Serene Surrealist
Jairo Alvarez has a collection of somewhat somber, yet humorous surrealist photographs. Nicely composed work. Via Joquz:
For a Bit of Perspective
Kevin Wisbeth takes famous giant landmarks from around the globe, and photoshops them into different contexts, which is clever but also very handy, in terms of sizing them up. Via Colossal:
If the Willis Tower (1,729 ft) was placed into Russia’s Mir Mine, the tip would only stick out 7 feet past ground level.
If the Seawise Giant (1,504 ft), the largest oil tanker ever produced, was placed into the main lake in New York City’s Central Park, it would only have 350 feet of extra room in the front and back of the tanker.
If the Titanic (882 ft) was placed on the deck of the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, the ship would have 210 feet of deck room left.
The B-2 Bomber is one of the most advanced and most expensive airplanes in the world. The wingspan of a B-2 is 172 feet, which is 12 feet wider than an NFL football field.
The Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest standing structure in the world (almost measuring 2,722 feet tall). If placed in New York City, it would stretch almost 1,000 feet past the One World Trade center and almost 1,300 feet taller than the Empire State Building.
The Death Star’s estimated width is around 99 miles across, or around 1/4th the length of Florida.
Prehistoric bugs were larger than average day bugs due to the higher oxygen levels. The Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis was a species of scorpion that grew to 24 inches long, or the size of a normal house cat.
The Dionysus asteroid is estimated to be 1.5 km wide or 4921.26 feet. The value of the resources estimated to be within the asteroid is around $2,600,000,000,000.
Vibrant Coral
Around the globe, coral is in danger. Ocean acidification, warming temperatures, and pollution have all caused huge damage to reefs, and slow growing corals. Antonio Rodríguez Canto spent a year photographing coral to capture these colorful time-lapse movements. Biodiversity on the planet is crucial, and videos like these help illustrate the beauty of planet earth, and hopefully spur action to save these fragile ecosystems.
Musk Aims for Mars
Elon Musk, the modern day Einstein/Tony Stark, announced SpaceX’s plans for Mars today, with hope to not only make life multi-planetary, but to colonize the Red Planet, and eventually make its atmosphere livable and breathable. Though we’re still at least a decade out from people en route to Mars, the prospects for the plans are thrilling. Prices for a trip to Mars? Surprisingly cheap, considering the immense engineering and planning that will go into the missions; estimated at $200,000 per person. As a space enthusiast, I find this news extremely exciting, and I applaud the big vision and courage of the engineers and designers working on this enormous project. And the prospects of a President Trump make Mars seem pretty appealing these days… Via SpaceX:
Using the biggest, most powerful rocket ever made, SpaceX will launch the spaceship with over 100 people onboard, a magnitude larger than anything that has come before it.
Ray Orange’s Awesome Graphic Work
Florence, Italy based artist Ray Oranges has a knack for minimalism, shown here in a series of work that is pure eye candy. Subtle use of shadow add depth and range to these posters, which showcase abstracted cityscapes and travel-style designs. Via Fubiz:
Giant Childhood Marbles
The gorgeous, giant-sized marbles look just like the cat-eyed beauties we played with when we were kids. A simple concept, executed with great skill by Swiss team Valérie & Jodoc, their project known as kosmosphaera. I imagine they are heavy, and wonderful to hold.
A Perfectly Secluded Private Library
Reading, alone. It’s pretty much the perfect solo activity. Studio Padron has built a fabulous mini library in the woods of New York state, and we’d like to curl up there for a solid full weekend. Via BoredPanda:
James Ead’s Mesmerizing Animated GIF Art
Animated GIFs used to be special, quirky, but now they’re everywhere. Thrown around in phone messaging, used as quick memes, etc.
But the art form still has special promise for talented artists like James R. Eads. His work is warm, organic, and psychedelic, but not jarringly so. Indeed, it’s spiritually fulfilling art, beautifully composed and created. The figures in his work exude love and peace. These examples of his art are special. I recommend letting yourself get lost in them for a few minutes. Via DesignBoom:
Sony’s Glitter Bombs
Sony has a long running series of high-end adverts that speak to the glorious color (colour) of their TVs. As ads go, they’re pretty fantastic, and some of them have jumpstarted careers of some of our favorite musicians. Filmed using live action, not special effects, the ads showcase thousands of super balls bouncing down San Francisco streets, apartments being blasted with paint, and Egyptian pyramids cascaded with colored string. The latest in their series takes a lavish, abandoned casino in Romania, and stuffs it with glitter-filled balloons. Using hundreds of pounds of vibrant glitter, the balloons burst in an explosion of color.
Disney’s Classics, Minimalized
A bright, colorful, lovingly recreated tribute to some of the best known moments in Disney’s catalog, 2veinte of Buenos Aires have taken a modern, minimalist design to scenes from Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and several others. Their work displays the efforts that went into faithfully stripping down the original scenes and creating vibrant shape animation out of the characters. Via Behance:
