The happiness of most people is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things. – Ernest Dimnet

Ah, if only we had really built ugly international styled office facades for all classical buildings, then dealt them one solid blow with a wrecking ball… At least one amazing artist would be out of a job.

Illusionist/muralist John Pugh has graced the sides of buildings around the world with his 3d murals with baffling visual effects.  A small collection of his works are showcased here and here.  Enjoy.

Friend and former PwCer, James Good, is 3 days into his cross country odyssey across the US from Seattle WA to Charlotte NC via a bicycle. Already having to deal with lonely nights fending off ravenous mice in remote parts in Washington, James’ solo journey can be followed via twitter, and his blog which he hopes to frequently update along the trail. Above is the general route he’ll be traveling.

Good luck James!

The unusual combination of Sparklehorse, Danger Mouse and David Lynch form like voltron to create this fantastic album. However due to the fact that EMI is the devil, the music wont be seen on any record store shelves anytime soon.  A book of photos from Lynch was set to accompany the album, but since the music isn’t being released by EMI, you can buy the booklet, equiped with a blank CD-R to “Use it as you will.”

Read the full story and listen for free on NPR.com.

Leaving for Hawaii in the morning for 10 days. Pineapples, papayas and porpoises be warned.

* Actual quote from long time Detroit Mayor, Coleman Young.

I’ve become a huge fan of Carey’s photostream on flickr. Check ‘em out.

Here’s Fleet Foxes performing 2 of their songs: Sun Giant and Blue Ridge Mountains… If you only watch a couple mins of this,  fast forward to the second song (2:20)… Absolutely brilliant.

I’m not usually one for compilation albums. Not just because it makes my iTunes library look like crap when sorted by artist, but because all the songs end up being disjointed from one another and the album ends up feeling cheap. Sort of like a “Best Of” album (which I usually really dislike), but worse.

However, I recently discovered the soon to be released “Dark Was The Night” album which sports more than a handful of my favorite musicians. Feist, Grizzly Bear, Blonde Redhead, Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Yo La Tengo and oodles more. On first impressions alone, it’s an indie music lover’s wet dream. What really makes this project stand out to me is not just the all-star lineup – it’s the fact that thus far, all the songs I’ve listened to work well as an album – not just a random assortment of tracks. You can listen to many of these tracks on the project’s website. Go ahead.

I suppose I should also mention that the album is meant to raise proceeds for AIDS prevention and awareness. So be a good chap and save the torrent for the next release of The Source Presents or Jock Jams or whatever other crap compilations are out there – this album seems to be money well spent.