Master pie artist Jessica Clark-Bojin (previously at Neatorama) is challenging members of the Instagram piecrafting community to devise a #MonsterPie for Halloween. One of her own contributions is this frightening Jack-o-lantern pie that offers more than a hollow interior. Her whole Instagram page is worth exploring, as she has already become internet famous for such works as Dark Crystal and baby Yoda pies.
-via Design You Trust
Hannah Grace, an artist in the UK, transforms herself into amazing creatures with paint and makeup. Parts of her body disappear, then reappear elsewhere. She seemingly melts, breaks apart, and comes together again.
Iron Cat is here to save the world. He's ready, now that he has a 3D printed helmet that even pops open to reveal the (very patient) cat's face on demand. Cathode the cat of Besançon, France models the latest superhero costume.
-via Dave Barry
This seal is well-known among the people who live along the River Witham in Anton's Gowt, Lincolnshire, UK. He is called Dandy Dinmont (and he looks the role) and has been a resident since 2017.
Recently, Dandy visited a group of paddleboarders. Lincolnshire Live reports that he climbed on two of the boards and stayed there for about 10 to 15 minutes.
-via Super Punch
Do you have a romance that reminds you of Harley Quinn and the Joker? Then Etsy seller Nenad Cicmil has the perfect wedding ring for you. If you have a different sort of relationship, like that of Spawn and Wanda Simmons or the Punisher and Maria Castle, then this jeweler has more options for you.
For me, I'll take this black gold Batman ring for a gritty reboot marriage. I'd propose in a forced gravely voice, like Christian Bale struggled to use in The Dark Knight film trilogy.
-via Technabob
Mezerg is a French musician and instrument designer who builds unique instruments, including a watermelon, a theremin ring, and an electric drill.
His latest creation is the Piano Cocktail. Selected keys open the stops on liquor bottles, allowing the musician to play a cocktail into existence. You can also mix a specific recipe. It just might sound weird.
-via Born in Space
Are you clothed above the waist right now? If so, why? Unless you're a klutz with your webcam, you have nothing to worry about. Right now, I'm wearing pajama shorts with a dress shirt because no one in my upcoming Zoom meeting will see my lower body.
Fashion brands are catching up with this trend. The BBC reports:
A "waist-up" focus has been noticed at both Milan and London Fashion Weeks, with detailed necklines and relaxed trousers. [...]
"Fashion is about reacting to reality," said Miuccia Prada, head designer of Prada, at its virtual Milan fashion show. "During lockdown, I realised how important technology is and how it is impactful for us, and in some ways, an extension of ourselves."
"The tunic tops and roll necks, with the brand's famous triangle logo blown up and placed directly below the neckline, will certainly catch the eye of your fellow Zoomers," Jane McFarland, fashion director at The Sunday Times, said of the collection.
-via Dave Barry
Spoon & Tamago describes several ways in which public parks in Tokyo have been carefully prepared to convert into emergency shelters in the event of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake. Among the features are pagoda shelters that are sized for tent covers, manholes that give access to the sewer system for portable toilets, and solar powered lights that direct people to shelters during power outages.
I'm especially impressed with the simple but clever addition of wood burning cook stoves to park benches. You can see two such designs above.
This is Roll Bottom, a desk design by Ian Stell. The metal secretary desk cover slides down and forms the seat. I'm not sure if it's practical, but it's pretty. You could give it to a coworker that you dislike.
-via Swiss Miss
If you had the hands of a LEGO minifig, what would they look like? Comic book artist James McKelvie directs us to this image. These flesh claws would actually be useful for precision tool work. We'll have to change the way keyboards are designed, though.
-via Super Punch
Helen Nugent taught herself the arcane arts of piecraft. As you can see from her Instagram feed, she has thoroughly mastered them. From her home kitchen in Toronto, she weaves the most elaborately tasty and beautiful pies you've ever seen. Nugent now passes on her knowledge in a newly-published grimoire titled Pie Style: Stunning Designs and Flavorful Fillings You Can Make at Home.
YouTube user TrainDozer imagines a different type of Star Trek show: a sitcom. Adapting the theme song for Family Matters, one of the iconic sitcoms of 90s, he introduces Data, the titular character of a comedic and wholesome story of an android trying to become a human. Data lives on a ship with a family of good-natured humans and a Klingon.
-via reddit
For now, we're going to ignore the fact that Romeo and Juliet is about two idiotic teenagers who got themselves and four other people killed in four days. And we're going to hope that this couple has a happier life.
But, like the lovers in Shakespeare's tale, they did meet in Verona and woo from balconies. Quarantined in apartments across a street from each other, they felt an immediate attraction. The Washington Post describes their love story:
Michele D’Alpaos, 38, first laid eyes on Paola Agnelli, 40, in mid-March when she walked out on her balcony. Agnelli spotted D’Alpaos that night on his terrace, and said it was love at first sight.
“I was immediately struck by the beauty of this girl, by her smile,” D’Alpaos said. “I had to know her.”
Agnelli stood directly across from him on her sixth-floor balcony while her sister performed a violin rendition of “We Are The Champions” as part of a nightly 6 p.m. musical performance, intended to uplift the quarantined neighborhood.
“It was a magical moment,” said Agnelli, who has lived in the same apartment complex since she was 5 years old. She had never met D’Alpaos, even though he has lived opposite her, on the seventh floor, for most of his life.
“I immediately thought, ‘What a beautiful boy,’ ” she continued.
They met online and dated that way, eager for the next ten weeks to meet in person.
Barred from stepping closer than 200 meters away (about 220 yards), a smitten D’Alpaos was desperate to show his affection to Agnelli. He started by sending multiple bouquets of flowers, but then decided that wasn’t enough.
In an effort to put his love on full display, D’Alpaos hung an old bedsheet with “Paola” emblazoned in big, bold bubble letters from his apartment complex in late March.
They finally met in person in May and are now engaged.
-via Dave Reaboi | Photo: Paola Agnelli
Michael Locascio, an artist in New Jersey, specializes in sculptures and household objects that are macabre and delightfully unsettling. Among his works are sculptures of spectral figures that appear to emerge from mirrors to haunt your home.
They're made with glow-in-the-dark resin to add to the ghostly effect. All they need now are sound effects that can be activated at the right moment. They're perfect for any young child's bedroom.
-via Design You Trust
When Queen Elizabeth II participates in a public event, everything is carefully planned, choreographed, and stage-managed. People working with the Queen need to rehearse, so they call in Ella Slack. She's the Queen's stand-in.
Although she doesn't look much like the Queen, Slack is about the same height (just two inches shorter). She's close enough that event managers can rehearse as though Slack is the Queen. In this video by Great Big Story, Slack describes her work.
-via Messy Nessy Chic
