We Have Moved!

Please change your bookmarks, links and feeds. You will now find me here. Go! There's an improv/flashmob video waiting for you!

Everyone I met at the 1st Podcamp suggested I move from Blogger to Wordpress, sooner rather than later. At the time I thought it was too much of a hassle. After all, Blogger suited me fine.

Then, I made a Wordpress account for Και Τώρα... and was blown away! Like I told a friend, it's like Firefox to Blogger's Netscape Navigator...!
The new blog still has some rough edges -- I'm not done tweaking the layout and categories, yet, so bear with me. Once I'm done, though, it'll be smooth sailing.

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Both Funny and Not Funny

Obama's First 100 Days




Edit: More Inauguration Fun: (courtesy of The Onion)

• Security Measures For The Inauguration
  
• Hillary Clinton Mouthing Along To Presidential Oath
  
• Obama Inauguration Speech Ruined By Incessant Jackhammering

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Change I Need to Believe In

I'm tired of hearing people say that "nothing will change" under Obama. As if they know somebody else who would change everything.

The election of Barack Obama is a historic event in and of itself. No other western country has managed to shatter racial barriers in such a way, and no other western country could, anyway. It's something that confirms my faith in humanity as a whole and fills me with respect and gratitude for the American people.

Separate from the event of his election is Barack Obama, the person. Admittedly, expectations are extremely high. It seems inevitable that he will disappoint. Still, that doesn't change the fact that he appears not only to be a sincerely decent human being, but also an extremely charismatic leader. Someone not afraid to admit he's fallible, yet no less able to inspire admiration and hope because of it.

Over the course of my lifetime, I don't expect to witness many politicians that I feel are better people than me. Much less heads of state of the most powerful country on the planet. If he fails us, and he very well might, then too bad. For now, though, he inspires me. He compells me to become a better person. He's a leader I want to follow. And that's a feeling so rare that I want to savour and hold on to it for as long as I can.

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Και τώρα... Και Τώρα!

Ανέβηκε (επιτέλους) το πρώτο επεισόδιο του podcast που ξεκινήσαμε με τον Διονύση Ατζαράκη.
Είναι αστείο!
Θα το βρείτε εδώ.
(Ψηφίστε εμένα!)

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The Bridess Prince

The cover of the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Princess Bride DVD is absolutely amazing! It reads both ways! I want this so badly. Too bad it lacks the features (and 2nd disc) of the special edition...

(via BoingBoing (via Justin))

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Things that renew my faith in humanity #4

I took part in the Erasmus Freeze at Ermou street in Athens (you can actually see me at 6:15, sitting on the far left) about a month ago. For all I know, it was the first flashmob event of its kind in Greece, after which people started organising "freezes" all over the place (understandable, considering how much fun we had).

I first came across the idea of freezing in place in this video by Improv Everywhere. Over the past few years, they've organised lots of inspired stunts, including pretending to move in slow motion and welcoming random people at the airport. As a matter of fact, today is No Pants 2k9, the 8th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride, where people, well, ride the subway without pants in 24 cities worldwide (the trick is in pretending that everything is normal and not smiling like an idiot).

Besides these events where anyone can participate, they also organise smaller-scale (but larger-scope) missions like the Food Court Musical. Some have elaborate scripts, such as the wonderful Romantic Comedy Cab or the Suicide Jumper. Some, like the McDonald's Bathroom Attendant just make me smile.
Finally - you absolutely have to see this, it's unbelievable - there's The Moebius.

If you still haven't had your fill, there's even more missions on their site.

It's just plain fun!

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Tragedy Days

Ήμουν καλεσμένος στην ηχογράφηση του τελευταίου podcast των Διάτρητων ΑΕ.
Άμα έχετε 61 λεπτά και 4 δευτερόλεπτα να σκοτώσετε, περάστε από εκεί να μας ακούσετε να μιλάαααααμε. Το κομμάτι για το stand-up και τις Νύχτες Κωμωδίας ξεκινάει γύρω στο 13:10, όπου θα βρείτε και μια τέλεια techno έκδοση του theme του Tetris. Πιο μετά μιλάω και γι'αυτό το blog καθώς και για τα μελλόντικά μου σχέδια όσον αφορά τις Μαϊμού Ειδήσεις.

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If you could go back to any time anywhere, where would you go and why?

Sukeile asked me that awesome question in a comment on deviantArt, and I had so much fun coming up with an answer that I decided to post it here, as well.

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Let me say, first of all, that I'd much rather go forward in time, than back. I'm more curious about what's coming, than what went by.
Even so, the more I think about it, the more I find things I'd really like to witness in the past.
The Big Bang, for one --as you can see, I'm starting at the very beginning-- or even what existed before the Big Bang (not sure how I'd survive, though). There's so much of science I could prove or disprove by going back in time! I'd like to see some dinosaurs and prehistoric men (and, thus, corrobate the theory of evolution and whether dinosaurs had feathers), maybe check out what Jesus was like. Be a pirate on the Spanish Main (although that's probably more fun in the movies). Find out how Machu Pichu, the Stonehedge, the Pyramids and the Parthenon were built. Witness the Byzantine Empire, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution and the turn of the century (or, simply put, every major event in human history). Meet Socrates, DaVinci, Alexander the Great, Christopher Columbus, Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, Oscar Wilde and (moving closer to today) Carl Barks, Groucho Marx, Douglas Adams and Mitch Hedberg (though I'm not really sure what I'd say to them "Hey, there, I'm from the future!"). It would be like a super-enhanced museum experience.
Then, there's the temptation to influence past events. Save Anastasia Romanof (I'm not sure why that's the first thing that came to mind), help the Aztecs against Cortez, stop Hitler (see Red Alert) or the A-bombs, help Al Gore against Bush (as soon as I find out how...).
Or maybe just minor events. Go back to my younger self and teach him stuff I wish I had known back then (like how to talk to girls). Not sure I'd listen to myself, though...
The possibilities are endless! Even just introducing modern technology to people from the past would be fun, or I could just mess around with their heads...

To tell you the truth, I would probably try my best not to influence past events, for fear of tearing the time-space continuum, but still, what an awesome question...!
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What would you do if you could go back to any time anywhere? I'm certain there's great ideas I missed.

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Suited Monkey

Almost two months ago, Stelios Kouloglou, a Greek journalist, did a series of short videos showcasing some of the comics appearing at the Νύχτες Κωμωδίας Comedy Club in Athens.
Mine has finally been posted online: check it out! (sadly only in Greek)

A couple of thoughts after the jump...

That was probably one of my best sets, so I'm especially happy to have it on video. I think it comes across - it's surprisingly energetic (something compounded by the fact that I talk waytoofast)...
I like how they start with my joke about living with 4 siblings. It's something that describes me accurately and succinctly. They've picked my most palatable material -which conflicts somewhat with my statement, at the beginning, that "my set becomes more surreal with every passing year", but what are you going to do?

... It'd be nice if they hadn't mistyped my name in the accompanying text, though.

Now, can anybody show me how to save this and embed it? ... Never mind, found it!

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My favourite songs, today.

:)

(via BoingBoing (via Kottke))

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