Category Archives: Money
Breaking Bad Money Bed Sheets
Here is a design for your bed sheets that will make them look like stacks of money, specifically the large pile of cash that Huell and Kuby famously laid on top of in Breaking Bad.
There are a million places where you can get custom-printed bedding. Unfortunately a lot of the places I found online look sketchy, or they have production limitations (more on that in a second), or they don’t reply to my email inquiries. I was hoping to make this design a reality, but so far no dice.
The main limitation is that most places will project a single image onto the top of a bed sheet. I want to go a step further and project images onto all sides of the sheet, so you can see the sides of the money wrapped around the sides of the mattress.
If you know of a reputable custom bedding place that can do a “wrapped graphics” approach like this, please let me know in the comments. My goal is to make one for myself and share the art (in several bed sizes) with everyone.
Notes: above is a queen-sized bed, with life-size bills. If I was able to get this made I would include Breaking Bad characters on the bill faces too.
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Ideas To Help The Wii U
Last night Nintendo announced that sales for the Wii U are going to be well below expectations for fiscal year 2013, and despite the one year head-start it appears that it will fall behind newcomers PS4 and Xbox One sometime in 2014 (in terms of units sold).
So why is the Wii U faltering? Is it the console’s price or lack of games? Is there brand confusion with the previous Wii console? Are the Wii U’s specs not powerful enough for the long haul? Depending on who you ask it could be one thing or all of the above. Regardless, the Wii U is selling about as well as the doomed Sega Dreamcast, which doesn’t bode well for its future.
Here are some suggestions to help Nintendo’s flagship console: Read the rest of this entry
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Geeky ATM Machine: The Bluth Banana Stand
You probably remember the phrase “There is always money in the Banana Stand” from Arrested Development, a reference to the large stash of money hidden in its walls, not the stand’s revenue potential (as initially thought). So I felt the Banana Stand would make for a neat piggy bank, but alas other geeks have already thought of that.
So I propose an ATM machine design instead! This way it would be close to the size of the actual Banana Stand seen in the show, and would be in keeping with the aforementioned phrase.
It could be a standalone Banana Stand or one that is integrated into a wall (like the one you see above).
Hopefully a major bank with a sense of humor would do something like this. Admittedly it might be too garish for a bank branch but would be cool in a mall or a store.
Also kudos to Netflix for creating a few real Banana Stands to promote the show’s impending 4th season, which I am very much looking forward to. I’d like to think most of Canada is psyched for the show as well, as it was nationally broadcast on CBC for years after its cancellation (it was how I got on the AD bandwagon). I’ve yet to meet anyone who hasn’t seen the show.
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Geeky TVs Part 1: Iron Man
So I read this article at Forbes the other day (yes I read Forbes — it helps me learn big words) which outlined the decline in TV sales. It didn’t surprise me because modern TVs are made to last and just about everyone made the transition to LCD/Plasma/OLED TVs over the past decade because of their increasing affordability. Also HD was a worthwhile carrot (love how they tried to get us back to the trough for 3D TVs* - HA!).
I’m not a business or tech analyst, but I think there is one trait all TV manufacturers lack, and that is imagination. The cookie cutter appearance all TV’s have can be disposed of in favor of unique designs that represent the varying tastes and interests of consumers everywhere.
I believe we’re at that threshold where TVs have to diversify their appearance to encourage market growth, a tactic the automobile industry latched onto several decades ago. Functionality and engineering have been nearly perfected - it’s time for style.
Take this Iron Man design above. Definitely geared towards the comic book geeks, techies, film buffs, car lovers and so on - not exactly a niche market! If something like this were available, it might provoke some to think about getting a second (or third) TV, or to eschew paying rent for one month for a complete upgrade (let’s face it, we geeks are bloody impulsive).
Look forward to more TV designs based on films, comic books, and video games in the coming weeks. Check out this Star Trek TV from a while back if you like this one.
*That same article cited an increase in 3D units shipped, but no hard sales numbers. A 14% increase from what exactly?
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Good Will Hunting Painting Now Available
I still get e-mails from time to time asking where this can be purchased, so I decided to touch it up and upload it to Imageready, where you can buy it commission-free, at least until Miramax asks me to remove it (in a violent, yet critically-acclaimed fashion). Hit the link or the image to go to the store listing.
Recommend the smaller sizes for this print — 14″ x 11″ is close to the painting’s size from the film. Also because I suck at painting digitally, and a smaller print can hide that. I did my best (I painted the outer 30% all around), but it won’t hold up to close scrutiny. At a glance it bears a passing resemblance to what is seen in the film.
I did e-mail Miramax and alert them this was a popular item (I still get traffic hits daily for this painting, and it’s been up over a year or so), in hopes they could add it to their merchandise line. No response, of course, and that is to be expected. Just saying I tried!
One thing I don’t get, is when Will Hunting is describing this painting, he says “It’s also a Winslow Homer ripoff, except, uh, you got whitey rowin’ the boat there.” But you really cannot determine the race of the boat’s occupant at all, or even the gender. It could easily be Paddington Bear in that boat, navigating a harsh sea of marmalade. Doesn’t that thought just cheer you up??
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Vending Machine Arcade Cabinet Hybrid
The arcade machine is a dying breed, at least in North America. Reduced to being tucked away in the darkest recesses of malls and airports, this endangered species lost it’s luster thanks to home consoles and portable handhelds.
The habitat once populated by these arcade cabinets is now home to another thriving species - the vending machine. Be it soda or chips or toiletries, people love these dispensaries and they are not going away anytime soon. Read the rest of this entry
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DuckTales Piggy Bank
Here’s a piggy bank based on Scrooge McDuck’s vault, the very one where he dives into a pool of coins without injury. I’m surprised Disney hasn’t made this item yet, given their track record for making clever tie-in products. Of all the properties Disney has, this is the most appropriate for a piggy bank, but I’ve been wrong before.
