It's not easy being green, and even Yoda is occasionally gripped with a bit of self-pity. Peter de Sève figures that the Jedi master and Kermit have a lot in common: they're both puppets, green-skinned, and live in swamps. Link and Artist's Website via reddit

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The Philips Parallel Lines: Tell It Your Way film contest invited people to make a short film, no longer than three minutes, that contained these lines as its dialogue:

What’s That?
It’s a Unicorn
Never seen one up close before
Beautiful
Get away, get away
I’m sorry.

The winner, as judged by acclaimed directory Ridley Scott, was Porcelain Unicorn. Watch this tale of innocence found and shattered during World War II.

Contest Website and Film Website (warning: auto-sound) -via The Mary Sue

Stacey Lee Weber does some amazing work with coins. She hammers them into a multitude of objects, including flags, bells, ladders, plumb bobs, hammers, and screwdrivers. This tape measure was made from nickels, silver, silver dimes, and silver quarters. http://staceyleewebber.com/STACEY_LEE_WEBBER/HOME.html -via Dude Craft | Photo: Larry Sanders

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Sure, a light trial bike can be turned sharply and quickly, but how about an 800-pound Harley-Davidson Road King? Here's a video of Donnie Williams of Grand Prairie, Texas, taking his patrol motorcycle through a series of precise, tight turns. He doesn't knock over a single cone. -via MArooned

Since 1982, the English Department of San Jose State University has invited people to write terrible opening lines for novels, most of which are presumably never written. The contest is named after Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, who infamously began his 1830 novel Paul Clifford with the trite line "It was a dark and stormy night". This year's winner, composed by Sue Frodie, was this delightful sentence:

Cheryl’s mind turned like the vanes of a wind-powered turbine, chopping her sparrow-like thoughts into bloody pieces that fell onto a growing pile of forgotten memories.

You can see the runners up and winners in genre categories at the link. My favorite is from Andrea Rossi, who was the runner up for the category of historical fiction:

The executioner sneered as the young queen ascended the stairs to the guillotine; in the old days, he thought, at least there was some buildup, a little time on the rack or some disemboweling, but nowadays everyone wants instant gratification.

That's so true. I blame video games for this tendency. http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2011.htm -via The Hairpin | Photo by Flickr user markhillary used under Creative Commons license Previously: the 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007 winners

The Kiss is the most famous work of Austrian Symbolist painter Gustav Klimt. Rich Pellegrino was inspired by it and other works of Klimt to depict Link and Zelda in this moving piece entitled Zelda's Slumber; Dreaming of The Kiss. At the link, you can see it and concept sketches that show Pellegrino working out the concept. Link -via Kotaku | Image used with permission

Korean artist Yong Ho Ji takes old tires and turns them into awesome sculptures of sharks, horses, monsters, and men. Much of his work is a warning about the dangers of genetic manipulation:

Ho’s concept of mutants grew out of his life in Seoul, where there is fierce political debate over genetic engineering. In school, Yong Ho read Darwin and was galvanized by how his theory of evolution applied to man’s manipulation with nature. Already, he says, cats and dogs are bred to emphasize their domesticated traits and downplay their wild sides. The sculptures can be taken as warnings; if we’re not careful, we may soon lose the ability to see animals in their natural state altogether.

Link | Interview

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Storms recently hammered Sydney, Australia, dropping a month of rain in a single day. They were so severe that this waterfall south of the city appeared to be flowing upwards. If you watch carefully, you can see wind sweeping water over the upper edge. Link (warning: auto-sound) -via Technabob

If you've ever wanted to have a conversation with your paper towel roll, then artist Brooks Bischof has the perfect product for you. His laser cut roll proclaims "You used me once and threw me away." http://www.privatecotton.com/art/0026-what-a-waste -via NotCot

Designer Yogi Proctor coated a Canon copier in gold. It is, sadly, no longer functional. So it may not be a good buy if you're in the market for a new copier.

When asked to explain why he made it, Proctor cryptically responded:

Well, I happened to re-hear the famous JFK speech on the radio that was actually written by Ted Sorensen, who himself modified it from a Khalil Gibran speech. It goes "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

I knew exactly what I could do. I could make a golden photocopier that doesn't make any copies. Art is great like that. You make it to share with people.

Link -via Born Rich | Photo: Yogi Proctor

With the right selections, you could almost tell a story with these eyelashes available at Nonesuchthings. They're inspired by Chinese papercrafts and carry symbols from its traditions:

The designs come steeped in Chinese symbolic meaning with "Deer and Butterfly" meaning "free, sensitive and delicate".

http://www.nonesuchthings.com/ -via Swiss Miss | Photo: Christina Wilson

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Lara, a classically-trained musician in Sydney, has been earning major Internet points in the past few weeks for applying her skills to the sounds of pop culture, including the theme to The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. In this recent video, she plays variations of Rebecca Black's "Friday" and the theme to Nyan Cat together. The two pieces work surprisingly well together. -via Geekosystem

Darick Maasen made this taxidermed version of a Koopa Paratroopa from the Super Mario Bros. franchise. It's the perfect display item for a man cave -- far superior to a mere mounted deer head. http://www.darickmaasen.com/portfolio/artwork/ -via Uniblog

Max Alexander knitted this adorable octopus, hoping that the little fella will be as good a knitter as himself:

I seem to have a bit of a thing for knitting octopuses at the minute. (2 here and 1 here!) I’m not sure why because I always get bored of the tentacles after I’ve done two or three. So I decided to make one that’s good at knitting in the hope that it’ll do some for me. This one is already much better at colourwork than I am!

Link -via Craft

Here's a clever test developed by Dr. Aude Oliva, a cognitive scientist at MIT. If you see Marilyn Monroe instead of Albert Einstein, you're a bit nearsighted. I don't see any indication that this what Oliva was trying to do, but it does serve that purpose nicely. Link -via Ace of Spades HQ