Bali is like sand in a fist. It is tough to get a handle on. I always come back from the island dumbfounded with my inability to properly explain what makes it so special and extraordinary. The pervasive culture and feel is difficult to communicate with language; its character escapes the calculated classification of words. This video is a collection of the elegant details that make Bali such an enchanted place. I think Stephan Kot does an excellent job showcasing this beautiful “Island of the Gods” – far better than I could ever do with words.Postcard from Bali (Canon 5d MkII) from Stephan Kot on Vimeo.
Amazing San Francisco model built out of match sticks
Laughing Squid pointed us to a nifty video created by Scott Weaver today. The artist has been working on a mockup of San Francisco made out of matchsticks for the last thirty five years, complete with weaving, secret passageways through which ping pong balls can navigate the structure. We’re not sure what’s more amazing, the fact that it’s made out of matchsticks, the time that went into building it or the sheer awesomeness of the model, but one thing is certain: this video is going on loop during our next Gadling happy hour.
[via Robert Reid]
Best Western produces indie film series
Best Western just commissioned a series of indie films telling the story of some of their properties and the people who run them. While not the most altruistic of stories (of course they’re going to paint a good portrait of the brand), it’s an interesting experiment in indie film making for a large scale hotel chain, and the stories seem well thought out and composed. Now all they need is the momentum that the BMW Films gained (and perhaps the employ of Clive Owen) and they’ll be hits. You can see the rest of the series over on their site.
Taiwanese make video about Michelle Obama’s air traffic control controversy
What do you do when the plane carrying Michelle Obama has its safety compromised due to a sleeping air traffic controller? If you’re in Taiwan, you make an animated video about it, naturally. Our friends at AOL Travel have the full scoop on the controversy, but we have your main location for a laugh.
Video of the Day – Musical Birds on Wires
This video has been making the rounds on the internet for about two years, but every time I watch, it brings a smile to my face.
In 2009, São Paulo based musician Jarbas Agnelli came across a photo in a newspaper of birds perched on electric wires. His musical curiosity took over, and he decided to find out if the birds created some sort of melody based on their positions on the wires. Sure enough, a surprisingly well constructed melody emerged, and Agnelli posted the final result in this video.
Agnelli later gave a talk at TEDx São Paulo to discuss the piece and has been interviewed with the original photographer, Paulo Pinto, in the same newspaper that the photo first appeared.
Perhaps you’ve caught a natural tune in one of your travel photos or video? Share it with us in the Gadling Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo / Video of the Day!