Interesting and Funny World

Fun gadgets - part 1

2009-08-19T00:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some Fred&Friends great gadgets. I love them!

You can find them HERE

Fun Logos

2009-06-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Logos are the way to present yourself and your brand. If it is good, you can become recognizable by it. Here are some really great logos.

Sources here and here and here :)

Crazy Shoes

2009-05-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

Would you wear any of these?

Skeleton Bar

2009-04-20T04:41:00.000-07:00

A Giger Bar is a bar themed and modeled by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger. There are two Giger Bars: the first, The Museum HR Giger Bar, is located in Château St. Germain, Gruye`res, Switzerland, which opened on April 12, 2003; and the second is the H.R. Giger Bar, in Chur, Switzerland. There was a third Giger Bar, located at The Limelight in New York City, but when the Limelight was closed, the Giger Bar was shut down. In a bit of urban myth it has been told when the Giger bar closed in New York, an employee stole one of the $30,000 chairs and the chair has never been recovered.

The bar is decorated throughout with models of spinal chord-like skeletons and other such creepy motifs which reminds one of the otherworldly environments in the Alien movies. Giger designed the title character- the movie’s mean killing machine monster- and won an Oscar for best special effects in 1980.

The interior of the bars are themed along the lines of his famous biomechanical style as shown in the Alien films. The roof, walls, fittings and chairs are all modeled by the artist and fit into the same designs as seen in the films he designed, notably "Alien". The prominent high-backed chair design was originally intended as a Harkonnen throne for an abandoned Dune film project.

Melting Men

2009-03-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Melting Men is a series of art installations from the Minimum Monument project created by Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo. Since 2005, Azevedo has been setting up her Melting Men in various countries around the world. Although originally intended as a critic of the role of monuments in cities, environmentalists around the world are adopting her work as climate change art.

This is what Nele said about her work in an interview:

The installation is part of an urban intervention project, called Minimum Monument. The project is a critical reading of the monument in the contemporary cities. In a few-minute action, the official canons of the monument are inverted: in the place of the hero, the anonym; in the place of the solidity of the stone, the ephemeral process of the ice; in the place of the monument scale, the minimum scale of the perishable bodies.

The project started with solitary figures, later a multitude of small sculptures of ice were placed in public spaces of several cities. The memory is inscribed in the photographic image and shared by everyone. It is not reserved to great heroes nor to great monuments. It loses its static condition to gain fluidity in the urban displacement and in the change of state of the water. It concentrates on small sculptures of small men, the common men.

All the interventions took place in several cities of several countries, like Sa~o Paulo, Campinas, Ribeira~o Preto, Brasilia, Salvador e Curitiba, in Brazil, Paris (France), Havana (Cuba), Braunschweig (Germany), Porto (Portugal) and Firenze (Italy).

The amount of sculptures depends on the place. The place where the intervention happens has always an historical meaning to the town. For instance, the Dom Joao I Plaza, in Porto - Portugal, or the medieval plaza with the bronze lion, in Braunschweig.

In Sao Paulo there were 300 sculptures in April 2005. Later that year, 400 ice figures melted on the L'Opera Stairs and Mairie du Novienne, in Paris. In June 2006 more than 500 melting man were placed in Braunschweig Plaza and in September there were 1000 sculptures melting in the city of Porto. This year the intervention took place in Firenze, Italy were 1200 ice sculptures were placed in the stairs of Instituti delle Inocenti at the Piazza della Santíssima Annunziata, built by the renaissance architect Brunelleschi. As it always happens, the people who were there were invited to help build the monument, placing the ice figures.

When there are more sculptures, the bigger the impact, and it reaches a monumental scale.

The actions lasts 30 to 40 minutes. It depends on the weather at the site of the intervention. Then the little men start melting in the sun, leaving nothing but a little water, and then nothing … except for a memorable, cool shared memory for those attending the event.

The Eye Of Africa - The Richat Structure

2009-03-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

The Richat Structure is one of those geological features that are more clearly observed from space than from down on the ground. It was first observed from space by Gemini 4 astronauts McDivitt and White in June 1965.
Located in the center of Mauritania, the western end of the Sahara desert this prominent circular feature has attracted attention since the earliest space missions because it forms a conspicuous bull's-eye in the otherwise rather featureless expanse of the desert. Described by some as looking like an outsized ammonite in the desert, this 'eye of Africa' , which has a diameter of almost 50 kilometers (30 miles) has become a landmark astronauts since the earliest manned missions.

Credits: ESA

Most of the image looks yellowish, indicating sand desert. The dark brown part is bare sedimentary rocks, and within that you can see the Richat Structure, a gigantic ring structure of some 40 km in diameter.

The onion-like formation is formed by concentric bands of resistant paleozoic quartzite rocks form ridges, and between with valleys of less-resistant rock between them.

The part of the sedimentary rock corresponding to the white of the eye is a plateau standing some 200 m above the sand desert. The Richat Structure corresponding to the iris of the eye lies in a depression, and the peak of the outer rim is 485 m above sea level. The Richat Structure consists of Early Paleozoic rocks, some 600 million years old. Around the center, rocks resistant to weathering and erosion (purple and blue-green part) make 100 m high ridges, and nonresistant rocks (yellow and brown part) form valleys. These features alternate and are concentric.

Credit: Landsat 7, USGS, NASA

The Richat Structure was previously thought to have been formed by metorite impact or volcanic activity, but field surveys have demonstrated that neither are correct. The current thinking is that these features were formed by an uplift and subsequent erosion from wind and water.
However, why the structure is circular remains a mystery.

The Right Moment To Shoot A Photo

2008-11-30T01:26:00.000-08:00

Here are some great photos, taken in just the right second.
This is how an ordinary picture becomes interesting, funny and unique.

Looking For Job?

2008-11-29T04:32:00.000-08:00

Think carefully, life is really too short for the wrong job. :)

Crazy Bus Stop

2008-11-27T13:45:00.001-08:00

Waiting for bus could be one of the most boring thing to do.
Here are some interesting and funny bus stops from around the world, where you can actually enjoy...or at least do something (like kick the chick)

Death Road

2008-06-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

The North Yungas Road (also Grove's Road, Coroico Road, Camino de las Yungas, El Camino de la Muerte, Road of Death, and Death Road) is a 61 to 69 km road (depending on source) leading from La Paz to Coroico in the Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger and in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous road".

One estimate is that 200-300 travellers were killed yearly along the road. The road includes Christian Crosses marking many of the spots where such vehicles have fallen. Upon leaving La Paz, the road first ascends up to around 5 km, before descending to 330 m (1079 ft), transitioning quickly from cool altiplano terrain to rain forest as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs.

The road was built in the 1930s during the Chaco War by Paraguayan prisoners. It is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rainforest region of northern Bolivia, or Yungas, to its capital city.

Because of the extreme dropoffs, single-lane width, and lack of quardrails, the road is extremely dangerous. Further still, rain and fog can make visibility precarious, the road surface muddy, and loosen rocks from the hillsides above.

On July 24th, 1983, a bus veered off the Yungas Road and into a canyon, killing more than 100 passengers in what is said to be Bolivia's worst road accident. One of the local road rules specifies that the downhill driver never has the right of way and must move to the outer edge of the road.

This forces fast vehicles to stop so that passing can be negotiated safely. Also, vehicles drive on the left, as opposed to the right like the rest of Bolivia. This gives the driver in a left-hand-drive vehicle a better view over their outside wheel, making passing safer.

The danger of the road ironically made it a popular tourist destination starting in the 1990s. Mountain biker enthusiasts, in particular, have made it a favorite destination for downhill biking, since there is a 64 km stretch of continuous downhill riding.

Travel at night is considered less dangerous than in the day because drivers can see the headlights of oncoming traffic. But the downside to nighttime travel is that downhill-bound vehicles often drive off the side of the road while backing up to allow uphill-bound vehicles to pass.

Some drivers refuse to back up. Others play games of chicken. "It's the young, inexperienced drivers that cause the accidents," said Rudy Quezpert, a bus driver who had stopped at a police checkpoint.

Despite the Yungas Road's appalling accident toll, no ambulance crew is stationed closer than La Paz, two hours' drive away.

Painting on Feathers

2008-04-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some beautiful feather paintings.

Garbage Shadow Art

2008-03-30T02:51:00.000-07:00

Tim Noble and Sue Webster, who work as a team, are among the most celebrated of their generation of British artists. Like alchemists or magicians, Noble and Webster make something extraordinary out of the most humble materials. They create romantic images of hope out of darkness and debris. Their shadow sculptures are complimented by light sculptures made from the cheap crystal bulbs of fairground signs.

Sunset over Manhatan,
2003, Cigarette packs, tin cans shot by air gun pellets, wooden bench, light projector

Wasted Youth,
2000, trash, McDonalds packaging, replica food, wood and light projector

Black Narcissus,
2006, Black poly-sulphide rubber wood, light projector,

Cheap and Nasty,

trash, expanding foam, MDF, electronic mechanism, light

The Original Sinners,
2000, eplica fruits, wood, moss and berries, plastic ornamental bowls, fishing wire, cooking oil, pump mechanism, metal, MDF and light projector,

Dirty White Trash (with Gulls),
1998, 6 months worth of artists' trash, 2 taxidermy seagulls, light projector,

HE/SHE,
(Diptych), 2004, Welded metal, 2 light projectors,

Real Life is Rubbish,
2002 | two separate piles of general household rubbish onto which a light is projected, creating a shadow self-portrait of Noble and Webster

Star Trails

2008-02-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

A time-lapse exposure captures the streaks made by stars over sandstone formations in Utah. Photographers capture "star trails," the movement of stars across the night sky, by keeping the camera shutter open for hours instead of seconds.

Photograph by Bruce Dale

Star trails streak above palm trees in Baja California, Mexico.

Photograph by Bill Hatcher

Star streaks glow in a purple sky above the Mitten buttes of Monument Valley, Arizona.

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Star trails spiral across the night sky above Joshua Tree National Park in California.

Photograph by Tim Laman

Star trails pop over Mariscal Canyon in Big Bend National Park, Texas.

Photograph by Jack Dykinga

Star trails radiate in the sky above trees in the Salmon River wilderness of Idaho.

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Maltese Falcon - The Biggest Boat

2008-02-22T07:50:00.001-08:00

If I were rich...
We all have our dreams, but some of us can make them true. Undoubtedly, one of those people is Tom Perkins.
When he turned 70, he decided to build the biggest, riskiest, fastest, most technologically advanced, single-hulled sailing luxury mega yacht in the world. The 289-foot Maltese Falcon, launched in spring 2006, is that engineering dream come to life.
The project has taken Perkins, his designers and Perini's team of 300 laborers more than five years to create this unique vessel and the masts were developed by English company Insensys to have a a fiber-optic sensor system that gathers data on wind speed and force and helps the sails work more efficiently. It has taken history's largest single order of carbon fiber for her masts ("There's more carbon in Falcon's masts than in a Stealth bomber," Perkins claims)
The 289-foot steel-hulled yacht is, at her heart, the modern incarnation of a square-rigged clipper ship.
She is traditional to the point of being old-fashioned in some areas, yet modern with technology that is beyond cutting edge. She is incredibly complicated from an engineering and construction standpoint, yet she is quite simple to sail.
And amazing to look at.

Maltese Falcon, the $100 million megayacht that the designers claim is the largest and fastest personal sailboat in the world, created for venture capitalist Tom Perkins.

The 87.5-meter yacht has three masts which rotate depending on the wind direction.

The Maltese Falcon is the perfect blend of ego and utility, wonder that represents the most daring advance in sailing technology in 150 years.

The interior of the boat is perfectly harmonized with its exterior.

It is a push-button boat in a very literal sense. "I can teach anyone to sail this boat in thirty minutes," Perkins claims. Control panel with touch-sensitive displays of the 15 sails, each with three buttons: furl, unfurl and stop. "It takes only minutes for the boat to tack—just think, you don't have all those lines and rigging to run around."

Designs and Patterns in Nature - Animals

2008-02-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

Intricate rings and dots mark the coat of a jaguar (Panthera onca).

Photograph by Steve Winter

A moth's wings appear iridescent when photographed close-up in the Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah, Malaysia.

Photograph by Mattias Klum

A map puffer fish's (Arothron mappa) eye appears like coral to casual observers in Indonesia's Tukangbesi Islands.

Photograph by Tim Laman

A close view of a cheetah's wet coat

Photograph by Chris Johns

Black-and-white stripes ripple across the hide of a Grant's zebra.

Photograph by Tim Laman

The sensory glands on the side of an Arctic char are used by the fish during its annual spawning migration.

Photograph by Sam Abell

Boa constrictors use their heat-sensitive scales to locate prey.

Photograph by Rich Reid

Bird feathers create a colorful show.

Photograph by George Grall

An African elephant's skin can be up to one inch (2.5 centimeters) thick.

Photograph by Bobby Model

A giraffe's spots form irregular patterns.

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Welcome Spring!

2008-02-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

Enjoy in this great photos of flowers.

Photograph by Jonathan Blair

White borders rich purple in these picotee pansies in Gilroy, California.

Photograph by Jozsef Szentpeteri

Beads of dew cling to the florets that spiral inside a sunflower head.

Photograph by James P. Blair

A water lily thrives in the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.

Photograph by Jonathan Blair

Genetic engineering created this zinnia hybrid flower.

Photograph by Raul Touzon

A favorite of brides, the ethereal calla lily is often called the wedding flower.

Photograph by Raul Touzon

The flower of a claret cup cactus glows amid Tonto National Forest in Arizona.

Photograph by Tim Laman

Coleus plants grow across much of South America.

Photograph by Jozsef Szentpeteri

A flower's spores are accentuated.

Photograph by Amy White & Al Petteway

Bright petals mark the hibiscus, a flowering plant found in much of the world.

Feel Good and Mr. P vs Hanging Harry

2008-02-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

Stupid title, but very funny and interesting gadgets!

Feel Good Family are useful, fun and must-have gadgets. See for yourself!

Feel Good Hook

Always leaving your towel on the floor after a shower or bath? Well here's the answer, a mobile bath hook!
Stick this member of the Feel Good family anywhere and he'll be happy to hold it for you.

Feel Good Soap Dish

Do you often lose the soap? Well worry no more! This cute little feel good guy is here to help! With it's unique shape he'll never drop the soap!

Feel Good Toothbrush Holder

Keep Your toothbrush safe with one of the Feel Good gang wrapped around it. These cute little characters are a great gift for adults or children.
With suction pads attached to their backs the feel good people are able to go anywhere. Simply find a hard surface, breathe on the back of the pad and stick them to your tiles.

Feel Good Razor Holders

Need somewhere to store your razor? Another addition to the Feel Good gang is once again here to help!
It's unique look is not only cute, but also convenient!

Ouch Toothpick Holder

I guess that this one is not feeling that good.

Make your next party painfully amusing by inviting OUCH!, the voodoo-it-yourself toothpick holder!
Perfect for finger food, emergency hexes and jump-starting the good times. Two fashionable colours, dark grey and ivory, housed in an elegant clear display-box packaging.

With Ouch!, olives will never be boring again!

Hanging Harry Light Pull

You can't help Harry to see the light. It's too late. Harry's already dead! However, on the plus side, Harry can help you to see the light. Just grab him and give him a pull and illuminate the room.
To use simply remove the original string and attach Harry's string, then you are ready to go. Harry is made of durable rubber, so if he goes for a swing he won't get hurt, well any more than hanging from your neck.

Mr P Tape Dispenser

Mr. P is always here to give you help in everyday life! If you ever need any sticky tape, just ask him and I'm sure he'll spit some out for you!
The tape is dispensed from Mr. P's mouth and cut on his toes!

Mr P Lamp and Shade

Poor Mr. P has a slightly worried look on his face here. The poor chap is feeling a little bit shy. So shy in fact that he has taken to hiding behind a lamp shade! We aren't entirely sure what the matter is, but maybe you can help him out by giving him some attention.

If you manage to touch the right spots, Mr. P will be very appreciative, if a little bit embarrassed. As you play with his protruding thingy, he gets so embarrassed that he begins to blush! He blushes so much that his whole head glows, giving off a lot of light!

If you take this little guy home with you he will act perfectly as a lamp! Just sit him on a table and flick his willy to light up your home!

I know some people whose face would be something like this if someone "play with his protruding thingy".

:)

Just Some Funny Pictures...

2008-02-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

Just some funny pictures I found on the net...

Where did I put that sponge?

Just one more beer, and I'll go home...

What are you looking at?

For those who are really in a hurry

Cute belly

What should I do...Spring will come soon...

OK, I'm an aircraft and I'm crossing...

Hurry up, I haven't got all day!

I'll fix it in no time!

Tractor...Boat

Standing on your car...

I married twin sisters!

Look at me, look at me... I'm not crazy

Super bike

Little photographer

Cops don't read signs

Pilot washing windows

Best friends

Now it's safe to walk....

Brave girl
Crazy parents

I told you not to walk this street...

No comment

Ads To Notice - Funny Ads

2008-02-09T04:50:00.000-08:00

The purpose of an ad is to attract attention. If you don't notice it , than it's not good ad.They should be funny, interesting, clever, witty...
Here are some ads you just have to notice!

Funny and Stupid Airplane Accidents

2008-02-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

There is nothing funny about accidents, but here are some funny pictures and stupid airplane accidents...

Do you have to stick your nose into everything?

"Just wanted to get some petrol..."

Like a bird on the wire

A strange vehicle in the engine

Swimming lessons

Just playing hide and seek. I'm hidden in a forest!

Broken wings

Look back!

Too much cargo...

"And than, suddenly, there was a wall in front of me..."

"I got monkey on my back"

Winter beauty

"I think I smell something burning..."

To the left, to the right...

This one look serious

It`s perfect day for diving!

I'm so tired...

Fly up to the sky

Run, run, run...

Kiss at the airport

Bad ad

Hey, where do you think you're going?

Flying apart...

Would you like to join me in the water?

Do you speak Chinglish?

2008-01-28T00:38:00.000-08:00

Tired of Laughter, Beijing Gets Rid Of Bad Translations.

For years, foreigners in China have delighted in the loopy English translations that appear on the nation's signs. They range from the offensive ("Deformed Man," outside toilets for the handicapped) to the sublime (on park lawns, "Show Mercy to the Slender Grass").

But the government is not amused, particularly with hordes of foreign visitors expected in town for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Beijing wants to cleanse the signs of translation nonsense. 10 teams of linguistic monitors will patrol the city's parks, museums, subway stations and other public places ...
Hotlines have been set up for citizens who spot an English-language-related mistake on a public sign to call and notify the authorities.

Beijing has corrected over 6,500 traffic signs and will next target public toilets, museums and menus as it erases bad English translations before the 2008 Olympics.

What a pity. And you'll see why when you read some of these hilarious signs.

First, the welcome sign...

In China, they really take care of environment ...

relics...

safety...

nature...

children...

Here you can eat the most unusual things...like cowboys...

In china, they are very polite and obliging...

If you are going on holiday and looking for some fun, than China could not be a right place for you...

You have to be very fast in order to catch taxi here...

Usually the signs are just confusing...

Even toilets are fun...

Strange Hotel - Work of Art

2008-01-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

Arte Luise Kunsthotel is often called a "gallery where you can spent the night" in one of the Berlin's most exciting neighborhoods.

Comprising a neo-classical residential palais from 1825 and an addition from 2003, the hotel offers almost 50 rooms, a generous lobby, and an art gallery for holding events.

All rooms were decorated by a renown artist, whereby the entire room was included in the concept. Thus, every room is an original, and all rooms are only united by the high artistic standards with which the concepts have been carried out.

Elvira Bach
(Berlin)
Drei Damen in Rot
Three Women In Red

Dynamic, sensuous, typical Elvira Bach! Three life-size female figures painted directly on the semicircular wall accentuate the room, which is otherwise elegantly styled in black and white.

Thomas Baumgärtel (Banana Sprayer)
(Cologne)
Königssiute
Royal Suite

For more than 20 years, the “banana sprayer” has been uniting the most interesting locations in the world of art with his spray-painted bananas. Now he’s created a “royal suite” completely in gold, with the trademark bananas as symbols of fertility and love, and as a sign of the young, fresh art he helped shape.

Stefan Jung
(Berlin)
Zoom

In his paintings, the artist’s theme is the enlargement many times over of details or light through photography. Concentrating on the precise moment when the human eye tries to “zoom in” on an object, he transfers these images to canvas in his wall-sized painting, inspired by the night-time view from the hotel room window into Marienstrasse.

Dieter Finke
(Berlin, New York)
Safari

An archaic image of fire, animal sculptures, a shaman, and tree trunks fashioned into nightstands. A room installation that uses colour, material and sculptures to invoke associations of an adventure to another world. Go “ons afari”!

Wolfgang Petrick
(Berlin)
Endmoräne Berlin
Endtime moraine Berlin

Berlin as a type of giant treasure trove, a highly varied collection of [hi]stories, biographies, structures and materials presented by the artist as a three dimensional installation with the quality of a translucent phantasm. For Wolfgang Petrick the work’s layering, accumulation and agglomeration are conducive to relaxation, imagination, communication and deep sleep.

Dieter Mammel
(Berlin)
Mammels Traum
Mammel’s Dream

Never has the artist felt as comfortable and secure as when he stayed with his grandparents in the country as a child – in their, to his three-year old’s eyes, “gigantic” oak bed. In “Mammel’s Dream” he recreates this experience with an oversized bed.

Irene Hoppenberg
(Berlin)
Vincent’s Bedroom

The color yellow is a visible theme in the artist's work: the color of light; the color of the south. Attribute it to her connection to Vincent van Gogh, who moved to Arles in the South of France because of the special light, because of the color yellow. It was there in France where many of van Gogh's most well-known pictures were created. The house he lived in was yellow; the different variations of paintings depicting the bedroom specifically have become one of his most famous motifs.
These were the same paintings that inspired Irene Hoppenberg's room installation at the Luise. With van Gogh's paintings on hand, she took this opportunity to create an actual space based on his images. The paintings then became a model for what the real room would look like.

Vincent's Bedroom is an artist's room at the "Künstlerheim." With images, bare furnishings, and simplicity it is meant to resemble the atmosphere and circumstances in which Vincent van Gogh lived. The artist wants to stimulate the imagination of the guests, who will be confronted with both the person and the work of one of the most famous artists in history during their stay at the hotel. Literature on the subject is also available to enable the process.

Nathalie Daoust
(Montreal/New York)
Cabaret

The crazy Berlin of the 1920s: when this city was alive with Cabarets despite the economic crisis and the rise of the National Socialists. The erotic dance shows and diverse establishments of one of Berlin's hottest and most frivolous phases is the theme for this artist's room.

Nathalie Daoust became known as a photographer in 2002 with her book "New York Hotel Story." The project was then completed in Japan with "Tokyo Hotel Story," the phenomenon of the Japanese "Love-Hotels," in which lovers can withdraw into theme-hotel-rooms and are given an opportunity to live out their fantasies. Here in the Luise she herself has now created a room.

Red velvet and brocade, the bed draped with lace and exposed on a pedestal, with red lights, erotic dancers and the sounds of the old Paris-Moscow trains carry the guest back in time to the the atmosphere of the establishments of the 1920s and the old Berlin of Christopher Isherwood.

With that, the artist has traversed the area between dream and reality, and certainly has not ignored the human need for a flood of the fantasy world.

Heiner Meyer
(Bielefeld)
Glamour

The artist’s associations have conjured up the Hollywood of the ‘50s and ‘60s, including the elfin icon Audrey Hepburn, who became the glamour figure of the era like no other actress could.

In the room designed by Heiner Meyer, her incomparable eyes keep watch at the head of the bed; upon entering the room the hotel guest is pulled under their spell. Quite a few other details from the language of Meyer's pictures can be found in the room as well. The pomp of Hollywood stars of the era are portrayed just as we remember them from the old magazines; allusions like the dressing room mirror, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the opulent drapes, as well as the zebra skin (an imitation, of course) keep your expectations at play.

The momentum of various styles constantly threatening to tip has been consciously slipped into the design.

Kiddy Citny
(Berlin)
Heartbeat – "Home is, where the heart is!"

The famous Berlin Wall graffiti artist who began playing cat and mouse with German border guards back in 1985 and whose jovial faces have gone around the world in tourist snapshots and postcards, has created a refuge of warmth in the midst of the pulsating urban centre; naturally featuring his familiar faces and figures. The room and various artists’ renditions of the song "Heartbeat" that can be heard in inside for a whole lot of fun and arouse guests’ curiosity about this city "with heart and attitude” that lies before them.

Guido Sieber
(Berlin)
Die Berliner Gesellschaft
Berlin Society

With his unmistakable painting style juxtaposed with furnishings from an old Berlin drawing-room, the artist playfully renders real-life figures and Berlin clichés. He masterfully and entertainingly – although not always flatteringly – caricatures prominent figures and the Berlin “man in the street”

A. Paeslack
(Berlin)
Der arme Poet
The Poor Poet

The spirit of Carl Spitzweg is present here in what is perhaps his most famous painting. Artist Andreas Paeslack used the painting as the basic motif for his room installation, creating what amounts to a three-dimensional reproduction of it. The aspect of an audience is created by an apparent opening into the room, which gives visitors to the “Hamburger Bahnhof” museum a view into the room. Thus in this game the guest, as the poor poet, becomes part of the central motif together with the room.

Könige der Herzen
(Cologne, Stuttgart, Biel)
Könige der Herzen
Kings of Hearts

Three artists, three very different talents, one inspiration: Royal fun............

Markus Linnenbrink
(Dortmund)
Panorama 360 °

Works by this artist are frequently described as "architecture with colour". A sea of colourful stripes surrounds the guest in this space-encompassing work, giving rise to an inexplicable, comfortable airiness.

Sabine Groß
(Munich)
Sqare

The walls of the room are “dressed up” in Scottish plaid wallpaper. Photos of people who are similarly dressed in plaid clothing are hung upon the wallpaper. Through digital manipulation these people have been removed from their original space and placed against a plaid backdrop. In turn, this fictitiously patterned space has then been “mounted” in a truly patterned one. The hotel guest becomes part of the muddle between fiction and reality. And if he or she is wearing something plaid ... then even better!

Kehl
(Berlin)
Comic

A characteristic touch is that every corner and angle is outlined with a thin, hand-drawn, black line – whether on the ceiling, on the bed, or around a plug. The result is a dollhouse-like, comic book room with papaya green walls, a sunny yellow rug, a lilac bed and a pink cupboard. Graphics and decorations by the artist complete the design.

Odin
(Berlin)
Hauptstadt der Hunde
Berlin – The Capital of Dogs

According to the statistics of a reliable polling institute the number of pet dogs in Berlin is estimated to be around 250,000. The artist believes it is about time to erect a monument to the Berliner’s best friend, which he proposes with irony through his pictogram made of dog bowls, nightstands of dog-food boxes, etc. The basket bed is therefore no accident!

Stefan Bree
(Hannover)
Luisol

This light installation is a meditative, playful reflection on sense perception. The best effect is achieved in the dark with the UV light switched on. A monochrome picture entitled “before I vanish” reflects an image of the viewer that remains “frozen” as a shadowy picture, and only slowly disappears. The lettering installation “Luisiol” is similar. It is a game about sense and senselessness, new languages and meanings. After the lights go off the letters fade slowly; scrabble for the soul, a nice way to fall asleep at the end of a long day.

Silke Vollmers
(Leipzig)
Mythos Fliegen
Flight – the myth

The dream of humanity; the feeling of lifting off, and limitless freedom above the clouds. Playing with these associations the artist uses airplane fragments to construct usable furnishings. The bed consists of a tail-wing unit, steering elements, and motor parts, and is hung from the ceiling by steel cables. Also hanging from the ceiling are numerous tables, each constructed from a different stage of a turbine. The chairs also originate from an airplane as do the shelves, which are built from propeller blades. Appropriately, the guests may record their dreams of flying in the flight log for the next passenger.

Peter Buechler
(Berlin)
Horse / Astronaut

The theme of this room is the evolution of motion and acceleration. Long before the invention of the wheel, humans hunted, conquered and reigned on horseback. This was the beginning of a progression that finds contemporary expression in the astronaut.

Brigitte Schroeck
(Berlin)
Yellow

The guest is greeted by the strong, warm colours of the wall and curtains. Various structures, symbols and drawings appear on this ground in a contrasting colour, changing the room’s atmosphere with changes in lighting. When asleep, the guest is discretely guarded by five masks looking down from the beams of the ceiling.

Carlos Manrique
(Cologne)
Espiritus y Tamborges

In Latin American religion, literature and art, spirits serve a poetic purpose; for the relaxation and accompaniment of the soul. Drums and percussion are the instruments which influenced religion, folklore, literature and music – the whole cultural identity of South America and the Caribbean. The installation wishes to enchant the guest and entice him/her into the playful and magical world of the artist.

Roman Schmelter
(Mainz)
Unter dem roten Pferd
Beneath the Red Horse

This room could also be called “the magic of the arena”! An inhabitable Mediterranean landscape was created in the artist’s typical style. Intensive colours and three dimensions make this a surreal installation with surprising effects!

Eva Castringus
(Berlin)
In the seventh sky

Frozen in various poses, young, urbane, trendy people are depicted here as wall- and ceiling-filling paintings under a sky with angels.

J. J. Anniroc
(Berlin)
Dreams that money can buy

The artists freely interpret the idea of "capital" in the sense of "capital city", "power and money", "owning and multiplying possessions", resulting in a room-filling installation.

Sabine Hartung
(Offenbach)
Chez rose

The room is designed just as the “rose painter” would like to find a hotel room: welcoming and reserved at the same time, containing furnishing with a simple charm and oil paintings of roses on the walls. An old typewriter sits on the solid desk, and in the drawer the guest will find “chez rose” writing paper and envelopes specially designed for the room.

Christoph Platz
(Bochum)
Standby

The artist works with associations. His sculptures represent the outer shell, devoid of content. Clothing without people; on the walls of the room, in a specially produced showcase desk, or used as a stool. They symbolize travel; clothes for the trip, utensils, and souvenirs for home. Everyday objects intricately carved in limewood develop a mysterious inner life in the hotel room. Fantastic and simply beautiful.

Marc Volk
(Berlin)
SameTime|SamePlace

Simultaneity is a sign of the world´s complexity, and the world is thus beyond our perception. Photography is a way to see a sequence of different individual situations that took place at the same time. With his installation the artist want to give the guest an awarenss of the unbelievable multi-dimensionality of the our surroundings.

Norbert Thiel
(Berlin)
Stellwerk Thiel
Switch Tower Thiel

The artist Thiel freely interprets the subject of the Gerhart Hauptmann novel “Bahnwärter Thiel” (level-crossing keeper Thiel). The room features images of trains and gates, switch towers and train stations, mainly by night. Meanwhile you can see - but not hear – the real trains as they rush past the window: a thrill that’s definitely not just for train fans! The attentive observer will discover supernatural themes in Thiel’s paintings, too.

Andreas Silbermann
(Berlin)
Schuhtick
Shoe Fetish

A whole room filled with shoes. All of the walls feature pictures of shoes and shoe ornamentation. Except for one drawing, all of them are women’s shoes. This is a colourful, playful allusion to the shoe closets of the nation – a Mecca for shoe fetishists.

Hans van Meeuwen
(New York)
Nest

A two-meter long bird beak extends from the wall. Huge eggs are dispersed throughout the room. Guests lie secure in their “nest” under the giant beak. In this room by sculptor Hans van Meeuwen this is not a dream, but reality.

ADOCHI
(Pescia, Italien)
Camera Calma

The Italian-based artist designed his room as a counterbalance to the ever faster, louder pace of the times. It features a spacious bed made of stained chestnut wood. An inkwell, quill pen and blank book on the table are intended to invite guests to gather their thoughts, while the poetic paintings serve as a reference point and font of inspiration.

Schmiddem
(Berlin)
Future comfort

The well-known designer Schmiddem created this room in the image of one he would like to discover himself in a hotel: no overpowering wardrobe surfaces, generous space and spatial transparency, user-friendly design, high-quality materials and a TV placed so comfortably that you could easily sit back and relax to a video of a crackling fireplace. The slight sensation of being in a science-fiction film when in the room is no doubt thanks to its cocoon-shaped shower, which even prompted Steven Spielberg to commission a set design for Minority Report.

Except for sculptures by the Dutch artist Hans van Meeuwen and a wall piece Markus Linnenbrink our lobby is otherwise functional. There is a comfortable seating arrangement complete with selections from the international press, a 24-hour reception with our knowledgeable and helpful staff, a free Internet terminal, a small snack and drink shop, and the branch of a bookstore providing reading material on the city of Berlin and its art and architecture.

Source here

Liquid Sculpture

2008-01-18T03:34:00.000-08:00

Liquid Sculpture is the process of creating shapes by dropping and splashing water, or other liquids. These sculptures are then photographed, since they last only a few thousandths of a second. Creating and capturing these engaging forms requires careful manipulation of the materials and precise control of the lighting and timing.
These photos are made by Martin Waugh.

By varying the size, speed and position of drops, as well as the color, viscosity, and surface tension, Martin creates a panorama of color, movement and intrigue...

Source here

Weird Houses

2008-01-14T07:45:00.000-08:00

Living in a box doesn't look so strange after this...

You shouldn't run or jump through this house.
Especially if you don't swim.

I'm feeling so upside-down!

How the Santa climb that chimney?

Where's the witch?

Living in a box?

I'm not weird. Not at all. I just live in a rock.

Spooky...

Dancing in the street!

Weird.

Land Art - Andy Goldsworthy

2008-01-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

Nature is art itself.
But, looking at this sculptures and creations, it seems like sometimes some additional work can make perfection in nature.

Andy Goldsworthy was born in Chesire, England and currently resides in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He studied at Bradford School of Art and Preston Polytechnic and has been producing work since the mid 1970s. Goldsworthy works directly with nature, using a variety of materials including leaves, twigs, flower petals, pinecones, sand, snow and stone. Much of his work addresses issues of growth and decay, seasonal cycles; and the idea that an artwork too has a natural life that eventually must end. Goldsworthy finds a richness of understanding in revisiting certain forms such as mounds, holes, arches, spirals, and lines each revealing a different facet of its constructive material.

Some of his creations are permanent installations in stone, but most are ephemeral structures of ice, leaves, water, sticks or the crackles in drying mud. For these, his photographs become the final creative product and only remaining evidence of the work.

Maybe this is the way to bond man and nature again.

Ugly Dolls

2007-12-30T06:36:00.000-08:00

David Horvath, illustrator, and Sun-Min Kim, designer, created the Ugly Dolls during letter-writing sessions to each other when they were living in separate countries. Each soft and cuddly character has an individual story and personality, portrayed by the captivating expressions on their faces. These plushes are the coolest toys to collect.

Bop n' Beep are best friends...with you. They want to take you to lunch!!! It's just hard to reach their wallet... They left it in their back pocket. So would it be OK if you took them out this time? They promise to return the favor...oh wait...Well, Beep does. Anyway, hug?
This plush figure is double sided. One side is Bop the other side is Beep.

Peaco is very shy. Well... shy on the outside. On the inside, Peaco is a wild man!You can see it in his eyes. All three.
Peaco really shines when he’s doing what he does best. DANCING! Peaco loves to dance in the water...much to the dread of his cousin Cinko.
Why dance in the water? Well, think about it!
When you dance in the water, no one can see you!

SHY! Remember?

It’s kind of a pain explaining water dancing to lifeguards though.
Please dance with Peaco. He’s seen your moves! (So don’t step on his ears.)

Moxy's got a lot of "moxy". She's a real get up and go Ugly, with far more energy than her older brother OX.
Moxy's favorite activity seems to be bouncing off the walls and jumping in and out of mischief.
Her giant antennas are always on the look out for a good time, and she can hear a party from miles away.
She could hear you coming from all the way back over there!
Are you a party animal? No? Would you like to take care of one? No? Well that's ok because Moxy is here to take care of you. She can take care of pretty much any problem you may have...it's a gift of hers.
For example, see how messy your room is?
No problem! See? Moxy is on your side.

Babo is best friends with Wage...and the cookie jar. But once he gets to know you and the kinds of snacks you keep around the house...he will focus mostly on the snacks! We all know Babo's got your back, and he will stick up for you when the chips are down...unless it's potato chips. If those are down, it's time to get over to the store and pick some up. Why does Babo seem smaller? He's just too far away from you! When you guys hug, he'll seem to be a lot bigger.

Wedgehead has his eye on you. And he likes what he sees! He knows exactly what you mean. Of course he has to stand on his head to do so...but he totally gets it. See...you are his proof! Evidence that humans really do exist! But to prove this to his best buddy Ox...Wedghead needs something. You know that pocket change you've been saving? Yeah, Wedgehead kinda needs all of it. No? OK. Hug?

Bow WOW that's ugly! But what's ugly? To Uglydog, ugly means being A.O.K. with who you are, what you like, and just being yourself! Uglydog is always happy to let others know what he's all about...being fed and sleeping all day long! Beg? Roll over? Sit? Well, sit is OK...but beg? No thanks. Uglydog doesn't play like that...but he does like to hang out, watch TV and read a good book from time to time. You down?

Ok, you know what? Chuckanucka. That's what. Chuckanucka worries about pretty much everything under the sun: What if the phone rings when I go out? What if the mail man tries to deliver my Deluxe Ugly Earmuffs when I'm in the bathroom?
Hey, I don't remember leaving the closet door open just a crack like that! What if I can't ever stop thinking about my name over and over?
Chuckanucka has a pretty strange way of looking at life.
Sometimes he wonders if this is all just a hologram, and on other days he wonders what's going to happen if they stop making CD players... How will I play my favorite CDs??? I have over nine of them!!!
Poor Chuckanucka. Lucky Chuckanucka.

Big Toe is very busy, but he’s going to take care of everything. Just watch. At first, Big Toe may seem a little slow... until you realize he’s always one step ahead. Those donuts you were saving for tomorrow? Gone. Those leftovers from the picnic? Done. Big Toe’s on top of things! An unstoppable force of knowledge, Big Toe’s got the scoop on all the latest info, and knows what’s going down at all times... Except for when it comes to you. What’s up with you? Big Toe wants to know.

Uglyworms want power. The power to do great and wonderful things. They want your power.
You know that thing you do? Uglyworms want to do that. And you know those things you think you can’t do? Uglyworms know you CAN do those things. They think you’re bluffing. Oh what power!
Some Uglyworms are sneaky. Some are crafty. All are hungry...For knowledge... Like where do you keep the carrot cake? How long before ice cream goes bad?

Knowledge is power.
Ice-Bat lives in an ice box. Everything he touches turns to ice...yet he warms our heart. Aww. Ice-Bat wants to chill with you. Why? He thinks you are cool! You guys have a lot in common. Ice-Bat's tall ears can hear the Ice Cream truck from miles away...and you hear the boss coming down the hall! So close your web browser, shut down the computer (also frozen), and go grab some snacks! Ice cold!

Black Ninja series

Target is the oldest and the wisest of the Uglydolls. He is also the hairiest.
The other Uglydolls are a bit scared of Target's body hair, and wonder why he has so many arms. But they come running to Target when there are questions to be answered.
Old age may bring Uglydolls extra arms and whiskers, but it also brings wisdom and foresight.
Target is often bailing the other Uglydolls out of trouble and getting them into more sophisticated forms of mischief.

Target is the grandpa of he Uglydolls. As he always says: "Hair means I'm smarty!" So what's up with the small size and green color? Even when Target was younger he was still the oldest! What Target really wants is a nice comb or brush for his lovely hair style...but if you kick back with him and pat his head a few times a day, he'll stay happy enough to continue his long winded tales of wisdom. On and on he'll go. Lalala.

What kind of name is OX? No, not like the animal OX, as in HUG and KISS!
How can he hug you with such short arms?
OX uses his ears! He's not a very good listener, but he puts his ears to good use in many other ways!
OX is great at magic, and his best trick is turning your stuff into his stuff.
His best buddy Wedgehead calls that stealing, but OX just wants to borrow things from you for a few hundred years.
He promises to put everything back when he's done.
What he wants to steal most are kisses, whether they're in the chocolate variety or just plain, and he promises to be your friend if you would lend him a hand, or an ear...or like Two Dollars!

Ox has a special magic trick. You know that stuff in your house? well that all belongs to OX now. That's right! He would just borrow it for a few hundred years, but that's way too temporary. OX is here to stay, so he likes things that are more permanent...like his dedication to looking out for you and his best buddy Wedgehead, who also used to have a lot of stuff. OX likes you, not just for the money...but because you read all of this and didn't run.

Cinko is an Uglydoll of the deep. Keep him away from water though... he can't swim! Cinko is very shy and quiet, but has a funny sense of humor. He likes to waddles around and stick his tongue at everything and everyone. Because this is not polite for people to do, Cinko makes the perfect pal! Instead of sticking your tongue at folks, just hold up Cinko and let his funny little face do the talking for you.

Cinko looks up to his older brother, Target, and follows him around wherever he goes. If you tape a red button to your forehead, Cinko will follow you too.

Poor little Cinko. He freaks out over everything. He's even a little bit nervous... especially about WATER! Are tears water? What if I have a family and they all order water at the drive thru??? Can Ice-Bat melt? That's water! On and on he goes... Cinko needs a break. Don't we all? If you help out little Cinko with his water problem, he'll be sure to stick with you forever. Yeah but not when you wake up early.

Minimum Wage gets the job done! See that apron? Told ya! Wage is hard working and super smarty, just like you. Hired, fired, never come back... Wage has heard it all, and doesn't need to know what any of it means. Why? Hmm yeah. But Wage does know that come pay day, it's time for cookies, snacks and plain ole chillin' with Ice-Bat, his best buddy Babo...and you, the human!

What's up with Jeero? Don't ask. What time is it? Where's my keys? What are bills? Jeero doesn't know! Neener neener neener the questions never stop...Why does everyone ask Jeero? Do noses mean you're smarty? Anyway, Jeero will like hanging out with you. You seem to have the same workout routine...one...done!

Jeero wants to hang out with you. Why? He needs you. Jeero thinks life is so complicated, so he needs you to comfort him. Wage and Babo ask him so many questions, and he isn't sure what makes them think he has any of the answers. Maybe they think his red nose makes him Jeero the wise.

Well he's not.

What time is it? Jeero has no idea. How do you get from here to there? Don't ask!...Jeero doesn't know. Jeero just wants to sit on the couch with you and eat some snacks. Is that too much to ask? Jeero doesn't know, but he does know that you know it is time to cancel your plans and hang out with the Uglydolls.

Tray is the brains of the bunch, not because she is smart, but because she has three brains -- one in each lump (or one per eye, as Babo likes to point out). Tray also has a desperate need for blueberry pie -- some say her eyes are blue because of her craving for it!

Tray often combines her hunger for pie with her brainpower to talk Babo into getting food for her. Unfortunately, Babo usually brings back a branch, a rock, or something even less tasty. If you want to make Tray extra happy, sit her next to you in the subway or car. It makes her feel important.

Tray also sees everything in 3D so you will have plenty to talk about with her. She may look a little confused...that may be from each brain working hard at the same time! While one is wondering about the meaning of the universe, the others are arguing over stuff like why Babo keeps bringing back all kinds of rocks and sticks when he is sent to do the shopping. 1+1+1= Tray's busy.

I love them. Unfortunatly, they don't deliver to the part of our world I live in:(

Source: here

Christmas Trees Ideas

2007-12-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some tips and ideas how to decorate your Christmas tree.
If you really hate Christmas.

So they say that your drinking is useless...
Now you can show them all!

Here is "leftover" tree. Use old newspapers, aluminum foil, felt, or crepe paper.

If you need a really, really last minute Christmas tree to put up, you need a Magic Growing Christmas Tree. Simply insert the tree in the dish, spread out the branches, add the magical, non-toxic water and watch it grow. In about 12 hours, it will have magically transformed into a full 6" tall tree. It even comes with sparkles, a string of balls and a shiny star to place on top. The tree lasts about 3-4 days after being grown.

Make this lollypop tree...

Or if you are handy you can make something like this. You can even make these fake presents!

If you're not that handy use the ladder. It looks almost as real tree!

Or barrels.

Or everything.

You will love these ...If you are really miserable.

Upside-down tree. Your guests will look at nothing else, but the tree (they will watch for something not to fall on their heads...)

Use your children's toys! Kids will love it and they'll be proud of you!Maybe they won't even notice how cheap you are.

Or you can just go and buy proper tree...

Down With Crop Circles! - New Crop Formation

2007-12-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

Crop circles? Nooo...It's boring.
This new pattern is hit!
And it's not the aliens who were drinking and driving.

It's actually made by a drug user who was attempting to escape from police in his father's car.
Four police cars were damaged in a desperate attempt to prevent the crazed driver from reaching public roads, but they could not save the crop from irrepairable damage.

Say Cheese!

2007-12-10T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some realy crazy photos.

"Hey! Wait for us, we want to be on this photo, too!"

I really don't want to be on this boat!
Or near it.

Why would someone want to do this?

What's wrong with people who took these photos?
Why didn't they say something, like... RUN!

Or... SWIM!

One Night to Enjoy

2007-12-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

Do you wonder what this is?
It looks like wagon or caboose, but actually it is one-room, luxurious mobile hotel.

Hotel Everland was first developed on invitation of the Curator Gianni Jetzer for the Exhibition concept "Everland" at the Swiss national exhibition in the year 2002. The Hotel was planned by L/B (Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann) and built by a team of craftspeople in Burgdorf.

It was transported to Yverdon where it was located on the lake of Neuchatel for 4 moth. After the end of Expo.02 the mobile pavilion was brought to Burgdorf and was placed on the factory roof at L/B's studio.

From June 2006 until September 2007 the one room hotel was exhibited and run as a Hotel on the roof-deck of the Museum of Contemporary Art Leipzig, Germany. Like in Yverdon, visitors could take a peek at the Hotel during the opening hours of the museum, after closing hours at 18.00 it was reserved for the guests.

Everland is a Hotel with only one room including a bathroom deluxe, a king-size bed and a lounge.

The concept for operating the hotel was defined by the artists. All facets are important constituents of the artistic idea: The room can be booked for one night only, the mini-bar is fully stocked and included in the price, breakfast is delivered to the door and a record collection stands at ones disposal.

Notable is the request to steal the golden embroidered bath towels as a memento.

As a last destination Hotel Everland moves to Paris from October 2007 until end of 2008. High above the city, with a view on the Eiffel Tower, it is installed on the roof of Palais de Tokyo. It will also be possible to book the room for the night or visit it during the day.

If you have 333 Euro (Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday) or 444 Euro ( Thursday, Friday, Saturday) to spare and you are patient enough to try and book a room for a night...go for it!
Check on everland booking and...good luck!

If you don't want to look at Eiffel Tower maybe you should wait 'till the end of year 2008 to see where the hotel will be placed next...

Party Time - Crazy Gadgets for Your Party

2007-11-30T13:10:00.000-08:00

Have a party?
Ensure yourself and make it unforgettable with this crazy gadgets!

If you don't want people to sit alone on your party than you must have these

MEET PEOPLE STICKERS

Avoid that "how do I start a conversation with this utter stranger" feeling!

Tongue-tied at parties? Let our Meet People stickers tell the world you're a "huge freak" or a "nice geek girl." With 90 witty adjectives and nouns to choose from you're bound to discover the real you. They'll help you keep track of your glass too!

These reusable vinyl labels stick to any glass, plate, or cup - paper, plastic, or ceramic -but they're still easily removable.

DRINKWEAR

We have feet.
And shoes.
There are glasses with foot, so someone got the idea to put a shoe on a glass foot.

"For the "Foot" of Your Glass Drinkwear coasters fit like Cinderella's trendy slipper on the foot of most stemware. Slip Drinkware onto the "foot" of your glass, it will travel with you as you mingle, and identify your glass with style and fun."

Fancy coasters...

The Black and White coasters make any occasion more festive!

These Tennies coasters and clever wine tote are just perfect for the picnics! Our adorable Tennies Coasters slip on the foot of your stemware. a fun style! The sporty wine tote makes this a great hostess gift!

GRrr LEOPARD PRINT PLATFORM COASTERS

Why stop here.
Make your party even more fun!
Here are some great ice "cubes"...

COOL JEWELS ICE TRAY

Dahling...everyone knows that ice cubes are a girl's best friend! Just fill this food-grade flexi ice tray with water or any kind of juice, and freeze. Then pop out the three-dimensional COOL JEWELS and bling out your beverage!

Freeze up a batch for your next party and spread the wealth.

ICE KABOBS
Because everything's more fun on a stick.

Ice Kabobs stir up some fun and add a cOoOol touch to your beverages. These extended ice cubes double as handy swizzle sticks. Each food-grade silicone rubber tray makes three skewers.

COOLSHOOTERS

What's cooler than a shot glass made of ice?.. Not much in this life.

Fill your Cool Shooter Ice Shot Glass Maker with water or your favorite juice, freeze, and then pop out four fully-formed frozen shot glasses. A great way to add a little nip to your favorite sip!

Not enough?
Add some crazy drink markers.

COCKTAIL MONKEYS

These colorful plastic Cocktail Monkeys turn any ordinary libation into a swinging party drink. Whether they're hanging from the rims of glasses or floating in the punch, these monkeys know how to have a good time.

FUZZY COCKTAIL ANIMALS

Part of the fun of making outrageous cocktails is to dress them up to a ridiculous fashion! This is where these fuzzy animal sticks come in!
They sit on the edge of your cocktail glass and make the whole exercise even more fun!
Each character is made from coloured pipe-cleaners and sits on top of a clear stem straw, which, unfortunately, you can not drink out of!

ANIMAGS COCKTAIL GLASS MARKER

Animals Magically Swim Through Your Drink Glass

These little AniMags can add the perfect humorous accent to aquariums, terrariums, books, drinking glasses, pictures in frames, refrigerators, baseball hats, hair, ears, business cards. There are endless uses, just use your imagination.
Using two long-lasting, powerful rare earth magnets, AniMags will stick through objects more than a quarter inch thick creating a fun and interesting illusion.

COCKTAIL BLACK CAT DRINK HANGERS
Perfect for your Party Punch Glasses!

Slightly spooky and very cute these plastic Black Cat Cocktail Buddies will add an extra layer of cool to any cocktail party. Their long black tails act as a hook over the rim of the glass as they dangle on the side just daring anyone else to touch your drink.

COOL JAZZ ICE STIRRERS
Freeze, stir, and chill

It's time to kick back and chill and here's a cool way to do it! Drop one of these groovy guitars into your drink, and give it a stir.

Just the thing for jazzing up your favorite beverage.

CLUMSY COASTERS
oooooooooops!

Clumsy Coasters... Oops! What a mess! Wait a minute, it's OK. That spill under your drink is actually a fabulous, flexible trompe l'oeil coaster.

SPLAT STAN

Meet Splat Stan. This silicon rubber chap is ideal for anyone with an ever-so-slightly sick sense of humour as he looks like he's just been splatted by a hefty mug or glass. It's a tough job but someone's got to do it!

This amusingly macabre designer coaster will protect surfaces from nasty ring marks and slopped liquids. And that's just as well because he's been splatted so bad he can even accommodate a pint glass. Ouch!

BEER FAN?

Isn't beer fantastic? Are you one of those who think it's the greatest beverage ever invented.
Here are some beer gadgets.
Instead of drinking straight from the bottle use those Beer Bottle Goblets. They are beer bottles that have been skilfully transformed into high quality goblets.
Cheers!

BEER HAT

Any fans of beer will be a fan of this hat. Show the world that you love beer and that beer probably loves you, with this big beer hat.

BEER BELLY BELT

Be the heart (or belly) of the party with this belt. Everyone will want to be next to you, the guy with the built-in bottle opener on his belt! This heavy web belt measures 54 inches and is trimmable and adjustable for any size beer-drinker.

And you thought beer belly was a negative connotation!

BEER GOGGLES

You have all heard the saying..'beer goggles' a phrase used as an excuse for pulling, what's called a 'minger' on a night out. Well now you can literally wear the beer goggles.

HANDS UP BOTTLE OPENER

This ingenious little chap will make you the envy of all your mates, and be centre of attention at any party. His very clever hands can open bottles faster than you can say 'crack me open a cold one!'

With a made-to-last construction, Redman is made from a vibrant red ABS plastic with reinforced steel arms to make sure he won't feel the strain of opening bottle after bottle!

His constant eager pose means that he is the perfect drinking associate!

Hands up if you wanna open bottles!

FORKED UP OPENER

It's a bottle opener, it's fork...Use it as you wish.

HOP N' POP FROG OPENER

HOP N' POP is three handy helpers in one. He pops off bottle caps with his mouth! He jumps at the chance to unscrew stubborn twist caps with his legs! He loosens lids with his prying eyes!

You'll wonder how you ever got along without him!

OOPS! Opener

Accidents can happen...but the worst kind of accident is being caught without a bottle opener when you need one! So keep OOPS!, the happy accident, handy on your counter. It doubles as a coaster too! Ooooooooops! Open your beers with ease and then set the bottle down right on this little faux spill. Come on...it's funny!

HELPING HAND BOTTLE OPENER

Need help with that bottle?
This Helping Hand Bottle Opener is right thing for you. It's fun and functional. Store hanging on a beer in your fridge - you'll never be left searching for your bottle opener again!

PICK YOUR NOSE

Who knows how to liven up a party? YOU do! Each of these photo- realistic paper cups comes emblazoned with a new nose. When you tip your head to take a drink - voila - you get an instant nose job, and a chuckle from the crowd.

OUCH - THE VOODOO DOLL TOOTHPICK HOLDER

Make your next party painfully amusing by inviting OUCH!, the voodoo-it-yourself toothpick holder. Perfect for finger food, emergency hexes, and jump-starting the good times. With Ouch, olives will never be boring again!

You ca acctualy buy this stuff at Perpetual Kid and Drinkstuff

Hidden Faces Illusion

2007-11-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

How many faces can you find?
Here are some optical illusions with hidden faces I really like...

There are 9 people on this picture. If you find 6, you have ordinary powers of observation. Find 7, you have above average powers of observation. Find 8, you are very observant. Congratulate yourself! Find 9, you are extremely observant, very intuitive and creative.

On this illusion you are supposed to find the Women, the Horse, the Lion, the Old Man and the Wolf. And something more...

How many hidden images can you find here?

This one is often known as "13 faces picture" illusion. In fact there are 22 faces found so far.
They say that if you find 10, you have an ordinary power of observation.
Find 15, you have above average power of observation.
Find 20, you are very observant.
Find 21 and more, you are extremely observant.

The most beautiful illusion of all...there is so many creatures on this one, not just human...

To Go or...Not To Go

2007-11-19T10:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks, but I'll hold it...

Famous Ghosts

2007-11-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Since the invention of the camera, people have been attempting to take photographs of ghosts. What could be better proof of their existence than the ability to capture a spirit’s image on film? Unfortunately, many “spirited” efforts have led to failure and, even worse, outright fraud.
But there have been a number of photos for which no evidence of fraud, trickery or mistakes can be discovered. The photos presented here all lay claim to being legitimate. In each case, the photographer claimed to be surprised by the end results of the photograph.

Some of these photos are very old, and it was never officially explained how "ghosts" appeared on them.

Here are the most famous ghosts from the history, and it's up to you to believe it or not...

The Brown Lady

This portrait of "The Brown Lady" ghost is arguably the most famous and well-regarded ghost photograph ever taken. The ghost is thought to be that of Lady Dorothy Townshend, wife of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount of Raynham, residents of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England in the early 1700s. It was rumored that Dorothy, before her marriage to Charles, had been the mistress of Lord Wharton. Charles suspected Dorothy of infidelity. Although according to legal records she died and was buried in 1726, it was suspected that the funeral was a sham and that Charles had locked his wife away in a remote corner of the house until her death many years later.
In September 1936, a photographer, Mr. Indre Shira, was commissioned by Lady Townsend of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England to take a series of photographs of the house for “Country Life” magazine. Shira and his assistant were just setting up their equipment for shots of the grand staircase when the photographer saw what he described as “ a vapoury form which gradually assumed the shape of a woman in a veil.”
The figure slowly began to ascend the stairs and, very excited, Shira took a hasty photograph. The assistant however, was amused by his employer’s excitement, maintaining (even afterward) that he had seen nothing on the stairs. In fact, he admitted that he thought Shira was delusional.
He changed his mind after the plate was developed though and saw the phantom outline of a human figure on the stairs. Experts who examined the plate were puzzled and agreed that the image was not the result of any form of trickery.
Author and researcher Thurston Hopkins also studied the photo and he too declared it genuine. “It may well be the most genuine ghost photograph we possess,” he added, “and no study of the supernatural is complete without a reference to it.”

Tulip Staircase Ghost

Rev. Ralph Hardy, a retired clergyman from White Rock, British Columbia, took this now-famous photograph in 1966. He intended merely to photograph the elegant spiral staircase (known as the "Tulip Staircase") in the Queen's House section of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England. Upon development, however, the photo revealed a shrouded figure climbing the stairs, seeming to hold the railing with both hands. Experts, including some from Kodak, who examined the original negative concluded that it had not been tampered with. It's been said that unexplained figures have been seen on occasion in the vicinity of the staircase, and unexplained footsteps have also been heard.

Lord Combermere

The photo shown here is the famous “Lord Combermere Photograph”, which was first published in 1895. It gained almost instant fame among psychic researchers and remains a mystery to this day.
The photo was part of an account by Miss Sybell Corbett who took the photograph in December 1891 while staying with her sister at Combermere Abbey in Cheshire, England. The photo was actually taken of the splendid library of the house and the camera was placed with a long exposure of about one hour, details of which were carefully noted in her photographic diary.
Although no one was in the room at the time of the exposure, the developed plate showed the head, body and arms of an older man, seated in a high-backed chair to the left side of the room. The photo was shown to a relative of Lord Combermere and she announced that if did resemble the man. However, not everyone agreed about this. Regardless, the features of the man are hard to distinguish.

The strangest thing about the photo was that, at the time it was taken, Lord Combermere was attending a funeral at the local churchyard in Wrenbury, a few miles away. The funeral was his own! Lord Combermere had been killed a few days earlier in a road accident in London.As mentioned, the photo caused quite a stir and attracted the attention of Sir William Barrett, an investigator for the Society of Psychical Research. He experimented with a similar photo process and then first dismissed this photograph as an unintentional mistake. He surmised that a servant had entered the room while the shutter of the camera was open, sat down in the chair and then left, leaving behind a faint, and rather “ghostly” image.

After further investigation though, Barrett reconsidered. He later learned that the image did not resemble any of the servants in the house and that all of the male servants had been away attending their master’s funeral anyway. He confessed to being perplexed and the photograph remains mysterious today.

Ghost in the Choir Loft

In 1982, photographer Chris Brackley took a photograph of the interior of London's St. Botolph's Church, but never expected what would appear on the film. High in the church's loft, seen in the upper right-hand corner of his photograph, is the transparent form of what looks like a woman. According to Brackley, to his knowledge there were only three people in the church at the time the photo was taken, and none of them were in that loft.

According to London Paranormal Database Records, "Mr. Brackley was later contacted by a builder who recognized the face of one that he had seen in a coffin in the church."

Specter of Newby Church

This photograph was taken in 1963 by Reverend K. F. Lord at Newby Church in North Yorkshire, England. It has been a controversial photo because it is just too good. The shrouded face and the way it is looking directly into the camera makes it look like it was posed a clever double exposure. Yet supposedly the photo has been scrutinized by photo experts who say the image is not the result of a double exposure.

The Reverend Lord has said of the photo that nothing was visible to the naked eye when he took the snapshot of his altar. Yet when the film was developed, standing there was this strange cowled figure.

The Newby Church was built in 1870 and, as far as anyone knows, did not have a history of ghosts, hauntings or other peculiar phenomena. Those why have carefully analyzed the proportions of the objects in the photo calculated that the specter is about nine feet tall!

Sefton Church Ghost

Sefton Church is an ancient structure (started in the 12th century and finished in the early 16th century) in Merseyside, England, just north of Liverpool. This particular photograph was taken inside the church in September, 1999.

According to Brad Steiger's Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits and Haunted Places, where this photo was found, there was only one other photographer in the church beside the person who took this picture. Neither of them recalled seeing the ghost or any flesh-and-blood person standing there who could account for this image. Because the figure is all in black, it has been theorized that the apparition could be that of a church minister.

Reader Mark Tomlinson reports that a pub next door to the church, called the Punch Bowl, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man in blue nautical garb, which has been reported there for many years.

Ghost of the Seven Gables

While touring the historic House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts, the birthplace of American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, Lisa B. snapped this remarkable photo. The ghostly image of a small boy seems to be in the shrubbery, peering over the wooden fence.

The most amazing part of the story of this photograph is that she subsequently did some research about Hawthorne and the house. While looking through a library, she came across one of Hawthorne's books, Twenty Days with Julian & Little Bunny by Papa. On the cover of that book is a portrait of Hawthorne's five-year-old son, Julian. And as you'll see on the photo at left, the portrait of little Julian bears a striking resemblance to the ghost in Lisa's photograph.

Ghosts of the SS Watertown

James Courtney and Michael Meehan, crew members of the S.S. Watertown, were cleaning a cargo tank of the oil tanker as it sailed toward the Panama Canal from New York City in December of 1924. Through a freak accident, the two men were overcome by gas fumes and killed. As was the custom of the time, the sailors were buried at sea off the Mexican coast on December 4.

But this was not the last the remaining crew members were to see of their unfortunate shipmates. The next day, before dusk, the first mate reported seeing the faces of the two men in the waves off the port side of the ship. They remained in the water for 10 seconds, then faded. For several days thereafter, the phantom-like faces of the sailors were clearly seen by other members of the crew in the water following the ship.

On arrival in New Orleans, the ship's captain, Keith Tracy, reported the strange events to his employers, the Cities Service Company, who suggested he try to photograph the eerie faces. Captain Tracy purchased a camera for the continuing voyage. When the faces again appeared in the water, Captain Tracy took six photos, then locked the camera and film in the ship's safe. When the film was processed by a commercial developer in New York, five of the exposures showed nothing but sea foam. But the sixth showed the ghostly faces of the doomed seamen. The negative was checked for fakery by the Burns Detective Agency. After the ship's crew had been changed, there were no more reports of sightings.

Railroad Crossing Ghost

A strange legend surrounds a railroad crossing just south of San Antonio, Texas. The intersection of roadway and railroad track, so the story goes, was the site of a tragic accident in which several school-aged children were killed - but their ghosts linger at the spot and will push idled cars across the tracks, even though the path is uphill.

This photograph was made by daughter of Andy and Debi Chesney. She and some of her friends had been to the crossing to test the legend, and she took some photographs. Inexplicably, a strange, transparent figure turned up in one of the photos. "They had no idea that it was in the picture until the next day when I printed out the picture and showed them," said the Chesneys. "It was really freaky".

The Ghost of Boothill Cemetery

Terry Ike Clanton took this photo of his friend at Boothill Graveyard. The photo was taken in black and white because he wanted Old West-looking pictures. Clanton took the film for developing and when he got it back was startled at what he saw. Among the gravestones, just to the right of his friend, is the image of what appears to be a thin man in a dark hat. By height, the man appears to be either legless, kneeling... or rising up out of the ground.

"I know there was no other person in this photograph when I shot it," Clanton insists. And he believes the small figure in the background is holding a knife. "We thought this was a tie at first, but after further review, it appears to be a knife," Clanton says. "The knife is in a vertical position; the tip is located just below the figure's right collar. If you're not convinced that something is weird here, look at my friend's shadow in the photo. It appears to be going back slightly to the right of him. The figure in the back should have the same shadow, but it doesn't!"

The Back Seat Ghost

Mrs. Mabel Chinnery was visiting the grave of her mother one day in 1959. She had brought along her camera to take photographs of the gravesite. After snapping a few shots of her mother's gravestone, she took an impromptu photo of her husband, who was waiting alone in the car. At least the Chinnerys thought he was alone.

When the film was developed, the couple was more than surprised to see a figure wearing glasses sitting in the back seat of the car. Mrs. Chinnery immediately recognized the image of her mother ? the woman whose grave they had visited on that day. A photographic expert who examined the print determined that the image of the woman was neither a reflection nor a double exposure. "I stake my reputation on the fact that the picture is genuine," he testified.

Freddy Jackson

This intriguing photo, taken in 1919, was first published in 1975 by Sir Victor Goddard, a retired R.A.F. officer. The photo is a group portrait of Goddard's squadron, which had served in World War I aboard the HMS Daedalus. An extra ghostly face appears in the photo. In back of the airman positioned on the top row, fourth from the left, can clearly be seen the face of another man. It is said to be the face of Freddy Jackson, an air mechanic who had been accidentally killed by an airplane propeller two days earlier. His funeral had taken place on the day this photograph was snapped. Members of the squadron easily recognized the face as Jackson's. It has been suggested that Jackson, unaware of his death, decided to show up for the group photo.

Madonna of Bachelor's Grove

This photo was taken during an investigation of Bachelor's Grove cemetery near Chicago by the Ghost Research Society (GRS). On August 10, 1991, several members of of the GRS were at the cemetery, a small, abandoned graveyard on the edge of the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve, near the suburb of Midlothian, Illinois. Reputed to be one of the most haunted cemeteries in the U.S., Bachelor's Grove has been the site of well over 100 different reports of strange phenomena, including apparitions, unexplained sights and sounds, and even glowing balls of light.

GRS member Mari Huff was taking black and white photos with a high-speed infrared camera in an area where the group had experienced some anomalies with their ghost-hunting equipment. The cemetery was empty, except for the GRS members. When developed, this image emerged: what looks like a lonely-looking young woman dressed in white sitting on a tombstone. Parts of her body are partially transparent and the style of the dress seems to be out of date.

Other ghosts reportedly seen in Bachelor's Grove include figures in monks' clothes and the spirit of a glowing yellow man.

Myrtle's Plantation Ghost

Many ghosts roam the halls of this bed and breakfast, built in 1796 by General David Bradford. There have been ten murders in the house, plus at least one suicide. A frequent visitor is the ghost of Chloe, a former slave hung for murdering two little girls. General Bradford's son-in-law, Clarke Woodruff, cut off the black woman's ear for eavesdropping, and she took her revenge by mixing oleander into the children's birthday cake. Ghosts from the slave graveyard on the property still report for chores and the ghosts of the two children poisoned by Chloe play on the verandah. This photograph shows what many believe to be the ghost of Chloe seen standing between the two buildings.

Ghost in the Burning Building

On November 19, 1995, Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England burned to the ground. Many spectators gathered to watch the old building, built in 1905, as it was being consumed by the flames. Tony O'Rahilly, a local resident, was one of those onlookers and took photos of the spectacle with a 200mm telephoto lens from across the street. One of those photos shows what looks like a small, partially transparent girl standing in the doorway. Nether O'Rahilly nor any of the other onlookers or firefighters recalled seeing the girl there.
O'Rahilly submitted the photo to the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena which, in turn, presented it for analysis to Dr. Vernon Harrison, a photographic expert and former president of the Royal Photographic Society. Harrison carefully examined both the print and the original negative, and concluded that it was genuine. "The negative is a straightforward piece of black-and-white work and shows no sign of having been tampered with," Harrison said.

Grandpa's Ghost

This photo was received from Denise Russell. Her sister took this photo of their grandmother in 1997. She was shocked when, years after the development, the image of their grandfather appeared on the photo.

Hampton Court Ghost

This remarkable image first appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times (12-21-03) and was apparently captured with a closed-circuit security camera at Hampton Court Palace in London, England. The palace was built in 1525 on the River Thames 10 miles west of central London and was one the the places that King Henry VIII lived. Jane Seymour, his third wife, died there giving birth to a son, and her ghost is said to walk through one of the cobbled courtyards carrying a candle. No one seems to know what this ghostly figure represents but according to security, it sure looks like a ghost.

Jinyoung Shin - Joint of Traditional and Digital

2007-11-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

Jinyoung Shin graduated from the School of Visual Arts (New York, USA) in 2006, with a Masters degree in Computer Art. She came to the United States from Korea as a child, but Korean culture remained a part of her. Her drawings are heavily based on the style of eastern comics (manhwa/manga), which are a vital part of mainstream Korean and Japanese cultures.

The images she make contain both traditional and digital elements. For drawing she uses a mechanical pencil and for coloring she uses digital software.

Her work is spontaneous and amazing, sometimes bizzare...