My roommate and closest friends will tell you that I'm not a big studier. I like cramming and I like staring at Facebook aimlessly. But all that aimless staring, believe or not, gets old after a while. There are only so many status updates about your cats I can take. Lo and behold, StumbleUpon. This "discovery" engine combines the powers of Google and Match.com to bring you websites that you will love. For all of you that aren't familiar with it, you log on, which you can do with Facebook or create a separate account, and then identify your interests. They have topics like art, fashion, and graphic design, as well as topics like any Football, Magic, and hacking. From there, you click Stumble. The website then brings you sites that meet at least one of your search topics. You can "like" sites a la Facebook and "dislike" sites a la Pandora. If you like a site, it's saved so you can return later on, and if you dislike, it changes the kind of sites you're likely to see. Long story short, kiss your Tuesday nights goodbye. Once you start stumbling, you cannot stop. It's addictive.
On StumbleUpon, I've found countless recipes, like Nutella Cinnamon Rolls, Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries, and Bacon-wrapped Jalapeno Chicken Bites. I've also found DIY projects like how to refashion a vintage silk shirt and how to make a knotless Sailor's Bracelet, (no scurvy required). It also led me to a tutorial, How to be a Hipster. According to my favorites page, it has over 200,000 views. So mainstream.
So here are my most recent Stumbles.
Using something that's far from relevant, (thanks, lighters) Artist Mike Bell uses little matchboxes, like the kind you used to get at restaurants, to create detailed and tiny lifelike portraits of celebrities. There's one of Elton John playing his piano, the keys and his fingers made of matches. All four members of KISS with their matchstick-fingers in various rock on positions. His website, Belldog.com features more of his matchbox masterpieces as well as some of his other works including more eclectic portraits of Jesus and AstroBoy.
For whatever reason, dancing has gone totally mainstream. With shoes like So You Think You Can Dance and America's Best Dance Crew, America is becoming more and more familiar with different styles of dance and great talent in the dance world. Enter Nonstop, that is Marquese Scott. From Lawrenceville, Georgia, the 29-year old has appeared in several videos on YouTube, including a dubstep remix of Foster the People's Pumped Up Kicks. Of the new style that's known as floating, Nonstop is definitely a stand out. To find the video, go to website, ThisIsColossal.com and search "Nonstop."
Another art stumble, Greg Dunn himself stumbled upon a love of painting cerebral and other nerve cells in the classic Asian sumi--e style. His works have been commissioned by the Neuroscience Department of the University of California, San Diego. He does pieces on gold leaf, as well as scrolls, a classic Asian medium and tri-fold panels. His prints, which vary in size, sell for around $100. However, there's a perk. If you are a grad student, and can prove this, your fellow grad student (he's studying neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania) will give you a discount. Check out his artwork at gregadunn.com
See what stumbling can do for you?
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