YouTube link

No, we're not talking about your ex or your inlaws. We're talking real pigs, here! This pig, Phoebe, is just one of many in the care of Lt. Colonel Frank Dunaway and his wife Tiffney Stiles-Dunaway of Tampa, Florida. With this video, they illustrate the power of a pig's sniffer when it comes to food. Apparently, Phoebe isn't averse to being awakened from piggy-in-a-blanket dreamland if there are cookies involved!

The Dunaways run a rescue organization for pigs named after their two pet pot-bellied pigs Prissy and Bomber. Frank and Tiffney founded the rescue organization when they realized how many pigs are bought as pets by people who initially want a cute piglet but later don't want to make a commitment to the mature pig and its twenty-year lifespan. The Dunaways currently care for 300 lucky pigs who were formerly unwanted, abandoned or neglected. Via Viral Viral Videos.

Linden Gledhill is a photographer who pushes the boundaries of photographic technology, even collaborating with Cognisys on the invention of a new automated focus system that gives him the ability to capture high-resolution macro image stacks that are accurate to 0.01 of a millimeter and can be printed in any size without distortion or loss of resolution. Using this technology combined with his education as a scientist, Gledhill points his macro lens at natural objects such as butterfly and moth wings. The result is a kaleidoscope of brilliant color and pattern. Sometimes nature is the best designer. See Gledhill’s photography on Flickr. Via Beautiful Decay.

Historic Trinidad, Cuba dates back to the early sixteenth century. The city is filled with cobblestone streets and Spanish colonial architecture. Visitors to Trinidad get a glimpse into the past, at least above ground. Underground is another story. In the shade of a tree at the end of a long path in the outer edge of the city, there is a door that serves as the entrance and exit to Disco Ayala. Located in a natural cave, this nightclub is fully equipped with a bar, three dance floors, a DJ booth, light effects and video screens. Stairs and benches are carved into cave walls. Go subterranean, drink and dance the night away — but watch out for the stalactites!
Read more about Disco Ayala at The Sojourner.

Images credit: Alain at The Sojourner.

The entrance to Ayala, off a path on the outskirts of Trinidad


Descend into the tunnel to find the party space


 "Bartender? I'll have an adult beverage, please. That bat scared me."  

Vimeo link

British artists Davy and Kristin McGuire breathe life into their elaborate paper dioramas using a technique called digital projection mapping. The technique adds a layer of animated projection atop their detailed paper architecture, which sets it alight and full of movement and dimension. This husband-and-wife-team's homage to Hitchcock's Psycho is a Vimeo Staff Pick. The piece shown in the video above was featured at Harrod's in London; their work was also used in a Barney's Madison Avenue Christmas display. Davy has worked previously in film and the theater, but Kristin is also a dancer who has performed with Cirque du Soleil, among other famous companies. See more of their work on their website and this Colossal article.

''Stop''
Artwork: П. Соколов-Скаля, 1929

These vintage Soviet anti-alcohol posters used a combination of stern austerity and slick graphic arts in their attempt to convince communist-era industrial laborers like Joe Russia to say "Nyet!" to a single drop. It makes the 1/4th Russian part of me (as well as my remaining 3/4th European ancestry) want a really cold beer, however.
Via Retronaut.

     'Dad, do not drink'
     Artwork: Д. Буланов, 1929

  'Down with the drunks! Saying out loud'
   Artwork: И. Янг, 1929 

'It's a shame!'
Artwork: Н. Вележаева, 1958

How cute is this little zoo baby? Lani the Pygmy Hippopotamus was born on March 18, 2014 at Basel Zoo in Switzerland. At birth, the tiny hippo was the size of a rabbit, weighing in at just under 11.5 pounds. 

The birth was a happy occasion for the staff at Basel Zoo, as it has been fourteen years since a baby of this species was born there, and it did not survive. Lani's mother Ashaki accompanies her when she is in the outdoor area of their enclosure. Lani is allowed to roam only on sunny days for now, as she needs to keep warm. Her keepers say she enjoys hiding in the bushes and snacking on Fennel and other plant leaves.  

Pygmy hippopotamus are severely endangered. They typically live in the rainforests of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. Until recently, these countries suffered from political unrest and instability; thus, few researchers and conservationists operate there. Basel Zoo donates 17,000 Swiss francs each year to support a conservation project in Sierra Leone. Via ZooBorns.

Image Credit: Basel Zoo

From Italian designer Gianluca Sada comes The Sada Bike, a bicycle that can fold to the size of an umbrella. The wheels have a hubless design with no spokes, which allows for the deconstructed bike to be more compact than prior folding models of like size. Once completely folded, it is carried in a backpack as seen in the video, and the designer states that it can be carried on during air travel. Though commenters on the YouTube link mention the Lifetime Movie Channel-esque music on the video as well as the folding process not being shown, all seemed interested in the concept of this easily portable bike. Via Laughing Squid.

(Vimeo link)

Still photographer and filmmaker Gary Yost beautifully captured a full red moon's rise over the Golden Gate Bridge on May 15, 2014. Set to the tune of "Fly Me to the Moon," covered by fabulous jazz singer and Mrs. Elvis Costello Diana Krall, the video runs at 10x increased speed. Yost shot the footage at Point Bonita Lighthouse, approximately one and a half miles away from the bridge. Via Laughing Squid.

(Vimeo link)

Writer and director Ainslie Henderson has won awards and accolades for past work on his short films I Am Tom Moody and It's About Spending Time Together. This music video he created for UK band James is a current Vimeo Staff Pick. Using stop-motion technique on simple strands of yellow yarn, he tells a surprisingly layered and effective story. Via Colossal.

Fine artist and designer INSA is back and creating more animated “GIF-iti” art installations across the globe. The street art is hand painted and subsequently photographed in a series of eight or more. The photographs are then ordered into sequence to create the layers that form the animations. INSA's artist statement is essentially a love letter to millenials and their elders who embrace technology:

"The beauty of INSA’s GIF-ITI is that it only truly lives when viewed online, where these days most street art ends up being viewed, and it exaggerates the ephemeral nature of graffiti as each layer is painted instantly over the last. Mixing retro internet technology and labour intensive painting, INSA creates slices of infinite un-reality, cutting edge art for the tumblr generation."

Via Colossal.

This Lion, tiger and bear elicit more of an "Awww" than an "Oh my." These three are the only combination of these species to share an enclosure in the world. They peacefully — even lovingly  —  reside together in Locust Grove, Georgia at Noah's Ark, a non-profit, 250-acre sanctuary for abused, unwanted and neglected animals.

The staff at Noah's Ark call these three "The BLT." Their group consists of Baloo, a North American Black Bear, Leo the African Lion and Shere Khan, a Bengal tiger. The animals were discovered in a drug raid on an Atlanta home, where they were victims of neglect, abuse and malnourishment.

Baloo the bear was the worst off; he had been tightly harnessed, with the harness never loosened as he grew. His harness had grown into his skin. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources turned the three over to the staff at Noah's Ark, who had Baloo's harness surgically removed and helped them heal and gain weight. The staff made the intelligent decision to keep the animals together, since "they came in as a family," and had obviously sought comfort in each other during their ordeal.

This decision early on apparently sealed the trio's bond for life. The only time they have been separated was when Baloo had surgery, during which Shere Khan and Leo grew agitated in his absence. They eat, sleep and play together, according to the Noah's Ark staff. One, two, three, Awww! 
Via Twisted Sifter.

 

 

(Images credit: Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary)

London-based artist Michelle McKinney uses translucent copper, steel and brass mesh as media to make designs inspired by nature. Leaves and butterflies are a common theme, and just to look at a piece from afar, the observer would likely be fooled into thinking the materials are natural. The artist's statement on her website reads in part,

"The work is bedded in the clear space between opposites; the movement captured in stillness; the fragility and ephemerality of nature captured in the strength and permanence of industrial, man made materials; inexorable freedom within the clinically defined limitations of space. It is the dialogue that takes place between these polarities that engage so forcefully."

McKinney's work can also be seen on her Facebook page as well as her website at the link above.




 

Now, for something the whole family can enjoy! Artist Todd Spence created The Bleak Movies Coloring Book for Kids. Vol. 1 with little tikes in mind. Nothing says "Let's color, kids" like a sweet vignette of the movie Seven, dotted with fluffy bunnies to keep it light. The Exorcist, The Shining, and Requiem for a Dream are also part of the fun. Each film scene has a twist woven in, some with exercises, such as helping Seth Brundle from The Fly choose the most nutritious meal option. Watch the children develop their artistic talents and learn at the same time. Hopefully, the munchkins will ask a ton of questions about each film that will be the basis of a long, educational day! Via Laughing Squid







 

This 27,000 square foot mansion in Boca Raton, Florida was put on the market recently at an asking price of thirty-five million dollars. Owned by Marc Bell,  former CEO of the Friend Finder Networks, the mansion has a theater room with a Star Trek theme, a 2,000-square-foot arcade with games dating back to the 1970s, as well as a room designed for the sole purpose of playing Call of Duty.


Star Trek theater room with sound effect of doors opening and closing from original show 


Another view of theater room


This room has "stars" in the ceiling

2000 sq. ft. arcade