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Οia Santorini III by Haris Vithoulkas

www.Harisphoto.com

Haris Vithoulkas: Photos · Blog

This is a shot of a flower from Psychotria elata, a small understory tree in tropical forests whose flowers are affectionately known as hooker's lips. Get it? Because they look like bright red lipsticked lips. Just think -- now you can plant a seed and grow your own girlfriend to kiss! You know, instead of having to blow her up like you normally do. Hoho, BURN. I'm projecting. Thanks to Laura, who heard this is how Poison Ivy tried to get her first kiss because she was really shy growing up.

In terrifically boring news, Hasbro has decided to replace one of Monopoly's game pieces with a new one and YOU get to vote which old one gets the boot(!) and which one new one takes its place. These are exciting times we live in!

"The tokens are one of the most iconic parts of the Monopoly game and we know that people are emotionally tied to their favorite one," Eric Nyman, senior vice president and global brand leader for Hasbro told the Daily Mail. "When we decided to replace one of the tokens in the game, we knew we had to involve our fans in the process. We can't wait to see which iconic piece will 'go to jail' and which new token the fans will choose to become part of one of the world's most popular games."

I always play at the top hat because I am a FANCY DUDE. "You have dried spaghetti on your shirt." I know, it's from a really fancy restaurant I just went to. "You're wearing the Chef Boyardee label on your shirt like a name tag." That IS my name tag, I'm hosting a charity ball later. "You're lying." If I'm lying I'm dying! *clutches chest, collapses to floor* Jk jk, I'm not really dead. Nice shoes. Thanks to Deathheart, who has the kind of name you don't expect to be sending you tips about Monopoly.

No, this isn’t the result of aliens wishing us a happy holiday—it’s trampled snow art by Simon Beck at the Les Arcs ski resort in France. Beck is able to create these elaborate snowflake designs thanks to his years of experience in competitive orienteering. Each design takes him anywhere from 6 hours to 2 days to complete. That’s a lot more impressive than the “snow art” most guys make, which usually takes about 6 beers and 2 minutes to create. Plus, it’s not really art—it’s just a signature.

This is a small gallery of Star Wars creature taxidermied head mounts. They're all just mediocre Photoshop jobs though, they're not real. Of course, for the right amount of money I'm sure somebody would be more than happy to make them real for you. Me -- I'm talking about me. And that amount of money is...actually, I don't even want your money. I want you to kidnap my roommate. Skype me if you're interested, I'll be the guy with a grocery bag over his head talking through the Darth Vader voice changer. Hit the jump for two more.

1 12 Awesome Dogs with Human Eyebrows – The FW

2 14 Winning Photographs From National Geographic – Wall to Watch

3 Impossible Video Games (5 Pics) – Pleated Jeans

4 Gallery: Star Wars spaceships, droids and Yoda as origami – Dvice

5 12 Craziest Nipple Pasties – Oddee

6 18 Wonderfully Nerdy Guitar Straps – BuzzFeed

7 9 Terrible Instagram Filters You’ll Never Use – Mashable

8 Women With Steve Buscemi Eyes – Walyou

9 Honest Titles for 2013′s Oscar Nominated Movies – College Humor

Ghost rider. This is a video of a guy tricking fast food drive-thru employees into thinking there's nobody driving his car. He does it by SPOILER: disguising himself as the car seat. Pretty clever. Plus a great way to fool the cops if they ever pull you over! At least until they start blindly firing their tazers through the window. Hit the jump for the video. I've got to admit, he did a way better job at the prank than I did (I just put a cinderblock on the gas pedal and let the car do its thing).

Seen here blowing chunks, Vomiting Larry goes for a projectile puking world distance record in a British laboratory. Larry was built to help study how puke is puked, how that vomit particulate spreads disease, and to hopefully help put an end to the norovirus (aka the Winter vomiting bug). *raising the roof* I only puked three times last year and none of them were illness related (two super drunks, one really gnarly roadkill).

Commonly known as the Winter vomiting bug, it has caused over 3000 confirmed cases of vomiting and diarrhoea since the Summer in England and Wales. For most people it leads to a mild illness and disappears in 2-3 days with no long-lasting effects. And good old-fashioned hand-washing can help stop it spreading from person to person. But researchers have been trying to find a cure for over 40 years and it continues to evade them.

You want a cure? I'll give you the cure -- it's called sitting on the john for two days straight shooting lava from both ends and begging for it all to end. Boom -- two days of that misery and you're all better. Unless you have to share a bathroom with someone, in which case there's no curing that relationship. Hit the jump for a video about the virus, but skip to 2:40 to see Larry doing his thing.

Note: Very worthwhile higher-res version HERE in case you were hopping to spot a nude sunbather in the park. This is a 3-D composite shot of New York's Central Park and the surrounding buildings stitched together by photographer Sergey Semonov using a bunch of panoramic pictures he took during a helicopter ride. Me? I've never ridden in a helicopter before. "Wow -- fascinating story, GW." Right? I'm thinking about writing a book about it. Thanks to Douglas V, who thought about doing the same thing in Paris but got a bad feeling from the mime helicopter pilot and bailed on the project. It's for the best.

Once again we seek your votes on your most favored Kate styles from 2012. Today we look at Kate’s evening gowns as well as suits/separates worn by the Duchess in 2012.

Kate was stunning for the January première of War Horse, wearing what proved to be a popular dress, the ‘Amoret’ by Alice Temperley. The gown showcased French lace with a floral motif atop a nude silk lining, unlined lace sleeves, a snug fit to the hip where the skirt then flares to the floor, waist detailing with a bow, a deep vee neck and keyhole opening at the back.

Weir Photos/Splash News

There was also a short sleeved white version offered via the Temperley Bridal line, both styles now appear to be sold out.

In May we saw the Duchess in a creamy white column of a gown by Roland Mouret.  It is the designer’s “Lombard” gown, inspired by the late actress and originally from a 2009 collection.

Splash News/Roland Mouret/Splash News

Kate wore another head-turning frock in May, a teal gown from Jenny Packham worn to the Greatest Team Rises dinner gala. The dress is a customized version of the designer’s ‘Aspen’ gown, a design showcasing beautiful silk chiffon, light and lacy cap sleeves and an ornately embellished waist. The elegant lace bodice was embellished with Swarovski crystals and Kate carried a matching bespoke clutch.

Splash News/Jenny Packham/Splash News

During Kate and William’s Jubilee Tour the Duchess selected a custom Alexander McQueen gown for the formal State Dinner in Malaysia. The creamy white dress featured gold lamé embroidery in the shape of a hibiscus, Malaysia’s official flower. Other elements included an empire waist, shirred white fabric at the bust, short, sheer sleeves and a full, flowing skirt.

James Whatling-Splash News/Mark Large-PA Wire

To assist with the awarding of honors at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year event Kate chose the Alexander McQueen Bell Sleeve Floor Length Gown, shown below. (I believe Kate’s dress is the ‘bottle green’ colorway.)  The dress is wool crepe, it features “… bell-sleeves, a deep v-neck, trompe l’oeil belt waistband and sweeping central thigh-high slit.”

BBC Sports/Alexander McQueen

You’ve had the refresher, now it’s time to vote.

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Also today, a look at the suits and coordinates seen on the Duchess in 2012. This group is broken out from dresses because at this point I’m thinking we will use the favorite selections in each category for an overall “Best Look of 2012″.

Kate joined the Queen and Prince Philip for a trip to Leicester in March as part of the Diamond Jubilee. The Duchess wore pieces by LK Bennett: the Davina Dress has cap sleeves, an asymmetrical neckline and side ruching. The Jude jacket features a deep vee neckline, nipped in waist and peplum.

Philip J Vernon/De Montfort University

Kate opted for separates by Rebecca Taylor for an April reception honoring the Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race to the South Pole.   The pieces are from the label’s pre-fall 2012 collection, part of its ‘Sparkle Tweed’ line. The jacket features frayed trim at the multiple seams, three quarter sleeves, chiffon and sequin floral embellishment at the neck, and a grosgrain covered placket. Both pieces are made from a heavily textured mélange in rich blues.

Splash News

During the Jubilee Tour Kate wore a white eyelet (Broderie Anglaise) suit by one of her favorite labels, Alexander McQueen. The Duchess chose this for engagements in Singapore. The suit featured a fitted, deeply veed top with self-belt and a full, knee-length skirt.

Left/Center: Gardens by the Bay Facebook Right: Rebecca English, The Daily Mail, Mail Online

Later that same day (September 12) the Duchess wore separates by a locally-born designer, Raoul. Both pieces featured a red and black cube print on ivory silk, the pleated skirt has a hidden side zip fastening, the top has gathered and draped short sleeves.

James Whatling-Splash News/Rebecca English, Daily Mail, Mail Online

October 10 Kate and William met with law students at Middle Temple. We saw Kate in separates by French label Paule Ka. The double breasted jacket is styled with a shawl collar, two patch pockets, slanted breast pocket and modified peplum detailing at the waist, the skirt had multiple tiers.

L: Chris Jackson/PA Wire R: Conference News

 

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Just when you thought a spork couldn’t get any sporkier, designer Masami Takahashi of Japan’s Sugakiya ramen noodle restaurant goes and blows the competition out of the water. You know, the spork competition. Oh come on, the spork competition? You know that’s a thing! This spoon/fork combo was created to ensure you get the appropriate ratio of noodles to soup into your mouth. Well well well, this  is prettyyy clever. Almost as clever as my solution to the same problem — I just puree the food and suck it through a straw. You know, because f*** chewing! I don’t have the time or energy for all that noise.

Press Release

This is a set of Creature Cups, a line of coffee mugs with ceramic animals hiding in the murky, caffeinated depths. They come in otter, lobster, crocodile and octopus varieties and cost between $15-$20. Me? A friend gave me a novelty coffee mug for my birthday that has a snake at the bottom. "That's a penis." I was afraid of that. Thanks to PYY, who agrees the best coffee mugs are the one that don't have any surprises at the bottom. Right? One time I found a looooong black hair in my Starbucks.

Using a manned submersible, a group of scientists recently captured footage of a nearly 60-foot long giant squid in its natural habitat for the first time. The video is going to be shown on the Discovery channel January 27th and I'm already predicting it will be the most watched television program OF ALL TIME. "You're a terrible predictor." :/ I bet my house Notre Dame was going to beat Alabama by 4,000 points last night. Hit the jump for a zoomier-outier shot.

I didn't touch your porridge, I swear! This is a video of filmmaker Gordon Buchanan sitting in a little plexiglass box while an 8-foot, half ton polar bear tries to find its way in to maul and eat him. Come on, you could have at least loosened some of the bolts to give it a fighting chance. Buchanan says it was the scariest 40-minutes of his life, although in the footage he seems surprisingly calm. I dunno, maybe Gordon just hasn't gotten very scared in the past. Because if you filmed the scariest 40-minutes of my life there would be shit EVERYWHERE. Like a septic tank exploded, if every time a septic tank exploded it cried and begged for its mom. Hit the jump for another shot and a video of the last thing a seal ever sees.

Metal Gear Not So Solid. This is Pimpri-Chinchwad native and number one stunna Datta Phuge modeling the $230,000 22-karat gold shirt he had made to help attract women. It weighs in at around seven pounds but feels much, much heavier on my heart. Datta also sports several additional pounds of gold necklaces and bracelets, hoping to secure his title as 'The Gold Man of Pimpri' and not 'That Indian Mr. T' like we're all actually going to call him. Tough break.

The money-lender, from Pimpri-Chinchwad, says the shirt took a team of 15 goldsmiths two weeks to make working 16 hours a day creating and weaving the gold threads. It comes complete with its own matching cuffs and a set of rings crafted from left-over gold. "I know I am not the best looking man in the world but surely no woman could fail to be dazzled by this shirt?" he explained.

You know, generally I have a hard time feeling bad for rich people, but good lord -- this poor bastard. I wouldn't trade places with him for anything, and that says a lot because my cable and internet are supposed to be cut off by the end of the day for not paying the bill. Then what will I do for entertainment? SPOILER: hunt and kill bugs around the house. And I still wouldn't want to be that guy. Just marinate on that for a second. Hit the jump for an Indian news report.

This is a series of US bank notes defaced (technically refaced) with Justice League characters by artist Aslan (like the lion) Malik. Although I'm pretty sure he didn't actually draw ON the bills, it was all done INSIDE A COMPUTER. Think TRON, but with like, a shit-ton more glowing frisbees. Man, wouldn't it be cool if our actual money had superheroes on them? Then the rest of the world would have to take us seriously. Thanks to my buddy Terry, who drew a penis on Alexander Hamilton's forehead but the sandwich artist running the register at Subway refused to take it. But it's legal tender!

If you haven’t already started making plans for after you pass away you absolutely should, regardless of your age. I’m not talking about a will or life insurance policies—I’m talking about your browser history. Do you really want people to find out after you die that you were Facebook stalking your exes or that your last Google search was “how do i know if i have herpes in my eye?” Of course not. That’s what makes this medicalert bracelet so brilliant. Apparently you can get anything engraved on them. One redditor came up with a pretty hilarious choice: Delete My Browser History.

Mushrooms. They taste good on a pizza. Some kinds can get you high as balls. Others are used as a canvas for artist Corey Corcoran. He etches teensy, detailed masterpieces into an Artist’s conk mushroom aka the Ganoderma applanatum, a fungus usually found on some crusty-ass old trees. No word on whether this type of shroom is of the magic variety, but based on the look of Corey’s creations, I assume they’ve got some magic going on in there. One thing’s for true is I’m willing to take a bite of one and find out. You know… for science!

Hey yall it’s Paula Deen’s favorite art medium yall! This is is a series of sculptures made out of butter. The artists behind the work are Jim Victor and his wife Marie Pelton. They’ve been hacking away at the dairy product for over 10 years creating these edible works of art. In most every scene they include a cow. That could possibly be because the couple is paying homage to the uddered ones responsible for the stuff orrrrr maybe Jim and Marie are serious diehard cow-fans. Who knows? But if I had to guess I’d say the second one. I don’t know what it is, but I can just tell that these folks are bonafide cow people. In fact, I’m so certain, I’d bet a ton of MOO-lah on it. Yep. I just went there. On that note, I’m gonna let myself out now! Brb, killing myself.

Welcome to In The Village on False Creek, a unique project inspired by Live@YVR and 365 Days of Dining. I’ve moved my family into this community with my mission being to showcase the myriad of things that make it awesome by bringing you a weekly scoop!

BC Place and Science World have really been duking it out lately with their light shows for False Creek. Tonight Science World gave us the New Year’s Eve fireworks show that many have been asking for, once again showing what their new-ish system can do in terms of animating the seawall.

At the 30 second mark in my video below you can see Canada House East and the reflection that the light show makes on it. For the lucky folks living in that building in The Village it’s almost like their very own fireworks display.

Learn more about The Village at TheVillageOnFalseCreek.com and stay tuned each week as I expose the unique qualities of our new community.

As a woman it’s not always easy to find a good place to hide your booze when you’re dressed up for a fancy-pants event, amirite ladies? Guys have all kinds of flask accessories like the flask tie and the flask belt buckle. Sure, we’ve got the wine rack flask bra, but it obviously doesn’t work when you’re wearing a strapless dress. Luckily designer Cynthia Rowley came up with a classy way to get trashed on the sly. The Flask Bangle Bracelet lets you hide your booze while making a bold fashion statement—presumably the first of many bold statements you’ll make that evening… especially if you’re a mean drunk.

This is an iPhone case brought to us by Elliot Gorham aka Noddy Boffin. As you can see, it’s a Lobster iPhone Case. Why? Because Salvadore Dali said so, that’s why! Back in 1942 Dali, being his weird-ass surrealist self, is quoted to have said “I do not understand why, when I ask for a grilled lobster in a restaurant, I am never served a cooked telephone.” Oh, me too! I can’t tell you how often I’ve wondered the same thing. But if i had to guess, I’d say it’s anywhere between like, zero and never times. I think Elliot did a fine job interpreting the concept, I’m not really sure this is what Dali had in mind. Mainly because duder probably didn’t even know what an iPhone is. I bet he had one of those old-timey rotary phones with a curly cord! LOLOLOL

This is a photoseries called Scotch Tape by photographer Wes Naman. With the help of his assistant Joy Godfrey, the models’ faces are manipulated using Scotch tape. There’s a lot of squished noses and lips, stretched eyebrows, and smashed faces. The final product is pretty funny in a disturbing “Sweet Jesus burn it with fire!” sort of way, you know? Of course you know. You’ve already scrolled through all the pics and have proceeded to wash your eyeballs out with bleach. But that’s not gonna help. Oh no, those images are burned into your retinas. FOR ETERNITY. I… probably should have warned you about that.

This is a collection of hats for cats, crocheted by Etsy seller SarabiRose. There’s a fez, pimp hat, Charlie Chaplin-esque bowler, Princess Peach crown, Mario and Luigi caps, and more! We’ve covered Cat Hats here before, but if you’ve seen one cat-hat, you’ve seen them all you develop an insatiable appetite to see MOAR. Besides, I can’t help it — the internet runs on cats. It’s like the fuel that keeps the world wide web gears turning. Which, now that I think about it, totally explains the singed cat fur smell lingering in here. Oh, wait. Nope! Mr. Pinkerton is playing with the toaster again. BRB cat on fire.

This is a video of a handful of batsuit gliders flying around like lunatics narrowly avoiding death. I encourage you all to live 2013 the same way these nutjobs dive off mountains pretending they're flying squirrels: with gusto. Like a wise old man at the bar once told me, 'You have to grab life by the balls...THEN TEAR THEM OFF AND WAVE THEM AROUND OVER YOUR HEAD LIKE YOU JUST CAUGHT A T-SHIRT FIRED FROM A CANNON AT A CONCERT.' He's with the Lord now. "Bullfighting accident?" Never looked both ways before crossing the street. HAPPY NEW YEAR'S! Be terrible but safe tonight, I'll see all you jokers in HELL 2013.

This is a $35 one-piece Stay Puft Marshmallow Man pajama suit. Cute, but it looks a little tight for me. Especially around the...you know. "Cuffs?" Come on! I was trying to fake like I have a big peen. Thanks to Linny, who agrees you wear that thing to bed and you stand a good chance of your lover trying to take a bite out of you in the middle of the night. *half asleep* Sexy time already?

This is a worthwhile video of a Melbourne, Australia fireworks show viewed in reverse. No screepcap can really do it justice though, so I suggest you at least watch a little bit of it. A lot of the fireworks reminded me of those little shooting stars you see in your vision after you stand up too quick after sitting on the shitter for an hour. Just pray your legs haven't fallen asleep too or you're gonna be in trouble (I tore the towel bar off the wall and managed to beat myself with it on the way down). Hit the jump for the second fireworks video in two days. I just love them!

There’s been all sorts of talk lately about the future of the Vancouver Art Gallery, with artists, collectors, directors and many others voicing their opinions on what they think the future should hold for this largely publicly funded institution. Michael Green Architecture has released an Unsolicited proposal for what they think would work, and in a nutshell the concept involves 4 satellite galleries, and centred around four themes.

Have a read through THIS piece about the proposal from today’s Globe and Mail and then have a look HERE at the actual proposal. Very interesting stuff, and hopefully the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Unsolicited proposals aimed at making our city a better designed, more engaging (and engaged) place.

Image taken from “A FOUR GALLERY proposal for the VAG” by MGA

The Nocturnal Silence by Dragan Djuric

Motovun, Croatia.

Dragan Djuric: Photos · Blog