optical illusions and architecture

optical illusions and architecture

03Oct07

some of these are deliberate, others aren’t.

however each illusion relies on some form of architecture and all create an effect which deserves to be mentioned.

1. this incredible picture was captured by a flickr user in california whilst at work. a fog descended just as the sun set behind the building in shot. the result - one of the spookiest photographs of a building you’ll ever witness.

2. The lichtenstein house is an extremely deceiving illusion created by roy lichtenstein.

as the angle upon which it’s viewed changes, the house shifts in an unusual way by playing with perspective. the best way to try and understand it is by watching the video clip below the photos.

3. the following selection of buildings have the uncanny ability to look 2d simply due to the angle of one of the building’s corners.

the effect is some extremely fragile looking constructions, seemingly impossible to enter for a human being.

unknown building, paris…

bossone research centre, philadelphia…

unknown building…

john hancock tower, boston…

unknown building, hamburg

4. the stairway to nowhere.

an art exhibit in munich, this stairway reminds me of m.c.escher and looks just as mental from the side.

5. not strictly an illusion but a great photo of the olympic stadium in montreal.

so who copied who?

6. the next illusions were created by swiss artist felice varini and are really fucking clever. the required result can only be viewed from one place in the room and the illusion is created using a projected image which is then painted onto the relevant surfaces.

here’s an example on film…

7. one of the classic optical illusions has bizarrely been applied to the building shown below.

in case you’re unaware of the trick, all of the orange lines are parallel.

8. this is the painted floor of sunshine city in tokyo.

it just illustrates the power of shading. one of the simplest illusions to create but also one of the most effective.

9. a car park in seattle.

are the levels of the car park horizontal or sloping?

The Cutting Edge: Bicycle Lawnmowing

The Cutting Edge: Bicycle Lawnmowing

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 09.28.07

There we were, ruminating on just what gizmos creative minds will dream up to win fame and glory (plus cash and bike) in the Specialized Innovate or Die competition, and in a totally unrelated web search, happened upon the 'B.O.B. Mower,' which looks like a customised Sunlawn mower, attached to B.O.B. bike trailer linkage.

All the fossil-fuel-free goodness of a push (reel) lawnmower with the superior strength of legs over arms in a bicycle. Genius! Whether it works or not we don’t know. But just the idea makes us feel better. And, of course, all good design is just evolutionary so it stands to reason the idea has been developed before.

And boy, has it ever. Take a peek, after the fold, at the plethora of bicycle-lawn mower combos we've dug up. Image above from ::Planet Natural, though it seems the originals are from Lawnmower Bob.

Exhibit A - Barkdust

Exhibit B - Ypsidixit

Exhibit C - Unplugged Living

Exhibit D - Hermanson

Exhibit E - Bikehugger

Exhibit F - Wooden Bikes

Exhibit G - Flickr

Exhibit H - Harley Heartbeat

Exhibit I - Cyclecide

Exhibit J - Gelsing

Exhibit K - Maynard AAC

HotCut Barbershop in Poland

Women on average spend 1200 per year on cut and color alone, never mind product. guys 150 per year on average. That's why this place is OK.



Chismillionare's combo barber shop, cigar lounge, bar and game room idea will be realized.

Rare wines found in forgotten cellar

From The Times

October 3, 2007

Rare wines found in forgotten cellar are expected to fetch thousands

ST AUSTELL Fine and vintage wines found in a disused store room at a
brewery are expected to fetch thousands of pounds at auction. The 370
bottles, some 130 years old, were unearthed in an unlocked cellar at the St
Austell Brewery in Cornwall.

The rarest is a Sauternes, produced in the middle of the First World War.
There is also a 1916 Château Rieussec, few of which ever left France, a 1950
Mouton Rothschild and a 1961 RauzanSégla, which is widely regarded as one of
the best wines of the 20th century. The oldest bottle is an 1875 cognac,
thought to be from the personal collection of Walter Hicks, who founded the
brewery in 1851.

The wines were found in an anteroom by Xenia Irwin, 40, a wine merchant and
master of wine. She said: “I could never have dreamt of making such an
exceptional discovery. Their historical value is inestimable.

“The door was very stiff but unlocked so anyone could have gone in there, but
it clearly hadn’t been entered in decades.”

Experts from Sotheby’s are now valuing the wine, which is expected to be
auctioned later this month.

One way to make sure Men wash there hands

The Most Amazing Graffiti Street Art From Around the World

Click here for a ton of pics

INDY 4

The Bustonian

Great way to go to Pat's games and Bachelor parties!

The Bustonian is proud to offer the ultimate in Patriots Tailgate Packages for all home games.

• Transportation to and from game.
• 2-3 pick up spots around Boston for individuals or small groups
• 2-3 designated busses for larger group – 15-20
• All you can eat (steak tips, chicken, sausage, chips, chill etc)
• A Chef to prepare and cook for you so ready upon arrival.
• Tickets purchase is also available from our friends at http://www.frontrowking.com

bustonian.com

Human LCD

Lexus for X-Mas: 2008 Lexus IS F Neiman Marcus Special Build Sedan

The select 50 owners of the IS F Neiman Marcus special edition cars receive a personalized half-day of pro-driver training from the experts at Skip Barber Racing School, and so will be well-prepared to run laps around the average IS F owner.

The fastest production Lexus ever, the IS F rips from 0-60 mph in less than 4.9 seconds thanks to its 400 horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8, which is paired with an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift gearbox. All IS Fs feature an enhanced version of Lexus' Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system with a high-performance mode that hopefully gets out of the driver's way in spirited driving.

Neiman Marcus' IS Fs will be the first 50 to roll off the production line and will have sequentially numbered Special Build badges inside a special interior. "High-style" black seats are matched with white accent stitching and a unique steering wheel with white leather accents and an "F" logo embossed in the front headrests.

Outside, the look is subtle (for a special-edition car) with black paint and wheels that have a distinctive hand-polished finish.

Those interested in the $68,000 Neiman Marcus Lexus can call 1.888.747.4504 at noon EDT on Oct. 18. L

The Can-Can - HelpDesk Mintz Levin

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Chismillionare lets out big sigh of relief! Whooooh

Not a big fan of some of his policies but this is a good veto! Why should my cigar purchases fund free health care for the kids of a family making 80K a year??? One family sends their kid to a 10k a year private school with the health care savings!!!

Bush Vetoes Tobacco Tax Bill

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007

This morning President Bush carried through on his promise to veto the SCHIP bill which contained large tax increases on tobacco. The veto ceremony took place quietly before he left Washington to travel to Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The veto, which is only the forth of Bush’s presidency, stops a 256% increase of the excise tax on cigars to 53%. The proposed tax also raised the cap on from 5 cents to $3 per cigar. The combined effect would have raised the price of many premium and ultra-premium cigars by $100 or more per box.

While many in the cigar industry will applaud the veto, Bush has spoken little about the tobacco taxes. His opposition to the bill has instead been focused on a desire to halt expansion of SCHIP to children of families whose income levels are far above the threshold for government assistance. While not cited specifically by Bush, other critics of SCHIP expansion cite as an example this New Jersey family who, with assistance from SCHIP, can to afford to send their daughter to a nearly $10,000 per year private school.

As we reported earlier, SCHIP supporters in the Senate appear to have the votes to override the veto. However, the House remains short of the two-thirds threshold, meaning that at least for now cigar taxes will remain the same.

Stogie Guys Analysis

Unfortunately, cigar smokers and others who oppose these excessive and punitive cigar taxes should take little solace in this outcome.

Yes, Bush vetoed the bill, and yes they seem able to muster enough opposition in the House to sustain the veto, but this will still be very damaging long term. Anti-tobacco forces now have majorities in both houses on the record supporting large tax increases on tobacco.

So, the next time the government wants to raise taxes on tobacco, all these politicians will be on the record in support of it. Any one who changes their vote in future can be accused of “flip-flopping.”

This can (and likely will be) damaging in the future when Bush isn’t there to veto such tax increases. Right now it looks fairly likely that the next White House occupant will support raising tobacco taxes. (All the Democrats supported this increase and even Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee has indicated he is in favor of taxing/banning tobacco.)

That’s why, even though the current tax hikes might not get through, this is a very bad loss for adults who want to be able to enjoy cigars with out paying outrageous taxes on these legal products. Also, as George expressed in his commentary on Monday, the cigar industry should have done a better job on this issue.

-Patrick S

Il Capitan does it again

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Super Mario Galaxy

I have always been a big fan of Mario.

check out this new game coming to the WII

World's largest pool

Courtesy of Mr. Blass-
Already drawing the crowds in the South American resort of San Alfonso del Mar in Chile, this artificial lagoon and swimming pool is eight hectares in size and contains an incredible 250,000 cubic metres of water. Acknowledged by Guinness World Records as being the world’s largest swimming pool, the lagoon trounces all other record holders in the category, including the Orthlieb pool in Casablanca, Morocco, itself a huge 150 metres by 100 metres – the San Alfonso pool is 1km in length. The revolutionary clear water artificial lagoons, transparent to a depth of 35 metres and unprecedented in design and construction methods, are the brainchild of Crystal Lagoons founder, biochemist and Chilean businessman Fernando Fischmann. Equivalent in size to an incredible 6,000 standard domestic pools, details of its technology are to be unveiled for the first time at Cityscape Dubai later this month.

click here for more:

an update 3/11/2009: more pics:

Crazy Elevators

interesting elevators

02Oct07

bailong elevator

talk about daunting.

this controversial 326 metre high elevator takes you up the side of one of the many enormous cliffs in zhangjiajie, china - the lower 1/3 running from a cavern through the rock, the top 2/3 rising outside to the summit - and is the highest and heaviest outdoor elevator in the world. the elevator has an uncertain future due to the potential harm caused to the surrounding landscape.

Click here for more crazy elevators

Buenos Aires, Argentina

WOW - GFY - Fitzy Got A Job

So I will let my Idol, speak:

The gates have been lifted! The restrictions unrestriced! I can finally talk and about my new job (only kinda sorta about time, considering I've been on the Bobby Fischer plan the last 5 weeks), and I'm psyched. Believe it or not, the worldwide leader in sports (ESPN) has hired the worldwide leader in nonsense (ME) to follow Monday Night Football around the country, making short videos in every city we visit. And before you ask, YES, the job is as fun as it sounds...and no, I don't know what they were thinking. Right now I'm in New Orleans for the Titans/Saints game Monday, then it's on to Cincinnati (home of cornholing!) for Pats/Bengals. with VideoGate cooling and the Pats on fire I anticipate raising quite a ruckus in the Queen City.

Seriously...Brady to Moss all day, all day, all night.

So be on the lookout for 3-4 new videos from a new Monday Night Football city every week, mixed in with the occasional Wicked Pissah Webcast, random commentary and whatever else I can do, seeing as sleep has officially been ruled out of my fall schedule. To view the videos elsewhere just go to ESPN.COM, click on the "Video" section, and under "ESPN Collections" you'll see Fitzy's Monday Night Mania (somehow I couldn't get the suits to go for Fitzy's Monday Night GFY Party).

Go Sox! Go Pats! GFY!

With a life that's Entirely Sports and Purely Nonsense,

Fitzy

This is first Video for ESPN:

Tailgating With the Saints Fans Down In New Orleans



For all of those out that is a FItzy Fan: he has three Videos, from the Monday Night Game this week, Bengals vs. Pats

http://www.townienews.com/

Stock picking with the Hype report?

The Hype Report dynamically tracks companies and executives that have been blogged about in the past 72 hours. Those who've appeared most frequently in the blogosphere appear under Leaders. Those with the highest percentage gain in the previous 24 hours appear under Gainers.

Updated twice daily

How Google Works

Here, then, is a guide to what happens during a typical Google search—now, of course, with automatic spell-check.

1. Query Box
It all starts with somebody typing in a request for information about the safest dog food, what time the D.M.V. closes, or what the prime rate is in China.

2. Domain-Name Servers
“Hello, this is your operator . . . ”
The software for Google’s domain-name servers runs on computers in leased or company-owned data centers all over the world, including one in the old Port Authority headquarters in Manhattan. Their sole purpose is to shepherd searches into one of Google’s clusters as efficiently as possible, taking into account which clusters are nearest to the searcher and which are least busy at that instant.

3. The Cluster
The request ­continues into one of at least 200 clusters, which sit in Google-owned data centers worldwide.

4. Google Web Server
This program splits a query among hundreds or thousands of machines so that they can all work on it at the same time. It’s the difference between doing your grocery shopping all by yourself and having 100 people simultaneously find one item and toss it into your cart.

5. Index Server
Everything Google knows is stored in a massive database. But rather than waiting for one computer to sift through those gigabytes of data, Google has hundreds of computers scan its “card catalog” at the same time to find every relevant entry. Popular searches are cached—held in memory—for a few hours rather than run all over again. That means you, Britney.

6. Document Server
After the index server compiles its results, the document server pulls all the relevant documents—the links and snippets of text from its massive database. How does Google search the Web so quickly? It doesn’t. It keeps three copies of all the information from the internet that it has indexed in its own document servers, and all those data have already been prepped and sorte

CraigsList Find of the Decade: 930,000 mile '95 Honda Civic

There's high mileage, and then there's this. A 1995 Honda Civic is for sale in Atlanta with, count 'em, 939,899 miles. That's 200+ miles a day. Every day. Including Sundays. For 12 years. It even has a Carfax report from when the car had 907,000 miles on it. According to the seller, the car runs like new, with no leaks, no noises, no oil burning, and not even a scratch on the body. In fact, the only blemish listed is that one of the dashboard lights doesn't work, and that's only sometimes.

The car is on its ninth timing belt, ninth water pump, and fourth clutch. But the engine and transmission are original, as are the floor mats. The car even comes with records. The most incredible thing isn't the mileage, though. It's how the owner put the miles on the car: driving on business trips from Atlanta... to Seattle... and San Francisco. We want to know what kind of business -- or what kind of boss -- makes a guy drive across the country and back, and then some, every single month for 12 straight years.

To paraphrase The Proclaimers, if you buy this car then you can drive a million miles and you can drive a million more...

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The Pig Roaster loves the '98 Civic he drives every day - its a no frills car, but it gets the job done with nary a complaint. Granted, I have nowhere near a million miles, but I plan on running it that long if I can!