Curious Bits

The first ever Barbie TV commercial from 1959

Daniel Swartz — Tue, 07 May 2013 22:13:44 +0000

It’s easy to forget how ubiquitous certain things are in life: McDonalds, Rock and Roll, Campbell’s Soup, Barbie and more. But everything has their start somewhere. Here is the first ever Barbie television commercial from 1959.

1959 First EVER Barbie Commercial High Quaility HQ! – YouTube.

When Towns Are Turned Into Lakes

Daniel Swartz — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:25:06 +0000

Over 30 years ago, the town of Geamana in Romania was abandoned and filled up with water to service the copper mine Roşia Poieni. It is not the only city or town to be abandoned in the service of industrialization, but the pictures to go with it can be depressing. I can’t imagine my home town being permanently submerged under water, or to see it dried up decades later in a drought.

Before:

After:

The Shared Fate of Treece, Kan., and Geamana, Romania – NYTimes.com.

What I Learned Today: Saul Bass On Opening And Closing Movie Credits

Daniel Swartz — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:51:20 +0000

Something I did not know before today:

One would think it the most obvious thing in the world, but the opening and closing credits of a movie lay the emotional foundation and tone of a movie. Apparently this wasn’t clear until Saul Bass came along in the 1950s with his style of opening and closing credits as well as his movie posters accompanying the movie. I suppose now when I think about it that when a movie from the 1930s and 40s opened up, it was general orchestra music and canned credits flowing by before the first scene of a movie.

Bass was also an animator and won the Oscar for best animated short in 1968 for his cartoon “Why Man Creates.”

Siskel & Ebert Outtakes From The 1980s

Daniel Swartz — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:24:25 +0000

The passing of Roger Ebert last week has reminded me again how wonderful both he and Gene Siskel were to movies. They were very often the opinions that mattered most to me when considering whether to see a movie or not. And their TV show “Siskel & Ebert” was a great give-and-take on movie opinion.

Here is a wonderful collection of outtakes for a commercial plug for their TV show. In it you see not only their flubs trying to speak their lines but also the biting jokes that accompany it. While the two were frenemies, they clearly had a dynamic that brought out the best of both of them.

via Siskel & Ebert 80s Outtakes – YouTube.

Read My ‘Curious Bits’ Magazine On Flipboard

Daniel Swartz — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:41:35 +0000

I a news junkie and I share articles I’ve read on various platforms around the web, be it this blog, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and so on. Now Flipboard has a new feature out that allows users to create their own magazines of articles they’ve favorited on the app. Pretty slick feature, I must say.

View my ‘Curious Bits‘ magazine on Flipboard!