Sandbox

For Christmas, New Years or Whatever

By Ben Gelinas

This year I decided to show my loved ones just how much I care about them by sending e-cards instead of paper ones. They cost nothing and require no walking or driving, so I had more time to be thoughtful, picking out just the right sentiments lovingly expressed by someone else.

At first, all I could find were simple flash animated greetings with cute, squeaky-voiced animals. But my friends and family aren't keen on blasphemy.

After endless (read: three) Google searches,  I finally found a site with a sense of humour. I've posted some of their cards below. I hope the company doesn't get mad, because this is technically free advertising.

For my girlfriend:

For friends with children:

For my father:

images courtesy of someecards.com

The Best of Jools Holland on YouTube

By Ben Gelinas

The BBC produces some quality programming. Their shows tend to put our CBC to considerable shame, mostly because they focus on original ideas rather than ripping off American successes.

I wish they aired Jools Holland's Later! in Canada (please, someone tell me if they do).

See, I often find myself navigating YouTube and DailyMotion, looking for good live performances by my favourite acts. And usually the crop yields at least one quality performance from Holland's programme.

Here I've collected a few of my favourite for your viewing pleasure. I've tried to put together a variety, so if you're not keen on one song, give another a try.

Click here to see the videos

Gwar vs. Hamlet: A Comparative Study

By Colin Hunter & David Bebee

Hamlet was written sometime between 1599 and 1601, and is one of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed plays.

Gwar is a gang of perverted space pirates who joined forces 22 million years ago on Planet Scumdogia

Click here for read more

Phil Collins, a gorilla and chocolate

By Ben Gelinas

So I'm sitting in a dark Galaxy theatre, waiting for No Country For Old Men to make me think (it did), when an advertisement for Dairy Milk chocolate bars starts to play:

On YouTube this ad prompted one user named sourshak to remark: "Best Advert Ever Made, Have No Clue Why? Lol <3"

I second this sentiment.

Lol <3 indeed.