Flip Phones Are All The Rage, Upside Down Words, and Precarious Situations
5 oddities to ponder and share
Hello, fellow Oddballer!
Are the days of looking at stuff like this on your smartphone going to be a thing of the past? Maybe, if Gen Z has anything to do with it. Scroll down and see what’s going on with these crazy kids these days.
As always, links are in bold and underlined. Have fun with those. So, without further ado, here are five oddballs for your eyeballs!
An Odd Puppetmaster
Barnaby Dixon creates puppets with uncanny realistic movements. How’s that for an odd job? His creations are amazing! In a time where CGI rules the movie screen, I long for the artistry of puppets in cinema. Watch the first “Jurrasic Park” again and you’ll probably feel the same. Dixon’s puppets are a refreshing reminder of a dying art.
Here’s a cool video that highlights some of his fascinating work:
Upside Down is Right Side Up
Speaking of strange jobs, I stumbled upon a collection of videos from Rob Tanniru, a guy who creates Ambigrams. If you’re unfamiliar (as I was), they’re words that can be read right side up or upside down - like the cover of “The Princess Bride” DVD (below). What a weird skill to have mastered. I like it though.
“Zombie Bigfoot”
I’m almost done listening to the novel “Zombie Bigfoot,” written and narrated by Nick Sullivan. Now, maybe you’re thinking, This Jason guy really loves Bigfoot! You would be correct. And this book is a gem for anyone who loves Bigfoot as well… and maybe even if you don’t! It’s campy, gory, imaginative, and fun. It’s everything that “Cocaine Bear” could’ve been but wasn’t. It’s certainly odd, but, if you add it to your summer reading list, you may find that it’s the most memorable and enjoyable of the lot. I recommend listening to it since the author does an amazing job narrating.
Gen Z Likes Flip Phones
Jessica shared an article with me about how Gen Z kids are preferring flip phones to smartphones. It’s no wonder; smartphones, while amazing, can become a portal to all sorts of crud on the internet. After reading “iGen: The 10 Trends Shaping Today's Young People - and the Nation” by Jean M. Twenge Ph.D., I was convinced that we should limit access to smartphones for all kids under the age of 18. What are your thoughts on this?
Oddballs Sample: “Precarious Moments”
Since my zine “Oddballs” is, in itself, a bit of an oddity, I thought I’d share something from the upcoming issue. If you click on the picture, you’ll be led to a page on my website where I share some precious moments in relation to the comic. It involves WWF wrestlers as one would expect.
Do you remember Precious Moments? Better yet, do you OWN any? Please share in the comments below.
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Until next time, stay oddly beautiful!
Jason