John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

The Homer Shake

The most obvious attraction of the Harlem Shake meme of the last few weeks is that anyone could (and evidently did) produce their own version of the video: an opening shot, with a jump cut to a wildly dancing, usually gyrating crowd. Get a few friends, organize yourselves, turn on the camera, upload ... boom.

Give The Simpsons some credit for having to animate it! 

That video went up on Friday and has been seen at least a million times since. That's a small fraction of the overall views of the countless Harlem Shake knockoffs ... and it's not even the first time Homer made an appearance in one, either! To wit, this pick of 10 of them, which starts with a very clever use of the Peanuts classic A Charlie Brown's Christmas. 

Hipster Homer

One of the things I like about The Simpsons: Tapped Out is the incremental additions of characters and situations, including a few that have been tied into episodes of the show. The most recent is a hipster version of Homer you can adopt, with the usual blue-and-white costumer replaced by retro-minded attire that would not be out of place in, say, Brooklyn ... or Portland. The look is connected to next week's Simpsons episode, The Day The Earth Stood Cool, which features Portlandia's Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, not to mention the Decemberists. 

The tasks for the too-cool-for-you Homer include drinking "Duff Blue Ribbon," as seen above. You can also give Homer instructions to "walk around acting superior," "listen to indie rock" and "screen mumblecore films," among others. 

These have been funny touches. Fat Tony, the every-syllable-is-worthy-of-being-enunciated mobster, showed up a little while ago (tied into a Tony-centered episode) and before that the Mayan version of Homer, which connected to this year's Treehouse of Horror episode. I'm curious to see what's next. 

 

Once again, life imitates the Simpsons

Earlier today, reports surfaced in the U.S. of a voter attempting to vote for Barack Obama, only to find that an electronic voting machine registered the vote for competitor Mitt Romney. 

Did that sound familiar? It sure did, at least in the plot for this 2008 Treehouse of Horror episode from The Simpsons. 

 

If this is cool, then that might interest you

[Surf’s Up, as published in the St. John's Telegram, on Thursday, October 11, 2012.] 

Whether we recognize it or not, we’re surrounded by programming. Code keeps many things around us running, from our phones to our computer networks, from traffic lights to TV signals. 

The featured site this week is one that helps you put a little topspin on the digital content all around you, while making daily life that much more enjoyable.

IFTT

IFTT stands for If This Then That, which plays on the type of logic that is one of the cornerstones of programming languages, as well as math. That is, if [x] is an input, then [y] is the action, or output.

OK, don’t panic. You don’t need to know any programming at all to enjoy IFTT, but it will work better if you use a social media network or platform or two.

Or several dozen, even. IFTT is basically a connecting device between more than 50 different “channels,” as it calls them, and lets you configure them any way you can think of.

Actually, you don’t have to even do that. You can piggyback on the recipes – yes, that’s what they’re called here – that others have devised. Some examples: if Amazon posts a free MP3 (which they do all the time, by the way) then you can have a notification sent straight to your email.

Weather alerts? Meet Twitter. Your Instagram pics? Have then backed up in Dropbox.

The ideas go on and on, and show some creativity. One of the things that pleases me is the reliance on some underrated favourites. One of them is good ol’ RSS, or really simple syndication (to use one of its names), which is far from trendy but which is the backbone of how a lot of what’s online gets to audiences. Here, you can get RSS to pull needles out of digital haystacks, and deliver them to you neatly and the moment they’re found.

Give it a shot. You might discover a very valuable tool … or three.

The Simpsons do Halloween

Last month, I wrote about a Simpsons game called Tapped Out, which has been rebooted after an awkward start. I noted that it was fun, and kind of addictive. 

Well, it’s now even more entertaining. Over the last week, an upgrade for Halloween has rolled out, and if you’ve ever seen the annual Treehouse of Horror specials, you’ll know the Springfield crowd go all-out for the bewitching season.

There are new characters, games-within-games and spooky incentives, but the most fun has to come with the zombie onslaughts that roll out twice a day or so (including, ahem, from the pet cemetery – that’s right, Snowball 1 is back!). If they touch regular characters, the zombiefication takes over. 

You can squish a zombie with your finger (and turn Homer and others back to normal with a tap), and the reward might include a roll of toilet paper or a package of eggs – perfect for “sharing” with your virtual neighbours! 

Tapped Out is still only available for Apple devices, but it appears to have overcome its shaky start from last winter; it’s currently the highest-grossing app for iPhone and iPad, which is remarkable because you can play it for free. (The money comes from upgrades, where are packaged in a clever way. I confess to splurging a few bucks to get another zombie generator. Less than a movie ticket, I rationalized.)

As with the regular game, what makes the Halloween edition of Tapped Out so charming is astonishing attention to detail. It also differs from many games in that it is actually written; that is, the show’s writing staff comes up with the gags and scenarios, and there appears to be as much care with the Halloween sequences on your screen as with the latest Treehouse of Horror. (In fact, the two are connected, with some of the new jokes riffing on plot details from the actual show.)

As I plant a new pumpkin patch around Willie’s shack, it’s hard not to get in a fiendish mood … and also start wondering what might be coming to Springfield when the Christmas season kicks into gear.

 

John Gushue is an editor with CBC News in St. John’s. Twitter: @johngushue.

 

Springfield, Springfield, it's a hell of a town

I had a chuckle over how Matt Groening and The Simpsons played a bit of a prank on audiences this last week, first by Groening suggesting that Springfield was based on Springfield, Oregon ... and then the show itself (after a welcoming note in the first frames of the opening) having Bart turning things on their head with this twist on the weekly chalkboard message. 

I'm not sure why there was much of a fuss; while Springfield could indeed be anywhere, it's been no secret for many years that Springfield draws its inspiration from another city in Oregon, namely Portland, which shares the same topography as Springfield. Groening even grew up on a street with Evergreen Terrace in the name. The names of streets in Portland, such as Lovejoy, Flanders and Kearney, inspired many of the characters on the show. 

Anyway, that wasn't even the best part of the opening animation. 

This week's couch gag (the name given to the weekly joke in which the family runs to its beloved and ageless couch) was from the drawings of cartoonist Bill Plympton, and it was all-out hilarious, with Homer falling in love with a couch and then dumping it for Marge. (My favourite moment? The couch doing pole dances at a strip club.) Imagine what a whole show would look like. 

Meanwhile, I'd love to see other cartoonists (Roz Chast comes to mind, or Robert Mankoff, or Garry Trudeau, or Aislin...) get a similar crack at reinterpreting the familiar characters. 

In all, another great moment in a strong series for a show that had once been running low on steam. 

 

A simple Simpsons project you can make at home with Lego

And with just a few pieces, too. 

As seen here, as part of a set with a few other pop culture nods. 

Kent's Korrections

The best part of this scene? Kent Brockman correcting the very title of the segment at its end.

 

O is for Otto

The Simpsons Alphabet. It's not only funny, you can wear it; click here for T-shirt details.

D'oh, oh dear

Homer Simpson has said "D'oh!" many, many times over the two decades and counting of The Simpsons. (As fans know, the script had called for an "annoyed grunt," and actor Dan Castelleneta improvised a sound from Scottish comedian Jim Finlayson, from the Laurel & Hardy movies). 

Here's a comprehensive rendering of the word that made it to the Oxford English Dictionary. 

Hobbes goes to Abbey Road

... along with some other figments of (fictional!) people's imaginations. It's the shirt from TeeFury today. A cute idea, although the inclusion of Donnie Darko and Tyler from Fight Club make the shirt a bit adult for kids who might chuckle over Calvin's lovable tiger and Ralph Wiggum's hateful leprechaun. 

 

Family photos

We posed for a family photo a couple of weeks ago - a bunch of them, and with extended family members on Martha's side. It actually went quite well, and the results are handsome. I'm not why we don't do it more often, whether it's at Christmas or not; we certainly have not had the difficulty that, say, the Simpsons encounter! (The image above is from last Sunday's Christmas-themed episode, which was as sharp and joke-filled as the series has ever been.) 

Duff gets a classy makeover

 

What if Duff, the beer company from The Simpsons, got an upscale brand makeover? It's part of this collection of reimagined logos of fictional companies.

 

Hi, Dr. Nick

One of my favourite catchphrases ... this time with a laconic rejoinder. 

 

And now, a Ralph Wiggum moment to cheer you up

Goodnight!

 

Oh, boy! Bedtime!

My favourite Ralph Wiggum line, ever. 

H.R. Muffin Stuff

The best sight gag I've seen in a while. Here's the backstory. 

It only took about two years, but this evening we tapped into the digital archive and watched a 2009 Simpsons episode called Bart Gets a Z, the Z referring to a too-cool teacher who uses Twitter, Facebook and texting to teach the kids. Where was Mrs. Krabappel? She got sacked for getting drunk on the job (Bart slipped some Irish into her coffee), and she wound up running a muffin shop. Among her competitors? The above, a nice rip on H.R. Pufinstuf. 

 

The evolution of Homer Simpson

And it still makes me laugh ... especially when Homer and Moe cross paths.

A very special Christmas for Homer

Our son just came up with this one, as a possible Christmas special title for The Simpsons.

"Look what's under the Mistle-[annoyed grunt]"

()

If it needs explaining, "annoyed grunt" is the script direction given to Dan Castellaneta, who came up with "D'oh!" As an ongoing joke, "annoyed grunt" now shows up in show titles and elsewhere, and is meant to be read as good ol' D'oh.

Indeed, as Castellaneta himself explains in this interview, the Simpsons writers still insist on using "annoyed grunt" in scripts, even though D'oh has become an accepted component of English usage.

The Homer Simpson fail whale

Ain't no birdies keeping that fella in the air.

As seen on Holy Kaw!

 

His dad's not Bono

My contribution to St. Patrick's Day - don't get me started on green beer and plastic hats - is one of my favourite exchanges in the Simpsons Movie, in which Lisa meets and falls for Colin, the young boy from Ireland:

Colin: I'm Colin.  

Lisa: I haven't seen you at school.

C: Just moved from Ireland. My dad's a musician.

L: Is he ... ??

C: He's not Bono.

L: I just thought, because you're Irish and you care about ...

C: (interrupting) He's not Bono!

 

The Simpsons opening, in Lego

Because someone in the house will like this even more than I do.

 

The kids' placemat handed out in the restaurant at The Shining resort

They had me at the word scramble with "red rum." And, it seems, all work and no play still makes Jack ... something something, to quote another parody.

A T-shirt for the oatmeal enthusiasts

As seen here on CafePress. I am, of course, an actual enthusiast of oatmeal, including the steel-cut Irish kind that takes a conspicuously long time to cook - which is why, on many busy mornings, they stay in the container. Instead, it's Quaker Oats, which took a few minutes but still stick to the proverbial ribs.

The phrase comes from The Simpsons Movie, where it appears, very briefly, as the magazine that Grampa Simpson is seen reading. I noticed it in the trailer, made a post of it about three years ago, and have - believe it or not - been getting daily search-engine traffic ever since. I'm willing to bet most of them are inspired by Grampa and not by breakfast.

The super-colossal high-calorie diet of Mr. Homer Simpson

 

Yeah, he'd be dead by now. 

From Pleated Jeans, which also took the liberty of guessing the caloric loads of the Seinfeld gang and Garfield the cat. 

School’s out, but Bart’s still at the blackboard

Surf’s Up, as published in the St. John's Telegram on Thursday, June 24, 2010. Click here to read more Surf's Up.]

Another school year is ending this week. The books are put away, the lesson plans are back in the folder, and the chalkboards will be getting less of a workout until at least September. 

One blackboard, though, is open for business all through the summer months, and is the first stop on this week’s web tour. We’ll also take a break at one of the finest gardens in the province, learn how to convert your online clips, and have a laugh at pictures of people with little in common … other than their remarkably similar facial expressions. 

Bart’s Blackboard 
Bart Simpson has written some pretty awesome things over the years, as seen in the opening seconds of The Simpsons each week for the last two decades. (One of my favourites? "Cursive writing does not mean what I think it does.") The show’s writers have poked fun at everyone over the years, including themselves, and on Bart’s Blackboard, you can look at every message of every show from every season.  For new content, we’ll just have to wait until Bart returns, yet again, to Springfield Elementary in September. 

Botanical Garden 
Memorial University’s Botanical Garden was founded almost four decades ago, and has become a haven in St. John’s – whether or not you can identify the plant species as you go along the trails. It’s a wonderful resource, and I can’t get over how many people in the city area have never stopped by for a visit. The Garden offers many programs and services (click on the Friends tab if you’d like to join FOG, of Friends of the Garden, the volunteers who help keep the garden going), and the site will be a good guide for planning a visit. 

Clip Converter 
Let’s say you have a link to a YouTube video, and you’d like to play it later, when it’s convenient for you, but on a device that doesn’t have web access. Clip Converter is a multi-purpose tool for turning such a clip into a Flash video, an mpeg, an MP3, or other products of your choice. It’s easy to use, too. 

Totally Looks Like 
In 1986, Spy magazine launched a regular feature called Separated At Birth, featuring photographs of two persons whose facial poses were more than just a little similar. (I still remember SCTV’s Edith Prickley matched with Benazir Bhutto.) That was in the days (years, really) before digital imaging, so it was impressive that photo researchers spent that much time looking for pairs. The concept is what drives this user-generated project, in which readers submit two pictures in which A, you guessed it, totally looks like B. Some succeed far more than others. 

 True Blood 

HBO’s hit series (which combines fangs, sex appeal and small town politics in a show that is both hilarious and scary) is just a couple of episodes into its second season. Werewolves, Nazis (yes, really) and other dark creatures have joined the proceedings, which you can follow here, on the official website. Look for a link to Bloodcopy, a Twitter-powered community forum. 

Five-note Vuvuzela
Last week, I told you about an iPhone app that’s become a surprise hit, as it mimics the annoying racket of the vuvuzela. Here’s another way you can bring that World Cup cacophony into your personal space, if you so choose. This site offers five noise-making options, from “annoying” to “like eating glass” to “just kill me.” 

Snapbuzz 
There’s a torrent of videos, images and curious things online – far more than any one person could manage (let alone want) to see. Snapbuzz is a time-saving option, as it sifts through what other people have seen and enjoyed. Now, whether it strikes your taste is quite another question… 

John Gushue is an online editor with CBC News in St. John’s. Twitter: @johngushue.