The NCaved is a residence lodged into the slope of a hill in Serifos Island, Greece. The residence, created by Mold Architects, looks like a 3-dimensional chess board from an aerial view. With three levels housing the living areas, bedrooms, and guesthouse, the home is able to combine functionality with its unique location and design: 

Designed to spoil its visitors with uninterrupted vistas of its surroundings, NCaved’s views from the open sea-front terraces and pool area are generous. Moving deeper into the home, towards the hill’s ascent, we are treated with interior spaces that are punctuated by small patios and pathways that draw our eyes towards the sky. 

NCaved’s three levels house the living areas, bedrooms and guesthouse, a series of atypical spaces that are connected to each other by an external staircase running down the length of the slope. Dressed in a material and color palette inspired by its seaside location – stone, exposed concrete, wooden slats, metal and glass – the interiors are kept minimal yet elegant, subdued in the face of such natural beauty. A contemporary home in a rustic setting, this is a dwelling that rightfully lets nature take the reins in dictating its presence in this incredible Greek isle.

Image via Plain Magazine 

Empress Elisabeth of Austria was the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I, and held her title for 44 years, plus that of Empress of Hungary after the dual monarchy was created in 1867. She was an educated, independent, and beautiful woman known for her travels and her magnificent hair. Elisabeth's life was quite an adventure, ending with her assassination in 1898. But her fascinating life had low points. Her son, crown prince Rudolph, committed suicide at age 30, a scandalous incident that contributed to a sequence of events that led to World War I. Empress Elisabeth is said to have only worn black for the rest of her life after the death of her only son.

The picture above shows one of Elisabeth's mourning outfits with a mask made of black velvet, surrounded by beads, lace, and ostrich feathers. It tops a dress with a long train, now in the possession of  the Imperial Carriage Museum Vienna. See more pictures of the outfit at Haute Macabre. -via Damn Interesting

It is one thing to discover that your child is a genius. It is another thing to raise him/her. When raised properly, the genius kid will be equipped to do great things when he/she grows up. The question is, how do you do that? Here is what Maye Musk, the mother of Elon Musk, has to say.

“People often ask me how I have raised such successful kids,” she wrote in her 20019 book “A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success,” as quoted by KLAS.

“I did it by letting them follow their interests,” she wrote. “If they prefer to start a business and you think it’s a good idea, support them. Teach your children good manners. But let them decide what they want.”

Simple, yet effective!

(Image Credit: Luan Luu/ Wikimedia Commons)

Hedgehogs, typically the African pygmy hedgehog, have become quite the popular household pet in Japan in recent years. I would say, however, that the hedgehog’s popularity is not exclusive to Japan, as it has become popular as a pet worldwide as well.

If you’re someone who owns a hedgehog, then you know how hard it is to separate yourself from the tiny creature that you wish could be with you wherever you go. The person who created this miniature mobile home has the same sentiments.

Resembling a miniature tent, the hedgehog mobile home comes with a strap and window you can open to check in our your little buddy. And when you’re not carrying it around it can also be placed inside a cage where it functions as a crib. A washable floor cover and water-resistant material helps keep your hedgehog’s safe space nice and clean too. And when not in use, it folds up flat.

It’s available for 4,900 JPY ($47 USD) through retailer Solcion.

Cool!

(Image Credit: Solcion/ Spoon & Tamago)

Fetch. A simple game, yet dogs love it. In fact, they love this game so much that they want to play it with you for hours, if not the whole day. And it makes a great time killer, too. At least, that’s what Baloo realized when he observed that his mom, Natalie McAllister, takes some time inside the shower.

Usually Baloo just checks in on his mom [in the shower] and that’s it, but one day, as she showered and he waited, he came up with the best idea. 

He decided to bring his mom one of his toys. 

“His only goal in bringing me the toy was to play fetch, which is one of his favorite games,” McAllister said. “I don't often throw toys for him in the house, because he's crazy, but I think he felt like he had me cornered and that I would have to throw his toy back.” 

This was the first time that Baloo brought a toy in the shower, but his mom is sure that this won’t be the last time.

Well, what do you think?

(Image Credit: Natalie McAllister/ The Dodo)

Inside this establishment is a magical forest and a cave for children where they can spot a Sasquatch sleeping. The establishment also offers a variety of accessories, as well as guided Bigfoot-themed expeditions. Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, you’re sure to have a fun experience in one of the top 10 wackiest places in Colorado — the Sasquatch Outpost.

[The owner of the establishment, Jim Myers,] originally opened a general grocery store at the location, but after talking with locals about Bigfoot sightings in the area, he decided to convert his store into what it is today.

Learn more about the place over at Atlas Obscura.

What are your thoughts about this one?

(Image Credit: LongDaysWithJenny/ Atlas Obscura)

Nike has developed the GO FlyEase, a new shoe that permits someone to put them on without using hands. The premise of this novel design is the hinge in front of the ankle that snaps in and out of place with a flexible strap that wraps around the outside of the shoe.

The design team originally focused on the needs of people with physical limitations, but realized that many people could enjoy shoes that don't require handling.

-via Gizmodo | Image: Nike

Found in the rainforests of northern Madagascar is the Brookesia nana, the world’s smallest reptile. Scientists say that the fully grown male only measures half an inch from its snout to cloaca, which makes it the smallest adult reptile ever described.

In fact, the male B. nana measured even smaller than his female counterpart, which had a length of 0.75 inches (19.2 mm) from snout to cloaca. (Not only is she longer than her mate, but she is also slightly longer than the Caribbean gecko Sphaerodactylus ariasae, which currently holds the title for smallest female reptile, the researchers wrote.)

"Given that the general body plan of reptiles is rather similar to that of mammals and humans, it is fascinating to see how miniaturized these organisms and their organs can get," lead study author Frank Glaw, a herpetologist at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich, told Live Science in an email.

Learn more about this over at Live Science.

Now this is cute!

(Image Credit: Frank Glaw/ Live Science)

Realistic sculptures appeal to many people, especially when the setting or the arrangement of the figure is a little funky. 

This female form is dressed in a fanciful yet quirky outfit and appears to be partially made from pink and purple frosting around the head and neck. Still, long colored braids hang down from her pink-covered head. Among art ideas for sculptures, creating your own small installation at home is a dramatic display option.

image: Homedit.com

In ancient times, the color purple was reserved for royal clothing, because the dye was so rare and expensive. Purple dye was harvested from the tiny glands of certain mollusks, and had to be processed by experts. Archaeologists had found evidence of the dye in the remains of ancient mollusks and in ceramics, but now for the first time, they've uncovered 3000-year-old royal purple dye on wool fibers. In Israel.  

Biblical stories describe King David and King Solomon clothed in garments of purple—a color long associated with royalty. Now, reports BBC News, archaeologists in Israel have discovered fragments of purple fabric dated to around the time of these ancient monarchs’ purported reigns.

The team discovered the material in the Timna Valley, at a site known as Slaves’ Hill. Carbon dating places its creation around 1000 B.C. Religious lore suggests that David’s reign spanned roughly 1010 to 970 B.C., while Solomon’s lasted from 970 to 931 B.C.

The time period is right, but there is no evidence that the purple wool belonged to either David or Solomon. There were other kings in the Levant, and the Timna Valley was part of the kingdom of Edom at the time. But the find is intriguing, whoever wore the dyed wool. Read more about it at Smithsonian.

(Image credit: Dafna Gazit/Israel Antiquities Authority)

Unlike house cats, wild animals can't be too picky about their next meal. This encounter between a bobcat and a rattlesnake was caught on a trail cam in the Angeles National Forest. Notice how the cat stops to celebrate her victory before carrying off her lunch. -via Boing Boing

Who doesn’t want a remake of older Pokemon games? I would! Some accurate predictions from a huge Pokemon rumor from 2019 came true. The rumor accurately predicted the existence of Galarian Mr. Mime and how fossils would work in the franchise’s latest game, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. The last of the predictions from the rumor is that after the latest mainline games, the next would be a remake of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl: 

That's not all the rumor said about the next mainline games. It also mentions it will have Pokemon Let's Go's catching mechanics, which would prove to be controversial if true.

It's worth noting the short-and-sweet rumor mentions that these remakes would be out in 2020, which would normally be a red flag, because obviously, this didn't happen, however, this being wrong doesn't automatically mean the whole thing is wrong. Further, for all we know, that could have been the plan until the pandemic hit and disrupted everything.

Image via IGN 

It’s not literal liquid, of course, it’s an algorithm! MIT researchers have successfully created a neural network that adjusts to changes experienced by real-world systems. This network could improve decision-making in self-driving cars and medical diagnosis. Ramin Hasani, the study paper’s lead author, said that it is a way forward: 

Hasani said the system is inspired by a tiny worm — the C. elegans:

It only has 302 neurons in its nervous system yet it can generate unexpectedly complex dynamics.

The code was influenced by the way the C. elegans’ neurons activate and communicate with each other through electrical impulses.

Hasani structed his neural network so that the parameters can change over time based on the results of a nested set of differential equations.

This allows it to continue learning after the training phase, making it more resilient to unexpected situations, like heavy rain covering a camera on a self-driving car.

Image via The Next Web 

Avian enthusiasts were excited to hear that a magnificent snowy owl has visited Central Park in Manhattan. Spectators flocked to the park to catch a glimpse of a rare bird that has not been seen in the area since 1890. This is because snowy owls prefer colder and more rural environments, such as upstate New York and Long Island, as My Modern Met details: 

Thanks to a long history of birding in Central Park, records of avian encounters could be consulted to date the last known sighting to 130 years ago exactly. Supposedly, 1890 was a banner year for sightings of this member of the raptor family all along the east coast.

Experts identified the snowy owl as a young female based on her black markings. The species hunts small rodents, but can also prey on larger mammals such as rabbits. Although the young owl appears to have just stayed briefly in the park, she was never lacking for company. Excited New Yorkers observed her from a distance, kept back by the winter fencing around the baseball field. According to the The New York Times, the Parks Department only had to interfere once to prevent the owl being disrupted.

The elegant owl had no such luck with her fellow birds. A territorial red-tailed hawk flew close to attempt to chase off the arctic intruder, but her feathers were only a little bit ruffled. She had to flap her wings to shoo away a group of crows who similarly took exception with her presence. Raptors such as snowy owls sometimes hunt crows, leading to a natural animosity.

Image via My Modern Met 

I can tell you what it was like, because 1977 is when I first saw Star Wars. I had missed the hype, because I was in college and saw no TV all that year. But some friends I worked with during the summer back in Kentucky insisted I go with them to see Star Wars. I had no particular expectations, but when the Imperial Star Destroyer filled the big screen during the opening scene, and got bigger, and bigger, and bigger, I knew it was something special. We went back to see it again and again, even though that meant an hour-long drive to the theater each time. I was hooked. This video gives the perspective of different people who recall their first impressions.