Like Captain Picard and Chief O'Brien say, building ships in bottles in fun. It's a centuries-old hobby.
In Japan, it continues to this day with gunpla--the hobby of building Gundam mecha models. For the past few years, Twitter user @rishima343 has been building Gundam models inside empty whiskey bottles. You can see a gallery of them at Kotaku.
Shane Wighton harnessed the power of geometry, physics, computer programming, machining, woodworking, and welding (he's a true renaissance man) to build a parabolic basketball backboard that drives the ball into the net.
Wighton based his design on millions of hypothetical shots, then used a CNC mill to cut the board out of pine. It failed spectacularly, necessitating new calculations and technical adjustments.
It's a truly amazing feat of imagination and multiple technical capabilities that will probably never been exhibited on an NBA court, which is unfortunate.
-via Gizmodo
Pictured above is Katy Ayers, a college student in Nebraska in a canoe that she grew herself.
Yes, grew. It's made of mushrooms. She made a wooden frame, then, with the assistance of local mushroom grower Ash Gordon, grew a mushroom body around it. NBC News describes the process:
They first built a wooden skeleton and a hammock-like structure to suspend the boat-shaped form in the air.
They next sandwiched the boat’s skeleton with mushroom spawn and let nature take over.
For two weeks, the fledgling canoe hung inside a special growing room in Gordon’s facility, where temperatures ranged between 80 and 90 degrees and the humidity hovered between 90 to 100 percent. The last step in the process was to let the 100-pound boat dry in the Nebraska sun.
The entire project cost $500. The canoe has been on the water three times, including once with two people inside. It's in good shape and is technically still alive, spawning more mushrooms.
-via Dave Barry | Photo: Katy Ayers
The Japanese artist dooo_cds, who makes eerily realistic objects that appear to be made of living human flesh, has turned his talents to tabletop gaming.
He has made a 6-sided die that blinks as you roll your fate. It appears to be a living creature with moles for number marks. If you need to make a sanity check in your game, use this die, for it has no mouth and yet must scream.
-via Super Punch
Chris Grady, the Lunarbaboon, has succeeded as a webcomic artist. If you can develop even just one dedicated hater, you've made an impact on the world.
Grady recorded a time-lapse video of himself drawing this cartoon. The creation process is itself interesting--perhaps even more so for whichever sad person seems to hate him.
Joe Exotic was detained and unable to attend such an important photo shoot. Nor was a tiger available. So Wisconsin farmers Kyle Harris and Jeff Kast painted a cow with the stripes and colors of a ferocious tiger. Then the two men donned wigs and clothes appropriate for their roles. You can see more photos at Fox News.
The leg brace is a nice touch.
-via Dave Barry
French street artist Braga painted a sphinx cat with such perfect perspective that it blends almost seamlessly into the background. The natural gas tank that serves as his canvas disappears when photographed from the right angle.
-via Lustik
Somebody once told me Starfleet is gonna roll me
I ain't the best emitter in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her long blue antennas
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
Okay, Smash Mouth's original lyrics for "All Star" were better. Thankfully, the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation did not alter them as they performed the song in this montage by Alexis Deveria.
-via reddit
Entrepreneur Danielle Baskin has the right idea. You want to see your own face all of the time? Well, you're not on Zoom all the time yet.
Give that a month.
Until then, Baskin has a solution: strap a mirror to your head. Then people who talk to you face-to-face (assuming that those sort still exist) will always be able to look at themselves.
Metal Art of Wisconsin is a sheet metal art company that produces a vast array of sculptures and useful appliances guaranteed to boost your testosterone and patriotism, including steel American flags, freedom cabinets, and laser-etched scrolls. Among their manliest of works is this jeep-shaped fire pit to warm your outdoor and off-road parties.
-via Geekologie
Goat 2 Meeting is a new service offered by Silicon Valley animal sanctuary Sweet Farm. When you want--when you need--a llama, goat, or other farm animal to attend one of your virtual meetings, you can get one. The consultation fee is $100, which is a bargain, considering the expertise and insights that llamas and, even more so, turkeys, can offer your firm during these difficult times. Business Insider reports:
Since Goat 2 Meeting opened up in mid-March, more than 300 requests have been made, Sweet told Business Insider. Sweet Farm's animals have already made appearances in meetings for Fortune 500 companies and tech startups, she said. In one virtual happy hour for a law firm, lawyers brought their kids along to the video call to meet the animals and get a virtual tour of the farm.
People can pay anywhere from $65 to $250 for various interactions with the animals, which include goats, sheep, pigs, cows, turkeys, and llamas — by far the most popular choice. For $65, you get a 20-minute virtual tour of the farm for up to six call participants. For a bigger meeting, you can pay $100 for a 10-minute animal cameo or $250 for a 25-minute virtual tour.
-via Marginal Revolution | Image: Sweet Farm
Julie Nolke traveled back in time three months from the present day to January. Because of time travel paradoxes, there was a limit to what she could say to her prior self. But she tried to leave some good hints about what she should be doing to prepare for the near future.
"Yeah, your definition of 'a pretty big deal' is going to change. For sure."
I really like this video because I've had this thought experiment myself. April 2020 John would warn January 2020 John to get better prepared to work from home and conduct homeschooling more effectively. I prepared for a natural disaster that was more intense, but of shorter duration.
-via My Modern Met
Redditor Unqualified2Live made this magnificent blueberry and cherry pie for Easter. I want to eat it, but it would feel like eating the Mona Lisa if it was made of chocolate. Some food art is just to amazing to actually devour and Unqualified2Live keeps making it, as you can see from this challah loaf and this fruit tart.
Forced to get creative in the confines of his own home, the mysterious artist Banksy let rats completely trash his bathroom. It's a terrible mess, as you can see at Street Art News. He's no longer the master of his own home and, worst of all, has lost access to his precious supply of toilet paper.
Whilst stuck in quarantine, Fanni and Norbert need something to do. So they've been using household items and creative problem solving to remake iconic scenes from movies, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger's rocket launcher scene from Commando. Norbert is hoarding toilet paper, but is fully prepared to defend his stash.
You can see 20 more remakes at Bored Panda, including images from The Silence of the Lambs, Forrest Gump, and Scarface.
-via Pleated Jeans
