Since we crawled out of it, the ocean has been a source of fascination for human beings. We can’t breathe in it, though there’s plenty of oxygen to be had, and the majority of our dying little world is comprised of it, though we still suffer from water shortages because so much of it is filled with salt. It’s a perpetual conundrum that draws us in as much as it terrifies us....
It’s strange how the standards of beauty wane and wax, grow and devolve over time– with no official moderation by anyone. Man and woman’s preference in the opposite or same sex changes and there seems to be no force stoking the light at the end of the tunnel. What decides our attraction? Is it fashion, is it economics, is it purely chemical– or is it a combination of the three?...
The Hydroptere is planning to further its claim as the world’s fastest sailboat on a record-setting transpacific voyage. It will be traveling from Los Angeles to Honolulu with support ships in the hopes of setting a new high mark for its class. Hydroptere is currently in Paris, undergoing preparations for its record-setting voyage at the architecture workshop of Jean Nouvel. It will set out in the weeks ahead under the leadership of Alain Thébault, Jean Le Cam and Yves Parlier....
The team at BAK Arquitectos have completed another South American concrete stunner. The JD House by BAK Arquitectos is located in Mar Azul, Argentina, not far from another BAK-designed concrete home we featured earlier this year. These concrete designs are a perfect fit for the coastal Mar Azul forest, as the soft, sandy, pine-needled landscape makes for a subtle contrast to the stone-colored concrete. Inside, the home is spacious, airy and angular, with a tiered layout that rises to create varied living spaces....
The Lexus LF-C2 Convertible Concept is an aggressive, high-performance convertible laid out in a 2+2 format. It’s “open air luxury” at its best, with refined interior styling that faces a panoramic view of the world around it. On the outside, a sharp golden skin continues the focus on luxury, as the vehicle speaks in bold terms about its identity. So far, the Lexus LF-C2 Convertible Concept is just that, a concept....
The 1968 Marcos Mantis XP looked quite out-of-place at its debut during the Spa 24 Hours race in Belgium. Flanked by the curvy Fords, Porsches and Ferraris of the late 60s, this odd and angular beast represented the hopes of a British boutique manufacturer who was fighting for footing in the performance car market. The Mantis XP failed the Spa race due to electrical problems, and has been shelved since then until its recent resurrection by a careful restoration in California....
Just imagine how many snickers and giggles these buildings inspired during the run of the festival. The Ruhtriennale architecture installation by Atelier Van Lieshout is titled, simply, “Domestikator”. It stands about 5 stories high above Ruhtriennale, and it features windows inset in various places throughout its height. It isn’t clear if guests can climb the full height of the building, but parts of it are accessible from the ground. Some official details from the exhibition: Note that “BarRectum” is actually a bar built inside of a model rectum....
The open barn section of the Oak Pass Guest House was a deliberate design decision for the architect and client. Music is a passion for the client, and this space is to be a place to enjoy performing and listening to music with friends and family. It features a piano at one end, there to accompany the violinist owner for personal enjoyment and entertaining. The walls and arched ceilings of the barn section provide a friendly acoustic space for calming reverberation....
The visual design of Orient House IV eschews flair and flamoyance, allowing the shape and materials to define its visual identity. Natural, naked woods line every inch of the home that is not open to the interior, showing off an aged look that suggests reclaimed sourcing. Tall, strategically-placed windows provide natural lighting and passive climate control, another element of this home’s efficient design philosophy. A home so simple in shape may not be the apple of every eye, but it’s hard not to appreciate the subtle beauty of a home like this....
“Elephant Walk” is a graphite pencil carving. It depicts an entire family of elephants strolling through the trees, all upon the end of a simple sketching pencil. The piece contrasts and simultaneously highlights the sheer size and magnitude of a real elephant herd by existing in a space so tiny that Chinn must use a magnifying lamp and a trinocular microscope just to see her own handiwork! Of course, we’ve seen other pencil carving art before....
For a brand whose products haven’t changed much from the original form, Puma certainly knows how to reinvent itself. The new Puma Siluro SF sneakers are a limited edition shoe inspired by the world of motorsport. These black and yellow kicks add a healthy dose of black-and-yellow futurism to the Puma brand, a leather/rubber work of art for your feet. [$125 at journeys via kicksonfire] View in gallery View in gallery...
Off the banks of the Mera river in Santander, Spain, A-cero Architects have constructed a gorgeous modern home right into a sloping, hilly plot. This concrete, glass and wood structure is closed to the north, but open with expansive views from windows and patios that face the river bank to the south. The building is comprised of strict, angular shapes of concrete, with an off-axis box jutting out over the patio below....
Fireflies are sensitive Of course, in this phenomenon, Japanese and visiting photographers have found a gorgeous source of inspiration. Capturing the lights of the fireflies, however, can be extremely difficult. Fireflies are very sensitive to other sources of light besides themselves, meaning that camera flashes, cell phones, flashlights, and other things that photographers often need to get their equipment set up can drive the little creatures away. Photographing fireflies – hard task, great rewards The difficulty of capturing photos of the fireflies, however, hasn’t deterred the most dedicated photographers....
Birds are hugely underestimated, and over time, the world’s smartest birds have evolved into animals that can use tools and even remember words or faces. Looking at a bird’s behavior can give us a good indication of whether or not they’re up there with the smartest birds in the world. Twelve smart birds make our list today, and we’re going to delve into their characteristics and what exactly makes them intelligent....
If you’re a Cobra Cultist, your heart will skip a beat or two when you see this one. Although not built by Shelby, the Superformance MKIII R Cobra has won the endorsement of Carroll Shelby himself. So how did another manufacturer gain the support of this venerable figure in motorsports? The Superformance MKIII R Cobra puts a new world of muscle under the classic Cobra shell, using a Roush 427 SR engine capable of 520 horses....
Bands sometimes attain legendary status with a single notorious album, like Sex Pistols’ Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. But, unfortunately, there’s no formula, so to claim that anyone can find the greatest bands from any single decade is preposterous. In order to compile this list, we tried to consider greatness across the entire spectrum. We looked at the overall cultural impact of the band’s work. How many artists did they influence, how did they change the musical landscape, what did they bring to the art form, what did they leave fans with, and how did they contribute to music as a whole?...
Light Graffiti is truly the urban art of the tech generation. While the technique dates back to time of Pablo Picasso, it’s tools continue to advance and evolve. The Halo Light Graffiti Spray Can is the latest of these, a light painting tool reminiscent of a classic spray can. This glass tube encloses a lighting system and batter, with swappable heads for different colors. An inspiring work by Aïssa Logerot, these spray cans are the tools of the trade of the hip, up-and-coming urban light painters of the future....
While many are rightfully frightened of losing their jobs to robots, and others dream of one day owning one for any number of mundane, or salacious activities, we choose to celebrate the rise of our mechanical overlords, with the hope that they’ll spare us when Skynet goes online. Join us and be saved by looking at the 20 most famous robots of today and yesteryear. A Note On Robots Before we jump into this list, we’re going to point out that we consider Hal-9000, Kitt, and GlaDOS to be computers (or A....
The Singer Porsche 911 Targa is a fusion of different 911 influences from the 60s, 70s and 80s. What looks like a mid-70s Porsche is so much more, as each feature was crafted individually to suit this one vehicle. The classic body is brand new, with carbon fiber panels and a nickel “targa hoop” above the headrests. The engine is custom built too– a 4.0-liter V6 based on the Porsche 964 from the early 90s....
