Iconic synth-punk band Devo is filing suit against fast food tyrant McDonalds for using the band's trademark energy dome hat in a Happy Meal toy giveaway promoting American Idol.

"They didn't ask us anything. Plus, we don't like McDonald's, and we don't like American Idol, so we're doubly offended," says Gerard Casale, Devo bassist and designer of said hat.

Here's the story.

Here's hoping they whip McDonalds' ass in court.

Gotta love this interview.

GR: Have you met a lot of the celebrities who stop through Dharamsala to meet the Dalai Lama?

TC: Celebrities? They’re all human beings, what’s the big deal? You sit down with them, you start talking, and it’s the same thing. Richard Gere is a wonderful person—very simple, modest, and natural with whomever he meets. He’s done a lot for the Tibetan community. And then, on the other side of the scale, there’s Steven Seagal. Oh my god. I met him when he came here. He was wearing a funny coat, a Chinese brocade, funny trousers, and funny shoes with that ponytail. I asked him, “Why do you dress in such a peculiar manner?” He didn’t say anything. He’s arrogant, and pretends to be a Tibetan reincarnate. But why? He’s a strange man.

Traditionally, bamboo has always been used in most Asian countries for a whole bunch of things, including music instruments.

This particular Philippine band seems to have taken the concept to another level: a whole band with bamboo instruments. They were good enough, it seems, to have caught Reuters' attention.

Watch:



Amazing, 'no?

Sorry to Karlo and Lioness pero... off topic muna tayo.

Selling my Pentax Optio W30. Less than a year old and in great condition. Comes with box, manual, charger, usb cable and warranty from Colorado (head office).

Php10,000 na lang. :) I'll throw in an oregano seedling if you want. I have lots.

"The Pentax Optio W30 is a compact digital camera designed to be dustproof/waterproof. The waterproof function has been further enhanced from the W20 so that it is possible to photograph underwater at depths of 3 meters continuously for 2 hours. The waterproofing capabilities of the internal construction of the camera and of the front and back covers, made from the metal used for the exterior, were further improved to make the Pentax Optio W30 capable of being used to photograph underwater at depths of 3 meters continuously for 2 hours. In the previous W20 model, underwater photography was possible at depths of only 1.5 meters for a period of 30 minutes).

The Optio W30 includes a 3x optical zoom lens that covers focal lengths from 6.3 to 18.9 mm (equivalent to 38 to 114 mm for 35mm film) and features a refraction lens system so the lens never protrudes from the camera while zooming. And by harnessing the full power of the 7.1 effective megapixels, the Pentax Optio W30 produces extremely high-quality prints with crisp detail even when the photo is greatly enlarged."

• Auto-lock mechanism that automatically locks covers, such as the battery cover
• Auto-tracking AF continuously focusing on a moving subject
• Compatible with SDHC memory cards, in addition to conventional SD memory cards
• Mode Palette provides quick access to 25 shooting modes and 15 playback modes
• Image Recovery function lets you retrieve accidentally erased pictures
• Soft flash function avoids overexposure during close-up flash photography
• Digital zooming provides up to 4x magnification
• Digital Filter function that lets you enjoy editing photographed images
• FotoNation’s red-eye correction function for correcting red eye after shooting
• Approximately 21.9 MB of built-in memory
• Includes the ACDSee for Pentax image viewer/image management software
• Supports PictBridge, DPOF functions, Exif Print, and PRINT Image Matching III

One of the best blogs I've come across recently is the Video 48 blog by film enthusiast Simon Santos. Dunno if that's his real name, but much props to the guy for keeping the flame of classic Filipino movies alive and reintroducing these classics to local, and international, technorati. His collection of movie facts and other minutiae is wonderful and entertaining.

Here's the link to his site. Enjoy it!

Seen Indiana Jones 4 yet? If you haven't, you might want to skip this entry.

Eagle-eyed nitpickers have spotted 50 mistakes (and counting!) in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, from continuity errors to visible film crew to anachronisms. Nothing too serious, though. If you spot any, feel free to add!

Non-spoiler Sample:
Factual error: In the scene when Indy and Mutt are flying to Peru, a Pan American Aircraft is shown. It is an Antonov AN-2. Pan Am never flew this Russian aircraft! Also, the shot is backwards; the writing on the aircraft (airline name and registration) read backwards.

I just love airports, don't you? Especially the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. You exit the terminal and you see a crush of people behind bars. My Japanese friend's first impression was, what is this place, a prison? Whether you're landing in Narita or Davao, airports can be bewildering. Imagine what it would be like for a 23 month old toddler.

Check this out:

Parents board flight, forget toddler at airport

Wouldn't you know it? The parents are Pinoy. Yan kasi, ang daming ineempake sa bagahe, si Junior tuloy naiwan.

God listens to Slayer, but does he know his Metal? For that matter, do you?

Here's ED's Furry Fucking Guide to Metal, for your continuing Pikpakbum education.

The Lenovo X300 pwns the Apple MacBook Air. The Lenovo X300 also costs close to twice the MacBook Air.

 'Nuff said!



 linky

The world-famous restaurant franchise built on breasts has now unbuttoned its blouse in Metro Manila. Hooters Bar recently opened its first Philippine branch adjacent to the Mall of Asia, adding yet another sight to distract your attention from the Manila Bay sunset. Management insists "You can look, but you can't touch."

I can't seem to embed the video, so here's a LINK.

In the grand tradition of LOLCATS comes the next meme du jour: FAILS!

The FAIL Blog exemplifies schadenfreude, which means "enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others," a term popularized by the wicked musical Avenue Q.

Go ahead, laugh. You know you need to.

First off, apologies for not posting in a while. Work has overtaken my Pikpakbum duties. So..

Here's one for scratch DJ fans, or Japanophiles, or folks who really really like cute kids. That last one didn't come out right.

Watch DJ Sara's left hand. I heart her crossfade crabbing technique!

The oldies who read Pikpakbum remember this dude with funky, flashy hair.  Mike Score of Flock of Seagulls is here in the country with his band to do a series of gigs. With Flock of Seagulls are two other 80s New Wave bands When in Rome and Real Life.

Naturally, our intrepid Tabo Queen Isabetlog had to take photos of them with the country's most ubiquitous symbol.

More tabo photos here. New Wave oldies here.

In Tagalog, to boot!

Can't get enough of these Lolcats. This one was sent in by My Next Bike, mountain bike proponent and fanatic. 

this one's an instant classic, right up there with the Pek-pek Carinderia. Located at Metrowalk.

Boy Tite, my good friend's pet Baguio Barrel Man, has just come back from the United Kingdom where, in his inimitable style, he exposed himself to the uptight British populace. Find his photos here.

The Adventures of Boy Tite is an independent offshoot of The Tabo Project we launched. Same concept, different dick.

One of my favorite movie scenes rendered in typography. After watching this, find the rest here.