drb
logo






"Dark Roasted Blend" - All Kinds of Weird and Wonderful Things, Discovered Daily!"




This site
- www.darkroastedblend.com
(all espresso-lovers & "coffee shop dwellers" unite!)

- is one of the favorite destinations on the web for all things weird and wonderful - to read during your coffee break, or at any other time (be careful, it's addictive!). Our in-depth articles in many fascinating categories make DRB a highly-valued online magazine, bringing you quality info and entertainment every time you visit our site.

Connect with us:
Email
DRB on Facebook,
DRB on Twitter,

Started in 2005 by Avi Abrams and based in Canada, DRB is dedicated to the ongoing quest for wisdom and beauty, for all things cool and wonderful in our world, featuring the best in art, travel and fascinating technology.

The "Thrilling Wonder Publication" subtitle stands for the sense of wonder that has been largely neglected in our cynical times. To that end, our "Thrilling Wonder" family of sites try to promote "the intense, wonderful and never-boring" side of things.





DRB has been featured in USA Today, TIME Magazine, National Geographic, Wired, The New York Times, etc.

John Malkovich, one of the most talented actors of our time and a connoisseur of great taste, starts his day with Dark Roasted Blend. This is what he had to say in the August issue of the TIME Magazine:

"Dark Roasted Blend is a perfect morning wake-up - a site filled with images of Earth's strange dreamers, oddballs, visionaries, travelers and destinations"
-- Time Magazine, August 31, 2009, p. 55, John Malkovich's Short List.

Dark Roasted Blend is also read and appreciated by many great artists, writers and other creative types - including Neil Gaiman, Jeff VanderMeer, Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens), Ted Nesmith, et al.

------------------

SITE REVIEWS & FEEDBACK:

Thank you for your good words, and welcome suggestions! Comments like these keep us going...

"I am a true Canadian and find your site at least as good as our best coffee chain, Tim Horton’s. Just like real Java, I find this site addicting. Keep up the great blend of interesting and informative stuff."
- Brent Froese

"You will likely want to subscribe to Dark Roasted Blend. Updates are curated with such care, and contain a number of parts that add to a single theme. I keep it in my "lotstosee" folder that I read while drinking my morning coffee."
- Andre Torrez, Happy Notes

"I love your site.... It is one of the most interesting I have ever come across the Web, in about 5 years now. I am really amazed at your ability to develop full, interesting stories...."
- David Appell

"Every once in awhile a web site recaptures the original wonder of the Internet. An amazing set of images and themes. I browsed for hours!"
- Prof. Stephen Cysewski, Wandering Photography.

"LOVE your site... Any suggestions? With a mission statement that includes "wisdom and beauty"? Nah, don't change a thing... just continue! I'm really impressed by your taste and the depth of your explorations... and you have LOTS that nobody else has."
- Christopher Panzner

"Fantastic webpage, the most interesting site I have ever been to, even beats the porn sites !"

"In my opinion your website is THE BEST WEBSITE EVER. I visit it every day and I love it."
-Konrad Caban

"Dark Roasted Blend is as addicting as gaming apps like Minecraft and Robolox!"

"A personal favorite and, as far as we are concerned, one of the net's true gems offering mainly image collections based on subjects that are as eclectic and original as they are brilliantly researched. A site that defines bookmarkability."
- Andrew Tingle, TFTS

"Dark Roasted Blend, a site that seems to find some of the most amazing photos, ads, and just plain weird stuff I've ever seen.... Be aware, however, that once you check it out, we probably won't see you for weeks as you could get lost with all the great stuff there, from cool ads to monster machinery to amazing cloud formations to just odd pictures. By the way, it is safe for work as there is no erotica or anything of that sort. So expect your productivity to drop."
- Aerie22

"I browsed around your site, and it's very entertaining, interesting, and
downright funny. I've used the internet long enough that I seldom do much
browsing around, but couldn't get away from your assortment of topics, and
had some good laughs; nicely done."
- Gary Robertshaw

"A joyous and inspirational celebration of creative diversity."
- Learning2share

"Coolest site, ever..
This is ridiculous. I discovered Dark Roasted Blend and now all of a sudden it's three hours later and I'm so ecstatic. This is the best website ever invented. EVER."

"...Some incredible photos and interesting artwork. My life has actually been enriched by discovering that website!"
- Alexander Van Wingerden-Cross

"Cup of coffee + your site = good morning!"
- Suzy Rust

"I don't know what I did before I discovered DarkRoastedBlend.com. It's a never-ending source of wonderment. Just go ahead and bookmark it. It's that good.
They're featuring an interview with Jeff VanderMeer right now that's probably one of the best I've ever read"
- Matt Staggs, skullring

"This is the most awesome site on the internet!!! I am shocked at how many things on this earth I know nothing about. Thank you so much for all the info!!!!!!"
- Anne Birch

"Dark Roasted Blend = long time fave. A gem."
- SteveW, via BoingBoing

"A former Blogspot Blog of Note that actually deserved the honor - Dark Roasted Blend is a site to Get Lost In, scrolling through the oodles and oodles of photo- and picture- essays that are uploaded to it practically daily, on subjects ranging from the humorous to the profound to the scientific to the amazing to the plain old weird. Great fun."
- Menachem G. Jerenberg

"They want to promote "the intense, wonderful and never-boring" side of things. And do so beautifully. If you have some hours (days!) of free time and are in serious need of inspiration, spend some time on their website. I have no idea how they could amass such a beautiful collection of images, but they are all worth a look, so check out DarkRoastedBlend: Something old. Something new. Something cool."
- take big bites

"Presumably takes a special breed of hyper-caffeinated noodler to maintain this kinda relentless flow of delicious. On a given day, spectacular cloud formations, bizarre roadsign collections, an amphibious cars photo series, and it was worth subscribing for one picture alone this week.."
- skynoise.net

"Love your site! I've been enjoying your site for quite some time, firing it up at least once a day with, you guessed it, my morning coffee. I find your compelling blend of images and curious stories both fascinating and extremely enjoyable. Many congratulations on the super-entertaining site!"
- Wayne Barlow, WayneBarlow.com

"Dark Roasted Blend never disappoints like Crossword puzzles. Keeps me hooked. A gem."
- Abi Pal, founder of popular crossword helper site CrosswordZone

"I really enjoy your blog. I'm amazed at how many wacky things you come up with that I've seen nowhere else."
- Marylin Terrell, National Geographic.

See more in comments below...

-------------------

John Martin has captured the feel of DRB in his latest print

Special art commissioned by DRB:
The intrepid explorer girl riding some sort of espresso-powered flying machine, with her father - a renowned inventor - trying to catch up in a steam dino vehicle. There is excitement in the air and plenty adventures to catch.


Art exclusively for DRB by John Martin - Click to see bigger version


This artwork is available for purchase as a limited-edition print on John Martin's website, and also as a DRB-branded version in our online store.

------------------

SUGGEST A COOL LINK OR A STORY

by writing to: abramsv@gmail.com
For more information about the themes we are looking for - click here

------------------

DISCLAIMER:

Every care is taken to secure the permission from the original copyright holder of displayed pictures. In most cases, we will contact you either before we make the feature post, or immediately after, to verify your agreement to the displayed content, and the accuracy of our "link back" to you.

There are situations when the attribution (or the copyright) information for the picture is not known, such as the case with images received through anonymous mailing lists and various email contributors. If for any reason you'd like us to remove or to correct the images, please contact us by email given in the "About" page. We will promptly fulfill your requests.

We also encourage you to contact us with information about original sources, if it's not mentioned on the site.

------------------

ALSO DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR SISTER SITE:

"SciFi at DarkRoastedBlend:
Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Experience"

- publishes weekly reviews of Science Fiction & Fantasy books and magazines.

- SF&F Toplists
- SF Timeline Year-by-Year Reviews
- Rare Pulp Magazines Reviews
(with original illustrations)

------------------

CONTINUE TO OUR ARCHIVES -->

Labels:




RECENT ARTICLES:

Visual Caffeine #8
Visual Caffeine, Issue 8

A thrilling blend of art, myths and technology

Visual Caffeine #7
Visual Caffeine, Issue 7

A thrilling blend of art, myths and technology

Art Deco
Imperial Dreams: Art Deco Update

Wings, Gears, & Glamorous Ladies

1970s SciFi
DRB Pics-of-the-Day

Grand Space Adventure 1970s Art



"Dark Roasted Blend" - All Kinds of Weird and Wonderful Things, Discovered Daily!"

DRB is a top-ranked and respected source for the best in art, travel and fascinating technology, with a highly eclectic presentation. Our in-depth articles in many categories make DRB a valued online magazine, bringing you quality info and entertainment every time you visit the site - About DRB

Connect with us and become part of DRB on Facebook and Twitter.



YOUR COMMENTS::

71 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

You've put together one of the most fun, and interesting sites I've seen, not just this section, but the whole ball of wax! Thank you! I'll be enjoying this for quite some time...

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This blog is pretty amazing - it has EATEN UP MY ENTIRE MORNING!

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, I just stumbled across your blog - love it! All kinds of fun stuff there and I've already spent a few hours reading through it all. Makes me want to go climb a mountain in China (among other things :-).

Nice travelogues too. MORE fun places!
Ron Brickmann

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is a great website, scroll down and look at some of the other interesting posts/pics totally unbelieveable

I just spent way too much time looking at that blog. Luckily... : -

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This site is awesome :) :)

click on the other links at the bottom great stuff. I like the wisdom according to calvin and hobbes and the high school analogies articles LOL -

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this blog, so far, looks absolutely incredible and I fear I could lose hours of my life in that place

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Clever and wide ranging.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Holy crap!
Seriously cool site!

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Must....close........browser

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This site has some amazing content. Everything from Japanese Bling Trucks to World’s Largest Ships. Also has some interesting art.

I can’t stay away from this page. I’ll look through a few sets, take a break, and come back.

A++ site!

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great website... Helps to kill hours.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That site is feckin' brilliant

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

God I could be here all day, fantastic site.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wow
thanks for adding more beauty to a functionary's world

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've really been enjoying this Dark Roasted Blend blog - it's not about coffee, but rather about interesting stuff you probably wouldn't come across... kinda like visiting someone who has a cool collection of those 'coffee table' books filled with pics.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WOW! You should be in National Geographic Mag. Your blog is informative and the pictures are amazingly colorful and bright. Each picture deserves to be in a cover of a magazine.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Coolest Site EVER

Just when you think you have been everywhere, done everything, and seen it all....

- Paul Wesley Knopp

___  
Blogger Scooter said...

This has got to be one of the most astounding sites on the internet. ~Sounds of loud applause!~ :)

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The thrillingwonder site is just a good fun place to land, read, look around, and chill out for a while. Better with coffee. Or wine. Etc.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love your site!!
I check Dark Roasted Blend every day and often send a link to a friend or two. I’d like to turn everyone on to your fantastic site!
I really enjoy the site and admire the kind spirit and “thrilling wonder” attitude toward life that it displays.
Thanks and keep up the good work!!!

-David Orange
Biomarker Study Coordinator
University of Alabama at Birmingham

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just found Dark Roasted Blend. Having being surfing the web for only just
over 14 months (South African ADSL costs etc.) I can only say that the typeof site that you run is an absolute breathe of fresh air.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi,

I discovered Dark Roasted Blend a few months back and have become a regular since.
It's great ! The stories are always different, always wonderful and certainly always interesting.
For as far as I remember I have been fascinated by optical illusions, impossible objects and
related images (and made a site about it, too).
I hope you can spare the time to have a look around, maybe there's something of interest for you.
Either way, good luck with your site and keep it up !

Stefan

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That ThrillingBlogSpot is always packed with visual goodies of all kinds and textures.

www.metafilter.com

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The tagline for the photography blog, Dark Roasted Blend, is "Something Old, Something New, Something Cool". It's a pretty apt description. You'll find posts like "The Glamour of Flight" - stewardess cheesecake from the 60s, "Oops!!" - accidents you wouldn't want to be in, and "Mount Saint-Michel", the famous monastery in France. I spent about half an hour browsing through the site this morning, before I realized how much time I was spending.

- Keith Soltys, Core Dump

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's one of those bizarre sites where you can get lost. So much so that you forget what you were looking for in the first place. Thanks for sharing!

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

...fantastically thought provoking posts. The work you put into this site shines through.

Thoughts form the Sidelines
http://nexus404.com

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow !!! I got lost on that site !!! so many shiny things !! *rubbing hands together*

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just visiting and had to say I enjoyed your site immensely!
Post more on nature and the amazing pictures you've found out there...
DSD
"Summit Stones & Adventure Musings"

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

DRB--

Excellent photo blog. I've linked to your site a coupla times. Keep up the good work.

Bunk

___  
Blogger Unknown said...

This blog is awesome, thank you!

___  
Blogger Carsten said...

Great site, thanks!

___  
Blogger Giant Earth said...

Thanks for a grate site guys. It is really inspiring to see that so many take an interest in the beauty of engineering.

Erlend

http://giantearth.blogspot.com/

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you Sir,
This is the most amazing web site I've ever seen. Just found it today and i can't walk away...
Once again ...thanks. You're the best.
Monika

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just wanted to say that I think you have a great site. It's a
fantastic way to fill up time gaps but at the same time feeling like
you're reading something written by a fairly educated individual and
not by a stupid dumb-ass like some of the others. I've been keeping
up with your site for about a year now.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your Dark Roasted Blend site is the greatest web site that I have run
across in all my years of browsing. It never fails to elevate and
inspire. Thank you.
- Robert Rust

___  
Blogger sergeySch said...

Hi Avi & Rachel!

Great site and great posts! Thanks a lot for it. Always in my RSS reader and check several time per day to see if anything new.

Small request: I noticed that you start post video in each post, but for some reason it doesn't show in my RSS reader :(
Could you please add video's url above/below video itself, so at least link will be showed.

Thanks in advance, Sergey, Ukraine.

___  
Blogger G said...

Why is the "Worst Oops on Live TV Ever" link on the week of 9/29 Link Latte labeled "fun video"?

Eewwww, it's soo gross. I wish I hadn't clicked on it!

___  
Blogger Avi Abrams said...

yes, it is the worst oops, after all. i labeled it "gross" now.

___  
Blogger sergeySch said...

Hi again,
thanks for video's URLs in RSS news! Super site!

Sergey

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Are these images available in print (poster) format anywhere? Beautiful and unusual stuff!

___  
Blogger Planet Apex said...

Hi,
I love your blog. The images and content is absolutely great. I'm also thinking about following in your footsteps. keep up the great work

cheers from Sri Lanka.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I enjoyed your website very much. You have a great collection of photos on there. I was especially impressed
with the insect photos!

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You're doing great! Don't change a freakin' thing! All your themes are great. More important than your chosen themes is the quality of your posts. Your posts are uniformly high quality, with lots of pictures and explanation. This is unusual, and it's why I always check out your new posts. It's interesting to see a range of different themes - you never know what might be interesting.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow
Just a fantastic site, and my most read rss feed by far. Its the kind of site you can open up and delight in every single day, regardless where your mind is at the moment. A great way to start any morning, hence (I would imagine) the clever name. I will get you up on our blog roll here at TheIssue.com. We are a collection of blogs linked in a newspaper fashion, with a daily Issue, and are very interested in featuring the content on this site for an upcoming Issue.

Keep up the great work, cheers
Nick
The Issue, Editor | www.TheIssue.com

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just found your site and ended up spending quite a long time looking around.
Great job on collecting such interesting items!
I will definitely be returning and have already passed along the site name to friends.
Thanks

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That site is the perfect way to lose hours of your day! If only I could harness that fact to my weight, I could be svelte in no time at all. Sigh....

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just want to say how enjoyable your website, Dark Roasted Blend, is. It's always great fun to see the weird and wonderful technologies of yesteryear.

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of your site is the amount of Soviet material. Virtually all the websites I've seen that deal with retro-tech dwell on American material, but your site is a breath of fresh air (or bracing shot of caffeine).

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This site is hilarious! Not only are the photos funny, the commentary is quite engaging.

___  
Blogger Mampi said...

Great, I m addicted to it already, and it is only my second day of discovery of this site.
Keep it up

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

www.darkroastedblend.com is addictive! ;-)

___  
Blogger Unknown said...

your site is a good place for inspiration, and i keep recommending it to people, and now we all check in every so often, so a big thank you for taking the time

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for all your work in putting together such a fantastic web site.
Lori Bet, Australia

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is such an awesome site. I have been visiting almost everyday for over a year. Always something new. Always something interesting. Keep up the great work!

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Soon after finding DRB, I had the idea to put the URL into my "Favourites" links, but couldn't find a matching category. Now the problem is solved, as you can see here.


Kind Regards

F^2

___  
Blogger Living said...

This site is really well done!
I'm very happy to have found it, and I know it will become one of my most frequently visited sites!

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow! Really fantastic images and stories!
I'm shure, this wasn't my last visit :-)

THANKS

___  
Anonymous Walt Disney said...

Its really a very nice blog and very pretty and amazing images.

Thank you so much for sharing all of these.

___  
Anonymous Drake said...

I actually can really appreciate the really artsy atmosphere this website gives off.

Everything (at least all the graphics) seem to scream something nice and unique at me.

I actually found this blog on a google search, but I think I'll stick around.

Drake @ acid reflux cure

___  
Blogger Katie Marovitch said...

This is a great blog. I feel you might like mine. Check it out, if you want. http://www.katiemarovitch.blogspot.com/

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When I'm feeling depressed, I often find myself at your website. It's amazing how I can click around for 10 or 20 minutes, and it's like the world is new and amazing again and all of my problems melt away. I'm pretty sure you've actually created the greatest website possible.

___  
Anonymous SolveMyGirlProblems.com said...

lol the pictures are really funny. Stumbled upon this site by accident, a lot of interesting stuff

___  
Anonymous Ralph said...

Thanks for giving me sleep deprivation!!!

___  
Blogger Avi Abrams said...

Ralph, thank you... and -
Welcome to the club! :)

___  
Anonymous Anaxacoras said...

I have long been going on your site and is one of my must-see each dia.La vast majority of issues that you post on your website are awesome
Congratulations.
Sorry for my English, but barely speak
hehe, this is translated by google

___  
Blogger Jill Marie said...

stumbled across your site!
what a happy surprise!
I shall visit often.

Thank you!!

___  
Anonymous Aja said...

I just came across your site. It is good one. Who invented the logo?????? :)

___  
Anonymous Mitch said...

Always love this site. Visit it often!! I usually end my day with DRB, keep up the good work!!

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have just discovered this site today via Climate Progress - what a treasure it is. Some truly stunning and thought provoking images here.

Thank you.

___  
Anonymous Leigh-Anne Drakes said...

I just wanted to say that I stumbled across you site the other day and it is AWESOME. In the sea of sites out there today there is so much crap. Your site is super interesting, super well thought-through, it doesnt just rehash stuff, it's funny and smart and just awesome. Thank you!

___  
Anonymous Jordan said...

I'm addicted to your site. It's a bottomless treasure trove of everything I love.

___  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love the VTOL pictures!
The lower right image in http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dapv1zdcayU/T9TfPoFkyMI/AAAAAAAB9Yg/GyaK6Cq9Ydk/s0/we4feawfefefefef.jpg

was classified as the X-18. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiller_X-18

___  

Post a Comment

<< Home


SF ART & BOOK REVIEWS:
Don't miss: The Ultimate Guide to NEW SF&F Writers!
Fiction Reviews: Classic Cyberpunk: Extreme Fiction
Short Fiction Reviews: Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" (with pics)
New Fiction Reviews: The Surreal Office



READ OTHER RECENT ARTICLES:


Abandoned, Dieselpunk
DRB Pic-of-the-Day

Abandoned: Streamlined Three-wheeler

Visual Caffeine #6
Visual Caffeine, Issue 6

A thrilling blend of art, myths and technology

Visual Caffeine #5
Visual Caffeine, Issue 5

A thrilling blend of art, myths and technology

Hellish Weather on Other Planets

Wild, Untamed, and Uncut

Medieval Suits of Armor

Metal Body Suits vs. Weapons of Medieval Destruction

World's Strangest Theme Parks

Amusement to the (twisted) extremes!

Enchanting Victorian Fairy Tale Art

"Then world behind and home ahead..."

Adorable Pedal Cars

Collectable Pedal Vehicles Showcase


Japanese Arcades: Gundam Pods & Other Guilty Pleasures

These machines have gone up to the next level


Modernist Tallinn Architecture

Delicious blend of old and new!


Early Supercomputers: A Visual Overview

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons"


Futuristic Concept Cars of the 1970-80s

French, Italian & Japanese rare beauties


Epic 1970s French Space Comic Art

DRB Time-Slice: Valérian and Laureline


The Trees Are Escaping! The Abandoned Prison in French Guiana

"Great Escape" from the Devil's Island



FULL ARCHIVES
(with previews, fast loading):

2022/16
2015/14
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006

Link Lattes

Feel-Good & Biscotti Issues





CATEGORIES:
Feel-Good! | airplanes | animals | architecture | art | auto | boats | books | cool ads | famous | futurism | food
gadgets | health | japan | internet | link latte | military | music | nature | photo | russia | steampunk
sci-fi & fantasy | signs | space | technology | trains | travel | vintage | weird | abandoned