Toward the end of the 19th century, the famed Petzval lens was nearly ubiquitous in the world of portrait photography. This brassy beauty captured crisp images in its center with blurry bokeh swirling around the corners, a low-fidelity effect which photographers still desire today. To connect the old world of photography with the new, the people at Lomography have re-built the Petzval lens in a new prototype. Lomography has turned to Kickstarter to fund the final stages of development and manufacture of the new Petzval Lens, one that invites Canon and Nikon photographers to take part in its development....

Inside the historic Grand Splendid Theater of Buenos Aires, Argentina now sits a massive renovated bookstore. This must see attraction was renovated into a bookstore after years of being a venue primarily used to watch the traditional art of tango on stage. The theater now serves a destination for book readers and theater enthusiasts alike. Many of the original features remain such as the elaborate 1920s style ceiling moldings and the stage itself, still hung with long cascading red curtains....

Last year, we covered what we consider to be the most beautiful bookstore in the world, a rehabbed church in Maastriche, Netherlands. There’s something about a secularly-revived church that excites us, so we had to share the new Spirito – Martini lounge in Brussels, Belgium. Entrepreneur Franseco Ravo purchased the church and hired the Puresang team of architectural designers to give the church new life as a nightclub. The result is a stunning fusion of vintage Roman character and contemporary furnishings, a truly swank nightlife experience....

Steakstones Grilling Slab | Gallery

Cantina Antinori Winery View in gallery Both visually and ecologically, Cantina Antinori Winery is a masterwork of design. It is built to blend in with the rolling hills of its Tuscan environment, with an earthen roof that allows its vines to climb right up to its peak. From a distance, it is indiscernible from the hills around it– but from within, it is an architectural paradise. Cantina Antinori is not a small structure, as it houses offices, retail, production, storage and the common areas between them....

Belarusian painter Leonid Afremov is one of the most colorful painters you’ve never heard of. His skill with a palette knife and oil paint creates vivid scenes and cityscapes full of bright colors and watery reflections. His thick strokes are almost mosaic in nature, but the result is not without detail where the colors merge. Afremov’s landscapes capture the emotion of a casual stroll through an old Belarusian city, with all the vibrant color and culture alive in this artist’s perspective....

The Future of Sports by Tadder and Campau – Gallery

Confused? The system the Urwerk 105TA uses to display time is complicated in engineering, but simple in its use. Under the central gear in the display, a set of four satellite dials spin about out-of-view. Each dial has three numerals on it, one for each hour in a 12-hour cycle. On the bottom of the display, minute markers display the full range of an hour. As time passes, the “satellites” point the current hour numeral to the minute marker, showing the exact time....

Not far off the Pacific coast in the Costa Rican jungle, a community has taken to the trees to craft a new, sustainable life off the grid and away from urbanity. Finca Bellavista is a community of long-term residents and travel guests housed in a network of tree houses built right into the rain forest canopy. Perched above the forest floor, these tree houses are connected by zip lines and sky bridges, accessible by stairs and ladders from the ground level....

One organization decided that there needed to be a better way – so they designed one. WhistleGPS is, well…for lack of better terms, it’s the dog collar of the future. This small, affordable, and durable device is equipped with a GPS dog tracker and activity monitor. After syncing it up with your phone, you can see exactly where your dog is at all given times, as well as track changes in their activity....

Vito Selma works out of his one-man shop in Cebu, Philippines, having accomplished much at his young age. Selma’s work has been commissioned by the princess of his home country as well as Saudi Royalty and the famed South African president and activist, Nelson Mandela. With his best years ahead of him, his body of work is already remarkable. Enjoy more in the gallery below… [via core77] Vito Selma Furniture Gallery

The design of the village is the work of the Wonderwall architecture group, landscape designer Seijun Nishihata and others. Nishihata installed a massive, living green wall in the lounge of Code Kurkku, a restaurant and bar in the village. Code Kurkku’s white walls, natural wood floors and ceilings recall the vintage, rural architecture of Japan, and Nishihata’s green wall presents a lush forest backdrop. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the lightning-speed world around it, one that those in the Shibuya ward will surely cherish....

The homes that once belonged to ancient Mongolian nomadic tribes are now being modernized and turned into more permanent accommodation. If you’ve ever thought about ditching the cluttered and materialistic lifestyle humans now live, then why not downsize and live in a yurt? In this article, we will go over some of the benefits of living in a yurt and yurt building kits that can get you on your way to your minimalist and budget-friendly new life....

When you want a muscle-honing protein bar that will give you long-term energy and help you build your bulk and enhance your pump, you don’t want it crammed full of sugars, high fructose anything, and lots of synthetic preservatives. All that can leave you feeling bloated, uneasy, queasy, and doesn’t actually help you get a better workout. In spite of that ugly truth, too many so-called “protein bars” on the market aren’t nearly as good for you as a standard peanut butter and jelly sandwich....

Everybody loves a good joke, especially dads, for we are a special breed of joke-teller. Master of the pun and the corny one-liner. Fully trained in the art of delivery, hitting you with humor from all angles, both when you expect it, and more importantly, when you don’t. What’s black, white, but never red?I don’t know, but hopefully not this post. To make it an even easier read for you, we’ve separated all our dad jokes into categories to help you prepare your repertoire for any occasion....

Skin requires care to help it shine, and a proper mixture of materials to sluff off the dirt and dead layers. Drying it out, scuffing it up, and abusing it with whatever chunk of lye or orange cleaner you dug out of your garage is being a bad skin owner. Though body washes and foaming goop abound, soap is often the more natural choice for ridding your frame of bacteria and the grit that sinks in just from engaging in your daily manly activities....

Why You Need to Add a Field Jacket to Your Closet A field jacket keeps you dry in a storm, warm when it’s chilly, and cool when the sun comes out. For layering gurus and outdoor enthusiasts, a quality field jacket is indispensable. It is quite literally a jacket for every outfit and for every season. The best field jackets are an indispensable item for any wardrobe. If you don’t own one of these hard-wearing yet styling pieces of outerwear, then read on....

Not all charities are equal, however. Investing a little thought before investing a lot of money makes a big difference. Know what services the charity you’re giving to provides. Avoid non-profits with overhead costs of 25 percent or more. Decide thoughtfully if a local or global charity is right for your donation– both have attractive qualities and both may be right for some people. Determine what is right for you....

Chelseas date back to 1837, when they were designed by Mr. J Sparkes-Hall for Queen Victoria. His intention was to create a shoe that was easy to pull off and on, while also maintaining a high-end look. They went on to become a staple of the mod scene in the 1950’s and 60’s, and were even the choice shoe for the Beatles. These sleek boots can be easily styled with a suit or casually worn around town....

The beauty of a competitive technological market is that it provides smart solutions that are kinder on your budget, yet still bear much of the latest technology, without needing to pay the inflated prices for extreme graphics cards you’re unlikely to use. For under about $200-$250 you can get a screaming fast phone that can more than handle all your daily duties, and isn’t stuffed with bloatware you don’t need, or saddled with a contract that overcharges you....