A wonderfully whimsical new art installation was just unveiled in London. Called "'Cloud I Meteoros," it shows gray statues sitting on top of two fluffy-looking white clouds. Suspended above the historic Barlow Shed of London's St Pancras Station, the public artwork was created by British sculptor Lucy Orta and her husband Jorge.

A warm and charming welcome to the nearly one million visitors to the station each week, the installation shows travelers taking a magic carpet ride into an imaginary journey in the skies.

As the artists state on their website, "Meteoros is a word derived from ancient Greek, meaning raised from the ground, suspended, lofty or in the midst. Clouds have long been intercessors between reality and the imagination, between heaven and earth, lightness and gravity. They inhabit the skies of Renaissance fresco paintings, often depicted crowded with laymen and prophets, angels and deities. Throughout history, this celestial vault has been a site of conviviality, of learning and exchange."

This installation will be up until the end of 2013. Love the surreal feeling to them.

Studio Orta website
Photo credit: Sam Lane

Senator Claire McCaskill (D, MO) has long spearheaded a campaign against the Federal Aviation Administration's rules banning the use of portable electronic devices on consumer aircraft, and in a Congressional hearing held last week, McCaskill stepped up her rhetoric. As the senator questioned (but mostly lectured) FAA administrator Michael Huerta, McCaskill said that the rules appear "to not be grounded in any kind of data or evidence whatsoever," and that "this is a great example of a rule that really is arbitrary at this point."

The FAA has been looking into relaxing rules on the use of electronic devices on consumer aircraft, but its proposed changes have proceded at a glacial pace. The agency began studying the issue last year,...

Continue reading…

Two brothers from Chechnya. That was the official word early morning on Friday April 19th, 2013 as to who were behind the Boston marathon bombings. “Chechens.”

So, naturally, who do some brilliant citizens of the United States of America blame? The CZECH REPUBLIC, of course!

Here are those Twitter users who are brave enough to still have their tweets up for all to see:

Here’s a guy who deleted his first tweet when he was called out…and then advocated for the destruction of the Czech Republic anyway!:

Here are a few more that deleted their tweets and thought they were forever wiped from the Internet (LOL):

To prove to you that this isn’t a “Twitter problem,” here are a few from Facebook:

Here’s a Facebook thread where mixing up Czech Republic and Chechnya is not the worst thing to come out of it:

Now, some of my personal favorite…conspiracy theorists who confuse Chechnya with the Czech Republic and connect it to the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas! WHY? Because there apparently is a large Czech population in West, Texas! DUH!:

Yes, “close enough”:

A user of Yahoo Answers, former capital of internet dummies, chimed in:

And I just want to truly thank this guy for making me laugh. “Czech Republicans” did it!:

Now, I know what you might be thinking, “Mr. Public Shaming Tumblr blog, why are you posting these silly things! No one took these people seriously!” 

Well, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic sure did:

(Note: Thank you to this Storify and this Twitter user for pointing me in the direction of a number of the deleted Twitter posts. I was collecting a large number of tweets for different yet related posts, which will be posted in the coming days, and missed out on a few. The Internet has been a mad house these past few days.)

Photographers capture a variety of portraits and landscapes, but it's the personal photo series with beautiful images that make you want to laugh and cry that stick with you. They're the ones that make you want to know more about the subjects and share them with others. These types of collections resonate most deeply with an audience, creating a connection that transcends standard art. They're heartwarming, insightful, endearing, relatable, eye-opening, informative, and emotionally powerful.

We've rounded up some of the most inspirational photo series that we've ever come across to warm your heart. From the tale of a lonely grandmother's spirits being lifted by her grandson playfully capturing her in a spandex superhero suit to the adventures of a globetrotting dog seeking to spread the joys of pet adoption, there's something emotionally moving in each series to leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

1) Super Mamika

Photographer Sacha Goldberger puts a smile on our face with this series which initially began as a project to cheer up his 91-year-old grandmother Frederika's face when he noticed she seemed lonely and depressed. By snapping shots of his mamika (Hungarian for 'grandmother') dressed as a superhero, the photographer boosted her morale and turned her into a viral hit.

2) The Tutu Project

When his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, loving husband and photographer Bob Carey put on a pink tutu and posed for the camera in an effort to raise both awareness and money for breast cancer research. The ongoing project is simultaneously hilarious and heartwarming. Carey says, "Oddly enough, [Linda's] cancer has taught us that life is good, dealing with it can be hard, and sometimes the very best thing—no, the only thing—we can do to face another day is to laugh at ourselves, and share a laugh with others."

3) Misao the Big Mama and Fukumaru the Cat

Photographer Miyoko Ihara documents the adorable relationship between her octogenarian grandmother Misao and her cat Fukumaru. Misao first found Fukumaru abandoned in a shed, described as an "odd-eyed kitten." While the cat had its own ailments and hearing disabilities, the two have continued to grow old together, enjoying the beauty of everyday life. The series shows the inseparable pair doing everything together from laborious farming to midday napping.

4) World Woof Tour

Photographer Joanne Lefson snapped shots of her adorable pooch Oscar, a rescue, all across the world in an effort to bring awareness to the global problem of homeless dogs and to promote animal adoption. The lovable hound spread his delightful presence all across the globe, reaching numerous destinations that one could only dream of visiting all in one lifetime. Ultimately, the series documents the rewarding life and globetrotting adventures of Oscar, after being adopted by Lefson.

5) Tippi of Africa

Wildlife photographers Sylvie Robert and Alain Degré share photos of their daughter Tippi who happened to grow up in the African desert where she became best friends with just about every animals. The series shows the young girl bonding with leopards, lion cubs, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, and more. Robert says of her daughter, "She was in the mindset of these animals. She believed the animals were her size and her friends. She was using her imagination to live in these different conditions."

6) Growth

Helsinki-based photographer Wilma Hurskainen, the eldest of four girls, rounded up her three sisters to recreate some of their treasured family photos. Together, they explore the power of nostalgia and the bond of sisterhood. The Hurskainen sisters made time to meet up and reproduce their pictures from 15-20 years ago, despite having lived in different cities and even countries as adults. But, they committed to the nostalgic project, occasionally including their parents in their active trip down memory lane.

7) 2 People 1 Life

British couple Lisa Gant and Alex Pelling have vowed to marry one another over and over again as they travel the world together. Documenting their journey, the pair takes part in culturally rich and exotic wedding rituals in which they continue to profess their love for each other. The ongoing journey has allowed the couple to explore the world and gain insight on varied cultures that each celebrate the union of two people with their own set of customs. The ultimate goal is to get married, for real, at their favorite location, once they've completed their matrimonial expedition.

Photographer, graphic designer, and digital artist Denis Dubois uses his multi-faceted skills to produce a variety of satirical illustrations. The intriguing images are filled with humorous undertones that often surreally redefine the purpose of ordinary objects. Syringes and crutches, typically used to aid people, are transformed into a form of artillery through Dubois' cleverly composed collages.

The Granville, France-based artist's vast body of work touches on a broad range of ideas, though there are the recurring visual themes of weapons and imminent pain at the hand of inconveniently placed sharp blades or an alligator at the end of a quirky, entrapping race. In one image, there is a razor edge at the base of a violin where the chin rest is normally placed while yet another one of Dubois' assemblages features the neck of a guitar lined with jagged razors.

Denis Dubois blog
Denis Dubois on Facebook
via [Faith is Torment]

12" Batman

Ottawa, Ontario-based photographer Daniel Picard has created a very realistic set of photos that show us the secret life of Hollywood toys. Called 1:1 Toys, the series, which puts Picard in the "director's seat," is shot all around his hometown. It all started out when, one day, Picard noticed a field whee he wanted to shoot a model in a dress. "The road in front was going to be closed down in two days, for almost a year. So, with no time for a human model, I tried shooting it with a robot I had just bought, the first of my collection. I liked the result so much, that it was the beginning of not only my toy series but my interest in building a fun toy collection."

Picard shoots all of his toys in the real world. He says this is difficult to do "but it takes care of lighting and white balance and all that instead of shooting green screen in my studio and trying to match things hours, days, or even weeks later.

"The rest is all computer magic not unlike what Hollywood does with CG in films like District 9 and Lord of the Rings with Gollum. I just use already built, amazingly detailed toys instead of amazingly detailed 3D models."

As for the software he uses? "I use Lightroom to get the photos off my camera, to make my selects and to keep everything organized," he tells us. "Then, the winners are brought into DXO to develop the RAW files. Finally, Photoshop takes over those converted files until I'm done with them."

12" Stormtrooper

12" Batman DX12 and 13" Predator

12" Stormtrooper

12" Boba Fett and 12" Adventure Kartel Ankou

12" G.I.Joe Cobra Red Ninja

12" John Connor & 14" Terminator T-600

Daniel Picard's website

 

Starting from a photograph, Bernard Pras creates amazing pieces of art by adding ordinary objects like used toys, tools, pieces of rubber, or whatever else you can think of. From up-close his works look like nothing more than random stacks of stuff, but from a certain angle and distance, they reveal their true beauty. This is known an anamorphosis.

Born in 1952, Pras studied fine arts in Toulouse, France. Having painted for 20 years, Pras found a new way of expression in 1997. Working from a drawing, he collects irregular objects, according to their colour, shape, and even sense. He then assembles them, observing the progress of his work through his camera.

The larger than life anamorphic collages can take up entire rooms. To truly get a sense of scale and effort required, be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes video at the bottom of the post.

Bernard Pras is represented by the following galleries. Be sure to check out his work at the links below as well as his official site: bernardpras.fr

Galleries
- Mazel Galerie
- Tony Rocfort Galerie
- Photo Edition Berlin
- AD Galerie
- Sergio Goncalves Galeria

[via Ignant & Colossal]

 

1. Sotigui Kouyaté

Artwork and Photography by BERNARD PRAS

 

 

Artwork and Photography by BERNARD PRAS

 

 

Artwork and Photography by BERNARD PRAS

 

 

4. Albert Einstein

Artwork and Photography by BERNARD PRAS

 

 

5. Salvador Dali

Artwork and Photography by BERNARD PRAS

 

 

6. Jean-Michel Basquiat

Artwork and Photography by BERNARD PRAS

 

 

7. Mahatma Gandhi

Artwork and Photography by BERNARD PRAS

 

 

8. Edvard Munch – The Scream

Artwork and Photography by BERNARD PRAS

 

 

 

 

 

See More from Bernard Pras at his Official Site!

 

 

 

 

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The Crochet Coral Reef Project [25 pics]

 

 

 

Street artists JR and José Parlá recently teamed up to create enormous and yet very intimate portraits of senior citizens who survived the Cuban Revolution (1953-1959). It's a continuation of a series called The Wrinkles of the City that JR started in Cartegena, Spain and that was recreated in Shanghai and Los Angeles.

This new iteration, based in Havana, Cuba, involved Parlá, who is of Cuban descent. French artist JR created the large portraits while Parlá added depth and beauty using calligraphic writings and color.

Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in New York will be showing twelve of these large portraits in an upcoming exhibition starting May 7 and running till July 12.

Above photo credit: The Wrinkles of The City, La Havana, Alfonso Ramón Fontaine Batista, (collaboration between JR & José Parlá), Cuba, 2012

The Wrinkles of The City, La Havana, Alicia Adela Hernandez Fernández, (collaboration between JR & José Parlá), Cuba, 2012

The Wrinkles of The City, La Havana, Elio Milanés, (collaboration between JR & José Parlá), Cuba, 2012

The Wrinkles of The City, La Havana, Leda Antonia Machado, (collaboration between JR & José Parlá), Cuba, 2012

Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery website
Images courtesy of Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery

 

A fungus is a member of a large group of organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and moulds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria. The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known as mycology. Mycology has often been regarded as a branch of botany, even though it is a separate kingdom in biological taxonomy. Genetic studies have shown that fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. [Source]

Abundant worldwide, Fungi perform an essential role in the decomposition of organic matter and have fundamental roles in nutrient cycling and exchange. They have long been used as a direct source of food, such as mushrooms and truffles, as a leavening agent for bread, and in fermentation of various food products, such as wine, beer, and soy sauce. [Source]

Since the 1940s, fungi have been used for the production of antibiotics, and, more recently, various enzymes produced by fungi are used industrially and in detergents. Fungi are also used as biological pesticides to control weeds, plant diseases and insect pests. Many species produce bioactive compounds called mycotoxins, that are toxic to animals including humans. The fruiting structures of a few species contain psychotropic compounds and are consumed recreationally or in traditional spiritual ceremonies. Fungi can break down manufactured materials and buildings, and become significant pathogens of humans and other animals. Losses of crops due to fungal diseases (e.g. rice blast disease) or food spoilage can have a large impact on human food supplies and local economies. [Source]

Little is known of the true biodiversity of Kingdom Fungi, which has been estimated at 1.5 million to 5 million species, with about 5% of these having been formally classified. Below you will find a collection of some of the most fascinating looking fungi I came across in my search. If you any suggestions for other interesting looking fungi, please let me know in the comments below!

 

1. Blue Milk Mushroom (Lactarius indigo)

Photograph by Dan Molter @ Mushroom Observer

 

Lactarius indigo, commonly known as the indigo milk cap, the indigo (or blue) Lactarius, or the blue milk mushroom, is a species of agaric fungus in the family Russulaceae. A widely distributed species, it grows naturally in eastern North America, East Asia, and Central America; it has also been reported from southern France. L. indigo grows on the ground in both deciduous and coniferous forests, where it forms mycorrhizal associations with a broad range of trees. The fruit body color ranges from dark blue in fresh specimens to pale blue-gray in older ones. The milk, or latex, that oozes when the mushroom tissue is cut or broken—a feature common to all members of the Lactarius genus—is also indigo blue, but slowly turns green upon exposure to air. The cap is typically between 5 to 15 cm (2 to 6 in) broad, and the stem 2 to 8 cm (0.8 to 3 in) tall by 1 to 2.5 cm (0.4 to 1.0 in) thick. It is an edible mushroom, and is sold in rural markets in Mexico, Guatemala, and China. [Source]

 

2. Bitter Oyster (Panellus stipticus)

Photograph by Ylem

 

Panellus stipticus, commonly known as the bitter oyster, the astringent panus, the luminescent panellus, or the stiptic fungus, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae, and the type species of the genus Panellus. A common and widely distributed species, it is found in Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North America, where it grows in groups or dense overlapping clusters on the logs, stumps, and trunks of deciduous trees, especially beech, oak, and birch. Panellus stipticus is one of several dozen species of fungi that are bioluminescent. Strains from eastern North America are typically bioluminescent, but those from the Pacific regions of North America and from other continents are not. The luminescence is localized to the edges of the gills and the junction of the gills with the stem and cap. [Source]

 

3. Golden Jelly Fungus (Tremella mesenterica)

Photograph by JJ Harrison

 

Tremella mesenterica (common names include the yellow brain, the golden jelly fungus, the yellow trembler, and witches’ butter) is a common jelly fungus in the Tremellaceae family of the Agaricomycotina. It is most frequently found on dead but attached and on recently fallen branches, especially of angiosperms, as a parasite of wood decay fungi in the genus Peniophora. The gelatinous, orange-yellow fruit body of the fungus, which can grow up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) diameter, has a convoluted or lobed surface that is greasy or slimy when damp. It grows in crevices in bark, appearing during rainy weather. Within a few days after rain it dries into a thin film or shriveled mass capable of reviving after subsequent rain. This fungus occurs widely in broadleaf and mixed forests and is widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions that include Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. Although considered bland and flavorless, the fungus is edible. Tremella mesenterica produces carbohydrates that are attracting research interest because of their various biological activities. [Source]

 

4. The Wrinkled Peach (Rhodotus palmatus)

Photograph by Dan Molter @ Mushroom Observer

 

Rhodotus is a genus in the Physalacriaceae family of fungi. It is a monotypic genus and consists of the single mushroom species Rhodotus palmatus, known in the vernacular as the netted Rhodotus, the rosy veincap, or the wrinkled peach. This uncommon species has a circumboreal distribution, and has been collected in eastern North America, northern Africa, Europe, and Asia; declining populations in Europe have led to its appearance in over half of the European fungal Red Lists of threatened species. Typically found growing on the stumps and logs of rotting hardwoods, mature specimens may usually be identified by the pinkish color and the distinctive ridged and veined surface of their rubbery caps; variations in the color and quantity of light received during development lead to variations in the size, shape, and cap color of fruit bodies. [Source]

 

5. Violet Coral (Clavaria zollingeri)

Photograph by Dan Molter @ Mushroom Observer

 

Clavaria zollingeri, commonly known as the violet coral or the magenta coral, is a widely distributed species of fungus. It produces striking tubular, purple to pinkish-violet fruit bodies that grow up to 10 cm (3.9 in) tall and 7 cm (2.8 in) wide. The extreme tips of the fragile, slender branches are usually rounded and brownish. A typical member of the clavarioid or club fungi, Clavaria zollingeri is saprobic, and so derives nutrients by breaking down organic matter. The fruit bodies are typically found growing on the ground in woodland litter, or in grasslands. [Source]

 

6. Rounded Earthstar (Geastrum saccatum)

Photograph by JJ Harrison

 

Geastrum saccatum, commonly known as the rounded earthstar, is a species of mushroom belonging in the Geastrum genus. It is found in North America and Europe and is found growing on rotting wood. It is considered inedible by mushroomers, because of its bitter taste. It is a common mushroom, but collections are at their peak during late summer. The opening of the outer layer of the fruiting body in the characteristic star shape is thought to be due to a buildup of calcium oxalate crystals immediately prior to dehiscence. G. saccatum is distinguished from other earthstars by the distinct circular ridge or depression surrounding the central pore. In Brazil, its common name translates to “star of the land”. [Source]

 

7. Drayd’s Saddle (Polyporus squamosus)

Photograph by Dan Molter @ Mushroom Observer

 

Polyporus squamosus is an basidiomycete bracket fungus, with common names including Dryad’s saddle and Pheasant’s back mushroom.[2] It has a widespread distribution, being found in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe, where it causes a white rot in the heartwood of living and dead hardwood trees. The name “Dryad’s saddle” refers to creatures in Greek mythology called Dryads who could conceivably fit and ride on this mushroom, whereas the pheasant’s back analogy derives from the pattern of colors on the bracket matching that of a pheasant’s back. [Source]

 

8. Anemone Stinkhorn (Aseroe rubra)

Photograph by Mike Young

 

Aseroe rubra, commonly known as the anemone stinkhorn, sea anemone fungus and starfish fungus, is a common and widespread basidiomycete fungus recognizable for its foul odour of carrion and its sea anemone shape when mature. Found in gardens on mulch and in grassy areas, it resembles a red star-shaped structure covered in brownish slime on a white stalk. It attracts flies, which spread its spores. [Source]

 

9. Coral Fungi (Clavulinopsis corallinorosacea)

Photograph by JJ Harrison

 

The Clavariaceae are a family of fungi in the Agaricales order of mushrooms. The family contains 7 genera and 120 species. Collectively, they are commonly known as coral fungi due to their resemblance to aquatic coral, although other vernacular names including antler fungi, finger fungi, worm mold, and spaghetti mushroom are sometimes used for similar reasons. Coral fungi can be similar in appearance to jelly fungi. They are often brightly colored, mostly oranges, yellows, or reds, and usually grow in older mature forests. Some coral fungi are saprotrophic on decaying wood, while others are commensal or even parasitic. [Source]

 

10. Umber-Brown Puffball (Lycoperdon umbrinum)

Photograph by MichaelMaggs

 

Lycoperdon umbrinum, commonly known as the umber-brown puffball, is a type of Puffball mushroom in the genus Lycoperdon. It is found in China, Europe, and North America. The distinguishing feature of all puffballs is that they do not have an open cap with spore-bearing gills. Instead, spores are produced internally, in a spheroidal fruiting body called a gasterothecium (gasteroid (‘stomach-like’) basidiocarp). As the spores mature, they form a mass called a gleba in the centre of the fruiting body that is often of a distinctive color and texture. [Source]

 

11. Caesar’s Mushroom (Amanita caesarea)

Photograph by Dan Molter @ Mushroom Observer

 

Amanita caesarea, commonly known in English as Caesar’s Mushroom, is a highly regarded edible mushroom in the genus Amanita, native to southern Europe and North Africa. This mushroom was first described by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1772. This mushroom was a favorite of early rulers of the Roman Empire. It has a distinctive orange cap, yellow gills and stem. Organic acids have been isolated from this species. Similar orange-capped species occur in North America and India. It was known to and valued by the Ancient Romans, who called it Boletus, a name now applied to a very different type of fungus. [Source]

 

12. Pixie’s Parasol (Mycena interrupta)

Photograph by JJ Harrison | Follow on Facebook

 

Mycena interrupta, commonly known as the pixie’s parasol, is a species of mushroom. It has a Gondwanan distribution pattern, being found in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Chile. In Australia it is found in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, and South Australia, and in Queensland where its distribution is limited to Lamington National Park. The caps of Mycena interrupta range from 0.6 to 2 cm, and they are a brilliant cyan blue colour. They are globose when emergent and then become a broad convex as they mature, with the centre of the cap slightly depressed. The caps are often sticky and appear slimy looking, particularly in moist weather. [Source]

 

13. Elegant Sunburst Lichen (Xanthoria elegans)

Photograph by Hason Hollinger

 

Xanthoria elegans, commonly known as the elegant sunburst lichen, is a lichenized species of fungus in the genus Xanthoria, family Teloschistaceae. Recognized by its bright orange or red pigmentation, this species grows on rocks, often near bird or rodent perches. It has a circumpolar and alpine distribution. It was one of the first lichens to be used for the rock-face dating method known as lichenometry, a technique of estimating the age of rock faces by measuring the diameter of the lichen thalli growing on them. After an initial period of one or two decades to establish growth (the ecesis interval), X. elegans grows at a rate of 0.5 mm per year for the first century, before slowing down somewhat. [Source]

 

14. The Black Morel (Morchella conica)

Photograph by Beentree

 

Morchella conica is a species of fungus in the Morchellaceae family. It is one of three related species commonly known as the black morel. Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them. The ascocarps are prized by gourmet cooks, particularly for French cuisine. Commercial value aside, morels are hunted by thousands of people every year simply for their taste and the joy of the hunt. [Source]

 

15. Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

Photograph by JJ Harrison | Follow on Facebook

 

Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita, is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Native throughout the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Amanita muscaria has been unintentionally introduced to many countries in the southern hemisphere, generally as a symbiont with pine plantations, and is now a true cosmopolitan species. It associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees.
 
The quintessential toadstool, it is a large white-gilled, white-spotted, usually red mushroom, one of the most recognisable and widely encountered in popular culture. Although it is generally considered poisonous, there are no documented human deaths from its consumption, and it is eaten as a food in parts of Europe, Asia, and North America after parboiling.
 
Amanita muscaria is noted for its hallucinogenic properties, with its main psychoactive constituent being the compound muscimol. It was used as an intoxicant and entheogen by the peoples of Siberia, and has a religious significance in these cultures. [Source]

 

 

 

 

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Diego Fazio aka DiegoKoi is an Italian artist from the town of Lamezia. Born in 1989, the self-taught illustrator first started as a tatoo artist and says he was initially inspired by the artwork of Katsushika Hokusai, a highly influential Japanese artist from the Edo period.

Diego only began drawing in 2007, yet his hyperrealistic pencil drawings on paper and wood have garnered him international acclaim. Each portrait can take up to 200 hours but the results speak for themselves. At only 23-years of age, the future is bright for this rising star. Be sure to keep up with his latest artwork at the links below.

 

DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

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Artwork by DiegoKoi ART
deviantART | Facebook

 

 

 

 

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Though there's many places in the world that can be described as a "photographer's dream," none will make you feel like you've stepped into an actual painting quite like the Li River. Located in the Guangxi province of China, it has been called "the river of poems and paintings," because it's surrounded by incredible landscapes like gorgeous green hills, conical limestone peaks and terraced rice paddies. There's a 51-mile stretch between the cities of Guilin and Yangshuo that's particularly famous for its scenic views.

Cormorant fishing is also associated with the Li River, an age-old fishing method in which fishermen use specially trained birds, called cormorants, to help them fish. These birds dive into the water to search for fish and then return the fish to the boat. The fisherman removes the fish from the bird's throat and places it in a basket. The secret? To keep the bird from swallowing the fish, the fisherman places a cord around the bird's neck.

Today, we've put together some of the most beautiful and breathtaking photos of the river and its surrounding areas. Notice that the most stunning photos often feature cormorant fishing. Like a modern-day painter, many of these photographers have enhanced their photos with a dreamy array of colors.

Photo credit: Dallas and John Heaton

Photo credit: Michael Sheridan

Photo credit: Michael Sheridan

Photo credit: Gloria & Richard Maschmeyer

Photo credit: Sergey Kuznetsov

Photo credit: Yan Zhang

Photo credit: Conor MacNeill

Photo credit: Helminadia Ranford

Photo credit: Dmytro Cherkaskyy

Photo credit: Helminadia Ranford

While the beer brand Dos Equis can proudly proclaim that they have "The Most Interesting Man in the World," in the bird world, the mustache sporting Inca Tern easily takes that title (just substitute "bird" for "man"). Found along the rocky Pacific coastline, from northern Peru south to central Chile, the uniquely plumaged bird is easily recognizable for its dark grey body, its red-orange beak and feet and, of course, that curling white mustache.

Sadly, its population has decreased at a rapid rate due to the loss of suitable nesting areas. They're only an estimated 150,000 left, classifying them as near threatened.

Taken by a selection of photographers, here are some of our photos featuring these magnificently mustached bird.

Photo credit: Ellen van Yperen

Photo credit: Salamander Photography

Photo credit: Julia Babushkina

Photo credit: Aaron W Gates

Photo credit: William Mercer

Photo credit: Vernsteroo

Photo credit: Kathryn Lisko

Photo via: Animals Photos

Photo credit: Rick Thompson

Photo credit: Annemiek Brink

Photo credit: William Mercer

It's always fun to look up in a big city and to observe the towering buildings overhead. While most of us are in awe of the architecture and blue skies, French artist Thomas Lamadieu sees a fresh, blank canvas for his illustrations. In his SkyArt, Lamadieu transforms the shapes of cascading buildings into funny creations that interact with the space.

His simple line drawings, which include things like a chicken playing a guitar, a man eating his dinner, an owl with a stretched out neck, and a group of guys hanging out, are visually striking against the colorful landscape photographs. Through this work, Lamadieu invites us to use our imaginations and to see the world around us with fresh eyes. He brings to life the child within, using silly faces and simple sketches to captivate his audience.

Thomas Lamadieu's website
via [Neatorama]

Singapore-based artist Keng Lye meticulously produces three-dimensional works of art with acrylics and epoxy resin that lie somewhere between painting and sculpture. Using a technique originated by Riusuke Fukahori (see this video), Lye manages to produce the illusion of different animals swimming in water. The time-consuming process involves pouring resin into a bowl and then painting on top of it with acrylics, layer by layer.

Lye's labor-intensive approach requires the utmost patience and attention to detail, as each piece could consist of numerous layers. Altogether, the carefully plotted and executed layers present a rich sense of depth and life. After completion, the artist then photographs each piece as though it were just a still of real, living and breathing aquatic life in a bowl of water. Several requests have been made to purchase work from this series, known as Alive Without Breath, though it is currently unavailable. The artist hopes to sell some work, though he says it will probably be through an art gallery and admits, "[T]he problem with this kind of art is that it require[s] a great deal of time to complete, therefore they won't come cheap."

Keng Lye on deviantART
Keng Lye on Flickr
via [Ian Brooks]

Traveling to work everyday can be a bore so one commuter took matters into his own hands and created a fun little activity for himself. Instead of simply reading a newspaper amidst a crowd of people on the same mundane route to work as him, the anonymous straphanger decided to juxtapose their bodies with faces of celebrities, animals, and cartoons found on newspapers.

By folding up his morning reading material, the elusive shutterbug has been able to create split full-body portraits by snapping shots of unsuspecting commuters with superimposed photos of anyone from Queen Elizabeth to Yoda over their heads. In some instances, the anonymous daily traveler even switches things up and replaces the lower half of unwary subjects with a pair of shapely legs from advertisements. As of this moment, the creative commuter remains unidentified.

via [22 Words, Daily News]

 

Hong Yi is an artist/architect from Malaysia known as, ‘the artist who loves to paint, but not with a paintbrush’. She also goes by the nickname ‘Red’ because Hong sounds like the word ‘red’ in Mandarin.

Last month, Hong challenged herself to create a new piece of food art for every day of March and share the results on Instagram. There were only two rules:

1. Only food can be used
2. The creations must be placed on a white plate, which serves as the backdrop

In a recent interview with designboom, Hong explains:

“My ‘creativity with food‘ series has helped me push the limits of my creativity, and has taught me to work within the confines of a very small area – my previous works range from 1 x 2 to 3 x 4 meters. I’ve learned to slice, dice, stir, boil…who would have thought I’d need that to do art!”

[via designboom]

 

‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

 

1.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

cherry tomatoes, nori and soy sauce

 

2.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

long-grain rice and nori

 

3.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

red onions, mint leaves

 

4.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

nori, apple

 

 

Which artists or designers have influenced you the most?

“Picasso. he has a famous quote… ‘all children are artists. the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.’ This has influenced me to see joy and fun in ordinary, everyday items that I come across, and to paint and create objects as I feel and imagine them, not just as I see them. as an architect, I really admire pritzker prize winner and architect wang shu’s work, for his careful and clever use of recycled materials, his respect for tradition and context, and how his works have a monumental yet calm presence about them.”
 
[Source: designboom interview]

 

5.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, oyster sauce

 

6.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

oreo cookies

 

7.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

squid, squid ink

 

8.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

egg shells, hard-boiled egg

 

 

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

“‘If you want something you’ve never had, do something you’ve never done’. It was this quote that drove me to start on my portraits with
unusual materials, and also my current ‘creativity with food’ series. ‘Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle’ is a quote by Plato that I hold
close to me, but is much easier said than done.”
 
[Source: designboom interview]

 

9.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

chopped carrots, white radish, dried prunes

 

10.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

watermelon, watermelon seeds

 

11. Three Little Pigs

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

House 1: Angel hair pasta; House 2: Biscuit sticks; House 3: Dried chilli, with peanut butter as mortar; Ground: peanut butter and dill; Chimney smoke and clouds: Mayonnaise; Wolf: Charcoal bread, and olives for nose; Lines: Marmite

 

12.

Artwork by ‘Red’ Hong Yi
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

 

 

 

 

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The Secret World of Cereal Landscapes

 

 

 

In the Gansu province of China lies the Zhangye Danxia Landform, a beautiful expanse of land featuring naturally formed streaks of color. It's hard to believe, but these images of the vast landscape with a brilliant array of colors are not Photoshopped. They naturally boast rich hues of red, green, and gold in addition to the normal rock pigments of brown, black, and white.

Scientists postulate that the landscape's physical formation is the result of millions of years of orogenic movement, or structural deformation of the Earth's lithosphere due to tectonic plate movements. The mountainous landscape has dealt with water flow fissures, erosion, and oxidization due to high temperatures drying up the basin, which have all played a part in forming and exposing the colorful layers of sediments. Now, the scenic landscape is a tourist attraction. Pathways and boardwalks have been built to further entice visitors and invite them to explore the magnificent terrain.

Photo credit: chanmelmel
via [Zeutch]

If you've ever watched someone make cotton candy being made at the carnival, you know it requires an incredibly fast motor to spin the machine and create the floss-like fibers of the candy. As it turns out, a standard hard drive spins even faster, and serves as a perfect base for your own DIY cotton candy machine. More »

 

Vintage Submarine Control Room from 1918

 

Photograph via Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums

 

Have you ever seen so many valves? I count at least 23!

You are looking at the control room of the UB-110 German Submarine (looking aft, starboard side). The photograph was recently uploaded to Flickr Commons by the Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.

According to the description:

This image shows manhole to periscope wall, valve wheels for flooding and blowing. Hanwheels for periscope gear, air pressure gauges. The UB-110 sunk after attacking a merchant shipping convoy near Hartlepool in July 1918. It was then salvaged and transferred to Swan Hunter Wigham Richardson Ltd. Dry Docks (Wallsend), with an order to restore her to fighting state. The order cancelled following Armistice and she was scrapped thereafter.
 
Taken from the Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. Shipbuilders Collection in November of 1918. Reference no. DS.SWH/5/3/2/14/1/26

 

via Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums on Flickr Commons

 

 

 

The most important thing 10-year-old Maria brought with her is the jerrycan (water container) that she holds in this photograph taken at Jamam camp in Maban County, South Sudan.

While on assignment for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), photojournalist Brian Sokol developed this project, entitled The Most Important Thing, that features portraits of individual refugees with a single most important personal belonging.

The UN Refugee Agency explains: "More than 105,000 refugees have crossed the border between Sudan's Blue Nile state and South Sudan's Upper Nile state since November, 2011." The thousands of refugees are forced to leave their homes, often at a moment's notice, and travel by foot through treacherous circumstances, sometimes for weeks at a time without food and while suffering great illness.

Interested in their stories, Sokol asked the individuals what one thing they now have in their new life that is most important to them. Some of these heart-wrenching accounts will bring tears to your eyes. Many prized possessions include things like water containers and cooking pots—items that are cherished not only because they are reminders of home, but also because they have served as a means for survival. To read more about their journeys, you can check out the full project on the UNHCR website.

The most important thing Omar (who isn't sure of his exact age, but believes he is somewhere between 60 and 70 years old) was able to bring with him is the axe he holds in this photograph. He used it to cut firewood for cooking and to make small wooden structures where his family could sleep at night, and sometimes to rest for several days at a time, during their journey.

The most important thing Magboola, 20, was able to bring with her is the cooking pot she holds in this photograph. It was small enough she could travel with it, yet big enough to cook sorghum for herself and her three daughters during their journey.

The most important thing Al Haj, 27 was able to bring with him is the whip that he holds. Without it, he says, he wouldn't have been able to keep together his herd of 50 goats, and he would now be destitute.

The most important thing that Shari, 75 was able to bring with her is the stick she holds. "I've had this stick since I went blind six years ago," she said. "My son (Osman, 40) led me along the road with it. Without it, and him, I would be dead now."

The most important object Dowla, 22, was able to bring with her is the wooden pole balanced over her shoulder, with which she carried her six children during the 10-day journey from Gabanit to South Sudan. At times, the children were too tired to walk, forcing her to carry two on either side.

The most important thing Ahmed, 10, was able to bring with him is Kako, his pet monkey. Kako and Ahmed made the five-day journey from Taga to the South Sudanese border together in the back of a truck. Ahmed says he can't imagine life without Kako, and that the most difficult thing about leaving Blue Nile was having to leave his family's donkey behind.

The most important object Hasan (uncertain of his age, but believes to be somewhere between 60 and 70) was able to bring with him is the empty wallet he holds. Though he is now destitute, he left Maganza with enough money to buy food for his family during their 25-day journey to the South Sudanese border.

The most important object Howard, 21, was able to bring with him is the long knife he holds, called a shefe, which he used to defend his wife and six children, and his herd of 20 cattle during their 20-day journey from Bau County to the South Sudanese border.

The most important thing Haja, 55, was able to bring with her is the patterned shawl, called a taupe, which she used to carry her baby granddaughter, Bal Gaze.

The most important things that Torjam was able to bring with him were the plastic bottles he holds here. One carried drinking water, the other cooking oil. "All I could carry was this, and an axe. We couldn't bring much, and even had to leave some other old people behind.

Brian Sokol's website
The UN Refugee Agency website
via [PetaPixel]

Photograph by Allison Shelley (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

Finca Bellavista (FBV) is a sustainable treehouse community situated on 600 acres of land in the mountainous South Pacific coastal region of Costa Rica. FBV is the brainchild of Mateo and Erica Hogan, a married couple from Colorado who fell in love with Costa Rica.

Today, the property boasts seven treehouses and cabins available for rent. The place now encompasses an entire peninsula of rainforest mountain, frontage on two whitewater rivers and countless big trees. There are even parcels of land now available for sale on the property.

Visitors can expect to find waterfalls, natural pools, hiking trails, wildlife and even a zip line course. The accommodations and activities cater to more adventurous travelers. If you’re looking for spa and hotel like amenities this is probably not the place for you.

Below you will find a gallery of this unique place along with additional information about its history and current state. For more information, be sure to check out Finca Bellavista at the links below:

 

Finca Bellavista: Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | TripAdvisor

 

 

Photograph by Silke Gondolf (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Anders Birch (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Anders Birch (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

Since 2007, the couple has sold 51 parcels of land and built 25 structures, including a community center, base camp, and five true treehouses. [Source]

 

Photograph by Anders Birch (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Geoff Gillstrom (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Anders Birch (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

High season (drier season) is roughly mid-December through May. Low season (rainier season) is roughly June through November. It is the rainforest though, so rain is possible at any time. FBV closes for the month of October due to the rains and the impact it has on visitor expectations and experience. Room rates vary from $100-$275 per night depending on which residence you select.

 

Photograph by Erica Hogan (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Dillon Davis (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Erica Hogan (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Matt Hogan (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

Base camp is a sprawling community complex complete with a dining hall, an open-air lounge, a rancho, bath house, campfire ring and wedding garden. It is one of the only buildings with power using a 1200-watt photovoltaic DC power system.

 

Photograph by Allison Shelley (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Anders Birch (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Anders Birch (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

The town closest to Finca Bellavista is La Florida, which is about a mile-and-a-half away. A town in Costa Rica consists of a soccer field, a schoolhouse, several houses, a bus stop, and couple of pulperias (small stores with staples like rice, beans, milk, etc.). In La Florida’s case, there is even a restaurant and two churches. Ten minutes away is Piedras Blancas, which is a little larger than La Florida and boasts a high school and nice medical clinic. Rio Claro is about 20-25 minutes to the south, and has a bank and multiple options for grocery and hardware stores, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. Golfito is about fifteen minutes from Rio Claro and is a great port of call for sailors and fishermen. There is also a duty-free zone here, where appliances and home furnishings can be bought. There is also a regional airport in Golfito serviced by both Nature Air and Sansa Airlines. Palmar is to the north of Finca Bellavista, about a half an hour’s drive, and has all the basics and a regional airport as well. A new, large, state-of-the-art hospital was recently built right outside of Palmar.

 

Photograph by Tim Hussin (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Erica Hogan (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by FincaBellavista.com

 

 

Photograph by FincaBellavista.com

 

The majority of parcels have 3G cell service (the tower is in Piedras Blancas). For base camp they have installed a system that amplifies the existing 3G signal into a designated area. All communications equipment, including Internet and telephone, run through this amplified 3G signal.

 

Photograph by Kai (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by Allison Shelley (via FincaBellavista.com)

 

 

Photograph by FincaBellavista.com

 

 

 

Finca Bellavista: Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | TripAdvisor

 

 

 

 

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“Real tough guys don’t need guns, they just need a positive, can-do attitude”

 

That’s the tagline of parody website, Thumbs & Ammo, where users can submit their photoshopped masterpieces of manipulated movie stills that replace guns with thumbs. There’s already nearly 100 submissions and the hits keep coming. Be sure to check out the official site at www.thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk for plenty more!

[via PetaPixel]

 

 

1. Skyfall Thumbs Up

Artwork by Elliot D. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

2. Scarface Thumbs Up

Artwork by Tim B. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

3. Batman Thumbs Up

Artwork by Patrick H. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

4. Hans Solo Thumbs Up

Artwork by James L. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

5. Pulp Fiction Thumbs Up

Artwork by Tim B. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

6. Terminator Thumbs Up

Artwork by Rob H. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

7. Die Hard Thumbs Up

Artwork by Pete A. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

8. Dirty Harry Thumbs Up

Artwork by Sean W. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

9. Reservoir Dogs Thumbs Up

Artwork by Tim B. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

10. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Thumbs Up

Artwork by Jon M. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

11. Looper Thumbs Up

Artwork by Tom O. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

12. No Country for Old Men Thumbs Up

Artwork by Simone G. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

13. Rambo Thumbs Up

Artwork by Brin F. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

14. Taxi Driver Thumbs Up

Artwork by James L. via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

15. Breaking Bad Thumbs Up

Artwork by @ianwarsenault via thumbsandammo.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

Visit the Official Thumbs & Ammo Website

 

 

 

 

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Whiskey on the Rocks… of Fuji

 

Photograph by The Town Sheriff on Flickr

 

In this creative capture by The Town Sheriff on Flickr we see a fresh take on the term, whiskey on the rocks. The whiskey? Johnnie Walker Black. As the Sheriff explains:

“This shot was an idea I had in my head for about a year; it all started when I saw this Fuji-glass in a bar. I tracked one down for myself (turns out it was a packaged gift with certain bottles of Suntory whisky) and took it with me this summer when I traveled down to Lake Kawaguchi at the foot of Mt. Fuji. I walked around the town for a couple of hours until I found a nice setting with a lot of red.
 
This photo was achieved by setting my camera to a high-speed continuous shutter setting, focusing on the foreground for one shot, auto-focusing on the background for the second, and then having the camera auto-focus and shoot my hand holding the cup in front of the lens. I merged the three photos together using a couple different programs and then used Aperture to balance the colors of the photo out (the sunlight on the glass was way to distracting).” – Source

 

via The Town Sheriff on Flickr

 

 

 

 

By Internet standards, a perfectly timed photo occurs when two of the following three conditions are met:

1. Perfect Place
2. Perfect Time
3. Perfect Angle

Sometimes the holy trinity of perfectness is achieved and you get an Internet classic like so many of the photographs below. There are countless galleries of these images floating around. I tried my best to compile the most representative of this concept. If you’re craving more, the following links are a good start: r/PerfectTiming on Reddit; Bored Panda (here, here and here); BuzzFeed (here and here)

Enjoy!

 

1.

Photograph by REUTERS/Luke MacGrego (via Reuters Olympics on Facebook)

 

 

2.

Photograph by JAY FINE (via The Big Picture)

 

 

3.

Photograph by MARCO QUERAL (via Daily Mail)

 

 

4.

Photograph via Former_Manc on Reddit

 

 

5.

Photograph via omcw on Reddit

 

 

6.

Photograph by ADAM PRETTY (via Photo Blog on NBC News

 

 

7.

Photograph by Liammm on Reddit

 

 

8.

Photograph by Ensign John Gay/U.S. Navy

 

 

9.

Photograph via RedditorJoker on Reddit

 

 

10.

Photograph by Sindri Skúlason on Flickr

 

 

11.

Photograph by Frode Sandbech

 

 

12.

Photograph by Florian Schüppel (via Bored Panda)

 

 

13.

Photograph by heuristicus on Reddit

 

 

14.

Photograph by Nick Kelly

 

 

15.

Photograph by CAROLYN KASTER (via The Atlantic: In Focus)

 

 

16.

Photograph by PDP-11 on Reddit

 

 

17.

Photograph via Bored Panda

 

 

18.

Photograph by Tustel Ico

 

 

19.

Photograph via Loco Lol

 

 

20.

Photograph via BuzzFeed

 

 

21.

Photograph by Alex Thomson Racing

 

 

22.

Photograph by Kathy Keatley Garvey

 

 

23.

Photograph by STEPHANE DUCANDAS (via The Telegraph)

 

 

24.

Photograph by Chris Thomas

 

 

25.

Photograph via nthensome on Reddit

 

 

26.

Photograph by Bored Panda

 

 

27.

Photograph via Hypervocal

 

 

28.

Photograph via hmistry on Reddit

 

 

29.

Photograph by PAM MULLINS (via The Telegraph)

 

 

30.

Photograph by Michael Swaine @ AbovePhotograph.com.au

 

 

31.

Photograph by Wilma Hurskainen

 

 

32.

Photograph by Waleed Almotar

 

 

33.

Photograph via Bored Panda

 

 

34.

Photograph via Smug Shots @ news.com.au

 

 

35.

Photograph by MARTIN BERNETTI (via rusrep.ru)

 

 

36.

Photograph via CollegeHumor

 

 

37.

Photograph by Jens Birch

 

 

38.

Photograph via postnatald on Reddit

 

 

39.

Photograph via Deeman9 on Reddit

 

 

40.

Photograph by Aleksandr Malin

 

 

41.

Photograph by Dustin Humphrey @ Deus Ex Machina

 

 

42.

Photograph by Tea Kolo on Flickr

 

 

43.

Photograph by BRUNO GERBER (via Huffington Post)

 

 

44.

Photograph via okno.mk

 

 

45.

Photograph by photoDiod on Flickr

 

 

46.

Photograph by Lentilcia on deviantART

 

 

47.

Photograph by Melissa Brandts

 

 

48.

Photograph by Lynn Sessions | dreambreeze.com

 

 

49.

Photograph by Robert Haas

 

 

50.

Photograph by EthosExcelsior on Reddit

 

 

 

 

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Sociable Weavers (Philetairus socius) are a species of bird endemic to Southern Africa. They are best known for their gigantic communal nests, which are not only a rarity, but also the largest built by any bird. The nests, designed for year-round usage, can house up to 100 families, totaling 300-400 birds. Some nests have even remained occupied for over 100 years!

Not unlike a bee’s honeycomb, the communal nest consists of different chambers, entrances and tunnels. They are made of various materials like twigs, dry grasses, straw and soft plant material. The sociable weavers build these massive communal nests for a variety of reasons:

- Deserts have extreme temperature changes. During the day it keeps the chambers cool and at night it insulates
- The communal nests also attract other birds like the pygmy falcon, pied barbet, familiar chat, red-headed finch, ashy tit and even vultures, owls and eagles may roost on the nests’ broad roof. More residents = more eyes watching out for danger from predators like snakes
- With so many families in a communal setting, new chicks receive help from multiple sources and even juvenile weavers will provide food for younger siblings

 

In a series entitled Assimilation, photographer Dillon Marsh spent three days in the Kalahari Desert near the South African town of Upington to photograph these gigantic communal nests. You can find the entire 12-picture gallery on his website as well as Behance.

[via Neatorama]

 

DILLON MARSH: Web | Facebook | Behance

 

 

1.

Photograph by Dillon Marsh

 

 

2.

Photograph by Dillon Marsh

 

 

3.

Photograph by Dillon Marsh

 

 

4.

Photograph by Dillon Marsh

 

 

5.

Photograph by Dillon Marsh

 

 

6.

Photograph by Dillon Marsh

 

 

7.

Photograph by Dillon Marsh

 

 

8.

Photograph by Dillon Marsh

 

 

Sources

- San Diego Zoo: Sociable Weavers
- Wikipedia: Sociable Weavers
- BBC Wildlife: Social weaver birds nest in a tree in Africa – David Attenborough
- Scientific American: Why Sociable Weavers Nest Together
- Huffington Post: World’s Largest Bird Nests – Photographer Dillon Marsh Snaps Social Weaver Homes In South Africa
- First spotted on: Neatorama

 

 

 

DILLON MARSH: Web | Facebook | Behance

 

 

 

 

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At the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, scientists have been experimenting with sound waves and pharmaceutical solutions, levitating soluble drops between two speakers facing each other. While their research has produced some visually fascinating results, it has also led to the discovery of a far more effective method for creating amorphous drugs, which happen to be the more desirable of two forms that pharmaceutical drugs can take.

The study's lead scientist, X-ray physicist Chris Benmore, says, "One of the biggest challenges when it comes to drug development is in reducing the amount of the drug needed to attain the therapeutic benefit, whatever it is" and amorphous drugs, as opposed to crystalline drugs, allows a patient to take a lower dosage of any given medication with it performing at the same effective level of treatment because more of it gets absorbed by the body.

So, he sought to evaporate the solution without exposing it to surface contact because that would most often result in a crystalline form. As a solution, Benmore thought to use an acoustic levitator, typically used by NASA for microgravity simulations. Once the two speakers are turned on at about 22 kilohertz (just above our audible range), each drop of solution is placed at different levels for amorphous preparation. Though only a few drops can be prepared at a time through this process, it is only the beginning stages of efficient amorphous drug development.

Check out the video that this gifs come from, below.

via [Bhakta's Weblog, Argonne National Laboratory]

 

CHÂTEAU DE CHAMBFORD

 

Photograph by Patrick Giraud

 

The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France, is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its distinct French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures.

The building, which was never completed, was constructed from 1519-1547 by King François I in part to be near to his mistress the Comtesse de Thoury, Claude Rohan, wife of Julien de Clermont, a member of a very important family of France, whose domaine, the château de Muides, was adjacent. Her arms figure in the carved decor of the château.

Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley; it was built to serve as a hunting lodge for François I, who maintained his royal residences at Château de Blois and Château d’Amboise. The original design of the Château de Chambord is attributed, though with several doubts, to Domenico da Cortona. Some authors claim that the French Renaissance architect Philibert Delorme had a considerable role in the château’s design, and others have suggested that Leonardo da Vinci may have designed it.

During the Second World War, artworks from the collections of the Louvre and Compiègne were moved to Château de Chambord. The château is now open to the public for visitation. [Source: Wikipedia]

 

via Patrick Giraud on Wikimedia Commons

 

 

 

  Above is a brief trailer of some local Moab BASE jumping and highline footage compiled between Slackline Media, Moab Monkeys and the epic SkySightRC team for a new SONY advertisement. Andy Lewis, Scott Rogers, Daniel Moore and I have been working with this professional group to capture some of the most breathe taking and inspiring extreme sports footage EVER WITNESSED from […]

 

There’s nothing like a road trip to really experience a country. From coastal highways and dizzying mountain passes, to scenic routes through national parks and bridges over great spans of water; roads are the circulatory system that connects a country. After an extensive search online, the Sifter has compiled a list of some of the most beautiful, challenging and unforgettable roads in the world.

While hardly exhaustive, this list should provide great inspiration and bucket list fodder for those planning an upcoming trip. Please feel free to share any additional roads in the comments and perhaps a pt II will be compiled :)

 

 

1. Highway 1, Big Sur, California

Photograph by Daniel Peckham/Tracing Light Photography | Prints available

 

State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north-south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. The highway is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the USA, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.
 
Highway 1 enters the Big Sur region crossing the San Carpoforo Creek just south of the Monterey County line. For about 90 miles (140 km) from the San Carpoforo Creek to the Carmel River, the road winds and hugs the cliffs of Big Sur, passing various coastal parks in the area. The road also briefly leaves the coast for a few miles and goes through a redwood forest in the Big Sur River valley. This segment of the highway, built between 1919 and 1937, also crosses several historic bridges, including the scenic Bixby Creek Bridge shown above. [Source]

 

2. Furka Pass, Switzerland

Photograph by Cooper.ch

 

Furka Pass (el. 2429 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting Gletsch, Valais with Realp, Uri. The Furka Pass was used as a location in the James Bond film Goldfinger. [Source]

 

3. The Atlantic Road, Norway

Photograph via KULfoto.com

 

Photograph by Giorgio Ghezzi

 

Opened on July 7, 1989, the Atlantic Road is a National Tourist Route and was honoured as Norway’s Construction of the Century in 2005. The Atlantic is an 8.3 kilometer (5.2 miles) section of Country Road 64 which runs between the towns of Kristiansund and Molde, the two main population centres in the county of More og Romsdal in Fjord, Norway. The road is built on several small islands and skerries, which are connected by several causeways, viaducts and eight bridges. For more information check out this featured post on the Sifter.

 

4. White Rim Road, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Photograph by Dave W @ dwarn.blogspot.com

 

The 100-mile White Rim Road loops around and below the Island mesa top and provides expansive views of the surrounding area. Trips usually take two to three days by four-wheel-drive vehicle or three to four days by mountain bike. All vehicles and bikes must remain on roads. ATVs and non-street legal dirt bikes are not permitted. Pets are also not permitted, even in vehicles.
 
Under favorable weather conditions, the White Rim Road is considered moderately difficult for high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles. The steep, exposed sections of the Shafer Trail, Lathrop Canyon Road, Murphy’s Hogback, Hardscrabble Hill, and the Mineral Bottom switchbacks make the White Rim loop a challenging mountain bike ride, and require extreme caution for both vehicles and bikes during periods of inclement weather. [Source]

 

5. Tianmen Mountain Road, Hunan, China

Photograph by About Tiger on Flickr

 

Photograph by Peter Cheung

 

Tianmen Mountain is a mountain located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in northwestern Hunan Province, China. A cable car operates from nearby Zhangjiajie railway station to the top of the mountain. It features 98 cars and a total length of 7,455 meters and an ascent of 1,279 meters. The highest gradient is an unusual 37 degrees. There is also an 11 km road with 99 bends that reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors to Tianmen cave, a natural hole in the mountain at a height of 131.5 meters. [Source]

 

6. Seven Mile Bridge, Florida Keys

Photograph by just take me there (justtakemethere.tumblr.com)

 

The Seven Mile Bridge is a famous bridge in the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It connects Knight’s Key (part of the city of Marathon, Florida) in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Among the longest bridges in existence when it was built, it is one of the many bridges on US 1 in the Keys, where the road is called the Overseas Highway. [Source]

 

7. Chapman’s Peak Drive, Cape Town, South Africa

Photograph by Ismail Omar

 

Chapman’s Peak Drive winds it way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast of the south-western tip of South Africa. The 9km route, with its 114 curves, skirts the rocky coastline of Chapman’s Peak (593m). The drive is affectionately known as “Chappies” and offers stunning 180° views with many areas along the route where you can stop and take in the exquisite scenery. [Source]

 

8. Stelvio Pass, Eastern Alps, Italy

Photograph by Damian Morys Photography

 

The Stelvio Pass, located in Italy, at 2757 m (9045 feet) is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, slightly below the Col de l’Iseran (2770 m, 9088 feet). Stelvio was also picked by the British automotive show Top Gear as its choice for the “greatest driving road in the world”, although their search was concentrated only in Europe. This conclusion was reached after the team went in search of a road that would satisfy every “petrolhead’s” driving fantasies in the premiere of the show’s 10th season. Top Gear later decided that the Transfăgărăşan Highway in Romania was possibly a superior driving road. [Source]

 

9. Col de Turini, France

Photograph by it’s iceberg, baby! on Flickr

 

The Col de Turini (el. 1607 m) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Alpes-Maritimes in France. It lies near Sospel, between the communes of Moulinet and La Bollène-Vésubie in the Arrondissement of Nice. It is famous for a stage of the Monte Carlo Rally which is held on the tight road with its many hairpin turns. The Col de Turini has also featured three times in the Tour de France (1948, 1950 and 1975) averaging 7.2% over 15.3 km when approached from the East starting at the valley of the river Vésubie. [Source]

 

10. Guoliang Tunnel Road, China

Photograph via Blog-O-Rama

 

The Guoliang Tunnel is carved along the side of and through a mountain in China. The tunnel is located in the Taihang Mountains which are situated in the Henan Province of China. If you want to get there, you should start your trip in Xinxiang. Leave the city by driving north on Huanyu Avenue (the S229). After 13 miles you’ll enter the town of Huixian. Stay on the S229 for 15 miles more until you reach the junction with the S228. Turn left here and keep following the S229. After 8 miles you reach the village of Nanzhaizen. Turn left again and follow directions to Guoliang, 8 miles further. [Source]

 

11. Denali Highway, Alaska

Photograph by Tom Roche

 

Denali Highway (Alaska Route 8) is a lightly traveled, mostly gravel highway in the U.S. state of Alaska. It leads from Paxson on the Richardson Highway to Cantwell on the Parks Highway. Opened in 1957, it was the first road access to Denali National Park (then known as Mount McKinley National Park). The Denali is 135 miles (217 km) in length. [Source]

 

12. Karakoram Highway, China/Pakistan

Photograph by bjapuri (Ed Sentner)

 

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an elevation of 4,693 m/15,397 ft. It connects China’s Xinjiang region with Pakistan’s Gilgit–Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions and also serves as a popular tourist attraction. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The Karakorum Highway is known informally as the KKH, and — within Pakistan — officially as the N-35; within China, officially as China National Highway 314 (G314). [Source]

 

13. Great Ocean Road, Australia

Photograph by DAVID ILIFF, License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

 

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243-kilometre (151 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the world’s largest war memorial; dedicated to casualties of World War I. It is an important tourist attraction in the region, which winds through varying terrain alongside the coast, and provides access to several prominent landmarks; including the nationally significant Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations. [Source]

 

14. Sani Pass, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Photograph by Amada44 on Wikimedia Commons

 

Sani Pass is located in the western end of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa on the road between Underberg and Mokhotlong, Lesotho. Sani Pass is a notoriously dangerous road that requires the use of a 4×4 vehicle. The pass is approximately 9 km in length and requires above average driving experience. While South African immigration at the bottom of the pass prohibits vehicles deemed unsuitable for the journey, the Lesotho border agents at the top generally allow vehicles of all types to attempt the descent. Border between the two countries closes at 4:00 pm every day and the Pass is often closed due to weather conditions, especially during winter. [Source]

 

15. Ruta 40, Argentina

Photograph by m•o•m•o on Flickr

 

National Route 40 or RN40 (often called Ruta 40), is a route in western Argentina, stretching from Cabo Virgenes in Santa Cruz Province in the south to La Quiaca in Jujuy Province in the north, running parallel to the Andes mountains. The southern part of the route, a largely paved road through sparsely populated territory, has become a well-known adventure tourism journey.
 
Route 40 is the longest route in Argentina and one of the largest in the world (along with the U.S. Route 66 and the Stuart Highway in Australia. It is more than 5,000 km (3,107 mi) long and crosses 20 national parks, 18 major rivers, 27 passes on the Andes, and goes up to 5,000 m (16,404 ft) above sea level in Abra del Acay in Salta. [Source]

 

16. Going-to-the-Sun-Road, Glacier National Park, Montana

Photograph by at38000feet on Flickr

 

Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed in 1932 and is a spectacular 50 mile, paved two-lane highway that bisects Glacier National Park east and west. It spans the width of the Park, crossing the Continental Divide at 6,646-foot-high Logan Pass. It passes through almost every type of terrain in the park, from large glacial lakes and cedar forests in the lower valleys to windswept alpine tundra atop the pass. Scenic viewpoints and pullouts line the road. In 1983 Going-To-The-Sun Road was included in the National Register of Historic Places and in 1985 was made a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. [Source]

 

17. Dadès Gorges, High Atlas, Morocco

Photograph by Rosino

 

Carved over the centuries by the Dades River, the Dades Gorge is now a very popular destination for travellers in Morocco. Travellers in 4WD (with a guide) can follow a mountain loop (at certain times of the year), following Dades Gorge as far north as Agoudal, then turning south to head for Todra Gorge. It can be accessed from the small town of Boumaine which lies 116 km northeast of Ouarzazate and 53 km from Tinerhir. A sealed road runs for 63 km through the Gorge as far as Msemrir, after that 4WD is necessary. The best time to visit the lower valleys is from March to May and the mountains are best from May to July. [Source]

 

18. U.S. Route 550 ‘The Million Dollar Highway, Colorado

Photograph by flamouroux on Flickr

 

U.S. Route 550 is a spur of U.S. Highway 50 that runs from Bernalillo, New Mexico to Montrose, Colorado in the western United States. The section from Silverton to Ouray is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway. The Million Dollar Highway stretches for about 25 miles (40 km) in western Colorado and follows the route of U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray, Colorado. It is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway. Between Durango and Silverton the Skyway loosely parallels the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
 
Though the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the twelve miles (19 km) south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass which gains the highway its name. This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains. [Source]

 

19. Trollstigen, Rauma, Norway

Photograph by Stefan Krause, Germany on Wikimedia Commons

 

Trollstigen (English: Trolls’ Ladder) is a serpentine mountain road in Rauma, Norway, part of Norwegian National Road 63 connecting Åndalsnes in Rauma and Valldal in Norddal. It is a popular tourist attraction due to its steep incline of 9% and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountain side. Trollstigen was opened on July 31, 1936, by King Haakon VII after 8 years of construction. During the top tourist season about 2,500 vehicles pass daily.
 
The road is narrow with many sharp bends, and although several bends have been widened during the years 2005 to 2012, vehicles over 12.4 metres long are prohibited from driving the road. At the 700 metres plateau there is a car park and several viewing balconies overlooking the bends and the Stigfossen waterfall. Trollstigen is closed during autumn and winter. A normal opening season stretches from mid-May to October, but may sometimes be shorter or longer due to changes in the weather conditions. [Source]

 

20. The Amalfi Coast, Italy

Photograph by Wade 48 on Flickr

 

The Amalfi Coast is widely considered Italy’s most scenic stretch of coastline, a landscape of towering bluffs, pastel-hued villages terraced into hillsides, corniche roads, luxuriant gardens, and expansive vistas over turquoise waters and green-swathed mountains. Deemed by UNESCO “an outstanding example of a Mediterranean landscape,” the coast was awarded a coveted spot on the World Heritage list in 1997. The Amalfi Coast lies along the southern flanks of the Sorrento Peninsula, a cliff-edged promontory that wanders out from the mainland at the southern end of the Bay of Naples. [Source]

 

21. Transfăgărășan, Romania

Photograph by Horia Varlan

 

The Transfăgărășan or DN7C is the second-highest paved road in Romania. Built as a strategic military route, the 90 km of twists and turns run north to south across the tallest sections of the Southern Carpathians, between the highest peak in the country, Moldoveanu, and the second highest, Negoiu. The road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, and the cities of Sibiu and Pitești.
 
The road climbs to 2,034 metres altitude. The most spectacular route is from the North. It is a winding road, dotted with steep hairpin turns, long S-curves, and sharp descents. Top Gear host, Jeremy Clarkson, had said about Transfăgărășan that, “this is the best road… in the world” – a title the program’s presenters had previously given to the Stelvio Pass in Italy. [Source]

 

 

 

 

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Back in 2010, while highlining above the expansive red rock desert of Utah, a new and innovative rope swing concept was born and put into practice. At this time in my life I had been traveling across the country for several months with an international group of adventure athletes, establishing new highlines in space and breaking […]