Shiekh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan of the UAE, owner of the largest pickup truck in the world, would like to leave his mark on the world. He'd prefer to do so in a way that's visible from space, so he had workers dig letters a thousand feet across into the sand of his island Al Futaisi:
The name is two miles across — with letters a kilometre high. It is so huge that the "H", the first "A" and part of the "M" have been made into waterways.
The mega-rich sheikh, 63 — a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi — in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates — boasts a £14billion fortune that is second only to the Saudi king's.
Guy-Olivier Deveua does amazing work in a wide variety of media, as his website illustrates, but it's this sand sculpture that's recently captured a lot of attention. His ice sculptures are also quite striking and worth a look. Artist's Website and deviantART Gallery -via Geekologie
Windell Oskay made this 8-pound cake with a 3D printer called a CandyFab 4000:
The shape is a 3/4 twist mobius strip with a square cross section and windows cut at regular intervals in all of the sides the side. Even though it's hollow, it still weighs seven pounds and fourteen ounces-- that's a lot of sugar. We're bringing this monster to Maker Faire this weekend, so you can see it for yourself, too.
Link -via reddit | Photo: Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories
Dutch designers Nathan Wierink and Tineke Beunders made a lovely wooden table covered with marble runs. The video is mesmerizing. Young children could have a lot of fun with this table. http://www.ontwerpduo.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125&Itemid=81 -via This Is Colossal
Doryan of Eyes of a Brownie decorated this dollar bill in a Super Mario Bros. theme. What, did you think that we were still using gold coins? Shoot, it's not even backed up by gold coins anymore. Link -via The Mary Sue
A firm called Design Office Takebayashi Scroggin made this sculpture named "Zip Tie Massimal" out of 20,000 zip ties. It's a 1:1 scale bear when fully expanded. You can see detailed photos, as well as some taken during the construction process, at the link.
Raise your hand if you thought of the TV show Manimal as soon as you read the name of the sculpture. I can't be the only one.
This Japanese language video shows a house that is only 67 inches wide, yet is quite comfortable and equipped. The kitchen is tiny, but it has a full-size bath and one of those super high-tech toilets. It's two stories tall and features a lovely skylight with rooftop access. -via Doobybrain
Brandon Michael, an art student at Purdue University, reproduced six classic superhero comic book covers in stained glass. Pictured above is a 1939 issue of Batman. I would love to see Ninja High School #1 in this medium. http://www.manormonsterstudios.com/stained-glass.html -via Nerd Bastards
Last Sunday, the UAE defeated Lebanon 6-2. Awana Diab scored a goal with a creative penalty kick that was struck with his heel:
Diab's setup seemed like any other for a penalty, but as he ran up to the ball, he stopped, turned around and backheeled the it toward the goal. Stunned by the audacity, madness and nerve it takes to try and score a penalty with your back to the goal, the keeper just stood and watched as the ball trickled into the net.
The UAE's coach immediately yanked Diab from the game, asserting that he had acted disrespectfully to the opposing team. Link -via Ace of Spades HQ
The Museum of Non-Visible Art is an organization that hosts and sells art that exists only in the imagination of the artist. Or, as the people behind the museum prefer to call it, "non-visible". One piece recently sold for $10,000. Paste Magazine described it as:
A unique piece, only this one is for sale. The air you are purchasing is like buying an endless tank of oxygen. No matter where you are, you always have the ability to take a breath of the most delicious, clean-smelling air that the earth can produce. Every breath you take gives you endless peace and health. This artwork is something to carry with you if you own it. Because wherever you are, you can imagine yourself getting the most beautiful taste of air that is from the mountain tops or fields or from the ocean side; it is an endless supply.
Now that sounds perfect for that big blank wall in your office, right? In case you're worried that you're getting ripped off, the museum assures you that its works are completely real. In a sense:
Although the artworks themselves are not visible, the descriptions open our eyes to a parallel world built of images and words. This world is not visible, but it is real, perhaps more real than the world of matter, and it is also for sale.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/07/19/138513048/woman-pays-10-000-for-non-visible-work-of-art?ft=1&f=1001&sc=tw and Official Website -via Geekosystem
Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user Leonski used under Creative Commons license
Frank Glick, an amateur photographer, captured this amazing image at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minnesota. He thought that the family of the veteran buried at that gravestone might like to have a copy, and did some research on Sgt. Maurice Ruch.
Ruch, a veteran of World War II, was a US Army marksman who served in the Aleutian Islands and earned a Bronze Star. Then he went home, became an engineer and got married. John Tevlin of the Star Tribute spoke with Ruch's widow, Vivian, and best friend, Jack Kiefner:
I told Vivian that some cultures believe the eagle is a symbol, not only of patriotism and dignity, but a messenger between heaven and earth. She nodded solemnly.
"I'd say the eagle had a very good eye when he landed on Maurie, and he was respected," she said.
"I miss him," said Vivian as she picked up the photo. "He was a good man and a good provider."
"The eagle couldn't have picked a better person," said Kiefner.
The lovemaking scenes in romance novels set in the Victorian era often describe the rending of corsets and petticoats as the lovers rush to consummate their passion. Er, at least, that's what I've been told by people who read such works. Anyway, many romance novel authors would like for their stories to be historically accurate, right down to the specific layers of clothing worn by ladies of that time period. For their benefit, Deeanne Gist recently presented a workshop to authors who wanted to get the details right:
It took an hour for Ms. Gist to squeeze into a dozen layers that a lady would have worn in the 1860s—stockings, garters, bloomers, chemise, corset, crinoline or hoop skirt, petticoats, a shirtwaist or blouse, skirt, vest and bolero jacket. By the end, workshop attendees were skeptical that seductions ever occurred, with so many sartorial barriers.
"How did they ever have hanky panky?" asked novelist Annie Solomon.
With great effort, it turns out. Women wore blouses under their corsets—making actual bodice ripping fairly pointless. Corsets fastened in front and laced up the back and couldn't be undone in a single passionate gesture. "You'll see pictures of corsets on bare skin. That's completely historically inaccurate," Ms. Gist told her audience.
This somewhat frightening video allegedly shows a man trying to cross a busy street in Vietnam. Timing is everything, and there are no save points partway, nor extra lives. -via Blame It on the Voices
The German ad agency Kolle Rebbe designed chunks of Parmesan cheese shaped like pencils. Flakes are shaved off with a manual pencil sharpener:
The cheeses are shaped like oversized pencils, where the “leads” contain three different flavors: truffles, pesto and chilli. With the sharpener included, the required amount of cheese can be sprinkled on the dish. A scale on the pencils and on the back of the packaging doesn’t just simply list how much of the Cheese Pencil is needed for each dish, but even how many calories the portion contains.
Apparently, this is a sport, although it's probably fallen out of favor in recent decades. This 1969 video from Cumberland, UK, shows four men trying to finish a full pipe the fastest. Place your bets. -via The Presurfer
