Dark Roasted Blend: Feather Balance Masterpiece

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Scroll down for today's pictures & links.

Feather Balance Masterpiece

Watch this one to the end... incredible creation of a balanced pole sculpture (14 enormous sticks), starting from a top (feather) and working "downwards" - a masterpiece by Rigolo Swiss Nouveau Cirque artist Maedir Eugster. This is a short film made by Tobias Hutzler:

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Today's pictures & links:

Orbiting Mars

A wonderful update on the intriguing "Da Vinci: Mars Design" site, dedicated to "design and visual research of the Martian colonization as described by Kim Stanley Robinson in his Mars Trilogy" - this concept artwork by Ludovic Celle (more info):

(image credit: Ludovic Celle, click to enlarge!)

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An Organized Mess: 1918 German Submarine

This seemingly random tangle of pipes and wheels is the control room of the UB-110 German submarine (showing manhole to periscope wall), circa 1918:

(image via)

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Baby Cobra Emerging from its Egg

This image is by no means new, but perhaps you did not see it yet -

(image via)

"The infant is able to care for itself immediately, and can spread its hood and strike on the same day it hatches."

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Mixed fresh links for today:

Dime Novels Collection Online - [great find]
Gas Hydrates: Fascinating Formations & Energy Source - [cool video]
Cthulhu: Tiny octopus-like microorganisms - [cool science]
Good Article About Peculiarity of eBooks - [interesting]
Futuristic Dubai Marina, set - [travel pics]
Yet More Crocheted Weirdness - [geek art]
People-Watching in Japan: Cool Fashion - [lots of photos]
Super Creative Bento Boxes - [food art]
North Korea via Instagram - [fascinating photographs]
Walking Petman Robot: Bizarre - [wow video]
Smart, Smart Ravens - [wow video; gif]
Disney's Recycled Animation - [wow video]
How to Scramble Eggs Inside Their Shell - [wow video]
Most Beautiful Places in the World! - [compilation]
Hilarious Photoshop & Magazine Layout Disasters - [funny]

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Cruise Ships of the Future

How about a futuristic cruise ship island? Granted, this is not exactly a brand-new concept, but it still looks pretty neat and radical for our time: a 2002 proposal by the French company Alstom Marine and Parisian architect Jean-Philippe Zoppini. Size? 400m by 300m... 29 floors high... able to accommodate 10,000 passengers:

This cruise ship and hotel combination is also really impressive (left image below). The "mother ship" shown on the right carries smaller vessels - this is a radical design by Fredrik Johansson, more info:

(images via)

Speaking of huge ships, here is an impressive vintage photograph of a huge dreadnought (from Colliers magazine, 1910):

(image credit: Colliers magazine, 1910)

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Cold War Soviet Space Effort

... as imagined in the "Incredible Science Fiction" issue from 1953:

"Incredible Science Fiction" artists were good at depicting some intense space battles, as this example (by great Wally Wood) amply demonstrates:

(images credit: "Incredible Science Fiction", issue from 1953)

One of the most epic space images I ever encountered in comic books:

(image credit: Wally Wood from 1953)

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Dog. Light. Serenity

This wonderful photograph was submitted to National Geographic Magazine Photo Contest by Julie Pavletich, in 2008:

(image credit: Julie Pavletich, National Georgaphic)

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Fantastic intricate backgrounds for classic "Cerebus" comic, by Gerhard

If you did not know about Gerhard, you should be aware that he created some of the most beautiful and sophisticated backgrounds in comic books, mostly for the Cerebus series:

("Sanctuary" by Gerhard, image via)

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Strange Rail Road Vehicle

Quebec Central M-286: a 1929 Packard rail inspection vehicle -

(image credit: R.S.Ritchie CPR Ret'd via)

You can see other great hybrid machines (rail inspection cars) in our feature Cool Rail Road Vehicles.

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Ample Daily Mileage - Faster Than the Law Allows!

Check out this electric car ad from 1914 -

(image credit: LIFE Magazine, December 1914)

"Again has the Rauch and Lang electric asserted its premiership as Society's chosen car. The success of the new worm drive has been immediate. This new feature means continued leadership in driving quality just as the beautiful body lines, rich finish and ultra refinement in every detail have always marked supremacy of Rauch and Lang construction. They are enthusiastic because the Rauch and Lang Straight Type Worm Drive (top mounted), which is superior to all others, means a greater than ever all 'round efficiency, a silence that is manifest, a power economy hitherto unknown and a driving simplicity that appeals to the most timid women. The Rauch and Lang is the highest priced automobile on the market. Its value is readily apparent to those who seek in a car artistic and mechanical perfection."

Another great vintage ad: "Books INSTEAD of Vodka!" - Don't drink vodka, read books (will make a great t-shirt statement).

This is actually a lottery ticket from the 1920s Soviet Russia designed to fight alcoholism.

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The "Five Star Stories" Rebooted in Japan!

After a few years hiatus, the truly epic space adventure saga "Five Star Stories" is restarting in the May issue of Newtype magazine! (sorry guys, only Japanese version so far). This magnificent lifework of Mamoru Nagano has been wildly popular in Japan for the past 20 years... and after sampling a few English-translated volumes of this highly-detailed manga, it's easy to see why.