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In this artistically shot video, London-based, Irish director and photographer Scott Carthy aims his lens at an issue related to Section 1050.6(c) of the New York City Transit Rules of Conduct. Section 1050.6(c) says that, under certain circumstances, performers may work in subway stations, but they cannot operate within subway cars.

After years of looking the other way, in 2014, the NYPD began to arrest these performers in much larger numbers. Some people claim this different pattern of enforcement is the result of a new police commissioner, Bill Bratton. According to an article in Business Insider, 

"Forty-six subway dancers have been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment since January, an NYPD spokesman said in April. Another 50 dancers with less flashy tricks (essentially those who keep their feet on the ground), have been charged with the lesser count of disorderly conduct.

In total, subway panhandling and peddling arrests are up 271% year over year with 371 arrests in 2014, compared to 100 by this period in 2013, according to NBC.

The sharp increase appears to be rooted in a quality of life campaign helmed by newly minted Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.

Bratton, who cut his teeth in New York City tackling subway crime, was brought up on the broken-windows theory of policing: Crack down on small but highly visible crimes of disorder such as turnstile jumping, prostitution, and vandalism, and rates of more serious crimes will fall as well. Panhandling falls into this low-level crime category." 

Read more of this article here. 

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The United Kingdom has a very diverse populace, home to a wealth of very distinct regional accents, and a well seasoned ear can tell a lot about from whence you hail simply by hearing you speak.

Siobhan Thompson of Anglophenia is a gal who is quite familiar with the diversity of accents available for your listening pleasure in the U.K., and she’s mastered seventeen different British accents so she'll fit right in no matter where in the Kingdom she may roam.

Listen as she takes you on a tour of her beloved Brittania, you might just learn how to make your bad imitation of a British accent into a smashing success!

-Via Laughing Squid

Isaac Hou is a street performer, acrobat, and juggler in Taiwan. His signature work uses a Cyr wheel--a steel and PVC ring that weighs 15 kg. Hou is also a master of contact and torch juggling.

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Here's a video showing him busking in Taipei. It's all amazing, but I'm especially impressed with his performance beginning at the 2:30 mark. Hou is contantly in motion and mesmerizes the crowd.

But Hou isn't limited to work on the street. He's increasingly in demand to perform before live audiences across the globe. It's been a long journey that began in New Jersey, where his parents raised him. They wanted him to be an engineer or work in some other conventionally professional career. But Hou wasn't satisfied with that lifestyle. A 2010 article in the Taipei Times reports:

But Hou was ambivalent about following in his parents’ footsteps because “they just worked themselves to death.” After finishing high school, he traveled around the world instead of heading straight to university, supporting himself with a variety of odd jobs. Before settling in Taiwan, Hou cleaned rooms at a hotel in London, ran errands on a tourist boat in Israel, studied kung fu at Shaolin Temple and lived in Denmark, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Turkey, Egypt and Greece.

Eventually, Hou worked as a juggler's assistant in London. He figured that he could do that work well, so he studied at circus schools in Denmark and Russia and learned his trade.

You can watch more videos of Hou in action at Kotaku.

When art lovers feast their eyes upon the artwork of French illustrator DZO Olivier one main question comes to mind- "why skulls and stones?"

DZO claims to have turned to skulls and stones in a time when he was out of paper and looking for something new to draw on, but regardless of how he began illustrating upon these unusual canvases there's something so right about the way they look when they're all inked up.

Like a flat ink version of scrimshaw, DZO's solid linework stands out bold and compellingly illustrative against the flat color of the skulls and stones that make up his appropriately entitled series "Stones and Bones", and your eyes get lost while trying to take in every dreamy detail drawn on the very earthy surfaces.

-Via Beautiful/Decay

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Have you ever thought you could perform a stunt that's worthy of Letterman's Stupid Human Tricks? How about performing the same stunt using a pole vault for an added layer of complexity?

Australian athlete and pole vaulting title holder Joel Pocklington has pieced together this entertaining video of pole vaulting tricks that are amusing as well as impressive. Via Unique Daily.

(Image source: Cody Elkins at Instagram)

See this guy on the motorcycle? That’s stunt rider Cody Elkins at the Cameron Air Show in Cameron, Missouri, this past weekend. See the plane he’s jumping over? That’s not a prop. That biplane was piloted by Skip Stewart. Watch the stunt in slow motion.

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Notice Elkins added a twist to a jump that didn’t need anything else to impress us. Don’t try this at home -these guys are professionals. Duh. You can see additional views of the stunt at Buzzfeed.

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The races known as the Barkley Marathons are considered to be some of the toughest in the United States, if not the world. There are 60-mile and 100-mile versions of the Barkley. Participants of the 100-mile race climb over 59,200 feet of rugged, mountainous terrain in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tennessee.

In its 28-year history, only 14 runners out of approximately 800 have finished the Barkley within the 60-hour time limit. Barkley Marathons registration is limited to only 35 runners, openings which generally are taken within one day. 

This video by Denver-based filmmaker Brendan Young informs viewers about the race. Founder Gary Cantrell came up with the idea for the race after watching a news item on a failed prison escape by James Earl Ray, assassinator of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Via Laughing Squid. 

 

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This video allegedly shows children of the Bajau people of southeast Asia. This ethnic group which ranges across Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines is sometimes known as the "Sea Gypsies" for their waterborne lifestyle. At a young age, a Bajau child may acquire remarkable skills in the water, as we've seen previously.

In this video, a canoe has capsized and filled with water. A young girl with impressive agility rolls it under her feet until she has bailed out the water.

-via The Presurfer

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Last month, TheHumanTim (previously at Neatorama) said his next project was Indiana Jones. And here he is, back with a rocking version of the theme from the Indiana Jones movies! He’s playing all the instruments, just not at the same time. I think he's trying to work his way through the entire John Williams discography. Keep up with TheHumanTim at his Facebook page. -Thanks, Tim!

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Guitarist Mariusz Goli plays on the streets of Katowice, Poland. According to his biography, Goli plays in clubs and does concerts, but prefers busking because he gets the greatest satisfaction by direct contact with the audience. You can see plenty more videos of Goli’s music at his Facebook page or his YouTube channel. -via Viral Viral Videos

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You may not consider bowling a valid sport, you may hate hitting the lanes alongside all those people wearing matching shoes, but once you’ve watched this video you’ll appreciate how cool bowling trick shots can be!

Dude Perfect teamed up with the world’s number one ranked bowler Jason Belmonte to crush some pins the hard way, and if ever there was a guy who deserved the title Big Daddy, it’s Jason.

Watch as he wows the Dude Perfect crew with wicked spins, bouncing ball pin-quakes and many fine examples of alley lane wizardry, but before you watch you may want to mute the sound, because the soundtrack is utterly annoying!

-Via 22 Words

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This is the dance crew called The Company performing at the Vibe XIX 2014 dance contest in January. The routine may be different from what you’re used to, but you gotta hand it to them, the precision and timing these dancers show is impressive! They came in second to this performance by Academy of Villains. However, the internet has embraced the more relatable second-place routine. -via Viral Viral Videos

There are those who would run as far away from a disaster scene as possible, those who would run in to see who they can help, and then there’s Lori Nix, who creates disaster scenes that spring straight from her imagination then she takes pictures of the destruction.

Her super detailed dioramas look like sets from an apocalyptic Rankin-Bass stop motion movie they never got around to making, and her photos of each piece really make you feel like you’re right in the heart of the destruction, a survivor waiting to see what happens when you venture outside.

Those who are curious about Lori's creation process should visit her blog My 8X10 Life, where she demystifies her process and shares some helpful tips with budding diorama builders.

-Via Hi-Fructose

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This isn’t just a street game for young kids anymore. Ronnie Shalvis is a stuntman and parkour trainer. Austin Ipsen is incredibly skilled at tumbling. When they dance on a hopscotch court, no neighborhood kid can possibly beat them.

-via 22 Words

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DIY fanatics like myself consider Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) to be one of the gods of DIY.

The man can build really cool stuff out of a pile of random stuff, and his diverse skillset, knowledge of materials, and boundless imagination make him an inspiration for crafty folks the world over, so when he shared his 10 Commandments For Makers at the 2014 Maker Faire in San Francisco people paid attention.

Among Adam’s shining bits of advice are these two gems:

4. Use a project to learn a skill. I don't know about you but I need a goal to learn a skill. I can't deconstruct and just learn welding for welding's sake. I need to have something that only welding will bring me. Look around and find something you need to build. Something you can't help but build.

7. Discouragement and failure are intrinsic to the process. Don't hide from these. Talk about them. They're not enemies to be avoided, they're friends, designed to teach your humility. Go easy on yourself. Don't compare yourself to others; go ahead and be envious of others' skills, because frequently you can't not. Use that.

The video clocks in at a whopping 43 minutes, but if you’re only interested in hearing Adam’s sage advice you’re in luck, because you only have to watch the first ten minutes of the video to have your DIY life changed forever!

-Via Lifehacker