geekosystem

Here's a fun fact about IBM's research on storing data atom by atom -- sometimes, it gets really boring. Our latest evidence for this phenomenon is that the folks working on the project feel like making the world's tiniest stop-motion film is a better use of their time, and I'm not going to say that they're wrong. The result of their efforts at atomic animation is this short, A Boy and His Atom.

Created by The Eco Experts in an attempt to show how easy it is to install solar panels, this stop-motion LEGO video does just that, and warms our cold, jaded hearts in the process. Look at how adorable solar panels are, guys! It's like having a puppy nailed to your roof and powers your household.

Whether or not you love or hate dubstep, or any form of abrasive electronic music, you can't help but love some of the neat videos that come along with it. Take this video by Delta Heavy, for instance; if you hate the music, it still provides some really awesome visuals. Especially when drops become filthy sick and all the childhood games you played end up getting murdered.

And let's be honest: That makes it awesome. What's amazing to me is not only how many custom weapons are used, or how many custom minifigs are completely destroyed in showers of Play-Doh blood, but how fluidly the characters move. LEGO stop motion animation sure has come a long way.

Even if you don't care for the musical stylings of Ok Go (and if you don't, I suspect you're not even human), you have to admire their sheer earnestness and their interest in attaching themselves to cool projects. The group recently appeared on Sesame Street, explaining the finer points of color theory -- namely, how primary colors -- work with some great stop motion animation and a catchy pop number to boot. I'll be humming about how you can make orange from red and yellow for the rest of the day. See the video, after the break.

Every work of art seeks distinction, but few do so by using 288,000 jelly beans to create a stop motion animated music video. Directed by Greg Jardin and using the body and music of Kina Grannis, this incredible video took 1,357 hours over nearly two years to make. In that time, the production team shot 2,4360 still frames featuring Grannis and thousands of jelly beans. Amazingly, the whole thing was done without any CGI wizardry or greenscreening. Not only is it a visual marvel, but it's a catchy tune and utterly charming. Watch it after the break and be sure to take a minute to see the making-of video, that gives us a peek at how something like this gets made.

French photographer Alexandre Dubosc created this delicious-looking stop-motion animation for the 2011 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Making-of photos here. (via Neatorama | Artist's page)

Sam Q. Kim used roughly ten pounds of gummi bears and a whole lot of patience to create this stop-motion video, which is loosely inspired by classic video games including Tetris, Breakout, and Pac-Man. This isn't a slavish pixel-by-pixel homage -- which will no doubt cause some Tetris players who see blocks falling upwards to sweat profusely and become deeply uncomfortable -- but it looks like it was fun to make. (h/t CBS)

Nate Bolt had some very patient neighbors on his flight from Los Angeles to Paris, who didn't mind his camera clicking every few seconds as he documented the trip for this stunning stop-motion video. Compressing 11 hours into two minutes, this video has beautiful mountains, stars wheeling overhead, and even an appearance by the Aurora Borealis. The view almost makes up for the lack of peanuts. (via Laughing Squid)

Using paper cut outs and a standard digital camera, Wolfgang Matzl creates this highly truncated version of Inception. Despite the limited time and production, the cartoon still has some of the visual tricks of the source material. The opening, showing an unfolding building, is particularly clever. But my favorite part has to be the deadpan dialogue. "Oh, wait a minute. I still have to finish this job. In my dream." (via Cartoon Brew)

Animator Adam Fisher made this stop motion video, entitled "Timber," wherein he shaves his human mane (and probably loses all of his superpowers) with his fingers in order to teach us all about conservation, and left us with this message: "I used MY natural resource to make a film about OUR natural resources." If you aren't one to be freaked out by stop motion animation or grossed out by humongous hairy face decorations, then the video is actually pretty neat.

(Cartoon Brew via Laughing Squid)

Ah, opera. The tragedies of man portrayed on stage through some of the greatest accomplishments of music. And the singers -- ah, their skill is truly moving. This short animated film by Juan Pablo Zaramella captures all that, and then some. Remember, it's not over until the Allium cepa sings. Or something like that. (via Cartoon Brew)

This stop-motion animated video using nothing but coins on a black sheet seems really impressive.  Then in the making-of clip at the end the animators show you the simple trick they use to position the coins. And it's still really impressive. (via Laughing Squid.)

Forget Vespas, Segways, and super-fast tube cars; the Space Hopper is the mode of transit we have all been waiting for. Now available from a stop-motion animator near you. Call now for no-money down financing on your Space Hopper.

The team at NOTsoNOISY have released another stop motion video game homage. This time, it's Pac-Man. Check out the video below.