BLU’s Muto: animation on a public wall. Beautiful surely, but I couldn’t help but think about all the artwork he covered up to make it (I know, it’s a public wall, it comes with the territory.) Thanks to Ry-Tron and everyone else who sent this in!
Don’t you fucking dare post knitting patterns for Dr. Who characters. So sayeth the BBC, though most likely it was worded in a far more politely threatening manner filled with words contain superfluous “u”s. Thanks, August Moon!
Eliza put out a call for suggestions and the Ectomite Hive Mind responded with a bevy of bizarre links and nostalgic requests leaving us with a hodge-podge of old childhood favorites and surreal art-house films. Thanks to everyone who took the time to post and if you don’t see your contribution here, rest assured it will make an appearance in the very near future. Now, go Ectomomites! TO THE JUMP!
Some webcam footage of the defrosting process being conducted on the half ton colossal squid caught in Antarctic waters in February 2007, and currently housed in a New Zealand lab. The entire process will take up to two day to complete in order to not damage the specimen, as thawing it too fast would mean that the outside would being to rot before the internal organs had fully thawed. Researchers will only have a short time to examine the corpse before it is placed in a preservative, during which time they hope to, among other things, determine the squid’s sex; although the apparent lack of a six and a half foot penis leads them to speculate that it is female. It seems like a logical conclusion. They will also be live webcasts spanning the entire project. After the examination is concluded the squid will be put on display at Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand’s national museum in Wellington.
When life throws you a terrible curse in which you vomit squid, make calamari. Thanks, Michael!
Yeesh, lady, don’t play with your food. Set is NSFW. Thanks, Karenw!
The beautiful Anna Lucylle sent us a photo of her fantastic, Lovecraftian tattoo; as well as photos of it in its various stages. The ModBlog post contains a wonderfully heated, pedantic discussion on the correct pluralization of “octopus” as well.
Is it art? I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that it appears to be a creature out of The Dark Crystal with huge, pendulous testes, hanging from gymnastics rings and covered in stick-pins. Yup, thanks John.
Abdopus aculeatus octopi lead a life of sex, murder, and gender obfuscation but only once. After that they die. Thanks to Jenny and everyone else who sent this one in!
Welcome your new cephalopod masters with a t-shirt. Thanks, Vinnchan.
Hikashu, who appears to have been Japan’s answer to the Talking Heads, sings “Puyo Puyo”. Thanks, bubliki!
The trailer for Angels and Idiots, a new film by animation god Bill Plympton. Thanks, Monkey!
Are you drawing comics for Marvel? Do you need reference for someone being attacked by a tentacle demon? Swipe it from an adult magazine! Thanks, bela!
In spite of what you may have heard, our beloved mascot wasn’t the result of a stroke of genius (or just a stroke depending on your opinions on the matter) leaping full born from the hideous brains of our inimitable editors-in-chief.
Oh no, there were countless inhumane experiments in cutting edge Octopus/Insect combination technology. While the aforementioned editor’s gruesome experimentation resulted in flabbergasting advances in the field, it also resulted in a trail of adorable abominations such as the above.
While I sure do love the little Beetlepus “gifted” to me by John and Eliza (and would never begrudge him the space in my bathroom); who ever heard of an octopus that’s afraid of water?
After careful consideration Randy decided that his master could afford to purchase a new ball and that this particular game of fetch was over.
Thanks to everyone who pinged Ectomo on Valentine’s Day, it made Eliza’s puckered tear ducts moist with joy (or rage, I can never tell)!
The severing of a number of undersea communications cables have elicited claims of sabotage. Edward points to one of the more plausible theories.
The beautiful story of a young woman and the intimate relationship she shares with her speakers. Thanks, Tristion!
What happens when someone with a high speed camera takes video of insects being pelted with various liquids and miniature pies? Mable invites you to find out.
I do not know what is going on in this video but it is NSFW. Looks of disgust should be aimed at ithidet.
Update: The ever lovely and erudite Suzanne points out that the above image is by two Swiss collagists, Plonk & Replonk, and is part of a set of postcards which can be seen here.
A multinational expedition has discovered an array of new species in the deep waters off the coast of eastern Antarctica, including giant jellyfish and sea-spiders the size of dinner plates. The AP story above does a good job of explaining some of the particulars but this clip is both beautiful and eerie. As the camera sweeps along the ocean floor wriggly, Lovecraftian crinoids emerge from the reefs, retreating from the encroaching light while elsewhere a cephalopod stays just out of reach and a flat fish ray swims lazily, ambivalent to prying eyes. These people really have the coolest job.
The colors in this photograph by Stephen Strange are simply fantastic, and the hard edged lines make it almost appear as if the octopus is a tattoo that has begun to crawl out of her skin. The effect is hypnotic.
Instructables has a step-by-step to crochet your very own Cthulhu! A few people tipped us on this one, but Bibi was first.
Bela sends us some fantastic artwork from the talented Sayaka; comprised of an Ectomo favorite, namely: lithe, Japanese nymphets. Also, tentacles.
Asa Gilmore calls out attention to a list of abandoned wonders in Russia, saying “Scroll to the end of the article. If that strange contraption doesn’t scream ‘Steampunk’ to you, I shall eat my hat and say ‘balderdash.’”
Benton Barnett submitted this badass gas mask t-shirt which will now have to be added to my wardrobe. They can be purchase here.
Dr. Hypercube warns us, via ectotweet, to beware the cephalopod loo.
The Blair Godzilla Project is released in theaters today meaning that, hopefully, I will stop being assaulted by viral ads and television commercials. As Nevin reminds us, a big movie release means that Asylum must leap into action with a small budget, direct to DVD release and this is no exception. Behold, the less pretentiously ambiguous Monster!
Arlette has begun the tedious task of sifting through the thousands of photos vomited onto Flickr by the Library of Congress and surfaces with some welding, wartime beauties.
Dr. Zoidberg is not nearly as funny and innocent as first assumed. Thanks, Your Name!
Kevin Nuut and Daniel want you to know that, even though figures based on Mike Mignola and Brian Augustyn’s Victorian-era Batman/Jack the Ripper mash-up Gotham by Gaslight will never be produced, if only to spite you, someone was inspired enough to make some custom Justice League figures to drive the knife in deeper.
The ever excitable Melissa demands that her toilet bowl have a cephalopod decal!
This is not a pizza. It is a heart attack disguised as a pile of greasy, fatty ingredients covering pizza dough. Thanks, Evil Jim.
On any given day you can turn on the news, read a feed, or simply walk in the world around you and observe the myriad ways in which our fellow man meet their maker. Freak pig bathing accidents, shampoo bottle intimacy gone horribly wrong, or getting caught in Eliza’s path on all you can eat pork day; all fairly common ways to die, none of which really bring honor to the victim. But to die in the slimy grip of a tentacle, even while suffering the indignity of an octopi’s curious limb, is a death worthy of even the most heroic that stalk the hallowed halls of Valhalla.
In sheer defiance of the World Wide Web Consortium's will, Ectomo was designed using a non-web-standard font. Luckily, it is included in the excellent font pack released by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, which can be freely downloaded in Mac and PC formats here. Ectomo should still look fine without it, though.
