They guys over at Smashing Magazine are holding a contest. They are calling on all us photogs out there to snap some cool textures. Why? Because textures have become a staple in the design industry, throwing a little texture on the canvas add a little depth and tactile interest to your piece—when done well that is.

The best part is the winners are chosen at random and the prize is a sweet Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 Lens. So, get out there and start snapping away.

Honestly, the utter crappines of this has left me unable to come up with a decent headline. I’ve been hearing about this Tom Waits cover album courtesy of Scarlett Johanson for a couple months, but until now I’ve just disregarded it. That is until Lord Rex posted a link to her website on my favorite forum. So, out of morbid curiosity I checked out a couple of the song snippets, since I am a fan of Tom Waits.

All I could really think of is, “Wow, this really sucks.” I know, real eloquent, but it’s about as much as this project deserves. I mean Tom Waits is… It’s fricken Tom Waits, and you can’t by homage to this man by cutting a sad-bastard indie pop album with some famous Hollywood actress. This is the same guy who refuses to sell his music to advertisers, and even goes so far as to sue companies that try to emulate his style after he turns them down. So, how is a cover album right with the world? The real shame is that the music isn’t horrible, in the way sad-bastard indie music isn’t always horrible, it’s the vocals and the gull it took to make the album the turns me off.

• My mind has gone into Spotlight-Overload, I wonder if this is a fatal condition?
  If you’ve ever seen a Firespring website you will know what I’m talking about.
• The thumpiest speakers in the world are completely useless in a room (half) full of people who would rather not listen to each other’s music.
• Nerds=Good. Jelly Beans=Good. Jelly Beans wrapped in a Nerds candy shell=Wrong in such a good way.
• The French have a knack for creating visually compelling Sci-Fi films. Case in point Chrysalis:
  
• Nazis are bad, but Space Nazis are funny:
  

That’s right, Trent Reznor has done it again. I got an email in my inbox this morning announcing the release of yet another Nine Inch Nails album, The Slip. Like Ghosts I-IV before it, The Slip is available as a free download in a variety of high quality audio formats. According to the NIN website there will also hardcopies available for sale in the near future. Unlike Ghosts, The Slip is a more traditional NIN album—read: the inclusion of angst ridden lyrics. So, if you dug With Teeth and Year Zero then this will be right up your alley. I haven’t had a chance to hear the entire album yet, but my initial impressions are positive—big surprise there. I will probably have more to say in this regard once I’ve had a chance to listen to it a couple of times.

Get your copy now… here.