Cleatus the Robot is the official mascot of Fox NFL Sunday, named by a viewer during a contest in the winter of 2007 in which fans were able to submit entries as to what they thought the robot’s name should be. Cleatus made his first appearance during the 2005-2006 NFL season, but was not used regularly until the following season. Cleatus mainly appears during the intro sequence of the show as well as brief commercials for movies and TV shows. In these commercials he commonly gets attacked by a CGI character (including Iron Man and the Burger King) from whatever the advertisement is about. If a Thanksgiving NFL game is on Fox, Cleatus is usually replaced with a robot turkey.
Note: I don’t usually watch NFL games, but when I do, I remember that this annoying robot mascot exists. For nine years now. Happy Thanksgiving! No football for us. We’re headed back to Seattle and Orcas Island.
Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole, also called Bruddah Iz (Brother Iz), was a Hawaiian musician, entertainer and sovereignty activist. His voice became famous outside Hawai’i when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” (previously sung by Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong) was subsequently featured in several films, television programs and TV commercials. Through his skillful ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres (such as jazz and reggae), Kamakawiwo’ole’s music remains a very strong influence in Hawaiian music. He was born on May 20, 1959 and died on June 26, 1997 from obesity-related health problems (he weighed as much as 767 pounds).
I chose Iz as pixel art character No. 808 because 808 is the Hawai’i area code, and 808 is supposedly used as the penal code for disturbing the peace. I guess I’m saying that it’s a good idea to listen to “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” really loud every now and then. Though I think something more violent might be appropriate to accompany the outrage and injustice of yesterday’s Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. In his testimony, Wilson, a white police officer, describes Brown, an unarmed black teenager, as “like a demon.” Wilson won’t even go to trial, and so St. Louis burns.
Georgia O’Keeffe was an American artist who first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916. She made large-format paintings of enlarged blossoms, presenting them close up as if seen through a magnifying lens, and New York buildings, most of which date from the same decade. O’Keeffe has been recognized as the mother of American modernism. In the 1920s, she turned to working more representationally in an effort to move her critics away from Freudian interpretations. While her earlier work had been mostly abstract, O’Keeffe became best known for sensual, floral works that evoke veiled representations of female genitalia. She rejected feminists who celebrated her as the originator of “female iconography.” O’Keeffe was born on this day in 1887.
P.S. This 8-bit version of Georgia O’Keeffe was inspired by her flower paintings and the many nude portraits her husband, famous photographer Alfred Stieglitz, took of her. I think the three colorful flowers I drew ended up kind of looking like Wonder Woman-themed underwear or maybe a boxing championship title belt.
Neil Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. In 1966, he moved from Canada to California and co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield, later joining Crosby, Stills & Nash as a fourth member in 1969. He forged a successful and acclaimed solo career, releasing his first album in 1968; his career has since spanned over 45 years and 35 studio albums. Young has directed a number of films using the pseudonym Bernard Shakey and has also contributed to the soundtracks of films including Philadelphia (1993) and Dead Man (1995). He is an environmentalist and outspoken advocate for the welfare of small farmers, having co-founded in 1985 the benefit concert Farm Aid. In 1986, Young helped found the Bridge School, an educational organization for children with severe verbal and physical disabilities. He was born on this day in 1945.
Business Cat is the CEO of a multibillion-dollar corporation and an enthusiast of belly scratches, catnip mice and batting objects onto the floor. He is the title character of The Adventures of Business Cat, a webcomic written and drawn by Tom Fonder detailing the life and times of the world’s wealthiest playboy business pet. The strip was conceived by Tom Fonder and Rachael Robins and began as an occasional interlude in the gag-a-day webcomic Happy Jar. The first Business Cat comic was posted on January 7, 2014 and so far there have been 20 comics in the series.
Business Cat as a concept reminds me of the cat who took a “business trip” and “had an especially good head for figures” in Amy Winfrey’s Big Bunny (2001) cartoons. You can’t really go wrong with a housecat in a suit and tie. Business Cat is one of my favorite characters of the many webcomics/web cartoons I’ve followed over the years (some of my previous 8-bit tributes include General Twobabies, Zach Weinersmith, The Oatmeal, SpaceBear and Strong Bad). Speaking of business, today is my 10-year anniversary as lead web developer/designer at Oregon State University. (I code and design the OSU Ecampus, OSU Summer Session and Open Oregon State websites, among other things.) Also, it’s nearly my 13-year anniversary as an Oregon resident. And my four-year anniversary (two years married) with my wife Heidi. These major life events all happened within three days of each other (November 8-11) in different years. I like this time of year.
Sean John Combs, also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor and entrepreneur. Born in Harlem, Combs founded Bad Boy Records in 1993 and rapidly profited from the successes of The Notorious B.I.G. and other artists on his label. Combs played a prominent role in the feud with Suge Knight’s Los Angeles-based Death Row Records. Following the shooting deaths of Tupac and Biggie, Combs released his debut album No Way Out in 1997. Combs has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards. His non-music business ventures include the clothing lines Sean John and “Sean by Sean Combs,” a movie production company, and two restaurants. In 2014, Forbes estimated Combs’ net worth at $700 million, making him the richest figure in hip-hop at the time (Dr. Dre was second and Jay-Z was third). Combs was born on this day in 1969.
If you live in ‘Merica, I hope you vote before the polls close today. If you’re not planning to vote, watch this important message from @iamdiddy. Why? Because “democracy is founded on one simple rule.” In related news, Oregon’s vote-by-mail system is the best. I completed my ballot for today’s election over two weeks ago. (Washington and Colorado just started holding elections by mail too.)
Urashima Tarō is the title character of a Japanese legend about a fisherman who rescues a sea turtle and is rewarded for his kindness with a visit to Ryūgū-jō, the undersea palace of Ryūjin, the dragon god of the sea. In one version of the story, Tarō stays under the sea for three days and, upon his return to his fishing village, finds himself 300 years in the future.
P.S. This 8-bit pixel art Urashima Tarō is based on ukiyo-e art by Japanese artist Yoshitoshi Tsukioka. Though I almost designed 8-bit Tarō after George Suyeoka’s gorgeous illustrations in Urashima Taro (1973), a beloved book on my bookshelf.
Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole – No. 808
Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole, also called Bruddah Iz (Brother Iz), was a Hawaiian musician, entertainer and sovereignty activist. His voice became famous outside Hawai’i when his album Facing Future was released in 1993. His medley of “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” (previously sung by Judy Garland/Louis Armstrong) was subsequently featured in several films, television programs and TV commercials. Through his skillful ukulele playing and incorporation of other genres (such as jazz and reggae), Kamakawiwo’ole’s music remains a very strong influence in Hawaiian music. He was born on May 20, 1959 and died on June 26, 1997 from obesity-related health problems (he weighed as much as 767 pounds).
I chose Iz as pixel art character No. 808 because 808 is the Hawai’i area code, and 808 is supposedly used as the penal code for disturbing the peace. I guess I’m saying that it’s a good idea to listen to “Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” really loud every now and then. Though I think something more violent might be appropriate to accompany the outrage and injustice of yesterday’s Ferguson grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. In his testimony, Wilson, a white police officer, describes Brown, an unarmed black teenager, as “like a demon.” Wilson won’t even go to trial, and so St. Louis burns.