The Milan-based architecture and design firm Storage Associati put this gorgeous staircase in a client's home. The look of the staircase changes depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Constructed of metal strips that differ in length, the staircase would be a showstopper in any space. See more work from Storage Associati on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Images: Storage Associati
Lisa Marcus's Blog Posts
"I tell you, surfing's mighty wild
It's getting bigger every day."
-- The Beach Boys, "Surfing Safari"
...and they weren't kidding. It doesn't get much wilder than a seal hopping on your surfboard to ride the waves along with you! Matthew Stanley and a friend were surfing near Amble, Northumberland, on the northeast coast of England, when they suddenly realized they had company. Stanley explains,
"Me and my friend Andrew Flounders were out enjoying some summer waves when this little guy came along and scared the hell out of Andy because we didn’t know what it was! It nudged his foot from underneath.”
After more than an hour of surfing with the baby seal, Matthew and his friend decided to go back to shore, but the pup wasn’t finished and tried to follow them.
“When we got home, Andy rang the local marine wildlife authority to make them aware of what occurred, just in case the seal was unwell… He didn’t seem unwell when he was surfing in like a pro!”
Someone give that little pup some boardshorts!
Shanghai, China is home to a new basketball facility that is the only one of its kind in the world. Called the "House of Mamba," the space features an LED-illuminated basketball court equipped with graphics, video and motion tracking sensors.
As part of the RISE campaign by Nike, the House of Mamba will host 30 basketball players representing 23 cities. The players were recently selected by LeBron James. The special features of the facility will be employed to train and challenge the players through drills based on training recommendations from Kobe Bryant.
Take a trip down gamer's memory lane with this cool medley of popular video game themes sung a capella. Now this is a singalong in which most everyone can participate — no need to know any lyrics! Via Unique Daily.
The Sowden House, built by Lloyd Wright, the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This beautiful, unique structure, sometimes referred to as the "Jaws house" for its windows that resemble a shark's open mouth, was built in 1926. The 5,600 square foot home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles is currently for sale, listed at $4,875,000.
The house also has the dubious distinction of formerly belonging to a suspect in one of the most notorious unsolved murder cases in American history, the Black Dahlia (Elizabeth Short) murder. From 1945 to 1951, the Sowden house was owned by Dr. George Hodel, who at one time was the prime suspect of the L.A. District Attorney in the Short murder. Hodel's son, former L.A.P.D. homicide detective Steve Hodel, even wrote a book claiming that his father killed Elizabeth Short somewhere in the Sowden House.
While some have expressed doubt as to the merit of Steve Hodel's claims of his father's guilt, Doctor Hodel was allegedly not an honorable man. His own 14-year-old daughter Tamar accused him of molesting her (though he was later acquitted), and his secretary died under suspicious circumstances, another case in which authorities were suspicious of Hodel. A tap on his phone after the Dahlia murder yielded a tape of Hodel commenting on the Short murder, as well as saying "maybe I did kill my secretary."
The Sowden house and others with checkered pasts — including the "Amityville Horror" house, in which the DeFeo murders took place — are listed in this article at Viral Nova.
Images Credit: Zillow
In this new Kids React video by the The Fine Bros, kids check out the ("antique," as one puts it) metal monstrosity that is a typewriter. What is its function? Well, "it types, and it prints at the same time." Are you old enough to have encountered a typewriter at your workplace, school or elsewhere? You'll get sympathy if so, because at least one of these kids "feels sad" for you. Via Tastefully Offensive.
With the centennial of WWI upon us, many organizations are having commemoration events and ceremonies. In the same vein, Alltime10s has produced this video that lists facts about WWI, of which the average person is likely unaware.
Angelica Bamundo and Nick Ross of Dorkly explain the thinking behind their progressive superheroes strip:
"Marvel Comics recently announced that the popular (male) Norse god Thor was now going to be a woman in upcoming comics. Right after that, Marvel then revealed that Captain America would now be Sam Wilson (AKA "The Falcon") who is African American. With both of these progressive characters trying to change the status quo, why should comic book companies stop at just two heroes?"
Hulk not angry, just disappointed.
This video, filmed by wildlife filmmakers Jennene and Dave Riggs, features a group of bottlenose dolphins playing in waves of beautiful, clear water. The footage was captured near Esperance, along the soutwestern coastline of Australia. Watch a longer version of the video here. Via Science Dump.
This video, filmed at Cornellskop Animal Training Farm in Western Cape, South Africa, shows a lion cub sneaking around a corner and giving a dog a big scare. Via Tastefully Offensive.
Gibsonton, Florida, near Tampa, was historically a winter home to freak show carnival act and circus workers. The location was chosen by the residents for its proximity to Ringling Brothers headquarters in Tampa.
Over the years, Gibsonton has been home to such notable sideshow acts as Percilla the Monkey Girl, the Anatomical Wonder and the Lobster Boy. At one time, Siamese twin sisters operated a fruit stand in town.
Town perks for the residents included a post office equipped with a low counter especially for dwarves and zoning laws that allowed for them to keep circus trailers and elephants on their front lawns.
Read about more unusual towns all over the world in this article.
Image: Akademi Fantasia
Architectural achievements in any given region are an important aspect of its culture and identity, as well as a means to improve the economy via tourism. These examples of unusual architecture across the globe are monuments to the creative ingenuity of humankind.
Pictured above is the "Crooked House" in Sopot, Poland, built in 2004 as a tribute to children's book illustrator Jan Marcin Szancer. Designed by architects Szotyńscy & Zaleski, the 43,000-square-foot structure houses a shopping center.
See the other striking structures featured in the article "25 Creative Buildings Around the World" here.
Barcode Buildiing ~ St. Petersburg, Russia
Image: Funny Buildings
Atomium ~ Brussels, Belgium
Image: joeri Goossens via Panoramio
Crazy House ~ Dalat, Vietnam
Photo via: Mimoa
Basque Health Department Headquarters ~ BilBao, Spain
Image: Permaframe
A Final Fantasy XIV-themed restaurant had its grand opening yesterday in Tokyo. Named the Eorzea Cafe after the region in which the game takes place, the restaurant has an iimpressive look. Even the food and drinks (one is named the Alchemist Elixir) on the menu are in keeping with the theme. Patrons who get in the mood to play Final Fantasy when they visit are in luck: one side of the restaurant has a row of PCs with the game at the ready. See more pictures at Nerdicious.
Image: Game Watch Impress
Image: Radio Kaikan
Image: roy_shinryu
Image: Game Watch Impress
A Japanese artist working under the name Makaon repurposes aluminum cans in a charming way: he transforms them into these sculptures. Featured here are characters from pop culture, however the artist also makes animals and everyday objects.
Makaon uses small aluminum pieces to form the desired shapes and chooses the brand of can depending on its color. One might think that working with aluminum can colors would be limiting, yet the artist has found a surprisingly large range. He even has a can to imitate flesh tones, as seen in the scupture of Mario below. More of Makaon's works can be seen on his website or in this article at My Modern Met.
Marina, featured previously at Neatorama, has a YouTube channel called Mouse Agility, with which she aims to prove to the public how "intelligent and trainable mice really are." Marina uses a clicker to train her mice, and it appears to work quite well.
This video shows a mouse that is trained to ring a bell when it wants a door opened. To learn more about Marina's training methods, visit this website. Via Viral Viral Videos.
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