Thumbs In Place of Guns
Thumbs and Ammo posits the idea: would it be funny to replace guns with thumbs up in stills from movies?
YES!
Life at the Docks of Dubai - The Shipping Yard by Brandon Li
I was fortunate enough to meet Brandon Li a few years back, and have been following his travels and work ever since. Here he lends an attentive eye to the vibrant goings on at the docks in Dubai.
Check out his blog about shooting well with minimal gear: rungunshoot.com
The Alien Underside of an Iceberg
Sometimes icebergs flip over. It's apparently a fairly rare occurrence, but when it happens it exposes something alien and mesmerizing. As he sailed through the Drake Passage to Antarctica, Interface designer Alex Cornell caught the appearance on his Canon 5D Mark II camera.
“We were lucky to see a massive iceberg flip; when this happens, the color is a surreal, alien blue. They don’t flip often, so it was a pretty rare sight to see. It’s hard to tell scale, but this was an epic iceberg. It was amazing to see the interior. There were air bubbles and flowing water throughout. It looked like an alien artifact.”
How to Build an Igloo: Video by National Film Board of Canada
From 1949, this film by the National Film Board of Canada shows how, using only snow and a knife, an igloo is built by two Inuit men in Canada’s Far North.
From picking the right site, carving and stacking the snow blocks, the hour and a half of work creates enough warmth inside to protect people from the harshest conditions.
Inoue Yûichi's Single Character Action Calligraphy
Inoue Yûichi (1916-1985) became renowned for his “one character writings,” written in action-based style of painting, working similarly to his contemporary, Jackson Pollack.
The character is this set, in order from above are:
山 - Yama (mountain)
上 - Jō (over)
風 - Kaze (wind)
| 貧 - Hin (poverty) |
夢 - Yume (dream)
鳥 - Tori (bird)
花 - Hana (flower)
See also Urban Calligraphy
Lost In Peru: Crazy Mountain Bike GoPro POV Video
Ali Goulet, Chris Van Dine and Aaron Chase as they explore a foreign land on an epic trip around Peru with their GoPro.
I need a GoPro.
See also Weekly Episode 7 Season 3
Super Intricate Paper Cuts by Eric Standley Look Like Stained Glass
Paper artist Eric Standley cuts and layers paper to construct to created these sculptural pieces that look like stained glass windows.
See also Layers of Cut Paper Create Unfathomable Forms
Frog Reliquaries from Artist and Scientist Brandon Ballengée
Artist and scientist Brandon Ballengée has created this series "Malamp – Reliquaries".
Ballengée:
"These reliquaries are created by chemically “clearing and staining” terminally deformed frogs found in nature. This process obscures direct representation- as I do not want to exhibit large images of “monsters”, which would be frightening and be exploitative to the organisms. This process is followed by high-resolution scanner photography of each specimen to create individual portraits. These portraits are printed as unique watercolor ink prints (never made into editions) and each individual frog will be centered appearing to “float” in what looks to be clouds."
Design Wish - 5 things for the Urban Cyclist
It might seem daunting to start up cycling through an urban landscape as unforgiving as Los Angeles or New York, but with some of the right gear, your comfort and safety level rise up enough to make it worth it.
Chrome Industries is well known for its well-made cycling shoes and bags. This Chrome Industries Pawn Expandable Rolltop Backpack include some features— waterproof expandable main pocket, structured backplate, padded straps and zippered laptop compartment— make this a great main bag for your commute.
With all the hours you'll log on your saddle, the last thing you'll want to worry about is replacing batteries on your lighting system. This Cygolite Metro 550 USB Rechargeable Headlight let's you charge at your computer station during the day and still get a bright and powerful headlight and highly visible tail lights.
Whether you are following a turn-by-turn directions, or using your iPhone for other biking uses, it is great to have it easily available and securely mounted. The Annex Quad Lock Bike Mount Kit for iPhone is the go-to choice. Simple and secure.
For commuter cyclists, the pants you choose to wear need to serve a dual purpose: comfortable and convenient when on the saddle and professional enough when in the office. With a U-lock holder, stretch and odor-resistant material and reflective tape on the ankle inseams, the Levi's Commuter 511 Trousers are a great solution.
When it gets darker and more inclement, having a good, breathable shell that keeps you dry, warm and visible is a key to a comfortable and safe ride. WOLFBIKE Cycling Jacket is one of my favorites.
Illustrated Additions on Strangers' Instagrams
London-based Brazilian illustrator Lucas Levitan's project on Instagram (http://instagram.com/lucaslevitan/), “Photo Invasion" involves him adding sometimes dark sometimes cheeky illustrations to the Instagram photos of people he follows.
Design Wish - Toys for a 6-year-old Boy
I know I meant to be shopping for my little boy, but so many of these are so cool, I want them.
Design Wish - LED Photo Lighting Kit for All Your Creative Projects
I've certainly had a number of our creative endeavors stymied by poor lighting. This LED Lighting kit from LimoStudio totally fits the bill: portable, flexible and affordable.
Sub Shop - Fantastical Animated Short from PES
PES has brought us some awesome stuff before (The Deep: Stop-Motion Animation of Ordinary Things), and here is Submarine Sandwich. Love it.
An Actual Message in a Bottle Mailed Back from a 4-Year-Old Fijian Farmboy
A friend of our here at 5 things, San Francisco-based world traveller and tour guide Orion Kraus shared with us this story today:
About 6 months ago, I wrote a letter, stuck it in a Sailor Jerry bottle and included a $5 bill for postage. I then threw it in the middle of the deep blue sea during our 17-day passage from NZ to Fiji. I am still in wonder, but yesterday, the world just shrank a whole bunch!!!
Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - The Videos
I just fell in love with The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, and now here are some awesome videos illustrating some of its best definitions.
Updated- New 8-bit Paintings by Adam Lister
Adam Lister has a pretty keen sense of style and humor. His 8-bit paintings, ranging from Breaking Bad, Super Heroes, and Star Wars to versions of Van Gogh and other iconic paintings, could just be a gag. But instead they have a tone and feel about them that is part nostalgic, part irreverent: a delicate homage.
You should buy these as giclee prints on his website.
Blackout Hollywood March on Hollywood Boulevard
In response to the growing police-committed violence against black men in particular, nearly 2,000 people marched peacefully along Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, with the LAPD closing traffic to make way for the March. These are my photos from the March.
Photo by Amir Abdullah
Pop Culture Terracotta Warriors from Lizabeth Eve Rossof
San Francisco-based artist Lizabeth Eva Rossof created these familiary terracotta warriors to look like pop culture characters
Snow Drawings on Frozen Rivers and Lakes
Led by artist Sonja Hinrichsen, a 50+ volunteers trace out these enormous swirling decorative designs on the frozen Catamount Lake in Colorado.
From her project statement:
It is important to me that participants experience the elements of nature while they help me transform their own familiar snow landscape into a piece of art. I hope that the aerial photographs that I take right after completion of each piece can demonstrate also to a larger audience how the landscape is transformed into a piece of art through a system of designs. This changes our perception of the landscape and accentuates the beauty and magic of the natural environment, and thus inspires awe and appreciation for art as well as for nature. I deem this important – especially as modern society becomes increasingly disconnected from the natural world.
