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this is probably the closest i’ll ever come to having something in common with stephen colbert

  • WWdN in Exile

Operation Crazy Awesome Idea is nearing the “Time to find out if this is crazy awesome or just crazy,” moment of truth, so that’s where I’m sort of living at the moment. I also have a writing deadline in two hours, so I’m trying not to run around my office waving my hands over my head and screaming like I’m on fire.

Um. Not that I have any personal experience in running around offices while set on fire and — I’ve said too much.

So, while I work on these projects, please enjoy…

Let the Colbertification Begin!
This is one of those things that I should have thought of on my own, but was actually suggested by a whole bunch of different people on Twitter and here in comments. As always, you can click to embiggen at Flickr.
Stats say there are like … an insane number of first-time visitors lately. If you’re one of them (thanks for coming by!) and you want to know what this is all about, you can check out evil and awesome (but mostly awesome) which tells the story of the Infamous Velvet Wesley Crusher, and in which my already nerdy office gets a little bit nerdier, which tells the story of the paint by numbers version of the photo of me holding the Infamous Velvet Wesley Crusher.

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2 February, 2009 Wil

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there’s a preview of part one neil gaiman’s batman story online → ← your daily dose of surreality

73 thoughts on “this is probably the closest i’ll ever come to having something in common with stephen colbert”

  1. The Blot says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    This picture is so awesome on so many different levels!

  2. knobody says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:36 pm

    so effing cool! this makes a much better desktop pic than the clown sweater :).

  3. www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawmU3liaQe-VwzTGtK_cMvpfInriKpWSkqc says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    Brilliant… I salute you, sir! 😀

  4. MikeofMany says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    Very very grand!!!
    Now about them crazy ideas..

  5. Clay says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    I want the loop to continue, so it’s like when you look into a mirror that’s reflecting the mirror you’re looking in that’s reflecting the… you get the picture. No pun intended.

  6. faziarizvi.blogspot.com says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    Holy infinite recursion Batman! That’s just freakin’ awesome.

  7. Tony Santos says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    Now someone needs to do a paint by number of this picture and send it to you, so you can do another photo of you holding the pic holding the pic holding the painting so someone can make a paint by number of that picture and send it to you, so you can do another photo and so on, and on until you
    break the space time continuum.

  8. www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlDb6FxzP72VaWUvoCNrRmV8_N7rzZhOtM says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    Eat your heart out Mr. Colbert! Just joking, but it is an awesome picture!

  9. Annika says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    This makes me laugh WAY too hard.

  10. angie k says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:45 pm

    I think it should be an alternating continuous loop of velvet painting then paint by number, imho.
    But I’ve said too much…

  11. ChuckEye says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:45 pm

    You realize that because I have access to a 60″ roll printer, I’m trying my hardest not to run that latest image through Rasterbator and sending you something too big for your office…

  12. Tony Santos says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    Oh, even better!

  13. Suzanne Lanoue says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    Cool paintings!! Wow!
    I just got around to reading the original posts. I’m so sorry you felt bad…I’m glad you have a better perspective now. You are surely not the only person I know to have angst when it comes to remembering their childhood. It must be harder still when you’re in the public eye. I’m sorry you hurt your ribs and really sorry they didn’t invite you to that convention. They suck! You are great and have many fans. Live long and prosper!
    BTW we have both a velvet Elvis and dogs playing poker 🙂 They are in our “tacky room”, i.e. a room where we keep all of our collectibles.
    Suzanne Lanoue
    [email protected]
    The TV MegaSite, Inc.
    http://tvmegasite.net
    http://suzann.com

  14. Amy says:
    2 February, 2009 at 1:58 pm

    -rightclick- -properties- -desktop- -browse- -funnypix- -wil- -ok- beautiful.

  15. buzzbeebara says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    Actually, The next iteration should be a photo of Wil with his back to the camera. He should have a paintbrush poised over the “paint by the numbers” as if he just finished filling in the colors. Similar to the Norman Rockwell self portrait painting.

  16. Moe says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    R.E.S.P.E.C.T. for reproducing the exact same facial expression – awesome!

  17. dostrow says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:09 pm

    Now you just need to get someone to do an evil, yet awesome, black velvet representation of that photo and the circle of evil will be complete!!!

  18. Tony says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:10 pm

    To continue the recursion I shall re-create this as a cross stitching. Well, I would if I had the skill or the time… the farthest I got was to create a cross stitch pattern. 🙂
    http://drop.io/wilw_xstitch/asset/wilw-xstitch-pdf

  19. m k glass says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:15 pm

    Haha!! Re-Recursed over again for the second time!
    http://www.mikekglass.com/images/WilReRecursed.png
    Hmm… I may have to get this pic put on a coffee mug. Wil, would you pose with the coffee mug if I send you one? 🙂

  20. m k glass says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    … of course, there is something inherintly cool (in a geeky way) about a young(er) Wil holding a laptop displaying an old(er) picture of himself, holding a paint-by numbers picture of himself holding a velvet painting of Wesley Crusher, who was involved with time warps on that one show…

  21. CarlDog says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:26 pm

    In honor of Groundhog Day, I present WWdN: Infinity.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/73136573@N00/3248100151/
    Ok, so it’s NOT REALLY infinity, but taking it any further is just silly. 😛

  22. m k glass says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    No… each recursion should be a separate medium. That is why I did a picture of him holding a laptop (below in comments). Eventually, someone should do a movie that starts with the velvet painting, and draws backwards every 10 seconds or so to show each iteration.
    Wil, you have created a monster…

  23. chefaerztininspe.wordpress.com says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    Damn, I’ve got the urge to paint this. Although that would be boring. Hey, we could play a game who can come of with the coolest recursion one step at a time. I think cross stitching is a fine idea. Or a mosaic. Or a quilt. Or…

  24. Shana says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    While you contemplate running around your office waving your arms and so on to avoid sitting down and getting your work done, I come here and read through your awesome blog to avoid doing my work 🙂

  25. Hcane_Andrew says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    I really want to see an 8-bit version of all of this awesomeness.

  26. KosagiNoLegion says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:57 pm

    It’s my considered opinion that someone(1) with l33t cross-stitch skills should use one of those pattern creators on this photo and do it up for you.
    Recursion for fun and no profit.
    (1) Other than myself, as I am not a l33t cross-stitcher by any means.(2)
    (2) Not a l33t anything, for that matter. Moving on. Nothing to see here.

  27. Wendell Wittler says:
    2 February, 2009 at 2:59 pm

    I took a simpler, one recursion approach with one relatively subtle change: The design on his shirt (I picked a favorite of mine from rstevens of Diesel Sweeties which, sadly, he has discontinued).
    http://www.oneswellfoop.net/misc/fractalwheaton.jpg
    I can do subsequent layers with other shirts but I am not skilled enough in photoshop (or as I use it, photoslop) for something like the clown sweater… or am I?

  28. Barbara Eyre says:
    2 February, 2009 at 3:08 pm

    I’m a cross stitcher *grins evilly while wiggling eyebrows*
    I just don’t have a way to take a pic and make it into a pattern. I got Tony’s version, but it’s a tad blurry and needs to go down in size (18pt or more) in order to retain more of the facial details.
    But would LOVE to do the stitching … would take quite a while though. 😀

  29. Pj Perez says:
    2 February, 2009 at 3:22 pm

    You do realize this is going to inspire another work of art painting you holding an image of you holding a painting of you, which will lead to an infinite number of these things?
    MY GOD WHEN WILL IT END LOOK AT ALL THE STARS NOM NOM NOM

  30. ChuckEye says:
    2 February, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    Done… in the flickr comments! 🙂

  31. jackwabbit says:
    2 February, 2009 at 3:33 pm

    To Infinity! And Beyond!

  32. Wendell Wittler says:
    2 February, 2009 at 3:43 pm

    They said it couldn’t be done. No, wait, I said it couldn’t be done, but I did it. (And proportionally, it was a near-perfect match) A few rough edges, but that’s why I call my work PhotoSlop.
    http://www.oneswellfoop.net/misc/fractalwheaton2.jpg
    In which Wheaton Memes collide…

  33. greatbignerd.wordpress.com says:
    2 February, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    Very nice, Wendell. Here (in my opinion) is the logical extension of this silliness:
    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3062/3248324875_494d0c6caf_o.jpg

  34. CarlDog says:
    2 February, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    Too funny. Should this new breed of art be named Recursive WilWork? 🙂

  35. Alan says:
    2 February, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    I think someone needs to photoshop in the horse painting from the STTNG mashup into that frame you are holding.

  36. angie k says:
    2 February, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    Ah, it comes full circle. 🙂 Excellent!

  37. grumpy says:
    2 February, 2009 at 4:24 pm

    *rotfl*, GBN. Priceless.

  38. Tony says:
    2 February, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    I made it into a T-shirt 🙂
    http://www.zazzle.com/wil_wheaten_sets_phasers_to_recursive_shirt-235245476914275638

  39. Tony says:
    2 February, 2009 at 4:45 pm

    Please do it! I used knitpro to make it:
    http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/
    It gives you a pdf that you can print out that should be more clear. Might want to reduce the colors first so you’d need less yarn. 🙂

  40. Lanky Nibs says:
    2 February, 2009 at 4:53 pm

    I think the folks above are onto something. You need to begin broadening the scope for each new picture of yourself, pulling back a little further each time, mimicking an expansion model towards (insanity). The next one could be a photo of someone taking your photo while holding the framed painting of you holding the original painting. Then you could have a picture taken of someone painting the picture of you being photographed while holding the framed painting…etc. Ouch! That hurt more than I thought it would.
    As for why you may be seeing all of the first-timer traffic to your site, I consider the culprit to be that awesome Trek remix post you put up yesterday. This morning, I passed the link to that post around to my coworkers whom I know to be fellow sci-fan/fantasy geeks to a man. It went over well. Who knows whom they may pass it along to. Again we’re back to the endless repetitive cycle thing :).

  41. brandon says:
    2 February, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    that is so totally awesome, almost up to infinity.

  42. SeanF says:
    2 February, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    Personally, I prefer the invisible picture you’re holding in your left hand.

  43. Kaye Winter says:
    2 February, 2009 at 5:28 pm

    It’s madness I tell you! Madness!! I like it.

  44. blunderwoman says:
    2 February, 2009 at 5:28 pm

    one zillion awesome points.

  45. Queen Anthai says:
    2 February, 2009 at 5:35 pm

    The verb for that type of running around is called “kermitflailing” in my circle. 🙂

  46. nwc_orca says:
    2 February, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    This is so fantastic I just can’t even think of anything else to say about it. LOL!

  47. Bobuta says:
    2 February, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    I had to have a go at this madness too….
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/25717810@N05/3249403964/

  48. Wil says:
    2 February, 2009 at 6:03 pm

    KERMITFLAILING!
    For the win.
    That is all.

  49. Clinton the Trekkie says:
    2 February, 2009 at 6:10 pm

    Wil,
    What are the odds of you selling a limited run of that autographed picture?
    Hmmmm?
    Oh, what picture you ask? This one:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/73136573@N00/3248100151/

  50. CarlDog says:
    2 February, 2009 at 6:25 pm

    Please let me retouch it and fix some glaring pixelation before you do that. I just rushed to get something up before someone beat me to it. As it was, plenty of folks had better ideas after I did. Plus, I think the spirit of the original photo is much better. You can’t even make out the watercolor or the velvet Wesley in mine. Which, IMHO, is the whole reason for the shot.
    But, if the mighty Wil Wheaton wants to sell copies of this one, I’ll fix it up purty.

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