Lisa Marcus's Blog Posts
Useful Photography, a magazine produced in Amsterdam, Holland, ran an article with photos of shooting targets sold in the United States in the past thirty years. The traditional bullseye wasn't among their collection. More personalized models were used, women and children included (although in a few shots, they seemed to be used as props in hostage scenarios).
A few manufacturers have had certain targets banned, such as the photo of the pregnant woman holding a gun pictured above, as well as female mannequin labeled “ex-girlfriend” that bleeds profusely when shot. Read more at Fast Company. Via Beautiful Decay.
Images Via: Useful Photography
This farm in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan is using a state-of-the-art system of 100 percent LED lighting, as opposed to other LED farms that pair the technology with traditional fluorescent lighting. Their exclusive use of LED enables the farm to harvest 1.5 times more vegetables, producing 10,000 heads of lettuce a day. The LED lighting system uses 40 percent less electricity compared with fluorescent systems and provides increased control over photosynthesis, which can be adjusted as necessary. Learn more here. Via Unique Daily.
Images Credit: Mirai Group Japan
NurdRage is back with this video on how to light a fire in the grill in a big way. I doubt you'll try this at home, so I don't think the standard warning applies here. <Beavis voice>Fire! Fire!</Beavis voice>
This fantastic video by photographer Rob Whitworth is what he calls a "flow motion" look at Barcelona, Spain. Whitworth says,
"In few other cities is it possible to walk from spectacular location to spectacular location. I had a fantastic time adventuring around Barcelona's winding streets making this film."
By Whitworth's own account, the video took him 363 hours of work, which involved 75 hours of logistics and travel, 31 hours of location scouting, 78 hours of shooting and 179 hours of post-production. He used 26014 RAW files, 817 gigabytes of data and four Nikon DSLRs.
Keep up with Whitworth at his website, on Facebook or on Twitter.
8. Follow the Leader
Image: Matt Hutton
The first half of 2014 has already blown by, and Twisted Sifter has selected the crème de la crème of their Pictures of the Day thus far.
Enjoy these spectacular images and see the rest at this post at the Sifter.
41. Awestruck at the Aquarium
Image: Royce Hutain (dopplerizer on reddit)
17. The Mast Walk
Photograph by Jeff Smallwood
46. My Little Sanctuary
Image: Karen (jumbokedama on Flickr)
10. The 1920s Selfie
Image: The Byron Company via The Museum of the City of New York
Imagine the delight and wonder of the residents and passers by of a vacant building in Liverpool, England when its industrial, metal shutter opens at 10pm to uncover a softly glowing aquarium full of jellyfish, their ghostly forms setting the night alight as they expand and contract.
This is a nightly occurrence in this abandoned structure in the historic Toxteth area of Liverpool. Everyone benefits who catches sight of the luminous blue tank amid the darkened street of this mostly residential district, but they are not the only ones enjoying its presence.
The jellyfish tank is actually an art exhibit presented by Gazelli Art House every evening at 53 High Park Street from now until July 27th. Artists Walter Hugo & Zoniel created the concept, which purposely has not been advertised so that neighborhood residents will experience the installation without preconceived notions. The Gazelli Art House is also streaming live video of the installation, entitled “The Physical Possibility of Inspiring Imagination in the Mind of Somebody Living," in their gallery space in London. Via Colossal.
Images Credit: Gazelli Art House
Image Credit: Flickr User Niq Scott
This article takes a look at the largest canine breeds in the world. Each breed mentioned can range from gentle giant to formidable force in hunting and guarding, particularly if trained as such.
Image Credit Flickr User dbking
The Saint Bernard originates in the Swiss Alps, where it was used in mountain rescue operations. These dogs grow up to thirty-six inches in height.
Image Credit: Flickr User Claudio Genari
The English Mastiff is the biggest of all dogs in terms of mass and dimensions. The males of this breed can weigh up to two hundred and fifty pounds. It is regarded to be the oldest dog breed in the UK.
Image Credit: Flickr user Laertes
The Great Dane's history is thought to go back thousands of years. Drawings on ancient Egyptian tombs as well as artifacts as old as 2000 BC resemble the Great Dane. These dogs have friendly temperaments and get along well with people and animals.
Image Credit: Flickr user Blackburn Photo
The Newfoundland has been used for water rescue due to their musculature and webbed feet. They have friendly dispositions and are loving pets.
Read about more canine giants here.
ZSL (Zoological Society of London) London Zoo keepers weren't privy to a secret between their two-toed sloths Leander and Marilyn. The pair had successfully mated and Marilyn was pregnant, something that the staff learned long after the fact.
Leander had been transferred to ZSL London Zoo from a zoo in Germany in order to be paired with Marilyn. The keepers were making an effort to get Marilyn and Leander to acknowledge each others' presence -- little did they know that they were already sloth sweethearts!
Zoo staff member Tegan McPhail explained,
“To say we were surprised when Marilyn fell pregnant is something of an understatement – we weren’t aware that she’d even been near the male.
When Leander arrived at the Zoo at the end of 2012, he and Marilyn just didn’t appear particularly interested in each other, but we knew that with sloths these things can take some time.
However, with the arrival of the first sloth to be born at ZSL London Zoo, it appears that it was all an act on their behalf and our two very sneaky sloths were getting amorous behind our backs!"
The baby two-toed sloth, whose sex is yet to be determined, is tightly bonded with Marilyn. By all accounts she is proudly showing off her baby. Via Zooborns.
Roger Dean is a British illustrator, designer and architect who is probably best known for his cover art for bands such as Asia and Yes. These illustrations by Dean seem ripe for fantastic stories of exotic, alien worlds to accompany every one.
Dean's seminal work has often been imitated. In fact, in June of 2013 he filed a lawsuit in New York against James Cameron, accusing him of "willful and deliberate copying, dissemination and exploitation" of his illustrations in Cameron's 2009 film Avatar. Dean is seeking damages in excess of fifty million dollars. See more of Dean's creations at his website. Via Juxtapoz.
Instagram user Mirrorsme, who describes herself as a Norwegian living in Washington, D.C., creates these whimsical drawings on her bathroom mirror. This pastime, which started as messages to her roommate drawn on the mirror in lipstick, has graduated to her use of three kinds of markers (chalk, posca paint and acrylic) and sharing her work on her Instagram account and in a user submission at Bored Panda. She writes,
"I bought my last markers in New York, and the sales person just couldn’t understand why I needed all those acrylic markers to draw on mirrors. Later that night, I drew Brooklyn Bridge on my hotel room mirror in Midtown (it was a nice hotel too, with a huuuge mirror… but I decided to remove the mirror art before I left)...Normally, it takes less than 30 min. to draw, but I can really get lost in the process and enjoy it."
Via Bored Panda
Images Credit: Mirrorsme
Early in the morning of July 5, 2014, videographer Miguel Ángel captured a near catastrophic collision of two airplanes at Barcelona's El Prat International Airport. The incident involved a UTair Boeing 767-300 flying in from Moscow and an Aerolíneas Argentinas Airbus A340-300 taxiing down the runway in preparation for takeoff.
The Utair 767 was just about to land on runway number two when the Russian pilot saw the Argentinas Airbus and quickly pulled up to avoid it. It's evident from the video how close this was to becoming a major disaster. Via Twisted Sifter.
Once upon a time, multi-course meals were regularly served on airplanes. Caviar. Lobster. Filet mignon. Pheasant. Along with the gourmet foods were the glamour-girl stewardesses who served them. It was around that time that the guy sitting next to you could light up a cigarette when the plane took off and chain smoke throughout the flight, no matter how anyone else felt about it.
This video, a trailer for an upcoming program airing July 13th and 14th on the Smithsonian Channel, takes viewers back in time to when air travel was more about luxury than necessity. Via Nag on the Lake.
This is the official trailer of "To Be Takei," a documentary on actor and pop culture icon George Takei. The film, directed by Jenifer M. Kroot, includes interviews with George Takei, Brad Takei, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, Howard Stern, Dan Savage, Walter Koenig and others. The documentary will beam into movie theaters on August 22, 2014. Via Laughing Squid.