a Stroll 'n' Style contraption for drying your hair as you walk, Baby Mops to clean the floor, a Portable Parking Spot, a Grin Grabber to force your face to crack a smile and prevent frown lines, Drive-by Drier to air your attire around town, etc.
Totally Useless Office Skills
While unuseless objects at least have a function, useless skills do not. Totally Useless Office Skills (Hobblebush) by Rick Davis - founder of the famed Institute of Totally Useless Skills - includes 75 great ways to play at work.
Break up the boredom by sending an endless fax - make two copies of a nice friendly message, tape them together, feed them to your fax machine and start sending, then when the first sheet comes out, quickly tape it to the second sheet to form a loop. Other activities include making business card animals, death defying letter opener swallowing and multiple rubber band shooting.
The Huge Book of Hell
The Huge Book of Hell (Penguin) by Matt Groening is the first collection of "Hell" cartoons in over two years. It includes the very best of the last several years of Life in Hell - you may have seen some of them before in Fast Forward - as well as selected strips from now unavailable sources. Groening takes a humorous and twisted look at family life, sexual fantasies, attention deficit disorder, Bob Dole and many other topics in this collection, which features the lovelorn rabbits Binky and Sheba, the incorrigible one-eared Bongo, and the sexually ambiguous fez-wearing Akbar and Jeff.
Web watch
The new Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown is sure to put a spotlight on Pam Grier, who is superb in the title role. If you didn't know who she was before, you'll be wanting to find out after this movie. For more information, check out The Pam Grier Experience on the Web, which says, "Pam Grier is the undeniable queen of 1970s cinema; she started her career by conquering the woman-in-chains film genre and then went on to become blaxploitation's most memorable talent."
The site includes background information on Grier, who has appeared in more than 30 films, as well as upcoming events, a photo gallery, filmography, sounds, a chat room and links to related sights.
Foxy!
Free stuff
Just a reminder - the office is closed December 26, December 31 and January 1. The next issue of Fast Forward will be out Thursday, January 8.
Fast Forward has a limited number of Tibetan Freedom Concert CDs, featuring artists such as Ben Harper, Noel Gallagher, Sonic Youth, Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready, Beastie Boys, etc. To win a copy, drop by the Fast Forward office on Monday, December 29 and answer the following question: Which two bands on the compilation have members who released a CD together under the name of Butter 08?
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