Thud, Slurp, Kliong, Boom, Splonk, Ffizoom!

El Estratografico’s Flickr set Retronomatopeya, documents the simple yet creative language used in comic books to convey sound.

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Devoted AP readers may remember a post from a couple months back titled Precision Fade, in which I described the characteristics of a good, reliable barber.

Like new clothes, toothpaste or food, haircuts are a regular part of the consumption process, and how one cuts/styles their hair says a lot about who they are. To keep one’s identity in tact, remaining selective with whom you left shorn your locks is essential.

Once, while navigating my way through the crisscrossed back roads of old Barcelona, I came across an intriguing barbershop. I knew from its old-world aesthetic, peach-colored interior, scattered assortment of outdated products and glowing containers of barbicide, that the middle-aged man inside with the clippers was the real deal and could be trusted. Tipsy off several tall-boy cans of Estrella, I walked in, smiled and waited for my turn. Ten minutes and 3 Euros later, the best haircut I’ve ever had was completed. An amazing feat considering neither of us could understand a lick of each other’s language.

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There’s ad copy, and then there’s bitchin ad copy. Case in point, this sweet insertion for one easy piece (a ’70s one-piece suit). “Easy on and easy off, quick as a flick of her tongue. Sexy cool crinkle cloth for those hot nights to come.” Be sure to “show where your headed in the ultimate fashion climax”, you “walking turn-on”.

As predicted, it didn’t take long for a Japanese mega-corporation to jump on the rice-paddy art bandwagon. Few forms of creative expression remain unmolested for long nowadays.

The union you’re a part of is ripping you off! Join AFSCME. Not only will they get you higher wages, they’ll bust their balls for you doing all the shit work you take for granted like picking up garbage, pushing around old ladies, and making sure that your kids don’t drink piss out of water fountains.

If you’re into multi-cultural snack foods and not lactose intolerant, peep battle of the pseudo-milks. Curdle…curdle…curdle.

Don’t waste your parents’ money on art school. All you need to do to make it big is place a different banana on your windowsill each day, photograph it, and hock off the resulting documentation as an ingenious concept. Some critics will think your a has-been, others will praise your aptitude and faculty. Being an artist is easy!

The animals will save us!

Au Bon Gout.

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Created by intermixing purple and yellow-leafed kodaimai rice with local green-leafed tsugaru-roaman variety, imaginative farmers in rural Japan grow mass scale rice paddy artworks in their fields.

According to Pink Tentacle, “In recent years, a growing number of local governments around Japan have started organizing rice paddy art projects as a way to attract tourists and educate people about rice farming.”

I’m surprised that a major Japanese brand has yet to integrate this unique practice into its marketing mix. I wonder how long it will be before we see a Toyota, Nissan, Nikon or Sony logo surface in a farmer’s field?

Although this year’s rice-growing season has only just begun, images of fresh rice paddy art have already begun to emerge. The photos after the jump are from the Yamagata prefecture town of Yonezawa.

Related Post: Rice Art of Inakadate Japan

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Discovering that the sensuous Russian woman you’ve been talking dirty with and sending money to online is actually a man (part of one of the many disturbing Russian mafia rings making a fortune off of such scams) can be heartbreaking!

Creativity Online recently published the 2008 Creativity 50. Radiohead, Yugo Nakamura, Johnathan Harris and The Coen Brothers are among the innovative minds listed.

Redheads are commonly stereotyped with having fiery tempers and sharp tongues. During the Middle Ages, green eyes and red hair were thought to be characteristic of a witch, a werewolf or a vampire. Scary! Just like this website.

In the ’30s, London’s public pool scene was hopping. Overtime people got tired of swimming, attendance rates dropped and pools became uneconomical to run. Photographer Gigi Cifali’s “Absence of Water” series documents these once happening locations in their now eerie and decrepit states.

“All you have to do to look great this summer is keep it simple, tone down the accessories, lose the make-up, and be the most beautiful woman anybody’s ever seen, ever.” I Agree.