102 Visual Phenomena & Visual Illusions – website of Michael Bach, a German professor of ophthalmology. Each illusion or phenomenon is explained, includes references, and an interactive way to convince yourself of what’s really happening. Absorbing and fascinating, especially for anyone involved with design, color, signage and wayfinding. Shown here …
Downtown Chicago projected in a new light – Time for a break? Watch this 3:48 min clip by Chris Pritchard of bustling Chicago in all kinds of light and shadow, from all kinds of vantage points, from on and off the water.
Saw this great Venetian library renovation in Lotus 151 (p 42) by Michele De Lucchi, the Biblioteca di Storia dell’Arte in a wing of the Fondazione Cini, a former dormitory for Benedictine monks. If you have a few minutes, treat yourself to a visit to De Lucchi’s website, aMDL …
The ABC Of Architects: An Animated List of Famous Designers And Their Buildings – one and a half minutes of fun, famous buildings by famous architects animated by Andrea Stinga and Federico Gonzalez of Ombu Architecture. Their tumblr site has more famous architects condensed to a wonderful graphic essence. It’s worth browsing through …
[You don’t need to] understand music – take a break, watch this beautiful short (2:12 min) animation from German design studio finally on enjoying music no matter how complex it is.
LED-Embedded Rocks Used to Illuminate ‘Digital Campfire’ – Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde’s light installation, called Crystal, consists of 700 rocks on a mat. Each rock … is made out of a unique salt which grows in perfect geometric shapes around two LEDs. These are wirelessly charged via a power …
Here’s a start on collections of ‘the best’ of 2012. Check back for more, suggest your favorites – this a live list. PSFK’s Top 20 of 2012 – with source of image Best of the best of 2012 science and tech articles – from the BBC; thanks to Oleg Kravtsov …
If you’re looking for something to watch during this holiday season, you might consider Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander, especially the four-part TV version rather than the shorter film version. It starts out with Christmas celebrations in the home of a wealthy Swedish family in the early 1900s, a …
‘Tis the season when you might appreciate a break from end-of-year and holiday preparations. Take 5+ minutes to watch the Som Sabadell flashmob and you’ll be smiling. What makes this particular flashmob so wonderful (aside from Beethoven’s Ode to Joy) is the way whoever filmed it has captured the mood …
Ravi Shankar, master of the sitar, had an immense influence on both Eastern and Western music, often through his friendships with musicians like George Harrison, Philip Glass, and John Coltrane. To honor his memory – he died yesterday (Dec 11) – here are a couple of clips that give …
Check out LinkedIn today’s series The Biggest Ideas of 2013 for a variety of thoughtful posts on living happily and productively, work-life balance, business, technology, how we think and a host of other topics. They’re short and worth a look when you need a bit of inspiration or encouragement.
A Never-Before-Seen Satellite View of Earth’s Cities at Night – 2:10-min video clip showing light coming from the Earth, as seen from Space via the satellite Suomi NPP. You’ll see city lights certainly, but also wildfires and gas flares from oil fields. More here, from NASA.
A Treehouse Made From The Trunk Of A 100-Foot Tree – park structure in Indiana uses every part of one huge tree trunk, assembled puzzle-like by Visiondivision. The shingles are maintenance free for 80 years.
Check out Kevin Kelly’s Asia Grace page for wonderful photos from all around the Asian continent, as he says it’s “a showcase for the textures and traditions of Asia.” The blog page gives a list of all the Asian countries included. Definitely worth a look. Shown here is Tibet farmstead windows.
Nature’s Disco: See the Northern Lights – the 4:26-min video clip in this post is definitely worth a look, especially for those of us who’ve never seen the this amazing phenomenon in real life. Photo Credit: Moyan_Brenn/flickr Scientists predict this winter to be the best in 50 years to experience …
Large-Scale Installation Lets Visitors Walk On Air – installation by artist / architect Tomas Saraceno is layers of clear film that gallery-goers can climb around on, if they dare. See more photos and a video on this “bouncy castle” here (also the source of the image shown). …the presence and …
Post on the Blog of the Long now, India’s Living Bridges, is about traditional bridges grown from roots in Northeast India. Check out the 4:30-min clip and the link to more images on Atlas Obscura’s website (a site that’s definitely worth a look). The root bridges, some of which are …
Next time you need a break, take a look at APOD, NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. Most of the images are of objects in space – stars, planets, galaxies – but some, like yesterday’s Mammatus Clouds Over Saskatchewan, focus on ‘the heavens’ in a more general way. All …