Dude + Nature = Happy. John Muir Agrees.

Dude + Nature = Happy. John Muir Agrees.

Dude + Nature = Happy. John Muir Agrees.

The Dude is a sucker for the natural world…and a great beard.

This John Muir cat is one rad dude. Loves nature and beards.

A large part of conservation land in the U.S. can be connected to Muir. But beyond any activism – activism always has pros and cons – I dig John’s view that nature is an integral part of our lives, and that we should break away from civilization to “wash [our] spirit clean.”

Happy spring. It’s a beautiful day. Let’s get out there and wash our spirit.

And Muir had a killer beard. Lookin’ good John, lookin’ good.

For anyone interested, here’s a list of 10 Cool Things About John Muir…see, a cool cat.

“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.

The gross heathenism of civilization has generally destroyed nature, and poetry, and all that is spiritual.”

Automatic Drawing Machines. Who Knew They Were So Cool?

Two of my favorite blogs (Kottke.org & TheKidShouldSeeThis.com) put out a post with the below video of an automatic drawing machine yesterday. About an hour apart.

Think they read each other? They must right? Are they going to start reading the Dude? What’s up Kottke and The Kid? The Dudes are big fans. 🙂

But back to the automatic drawing machine. I would have cruised right by their posts if it didn’t show up on both blogs at relatively the same time. An automatic drawing machine just would not have grabbed my attention. Seems basic. Boring.

I was way off. The machines are basic, yes. But the results are far from boring. The automatic drawings are amazingly mesmerizing. As Kottke mentioned, the video seems too short. I could get sucked in for much longer than 1:45.

Automatic drawing machines. Who knew they were so cool?

Enjoy. It’s worth 1:45 of your life.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/31933085[/vimeo]

As a bonus, here’s another automatic drawing machine from The Kid.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/21999779[/vimeo]

Put a Sling On ‘Em

Moms are trying to creep in on Dads’ cool territory.  Dads are riding high on the cool dad trend, and moms everywhere are green with envy.

Moms are great for hugs and kisses and to put Band-Aids on the cuts, but dads are the the voice of reason that sends the kid down the giant hill on the skateboard that creates the cut.

We’re cooler.

But in an effort to be fair and balanced (like Fox News), in response to the two dad videos I posted last week, below is the moms’ rebuttal.

I have to say ladies, in comparison to the dad videos, the production value leaves a bit to be desired.

Mrs. Dude’s new theme song:

Put a Sling on 'Em

Put a Sling on 'Em

Dad’s Are Cool!

Is this a new trend?  Are Dad’s cool right now?

I was sent the below videos today by separate, unrelated sources.  Both are great parodies of a Dad’s life, and judging by the number of views they’ve had on YouTube, they seem pretty popular…even Toyota has jumped on the Dad bandwagon.

Dad’s are funny creatures.  It’s a big shift from single dude to dad, but great dad’s are successfully making the transition every day, and it’s pretty funny to watch…and experience.

Seems the Dude is in the right profession.  I suspect the high dollar sponsorships will follow soon.