NerdlyNews

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It was 1997 when Simon Jansen started his remake of the first Star Wars film — Episode IV – A New Hope — as an ASCII animation (or “asciimation,” as he coined it).

It was in 2015 when the dedicated New Zealand Star Wars fan added the last scene. That’s right, it’s not finished yet. In fact, it’s only about 40 percent complete.

Tedium reports:

For reasons that are a mystery even to himself, Simon Jansen began creating individual frames of A New Hope after a chain of joke emails. Though not particularly keen on animation or ASCII art, Jansen was just enough of a Star Wars obsessive to keep up with the project.

Obsessive is pretty much the only way to describe Jansen’s project. With more than 16,000 frames at 15 frames per second, the animation only lasts about 18 minutes. It’s not a perfect, shot-for-shot recreation. Those 18-plus minutes manage to cover almost 40 percent of the original. And Jansen had much less than that completed two years after he started the project, when he went viral before it was even a term.

“I do little bursts,” Jansen told Wired in 1999, describing his work ethic toward the project. “…if you were to sit down and a film over days and days, you’d go be a bit strange.”

It seems people have offered to help him complete the project but Jansen writes in the asciimation’s FAQ that he’d “really like to finish this myself” and that it “may take a long time but I ask people to be patient.” He suggests folks take on asciimating the newer Star Wars flicks.

There’s no way for me to embed Jansen’s brilliant labor of love in this post, so you can just head over to Jansen’s site to see it. It’s worth the extra click, I promise.

Jansen also claims to have invented the world’s first jet-powered beer cooler. This guy is cool.

One Frame At A Time: A long time ago in an encoding standard not so far away, an early ’net user tried to remake “Star Wars” in ASCII art form. He got further than you’d guess.

Previously: Star Wars Roguelike

screenshots via Star Wars ASCIIMATION

(Neatorama)

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A staggering eight million tons of plastic trash is dumped in our oceans each year, according to a 2015 Science report.

As a way of putting a spotlight on the issue, Spanish designer Adolfo Correa created the art for The Paradise? Shirt, a Hawaiian-style shirt that, at first glance, looks standard-issue. Look closer and you’ll see he’s put plastic waste — like toothbrushes and six-pack rings — into the design.

The shirt was a collaboration between Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, Corona and Parley for the Oceans, created for World Oceans Day (June 8). The limited-edition shirts were being sold at the World Surf League Store for $69/each but have already sold out.

images via Adolfo Correa

(Dezeen)

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Spring came and went, but we’re not here to judge if you didn’t get around to cleaning up your living space. After all, taking the time to vacuum your floors can stretch out into a lengthy task when you’re constantly switching between power outlets and trying to jam your machine into those tight corners. With the Dyson V6 Bagless Cordless Handheld Vacuum with HEPA Filter, you can sidestep the vacuum hassles and finally catch up on your spring cleaning. It’s available today for $179.99.

Powered by Dyson’s digital V6 motor and armed with cyclonic technology, this bagless, cordless, handheld vacuum uses cyclonic technology to separate dirt from the air and deliver more than 3x the suction power. Its rinseable HEPA filter traps dust, pet dander, and pollen while you clean, preventing it from escaping back to the air. And, with the included crevice and combination tool, you can easily get dirt out of those troublesome corners.

The Dyson V6 Bagless Cordless Handheld Vacuum with HEPA Filter is available in the Boing Boing Store for $179.99.

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What’s in the water in one Canadian city? Uncooked hot dogs, apparently.

Last weekend, a reality-hacking hero offered bottles of unfiltered, “keto-compatible” “Hot Dog Water” at a Vancouver street festival for CAN$37.99 (~US$28) a pop. The vendor, performance artist/”foodie-troller” Douglas Bevans, claimed his special water (which included a real hot dog inside each bottle) had health benefits.

“Several” people “bought-and-consumed” his expensive meat water though his hilarious venture didn’t turn a profit, according to the blog Vancouver is Awesome. The blog also shared Bevans’ reason for selling it in the first place, which appeared at the bottom of the health claim:

If you get all the way to the fine print, you’ll find this: “HOT DOG WATER IN ITS ABSURDITY HOPES TO ENCOURAGE CRITICAL THINKING RELATED TO PRODUCT MARKETING AND THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE IT CAN PLAY IN OUR PURCHASING CHOICES.”

Bravo, well done!

Get your Weiner 🌭 Water 💦 …stay hydrated! Smoky & refreshing! #hotdogwater #candidcamera #carfreedaymainstreet #stayhydrated

A post shared by Bernadette Price (@bernadettiums) on Jun 17, 2018 at 8:39pm PDT

The best booth at Car Free Day. Someone was doing a food trolling booth featuring hot dog flavoured water. It's a joke but people thought that it was real. The guy at the booth said that we were the first to immediately realize that this was foodie trolling. #CarFreeDayVancouver #CarFreeDay #carfreedaymainst

A post shared by Isabelle Guns (@isabelle_guns) on Jun 17, 2018 at 3:25pm PDT

lead image by Bernadette Price, 2nd image by Franklin Sayre, both used with permission