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This holiday season, we’ve found the gifts that feel great to get and even better to give. Shop our collection of editor-approved holiday gift guides here.

As self-proclaimed style lovers, we get it — shopping for the fashion-obsessed shopper in your life can feel like a high-stakes test. Your chicest friends likely have a trove of wardrobe staples, have dabbled in every trend, and are already eyeing what’s next. That’s why Refinery29 is here to guide you through holiday shopping with confidence, especially when it comes to finding gifts for aesthetes and the hardest-to-please tastemakers on your list.

From statement bags and winter accessories to trendy outerwear and festive jewelry, this edit is packed with sartorial inspiration at price points ranging between $15 and $500. We’ve even included unexpected gems like kitschy trinket trays, chic fashion books, and covetable collaborations to elevate your gifting game.

Ahead, discover 28 of the best fashion gifts — from the practical and luxurious to the unique — for the style-savvy friend on your shopping list.

All linked products are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase any of these products, we may earn a commission.

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The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, West Midlands has opened three new shops as part of its new 1940s to 1960s high street.

The themed shops are Halesowen and Hasbury Co-op, Spring Hill Post Office and Langer’s Army & Navy Stores. The latter is a recreation of a well-known military surplus shop in Stourbridge run by a former German prisoner of war.

Carol King, director of content at the Black Country Living Museum, said: “Step into our 1940s to 1960s high street and you’re not just visiting history – you’re living it.

“From the shelves of the Co-op to the counter of the post office, every detail tells a story of resilience, innovation and community spirit that defined the Black Country.”

“This isn’t just about preserving the past; it’s about bringing it to life for new generations to experience and understand,” King added.

Each new shop at the museum was created with support from the Black Country community. Donated items include Airfix models, birthday cards, motorcycle helmets and rucksacks.

In the military surplus shop, guests will meet a portrayal of Herbert Langer, the former German prisoner of war who established the store in the 1950s.

Langer’s family, including his son Steve Langer, contributed to the project. He said: “My dad would have been so emotional and overwhelmed that someone thought that much of him to do something like this and recreate something that was his life and that he loved… It feels like my dad’s shop. It feels like coming home.”

Black Country Living Museum expansion

At Spring Hill Post Office, guests can meet a portrayal of Stan Nettleton, whose family ran the facility in Penn, Wolverhampton for 40 years. In this shop, there are toys, models and greeting cards.

Langer’s Army & Navy Stores and Spring Hill Post Office opened on 1 July. The Halesowen and Hasbury Co-op opens today (4 July). Here, guests can see reproduced packaging with Co-op’s branding.

The Black Country Living Museum opened its new high street last year.

Images courtesy of Black Country Living Museum

The post Black Country Living Museum opens three new themed shops appeared first on Blooloop.

Longtime Orioles owner and family patriarch Peter Angelos died Saturday at 94 years old, the team announced.

Here’s what former Orioles and those who knew Angelos had to say in remembrance of the Baltimore political activist and one of the most successful class-action attorneys in U.S. history:

Cal Ripken Jr., former Orioles shortstop and Hall of Famer

“Peter was a significant influence in Baltimore for decades,” Ripken said in a statement. “His impact on our region through his ownership of the Orioles and his many charitable contributions has been undeniable. Peter and I had a good relationship and following my retirement, his generosity towards our family’s foundation and assistance in making the IronBirds an Orioles affiliate in our hometown were greatly appreciated. Laura and I have Georgia and the Angelos family in our thoughts today.”

Jim Palmer, former Orioles pitcher and Hall of Famer

“I always considered Peter a friend,” Palmer said on the phone Saturday. “He was the type of guy who would do things for people but didn’t want anyone else to know that he did them. He didn’t want that attention. That’s who he was.”

“If you suffered from asbestos poisoning or tobacco poisoning or lead paint poisoning, he was the knight in shining armor.”

“People have a very short memory. When he bought the team, he said the Orioles are a state treasure. Now, some people obviously didn’t like the way that he ran the ballclub. But there were a lot of good things that happened with Peter.”

“It’s the end of era. He kept the team here. One of the most beautiful ballparks. Yeah, there were ups and downs and, what, 14 losing years and all that, maybe he interfered or whatever. If I’m David Rubenstein, I have to say thank you for keeping the team here and leaving me a team that has the chance of being very good.”

Buck Showalter, former Orioles manager

“Peter had a great love for Baltimore,” Showalter said in a statement. “Every conversation seemed to start with what was best for the people of Baltimore, the fans. It’s sad for me because I know how much the Orioles meant to him and how happy he was when we got better — him coming down to the locker room during the playoffs and seeing him smile during the good times.

“I used to go over to his office once a homestand and just sit down, have lunch and talk with him. You could tell how passionate he was. When someone gets you and you kind of get them, there’s a certain kinship there. I had a great relationship with him.

“With that type of spotlight, there’s a lot of scrutiny, and I think he understood that. He was a tough man, driven, self-made, very focused, smart, sharp. He was special.”

Boog Powell, former Orioles first baseman and two-time World Series champion

“When I came to Baltimore to try to open my business, they didn’t own the Orioles when I opened Boog’s BBQ,” Powell said. “But Peter sure made me feel welcomed after they took over the team, and I had a good relationship with both him and John. … Most of the time, we would just talk about baseball. He was a big baseball fan — huge baseball fan. The Angelos family was great to me.”

Rick Dempsey, former Orioles catcher and two-time World Series champion

“Peter was so good to me we had a very good relationship,” Dempsey said in a statement. “…. I am sad that he suffered so long with Dementia but I am happier now that he is at peace .. God Bless him he was a good man …”

Brandon Hyde, Orioles manager

“I’m just going to start off by offering my condolences to the Angelos family,” Hyde said to open his pregame news conference Saturday. “I know he meant a lot to a lot of people — the city of Baltimore, the community and baseball. I just want to offer my sincere condolences to the family.”

Dave Trembley, former Orioles manager

“In 2009, [Matt] Wieters was getting called up to Baltimore,” Trembley said in a statement. “I was going to leave the team for two days to return home to Daytona Beach, Florida, to attend my son’s high school graduation on Saturday. Mr. Angelos found out about this and said, ‘You aren’t missing Wieters’ debut, you are the manager.’ He flew me home Friday night after the game on his private plane, and I went to the graduation and was back for batting practice on Saturday.

“I met with Mr. Angelos in his office after I was named the manager. He was very nice to me. He asked that I make sure the players were professional on and off the field and represented the tradition of the Orioles in a positive way and were cordial to the fans and Orioles workers. A real nice man. Special. My sincere condolences to his family.”

Adam Jones, former Orioles center fielder

“Saddened to hear the loss of Peter Angelos,” Jones wrote on X. “Mr. Angelos was an incredible man and we both shared a deep love for the city of Baltimore and the Orioles. Sending my condolences to the Angelos family during this difficult time. Rest in Power Mr. A.”

Chris Davis, former Orioles first baseman

“The first time I met Peter was actually in the clubhouse in 2012 when we were kind of making a run towards the end of the season trying to get into that wild-card game,” Davis said on the phone. “He said, you know, you remind me of somebody. And for anybody who’s ever met Peter, he’s not a big man, but he’s got a big presence. He’s got a big, bolstering voice. He said, ‘You remind me of somebody,’ and I said, ‘Who’s that?’ He said, ‘Babe Ruth,’ and I was like, ‘Wow, thank you.’ That’s an outstanding compliment. I thought it was cool that he made it a point to come and talk to me. It was my first full year with the team, having been traded there the year before. But I also appreciated the fact that he wanted to be in the clubhouse and be around the guys seeing as the team was doing very well.

“Over the years, obviously, I got to know him a lot better, and I would go to his office every now and then just to sit and talk with him about whatever. I just always appreciated how authentic and genuine he was. He really cared about the team. He really cared about the guys on the team. He wanted to know how the chemistry and the culture in the clubhouse was. He wanted to know if the guys got along or if we spent time together away from the field. You could tell he was a family man and that was important to him.

“He did care about the team. When you go through as many losing seasons as the Orioles did before we started winning again, it’s tough. As the owner, you’re going to take that on the chin because everyone feels like you’re the one in control. But Peter really did care about the team. It really rejuvenated him and excited him to see the team winning again from 2012 to 2016 — to see the great postseason run in 2014.

“The commitment that he and the Orioles organization made to me contractually changed my life and changed my family’s life. I always appreciated that about Peter. I think he’s a very faithful, very loyal man. I think he’s definitely going to be missed.”

Scott McGregor, former Orioles pitcher

“So sorry to hear of Mr Angelos’ passing,’ McGregor said. “Peter’s name is synonymous with Baltimore and the Orioles. He was a huge influence throughout the city both heartfelt and financially and he will never be forgotten.”

Ben McDonald, former Orioles pitcher and current MASN broadcaster

“We’d all heard the rumors and heard that he was bad off. You knew that the time was probably near, and having gone through that with my dad recently, you try to prepare for something like that, but you’re never fully prepared.

“I was young when Peter bought the club, and Peter was around and he was a big fan of baseball. He was around in the early years a good bit. I got the chance to talk with him a few times, but not a lot. When I think of Peter, I think of obviously a world-class attorney — all the cases that he won and did in that world. And also as a really good owner, too, and a guy that found a way through all the rumors over the years to keep the club in Baltimore. He wanted to keep the club in Baltimore, and he found a way to do that.

“My first thoughts and prayers are with the family, because I know how difficult a time it is. That’s how I remember Peter, as a really good owner, a nice guy, an engaging guy. As an individual he was a little bit, I don’t know, but I don’t have anything bad to say about him, man. I always thought he was a good guy. He did it the best way that he could in a smaller market, and, you know, he seems to love the game of baseball, he really did.”

Pam Shriver, part-owner and former tennis star

“It’s an emotional day for the whole Angelos family, the Baltimore Orioles, the city of Baltimore,” Shriver said on the phone. “We can reflect on what Peter helped do to stabilize the Orioles in Baltimore forever, which is the hope. If that’s the case in history, it will be chalked up to what Peter was able to do in the early 90s to secure local ownership and bringing on a pretty unique group of partners, which I’ve been pleased to be a part of.

“His legacy is Baltimore first. Peter just loved his hometown. It’s where he made his business, his law practice empire. He made his mark as owner of the Orioles. His family remained there, his kids. I feel like that’s what Baltimore is about, maintaining your love for the city and wanting to leave it in a better place when you have the ability and the wisdom and wealth to make Baltimore a better place. I feel like Peter did that. I think he leaves behind an amazing legacy, honestly, both at the law practice and what he did for the Orioles.”

Janet Marie Smith, former vice president of Orioles planning and development

“First, I should extend my sympathies to Peter Angelos’ family,” Smith said in a statement. “He loved his family so much, and I know the loss is immense. He also loved Baltimore. During the years I worked for him (1993-94 and again 2009-12), he demonstrated that over and over. Through quiet anonymous acts and public advocacy, especially for downtown and its importance to the city and the state.

“He took great and direct interest in the 20th anniversary upgrades to Camden Yards and the renovations to Ed Smith Stadium and player facilities in Sarasota. He was always thoughtful about decisions and never hurried in examining options and understanding their implications from a fan or players perspective. He always asked about the business ramifications of decisions, not just the budget implications. He valued that knowledge of the sports industry, relationships with the Maryland Stadium Authority, sponsors, concessionaires, and vendors were important ingredients to getting things done — it wasn’t all about design — but he enjoyed that the most.

“He was so proud of the bronze sculptures of the Orioles retired number players and managers. He funded those himself and wanted each to feel honored by the gesture, though he never publicly appeared at any of the ceremonies. He came to Camden Yards early one morning, just the two of us, to see the sculptures when they were all finished, and you could see how touched he was by their presence at the ballpark.

“I should also say, since I’m talking with the Baltimore Sun, he cared very much about the 4th estate. He left ‘The Sun’ sign on the scoreboard long after needed, out of respect for the importance of journalism in shedding light on issues of public interest that he felt government and business needed to know and be held accounted for — this wasn’t a casual act, this was his firm belief.”

Jim Duquette, former Orioles vice president for baseball operations

“He bought the team in ’93 to keep it from potentially leaving,” Duquette said Saturday on MLB Network Radio. “We have seen locally the Colts had left in the middle of the night, so there’s this whole feeling around in Baltimore that the Orioles might leave, too. They were up for sale. Eli Jacobs owned the team for a little bit, but they were talking about moving it out of town.

“There’s a lot of angst about the Orioles leaving. Peter was kind of the savior at that point. It’s hard to believe because a lot of people around town did not like Peter over the course of his ownership. Early on, he was such a successful lawyer and he represented a lot of people in the asbestos area in the state of Maryland, he was like a hero. They had success there a couple years into it. I think it was ’96 and ’97 that they got to the ALCS back-to-back. During that period of time, he was at the ballpark a lot. He loved baseball. He loved the sport.”

David Rubenstein, whose purchase of the club is expected to soon be approved by Major League Baseball

“I offer my deepest condolences to the Angelos family on the passing of Peter Angelos. Peter made an indelible mark first in business and then in baseball. The city of Baltimore owes him a debt of gratitude for his stewardship of the Orioles across three decades and for positioning the team for great success.”

Steve Bisciotti, Ravens owner

“I am saddened to learn about the passing of Peter Angelos. As a native Baltimorean, Peter was an important figure in our city’s rich sports history. He was a smart businessman who wasn’t afraid to stand up to issues he felt were important. Above all, the impact Peter made through his philanthropic efforts left a lasting impression on our community. My heart goes out to the Angelos family during this difficult time.”

Ronald Weich, University of Baltimore School of Law Dean

“Peter Angelos was one of the most successful and most loyal graduates of our law school. He was a fierce advocate for his clients and a champion for justice.”

Josh Linn, a season-ticket holder who hosts an Orioles podcast

Linn said his first years as a fan in the early 2000s were rocky under Angelos’ leadership. However, the 33-year-old praised Angelos for keeping games affordable for families.

“The fact that they were so vocal about keeping games affordable when other teams in other leagues are trying to extract every last dollar out of the experience” was commendable, Linn said. “He found a balance between running a profitable business and also offering a good customer experience.”

While other teams during the 1994 Major League Baseball strike were eager to hire fill-in players or “scabs,” Angelos was one of few owners who took a pro-labor stance. His legal work on behalf of asbestos victims and his philanthropic work in Baltimore should overshadow past failures on the field, Linn said.

Overall, Linn called Angelos, “a fundamentally decent person who has a complicated legacy.”

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, longtime Maryland Democrat

“Sad to hear of Peter Angelos’ passing,” Ruppersberger wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “What a legend. He was a fierce competitor, usually for the underdogs and working class. He leaves an enduring legacy of philanthropy and commitment to #Baltimore and will be missed.”

Baltimore Sun reporter Cassidy Jensen contributed to this article, which will be updated.

Before Anatomy of a Fall gives us a body, we get a booming steel drum cover of 50 Cent’s “P.I.M.P.” It’s coming from upstairs, where Sandra’s (Sandra Hüller) husband is insulating the attic. But he’s playing the music loudly — possibly out of spite. Sandra is downstairs answering a grad student’s questions about her career as a successful novelist, speaking pretentiously, and predictably, about how reality informs her fiction. Samuel (Samuel Theis), the husband, is also a writer but has never been able to publish a book. Blasting horrible music is perhaps how he expresses that bitterness to his wife. An hour later, he’ll be found outside, head cracked open after tumbling from the third floor.

That’s the initial assumption at least. But...

Continue reading…

It's simple. You just need to buy a Bluetooth receiver. They're relatively cheap and easy to use.

The Muppets may not be fans of James Corden's jokes, but they're definitely fans of a singalong.

In the clip above from The Late Late Show, the cheery crew joins James Corden, Reggie Watts, and the house band for a rendition of The Beatles' song "With a Little Help From My Friends."

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Buckle up, babies.

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We can't wait to get our hands on these shoes that launched at Outdoor Retailer 2019. In the meantime, we've rounded up previous iterations of those shoes, so you can stock up now.

How many musicals can you get into a 12 minute sketch? 22. If you are Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and James Corden, that is. 

The stars of Mary Poppins Returns joined Corden on The Late Late Show for a 22-song medley of songs from famous musicals – choreography and all. 

La La Land, Fame, and Moulin Rouge are just some of the musicals featured in this 12-minute musical extravaganza. 

And there's also a sneak peak of Mary Poppins Returns in there.  Read more...

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Okay, sure, this fluffy little puppers doesn't want his owner to leave on a vacation that's likely all "No Dogs Allowed."

But, really, has there been a better metaphor for the current state of affairs in the U.S. than this little guy? 

Just as he clings desperately to his human's leg, begging him not to go to Hawaii, Italian wine country, Mars, or whatever utopia we can't possibly get to, so, too, do we cling to our last shred of sanity in these days of a world turned into a giant garbage fire. 

Hang in there, little guy, and don't let go. 

[via Storyful] Read more...

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New Ready Player One trailers are quickly turning into a game of "spot the reference." Sure, there's plenty of excitement for director Steven Spielberg's first crack at live-action sci-fi/fantasy since 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. 

But let's be real: Many of us are here, poring over the new trailers, to see which of our favorite characters surface. In this latest look at the March 30 release, I can see Blanka and Chun-Li from Street Fighter, multiple Battletoads, Overwatch's Tracer, a silhouette that could either be King Kong or Donkey Kong, horror movie murder doll Chucky, and RX-78-2 Gundam, plus a bunch of others that popped up in the previous trailer. Read more...

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Sometimes, it takes the cast of Silicon Valley to poke fun at the real world Silicon Valley.

While the show masterfully ribs its own version of tech industry, a new cut from Funny or Die mashed scenes from Silicon Valley with Apple's iPhone keynote to reveal the ridiculousness that is the IRL iPhone X. 

Sure, the iPhone X is an impressive phone (it better be with that price tag), but the way Apple fans praise anything the company does is something we should all call out and laugh at. While cool, Animoji is not the breakthrough technology we need (or want) right now.  Read more...

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Man oh man, what a wild week it’s been in Las Vegas. From Penn & Teller taking the stage to show an eager audience how magic is done to learning about the ways brands reverse engineer data to speak to their consumers, the 2017 Adobe Summit was a whirlwind event from start to finish that dove head first into the world of marketing.    

Now that things are wrapping up, it’s time to look inwards and ask ourselves what we learned during our week in Sin City. Are we better at what we’re doing? Do we understand our audience more? How are things going to change in the future? Because introspection is key, here are some of the best life lessons we plan to take with us – until the next Adobe Summit.    Read more...

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If the average beauty vlogger on YouTube is to be believed, then a reasonable everyday makeup look involves, at the bare minimum, five complexion products, two highlighters, five brushes most of us didn’t even know we needed, and a full-on smoky eye. (In shades of taupe and brown, of course, to make it wearable for the 9-to-5.) And while watching influencers do their thing is one of our favorite ways to kill time, our own morning beauty routines don’t quite stack up to theirs — and that’s fine by us.

But finally, someone came along and made a genuinely realistic makeup tutorial… if you can even call it that. Really, it’s less like a how-to and more like looking into a mirror, only funnier. Watch for yourself:

The video, which has now been posted in two places, has more than 20 million collective views. And that’s because the Australian comedian and radio host behind it, Tanya Hennessy, perfectly captures what it’s like to know what you’re doing, but only kind of... You understand how the mascara goes on, you know which brush to use, and maybe you even read somewhere that applying balm over lip liner is a great way to get long-lasting color that doesn’t look dry. Chances are, you probably also have a few items that you only bought because a pretty salesperson with perfect makeup wouldn’t let you leave the store without them.

She keeps it real— all the way down to the last few seconds of the video, where she shows that, makeup mastery or not, she can still fish-gape with the best of ‘em. Never change, Tanya. Never change.

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Scientists from the University of Maryland School of Medicine have identified seven proteins in the Zika virus that could be to blame for the birth defects linked to the pathogen.

The researchers are among scores around the world trying to develop a vaccine and other treatments for the virus, which...

Trolls rank right up there with ogres and wildebeest among creatures least likely to evoke makeup inspo. Unless you're talking about the cartoon versions with rainbow hair and colorful clothes, that is. Now that's the stuff of beauty dreams.

Enter Hard Candy’s limited-edition Trolls collection. The product range — available today in Walmart stores — features a few items we’ve long coveted (like lip balms that change with your pH and rainbow highlighter), plus a few we didn’t know we needed until now, including marbleized lipstick and a full-spectrum palette of hair chalk. As if that weren't enough, each one of these goodies is housed in the cutest packaging, ever. (We’re already envisioning the hundreds of ways we can re-use the bokeh tins that come with metallic matte liquid lipsticks.)

The icing on the cake? Each piece is either $6 or $8 — even less than it'd cost to go see the film that inspired the collection, so we’ll suffer zero guilt when splashing out on every last item. Click ahead to see the products that make trolling look good.

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In the age of #foodporn and entire social networks dedicated just to photographing meals, every part of your diet should be beautiful. That’s the principle behind the Rainbow Bagel, available only at The Bagel Store in the hipster haven of Williamsburg.

The bagels are beautiful, like something out of Lisa Frank’s hunger dreams, but insanely painstaking to make. INSIDER Food has a video breakdown which tells part of the story. The Daily Meal reports that 100 Rainbow Bagels take the same amount of time (five hours) as 1,000 regular bagels. That’s due to an intensive dyeing, layering, and twisting process that looks less Williamsburg and more Willy Wonka.

Scot Rossillo, Bagel Store owner, has been making the bagels for two decades, but they’ve only lately become a viral hit. According to multiple sources, the bagels taste more or less like cake. That’s a no-brainer once you realize cotton candy flavor and funfetti cream cheese play a big role in bringing the full Rainbow Bagel experience to fruition.

The bagels cost $3.95 and they look worth every penny. Think about it: The social media capital alone is incalculable. We're talking a virtual rainbow of hearts and likes.

Forget Siri, somebody needs to tell us where we can get our own puppet assistant a la Petit Michel, the miniature puppet version of renowned French fashion show sound engineer Michel Gaubert.

Petit Michel is the brainchild of luxury automobile brand Mercedes-Benz, created solely for the brand's "Fashion Creatives" series to promote this week's Berlin Fashion Week. Operated by Victor Yerrid, a Jim Henson puppeteer, Petit Michel stars alongside the real Gaubert in this three-minute video that hilariously details their friendship and working relationship.

From Petit Michel's heavily French-accented English down to his witty banters with Gaubert, it's hard not to fall in love with this rock star of a puppet. Read more...

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I’m a graduate student in Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. I’m looking for six actors (two main, four supporting) to play roles in a short (3:30) film. Filming will take place on October 26, 2015 from 9am to 5pm. The roles are not compensated, but coffee and lunch will be provided, as well as credit and an HD digital copy of the film.

The post Call for Actors in L.A. – Lead & Supporting Roles in Student Film Project “The Growing Family” appeared first on Auditions Free.

Tell me if this intro to the first-person video game “INFRA” doesn’t get your adrenaline gushing:

We put you into the shoes of a structural analyst. Nothing more than a quiet desk jockey assigned to survey some routine structural damage.

Quickly though, your mission turns from a mundane trek to a fight for survival. Your tools are simple: the camera around your neck and the wits to navigate a virtual labyrinth of debris.

How you tell your story is your choice, will you have the commitment to finish your duty, or will you ignore all else but the preservation of your own life?

OK, so the premise isn’t as action-packed as swinging across a floating, racist city in “Bioshock Infinite” or no-scoping ultranationalist terrorists in “Modern Warfare 3.” But INFRA has the power of realism on its side. Given the crappy state of a lot of the world’s infrastructure, who can’t relate to the fear of being crushed by an old bridge or barbecued by an exploding gas line?

It was actually America’s dangerously outdated roads and levees that inspired Loiste Interactive’s Oskari Samiola to create “INFRA.” “The idea to make an infrastructure-themed game came after I watched the ‘Crumbling America’ documentary about the U.S.A.’s at-the-collapsing-point infrastructure,” says Samiola, who’s 22 and lives in Finland. “And generally after hearing news about spoiled tap water and seeing roads in poor condition.”

The protagonist is a Finnish engineer who recently got a job in Stalburg, a fictional Baltic metropolis that once was a flourishing mining hub. However, corporate corruption and disrepair has transformed it into a hazardous warren of cracked concrete and rusty metal. Your duty is to document and fix the deficiencies, using nothing but a camera and your handy flashlight. In look and feel it’s sort of like “Half-Life 2,” but instead of killing headcrabs you’re slowly fixing a city.

Excitement comes from escaping collapsing buildings, avoiding hazards like radioactive mushrooms, and preventing disasters—in one instance, by diverting raw sewage to a treatment plant instead of a river. But most of the game’s allure rests in solving puzzles and exploring Stalburg’s antiquated locales, from abandoned factories to flooded tunnels to wooded dams to a “memorial for industry and its victims.”

Players shouldn’t expect to hammer enemies with their flashlight, say, or run over the boss who delays your work orders with a subway-maintenance train. You can’t even throw the batteries you collect from random spots, like a dingy work locker. “No violence,” says Samiola. “Well … the player could maybe kill a rat.”

It’s a risky concept in a first-person gaming field dominated by bloody shooters and slashers, but to believe the gorgeous screenshots and atmospheric trailers it just might work. Samiola and his fellow developers have already gotten the green light from Steam, and plan to sell the game for $25 at an undetermined date.

Have a look at some more settings, and if you want to support “INFRA” head on over to Indiegogo.

North West’s misery is like almost not funny anymore, except for that it is.

Have you ever been meditating and thought, "This would be way more interesting with expletives"? Well, looks like the gods have smiled upon you.

Jason Headley's "F*ck That: A Guide To Meditation" is the perfect thing to listen to when you need guided meditation to give it to you straight. Accompanied by soothing waves and ambient music, Headley uses such inspirational phrases as "Gradually, let the horse sh*t from the external world fade from your awareness," and "If your thoughts drift to the three-ring sh*t-show of your life, bring your attention back to your breathing."

And, of course, the cherry on top is the soothing mantra, made with deep breaths:
"F*ck thaaat ... f*ck thaaat ... " Read more...

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I’ve stopped and started this so many times.

I’ve asked myself over and over: Do I really need to? Is it really necessary? Will it just make everything harder? But deep down, I know the answer to those questions. I have done from the start.

I have to tell you that I’m not in love with you anymore.

You don’t know how much of a relief that is to me. I had loved you for so long that I wondered if I’d ever be able to let you go. If I’d ever not long for the boy I’d fallen for so young and loved ever since. I was immature and foolish, but you – you were magnificent. In your eyes, I saw everything I thought I’d ever want and a million times more.

You probably think I’m exaggerating with this- that it’s just some overworked hyperbole that my writer’s mind can’t resist. But it isn’t. I promise.

I don’t think you realize how incredible you are, how kind and beautiful your heart is, how adored you are by so many. I say this completely without expectation and with a heart full of happiness because, once upon a time, you were my everything. And I wanted so badly to be yours, to make you happy, to make you feel the way I felt every time our eyes met.

I wonder how much you knew that, if at all. I wonder if it would’ve changed things if you did.

I never expected for you to love me back, I hope you know that, and I hope you don’t blame me for writing this, either. I just needed to tell you, to set us both free.

The truth is this: I don’t want to be the love-sick little girl you can’t seem to shake. I’m so much more than that.

That’s not to say I don’t think about you, because I do. I do. But I’ve stopped playing every moment back to myself, analyzing every word, every look. I was just so afraid that what between us was just something I’d fabricated. That it never really happened. I didn’t want to be the stupid girl that mixed what she wanted with what was real, the one who made everything out of nothing.

(I still don’t really know)

But one day that stopped. I stopped longing for you and wishing things had turned out differently. That was the day I realized:

I love you, but I’m not in love with you.

There’s a difference, I see that now.

Forgive me for being so outright. So selfish. For parading my feelings for the world to see and mock, but I’m not ashamed to have fallen for you, just as I’m not ashamed that you didn’t want me back.

I won’t say I’m over you, because you’re not the kind of person you can love for a while and then forget about. I will always love you because you are and have been such a big part of my life.

We just weren’t meant to happen. And I get it now. That’s okay.

Here's the next big museum stunt of 2015: The National Building Museum has commissioned the design firm Snarkitecture to build a beach inside the museum this summer.

"The Beach" will comprise nearly 1 million plastic translucent balls inside an enclosure, making for the most sophisticated Chuck E. Cheese–style ball pit ever constructed. A followup to last year's summer blockbuster exhibit—a labyrinth designed by Bjarke Ingels Group—the beach opens on July 4.

Snarkitecture will design the enclosure that distinguishes the ocean from the shore, as it were:

The BEACH will be contained within an enclosure and built out of construction materials such as scaffolding, wooden panels, and perforated mesh, all clad in stark white, consistent with Snarkitecture's aesthetic. Monochromatic beach chairs and umbrellas will sprinkle the 50-foot wide “shoreline,” and the “ocean” will culminate in a mirrored wall that creates a seemingly infinite reflected expanse. Visitors are welcome to “swim” in the ocean, or can spend an afternoon at the “shore’s” edge reading a good book, play beach-related activities such as paddleball, grab a refreshing drink at the snack bar, or dangle their feet in the ocean off the pier.

Like a small-scale adaptation of the Young Architects Program at MoMA PS1 and its fun-and-sun architecture "Warm Up" parties, the Beach is designed to draw people back to the museum over the course of the season. It's a way of filling up the atrium, a space whose cavernousness has otherwise proven awkward for museum programming (though Bjarke Ingels Group used the atrium to good effect for "Hot to Cold").

No doubt, Snarkitecture's Beach will be a hit with young people, and especially families, just like last summer's labyrinth. And architecture exhibitions don't necessarily fall in the same escalating category of spectacles seen at art museums. Architecture exhibits usually mean building something new.

It's not possible to judge this beach yet. Still, my worry stands: Is there never a way to engage with the work of a trendy, aspiring design firm like Snarkitecture that doesn't also trade on that firm's trendiness to draw visitors?

We've all heard the story of how Monopoly was invented in the depths of the Great Depression by Charles Darrow, a man down on his luck—until he started tinkering with a board game inspired by happier days in Atlantic City...

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"Presented with food, he acts as if it's his last meal." Sound familiar?

Hamsters stuff their faces with food into a seemingly endless pit, but finally we have answers as to how far that pit goes.

Image: BBC

A new documentary series on BBC One, Pet - Wild at Heart, asks the tough questions about the rodent's eating habits. Using an X-ray camera, the show reveals exactly what happens when those cute hamsters start mashing treats into their cheeks

Image: BBC

The video claims that hamsters don't secrete saliva while stuffing their cheek pouches with food so that it stays fresh and dry, while the X-ray footage shows that the pouches actually extend all the way to the critter's hips Read more...

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It's clear that SNL cast member Kate McKinnon knows nobody was impressed by Calvin Klein's recent ad campaign featuring pop star Justin Bieber

McKinnon's pointed impression of Bieber on Saturday Night Live's latest episode is one for the ages, perfectly spoofing the look of Calvin Klein's black-and-white ads, as well as giving us an "inside look" at how the singer may have behaved on set

The three ads also feature Cecily Strong as model Lara Stone, who acts how everyone probably would when in close proximity to Biebs wearing underwear.

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Revenge is a dish best served cold — and forever stuck in your carpet.

There are many ways to deal with people we don't like. We can ignore them, send them a rude email, yell and scream until our faces turn red or a number of other things that only add stress into our lives and ultimately make us unhappy. It's so much better to get a little pleasure from our burning hatred.

Image: Ship Your Enemies Glitter

Australian website ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com has the perfect solution, which is a more magical, feces-free equivalent of leaving a bag of poop on the doorstep: glitter. Read more...

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The San Diego Zoo has a brand spanking new baby one-horned rhino! Born on November 27, the little guy had—OH MY GOD HE'S DRINKING FROM A GIANT BOTTLE.

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