Step 1: Visit The Rasterbator and create a giant image of Rick Astley. Print off and assemble.

Step 2: Tape onto hotel room window. Illuminate with lamp.

Step 3: Go outside and laugh at how clever you find yourself.

Anecdote: Around 1 a.m. on Sunday night, I was walking back to the hotel from 6th St. and ran into a group of interactive folks, including my pal Chris Brogan. I pointed up to the hotel, where Rick Astley’s portrait was beaming out over downtown Austin and rickrolled them IRL.

It’s an instant classic!

Fans of Rage Against the Machine turned out to see the controversial L.A. band play a set at the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol during a non-partisan concert surrounding the Republican National Convention Tuesday.

Due to a number of reasons — timing, crowd control, politics — the band was not allowed to take the stage. So instead of performing on the stage as scheduled, they pushed their way to the front of the crowd and sang a few songs a capella through a borrowed police megaphone.

A friend of mine recorded some video of the performance and uploaded it to YouTube; then I posted it to the Minneapolis Metblog, and from there it spread like… well, like a virus.

As a benchmark, I know the video had 74 views when I first watched it Tuesday morning. As a result of coverage on Current TV, LA Times, Rolling Stone, Boing Boing, Reddit and others, it currently has 195,000 views.

Why did this video spread so virally? It was a myriad of factors: compelling political views, raw anti-authoritive messaging, a famous band and the kicker — nearly zero coverage by the mainstream media.

Instead, a music blogger armed with a camera became a journalist covering a breaking news story.

And now you too can watch the video (language warning) and even download mp3s of the songs…

Rage Against the Machine : “Bulls on Parade: RNC A CAPELLA @ MN STATE CAPITOL” [mp3]

Some days I love the Internet way too much.

Last fall I made a video of my sister and her new husband showcasing their first married fist pound and put it on YouTube:
timkallifistbump.JPG
What started as a joke turned into mainstream media news this morning.

Last fall I made a video of my sister and her new husband showcasing their first married fist pound and put it on YouTube:

Well, this morning CNN picked it up as part of their coverage of Obama’s celebratory fist bump with the Mrs.

WATCH IT HERE

They show up at 1:20, and yes that’s me laughing in the background…