Life 101 – Perseverence

Posted on November 11, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

Maybe you’re having a tough week, a tough month, a tough career. Well, this little video will give you the courage (and a laugh) to keep going! This is the story of Alexis, an 8th grader who, when faced at her first meet with hurdles higher than she’d ever seen, hit each one with determination. One after one, she… well, watch the video. No matter how many times she was told no, she kept going! So, yes we laugh, but the answer to every one of our troubling self-doubt questions today is: YES, keep going! (That seems to be my theme this week.)

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Life 101 – Dandelion in time lapse

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

If you want to be dazzled and amazed at the beauty of life, watch this time lapse video of a dandelion flower to seed head. It was shot every 5 to 45 minutes over a month on a Nikon D200 with 55mm lens under a growlight. See if you can spot the aphids feeding on it as the seeds mature. Neil Bromhall, the genius behind the camera, says, “Dandelion are considered a weed, though I think they are very beautiful.” Set to the music “Attrition,” I’d agree and also point out dandelion greens are great for you, containing more nutrition than broccoli. My grandmother used to make dandelion greens with onions, so here’s a delicious southern dandelion recipe.

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Life 101 – Last Leaf

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

You just gotta love the band OK Go. Their videos are genius (remember the treadmill routine?) and their songs are nice. Their newest song, “Last Leaf,” continues their originality with a new animated video. The video was made possible by Samsung who furnished the guys with a Samsung NX100 camera, allowing for each second of video to be a sequence of 15 photographs. Geoff Mcfetridge, founder of Champion Graphics, provided the animation itself. Check out Mashable for the video and more of the story, and there’s cool behind-the-scenes footage on Samsung’s website.

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Pet Fun – Life With Dogs Blog

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

Clever animal humor.

Life With Dogs brings together all the most doggy-relevant news, photos and videos on the web. It’s dogged in its pursuit of dog news. Stuff you can really wag your tail about. Some really drool-worthy content. Okay, I’m done. Basically, it’s brilliant, and anyone with dogs should definitely check it out!

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When I grow up – Stuntmen

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

Here’s a new brucelittlefield.com feature: When I grow up, a look at outrageous, crazy fun jobs. Today, I ponder the question, “How exactly does someone’s career path put him perched on the top of the highest man-made spot in the world, without a harness?! Yep, check out this video Gizmodo posted of Mission Impossible 4 stuntmen scouting a location literally at the top of the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. At 2,717 ft, it is world’s tallest skyscraper. Warning: do not watch if you get vertigo. After watching, I haven’t been able to shake the fear and my eyes may be permanently widened. In order to rig it for Tom Cruise’s stunt, professional stuntmen Brett Smrz, Gregg Smrz, and David Schultz scaled the world’s tallest skyscraper without the safety of harnesses. Hold your breath and watch! (Or, instead, stay on the ground and enjoy The Carpenter’s Top of the World.)

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Quick Fixes – Kylie Minogue spirit lifter

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

It’s no secret I’m a huge Kylie Minogue fan. Have been since I was a wee thing. She’s an international pop princess (having sold 60 million records worldwide!) and a cancer survivor. She appeared this week on UK’s X Factor to perform her brand new single Better Than Today. And it is so uplifting. Do your day a favor and sing along. “We can do it better. Yeah, I’m talking to you. You’ve got to feel it, see it, know how much you need it. What’s the point of living if you don’t take a chance?!”

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American Hype – Conan

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

Congratulations to Conan O’Brien who stepped back in front of the camera last night on TBS. His new show comes after a rough ride with NBC and the sting of getting ousted from the coveted Tonight Show spot. As Kandi Burress from the Real Housewives of Atlanta would sing, you aren’t doing nothing if you don’t have haters, you just have to fly above all the haters. And he did. The Conan premiere comes after a great build up including a hilarious American Express commercial and 2 million Twitter followers. The painful divorce from NBC landed him back on top, achieving ratings and attention he would have never gotten otherwise. It’s something to remember for the rest of us when we face bumps in our day. Stand back up and make it better! Here’s something fun: the opening from his first Late Night show in 1993. Look back, leap forward.

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Monday Morning Quarterback – Wade Phillips Fired

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

Phillips was fired after the Cowboys record hit 1-7 last night.

The only thing people will be talking about this week is Wade Phillips. This afternoon, Cowboys owner/manager/Head Hoo-Ha, Jerry Jones fired head coach Wade Phillips after the ‘Boys officially went 1-7 last night with a loss to the Packers. It’s a big, big deal to fire a head coach midseason, but can the Cowboys’ season get any worse? Me thinks not. In other news, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will take over as interim coach. Next week is a big rivalry game, when the Cowboys will take on the Giants, who have one of the best records in the league this season. Cowboys fans will be holding their collective breath for the next week.

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Life 101 – NYC Marathon

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

Congrats to Gebre Gebrmariam of Ethiopia and Edna Kiplagat of Kenya who finished the 26.2 miles in 2:08:14 and 2:28:20, respectively. I’m sure they’ve spent today chowing down on pasta, getting a leg rub, and figuring out how they are each going to spend their $130,000 in prize money. That’s a lot of running shoes! Watch this fascinating time lapse of the runners. Stunning and cool. Almost makes me want to do it. Almost.

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American Icons – Barbra Streisand

Posted on November 8, 2010 by Bruce Littlefield

Duck Sauce has a Top 10 hit in Europe with the song Barbra Streisand. I like it! The lyrics are two words “Barbra Streisand.” It’s apparently all you need if you’re the only artist ever to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Directors Guild of America, Golden Globe, National Endowment for the Arts, and Peabody awards, as well as the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Honors. If you’re a Barbra fan, you’ll definitely want to check out her first book “My Passion for Design.” In it, she reveals another talent: the styles that have inspired her beautiful homes and collections. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! If you want to see Barbra, but can’t afford her ticket price…check out my friend Steven Brimberg, the premier Streisand impressionist, who performs his show “Simply Barbra” around the world. Steven does not lip-sync his performances but note for note matches Streisand with his own voice! He has shows coming up. Check him out!

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