Idemitsu, one of Japan’s largest oil refiners and owner of over 5,000 petrol stations across Japan, has decided to celebrate their 106-year anniversary with a series of TV commercials documenting their history through the use of traditional papercraft and shadow theatre.
More here
Friday, June 30, 2017
Cooling Off at a Soda Fountain from 1920
A catalogue titled Soda Fountains by Fountain Specialty Co. contains illustrations of old fashioned soda fountain counters and backbars.
More here
If old timey hangouts interest you here is a story from my neck of the woods about a Diana Sweets Diner that ended up in the back of a Harley Davidson shop in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
11-year-old boy invents device to stop babies dying in hot cars
An average of 37 children per year die in hot cars in the US. 11-year -old Texas boy, Bishop Curry, was upset when a baby in his neighbourhood died this way so he created a prototype that could save a child's life. The device consists of a fan that can detect heat and turns on when the inside of a car hits a particular temperature. Once the fan is activated, the child's parents will get alerted through the Wi-Fi, if they're unable to respond the local authorities are contacted.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Supercut Of 70 NYC Movies
Film editor Sergio Rojo has compiled clips from over 70 films set in New York City.
New York in Cinema - Supercut from Sergio Rojo on Vimeo.
Via Gothamist
The Hawaiian Quintette (1913)
Listen to tracks recorded by The Hawaiian Quintette for Victor in 1913. These recordings helped popularize Hawaiian music as a significant genre on mainland US.
More here
Make a Junk Drawer Music Box
A music box produces sound via a rotating cylinder studded with tiny pins. As the cylinder spins, the pins pluck the teeth of a metal comb. The teeth on each comb are different lengths and thicknesses, depending on the notes needed for the melody each box plays.
Make shows how a low-tech music box can be cobbled together from objects that one might find around the house.
Wonder Woman's Giant Painting
At the start of the Wonder Woman movie, young Diana has her history explained to her via an enormous oil painting. The painting was created by different artists who worked on each section of it independently, then the whole thing was stitched together at the end to create a single giant image. This post shows detailed shots of each individual section, including some images that did not appear in the final film.
Via
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Houses In Kabul Are Being Painted In Rainbow Colours To Improve Residents' Mental Health
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| Ruchi Kumar |
Thousands of mud-brown houses blanketed the mountains surrounding Kabul but they are now being painted in rainbow colours as part of a new initiative to brighten Afghanistan’s capital. The Afghan affinity for colour has always been visible in the form of small decorations, colourful doors and hand-painted flower pots outside nearly every mud house. This project aims to paint the exteriors of nearly 2,000 houses on the hills of Kabul.
Similar projects in depressed areas of Brazil, Haiti and Indonesia have improved the mental health of residents and it is hoped that colour will have the same effect here.
Read more here
Related posts: Rio and Indonesia
Embroidered Cat Patches
When Becky Stern's cat, Beatrice, passed away earlier this month, she stitched up embroidered cat patches as a memorial and made a tutorial so you can do the same (you don't have to wait until your cat dies).
Via
Via
The Poetic Harmony of Andrei Tarkovsky's Filmmaking
"What words would best describe a Tarkovsky film?" asks Lewis Bond, creator of the cinephile video-essay Youtube channel Channel Criswell. He offers a few right away: "Haunting, ethereal, hypnotic, serene."
More: Open Culture
More: Open Culture
Kirigami and Karakuri Puppets That Will Surprise You
Japanese designer Haruki Nakamura creates entertaining paper objects from puzzles to kirigami toys.
Via
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| Sheep in wolf's clothing |
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| Adelie penguin bomb |
Via
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Grenfell Tower: June 2017
'Grenfell Tower, June, 2017' is a poem written by Nigerian writer Ben Okri. To raise funds for relatives of victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, and for survivors.
A Mini Fireworks Stand With Functional Fireworks
3D artist Mav Vasquez (a.k.a. “POPT ART“) built a sweet little fireworks stand complete with miniature working fireworks.
Via
Sleeping Sperm Whales
Sperm whales sleep together in a pod facing up in the water.
Via
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| Photo by Franco Banfi, a finalist in the 2017 Big Picture Competition. |
Via
Paintings Explore The Global Migrant Crisis
Kevin Chin’s Refuge exhibition in Melbourne is inspired by the global migrant crisis, the resurgence of political parties like One Nation and Reclaim Australia, the US election of Trump, and the continuing debate around nationalism, belonging and alienation.
Via
Via
Japan's Yakuza: Inside the syndicate
In 2011 a Belgian photographer was allowed entry into one of Japan’s Yakuza families. Over two years, he captured the lives of those living in the underworld.
Via
Via
Building in China Has a Road on Its Roof
This five-storey building in Chongqing, China has a terraced roof that doubles as a single-lane public road. Chongqing's terrain is made up of hill slopes, and the lack of flat building space has forced architects and urban planners to think outside the box in order to come up with feasible solutions.
This building is actually the indoor parking of an apartment complex higher up the side of the hill. Without the road, residents would have to take an elevator or walk up from street level, at the base of the hill all the way up to the apartment building.
Via
Oscar Mayer Wienerfleet Going Where Other Hotdogs Can't!
To promote their new preservative-free hotdog Oscar Mayer is expanding their fleet from the original wiener on wheels, the Wienermobile, to include the Wienermini, Wiener Rover, Wienercycle and Wienerdrone.
Via
Via
This Typewriter Types Colours Not Words
Washington-based painter Tyree Callahan modified a 1937 Underwood Standard typewriter, replacing the letters and keys with colour pads and hued labels to create a functional “painting” device called the Chromatic Typewriter.
More here
The Infinite Now
Australian coal miner-turned-photographer Ray Collins' ocean imagery is mesmerizing. He’s worked with artist Armand Dijcks to re-imagine some of his best-known stills as cinemagraphs, a blend between photography and video.
These cinemagraphs inspired André Heuvelman from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra to collaborate with pianist Jeroen van Vliet on a custom soundtrack.
The Infinite Now - The Cinemagraphs of Ray Collins from Ray Collins on Vimeo.
Via
Timgad, the African Pompeii
The city of Timgad, in today’s Algeria, was founded as a military settlement by Emperor Trajan around AD 100. The ruins of the city were well preserved under the sands of the Sahara and were excavated for the first time in 1881. The city is noteworthy for representing one of the best extant examples of the grid plan as used in Roman city planning. Timgad was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.
Read more here
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| Image by Frederik Pöll |
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| Photo by Habib Kaki |
Read more here
Monday, June 26, 2017
World's Most Elaborate Paper Plane
Luca Iaconi-Stewart, a young designer from San Francisco, is an airplane afficionado. He appreciated the proportions of an Air India Boeing 777 he saw on the internet and decided to recreate it out of cut-up paper folders. He used a manual and pictures he found online to guide him. After spending more than 10,000 hours over a period of nine years he is not yet finished but its complexity is a wonder to behold.
Read more here
She Travels Around The World Without Leaving Home
Agoraphobia and anxiety limit her ability to travel, so Agoraphobic Traveller found another way to see the world: she circumnavigates the globe via Google Street View.
Check out her fabulous Instagram account.
Via
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| St. Louis, Senegal |
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| Arequipa, Peru |
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| Texas, United States |
Check out her fabulous Instagram account.
Via
A Glass of Prague
Raise a glass to Prague, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre and one of the world's most beautiful cities. This timelapse video by Kirill Neiezhmakov shows it off to full advantage.
A Glass of Prague. Timelapse & Hyperlapse. Czech Republic from Kirill Neiezhmakov on Vimeo.
Via
A Glass of Prague. Timelapse & Hyperlapse. Czech Republic from Kirill Neiezhmakov on Vimeo.
Via
Russian Town Tints Its White Winter World
The tiny Siberian village of Ust-Yansk is located 486 kilometres from the nearest town. Once as drab and dreary as the weather the town has painted its buildings in rainbow colours to counteract the effects of the long white winters.
More here
Sunday, June 25, 2017
The Apprehension Engine
Movie composer Mark Korven wanted to create creepy scores for horror films. He asked his friend, guitar maker Tony Duggan-Smith, to assemble what might be the most disturbing instrument on Earth.
Articles of War
A World War II pilot makes a surprising confession during his final flight above the deadly heart of Fortress Europe.
Sunday Links
Meet the 15 Kens in Mattel's New Doll Line: In the future, we will no longer have names or races. We will all be Ken. Take a look at the line up and determine which Ken you'll be.
Thousand Islands is so much more than a Salad Dressing Gorgeous photos of the archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddle the Canadian and US border. Via
The 36 Questions That Lead to Love
Baby Name Guide: Updated for 2017 Made me laugh.
The American Dental Refugees of Mexico’s “Molar City”: A mouth full of healthy teeth has become a luxury in America, and the divide between rich teeth and poor teeth has become a stark symbol of inequality.
The Hidden Treasures in Italian Libraries
There's An Entire Scottish Village For Sale
Cyanotypes of British Algae by Anna Atkins (1843)
On a Wonderful, Beautiful, Almost Failed Sentence By Virginia Woolf Brian Dillon writes about the 181-word first sentence of Woolf’s 1926 essay “On Being Ill.”
Inside the Notorious Camp Where Refugees Sewed Their Lips Shut
The Dutch Have Solutions to Rising Seas. In the waterlogged Netherlands, climate change is considered neither a hypothetical nor a drag on the economy. Instead, it’s an opportunity.
The Ultimate Upper Peninsula (Michigan) Road Trip Guide
Writers Looking for Forever Homes: Adoption Listings
I Did Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Workout. It Nearly Broke Me. - Via
France’s Green Venice. Marais Poitevin in south west France covers a huge area – over 370 square miles. The French know it as la Venise Verte. Lovely photographs.
Wine connoisseurs or charlatans? "It smells like sweaty cheese in here,” thunders Domen Presern, a chemistry PhD student, announcing his presence at a second-floor Thai restaurant in Oxford. “Something with lactate crystals. Manchego?”
You can walk around Machu Picchu using Google Streetview
It's been way too long since my last Simon's Cat post so here you go: A Compilation of Simon's Cat Chaos That Reminds Simon He Really Needs a Vacation
Art Nouveau at its finest: The city of Nancy was the center of an architectural movement
Saturday, June 24, 2017
American Flag Pie
For my friends to the south of here:
An American Flag Pie Recipe with a homemade crust and a blueberry and strawberry filling, topped with stars and stripes.
An American Flag Pie Recipe with a homemade crust and a blueberry and strawberry filling, topped with stars and stripes.
Spray Painting Multiple Layers of Acrylic Glass
Friday, June 23, 2017
Boomer the Skateboarding Cat
A 'Roomba' for weeds
Roof of New Apple Store Looks Like a Giant MacBook
The new flagship Apple Store under construction in downtown Chicago has a giant Apple logo on the roof, making the building look like a MacBook.
Foster Partners, the London design studio working on the project says the Store will eventually have an outdoor plaza, a gathering place centered around a video wall Apple calls 'The Forum'.
Via
Foster Partners, the London design studio working on the project says the Store will eventually have an outdoor plaza, a gathering place centered around a video wall Apple calls 'The Forum'.
Via
Third Man Records Detroit
I was in Detroit last weekend to see the mindblowing Diego Rivera murals at the Detroit Institute of Art. I wandered over to the Cass Corridor area to check out local boy Jack White's Third Man Records. The shop is a“celebration of vinyl culture and American craftsmanship.” It's shiny and stylish and I was mighty impressed.
If you'd like to read more, Popular Mechanics has done a nice piece on the plant.
Do visit. And while you're there check out Shinola - it's right next door. If you're feeling a bit peckish head on over to Seva for a delicious vegetarian meal.
If you'd like to read more, Popular Mechanics has done a nice piece on the plant.
Do visit. And while you're there check out Shinola - it's right next door. If you're feeling a bit peckish head on over to Seva for a delicious vegetarian meal.
The Costumes of Anne With An E
The recent CBC adaptation of the iconic Anne of Green Gables series is more visceral than other versions we have seen. It tackles themes like bullying and being an outsider which a child like Anne, having grown up in orphanages and foster homes, would surely have experienced. The realistic interpretation extends to the costumes. The video below shows the care taken by costume designer Anne Dixon with every stitch, hem, and pleat to recreate the world of Anne.
The series, now streaming on Netflix in the US, stars Amybeth McNulty and a more authentic Anne you will never see. The scenery will make you want to move to PEI. Check out the trailer:
Don't confuse it with the recently released version starring Martin Sheen. This one is so much better.
The series, now streaming on Netflix in the US, stars Amybeth McNulty and a more authentic Anne you will never see. The scenery will make you want to move to PEI. Check out the trailer:
Don't confuse it with the recently released version starring Martin Sheen. This one is so much better.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Light Dance
A group of dancers from Ukraine earn a Golden Buzzer from the judges for their incredible performance.
Creative Reuse Of Wine Box Packaging
Designer Rita Rivotti has created fun packaging for Tyto Alba a wine made by Companhia das LezÃrias vineyards in Portugal.The winery has made it their mission to protect and preserve Tyto Alba, also known as the barn owl.
The owl appears on the Tyto Alba bottle and, after the wine has been enjoyed, the box with an attached twig can be used as a bird house.
More here
The owl appears on the Tyto Alba bottle and, after the wine has been enjoyed, the box with an attached twig can be used as a bird house.
More here
The 'Dog Photographer Of The Year' Awards
The "Dog Photographer Of The Year" competition, an annual contest organized by the UK-based animal welfare organization the Kennel Club, has announced its winners, and unsurprisingly the cute factor is off the charts.
8 ‘Til Late At Your Convenience
British artist Lucy Sparrow's 8 ‘Til Late installation is a bodega filled with thousands of objects you might find at a typical corner store from breakfast cereals, a deli counter brimming with meats, frozen foods, and spirits—all made from felt and a bit of paint.
More here
Thanks Bruce!
Poorly Translated Foreign Menus
BAFTA Award-winning comedian Graham Norton is hilarious. In this video he talks about eating abroad and shows us some photos of poorly translated foreign menus.
Via
Via
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Bicycle Wall of Death For Sale
The Beauty Of Stairs
"Staircases can trigger conversations, provide a sense of arrival and dazzle with ingenuity, so why are they often overlooked?"Monocle explores the often overlooked staircase in a gorgeous short film.
The beauty of stairs from Monocle Films on Vimeo.
Via
How Hot Is It In Arizona?
It's hotter than hell! It's so hot planes are grounded. It's so hot inmates in Maricopa County’s Tent City get unlimited ice water (although they are left to fry in tents). It's so damn hot meteorologists need new colors to make weather maps.
As if all that weren't bad enough it's so hot in Arizona that puppy feet are frying! For real! Air temperatures over 100-degrees mean that an asphalt surface could be as hot as 167-degrees so please don't take your four legged friend for a walk on pavement.
More here
A World Without Shadows
Auto Nom
This upbeat video by Berlin-based foam Studio follows the adventures of 'Autonomous Rolf', a cheerful self-driving classic German car that gets under your hood with its freedom-loving behaviour.
AUTO NOM from f°am Studio on Vimeo.
Via
First Cat Video?
This performance was filmed in Thomas Edison’s Black Maria Studio in New Jersey in 1894. The boxing cats were part of Professor Henry Welton’s “cat circus”. The film was made to promote Edison's moving picture device and is thought to be the first ever cat video.
Via
Via
The Forgotten Trains of India
Ritayan Mukherjee is a widely-published photographer who is based in India. In this photo essay for Roads and Kingdoms he documents his experience on the Gwalior Sheopur Kalan Passenger train, which runs on the longest remaining narrow gauge route in the world. The train takes more than 10 hours to cover 198km (123 miles). It is so behind its time that the Indian government tried to get it on the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Sadly, it didn’t make the cut.)
Happy Summer Solstice!
On this day every year we celebrate the solstice with friends by watching the sun go down over Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Niagara River. Not quite as dramatic as the Stonehenge sunset but we always have a good time.
Thanks for the map Bruce!
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Fantasy Coffins Of Ghana
“Solar Paint” Pulls Hydrogen From The Atmosphere Like A Photosynthesising Plant
Scientists have created a paint-like substance which can pull hydrogen out of the air, giving us an unlimited and cheap source of clean energy.
The “solar paint” is made from a new synthetic called molybdenum-sulphide, a chemical used to absorb moisture. It helps us to store food, and preserve and protect clothing and electronics.
More here
Via
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