Every Dungeons & Dragons character seeks magical items for their abilities. But some wizards aren't interested in making powerful relics; they're interested in making nonsense, because they're crazy, or things that will screw your character over, because they're jerks. The result? These ridiculous artifacts from D&D's golden days.

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Cork Globe - Pinpoint Your Travels - Stick pins in the places you’ve been or plan your future travels. Full-size Ø 25cm cork globe with a clear and simple world map: pinpoint cities and tick-off countries as you journey around the planet.

(Want more? See NOTCOT.org and NOTCOT.com)

Endlich! Nach einem Jahr haben sie den ersten Band des growdgesourcten Simpsons/Akira-Mashup-Comics online gestellt (leider nur in MedRes). Die Qualität der Illus schwankt zwar, aber bei einem kolaborativen Projekt diesen Ausmaßes (468 Zeichner für 2000 Seiten) lässt sich das natürlich nicht vermeiden, und alleine schon für die Existenz dieses Teils muss man Ryan Humphrey und Harvey James, die Bartkira damals angeleiert hatten, dankbar sein. Ganz, ganz großartig!

Ich hab’ mich grade durch die 350 Seiten geklickt, hier ein paar meiner Favs:

Bartkira Volume 1

Vorher auf Nerdcore:
Bartkira: Neo-Springfield is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E.!
Bartkira Artbook
Bartkira Update
Draw Homer, the Simpsons Drawing Club and the Bartkira Covers

Way, way back in 2008, Sid Meier's strategy game, Civilization Revolution, was released for consoles. It had some rough edges , but ultimately, it was a good Civilization game. Then, in 2009, an iPhone port of the game was released. And now, five years later, iOS is where the sequel makes its debut.

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This fifteen-second video perfectly captures what it would have been like if, instead of a dinosaur, this Jurassic Park scene featured a very large bulldog named Wally.

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Howard Chaykin’s cover art from the Shadow, Vol. 2. This was published as a miniseries in the 1980s by DC.

Для российской элиты образцом для подражания всегда был Берлускони. Он ввел моду на моложавость, дорогие часы и роскошные резиденции. Путин же, в свою очередь, стал образцом для подражания для Ким Чен Ына. Ждем полета с журавлями и погружения за амфорами.

From onion peels to kiwi seeds or even bits of chocolate, it seems any canvas is sufficient for Turkish artist Hasan Kale (previously) as long as it meets the requirement of being incredibly tiny. Hasan delights in the challenge of depicting landscapes of his native Istanbul in the most infinitesimal of brush strokes, a feat that requires the use of a magnifying glass to appreciate the details of each piece. While the longevity of each object he paints is questionable, the steadiness of his hand is impressive to witness. See much more over on Facebook. (via Illusion)

"QUANTUM SHOT" #873 Link - article by Avi Abrams You cannot "step into the same river twice", but some rivers are so full of heavenly colour that you are tempted to linger "The river itself portrays humanity precisely, with its tortuous windings, its accumulation of driftwood, its unsuspected depths, and its crystalline shallows, singing in the summer sun. Barriers may be built across its path, but they bring only power... sometimes when the rocks loom large ahead, and eternity itself would be needed to carve a passage, there is an easy way around. The discovery of it makes the river sing with gladness and turns the murmurous deeps to living water, bright with ripples and foam." -- Myrtle Reed, Old Rose and Silver Yes, rivers hold a presence in our hearts comparable to that of an ocean, but more dynamic, more alive and in tune with a changeable human nature. An ocean is a ponderous entity, immense and immovable, but rivers flow and change their character; their nature is at once boisterous and disciplined, humbly contained within the geological framework allotted to them. (images credit: Andrei Ermolayev) Some rivers sparkle with many colors, and today we are going to look at some of the most colorful rivers in the world, covering only a few with more waiting for future installments of our "Awesome Nature" series: Corte Pequena Faro: the Blue Dragon This aerial photograph showcases the stunningly blue water - the reflection of the sky above - of the river near Faro, Portugal. Here are the coordinates on GoogleMaps: (image credit: Steve Richards) Such beautiful blue color and multiple twists can be a feature of many rivers, best appreciated from a great height - producing stunning aerial photography shots. Lake Nacimiento in California, for example, displays the same dragon-like bristling shape and similarly brilliant color reflecting the clear skies. However, some rivers display similarly brilliant color up close and personal, and the following glacier melt-water river is perhaps the most vivid of them all: Stunningly Vivid Blue River, fed by the Petermann Glacier in Greenland This is melt water, of course, with thousands of melt ponds (some having a cutesy heart shape) all around it; but it is also a flowing river of intensely blue color which can be experienced on an organized kayak trip for those daring enough to go. Petermann Glacier is 70 km long and can be 600 m deep... "In August 2010, a giant iceberg measuring 260 square kilometres (100 sq mi) broke off from the floating portion of Petermann Glacier reducing its area and volume by about 25% and 10%, respectively." (images via) River of Five Colors: Cano Cristales Also known as "the river that ran away from paradise," and "the most beautiful river in the world", the Crystal River is located near La Macarena, Colombia, and sports five distinct colors within its waters - yellow, blue, green, black, red - which change their hue and brilliance depending on a season (best observed in September-November) and on a life-cycle of the Macarenia clavigera weeds lining the riverbed. (images via) To access the river you will have to fly to La Macarena and then take a horseback trip into the "Serrania de la Macarena" National Park, so it is not that easy to get there - but the rewards of witnessing and even swimming in all this radiant glory speak for themselves. Check out these lovely water-eroded pits in rock where you can even submerge yourself for a brief "fish in a bowl" experience: There is also an abundance of miniature waterfalls, adding to the spectacular beauty of the place: (images via) Color it Green: Lovely, Curvaceous River Uvac in Serbia This light-green beauty is located in Special Nature Reserve Uvac, namely the Uvac Canyon, which is also known for being a habitat of huge Griffon Vultures, which can have a wingspan of almost three meters... (image via) Color it Red: Washed Sand Changes Rivers into "Blood" This is the much-revered Yangtze River in China, which turned color one day (most vividly near Chongqing) due to some washed out sand - and caused an ecological scare in the news as it was initially thought to be caused by somebody dumping chemicals in the river: (images credit: China Photo Press / Barcroft Media ) Another washed sand "red river" was spotted in Madagascar - this is an aerial shot over the Bombetoka Bay in Betsiboka region: (image credit: Oledoe) Color it Rainbow: Incredible Volcanic Ash-infused rivers of Iceland Intense volcanic activity in Iceland leads to overall abundance of other-worldly landscapes, and this apparently includes rivers which look like they were lifted bodily from the surface of some other planet - an ancient Mars, perhaps, bountiful with water reflected over the shimmering alien sand. Russian photographer Andrei Ermolayev took these fantastic aerial shots over the Southern coast of Iceland: (images credit: Andrei Ermolayev) These incredible river-made patterns don't even seem natural, but rather a handiwork of a fairy-tale maiden, an ornament to adorn the blushing face of the Earth, to cherish for ages to come: (image credit: Andrei Ermolayev) Article by Avi Abrams, Dark Roasted Blend. ALSO READ: "MOTHER NATURE AS AN ABSTRACT ARTIST" -> CONTINUE TO THE "AWESOME NATURE" SERIES ->

Spider-Man And Daredevil by Frank Miller

This home in the Czech Republic began as an empty space with just the central staircase installed right in the middle of the ground floor. OOOOX were hired to renovate the interior, which included revamping the layout and creating a new concept for the interior that was inspired by the homeowner’s love of Scandinavian design.

The living room’s sofa is made up of a set of cushions that sit on a white, U-shaped platform.

A monochromatic color palette of black and white pays tribute to the client’s time spent in Norway. The original ceramic ceiling remains exposed and in white, which continues to the wall color.

Instead of your average bookcase, they used a series of open and closed square components in white, black, and oak for storage.

Floor-to-ceiling glass walls separate the entrance from the main living room and kitchen, with a panel that slides to open it.

The dominant staircase is covered in an anthracite screed with a divider that is made of cotton netting.

The kitchen flows around a central, black island with white cabinets built into the exterior wall.

The main bedroom is open and airy with a bookcase that acts as a divider.

The wood floors extend halfway up the wall behind the bed acting as a headboard.

The black bathroom is left open to the bedroom and is quite the contrast next to the white and wood bedroom.

Photos by Martin Zeman.

The World According to West–According to the New York Post, at a recent panel at Cannes, Kanye West took the time to express his feelings after photographer Annie Leibovitz pulled out of shooting his wedding to Kim Kardashian. His explanation for her choice to opt out of the plan was that Leibovitz “was afraid of celebrity”. West’s claims seem to fall short however, as Annie Leibovitz is almost exclusively known as a celebrity photographer. Leibovitz in fact shot Vogue’s April cover, which featured him and Kim.

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The post Kanye West Claims Annie Leibovitz is ‘Afraid of Celebrity’ appeared first on The Fashionisto.

Jeremy Meeks, the hOt CoNvIcT whose mug shot went viral yesterday because on one hand, violent crime is bad, but on the other, OMG THOSE CRYSTAL CLEAR EERILY HOLLOW BLUE EYES, has finally broken his silence and spoken. And, like many hot people facing possible prison terms, he doesn't really care much that people think he's attractive. He just wants to get out of jail.

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Mutation Vectors is a weekly rundown of my media diet, along with other random thoughts.

Twitter

I started a Twitter sabbatical this week. I gave someone the passwords to both the klintron and techn0ccult accounts, had her change them and promise not to give my access back until July 10. I don’t want to write a lot about why I did it, or what’s like living a month without Twitter or whatever. Let’s just leave it at this: I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by media inputs, and Twitter has started to feel like more of source of aggrevation and distraction than a place that I can keep up with friends and colleagues or find links or information that I wouldn’t find elsewhere. So it’s time for a break. I’ll come back to it with fresh eyes next month and decide what I want do with it then.

Journalism

This week’s must read is “The Racism Beat” by Cord Jefferson. Snippet:

For several years, I made my unofficial beat the stories, struggles, and politics of blacks in America. I wrote about other things, also, but never with the same frequency or interest. I was pretty good at it, and, more than that, I enjoyed it. Eventually, people began to assume that I’d comment when a particular kind of news story bubbled up—generally one about something bad happening to a black person—and I often times would. I wasn’t surprised when a website I liked asked me to write about the case of a white man of little note in New Hampshire calling a hugely powerful black man a “nigger.” But then I realized I didn’t have anything to say.

Or maybe it wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to say. Maybe it was the realization that writing anything would be to listlessly participate in the carousel ride: an inciting incident, 1,000 angry thinkpieces, 1,000 tweeted links, and back to where we started, until next time. Perhaps it was a feeling that writing anything would finally be too redundant to bear, a pursuit of too many sad and obvious words to heap onto so many other nearly identical words written down before, by me, by thousands of others.

I read Felix Salmon’s entire interview with Huffington Post and Buzzfeed co-founder Jonah Peretti, and it was worth it evem though he didn’t talk about Deleuze and Guattari. I hadn’t realized how tightly knit Eyebeam and the NYC startup seen was back in the mid-00s. The thing is, though, this article is hella long — Medium estimates it will take 91 minutes to read — and it’s sorta inside baseballish. So if you’re not willing to commit that much time, Nielsen Journalism Lab has a few choice excerpts.

In a much quicker read, Alexis Madrigal points out that most of the hot new journalism startups — like Vox, FiveThirtyEight, Circa, etc. — are focused on how they cover the news, not what they cover. He concludes: “I will say that it seems absurd to say that we need some more publications that are about something. But that’s where we’re at.” My prediction? We’re in for lots of “vertical” publications out of these startups next years.

OK, I think that’s enough media about the media for this post. In other news, scientists say cool kids turn into loser adults. I wonder exactly how the researchers identified which kids were “cool” and/or populor. But more importantly, how can you actually sell kids on this research? I mean, what sort of dork cares about what their life is going to be like when they’re 22? (See also: Rethinking Bullying).

More, more more:

• This week in why the Internet of Things is going to be horrible: Mat Honan’s The Nightmare on Connected Home Street.
• “The Airport is a spaceship, a derelict future from a different, long-elapsed period. Like a spaceship it was once supposed to be our ticket to other worlds, but now represents the bars of our panopticon, a terminal incarceration, its supply lines the chains that keep us fettered to the ground.“
• My analytics tools tell me that no one cared about the links I posted to Technoccult this week, but seriously if you’re reading this then you’re probably the sort of person who should check out Webdriver Torso.
• Plus: this happened.

Music

I’ve been listening to the new Atari Teenage Riot album all week.

Also: Buckethead: Day of the Robot, Comets on Fire: Avatar, Suuns: Images du Futur, Merzbow and Jamie Saft: Merzdub, Zomby: Where Were U in ’92?.

Whoa, I’m totally blown away by this new art print from Oliver Hibert and Poster Child Prints. It should definitely satisfy fellow fans of We Buy Your Kids, etc. “Psychic Pspace Psex” is a 20″ x 20″ screenprint, has an edition of 150, and costs $100. Visit PosterChildPrints.com.

NYC’s New Friends partners up with Anthropologie to come up astonishing woven textiles for a geometric rug collection. The two brands bring a brand new and modern approach to what is deemed as traditional. The results ended up something truly amazing! Once you check out the looks of each rug, you would surely want to get any of these to replace your old rugs. Want to bet?

Mondo will release a new Bride of Frankenstein poster by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola tomorrow. It’s a 21″ x 32″ screenprint, has an edition of 325, and will cost $50. These go up tomorrow (Thursday, June 5th) at a random time. Visit Mondotees.com.

A couple from Brooklyn makes a 150-year-old house into an elegant looking one perfect for the modern times. Helen Dealtry and Dan Barry then took the help they can get from Agencie Group architects to make the home more fitting in looks for the contemporary lifestyle. And all the proper and artistic renovations were done without putting into compromise the history of the original Williamsburg residences. Check out the slideshow to learn more of the transformed home filled with a lot of light and space.

Mike of Semi-Sweet Designs didn't just make these delicious treats for Star Wars Day, he also helpfully included recipes. Definitely head over to his post to learn how to make these delicious treats for yourself.

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There's a secret world hidden behind the windows of Chicago in Watch Dogs.

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Rhys Cooper’s “Femme Fatale.”

Opening Saturday, May 31st at Spoke Art in San Francisco, California is Rhys Cooper’s solo show, “Femme Fatale.”  The show features a brand new body of work by the Australian artist focusing on women in popular culture that embody authority and power.  Check out an extended preview below:

Rhys Cooper: Website

Spoke Art Gallery

Last week, a German high court ruled that you can legally request that your ex-partner delete all erotic media of you following your breakup. This is great news for the nation's prolific sexters and a terrible blow for its begrudging, malicious shitheads. It's also something that would probably never happen in the United States.

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The MPAA has nixed the Eva Green poster for "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For," which depicts the actress in a loose-fitting semi-sheer robe.

I'm not sure why any remotely sensible human would agree to do a longform interview with the bleating propaganda-mongers at Fox News—let alone a human like Hillary Clinton, who's been so relentlessly shredded and libeled and dehumanized by their pundits and audience. But okey dokey, Hillz! I'm sure it'll be supes constructive.

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