Somewhere in Malawi, the African nation most widely known as Madonna’s adoption farm, a 19 year old who couldn’t afford to attend high school, and whose village had no electricity, built a windmill with materials discarded by his neighbors and a bicycle dynamo. He had never used a computer, but after his incredible DIY windmill caught some media attention, he now has his own blog! He was even flown out (his first time on a plane) to a TED conference in Tanzania, where he gave a lecture about his accomplishment. Makes you feel kind of lazy and spoiled, huh?

+ William Kamkwamba’s Malawi Windmill Blog

Fans of The New Beverly’s monthly Grindhouse night– or any fan of that sublime gray area between art and trash– should love MuderMystery on LiveJournal. This 20-year-old photo student from Illinois writes verbose essays on the best films you’ve never heard of. The obscure gems he spotlights often hail from the dusty corners of 1970s and 80s cinematic history, hiding in the oft-dismissed genres of horror, erotica, or experimental cinema.

Take a minute to read his manifesto, “A Primer to Watching European Genre Cinema,” for a more thorough concept of what this MuderMystery is all about. If you ever think you’ve run out of movies to watch, check out MurderMystery’s convenient on-going list, “100 Films You Should Probably See.”

+ MuderMystery (NSFW)

Matthew Barnes’ graphic design work is pretty crazy rad. A recent graduate of the Liverpool School of Art, he has already worked with Anthem Magazine, Nike, Dazed & Confused, Diesel, and SXSW, among others. Check out the work he did for Arktip Magazine and his hand-customized Adidas sneakers. I also want the awesome hooded jacket he customized for the Nike “Performance Art” exhibition. The kid has talent!

+ Matthew Barnes: Graphic Design & Illustration