John Farrier's Blog Posts

What Is the Purpose of This Weird Door?

Core77 directs our attention to this unusual door manufactured by the New Jersey-based firm Construction Specialties. The door has a door inside. Why? The answer is below the fold.

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A Stop-Motion Chase Scene Created in a Single Room

Kevin Parry is a master of stop-motion animation. We've shared his work extensively and all is worth watching.

His latest project used 444 shots recorded over a 10 day period. The end result of his precise labor is 36 seconds of adrenalin-pumping chasing. Parry depicts a man on the run from the law and being pursued by police cruisers. He never leaves his chair, but with clever yet often simple visual effects, he tells a story of a cunning criminal who has complete mastery of his car.

Enjoy this episode of Grand Theft Auto: Living Room. But don't drive like this at home.

-via The Awesomer


Olympic Kitesurfer Rescues Girl from Drowning

Bruno Lobo was a champion swimmer and triathelte before switching to kite surfing, a sport in which he represented his homeland of Brazil in the 2024 Olympics. Sky News reports that on January 10 he was recording a training session off the coast of São Luís when he saw a 15-year old girl struggling to swim and losing her strength.

Lobo immediately abandoned his surfing and brought the girl to his board, then paddled the two of them ashore as she clung to his back. Lifeguards met them in the surf. The girl appeared to be okay and, at the end of the video, is in good enough condition to thank and hug Lobo.

-via Colin Rugg


No One Appreciates Great Art

Bobo is a genius--a tortured genius. That's because no one understands the meaning and depth that lie within Bobo's art. He is an ape of vision. As he sucks on a heater back in his studio, Bobo knows this is true. But he remembers the fate of Vincent Van Gogh--he might not be honored in his own lifetime. Or, worse, even after that.

Bobo is less fortunate than Beetle Moses, the artist who composed this cartoon.


Pizzeria Takes Stand Against Pineapple Pizza by Charging $122 for a Pie

Some people enjoy pineapple on pizza. I am one of them and am a noted gourmand, so let that fact speak on behalf of this pizza preference.

The "chefs" at Lupa Pizza in Norfolk, UK* disagree. The Norfolk Evening News reports that they will make you a Hawaiian pizza if you insist upon it. But it's going to cost you £100.

The owner, Francis Woolf, is allowing customers to vote to make this pizza a special. But he's also threatening to raise the price to £200 if they do so. Cross his taste buds at your peril.

-via Dave Barry

*The British should not criticize anyone's culinary choices.


Hooked Rugs Look Almost Exactly Like Real Dogs Napping

Colossal introduces us to the fabric arts of Emily O'Leary, an artist in New York who has gained fame for her original applications for embroidery and rug hooking. The latter category includes rugs that looks almost exactly like dogs sleeping on floors, enjoying the carefree lives that we humans give to them.

The dogs are functional rugs, so they look flattened. But, from a distance and without depth perception, you'd swear that you're about to meet a real dog.

O'Leary crafts her rugs from photos of real dogs. You can read a comprehensive description of her creation process with photos of each step here.


Skydiver Accidentally Lands Inside Chimpanzee Habitat at Zoo

The parachutist had planned to land in a soccer field as part of a public celebration in Rhenen, the Netherlands, on Saturday. But he was unable to steer his descent precisely and instead came down inside the Ouwehands Zoo. Specifically, he arrived inside the enclosure dedicated to and ruled by bonobo chimpanzees.

The NL Times reports that the gentleman was fortunate in that he landed in that particular open-air habitat. The bonobos were indoors at the time. And, furthermore, had he drifted a bit further, he could have landed in the nearby lion or elephant habitats.

-via Super Punch | Photo: Aart Maren


A Vending Machine That Sells Crickets (To Eat)

Japan is famous for its sophisticated vending machines where people can buy an incredible variety of items far beyond mere cold drinks. These include vending machines that sell chicken nuggets, diapers, and even other vending machines.

Sonsern Lin, known on the internet as Hungry OC, discovered another remarkable vending machine in that fabled land of vending machine wonders. This food blogger known for eating the most extreme foods dared a vending machine that sells edible crickets.

We've known that crickets can be a food source for a while. But it appears that this vending machine also offers hornets as an option.

-via Massimo


Man Finds Lost Christmas Present from 46 Years Ago While Remodeling Home

Tim King does home remodeling in western Chicago. Recently, he worked on the home that belonged to his parents. While tearing down some drywall, he found a wrapped Christmas present. It had his name on it and dated back to 1978, when King was six years old.

King figures that it must have been in the attic and fallen inside the wall. Now, this prized toy was finally in his hands. WGN 9 News reports that removing the wrapping paper revealed a Matchbox Sky Busters toy plane set. King affirms that, at six, he would have loved to receive this gift. It's a bit late now, but he still enjoys the present.

-via Born in Space


A Modern Cuckoo Clock

Part of the charm of cuckoo clocks is their old world charm that inspires images of the Alpine cultures that created them. Etsy seller woodmess of Istanbul designs and builds modern interpretations of the classic design with vibrant colors and robust curves.

Like its predecessors, the bird pops out at the hour to sing and dance. But this time, it pops out of a house that looks like it belongs in a Los Angeles suburb instead of southern Germany. Each clock is made to order to suit each customer's color preferences, although woodmess urges light colors for the bird to ensure that it doesn't disappear in its cave.

-via Core77


Wooden Ice Cream Melts Very Slowly

Redditor /u/mstacle has an impressive corpus of work, but I'm especially taken with this playful sculpture that looks like a melting ice cream treat. They tell us that the ice cream is made out of walnut and the stick is made of maple. Like the line attributed to Michelangelo that he was freeing the angel concealed in the marble, /u/mstacle experienced "a tedious process of slowly removing the material to get the melty vibe."


Hijab Cosplays by Ai Nurul

Ai Nurul, a cosplayer in Malaysia, integrates the hijab into all of her costumes. This often involves making creatively designed and assembled hijabs that serve as wigs, convincingly presenting as hair. You can see that vividly in this horror version of a female Ronald MacDonald.

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Embroidery Journaling

Explore this image and you'll see represented an entire year of one person's life. Specifically, it's Sophie O'Neill's experience of 2020.

She tells BBC News that she began January 1 of that year by embroidering an icon representing the fountain at a hotel where she worked. Each day, she added a new icon representing that particular day in her life and the experience that was for her. She matches each icon with a few words that she writes down in a journal to provide context.

Now, in 2025, O'Neill is still going strong. She offers online resources for people who would like to join her in embroidering 2025.

-via Kottke


Dog Assists Ambulance by Howling with the Siren

Kaido is a miniature Australian Shepherd. Matty is a human (I'm guessing; he doesn't say directly). Together, they bike through the streets of New York City.

Kaido is a civic-minded dog who contributes to the well-being of his polity. He is involved with the efficient implementation of social services, such as ambulances, by howling whenever he hears the siren erupting from one.

-via Laughing Squid


Elegantly Painted Sourdough Loaves

Kelsey Piggott is a master baker in North Salt Lake, Utah who specializes in sourdough bread loves painted with vivid images from life and popular culture. I take it this loaf comes from a scene in which Bluey and Bingo pretend to be elderly women.

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Profile for John Farrier

  • Member Since 2012/08/04


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