Welcome to the Shirk Report where you will find the 25 funniest images, 10 most interesting articles, and 5 most viral videos from the previous week of sifting. Most images found on Reddit; articles typically originate from Twitter, RSS and email; videos come from a variety of sources. Any suggestions? Send a note to submit@twistedsifter.com!

 

25 IMAGES

- Lenny Kravitz says your scarf is inferior
- Short legs + stairs
- Winter biking
- People of Wal-Mart Home Depot
- And then it dawned on Jesse
- Why does coffee and orange juice taste good together?
- You can’t test the signature of Saul Bass. Don’t even try
- “It didn’t pop. We’ll have to try again”
- Beware: this polar bear knows kung-fu
- This is what happens when you google ‘festivus’ | Click for proof
- “Tie one on”
- These rules. They sound familiar…
- Startled
- Everything looks cooler in slow-motion
- Meanwhile in Dubai
- Sign don’t lie
- Old time cough syrup
- Terrible ad placement
- You’ve been hit by… You’ve been struck by…
- So they can talk!
- Now and Then
- It’s a pick-up van
- Finally a solution!
- Except for you Gabriel
- Looking for me?
 

10 ARTICLES

- Why 2012 was the best year ever
- 26 Moments That Restored Our Faith In Humanity This Year (thx for sharing Lexy! Heal up!)
- The five most disruptive technologies of 2012
- 6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Person
- The Freedom of an Armed Society (expectedly, some interesting comments as well)
- The Oatmeal’s State of the Web – Winter Edition
- Meet the private equity firm that dominates the US gun industry
- HSBC, too big to jail, is the new poster child for US two-tiered justice system
- The 15 Most Dangerous People in the World (interesting read but do not agree with some of selections)
- Obesity killing three times as many as malnutrition
 

5 VIDEOS + Cuban Pete

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WISHING YOU THE HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS MY FRIENDS!

 

 

 

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

HemLoft is a self-funded secret tree house built by Joel Allen on crown land (government owned) in Whistler, Canada. It hangs on a precipitous slope, in a towering stand of hemlocks, about a five minute walk from the nearest road. The story of how it came to be and the future of HemLoft is a fascinating tale. You can read it in its entirety on the offical HemLoft site here.

Below you will find a brief timeline of events and the fate of HemLoft and what is next for Joel. Enjoy!

 

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

After graduating with a degree in software development in 2003, Joel went to work for a start-up company that would eventually fold in 2006. Jobless and without direction, he met ‘Old Man John’ in the spring of 2008 at a festival. A self-taught caprpenter, Old Man John would inspire Joel to pursue his passion for carpentry. Joel decided to trade the keyboard and mouse for a hammer and nail.

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

When Joel first began his foray into carpentry he was living out of his car. On a random job site he met a friend who was also an outdoor-adventure type (and also living out of his car). They quickly bonded and got into a pastime they called ‘sport sleeping’ which involved outdoing each other by sleeping in outrageous places outside (e.g., inside a hollowed out log). This pastime led Joel to want his own little place in the woods.

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

Joel mentioned the idea of a loft in the woods to his friends Mark and Jayne who casually suggested the shape of an egg. It was at that moment that the HemLoft took its form. The design was based on triangular strength (with one side of the traingle curved). To test the design, Joel built a scale-model 1/4 the size.
 
After tweaks and alterations to the proportion the final model was slightly fatter than a pure-egg shape to create a more spacious interior. With the design set, the next challenge was to find the perfect tree.

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

Joel had an informal checklist of requirements for the perfect tree:
- Within a reasonable distance to a road, yet out of sight and out of earshot of human traffic
- The shape of the egg would need to suit the environment and be proportionate to the tree
- A south western aspect, some sort of view, and proximity to running water

When Joel finally found ‘the tree’ it shot out of a 45 degree slope, was remarkably straight, perfectly proportioned and nearly bare of branches up to the sweeping canopy sixty feet above the forest floor.

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

The first thing built was the entry-level walkway to the tree. It was a 14-foot beam that extended from a stump on the uphill side. To read the full store about raising the structure visit thehemloft.com/story-structure

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

In 2010 Joel would find his life partner Heidi, and together they would complete the HemLoft. With an extra pair of hands and a new partner with an eye for design and carpentry skills to match.

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

Together Heidi and Joel finally completed the HemLoft in August of 2011. The pictures seen in this post were taken by the couple and shared in a 21-picture gallery on Flickr, which you can find here.

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

Since the treehouse was built on crown land, Joel doesn’t technically own it and so the fate of HemLoft is uncertain. While Joel kept the secret for three years, the project has since been shared in magazines and online and now he needs your help! Check out the official HemLoft site to vote and voice your opinion by visiting: http://thehemloft.com/what-now/

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

 

Built and Photographed by Joel Allen

 

 

 

For the Full Story Visit the Official Site!

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, the Sifter
highly recommends:

 

School Bus Converted Into Mobile Home

 

 

 

The Treehotel in Sweden for Nature Lovers

 

 

 

Canopy Living: The Ultimate Tree House

 

 

 

 

After the positive reception from last year’s Top 50 ‘Pictures of the Day’ for 2011, the Sifter promised to highlight the top 25 ‘Pictures of the Day‘ at the end of every quarter, eventually culminating in an epic Top 100 for 2012.

That time has come! Below are the top 100 POTDs for 2012. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time out of your day to check out the site. May you continue to be inspired, educated and entertained by our beautiful planet and all that inhabit it.

*Please note the photographs themselves were not necessarily taken in 2012, they just happened to be featured as a POTD this year. The pictures are also listed in reverse chronological order. There is no ranking amongst the photos :)

Enjoy! And stay Sifty my friends

 

100. CHICAGO FROM AFAR

 

Photograph by Robert Elves on Flickr

 

 

99. THE ROLLER COASTER
SUBMERGED BY SANDY

 

Photograph by Stephen Wilkes | Prints available

 

 

98. A DESERT OASIS IN LIBYA

 

Photograph by George Steinmetz

 

 

97. SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT AT NIGHT

 

Photograph by Andrew Choy

 

 

96. THE ALPINISTS

 

Photograph by Jakub Polomski on 500px

 

 

95. INSIDE THE OLD METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE

 

Photograph via The Natioanl Archives and Records Administration

 

 

94. THE POWER OF AN ORANGE

 

Photograph by Caleb Charland

 

 

93. TITANIC’S ENGINES UNDERWATER

 

COPYRIGHT© 2012 RMS TITANIC, INC; Produced by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

 

 

92. SUNRISE OVER LONDON’S
TOWER BRIDGE

 

Photograph by Jason Pope

 

 

91. THE WHITE WHALE

 

Photograph by Dan Fisher

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

90. NUGGET POINT LIGHTHOUSE,
NEW ZEALAND

 

Photograph by Scott Robertson

 

 

89. VINTAGE NEW YORK, 1935

 

Photograph by Berenice Abbott

 

 

88. OUR SUN ERUPTS

 

Photograph by NASA/GSFC/SDO

 

 

87. THE EYE OF THE DRAIN

 

Photograph by Liammm on Reddit

 

 

86. SNOWMOBILING
THE NORWAY-SWEDEN BORDER

 

Photograph by haqbar on Reddit

 

 

85. A CABIN THAT FLOATS

 

Photograph by Marcus Peabody

 

 

84. THE SLEEPING GODDESS

 

Photograph by The Lost Gardens of Heligan

 

 

83. A TINY HERMIT CRAB CLOSE-UP

 

Photograph by sleepychinchilla on Flickr

 

 

82. PURPLE HAZE OVER EDINBURGH CASTLE

 

Photograph by Scott Hutcheson (SMHutch Photography on Flickr)

 

 

81. THE COCONUT OCTOPUS

 

Photograph by Mario Neumann (scuba.hamburg on Flickr)

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

80. A CLOUD ILLUMINATED BY LIGHTNING

 

Photograph by Mike Jones (mrjones131 on Flickr)

 

 

79. A TINY RIVER HOUSE IN SERBIA

 

Photograph by Irene Becker for National Geographic

 

 

78. A SUBMARINE SURFACES THROUGH ARCTIC ICE

 

Photograph by Tiffini M. Jones, U.S. Navy

 

 

77. A WALL OF FALL

 

Photograph by Eric Forey (Kala___ on Flickr) | Prints Available

 

 

76. AN AIRPLANE CROSSES THE MOON

 

Photograph by Chris Thomas

 

 

75. THE RED ZONE AT THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

 

Photograph by Elia Locardi on Google+ | blamethemonkey.com

 

 

74. ONE TRIPPY PROFILE PIC

 

Photograph via persnicketypoop on Reddit

 

 

73. LIONESSES AT THE WATERING HOLE

 

Photograph by Ranger Chad Cocking of the Motswari Private Game Reserve

 

 

72. DEATH BEGETS LIFE

 

Photograph by Ireena Worthy on Flickr

 

 

71. MOUNT FUJI FROM ABOVE

 

Photograph via news.mydrivers.com

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

70. SKYDIVING INTO BURNING MAN

 

Photograph via opi8 on Reddit

 

 

69. THE ONLY AMERICAN NOT ON EARTH ON SEPT 11

 

Photograph by NASA

 

 

68. THE VENEZUELAN POODLE MOTH

 

Photograph by Arthur Anker on Flickr

 

 

67. THE PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER

 

Photograph by David Kingham on Flickr | Prints Available

 

 

66. AN X-RAY OF A STINGRAY

 

Photograph by Ken Jones

 

 

65. THE POWER OF ONE SMALL STEP

 

Photograph by NASA

 

 

64. MOTH TRAILS AT NIGHT

 

Photograph by Steve Irvine for National Geographic

 

 

63. JUST A PINCH

 

Photograph by mmarsupilami on Flickr

 

 

62. EVOLUTION OF THE NEW YORK SKYLINE

 

Photograph via Lee @ tier1dc.blogspot.com

 

 

61. AN ELEPHANT MEETS A SEA LION

 

Photograph by Michael Durham via The Oregon Zoo

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

60. FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

 

Photograph via moctodtidderptth on Reddit

 

 

59. AN OLYMPIC FULL MOON

 

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

 

 

58. BASE JUMPING IN RIO

 

Photograph by Wolfgang Luif/Red Bull Content Pool

 

 

57. THE BOMBING OF DRESDEN

 

Photograph by Richard Peter

 

 

56. HOTTEST. KISS. EVER.

 

Photograph by Dallas Nagata on Google+

 

 

55. WHERE THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA MEETS THE SEA

 

Photograph via Better_Be-Safe on Reddit

 

 

54. THE CHICAGO SKYLINE FROM INDIANA

 

Photograph by Tom Adams on Reddit

 

 

53. LIVING ON THE EDGE

 

Photograph by Tim Kemple

 

 

52. THE MOLOKINI CRATER IN HAWAII

 

Photograph by Ron Garnett/Hawaii Tourism Authority

 

 

51. IF JUPITER WAS THE SAME DISTANCE AS THE MOON

 

Artwork by jb2386 on Reddit

 

 

50. A SEAHORSE INSPECTS A DIVER’S WATCH

 

Photograph by Don McLeish

 

 

49. AN ILLUMINATED SNOW TUNNEL IN RUSSIA

 

Photograph by Michael Zelensky

 

 

48. THE HONEYBEE’S FINAL STING

 

Photograph by Kathy Keatley Garvey

 

 

47. EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING

 

Photograph by China Foto Press

 

 

46. STREET ARTIST SAINER GOES BIG IN POLAND

 

Photograph via Fundacja Urban Forms on Facebook

 

 

45. MOUNT RAINIER CASTING A SHADOW ON CLOUDS

 

Photograph by Nick Lippert (via Komo News)

 

 

44. FIRST CONTACT

 

Photograph by CMGW Photography on Flickr

 

 

43. THE IRISH SKY GARDEN CRATER

 

Photograph by Liss Ard Estate

 

 

42. MOON BRIDGE IN DAHU PARK, TAIPEI

 

Photograph by bbe022001 on Flickr

 

 

41. FLIGHT OF THE DEVIL RAYS

 

Photograph by FLORIAN SCHULTZ

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

40. GÁSADALUR VILLAGE IN THE FAROE ISLANDS

 

Photograph by GARETH CODD PHOTOGRAPHY on Flickr

 

 

39. WORLD’S EDGE

 

Photograph by RHYS DAVIES

 

 

38. THE CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN VANCOUVER

 

Photograph by MICHELLE LEE

 

 

37. FRACTAL PATTERNS IN DRIED OUT DESERT RIVERS

 

Photograph by ADRIANA FRANCO for National Geographic

 

 

36. MEDITATING MONKS AT PONGOUR FALLS

 

Photograph by DANG NGO – Prints Available

 

 

35. HANGING OUT ON THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, 1914

 

Photograph by Eugene de Salignac/Courtesy NYC Municipal Archives

 

 

34. A SUNSET ECLIPSE

 

Photograph by GIL NARTEA

 

 

33. BORA BORA FROM SPACE

 

Photograph by PLEIADES-HR SATELLITE

 

 

32. THE LARGEST RAFT OF CANOES AND KAYAKS
IN THE WORLD

 

Photograph by NANCIE BATTAGLIA for National Geographic

 

 

31. ADAPTIVE ROOTS IN THE CONCRETE JUNGLE

 

Photograph by HORST KIECHLE

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

30. THE HAMILTON POOL NATURE PRESERVE

 

Photograph by DAVE WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY

 

 

29. ABOVE THE CANOPY

 

Photograph by MICHAEL NICHOLS for National Geographic [Print Available]

 

 

28. COLLIDING RIVERS IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

 

Photograph via I_let_my_dog_lick_my on Reddit

 

 

27. THE STUNNING GREEN VINE SNAKE

 

Photograph by SUHAAS PREMKUMAR for National Geographic

 

 

26. AURORA AUSTRALIS (SOUTHERN LIGHTS) FROM SPACE

 

Photograph by André Kuipers / ESA / NASA

 

 

25. MOUNT KILIMANJARO FROM ABOVE

 

Photograph by KYLE MIJLOF @ kylemijlof.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

24. THE AMAZING STRENGTH OF AN ANT

 

Photograph by Yu Wu for National Geographic – Your Shot

 

 

23. YARN BOMBING A BUS IN MEXICO CITY

 

Artwork by Magda Sayeg (Photograph by Cesar Ortega)

 

 

22. FELIX BAUMGARTNER JUMPS FROM SPACE

 

© Jay Nemeth/Red Bull Content Pool

 

 

21. THE MOST INCREDIBLE AURORA OF 2012

 

Photograph courtesy of Jónína Óskarsdóttir for NASA

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

20. THE WATERFALL ISLAND AT IGUAZU FALLS

 

Photograph by Andrew Murray on Flickr

 

 

19. OVERGROWN RAILROAD TRACKS IN THE FOREST

 

Photograph by T.-C on Flickr

 

 

18. A POD OF SLEEPING SPERM WHALES

 

Photograph by Wild Wonders of Europe [www.wild-wonders.com] via Business & Biodiversity Campaign

 

 

17. 7 HOURS IN ONE IMAGE

 

Photograph by Isil Karanfil (isilkrnfl on deviantART)

 

 

16. PIXEL PEOPLE PERFECTION

 

Artwork by Craig Alan via Artexpo (Eric Smith) on Flickr

 

 

15. GALACTIC MONSOON

 

Photograph by BRET WEBSTER

 

 

14. STRIKING ARTISTRY OF MULTIPLE TAKEOFFS
AT HANNOVER AIRPORT

 

Photograph by HO-YEOL RYU

 

 

13. THE KEEL WALK

 

Photograph by ALEX THOMSON RACING

 

 

12. A SEA OF PURPLE IN THE BADLANDS OF UTAH

 

Photograph by GUY TAL PHOTOGRAPHY | Print Available for Sale

 

 

11. PUTTING THE SIZE OF A WHALE IN PERSPECTIVE

 

Photograph via timz45 on Reddit

 

 

For more info, click any title or image to see the original post

 

 

10. MEANWHILE IN SWITZERLAND

 

Photograph by Reuters/Denis Balibouse

 

 

9. ONE BOAT AND 145 WATER-SKIERS

 

Photograph by MARK SEATON PHOTOGRAPHY

 

 

8. SALAR DE UYUNI AFTER SOME RAIN

 

Photograph via Paean on Reddit

 

 

7. OUTDOOR JACUZZI ON THE MATTERHORN

 

Photograph via Iglu-Dorf.com

 

 

6. THE PRECIOUS BLUE MARBLE

 

Photograph by NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring

 

 

5. MAELSTROM AT KAUAI, HAWAII

 

Photograph by PATRICK SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

 

 

4. CAPSIZED CRUISE SHIP COSTA CONCORDIA
FROM SPACE

 

Photograph by DIGITALGLOBE.COM

 

 

3. Serenity Now

 

Photograph by ZAK NOYLE for SURFER MAGAZINE

 

 

2. BEAUTIFUL BERN FROM ABOVE

 

Photograph via loki010 on Reddit

 

 

1. FIRST RISING SUN OF 2012

 

Photograph by JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Images

 

 

 

See all ‘Pictures of the Day’

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, the Sifter highly recommends:

 

The Top 50 ‘Pictures of the Day’ for 2011

 

 

 

Seeing the World Through an Airplane Window [50 pics]

 

 

 

Normally, when you think of an eyeball, you think of a smooth sphere but photographer Suren Manvelyan shows us just how textured they can be. The skilled photographer's intriguing macro shots reveal the complex and intricate details of the human eye that is ironically unnoticed by the human eye alone. Getting in real close, the images expose an almost foreign substance. Browsing through Manvelyan's Human Eyes series, one can lose sense of what they're actually looking at.

More than eyes, the photographs seem to be landscape shots of craters or perhaps zoomed in pictures of some sort of fibrous material. It's difficult to grasp the idea that eyes can be so intricately designed. Manvelyan manages to capture every unbelievable detail of the iris and pupil accompanied by giant eyelashes peaking in through the frame. There's something that's both eery and beautiful about each of the eye portraits. We thought his past series of animal eyes were interesting, but getting to see the human eye like this is absolutely mind-blowing. Can you believe this is what our eyes look like up close?

Suren Manvelyan website
via [Slow Show]

Paris, France-based artist Benoit Jammes wrote to us to tell us about his cute and creative series involving cassette tapes. Before compact discs (or CDs) took over the market in the early 90s, cassettes were all the rage, dominating the way we listened to music throughout the 70s and the 80s. As an homage to those long gone decades, Jammes has created a lighthearted series that shows what can happen if you transform those plastic shells into everything from pop culture characters to fruit!

While at first glance, these artworks look like they've been created in Photoshop or Illustrator, you'd be delighted to find out that they're all completely handmade.

Benoit Jammes on Flickr

 

Jeff Friesen is an award winning photographer that has exhibited his work all around the world. All of Jeff’s series begin life as a personal project and grow from there. In his latest series entitled, The Canadian: Ghost Train Crossing Canada, Jeff takes photos of the beautiful Canadian landscape as he makes his way across the world’s second largest country.

The wrinkle is that he also places a vintage 1955 streamliner train (aptly named ‘The Canadian) into his shots. The result is a tiny model train that appears to be traversing the beautiful range of landscapes across Canada. You can find the ongoing series in its entirety on Jeff’s official site. Prints are also available.

[via My Modern Met]

 

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Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

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Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

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Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

4.

Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

5.

Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

6.

Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

7.

Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

8.

Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

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Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

10.

Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

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Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

 

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Photograph by Jeff Friesen | Prints available

 

The Canadian: Ghost Train Crossing Canada

There’s plenty of magic left to find in country big enough to hide mountain ranges. Considering Canada is 8000 kilometres (5000 miles) wide, it’s remarkable how many people set out to cross the country from sea-to-sea. With so much ground to pass beneath you, this is one pilgrimage where the journey really is the destination. Wether by car or bicycle, train or canoe, travellers form their own river running across the landscape. Not too long ago I saw a man pushing a shopping cart down the highway in one of Saskatchewan’s lonelier spaces. A small Canadian flag waved out from the bundle in the cart. Sure enough, I saw the same man, now longer in the beard, pushing his cart on the outskirts of Winnipeg three weeks later. What he is discovering we can only dream.

It’s hard to make sense of living in a big country. Maybe that’s where the sea-to-sea travel urge comes from. I remember eating lunch in an Acadian village on New Brunswick’s coast. The restaurant’s other patrons were lobsterman eating rappie pie and discussing the weather in French. The village and its harbour formed a completely self-contained little world, yet these people actually share something in common with, say, a software engineer having noodles for breakfast four time zones away in the mini-Hong Kong that is Richmond, BC. How does one flag wrap around all of this?

My own cross-country exploration is done by taking the train, but not in the usual sense…I carry the train rather than it carrying me. It fits into a shopping bag from Mountain Equipment Co-Op.

The train is just two inches tall, and it’s a ghost from another age. This is the vintage 1955 streamliner that was first named “The Canadian.” Unfortunately, you won’t find scheduled service for this scenic dome route, though you may see evidence of its passing. For all of you who have come across me working on this project and offered many kind words I hope you enjoy the finished photographs.

“The Canadian” is a work-in-progress and the above portfolio gives an introduction to the project for you. Special thanks to Jason Shron of Rapido Trains, for making a model train that is in itself a work of art. [Source: Jeff-Friesen.com]

 

 

See the Entire Series on Jeff’s Official Site!

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, the Sifter
highly recommends:

 

Seeing the World Through an Airplane Window [50 pics]

 

 

 

Souvenirs in Front of their Real Life Counterparts

 

 

 

The World Travels of a Giant Rubber Duck

 

 

 

 

Eduardo Relero is one of those artists who never seems to run out of ideas. His strange and surreal 3D street art scenes only seem to get more interesting and elaborate. One of his most recent pieces was for the Sarasota Chalk Festival where this year's theme was "Circus City, USA." Relero's 3D chalk art showed a ringmaster lying on a couch, with his whip in hand, looking distressed as he's explaining his problems to his pipe smoking therapist, who just so happens to be a lion.

Relero doesn't just blow us away with his sheer talent and skill for creating 3D street art illusions, it's his surreal, storytelling style that keeps us coming back for more.

Eduardo Relero's website