Mercedes-Benz throws its hat into the self-driving car ring with the F 015 Luxury in Motion research vehicle, their new self-driving concept car. Built for four passengers to lounge in what essentially amounts to an automotive conversation pit, the vehicle features four swivel seats that rotate so that the passengers are facing each other.
The view outside can be projected on the inside of the vehicle thanks to six wired, interactive displays. A battery and a hydrogen fuel cell is the driving force; they amount to a range of approximately 680 miles. Simply because this sleek, futuristic automobile has the capability of driving, that doesn't prevent its passengers from taking over the responsibility at any time during the ride.
Learn more about the F 015 here.
Lisa Marcus's Blog Posts
This video from the Fig. 1 series by the University of California lends insight on how celebrated children's author Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, created the beloved classic Green Eggs and Ham. -Via Juxtapoz
John Farrier posted the first battle in this bed war two days ago. At the time, Pixel the French bulldog was having little luck getting his cat housemate to see reason on the matter of his bed, but not for lack of valiant effort. Cat appropriated bed, remained firmly in place and was unmoved by puppy persistence. Now, in this second battle, Pixel scores the right to lie in his own bed from the feline overlord. It's those little victories that make the bed seem so luxuriously comfy, Pixel. -Via Tastefully Offensive
Jackonsonville, Florida-based photographer Graham McGeorge searches wooded regions and swamps to find the owls shown here. These subjects are eastern screech owls that inhabit the Okefenokee Swamp area in Georgia. In an interview with My Modern Met, McGeorge said it takes “patience, a keen eye and a good ear” to make such wonderful captures.
Visit McGeorge's website to see more of his work.
Cicadae Parasite Beetle (Rhipiceridae)
Singapore-based photographer Nicky Bay (previously at Neatorama) shoots macro photos of insects, arachnids, and fungi from remote locations all over the globe. Bay went on 46 different shoots in 2014 and encountered numerous beautiful and unusual species. Bay has added ultraviolet light to his subjects, which enables him to capture them as they fluoresce.
Follow Bay's Facebook page to view more of his work, and visit Colossal to see more of the collection shown here.
Archduke larva (Lexias pardalis dirteana)
(Artist: Jovey Hayes - www.Phojoe.com)
Today would have been Elvis Presley's 80th birthday. To mark the occasion, ABC News posted a drawing created by an age progression artist that shows what Elvis might look like were he still alive today. What do you think?
To see ABC's gallery of photographs of The King throughout the years, visit this link.
If your'e a fan of candy (or sweets, as the Brits say), you'll want to check out Anglophenia Episode 22, in which Siobhan Thompson discusses and shows examples of fifteen of the most popular British sweets. There's a decidedly different set of tastes between the cultures. For example, Britain seems to have slightly more of a taste for licorice than the United States. What's your favorite type of candy from a country other than that of your origin? -Via Laughing Squid
Karina and Craig Waters are two Australian expats with a French vision. They purchased the massive, 94-room Chateau de Gudanes, which dates back to the 1700s, with the intent of restoring it. The crumbling structure is located in Midi-Pyrénées, a region of southern France bordered by the Pyrénées mountains. Neatorama featured the Waters' purchase in a previous post.
In the glory days of Chateau de Gudanes, it was in the possession of Marquis Louis Gaspard de Sales, who used it to entertain nobility and high-profile guests such as likely reveler French philosopher Voltaire. The original architect was Ange-Jacque Gabriel, who famously designed the Petit Trianon at Versailles.
The chateau was abandoned during the 1990s by its last owner, a foreign investment company, which had plans to convert it into luxury apartments. When the company was unable to secure the necessary building permits, the dilapidated manor was left to further decompose.
The Waters, meanwhile, had almost given up on their search for a French home to renovate, when their 16-year-old son Ben found the Chateau de Gudanes in an online listing. When the couple saw the building in person, they fell in love.
As is evident from the photos, the Waters have a huge job ahead of them in returning the decaying mansion to its former splendor. The family has been working on the restoration for a little over a year now. Recently the crew working on the chateau discovered a hole in the ground when rotting floorboards were removed on the ground floor. In an attempt to understand the purpose of the cavity and where it led, workers dug to a point about 20 feet deep and stopped. The Waters decided to contract others more equipped to conduct such an excavation.
The family found a number of artifacts in the hole, and formed theories as to its purpose. See the pictures of what was found and learn more about the discovery at this post on the official blog of the chateau. Those interested in the Waters' progress can also obtain updates and see additional photographs on the fascinating Facebook page of Chateau de Gudanes.
Shown above is the Vince Human Skull by Cardboard Safari. This laser-cut cardboard piece designed by artist Nate Main ships flat and is assembled into shape by the end user. Vince comes in two sizes and can be ordered in white, black, brown or in zebra stripe. Not only would the item look cool on a shelf, but "Cardboard Skull" would also be a great band name.
Check out the other laser cardboard items that Cardboard Safari has to offer, and purchase the Vince here. See a video of assembly below.
Via Laughing Squid | Images: Cardboard Safari
Shadow art candle | uncommongoods.com
Adding a few candles to any space in your home can do wonders in the way of making it more inviting. A bonus is that you can create such ambiance fairly inexpensively. From tiny tealights to generous pillars, candles come in all colors, shapes and sizes; they're only limited to the imagination of the designer. This collection proves as much.
Visit this Bored Panda post to view creative candle designs of all types. There's a few there that I certainly have my eye on. Which is your favorite?
Reusable candle holder | Benjamin Shine
Rainbow light candle | uncommongoods.com
Instagram has its share of fashion "movers and shakers." They've got the selfies, the belfies (butt selfies), their #outfitoftheday and hashtags all day long. Why? Because it's important, n'est-ce pas?
Into this rich milieu of social media fashion nonchalantly stroll the Fashion Dads. They're au courant. They're rocking the very foundation of the Instagram fashion scene. They're in Crocs with socks. They've got a ton of hashtags that they aren't afraid of using. They're Fashion Dads, and they're a force to be reckoned with.
Ready for the cutting edge? Brace yourself and visit their Instagram account.
Via Buzzfeed | Images: Fashion Dads
For the adventurous traveler, I present NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's travel posters, based on Kepler's exoplanet discoveries. We've featured other posters on Neatorama that are stylized in tribute to the government-issued "America Sees" national park travel poster series that ran between 1930 and 1950. These are a great addition to the bunch. We've also seen an artist play with the idea of exoplanet travel, yet the set featured here is the only one issued by NASA.
There are three posters in the series. Each are available for high-resolution download. Verbiage for the poster above reads as follows:
"Kepler-186f is the first Earth-size planet discovered in the potentially 'habitable zone' around another star, where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. Its star is much cooler and redder than our Sun. If plant life does exist on a planet like Kepler-186f, its photosynthesis could have been influenced by the star's red-wavelength photons, making for a color palette that's very different than the greens on Earth. This discovery was made by Kepler, NASA's planet hunting telescope."
See the other two poster designs and download all three here.
Via Gizmodo | Images: NASA's JPL
Photographer Lance Page made this timelapse accentuating the movement of the Earth rather than the stars by slowly moving the camera along with the North Star as it filmed. Page elaborates:
"I had the idea of a new astro time-lapse technique in which the camera is pointed right at the north star and mounted to a motorized pivot point directly lined up with the sensor so the camera is able to spin with the stars through the night. Sit back, relax and Ride the Sky."
The resulting footage, which Page calls "Ride the Sky," is a tad dizzying but definitely beautiful.
-Via Gizmodo
Photographer Andy Lee's series Roads captures the mystery and beauty of open highways. The idyllic landscapes, moody skies and deserted state of the roads lends the series a dreamlike quality. Each shot seems to hint at another world lying just beyond the visible distance.
See the rest of Lee's photo series at his Behance site; I recommend it, particularly for fans of landscape photography. Follow Lee's projects at his website and via social media on Facebook and Twitter.
Via Twisted Sifter | Images: Andy Lee
Linton Zoological Gardens in Cambridgeshire, England asked for donations of something that most people regard as post-holdiay trash: used, real Christmas trees. Linton's director Kim Simmons told the BBC that the trees are "like catnip" to lions; the fondness that African lion Zuri feels for his tree is evident in the video below.
Overage in tree donations is used to provide additional heat for zoo buildings. Donated trees with intact root balls are planted in a meadow area of the zoo and in the enclosure in which the snowy owls reside. Sounds like a win/win all around.
-Via Distractify | Images: Linton Zoo