Hullo. I’m Sameer Vasta and this is a brain dump, of sorts. Basically, a holding place for anything that piques my interest and makes me want to share. You can subscribe via RSS. You can also check out the archives. Or, you can just talk to me. I like hearing from you.Tumblr (3.0; @vasta)http://squandrous.com/<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="224" data="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9287522&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF"><param name="quality" value="best" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="scale" value="showAll" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9287522&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF" /><embed src="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9287522&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="224"></embed></object><br/><br/><p><strong><a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/02/the_best_movies_of_the_2000s_a.html">The Best Movies of the Aughts: A Video Montage</a></strong></p> <p>I may not agree with all the inclusions here, but I have to admit that it was a whole lot of fun reliving all those scenes in all those movies I remember so well. It was a pretty decent decade in film, in my humble opinion.</p> <p>(<a href="http://www.peterwknox.com/post/378728836/the-best-movies-of-the-aughts-a-video-montage">video via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/379414175http://squandrous.com/post/379414175Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:12:57 -0500cinemaculturevideo“People always think that happiness is a faraway thing, something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter when it rains—a cup of strong hot coffee when you’re blue; for a man, a cigarette for contentment; a book to read when you’re alone—just to be with someone you love. Those things make happiness.”<br/><br/> - <em>Betty Smith, <em>A Tree Grows In Brooklyn</em> (<a href="http://www.peterwknox.com/post/378731511/people-always-think-that-happiness-is-a-faraway">via</a>)</em>http://squandrous.com/post/379300325http://squandrous.com/post/379300325Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:05:38 -0500lovehappinesswisdomlife<object width="400" height="336"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/knp9-GY6fHE&rel=0&egm=0&showinfo=0&fs=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/knp9-GY6fHE&rel=0&egm=0&showinfo=0&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="336" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><br/><p>Today, my parents celebrate 30 years of being married to each other. In those 30 years, they have raised two sons and brought smiles and joy to the lives of countless people.</p> <p>I’m so happy for them, and couldn’t be prouder to be their son. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad.</p> <p>(<a href="http://twitter.com/brundle_fly/status/8818023228">video via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/379155839http://squandrous.com/post/379155839Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:37:38 -0500lovefamily“Dreams are the answers to questions that we haven’t yet figured out how to ask.”<br/><br/> - <em>Fox Mulder (<a href="http://mandalay.tumblr.com/post/376453379/dreams-are-the-answers-to-questions-that-we">via</a>)</em>http://squandrous.com/post/378950813http://squandrous.com/post/378950813Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:35:15 -0500life<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxc0d0oYjs1qzmf9mo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Indeed, just hiding. But <strike> we </strike> they come out from time to time, at special times, for special people.</p> <p>(<a href="http://bubbleant.tumblr.com/post/377483780/effinj-via-thatzafckinrainbow-hehehehe">drawing via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/378850732http://squandrous.com/post/378850732Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:35:49 -0500cutelovemp“For myself I know not how to express my devotion to so fair a form: I want a brighter word than bright, a fairer word than fair. I almost wish we were butterflies and liv’d but three summer day — three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain.”<br/><br/> - <em>John Keats (<a href="http://bubbleant.tumblr.com/post/375513995/i-almost-wish-we-were-butterflies-and-livd-but">via</a>)</em>http://squandrous.com/post/378640893http://squandrous.com/post/378640893Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:20:26 -0500lovemp<object width="400" height="336"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nnsSUqgkDwU&rel=0&egm=0&showinfo=0&fs=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nnsSUqgkDwU&rel=0&egm=0&showinfo=0&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="336" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent"></embed></object><br/><br/><p>By now, everyone has seen the ad that Google ran during the Super Bowl, so it’s almost pointless to post it here, but just in case one of you missed it, here it is.</p> <p>This was by far and away the best advert of the entire night, and one of the cutest, most adorable ad spots for a web/tech company I’ve ever seen.</p>http://squandrous.com/post/378471093http://squandrous.com/post/378471093Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:16:53 -0500videoadverttechnologyweblove“The world breaks us all. Afterward, some are stronger at the broken places.”<br/><br/> - <em>Ernest Hemingway (<a href="http://scribble-scribbles.tumblr.com/post/374307215/the-world-breaks-us-all-afterward-some-are">via</a>)</em>http://squandrous.com/post/375126704http://squandrous.com/post/375126704Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:58:11 -0500lifewisdom<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxf5640zHa1qz582qo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>“I am the Internet. I bring pornographic pictures and the opinions of angry children.” (<a href="http://megpickard.tumblr.com/post/374008824/i-bring-pornographic-pictures-and-the-opinions-of">via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/374524115http://squandrous.com/post/374524115Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:08:03 -0500funculturehumor<p><rant></p> <p>Zeldman just posted <a href="http://www.zeldman.com/2010/02/05/free-advice-show-up-early/">a great article on showing up on time</a> — nay, early — to meetings and other obligations. I’m glad he did.</p> <blockquote> <p>How can a client blame you for a cab driver’s mistake? How can a conference organizer hold you accountable for an airline’s cancelled flight?</p> <p>They can do it because lateness is part of the order of things, and grownup professionals plan for it, just as they plan for budget shortfalls and extra rounds of revision.</p> </blockquote> <p>I’ve always been one to show up early. Some people get to the party late to make an entrance; I get to the party early to help with setting up and then slink away early in the night.</p> <p>I credit my regular promptness — nay, my predisposition to be not just on time, but early — to my father, a man whom I’ve never known to be late in his life. For anything. For that, I give him thanks, because there are very few things that drive me batty like people who are constantly tardy.</p> <p>At my current workplace, tardiness is expected. A 3pm meeting will always start at 3:10pm, even if I’ve been sitting in there since 2:50pm. I take extra work with me to every meeting, knowing I’ll have at least 10-15 minutes of waiting time before meetings begin. This tardiness is not to be frowned upon, but instead it is an expected part of corporate culture. I don’t understand it at all.</p> <p>Unlike my father, I’m not <em>always</em> early; I’ve had my moments where I’ve made errors in judgment with regards to travel time and shown up late. I can forgive people for that. What drives me batty is consistent patterns of tardiness — where being late is not just expected, but excused.</p> <p></rant></p>http://squandrous.com/post/374193438http://squandrous.com/post/374193438Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:01:08 -0500lifecareer<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" data="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8972758&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF"><param name="quality" value="best" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="scale" value="showAll" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8972758&server=vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF" /><embed src="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=8972758&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br/><br/><p>A film projectionist talks about his job and cinema in this melancholic documentary short. (<a href="http://tumblr.ryancoleman.ca/post/372734396/a-great-short-doc-where-a-film-projectionist">via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/374060198http://squandrous.com/post/374060198Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:52:51 -0500culturevideocinemalife“And the curt truth is that, in a deep secret way, the state of being loved is intolerable to many.”<br/><br/> - <em>Carson McCullers, <em>The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories</em> (<a href="http://slaughterhouse90210.tumblr.com/post/372497982/and-the-curt-truth-is-that-in-a-deep-secret-way">via</a>)</em>http://squandrous.com/post/373955209http://squandrous.com/post/373955209Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:52:50 -0500love<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxejkfuxdr1qz4vqvo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>“We’re following you, we’re just quiet.” (<a href="http://www.google.com/reader/shared/m.pontikis">via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/373855163http://squandrous.com/post/373855163Sat, 06 Feb 2010 03:52:50 -0500animalcutemp<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kx5p0bnM4F1qzyrwvo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Some people wear their heart on their sleeves. This Dinosaur? He gives you his whole self on a plate. :D</p> <p>(<a href="http://papertissue.tumblr.com/post/372017838">photo via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/373723253http://squandrous.com/post/373723253Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:52:55 -0500lovempcute<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwzhjqMZB11qasbyxo1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>There is snow everywhere outside my window: on the streets, sidewalks, cars, trees, rooftops, everywhere. Nobody is stirring; the city feels like a ghost town.</p> <p>I’m putting on a hat and venturing outside to enjoy the quietness, the serenity, the beauty. Wish you were here to join me. We could make snow angels.</p> <p>(<a href="http://impureunchristianentertainment.tumblr.com/post/372775526/thedaintysquid-dude-via-motypest">photo via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/372976037http://squandrous.com/post/372976037Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:52:52 -0500cuteanimalmp<embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/271557392" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=64790979001&playerId=271557392&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="400" height="339" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swliveconnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><br/><br/><p><strong><a href="http://www.slatev.com/index.html?bcpid=988327350&bclid=64696393001&bctid=64790979001">If Filmmakers Directed the Super Bowl</a>.</strong></p> <p>I <a href="http://kottke.org/10/02/the-auteurs-super-bowl">agree with Kottke</a>: “the Werner Herzog bit at the end is great.”</p>http://squandrous.com/post/372695372http://squandrous.com/post/372695372Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:11:50 -0500footballsportscinemaculturefun<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxdp0ogy9G1qz4vqvo1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>Amazing <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/gallery/2010/jan/30/television-art-albert-exergian?picture=358496687">set of modernist TV posters featured on the Guardian website</a> today:</p> <blockquote> <p>Television imagery and artwork is rarely of a quality worth hanging on your walls. Welcome, then, Austrian designer <a href="http://www.exergian.com/">Albert Exergian</a>, who’s created a series of modernist images inspired by TV shows that echo recent online reinterpretations of Saul Bass and Pelican Books.</p> </blockquote> <p>Each and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/gallery/2010/jan/30/television-art-albert-exergian?picture=358496687">every single one of these posters</a> is beautiful and absolutely clever if you know anything about the shows in question. My favorites are <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/gallery/2010/jan/30/television-art-albert-exergian?picture=358496657">Californication</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/gallery/2010/jan/30/television-art-albert-exergian?picture=358496675">Mad Men</a>, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/gallery/2010/jan/30/television-art-albert-exergian?picture=358496681">Nip/Tuck</a>, but they’re all worth hanging on your walls.</p>http://squandrous.com/post/372629155http://squandrous.com/post/372629155Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:11:52 -0500designculturetelevisionart<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/HesEVMWRfctgbnm2vLV4jplM_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Admit it. You just said “aaw” out loud. I know you did, because I did too. (<a href="http://thentheskydrops.tumblr.com/post/371440427">photo via</a>)</p>http://squandrous.com/post/372131505http://squandrous.com/post/372131505Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:11:50 -0500cuteloveanimal<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxcd5a4BfQ1qz4vqvo1_500.png"/><br/><br/><p>I’m more than a little bit in love with these shoes.</p>http://squandrous.com/post/371976385http://squandrous.com/post/371976385Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:11:51 -0500fashioncute“Your absence has gone through me<br/> Like thread through a needle<br/> Everything I do is stitched with its color.”<br/><br/> - <em>W.S. Merwin</em>http://squandrous.com/post/371717159http://squandrous.com/post/371717159Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:11:05 -0500lovemp