Physalia

Physalia is a concept created by Vincent Callebaut Architectures. This floating garden produces more energy than it uses and is designed to clean the waterways on which it sails. The vision is that rivers all over Europe could have these whale shaped vessels cleaning their polluted waters making it drinkable. Fascinating!

The Art of Alexandre Farto

Trends Now features the work of young Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto. His series "Walls - Scratching the Surface" is a collection of murals created by hammering and carving into the layers of various walls using the language of stencil artists. I especially love the way he leaves the chipped remains at the foot of the piece.

Nuit Blanche

This film explores a fleeting moment between two strangers, and it's a true work of art! The incredible super slow motion filming, amazing special effects, and the overall style and design make this exquisite short a must see!

The End

Another wonderful animated short about a scarecrow who is tried for treason because he makes friends with a magpie. Strange and creepy yet ultimately touching. I love happy endings!

The Lady and The Reaper

This short movie by Javeir Recio Gracia is just wonderful! An old woman dies and her doctor and the Grim Reaper battle for her soul. It's quite silly and wonderfully animated.

K.D. Lang sings Hallelujah

I love K.D. Lang, and I love Leonard Cohen. This performance from the 2005 Juno Awards in Winnipeg is a tour de force!

Rotating Kitchen

This somewhat interesting art piece, created by Zeger Reyers, was first put into motion during the opening of an exhibition called "Eating the Universe" held at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Germany. It's fun to watch for a few minutes.

German Loft by GRAFT

If It's Hip It's Here has posted images of a modern loft created by GRAFT for a client in Hamburg Germany. The centralized kitchen module defines the spacial arrangement for the rest of the large loft. I find the interesting use of geometry and materials to be quite stunning.

La Corde á Linge

Pixiome has some images of a new cafe in France named La Corde á Linge; or The Clothesline. Interior and graphic designers worked in tandem to create this charming "wash day" themed brasserie. I love how its' overall simplicity is enriched by lovely details throughout.

Wilkinson Residence

Green Diary has images of the Wilkinson Residence; an amazing sort of tree house in Portland Oregon. The spacial organization flows like music and is built with the finest craftsmanship. A startling yet completely livable home.

The Art of Matthew Albanese

Artist Matthew Albanese has a series of work called "Strange Worlds". His small scaled and incredibly detailed models are made from everyday items, such as the chocolate and paprika Mars landscape shown above. He uses forced perspectives and other photographic techniques to create a sense of vastness though the models are only a couple of feet deep. His work is worth the look.

LittleDog Robot

I've posted about Boston Dynamics BIGDOG robot, and now the University of Southern California has been perfecting the smaller version called LittleDog. This robot is truly amazing; and scary! With autonomous navigation and sensory systems, this little guy can traverse a variety of unexpected terrains with ease. Though I'm awed by the advancements in robotic technology, I'm also a bit concerned that they'll be coming after us soon!

Aircruise Hydrogen Airship Concept

The Design Blog has images from the London-based design company Seymourpowell's new concept in air travel. Their "Clipper in the Clouds" is a cross between a ship and a floating hotel which can move passengers in total luxury, while leaving no carbon footprint.

The Art of Phillip Toledano

Artist Phillip Toledano has created a portrait series of people who have undergone "extreme" plastic surgery. On his website he asks "Is beauty informed by contemporary culture? By history? Or is it defined by the surgeon's hand?" Toledano's images transform what might be seen as "freakish", into gorgeous portraits; reminds me a bit of JP Witkin.

The Story of Stuff

Here's an ecological lesson for us all. Annie Leonard takes us on a journey that examines the global impacts of the "stuff" we consume; from extraction through sale, use and disposal, and the cultural morays that cause us to consume in the first place. A very well made educational video that should be watched by everyone.

The Known Universe

This video was created by the American Museum of Natural History and is based on the most complete four-dimensional map of the universe. Every star, planet, and quasar is derived from astronomical data collected to date. Get ready to feel insignificant!

Hail Storm in Oklahoma City

My husband often tells me that Californians don't really know what storms are. This video would support that statement. A family videotapes a May 2010 Oklahoma storm in which golf ball sized hail stones turn their pool into a roiling hell! Amazing and frightening at the same time.

Rotary Phone Sheep

Inhabitat has images of the amazing sheep created by artist Jean Luc Cornec as displayed at the Museum of Communications in Frankfurt. Each member of the large flock is made from old rotary phone parts. The deft posing of each sheep makes them seem all the more naturalistic. Lovely work!

A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter

A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter is the amazing creation of artist Caleb Larsen. This simple acrylic box has a single port to connect it to the internet, at which point the box lists itself for sale on Ebay. Purchasers must agree to connect the piece to the internet, and when it sells again, they must give it up. The price, of course, continues to rise, and the artist gets a small percentage from each sale. Absolutely brilliant!

Most Beautiful Mushrooms

Fizzy Energy has some lovely pictures of mushrooms. Unfortunately, they don't provide any names or information on each species, but still they're amazing to look at. I doubt any of them are edible.

Subway Architecture

Design Boom has a wonderful collection of images from subway systems around the world. Subways play such an important role in cities, and convey the cultural aesthetics of their built environments. Shown above is the Tunnelbana of Stockholm.