You may have seen this fake (3D animated) automated instrument before, made by Animusic way back in 2001 - click here. Now you can see the actual "Pipe Dream" real instrument in action! It's been brought to life by Intel, and plays real music with real bouncing balls. (It's a pity this video contains too much advertisement, I wish there was a cleaner video version).
Check out other real-life automated instruments in our previous article.
Today's pictures & links (keep strolling down for incredible images):
"Once Upon a Time in Hobbiton" by Dale Comte
One of the best paintings depicting Hobbiton and that momentous day in Frodo's life... when the Shire would be left behind and the new adventures begin (make sure to click for larger version):
(fragment; click for full painting - art by Dale Comte)
This beautiful image is by Dale Comte, who hails from People's Republic of China.
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Leopard Moth: Blue Spots
This is a GIANT leopard moth with the wingspan of almost 8 cm. The blue spots are iridescent, too - more info:
Here is a gorgeous nature photography to bring you inspiration. Vermilion Cliffs by Richard Barnes is full of fantastic, flowing rock shapes and outrageous colors (click to enlarge):
"Miniature lakes reflect the sky in White Pocket, one of the geological spectacles on the Paria Plateau. Over the eons, groundwater has leached the color out of the Navajo sandstone here, and the weather has broken its surface into irregular polygons." See more White Pocket formations here.
This Ophrys bombyliflora (native to Greece) needs to attract insects for pollination. So it pretends to be a bumble bee. See a lot more images of such orchids here.
Vintage Stewardesses and Space Girls: Painted in, with Sound
We featured photos of beautiful vintage stewardesses before. But now you can actually enjoy paintings (and even sculptures) of them, plus a couple of futuristic visions - all made by "Clayed" at Deri Air (who also has some lounge album mixes to go along with the paintings):
Eric Standley makes staggeringly intricate, baroque and even byzantine paper-cut creations, perhaps even more glorious than famous church art masterpieces of stained glass and gothic architecture:
The following is a short round-up of the best from our Facebook stream (which update every day with unique material, not available on DRB otherwise):
This is not Starbucks paper cup. This is Mesopotamian pottery from 4,000 BC - more than six thousand years ago! Looks like some designs come full circle:
"Forbidden Planet" (1956) great poster art:
Green, green grass of home.... Icelandic Turf Houses - more info:
One of the classic Japanese B-movie monsters, featuring a destructive energy ray in "The Ultraman Who Returned: Revenge of Baltan Seijin Junior" (1971):
Bosnian Pyramids: One of the Biggest Hoaxes in History
Hungry for some Indiana Jones-style investigations? Then check out this documentary about the so-called Bosnian Pyramids: the background story and some pictures can be found on their site.
This is apparently Ford C700, "a kind of passenger road train, consisting of tractor unit and semi-trailer for passengers. This vehicle was used in Zurich airport to bring passenger from terminal to the planes. Picture taken in the Swiss transportation museum in Lucerne". See another angle here.
If you are in a lighthearted mood, check out this tongue-in-cheek (and yet entirely serious) pitch of Quality Schnallity! (these guys will set you up with funny and memorable animations to promote your project) - Click Here
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Some absolutely incredible ancient Iranian pottery
From Mesopotamia (Sumerian civilization), around 1,000 to 4,000 BC:
" It houses the longest 21m reflecting telescope in the world"
Sorry but this is one of the largest REFRACTING telescopes in the world. Length does not mean anything for telescopes, however, only diameter. Anyway this is not the largest in the world but it is a really big one!
Cooling fan! (and the power of words and good vocabulary)... won't work, the dictionary blocks the intake of the fan... and the vibrations and the exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine would lead to very ungly dirt in the computer... B.
"Dachy" means "roofs" in Polish. The car is advertising roofing services, probably has nothing to do with a "dacha" though I like the latter mental image better :)
The wheelchair with mountain bike wheels and a plastic chair is serious business! It's a low cost, heavy duty wheelchair for use in developing countries. It's a great initiative!!
I'm pretty sure the huge panel carried on the bike is held by the passenger (who does not particularly need to see), while the driver in front of it is able to drive...
The guy wearing flip-flops as headphones is actually a still from a spoof comedy series called "Nathan Barley" on C4 in England, early 2000's. Its actually showing how a certain type of person will follow just about any fashion if its 'cool'. One hell of a funny series
The picture under "Here is your RV, or rather 'dacha' (small villa):" has a Polish regestration plate and consequently advertises ROOFS as "Dachy" means exactly that in Polish.
My son bought me some kopi luwak from ThinkGeek for Father's Day last year. It is quite good coffee with very little aftertaste. Not worth the outrageous price tag, of course; it's mainly for the novelty of it.
I am living in Lombok, Indonesia which is one island west of Sumbawa, where a lot of Luwak is produced. The coffee is nice with little to no bitterness and costs about $20 per cup. I have no problems with its source - it has been roasted and is basically sterile even before it goes into the plunger. Most of the cost is a result of its rarity - the locals scour the forest floor looking for the droppings, which are particularly difficult to spot. Some enterprising individuals are beginning to farm Civets - whether or not this will have an effect on the price is to be decided. I don't order it simply because the coffee here is already great - Lombok Kopi or Bali Kopi are basically ground to a fine powder, making a rich instant coffee with full flavour. I suggest making your way at least as far as Bali.
The coffee drinks in the Japanese "vending machine" are actually on a convenience store shelf. The one on the left is a Starbucks iced espresso, the one on the right an iced green tea latte. Both are standard drinks on Starbucks menus in many countries around the world.
There actually are interesting coffee varieties in Japanese vending machines, but these ain't them. :)
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2 Comments:
"(It's a pity this video contains too much advertisement, I wish there was a cleaner video version)."
Here's something you may wish to see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAQX8W3D6Mg
Love the Hobbiton picture - but I can't help thinking that Gaffer Gamgee would have something to say about the state of that garden!
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