Dark Roasted Blend

Quick Shot: Dieselpunk Art

2012-05-17T16:59:00.001-07:00

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Quick Update: Great Dieselpunk Art

Is there such a thing as "blimp-punk"? Well, these airships are sufficiently dark, industrial and dirty to be called such... Click to enlarge, this is fantastic and very atmospheric work "Landscapes L51" by Gutalin! - see it in detail here.

Also, don't miss this wonderfully futuristic vision of the Gears City by Daniel Dociu:

(art by Daniel Dociu)

Daniel Dociu is a video game art director and concept artist at NCsoft North America & ArenaNet. Dociu was born in Cluj, Romania.

Here is yet another lovely dieselpunk artwork by Stefan Prohaczka:

...and a nameless futuristic city by Benedict Campbell (see more here - some nsfw):

(art by Benedict Campbell)

Don't miss these REAL dieselpunk images from the 1940s US War Effort (in wonderful Kodachrome, see more at Shorpy):

(images via)

CONTINUE TO OUR RETRO-FUTURE CATEGORY!

Link Latte 180

2012-05-16T22:42:00.002-07:00

#180 - Week of May 16, 2012

Every Ship Lost by Great Britain in WW2, hi-res - [super image]
Extreme Climbing in Moscow, pics - [urban]
Spectacular Planet System Found - [wow space]
Predictions about 2001 from 1901 - [futurism]
Forbidden Colors Can Be Seen! - [fascinating]
StratoCruiser!, VW MicroBus - [concepts]
Unveiled: Plans to Nuke the Moon - [history]
Tokyo Sumida River Lit Up with 100,000 LEDs - [art]
Our True Humanity Reach - [wow space]
More of the Scale of the Universe - [with additional info]
The Caterpillar That Makes Its Own Camouflage, more - [pics]
The First Practical Artificial Leaf- [wow science]
Biomes of the Earth: Geography - [cool map]
And the Global Amount of Water on Earth - [infographic]
First James Bond actor: Barry Nelson - [interesting]
Turn Anything Into a Keyboard, video - [crazy project]
Aeolipile: 1st Century B.C. Steam Engine - [info]
The Monument to Electricity that Never Was - [colossal]
Spooky Abandoned Australian Prison - [gross, pics]
Frightening Mosquitoes Invasion - [pics, scroll down]
Pulsar Sound: Cosmic Drum Beat - [wow video]
It's hard work but somebody's gonna do it - [fun video]
Truly Weird Dance from the 1950s - [fun video]
Narrow Twisting Road: a Truck and a Bus - [wow video]
Mesmerizing Play: Hit that ball! - [wow video]
Carmageddon: Screwed Up Physics - [nsfw, Michael Bay-like]
Impossible Plane Surfing, with Bus - [game videos]
Camaro Axle Total Failure - [wow video]
London Futurism from 1924 - [cool video]

SEE ALL OTHER LINK LATTE ISSUES HERE

Mobile Home, Flying Edition

2012-05-15T22:13:00.003-07:00

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Scroll down for today's pictures & links.

Mobile Home, Flying Edition

Four Pratt & Whitney engines propel this "flying RV boat" to recreational bliss in the clouds. Even if this is not real, somebody should definitely step up to the challenge and build this thing!

Link

Today's pictures & links:

A Rainbow at Mt. Rundle, Banff, Canada

(image credit: Mark Thomas)

This is just one of many spectacular photos taken by Mark Thomas on the trip from Calgary to Vancouver (read the travelogue and see photos at Summit Post). Since we are based near Banff National Park ourselves, we are very aware of the Canadian Rockies's abundant natural wonders. With Mark Thomas' kind permission, here are more shots of the area:

Mt. Biddle & Lake McArthur with its vibrant color:

(image credit: Mark Thomas)

Some nameless, beautiful Alpine ledges:

(image credit: Mark Thomas)

Climbing even higher, here is a superb view from the Panorama Ridge:

(image credit: Mark Thomas)

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Messier Deep Sky Object Number 78

Well, climbing even higher... we see a shimmering nebula and dense clouds of cosmic dust in the Orion constellation. This NGC 2068 nebula near the famous Orion's belt is often called "Reflection Nebula" because the dense dust clouds (which give birth to new stars) reflect the starlight around them. This beautiful pale blue glow is seen in visible light and hides even more deep objects inside (more info).

(image credit: ESO/APEX T. Stanke/Igor Chekalin/Digitized Sky Survey 2)

We flipped the original photo on the side to better fit the format of our page (after all there is no up and down in space). See the full version here.

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Manhattan: Before and After

One picture is worth a million words, especially in this case (part of the Mannahatta Project, a digital recreation of Manhattan circa 1609):

(image credit: Wildlife Conservation Society, via)

"There were paintings and maps... most notably Victor Gifford Audobon's "View of Hudson River" and the British Headquarter's Map of Manhattan from 1783... that presented idyllic visions of Manhattan". The original Lenape people called the island, Mannahatta, meaning "Island of Many Hills" (today it is rather the Island of Many Skyscrapers).

Purchase the study "Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City" here and read more about it.

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Mixed fresh links for today:

Coming Soon: Mining the Asteroids - [wow space]
Rare Sea Monster Caught on Video - [a Deepstaria Enigmatica!]
Awesome Prosthetic Leg Design - [from Japan]
Transparent Aluminum, Dry Water, & more - [wow science]
The Oldest Mayan Calendar Discovered - [no Apocalypse]
Wonderfully complete, high-res map of Middle Earth - [wow map]
A Firsthand Account of the Hindenburg Disaster - [doc, info]
Old Lady Crossing the Highway - [wow video]
Augmented Reality Sandbox - [wow art, video]
Subterranean Landscapes of Sicily's Salt Mines - [gallery]
Tesla Coils Dueling Banjos - [wow video]
Probably the best steam train video ever - [wow video]
Gorgeous Cyberpunk Future Paris - [wow video]
Be-A-Doll: Action Figures of your Loved Ones - [great gift idea]

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A "Kerr Stuart" Traction engine showing the "Pedrail System" (1902)

The Pedrail wheel and the pedrail locomotive were invented by Bramah Joseph Diplock of London - this was the original "steam caterpillar", as seen in 1904 drawing by The New York Times:

(images via)

While researching this topic, we also came by other great tracked vehicles; some of them snowmobiles, perfect for frozen Canadian landscapes. Here is a B71 snowmobile for "Perfection Ice Cream" (left), and other snowmobiles by Joseph-Armand Bombardier, whose dream was "to build a little machine that glides over the snow" - the dream that resulted in the machine we now call the snowmobile:

(images via 1, 2)

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Cute Little Manta Ray (Wants to Say Something)

(original unknown)

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Abandoned Cathedral in Snow

As you remember, we had the article Exploring the Ruins of Gary, Indiana. Today the photographer David Tribby announces the giveaway of his spectacular print "City Methodist Church, Gary Indiana after the 2011 blizzard":

(image credit: David Tribby)

Full details of the giveaway are here, also see the full version.

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A rare fisheye Nikkor: the world’s most extreme wide-angle

This is a rare 1970 fisheye Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 lens (on sale at Gray’s of Westminster in London, UK) that offers an angle of view of 220º, and comes with a price tag of $160,000 USD.

(images credit: Tony Hurst)

The lens uses 12 glass elements in nine groups, and weighs a staggering 11.46 pounds! - more info.

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The following is a short round-up of the best from our Facebook stream (which we update every day with unique material, not available on DRB otherwise):

Something unmentionable happened to this Bentley - more info:

(image via)

This cat has a lot to say:

(original unknown)

"Goodness gracious me!" -

(image via)

Fantastic, sophisticated ring, designed by Sergey Zhiboedov - it's inspired by the antique Greek architecture and true classic style, and includes 14k gold figures of the Atlant (male) and the Caryatid (female) giants supporting an amazing 9mm freshwater pearl:

(image credit: Sergey Zhiboedov)

Some grassroots ingenuity regarding washing the dishes... and a knitter who was bored? -

Owl in Hiding! -

(original unknown)

A tooth monster! (definitely NOT a fairy) -

Some assorted alpacas, looking like a 1980s rock group lineup:

(photo by Kerstin Joensson/AP)

This balancing rock is a tall basalt stack located on the coasts of Digby County (part of North Mountain and cliffs along St. Mary’s Bay and the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia) -

Nikita Khrushchev in 1959, showing Communist Party members of the Politburo the benefits of growing corn all over Russia (even in the cold climate areas):

"After a trip to Iowa in 1959, he became a huge enthusiast of corn and decided to introduce it to his country", a doomed obsession that would carry a huge cost to the Soviet Union in the years to come.

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Almost Unexplainable:

(image via)

But no, the explanation can be found here: this is "a diver at Tokyo's Sunshine International Aquarium, wearing a traditional kimono, embracing a Giant Moray during a feeding performance."

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Galaxies on Edge... and the Galactic Onion Rings

All these edge-on observed galaxies are from the Virgo Cluster and the Coma Berenices, an area incredibly rich in deep space objects of all sorts: NGC 4452 is an interesting flat-line Galaxy on Edge (lower left) and NGC 4402 shows some star formation and dust turbulence along its edge (upper left). On the right is spectacular NGC 4565, a "Needle Galaxy" that shows more traditional structure in the center:

(images via 1, 2, 3)

Ngc488 in Pisces resembles an onion cut in half, or some cosmic "onion rings":

(images via)

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Bored at work? Then try assembling these structures:

(image credit: Knormy)

or this -

(sent in by Jay Gairson)

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"Welcome to Weirdsville" book by one of the DRB contributing writers, author M. Christian

Check out this compendium of the bizarre facts and marvelous (mostly true) stories: order the Kindle edition from Amazon, and the print version will be in the stores soon.

Many of the chapters of this book were originally published here on Dark Roasted Blend (with additional material and illustrations), so much of it will be familiar to our long-time readers - but for those new to wonderfully tongue-in-cheek erudite style of M. Christian we recommend to give this book a try.

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Did you hear about the Steampunk World's Fair?

It will take place May 18-20 in Piscataway, NJ. Featuring the extraordinary Steampunk Circus, the Carnival Obscura, absinthe tasting... plus Dr. Grimm himself is expected to attend.

Besides the "Lost Treasures of Steampunk" (a program promoting overlooked works by steampunk artists) to look forward to, this year’s Steampunk World’s Fair promises to be grand: over 3,000 steampunk enthusiasts come to the World’s Fair each year along with hundreds of performers, artisans, writers, and creators from across the country - more info.

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Some Reviews: Monkeys and Energy

Not that monkeys need any additional energy, but we do. Here at Dark Roasted Blend we get some commercial product samples from time to time, and here is a couple that "hit the sweet spot":

Funky Monkey Snacks boast great taste and very unique process of "freeze-drying full slices and pieces of real fruit to lock in taste, smell and nutrients of freshly picked fruit, while creating a fun and satisfying crunch". Well, these were lovely to crunch and snack on.

And then these is a new energy drink concept in town - MIO Liquid Water Enhancer. These droplets of extremely concentrated energy stuff - zero calories, zero sugar and six flavours - come in very cool-looking Mio bottles (one such bottle can turn into energy drink full twenty four 16oz bottles of water):

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A couple of weird t-shirts

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Can you spot Keanu Reeves?

(original unknown)

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I sense some angst in this graffiti.

Or just dissatisfaction with Mickey Mouse?

(original unknown)

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The utmost in balance!

Try it at home.

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A Perfectionist's Routine:

READ THE PREVIOUS ISSUE ->

READ ALL BISCOTTI ISSUES HERE ->

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DRB Pic of the Day

2012-05-14T09:53:00.002-07:00

"DRB Pic of the Day"
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Lovely Steampunk / Art Nouveau Ring

Fantastic, sophisticated ring, designed by Sergey Zhiboedov - it's inspired by the antique Greek architecture and true classic style, and includes 14k gold figures of the Atlant (male) and the Caryatid (female) giants supporting an amazing 9mm freshwater pearl:

(image credit: Sergey Zhiboedov)

And... we need more info about these images:

Yet another very narrow house in Japan has been found, an addition to our Narrow Buildings in Japan article:

(image via)

This image was sent to us with the caption "Landscaping and Garden Design in Dublin", but we can not find additional info:

(original unknown)

Let us know by email, or in comments if you know more.

Wide-Format Goodies

2012-05-12T16:15:00.001-07:00

"QUICK SHOT"
Link

Some recently found spectacular imagery for your desktop wallpapers. Click to enlarge all images.

Here is NGC 3031 (also called UGC 5318) galaxy and surroundings from the Global Sky Survey:

(image via)

Some delicious fractals:

(originals unknown)

A painter's dream, a perfect studio:

(a Photoshop ad, developed by Bates141 Jakarta creative director Hendra Lesmono, art directors Andreas Junus and Irawandhani Kamarga, copywriter Darrick Subrata and photographer Anton Ismael, via

Super Moon over Paris:

(image credit: VegaStar Carpentier)

"The Secret City": Moscow in a fantasy light... This is work by Alexey Kondakoff (click to enlarge):

(image credit: Alexey Kondakoff)

And perhaps the ultimate in condensed living - the Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong (cross-section) - you have to click the image to see it full-size, with all the detail! -

(image via)

And going back into deep space - the bountiful "stellar nests" all over NGC 4725 galaxy in Coma Berenices constellation.

(image via)

Click to enlarge all images.

Sensational Japanese Contemporary Art

2012-05-11T16:40:00.001-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #771
Link - article by Avi Abrams

This article appears simultaneously on Dark Roasted Blend and on "Out of Order" magazine - a Yale University print and online publication that curates innovative and bold fashion, art, music and film for the university set - link

Visual Caffeine: Exploring Art and Architecture with Avi Abrams, Issue 2

This is the second issue of our "visual caffeine concoctions" (read the first one here) - somewhat unpredictable forays into the history of art and architecture, coupled with mythology, culture and obsolete technology. For those of you who want an even larger dose of our visual caffeine, head over to Dark Roasted Blend, and get addicted to our endless stream of thrilling visual information.

Today we are going to look at some cutting-edge contemporary art coming out of Japan, covering some popular culture, futurism- and steampunk-influenced Japanese artists largely unknown in the West.

We asked Tomoo Yamaji, an artist specializing in three-dimensional sculptures (who has a good knowledge of similarly-styled work in Japan) to choose his favorite artists - veteran and young, famous and relatively unknown. He came up with a list of eight artists that cumulatively represent the state of contemporary three-dimensional art in Japan.

Slick Predatory Formula One Sculptures by Showichi Kaneda

Showichi Kaneda combines brand-intensive, slick and somewhat predatory shapes of Formula One cars with sea predators like sharks and giant squid in his "Human's Own Evo" series. His work displays at well-known venues like the Tokyo Gallery, and I can see how visually arresting and irresistible it can become to our tastes, obsessed with speed, brand exposure and fascination with deadly animals:

Covering nature and animals with well-known brand logos is not a new idea (it's been done by consumer-culture and kitsch critics before), but Showichi Kaneda does it with such grace and streamlined intent that it's hard to avert your eyes and even harder not to imagine these "sea animals" competing in racing games under the waves somewhere.

Highly efficient sea predator "killing machines" meet their technological counterpart in F1 high-speed machines:

(art by Showichi Kaneda)

Art at the Speed of the Sound

"Land Speed Record" vehicles look impossibly sleek and sensuous in the work of Tetsuya Nakamura. He is an internationally reknowned artist (Most of his work is on display at the "Gallery Koyanagi") whose sculptures are favorites with our guide today, Tomoo Yamajii:

(image via)

Here is the "Wind Blade Prototype", a shape easily at home in an art studio or a concept vehicle show room:

Here is a "Hot Rod Bath Tub". And why not, we ask you: why not? -

(image via)

Ancient Japanese History... Put on a Motorcycle

Akira Yamaguchi paints in a traditional Japanese style, except that his samurai enjoy the latest motorcycle technology:

(art by Akira Yamaguchi )

This could be called Shogun-steampunk, but we leave it to the reader to classify the unclassifiable.

Baroque Meets Mannerism, Meets Dark Fantasy

These striking, incredibly sophisticated porcelain creations are the work of Katsuyo Aoki, evoking comparisons with darkly surreal masters like H. R. Giger and perhaps H. P. Lovecraft... Some of them would feel right at home inside the decadent spaceships of Iain M. Banks' "Culture" series:

("Maniera I" art by Katsuyo Aoki)

The "Predictive Dream" series is a reflection upon our mortality and the triumphant, exuberant spirit of Life:

(images via)

Serenity on Display

Sueharu Fukami's works show all the taut grace and inherent tension of the Japanese samurai sword.

(art by Sueharu Fukami, images via 1, 2, 3)

"Fukami is a perfectionist, a maestro of clay... It's not an easy task to try to capture the horizon", note the critics, and Fukami Sueharu agrees: "I first became interested in the horizon when I was in my early thirties. I was climbing Daiyozaki mountain pass in Mie Prefecture and the view just made my heart tremble. I was deeply moved and knew it was the feeling I wanted to capture in my work, a feeling of majestic awe".

"Porcelain shows any marks left by the potter's hand and I want to leave the least amount of evidence that my hands ever touched the clay. Instead of the potter's obvious imprint I want to leave the subtle mark of my heart or spirituality," Fukami said. These works, for example, evoke the pure potential and innocent grace of empty sheets of paper:

(images via)

The "sleek, lucid, jewel-like" bluish white porcelain known as seihakuji in Japanese is the perfect medium to capture these serene sentiments; it is the largely unknown variation of the 11th-12th centuries' Song dynasty's Jingdezhen ceramic wares, brought to Japan in the 13th century but then gradually falling out of favor... and revived again today in pure brilliance of Sueharu Fukami work.

Insect-Plant Hybrid Mimicry

Hiroshi Shinno creates imaginary insects that perfectly blend into their surroundings - because there are made from parts of these surroundings! He collects petals, leaves, grass stems and flower stamens - and molds them into intricate "herbal" insects, a blend of real natural pieces and polyurethane resin copies:

(art by Hiroshi Shinno)

Hiroshi Shinno works with truly miniature flower parts, seeds, "shells so thin that they are translucent, and dry, holey leaves that disintegrate under the slightest pressure". So far he has constructed nineteen fantastical structures of these fanciful insects - a testimony to delicate and transient side of nature where sophisticated beings are born, develop and die all in one day. See more "herbal insects" here, and also see how these insects are constructed step by step:

(images via YOD Gallery)

Evil babies ride streamlined motorcycles. There is some twisted, inner logic in all of this.

Shigeki Hayashi is a porcelain artist, but this is almost like calling Rembrandt a paint-mixer. The surreal heights of Shigeki Hayashi's glazed porcelain creations are going to haunt you for days - that is, if you come unprepared and have never seen "AKIRA" movie or manga, or never read science fiction stories about mutant babies (a good example of the latter is Henry Kuttner's "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" series of stories in the 1940s American pulp magazines)

Here is what critics say about Shigeki Hayashi haunting baby figures: "...This QP doll in a space suit suggests a deeper, hidden narrative within a... variation on the traditional Kewpie Doll from the West."

(art by Shigeki Hayashi)

Shigeki Hayashi's work has won some prestigious awards, like one at the Faenza International Competition for Contemporary Ceramics in Italy. See more "mutant babies" and other artwork at Keiko Gallery and the artist's site.

(art by Shigeki Hayashi)

You wanted Steampunk? Michihiro Matsuoka channels mechanical brass animals in his own Asian steampunk way

Michihiro Matsuoka is not the only steampunk-influenced artist in Japan, but his polymer clay, acrylic painted figurines are perhaps the most memorable. They are bizarre to the point being laughable (kind of like the Were-Rabbit from Wallace & Grommit), but also eminently touchable and impossibly cute (in some cases).

(art by Michihiro Matsuoka)

Look at his version of Postal Delivery rabbits, for example. Would you entrust your correspondence to these creatures? They seem eager enough to deliver it come hell or high water:

See more of this steampunk zoo at the artist's site. Squids, of course, are present in significant numbers, as well as deep-sea creatures and even goldfish transformed into rust-tainted, cyber-infected nightmares:

(art by Michihiro Matsuoka)

Tomoo Yamajii "Fast Mercy" Unique Transformations

Now's the time to show the work of Tomoo Yamaji - the artist who compiled the list for us. His favorite form is futuristic and highly symbolic sculptures which transform and invite touch by being attractively curved and exquisitely shaped:

("Fast Mercy" by Tomoo Yamaji)

Called "Fast Mercy", this is a highly dynamic version of Bodhisattva, a benevolent spiritual entity who helps people in times of natural disasters and other hardships. Tomoo Yamaji made it in 2011 to inspire and help people who were hard-hit by the earthquake and tsunami in March of that year.

("Fast Mercy" by Tomoo Yamaji)

Here is a futuristic Bel Geddes-like plane, with a very special transformation hidden inside - see more here.

(art by Tomoo Yamaji)

And we finish with "Macross", for it is unthinkable to write an article about Japanese contemporary art without mentioning these ubiquitous popular culture artifacts

Here are some fictional transforming air vehicles from the TV animation series MACROSS. The "DX Chogokin VF-25S Messiah Valkyrie Ozma Custom", for example, transforms into three incarnations (made by toy company Bandai in 2012):

(image via)

Transforming vehicles are staples of toy-manufacturing companies, of course, but also are a favorite subject with popular culture and anime-oriented artists. Tomoo Yamaji sends us more examples of this art form:

(art by Tomoo Yamaji)

In future articles, we will explore modern Japanese anime-based illustrations (some of them becoming more familiar in the West with the proliferation of anime publications), but will also highlight a little-known surreal and naive branch of Japanese graphic arts, full of "kawai" (very, very cute) imagery.

READ THE FIRST ISSUE ->

READ THE REST OF OUR "ART" CATEGORY ->

ALSO CHECK OUT OUR "BEST OF JAPAN" SERIES ->

Strangest Tanks in History, Part 2: First World War

2012-05-08T18:22:00.002-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #770
Link - article by Avi Abrams

Utmost Intimidation: The Power to Terrify - First World War Tanks

In the first part of this series we saw some strangely-shaped armored vehicles from the first idea of a tank to real-world pre-WW1 war machines. The 1900s were perhaps the most fascinating period in tank history as nothing on the engineering side was "cast in stone" yet and the resulting shapes were wildly unpredictable. It was a time of experimentation, shifting ideas and a constant flow of prototypes. Now we come to the point in history when all this frightening potential had to become a sinister reality and a race to the top "number of casualties" from a particular machine...

(left: the 1904 David Roberts ‘crawler track’ seen on ‘Hornsby Steam Crawler Track Tractor’. right: “Dreadnought” 3D art by Matt Wood & Julian Holtom)

"Steam Mastodons" on the Canadian Prairies

The beginnings of enormous steam tanks can be traced to the humble steam tractors widely manufactured and used by the end of 19th century. "Humble", that is, if you do not consider the truly monstrous tractors from British tractor maker Marshall, Sons & Company. This company was in business since 1848, making its first tractor in 1907 and now looking for new markets in Western Canada. Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan got the first taste of these grandiose plans:

(image via)

Titled "Dreadnaughts of the Prairies" the company promoted its "British Colonial Tractors" with the slogan, "Built like a Battleship, Runs Like a Watch." - more info

Enter the American Steam Powered Tractor, All Dressed Up

Americans were one of the first to think of a steam powered tractor as a great chassis for a military "land ship", or a "tank". Here we see The American Steam Tank from 1918:

(images via)

This was the heaviest ready-for-combat tank of WWI, "The America". Some specialists cite glaring problems with this tank, for example, "a stray shell would have ignited the kerosene stores, and exploded the steam-chambers scalding to death everyone inside". The Steam Tank, however, was a step above the Tsar Tank in that it did not completely fail. It was ready to be sent to the battlefields... equipped with a flamethrower!

This gigantic beast was similar in shape to the classic British "lozenge-shaped tanks", except it ran on steam and sported a flamethrower... Er, did we mention it had a flamethrower? Well, this could be just a rumor: "...the flamethrower was eventually placed in a small turret on top of the cab - yet there is no photographic proof this ever took place".

(image credit: State Archives of North Carolina, click to enlarge)

Named "Steam Tank, Tracklaying" it was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in conjunction with Stanley Steamer (the makers of the Stanley Steamer automobile) - and could also act as a battering ram if needed. "Accounts state that this tank arrived in France in 1918, however, the war ended before any meaningful tests could be carried out."

Best's Track Machine, Model 75

Built by an American citizen named Best in 1917, this military machine was looked favorably upon by the U.S. Army command (it ordered 50 of these vehicles in 1917):

A similar shape was seen on the Holt "75" conversion, built in 1916:

Here is a harrowing encounter on a narrow street (on the left is the original version of the Holt Steam Tractor):

(images via)

There were a lot of interesting armored vehicles based on the 1905 Holt Steam Tractor chassis (seen above left). On the right are some bizarre Christie SPGs prototypes. Speaking of Christie, these were unusual tracked vehicles designed by J. Walter Christie - here is the M1919:

(image via)

One of the Holt tractor conversions was the Holt gas-electric hybrid - see a good model of it here. "It had a crew of six and used a Holt four-cylinder motor to turn a generator in order to power two electric track motors". One problem: it looks really ugly (which is probably not a problem for a tank but rather an asset). Shown below is the Holt one-man tank prototype:

(left image via)

Right image above: this is an even more interesting Steam Wheel Tank (from 1916-1917) which is a throwback to the big-wheel design idea:

(images via)

It was also referred to as "the three-wheeled steam tank", "the Holt Steam Tank" and the "Holt 150 Ton Field Monitor". The Steam Wheel Tank was designed on the basis of the early British "Big Wheel" Landships from 1915. It also resembled the German "Treffas-Wagen" of 1917. Speaking of landships, there were designs proposing linking two or even three such machines together, essentially building a tracked armored train! -

The British Side of Things

We already mentioned classic British "lozenge-shaped tanks with a kerosene engine". These were Mark I tanks: the British Army and the world's first combat tanks. "The Mark I entered service in August 1916, and was first used in action on the morning of 15 September 1916 during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, of the Somme Offensive... It was the first vehicle to be named "tank" (partly to maintain secrecy and to disguise its true purpose). It could definitely cross trenches, thus fulfilling Winston Churchill's requirements that we mentioned in the first part of this series.

(images via)

Here is a good crowd shot of the MK-4:

(image via, courtesy Roger Todd)

The British Mark IV tank, 1916 - truly a landship, rising over the trenches as though carried by ocean waves! -

(images via 1, 2)

As you can see, tanks were getting heavier and more massive. It was only a matter of time till British Armed Forces would entertain the idea of a shell-proof super-heavy Land Dreadnought: The Flying Elephant!:

(images via)

Here is an interesting Gun Carrier MK-1 version:

And a unique photograph of "Mk.VIII International", an Anglo-American effort (more info) with a very compact-looking "Renault M-1917" (or Renault FT) on top of it! Right image shows bizarre American Skeleton Tank (also here):

French Heavy Tank Monster

In the meantime, the French military came up with the "char lourd" (heavy tank) St Chamond in 1916:

(images via)

This beast (second of the French heavy tanks of the First World War) had very strange specs: it had no rotating turret and the long nose was prone to dig into the ground, which despite pretty decent speed of 12 km/h, made it a rather cumbersome vehicle. No crossing trenches for it either, due to its short tracks and very long body. The word in the army was that "Nobody wants to serve on the Saint-Chamond"... Despite this, production continued with a total number of around four hundred tanks made.

German Intimidating Offerings

The famous Treffas-Wagen machines (well-known in steampunk and gaming circles) were essentially armored steamrollers or tractor engines with a shooting platform on top:

(right : model image via)

Near the end of World War I Germany introduced the A7V tank in 1918 (the only tank used by Germany in WW1 operations). British forces respectfully called it the "Moving Fortress":

(images via 1, 2)

Which brings us to... the German Super Heavy Tank Project! (I bet you were waiting for this). German K-Wagen was 12 meters long, 6 meters wide and weighed 120 tons! -

(image via)

Last but not least, strange Italian battle machines. Here is a Carro Armato interpretation of the wheeled armored vehicle, capable of crossing trenches of reasonable depth:

All the players set, all tank pieces developed... the First World War action starts

(on the right is Italian CV-35 tests in 1940, via)

The Battle of Verdun in 1916 (among other First World War photographs) from the pages of the LIFE Magazine:

(images via LIFE magazine)

On the left image below is weird and inappropriately "cheery" depiction of the tank in action - and on the right is a significantly more realistic painting by John Hassall, showing pain and suffering on the Somme battlefield. "By the time the Battle of the Somme ended, there were over a million casualties on both sides, with over 300,000 killed or missing".

(right image: The Collection Art Archaeology in Lincolnshire, Usher Gallery, left: via)

Other (Mostly) Imaginary Steel Leviathans

The imagination of the reading public was fired up pretty early: consider this sketch made in 1906 of the "Lethal Armored Vehicles" featuring egg-shaped streamlined armor:

(image via)

"Exit the Cavalry, Enter the Tanks!" proclaimed Popular Science magazine in August 1931:

(images via)

The readers and editors did not spend much time mourning over the "impending passing of the United States Army’s most romantic unit, the mounted cavalry". Horses were definitely too slow for modern warfare, and cavalrymen of the future were expected to ride their gasoline steeds (new tanks) into battle.

(Future War Tank, 1939 - image via)

The Electrical Experimenter, July 1917 cover (left) and Science & Mechanics cover from much later period, 1934 (right):

A more modern approach, this is a tank design for the "Nadia: The Secret of Bluewater" (1991, Japan), and the tank concept from the WarHammer game universe: Land Raider Proteus (see more):

(images via 1, 2)

Camouflage! -

Stay tuned for the next part featuring strange and unusual tanks of the 1920-1930s.

READ THE FIRST PART HERE ->

CONTINUE TO OUR "MILITARY" CATEGORY ->

Strangest Tanks in History, Part 1

2012-05-08T01:06:00.001-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #769
Link - article by Avi Abrams

From Early Tank Ideas to Enormous Pre-WW1 Steam Tanks

Cataloguing the machines of destruction may seem like a thankless job (when you think about how much pain and misery they brought to mankind), but the sheer ingenuity of military engineering is certainly fascinating. It's that "anything-goes, testing be damned, let's quickly put it into production" attitude that leads to frenzied arms races, as well as technology breakthroughs. This is how we ended up with laser-tanks, spherical bomb-tanks and nightmarish land dreadnoughts, in the short period of the last hundred years or so - all conceived and built by super-powers in the name of winning righteous wars (any war, it may be argued, can be considered "righteous" by their participants, if they absorb enough propaganda and ideology).

So we look at some of the weirdest tank examples here at Dark Roasted Blend, marveling at their uninhibited design coupled with war-time mythology, brute force and potential for intimidation (seeing how the race to "build a better tank" quickly turned into "building a bigger tank", for example).

It all started in the 14th century. We have a record of a "pre-tank" machine, called "The Fighting Unicorn" (left) - a fragment of a page from the work of Mariano di Jacopo (aka Mariano Taccola) from Sienna:

(images via)

The armored body of this weird tank precursor concealed a number of soldiers (who must've been of a somewhat slight build to fit in there), all running in step - with the "unicorn horn" either lowered into a "charge" position, or simply used to pound on the helmets of astonished enemies.

The image above right shows another early tank concept: a sketch by Leonardo Da Vinci, one of fifteen found in his notebooks that contain weapon and defensive systems designs (among them are some wildly imaginative ideas like "mobile walls", or the sinister "cluster bombs"... See all Da Vinci's War machines here (well worth the click).

Here is a better graphic representation of this complex weapon:

(image credit: Jacub Batok, click to enlarge)

Interestingly, the idea of a turtle-like tank shape found its realization much later, in the 1930s, in this Venezuelan armored vehicle:

As you can see from the wonderful recreation of Da Vinci's concept below (courtesy Discover Channel's Doing Da Vinci show), this amazing tank idea from 1482 features a tortoise-shaped armor which literally bristles with cannons all around. Some even call this design "shock and awe" of the 15th-century battlefield, as it certainly would create fear and havoc among enemy soldiers.

(images via 1, 2, 3)

Seen on the right in the image above is the Da Vinci's Armored Assault Vessel (more info) and the already mentioned mobile walls: "as the enemy used ladders in an attempt to breach the walls, the levers were engaged to move the rails built into the walls that the ladders were leaning on, causing them to become unstable and eventually fall".

More Leonardo Da Vinci war machines - a pivoting radial barrage canon found in the Codex Atlanticus (left) and the multi-barreled machine gun (right, sketched in 1480):

(image via)

Moving right along to the Victorian Age we have a mention of first caterpillar tracks (invented in their crudest form in 1770 by Richard Edgeworth) being used in the Crimean War, where a "relatively small number of steam powered tractors with the caterpillar track were seen manoeuvring around the battlefield’s muddy terrain." (via). The idea of armored assault vehicle certainly was floating in the air but needed better engines and more commitment from political powers.

Here is the armored steam-powered vehicle proposed in 1855 for the British Armed Forces... apparently this design did not advance past a certain Lord Palmerston (who happened to be Prime Minister at the time) who deemed it "utter nonsense" and not worthy of further development:

(image via)

Meanwhile in France, the strangest idea of a caterpillar-like armored train on tracks was proposed by Eduard Boyen in 1874, boasting an incredible weight of 120 tons and a crew of two hundred people! -

In Germany engineers came up with the Mobile Gunpoint 3-ton unit in 1885 ("Gruson 5.3cm L/24 Fahrpanzer"). It was brought to the battlefield by horse, or on rails - and then fired 1.75 kg projectiles from its 53mm gun. it went into mass production in 1890:

In England, in 1902, Frederick Simms designed an armored vehicle on wheels (he called it a "motor-war car") which could also be converted to a track version. Its two revolving machine guns were developed by Hiram Maxim:

In the years leading to the First World War, the British government was not keen on developing such "pretty mechanical toys" as tanks (or as they called them "Land ships"), preferring to concentrate on cavalry and infantry instead. It took backing of some prominent political figures (Winston Churchill among them) to advance the idea - and so the "Little Willie", and then the "Big willie" were born in 1915:

(images via 1, 2)

The "Little Willie" had a huge limitation in that it was unable to cross trenches. Crossing trenches was one of the requirements put forward by Winston Churchill when he commissioned the design of a vehicle "capable of resisting bullets and shrapnel, crossing trenches, flattening barbed wire, and negotiating the mud of no-man’s land".

Crossing trenches was a challenge not only for British engineers. Also from 1915 is this bizarre "Machine Boirault" tested for the French Army as a trench crossing vehicle:

(image credit: Steve Zaloga)

Meanwhile in Russia...

...another monster was taking shape on the drawing boards: the Mendeleev's Super Heavy Tank, 1911. It was intended to have a 256 horse power engine and would weigh 86 tons:

The square and brutal shape of this war machine was later repeated in the Rybinsk Tank, 1916 (lower right corner, above). These were developed based on the tractor chassis of the Rybinsk Tractor Factory - and were quite similar to the squarish hull of the French medium tank St. Chamond, for example. It's interesting that the word "tank" comes from the strong resemblance of early armored hulls to various water carriers and liquid tanks, and so the name stuck for good - even when the shapes of tanks changed.

Mendeleev's Super Heavy Tank also featured a revolutionary "elastic" suspension system, as can be seen from the drawings below:

Also in 1916, the Russians came up with the "Vezdekhod" concept (All-Terrain Tank). It had a prominent forward slant of the body, enabling better traction and climbing various obstacles - and also perhaps influencing rhomboid tank designs of the British from the same period:

The "Vezdekhod" (translated as "Go Anywhere") vehicle was strangely streamlined in the first prototypes, could be outfitted with both wheels or tracks, and was slated to go into production in the final form shown on the right:

And yet for all its streamlined curves, this was pretty tame and conventional layout compared to this:

The Tsar Tank!

This lovely mechanism, designed by N. Lebedenko in 1914, could very well be the Biggest Tank Ever Built. It was certainly one of the strangest: a monster of a tank, with a distinctive steampunk-friendly shape, a full 40-ton battle machine with two very large wheels 9 meters in diameter. It was called "Tsar Tank" after Tsar Nikolaj, who helped finance it - and it also had another sinister name "Netopyr" (a vampire bat):

(images via)

It was hoped that such unusual configuration of wheels will enable the Tsar Tank to pass any obstacle. Unfortunately during the initial trial run the smaller wheel got stuck in a ditch... and the engines did not have enough power to get the rear wheels out. So in the end this magnificent vehicle (looking like some wild modernist sculpture) stayed in the middle of the forest till 1926, when it was dismantled for scrap metal.

(3-D model credit: Mikhail Levin)

Weird "Iron Horse" War Machine from Italy, 1914

This was an Italian mobile gun unit, used in the First World War. It was equipped with a 305mm cannon, with a shooting range of almost 18 kilometers. It was allegedly used during the shelling of the Austrian fortifications in the Alps:

(image via)

The Giant Destroyers of the Future

You've seen some of the outrageous concepts that appeared worldwide in the years leading to the First World War. Well, the imagination of certain artists of "super-science" publications ran even wilder, eagerly providing colossal visions (or rather, nightmares) that were to dominate public minds for decades to come. Here is an example from Popular Science magazine (December, 1916):

(images credit: Popular Science, December 1916)

Another Mega Tank concept graced the pages of the "War Budget" publication in 1916:

(image via)

And we finish today with the German Mega-Tank nightmare vision, taken from the October 21st, 1916, issue of the German news weekly, Die Wochenschau. "Fighting machines of the future: battle between a gigantic trenchdestroyer and a powerful electrically-driven circlecruiser":

(image via)

CONTINUE TO PART TWO: CRAZY TANKS OF WW1 ! ->

CHECK OUT OUR "MILITARY" CATEGORY ->

Archive: April 2012

2012-05-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

	Intricate Japanese Movable Type Sets Visual Caffeine: Exploring Art and Architecture, Issue 1
	Impossible Plant-Animal Hybrid This creature should not exist... but it does.
	Heavy Bombers: Fearsome Angels of the Cold War A game of fear, played with monstrous planes
	The Jewish Engineer Behind Hitler’s Volkswagen Finally, the full story behind emergence of Volkswagen
	Fluid Dynamics & Liquid Photography It's a Splash! - High-Speed Photography at its Finest
	Hanging Monasteries of the World Truly the way is narrow and the path is steep...
	Steam Buses & Trucks Ugly, smoke-belching beasties...
	Historic & Elaborate Water Pumps Most flamboyant styles for pumping water

	April 29, 2012 - Biscotti Bits Mixed Links & Images Incl. "Epic Launch Video"
	April 15, 2012 - Biscotti Bits Mixed Links & Images Incl. "Push to Add Drama!"

Check out previous Biscotti & Feel-Good issues! - Click Here

Link Latte #178 - Click Here

Link Latte #179 - Click Here

Check out previous Link Latte issues! - Click Here

CONTINUE READING! - NEXT PAGE ->

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Link Lattes

Link Latte 179

2012-05-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

#179 - Week of May 1, 2012

Hubble Telescope Needs You (to Find Treasures) - [yes!]
The Lost Egyptian Labyrinth: Surpassing the Pyramids - [wow history]
Roger Ebert: The Greatest Films of All Time - [awesome list]
Fire Whirl (or Fire Tornado) - [disasters, info]
Real-life Inspirations for Simpsons Characters - [fascinating]
Birth of the Microphone - [vintage pics & info]
Don't miss a SuperMoon Event this Saturday - [wow space]
Rare Photos: James Bond Auditions - [what if?]
Urban Oil Wells in Los Angeles - [disguised]
Wind Power Without the Blades - [wow tech]
Amazingly Unique Bicycle Concept, similar - [invention]
These Cars Are Truly Bizarre- [scroll down]
"The Course of Empire" by Thomas Cole - [awesome art]
What would you find if you remove all the hype? - [search site]
The Last Artwork of Great Artists (an online exhibition) - [art]
Great NYC Vintage Photos - [incl. fire engine]
Titanic to be Rebuilt in 2016 - [hopefully?]
The Worst Things for Sale - [cool site]
World's Cutest Squids - [nature, pics]
Most Expensive One-Bedroom Apartment - [architecture]
More- Cat- Antics! - [fun videos]
How to Completely Erase Data on a CD - [fun video]
The Smallest Radial Engine in the World, jump - [wow video]
Another Fantastic Engine, Even Better - [wow video]
Birth to 12 years in 2 min. 45 sec. - [cool video]
Not a Good Idea to Cross... Too Late! - [wow video]
Most Incredible Stunt with a Forklift - [wow video]
Creative & Luxurious Bathtubs - [compilation]
Totally Failed Perspective - [funny pic]
Quality-Schnallity to the Rescue! - [promotion]

SEE ALL OTHER LINK LATTE ISSUES HERE

Epic Launch Video

2012-04-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Link
Scroll down for today's pictures & links.

Epic Launch Video

Feel the raw power of "riding a controlled explosion into space" - watch this Space Shuttle Discovery launch in high-res and with loud audio. And if you want more, then watch this too.

Link

Now for those who want to savor all the details of launch from all possible camera angles, this long video is the ultimate treat.

Today's pictures & links:

Another Kind of Launch

(image credit: Expositions)

Multitude of balloons grace the sky above the Fifth Paris International Exposition of 1900... Here is the main entry "Monument Gate" from the same Exposition, designed in the great Victorian style - click here for large version:

(image via)

------------

The Fibonacci Sequence and the "Golden Ratio"

This perfectly-proportioned spiral was spotted in Kew Gardens in London:

(image credit: James Newbery)

------------

The road is narrow

(we'd like more information about this road):

(original unknown)

UPDATE: Our readers write: "It is either the Leh or Siachen region in the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India. From what I can recollect the roads freeze over around October and stay that way till the end of May, when the army uses equipment to clear the roads."

"Those trucks and cars on the narrow road with snow is called the Zoji La pass which connects the Buddhist majority Ladakh region with Kashmir. La means pass in Tibetan/Ladakhi. It's closed for more than half the year due to heavy snow and just got opened."

------------

Mixed fresh links for today:

Maybe Black Holes Don't Really Exist - [what?!]
Hydrophobic, Nano-textured Glass - [wow science]
Soviets Built a Laser Tank!, pics - [why I'm not surprised]
Literary Inquisition Facts - [thought-provoking]
Another incredible way to fly - [wow tech]
Eye-Opening Info about Texas Drought - [infographic]
Surreal Art by Travis Louie - [scroll down, art]
Great Counterattack from Goalkeeper - [fun video]
Interesting Portable Track System - [wow video]
Riding the Abandoned Road in Japan - [cool video]
Dramatic Rescue Gone Wrong - [fun video]
Another Hilarious Roundup of Photoshop Disasters - [pics]
Bats, Bats, Bats! - [Neatoshop product]

------------

Is this the Tower of Babel? Hardly. But still a very tall ancient mosque.

This impressive spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq was built in 848 A.D. and for a long time was a highest mosque structure in the world:

(images credit: Reuters, via)

See another incredible tower in Afghanistan - The Mysterious Minaret of Jam.

------------

This Poor Little Cat Loves You

(image via)

The apotheosis of cute.

------------

The Kitchenware Sellers

Seen in Naples in 1903 (Vintage photographic postcard, published by A. de Simone, Naples, Italy):

(image credit: Casas-Rodríguez Collection)

------------

The following is a short round-up of the best from our Facebook stream (which we update every day with unique material, not available on DRB otherwise):

This makes me dizzy... The Library, D’Espresso’s Coffee Bar in New York:

The REAL movie monsters! "Weird Tales of the Future" cover art, 1952 -

Spilling grass and water:

Taming a wild truck in Pakistan:

(image credit: "Kashmir Motor News" via)

Great fresh idea for a shower! - the AMETIS collection from Graff Faucets:

(image via)

------------

Nature Wins. Always.

The most amazing (and tenacious) tree grows in the "urban jungle" of Hong Kong:

(image credit: Kahscho)

------------

Medieval Reading Gadget: their version of a browser, tabs and bookmarks

(image via the Smithsonian Institution Libraries & the Washington Project for the Arts, click to enlarge)

This is an illustration from the book "Le diverse et artificiose machine" by Agostino Ramelli (1588). "Back in the 16th century, books were big and heavy, and therefore some people devised new technologies for making the reading experience more enjoyable" - more info:

Zoom... Enhance! -

(image via)

Another book-reading device from 1935:

And a modern version:

------------

Your personal pet wizard

(image via)

"Go on... make a wish!"

------------

Intentional (and unintentional) word play

(images via)

I think the creators of this WW2 Victory Day poster in Russia got a little confused:

------------

Cake Art. Be Afraid.

(original unknown)

------------

Don't come close to this monster:

(a pug upside down, image credit: Nancy Walsh)

READ THE PREVIOUS ISSUE ->

READ ALL BISCOTTI ISSUES HERE ->

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Intricate Japanese Movable Type Sets

2012-04-26T16:14:00.004-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #768
Link - article by Avi Abrams

This article appears simultaneously on Dark Roasted Blend and on "Out of Order" magazine - a Yale University print and online publication that curates innovative and bold fashion, art, music and film for the university set - link

Visual Caffeine: Exploring Art and Architecture with Avi Abrams, Issue 1

Welcome to a new series of showcasing highlights in the history of arts and architecture! Wait a minute, this does not sound exciting enough. How about -

Welcome to exploring the..."aesthetic-precepts-smashing, eyeball-massaging, brain-searing-with-its-heartbreaking-and-fragile-beauty, visually-apocalyptic" side of art, style and architecture? While you may think that we exaggerate here (well, only a little), you are welcome to assume that you will be assaulted with purple prose, strange "red-shifted-into-impossible" facts, and images... well, images lurid enough to shimmer through your eyelids and trigger an iridescent neural zeitgasm! - all for the sake of breaking from the boring and mundane and promoting the "weird and wonderful" side of things.

Seriously though, this column is not going to be earth-shaking in the way we described it, but don't say we did not warn you... you may still find yourself lost for some time in the ensuing cataract of pictures and information, unable to complete your study and work commitments. For those of you, who want an even larger dose of our visual caffeine, head over to Dark Roasted Blend site, and get addicted to our endless stream of thrilling visual information.

Might I add, that our "visual caffeine concoctions" are bound to be somewhat unpredictable as we explore history of art and architecture in tandem with mythology, culture and obsolete technology, seeking to find the overall "look and feel" of certain time periods. The goal here is to connect as many points of reference in art history as possible, highlighting little-known gems, visual styles and trends - and making them relevant in our caffeine-infused culture.

Today we're going to see highly-sophisticated sets of Japanese letterpress movable type:

(images credit: Tomoyuki Ishida)

Craft letterpress companies are experiencing a revival in recent times, and nowhere it is more evident than in Japan. Most of you will be familiar with the ancient Chinese and Japanese art of woodblock printing, but masterpieces created with wood and metal movable type are somewhat lesser known, although they show craftsmanship and attention to detail similar to fine woodblock prints.

(image credit: Tomoyuki Ishida)

The first movable type and printing presses were invented in Asia, not Europe.

...but their development stalled because of the extreme complexity and sheer number of Chinese and Korean characters (the same problem that the Asian cultures faced with the transition to typewriters and the internet). We can thank the simplicity of Western alphabets for the rapid development and adoption of the printed word in Europe, which quickly lead to the Renaissance and further advances in culture and education.

It is a widespread misconception that Johannes Gutenberg created the first movable type system and the printing press, around 1450 A.D. It's true, Gutenberg was the first to make his movable type from a certain alloy of lead, tin, and antimony (which was more efficient than iron, used in Asia) - but movable type itself was originally invented in China around 1040 A.D. by Bi Seng (during the Song Dynasty). The new system was badly needed to replace the labor-intensive woodblock printing technique, where a single wooden block was carved to represent a single page. The first movable type sets were made from wood or ceramic materials, with clay eventually replacing wood "due to the presence of wood grains and the unevenness of the wooden type after being soaked in ink".

(images credit: Tomoyuki Ishida)

The world's oldest (and still existing) movable metal print book is considered to be Jikji, which was published in 1377, seventy-eight years prior to Johannes Gutenberg's printed Bible (left image below). On the right is another ancient book printed with wooden movable type - "The Auspicious Tantra of All Reaching Union" from 1139–1193, the earliest existing example of its kind:

(images via 1, 2)

As you can see, just reading this sort of printed material (not to mention assembling movable type and actually printing it) requires intense concentration for our Western minds: it's hard to simply glance on this page and "speed-read" it. One needs a certain serendipity and discipline of mind to read long Asian texts - consider, for example, how you would feel reading the massive 1000 volume encyclopedia "Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era" printed in 1574?

(letterpress machines seen at Tokyo Printing Museum, via)

Here is an interesting tidbit of history that describes extreme cultural inertia and a reluctance to adopt new forms of communication:

"A potential solution to the linguistic and cultural bottleneck that held back movable type in Korea for two hundred years appeared in the early 15th century — a generation before Gutenberg would begin working on his own movable-type invention in Europe — when King Sejong the Great devised a simplified alphabet of 24 characters for use by the common people, which could have made the typecasting and compositing process more feasible.

But Sejong's brilliant creation did not receive the attention it deserved. Adoption of the new alphabet was stifled by the inertia of Korea's cultural elite, who were appalled at the idea of losing Chinese, the badge of their elitism." (via)

Cutting to modern times, today we see some truly gorgeous work being produced by Japanese craft printing firms, and it seems the arcane and esoteric skills of movable type setting are much in demand - see for example here and here. Note the imposing press dominating the room:

(images credit: Takuma Nakagawa, AllRightKoubou)

Try typesetting in Japanese and learn attention to detail!

So how did Bi Seng, the movable type inventor himself, group his type and find the proper pieces? He organized them by "rhyming groups"... turning the printing process into a sort of poetry. Interesting alternative to organizing information by the alphabet, but perhaps not as efficient.

(images credit: AllRightKoubou)

Learning the system of storing and retrieving all these characters can be a daunting task. Here is how Takuma Nakagawa, a master custom printer, describes the process:

"You have to remember each place for each word - it's about 400,000 characters, can you imagine!.. Too many. Some of them are set in alphabetical order, and then kanji characters are categorized for each kind. It's hard to remember it."

(images credit: Takuma Nakagawa)

ALSO READ: "UNUSUAL TYPEWRITERS"! ->

CONTINUE TO OUR "ARTS" CATEGORY ->

This article appears simultaneously on Dark Roasted Blend and on "Out of Order" magazine - a Yale University print and online publication that curates innovative and bold fashion, art, music and film for the university set - link

Impossible Plant-Animal Hybrid

2012-04-24T16:20:00.002-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #767
Link - article by Avi Abrams

Wildly bizarre half-plant/half-animal creature - with a lovely name "Eastern Emerald Elysia"

This beautiful leaf-shaped sea slug Elysia chlorotica lives in shallow pools along Atlantic coast of North America, eats algae with gusto - one meal is enough for its lifetime! - and by using photosynthesis like any other plant, shatters the most basic definition between the "animal" and "plant" kingdoms.

(images credit: PNAS, via, Nicholas E. Curtis and Ray Martinez, via)

It may not be "easy being green", but for this slug it turned out to be highly efficient!

This is the ONLY natural example of genes shared between the living kingdoms of "plants" and "animals"

Shaped like a leaf? Check. Totally colored green? Check, although the young slugs are still colored brown until they eat their first "green" meal... but right after that, they're ready to make pigment chlorophyll a all by themselves for the rest of their lives!

One thing about Elysia chlorotica, "a sea slug that has stolen enough genes to become the first animal shown to make chlorophyll like a plant" (via)... They don't just use chloroplasts from the algae they eat - this phenomenon, though rare, is known as kleptoplasty. What's more, they seem to have the particular genes that make them able to keep processing these chloroplasts in a consistent and sustainable way:

(images credit: Patrick Krug Cataloging Diversity in the Sacoglossa LifeDesk)

What sort of surprises can be found in a humble shallow pool? Turns out, quite an awful lot! Elysia chlorotica likes to inhabit "salt marshes, tidal marshes, pools and shallow creeks, at depths of 0 m to 0.5 m". All this should serve as a good encouragement to look closer into swamps and marshes (provided they are not haunted by any mad scientist apparitions, or the feral Hounds of the Baskervilles). There is positively astonishing microscopic biodiversity to be discovered all around your feet!

(images credit: Patrick Krug, Discover Magazine)

Talk about true "slacker" of the animal kingdom!

Consider Elysia chlorotica: when it comes to consuming chloroplasts, one slurping is enough! "It's the ultimate form of solar power: eat a plant ONCE, become photosynthetic for the rest of your life":

Watch the video here of its feeding off the algae (very appetizing!).

"When it munches on its favorite food - intertidal algae Vaucheria litorea - it holds the algal strand firmly in its mouth and, as though it were a straw, sucks out the contents.

Once a young slug has slurped its first chloroplast algae meal, the slug does not have to eat again for the rest of its life. All it has to do is sunbathe" (source).

Elysia crispata also stores and converts chloroplasts inside its tissues - here is a rare close up view under the hood of this "green machine":

(image credit: Patrick J. Krug)

The more scientific description of this creature sounds impressive enough - "a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc" - but its "Elysium" moniker is more intriguing: could there be a connection with Elysium Fields as a mythological concept of afterlife in use in Ancient Greece, and maybe even Eleusinian Mysteries - famous "magical rites-of-passage", highly psychedelic experiences, or rather just herbal drug-induced "highs"... Certainly, the gene magic that this slug demonstrates is worthy of a name related to Eleusinian Mysteries!

It's all in a family: one colorful character after another!

Elysia chlorotica may be the only real fusion of a plant and an animal out there, but it also belongs to fittingly flamboyant family: it's a member of the clade Sacoglossa in the family Placobranchidae, the so-called "sap-sucking sea slugs", as they live by "sucking the sap" from their favorite algae. The members of this clade may superficially resemble nudibranch kind - but they are every bit as bizarre-looking as their more well-known "nudi" cousins!

Here is a sample of sacoglossan's astonishing diversity:

(image credit: Patrick J. Krug)

Elysia chlorotica is related to Elysia ornata, which is truly "ornate" just as the name implies:

(image via)

Elysia crispata does not have a shell and, because of its fanciful appearance, is also called "The Lettuce Sea Slug":

(image via)

(Elysia crispata, image credit: Jim Chambers)

(image credit: Pol Bosch)

(images credit: Ellen Bulger, Jan Hartmann)

The inside of this slug is quite impressive: it looks as an avant-garde painting and would not seem out of place inside any NYC modern art gallery:

(image credit: Terence Zahner)

Here it is, tinged blue and all the more beautiful for it... (left image). On the right is yet another related cutie - Cadinella ornatissima, classified somewhere between nudibranch and sacoglossa kinds:

(images credit: Guillem Mas, 2)

Thuridilla lineolata from Bunaken Marine Park, Sulawesi (shown left):

(image credit: Marli Wakeling, Kathe R. Jensen)

More diversity: Cyerce shown left, and Olea hansineensis from Friday Harbor Laboratories, San Juan Island, Washington:

(images credit: Greg Rowse, Moorea BioCode, Patrick Krug)

So... should humans also learn the trick and start "vegetating"?

By now, after hearing about very "stressful" life this creature lives - think about turning green, sunbathing, swimming in energy - you may wonder if one day humans might not develop technology that would turn us into extremely efficient photosynthesis machines?

According to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (via):

"Chloroplasts only contain enough DNA to encode about 10% of the proteins needed to keep themselves running. The other necessary genes are found in the algae's nuclear DNA. So the question has always been, how do they continue to function in an animal cell missing all of these proteins? It seems that the algal gene in E. chlorotica's sex cells could be passed to the next generation. Other animals are able to harness sunlight after eating plants, but this is only because they acquire entire plant cells, which is very different to transforming an animal cell into a solar-powered plant-animal hybrid."

"It is unlikely humans could become photosynthetic in this way... Our digestive tract just chews all that stuff up - the chloroplasts and the DNA"

CONTINUE TO "CARNIVOROUS PLANTS"! ->

ALSO READ OUR "NATURE" CATEGORY ->

Heavy Bombers: Fearsome Angels of the Cold War

2012-04-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #766
Link - article by Avi Abrams

It was a warfare of intimidation and a game of fear: and so it bred monstrous planes, pregnant with the load of ominous bombs

For all who lived through Cold War, or have heard the stories and seen the movies, the most recognizable and frightening symbol of this harrowing period in human history were heavy bombers - Strategic Air Command long-range planes capable of delivering inconceivable destruction around the globe.

(1948 Boeing B-50 strategic bomber; art by Academy Model Co. via)

We are going to highlight some of the most impressive flying machines of this sort, in a series of articles inside our Airplanes category. Let's start with a bomber that made its name during World War Two - the 1942 Douglas A-20 'Havoc'.

"The Bombsight That Crushed Nazi Germany"

The Douglas A-20/DB-7 Havoc was an outstanding "light bomber" and night fighter aircraft of World War II, also known as "Boston" among British pilots - more info.

(image via)

You will notive that this bomber's nose is covered by a yellow life raft - to conceal a secret bombsight device. This was Norden Bombsight, a groundbreaking piece of World War II technology, and "one of the most precious objects of its era" according to Malcolm Gladwell (watch his TED talk video here)

(image via)

Norden said that "with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet." Such precision was unheard of at the time, and much needed beacuse it allowed to bomb only the targets you absolutely need to bomb and spare civilian lives - more info. Half as much money was spent on its development and implementation than was spent on the Manhattan Project itself!

"This is the bombsight that crushed Nazi Germany. The Norden bombsight was the most sophisticated device of its kind during WWII. The standing orders were that if the plane crash-landed you were to destroy the sight at ALL costs."

(image credit: Norden Bombsight)

True to the inventor's original claims, it delivered great precision in bombing, but alas, only under perfect conditions. War circumstances are, of course, almost always far from perfect, so in many bomb raids, only 10% of bombs would reach their intended targets, even with the help of Norden Bombsight. Ironically, the infamous Enola Gay bomber dropped a nuclear payload on Hiroshima using the bombsight (and still ended up missing the aiming point, the Aioi Bridge, by approximately 800 feet) - where they probably did not really need bombsight for accuracy at all.

A Sleek, Beautiful Shape with the Deadly Payload

The B-47 Stratojet (originally XB-47) looked significantly different from any other bomber at the time, described by some observers as having a "sleek, beautiful outline that was highly advanced". It was truly a magnificent, graceful jet, designed primarily with one sinister purpose - to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union:

(images via)

Its engine-under-wing configuration will later be used for most large military planes and civilian airliners - and the swept wing would allow this six-engined bomber to fly at at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes:

(image credit: National Museum of the US Air Force)

Here is Boeing XB-47 with the nose pointing down (from Model Airplane News, 1948, left image), and with nose pointed up! -

(images via 1, 2)

Boeing B-47E during a test of the rocket-assisted take-off system:

(image via)

This huge plane also sported so-called "Bicycle Landing Gear" (due to the very thin profiles of its wings) which consisted of "a pair of large wheels fore and aft of the bomb bay, with small outrigger wheels carried on the inboard twin-jet pods".

Here is the very first Boeing XB-47 ever built, before its first flight on Dec. 1, 1947:

(image credit: National Museum of the US Air Force)

You can tell that the shape really made an impact, judging by the interest of observers:

(image via)

You want drama? Here is a foreboding illustration of Boeing B-47 in bad weather:

(image via)

The Russians are certain to attack us, so we are going to attack first

Major Kong's B-52 heads over the Arctic toward its Russia target. From 1964 "Dr. Strangelove" movie:

(image via)

"Kubrick sent a special film crew to Greenland where they spent weeks filming the Arctic landscape from an old B-17 bomber."

Pilots are visibly tense inside a similar strategic bomber... (seen in the 1958 "Steve Canyon" TV series):

(image via)

This is the XB-52 Stratofortress taking off in 1952:

(image via)

This illustration is not entirely correct: apparently these huge beasts remained level at all times during lift-off and ascent... see the video here.

In the meantime, the likes of a heart-stopping 1953 illustration (shown below), intentionally or not, propagated paranoia about Russian sneaky nuclear attack:

(image via)

With Americans retaliating by unleashing... the nuclear-powered XB-70 Valkyrie prototype strategic bomber! -

(image via)

The Low-flying Aircraft

Watch this B-52 doing a high-speed, low altitude pass over a nameless beach... ready to fly right into your nightmares, resembling low-flying sinister aircraft from J. G. Ballard post-apocalyptic stories:

(image via)

Stay tuned for the next part of this article.

CONTINUE TO "WORLD'S BIGGEST AIRPLANES" ->

ALSO CHECK OUT OUR "AIRPLANES" CATEGORY ->

The Jewish Engineer Behind Hitler’s Volkswagen

2012-04-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #765
Link - article by Paul Schilperoord

Finally, the full story behind emergence of Volkswagen, "Hitler's pet project"

We welcome back our contributing writer Paul Schilperoord, whose book “The Extraordinary Life of Josef Ganz – The Jewish Engineer Behind Hitler’s Volkswagen” has just been released in the US and Canada.

“The Extraordinary Life of Josef Ganz” tells the astonishing story of Josef Ganz, a Jewish engineer from Frankfurt, who in May 1931 created a revolutionary small car: the Maikäfer (German for May Bug). Seven years later Hitler introduced the Volkswagen. The Nazis not only “took” the concept of Ganz’s family car—their production model even ended up bearing the same nickname. In this biography, which reads like a thriller, Schilperoord tells how Ganz was arrested by the Gestapo, then fled Germany, and was hunted by the Nazis beyond Germany’s borders, narrowly escaping assassination.

We are going to highlight a few examples from the book. Most of the hundreds of stunning photos in the book have never been published before and come from Ganz’s original photo archive, which Schilperoord discovered from sources in Canada and Australia.

Volkswagen

Josef Ganz was born in Budapest in the summer of 1898 and grew up in Vienna. Already as a child Josef Ganz displayed his engineering abilities. By the age of 12 he was granted his first patent for a safety device for electric streetcars. After serving in WWI Ganz moved to Germany, where he studied Mechanical Engineering.

In 1923, as a student, Ganz started development of an innovative little car with a mid-mounted engine, independent wheel suspension, and a streamlined body. After a terrible motorcycle accident, in which Ganz almost list his right leg, developments of this Ganz-Klein-Wagen came to a temporary halt.

(1923 prospectus for the Ganz-Klein-Wagen with a mid-mounted engine and streamlined body)

Motor-Kritik

Josef Ganz was a heavy critic of the old-fashioned cars produced in the 1920s, which he considered to be ‘devil’s carts’ with their solid axles, high centres of gravity, and inefficient drive trains. As a freelance journalist he started contributing articles to motoring magazines in which he urged the automotive industry to employ more state-of-the-art technology.

This resulted into the appointment of Ganz as editor-in-chief of motoring magazine Klein-Motor-Sport. Ganz used this publication as a platform to promote innovative car design and the Volkswagen in particular. Because of his critical writing Ganz made no friends with the conservative car builders, but his magazine became highly influential. In 1929 Ganz changed the title into the more appropriate Motor-Kritik.

(front cover fragment of Klein-Motor-Sport propagating a streamlined, mid-engined car, 1928)

May Bug prototype

In 1930, the Ardie motorcycle company from Nuremberg gave Ganz the opportunity to build a first prototype of his Volkswagen. The prototype featured a central backbone chassis with a mid-mounted engine, independent all-round suspension with swing axles, and simple, open, beetle-shaped bodywork. Production plans, however, were halted when a consortium of leading German car manufacturers blocked a law-change proposal to let holders of a motorcycle-driving license operate such a small car.

(Josef Ganz test-driving the 1930 Ardie-Ganz Volkswagen prototype)

The remarkable construction attracted the attention of car manufacturer Adler from Frankfurt, which employed Ganz as a consulting engineer and offered him their facilities to build a new and improved prototype. Ganz completed this car in May 1931 and nicknamed his new brainchild the Maikäfer (May Bug). To comply with the conventional buying public, Ganz gave the car a more conventional looking, low-slung body with a fake radiator at the front.

(Josef Ganz in the May-Bug prototype, 1931)

Porsche test-drives the May Bug

Just as had happened at Ardie, industrial forces blocked further development of the May Bug at Adler, but Ganz was allowed to keep the prototype. He used the May Bug as a technology demonstrator and took countless engineers and journalists on test-drives, proving the worth of his Volkswagen concept. This included such people as Ferdinand Porsche, who tested the May Bug before designing a similar vehicle for the Zündapp motorcycle company.

In the summer of 1931 the May Bug was transported by truck to Stuttgart, where it was severely tested by the board of directors and engineers of Mercedes-Benz. This resulted in the development of a Beetle-like car with a rear-mounted 4-cylinder boxer engine, designed with the assistance of Josef Ganz. He had by then been employed as a consultant engineer by both Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

(the 1931 Beetle-like Mercedes-Benz 120H prototype with a rear-mounted engine)

May Bug becomes Superior

The May Bug had set off a bomb in the industry. Manufacturers that had previously fought Ganz and his Motor-Kritik to silence this critical voice now started adopting his revolutionary ideas. The race was one for who would be the first to create a successful rear-engined, lightweight, streamlined Volkswagen.

Ganz, however, was the first to market a Volkswagen, backed by the motorcycle manufacturer Standard Fahrzeugfabrik from Ludwigsburg. Using Ganz’s many patents they developed the Standard Superior, a production version of the May Bug with enclosed Beetle-like bodywork, which was introduced at the Berlin motor show in February 1933.

Hitler

Hitler had been appointed as Chancellor of Germany less than two weeks prior, and in this new capacity opened the motor show. He praised the work of the German engineers and during his tour of the exhibits expressed serious interest in the Standard Superior and the idea of a Volkswagen to motorize the German people. One of the first new laws introduced by his office was that holders of a motorcycle-driving license could operate small cars like the Standard Superior. A Standard Superior was even tested by the National Socialist Motor Corps and a favourable report appeared in the official army magazine.

(standard Superior as displayed at the 1933 Berlin motor show)

Then things took an unfavourable turn. The Gestapo falsely accused Josef Ganz of blackmailing the automotive industry and arrested him in Berlin in May 1933. Ganz was imprisoned for a month and was only released thanks to highly influential friends. Although he was released from prison, the Gestapo forced Ganz out of his positions as editor-in-chief of Motor-Kritik, and as consulting engineer at BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The Standard Superior meanwhile was claiming successes in trials and car races. A new and improved version was introduced in September 1933, and marketed as the ‘fastest and cheapest German Volkswagen.’

(brochure for the Standard Superior, 1933)

Hitler assigns Porsche

Hitler by then was determined to support the development of a Volkswagen for the German people. Having found no cooperation amongst the big car manufacturers, an independent development consortium was created, led by Ferdinand Porsche. As a Jew, Josef Ganz was an impossible choice. Porsche was now set the task to design a people’s car for 1,000 Reichsmark – a maximum selling price propagated by Ganz in Motor-Kritik.

The Nazis made sure that any Jewish connections to the Volkswagen were erased from history. They banned Ganz from publishing, as well as the entire German press from publishing anything about him. Overnight the name Josef Ganz disappeared from the German motoring scene.

Swiss Volkswagen

Just three months later, during the frightful Night of the Long Knives, the Gestapo appeared at Ganz’s home in Frankfurt to arrest and most probably assassinate him. Ganz was saved from this horrific fate by extraordinary luck: he was on holiday in Switzerland to calm his nerves. He was later warned by a friend not to return to Germany. He only made one daring secret trip to salvage his archives from Frankfurt.

After wondering around Europe for almost a year, Josef Ganz settled in Zurich in Switzerland. There he demonstrated the May Bug prototype and a Standard Superior before Swiss government officials and landed a contract to develop a ‘Swiss Volkswagen’ with state funding – exactly as Porsche was doing in Germany. The first prototypes of the Swiss Volkswagen were finished in 1937 and closely resembled Ganz’s original sketches from 1923. Production plans in Switzerland, France, and Poland came to an abrupt halt after the German army invaded Poland in 1939. Europe was at war.

(Josef Ganz in one of the Swiss Volkswagen prototypes in 1937)

Sanctuary in Australia

Josef Ganz survived the war in Switzerland, but faced many problems with a Swiss company trying to lay claims to his Volkswagen design, and Gestapo officers after his blood. These and other events resulted in lengthy court cases after the war. The Swiss Volkswagen was only produced in small numbers, as was a French variation called the Julien MM5.

Leaving all of his problems in Europe behind, Josef Ganz emigrated to Australia in 1951. He found employment as an engineer at General Motors – Holden until health problems forced him into retirement. He suffered multiple heart attacks and practically became an invalid, spending his days at home working on his memoirs. Josef Ganz died in obscurity on July 26, 1967.

(Josef Ganz in Australia, around 1965)

Check out more info on author's and publisher's websites. Here is the link to buy this book from Amazon.

Link Latte 178

2012-04-17T16:57:00.002-07:00

#178 - Week of April 16, 2012

China's Abandoned Wonderland - [spectacular]
Hello David! Perfect Viral Video - [sci-fi, creepy]
Super Mimicry: Caterpillar Turns into a Viper! - [wow pics]
Abandoned Soviet Radio Relay Station - [lots of pics, Russian]
Incredibly Detailed Persian Art Project - [hi-res pics]
Great Minimalist Posters: Philosophical Theories - [cool graphics]
Earth is spreading life-bearing meteorites - [across Galaxy]
Wonderful Collection of Vintage Commercial Stationery - [hi-res]
Blackberry Ice Cream: Dunes on Mars, more - [wow space]
Spooky Titanic Coincidence - [weird facts]
Most Touching Titanic Moment, Full Story - [cool videos]
Marianna Trench Infographic - [wow science]
Super Expensive Audio Equipment- [show update]
Nazis almost used exploding chocolate - [weird]
Time to "Plant" Artificial Trees - [science news]
BBQ Picnic on Aircraft Carrier - [cool!]
For Retro Car Lovers: Gorgeous Video - [auto show]
Detailed miniature planes, guns, tanks - [cool videos]
The Fortified Towers of Kaiping - [unique, pics]
Bin Laden on a happy 1971 photo - [plus some info]
Cool? Cycle-Skating from 1923 - [wow video]
Great Chemistry Reactions Demonstrations - [wow video]
Highly Inspirational Dance Video, more - [fun videos]
School Driver Passes Out; Boy Saves All - [wow video]
Static Flow of Water Effect - [wow video]
If you ever wondered how they can mow there... - [wow video]
Cat (Reluctantly) Crossing the River - [fun video]
This is nuts. Don't do this. - [wow video]
One of the Best Short Animated Movies - [Japanese sci-fi video]
Funny Neo-Centaur Look! - [Photoshop disaster]
Quality-Schnallity to the Rescue! - [promotion]

SEE ALL OTHER LINK LATTE ISSUES HERE

Push to Add Drama!

2012-04-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

Link
Scroll down for today's pictures & links.

Push to Add Drama!

I am not sure if I need this "Drama" button in my life... but it did add some wonderfully wacky spin to provincial life of one Belgian city:

Link

Today's pictures & links:

The Angel Falls, like you've never seen them before!

We wrote about Angel Falls before, the World's Highest Waterfall - but this picture almost adds one whole dimension to already grandiose natural set up:

(click to enlarge; image via)

------------

A Mystery Device?

(image credit: Tokyo Camera Style)

No, a Tokyo-made camera! This medium format 360 degrees lens camera was home-made and displayed at Sumida River Cruise Day in Tokyo - more images and info on Tokyo Camera Style.

------------

A Naiad in the Mist

Spotted in Vevey on Lake Geneva (Lake Léman), Switzerland:

(image credit: Samuel Gachet)

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Mixed fresh links for today:

"Dune" That Never Was - [sensational geek fact]
Use THIS for THAT - [gadgets]
The Misunderstood Casanova - [interesting]
Industrial Artifacts - [cool site]
Giant Robot to Invade Mars - [space tech]
1.5 million pages of ancient texts - [to be digitized]
The Ricksha Arts of Bangladesh - [unique art]
Unbelievably Lucky Driver - [wow video]
Extreme Kayaking (some wipe-outs in the end) - [wow video]
Dalek's Relaxation Tape for Humans - [exactly what it says]
Awesome "Ice Hammer" Machine - [wow video]
Coffee Steampunk Spaceship Music Video - [cool video]
Photoshop Disasters Round-up - [funny]
When you are bored with your normal workout - [sports]

------------

Hilarious "Top Tips" from VIZ

Here is a little dose of British humor:

SHOPPERS. When buying oranges, get more for your money by peeling them before taking them to the counter to be weighed.

DON'T waste money buying expensive binoculars; simply stand closer to the object you wish to view.

TOP TIP: Keep your wife on her toes by stapling her spending money to the ceiling.

OVERHEARD: "I heard on the news that the January storms had cost this country a billion pounds. What an utter waste of money. If anything, they did more harm than good."

DRIVERS Save money by putting much larger wheels on the back of your car. That way you will always be going downhill, thereby saving on fuel.

Read more here.

------------

Extraordinary Mobile Musical Instrument!

(image via)

One of the campaign posters for the "Classical Adventure" chamber music project of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. This is only a fragment of a poster. See the whole thing here.

------------

Jon Mandelbaum's "Egguins"!

These Egguins, shown individually and forming a legion (or a "portable fan club") are really about "how people with Asperger's Syndrome view everyone else... people with Asperger's tend not to look at other people's eyes..."

(images credit: Jon Mandelbaum)

The smooth ones are made from plaster. All others are ceramic; and if you drop a ceramic one on the floor, even a concrete floor, it will bounce not break. See even more of these creatures in this set. "

------------

I just love this streamlined huge spaceship

Click to enlarge.

("Legend of the Galactic Heroes", artist unknown)

------------

Surprising Sculpture "Hiding" in a Forest

(image via, more)

This is not really a mystery... but a surreal sculpture masterpiece from The Sculpture Park in Churt, Surrey, UK - also called the "Pride of the Valley" - more info.

------------

The following is a short round-up of the best from our Facebook stream (which we update every day with unique material, not available on DRB otherwise):

The Piúva (Tabebuia impetiginosa) tree in bloom in Brazil:

(image credit: Walfrido Tomas)

Riding along! - photo by Tustel Ico:

(image credit: Tustel Ico)

"The Banana Connection":

(image credit: Joyce Mollet)

This cat is entering the staring contest:

This is a.... "Hydnora Africana" - more info:

(image via)

"The plant grows underground, except for a fleshy flower that emerges above ground and emits an odor of feces to attract its natural pollinators, dung beetles..."

------------

Monster Security Vehicle

Sometimes called "The Car That Eats Dictators For Breakfast!", this is Cadillac Gage 8x8 ASV... luckily for all Dr. Evils of the world, still just a prototype. Or perhaps Dr. Evil (if there is one) might try to acquire one of those himself?

"Cadillac Gage makes the V-series Commando vehicles and specializes in military vehicles. The V-100 and the V-150 have seen use by the military and SWAT teams globally and this massive 8x8 monstrosity will replace the aging V-series fleet." - more info.

(images via)

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Fix your plumbing... and catch up on reading!

This is great addition to our recent Bookshelf Paradise article:

(image via)

------------

Is this Natalie Portman?

Nope. This is Russian actress Irina Pechernikova, in the movie "Dozhivem do Ponedelnika" (1968, See You Monday) info. This is a very quiet, lyrical movie about a history teacher in an ordinary Soviet high school, also starring famous actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov (shown here).

------------

The Day the Music Lived!

("The Birth of Music", artist unknown)

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Lazy, ahh... nevermind

------------

A Subtle Difference:

(image credit: Ben Warheit)

READ THE PREVIOUS ISSUE ->

READ ALL BISCOTTI ISSUES HERE ->

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Fluid Dynamics & Liquid Photography

2012-04-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #764
Link - article by Avi Abrams

It's a Splash! - High-Speed Photography at its Finest

"Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it." -- Lao Tzu

Water is also marvelous in photography: capturing its vivacious splashes and dancing droplets has become a favorite competition of skills and lens hardware among photographers. Today we continue exploring fluid dynamics of flowing water, capable of morphing into startling shapes and lovely mixture of colors:

(left: original unknown; right - "Water War" by Mark Rain)

Ink Spots in Water: Cataclysmic Billows of "Gas"

This is a glimpse of "Disastro Ecologico" liquid photography series by Italian photographer Alberto Sevesto:

(images credit: Alberto Sevesto)

See more works from this series here, or download hi-res wallpapers here.

One comment on previous sites that featured his works caught our attention: "It reminds me of the scenes in the Harry Potter movies where Harry enters the pensieve and the memory around him is constructed by ink blots.", via

Sometimes the same ink spots produce intriguing shapes (without any help of Photoshop, that is). Here is a "Black Rider":

(original unknown)

Photographer Pery Burge of Chronoscapes creates swirling, engaging landscapes of light refracting through ink, glass and natural objects with a macro lens, without any use of Photoshop:

(images credit: Pery Burge)

She gives her creations fanciful names like "Cosmic Bubblestream Machine", "Lava Nebula", or "Alien Bathysphere"...

Liquid "Sculptures": Umbrellas, Spiders, Flowers...

Corrie White "freezes" drops of water with high-speed photography to capture amazing illusions:

(images credit: Liquid Drop Art)

See a lot more here.

Some very happy droplets:

Photographer Brian Davies shares some of the secrets of high-speed and liquid photography on his site:

(image credit: Brian Davies)

(image credit: Luiz Luxvich)

Some planetary and cosmological associations come to mind, seeing these great shots:

(image credit: Akpe Ododoru)

(aptly named "Star Chaser", image credit: Vilhjálmur Ingi Vilhjálmsson)

And here is a disembodied floating drink, lovingly surrounded by impossible glass splices (this is a 3D work by Artur Wiechec):

(image credit: Artur Wiechec)

Smile! You're on camera! -

(image credit: Chandi)

(image credit: David Parks)

Impressive bubble creation:

(image credit: Dennis "dwaz4")

More bubbles spread over surface of a CD, bathed in reflections:

(image credit: Onigun)

...as well as wrapped in mysterious blue haze (there is even such a thing as "Bokeh Photography", named after Japanese "Bokeh" word for "Blur or Haze"):

(image via)

Even though this is obviously Photoshop manipulation, it's rather inspiring and eager to "fly away":

(image credit: Vitaly S. Alexiuss)

A daisy floats in a rain barrel -

(image via)

And now nature steps up and serves us a truly refreshing, spring-time visual feast:

Maybe some insects will get caught inside these watery pearls and become "encrusted" for a day? -

(images credit: Ekaterina)

A dew drop can even look slightly like hoarfrost:

(original unknown)

Earth map in a droplet... and a bullet speeding through a splash (photo by Lex Augusteijn):

(images via 1, 2)

Natural Fluid Dynamics Make fantastic wave photography... Look at the glorious colors of island sunset showing through a breaking wave -

(image credit: enhanced version of a Blue Snapper photo by Alex Marks)

One disclaimer, though: this image was color-enhanced, as you can see the original here (photo by Alex Marks). For more of the incredible photography inside the breaking waves, see our feature on Clark Little's work - Inside a Wave

And finally, sea foam can also be very playful, as witnessed by this capture:

(image credit: Jimanomaly)

CONTINUE TO "INSIDE A WAVE PHOTOGRAPHY" ->

ALSO READ "DROPLET PHOTOGRAPHY" ->

CHECK OUT OUR PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORY

The Hanging Monasteries of the World

2012-04-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

"QUANTUM SHOT" #286(rev)
Link - article by Avi Abrams

Truly, the way is narrow & the path is steep...

Dizzying heights, pervading mists and isolation seem to invariably fuel humankind's spiritual quests and lofty aspirations, so it comes as no surprise that we find monasteries and other sacred architecture suspended high above deep valleys, perched on impossible rocks and looming over gorges. The air is certainly clearer there, though at these heights, it's often much foggier.

(Hozoviotissa monastery at Amorgos Island, Greece - image credit: Joao Paulo Barbosa)

Serving partly as castles and almost always as unconquerable fortifications, these ancient sites were built on steep cliffs and daring promotories, often accessible only by secret paths - and thus provide the utmost seclusion amid serene surroundings, so valued in true spiritual devotion.

Some of these monasteries were featured on Dark Roasted Blend before, for example the "Haunted Monastery" of Sumela in Turkey:

(image via)

We also wrote about a "hiking" path to sacred places on Mt. Huashan in China:

Now we're going to add more pilgrimage destinations to this list. The accessibility to such places recently has improved due to the relentless progress of civilization (though this may not be a good thing for those seeking the original peace and quiet).

1. Sigiriya, Sri Lanka - The Lion Mountain

Build on a "magma plug" outstanding rock (being a remnant of an ancient volcano) the sacred city of Sigiriya contains the ruins of the palace and of the original temple, dating back to 500 AD. Even older times (around 3rd century BC) saw this rock used as a mountain monastery of the Buddhist Sangha devotees. Their caves still pepper the vertical walls, hardly accessible because of their overhanging formation and the 370-meter height.

(images credit: 1, 2, 3)

Here are some ancient rocks and the Sigiriya City in the background:

(image credit: Chinthaka Senanayake)

The whole western face of this rock (measuring 140 meters long and 40 meters high) was at one time covered with paintings:

"The whole face of the hill appears to have been a gigantic picture gallery... (being in total) the largest picture in the world perhaps" (quote from John Still in 1907). Colorful frescos were painted with the special mixture of egg yolk and wild honey, depicting the royal princess' procession and various exotic offerings. A few frescos in this giant mural were later obliterated by zealous monks, anxious not to disturb their meditation.

(images via)

Steep cliffs plunge down on all sides, commanding an ultimate view of surrounding plains & mountains:

(image credit: Munir Squires)

Stairs leading to the Mirror Wall... were some sort of "Stairway to Heaven" for the ancient monks:

(images via)

This sacred mountain did not remain sacred throughout all the years of its history. Eventually, "mad king" Kasyapa built Pleasure Palaces there, including a "health spa" and a harem for his 500 wives. At other time this place also served as a capital city of Ceylon. By the time Arthur Clarke wrote about it in his "Fountains of Paradise", it was again only a secluded monastery. Today this place is remote, but not "ideally" secluded, as hordes of tourists and hordes of archaeologists (this being a UNESCO site) clearly testify...

Don't look down there -

(image credit: Munir Squires)

More local danger:

(image credit: Ben D. Johnson)

2. Taktshang - Tiger's Nest Monastery in Bhutan

The Taktshang Tiger's Nest monastery in Bhutan clings to a cliff 2300 feet above the Paro Valley floor. The legend behind the "Tiger's Nest" name speaks of the "Second Buddha", Precious Guru Padmasambhava, and his flight to the future site of the monastery on the back of a tiger. This is certainly marvelous means of transportation, but the rest of us must either hike on foot to reach the monastery and the temples, or ride a mule along the steep and narrow mountain paths.

(images credit: Leo Palmer Photography)

(images credit: Douglas J. McLaughlin)

The cliffs reign supreme... and the monastery looks like it's carved into a mountain:

Looking down into the valley below:

(images credit: Allyson and Dominic)

Some hikers reportedly have gone missing on their way up, presumably losing their balance and slipping off the path. As you can see, there is pretty much nothing standing between you and the bottom of the valley:

The surrounding area of the Bhutan's Tiger Nest monastery seem to be just as fascinating: here is a typical house on the way to monastery and a Medieval castle (or Dzong) overlooking the Gaza village:

(images via 1, 2, 3)

3. Meteora, Greece - "Build Your House on a Rock"

Our third monastery is situated on some curious cliff formations in Greece, in the plains of Thessaly. Some of these formations tower 1800 feet above the plain. Meteora site was originally a complex of two dozen monasteries, dating back to the 14th century. Six of them are still standing today and can be explored. By the way, Meteora means ""suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above":

(images credit: Leonidas Spetzos, Poseidon Simons, Adventurelogger)

First monks started to build in Meteora around 950-970 A.D. They clearly recognized and respected the grand nature of this place, especially the unique shapes of surrounding rock formations, which were eventually explained by Filipson, a German geologist. According to him, a few million years ago Meteora area was the estuary of a great river, with much mud and silt accumulating and then eroding into these cone structures. With the geographical uplift of the Central Greece, Thessaly itself became a big lake. Gradually, the rocks of Meteora became detached from the Pindos Mountain chain, and with ages of erosion, became the shapes we see today.

The Roussanou Monastery:

(images credit: Karolos Trivizas)

(image credit: Tomasz Moscicki)

View down the valley:

Originally, the monasteries were only accessible inside baskets lifted by pulleys - until the 1920's, when roads, steps and bridges were constructed to accommodate more pilgrims and tourists:

(image credit: Magdalini Eirinaki)

Still it's quite a climb up to get inside any of these houses. Which makes it not a very friendly place to deliver groceries, perhaps, but certainly a great location for taking great photographs... and maybe dreaming about dozens of James Bond movies which could take place here?

(image via)

Varlaam Monastery:

(image credit: Tom Dempsey)

Saint Nicholas Anapafsa Monastery:

(image credit: Tom Dempsey)

This area is predictably popular with rock climbers... as one can only imagine the tenacity of first hermits who repeatedly scaled the cliffs and inhabited austere caves in search of solitude and spiritual awakening. Further detailed history of this place can be found at Great Adventures.com.

(image credit: Ilias Kapetanakis)

(image via)

The monks might not find themselves jumping from cliff to cliff, but a certain dare-devil tourists would. It can be clearly called a "leap of faith":

(image credit: Mr. Teklan)

4. Cave Monasteries of Cappadocia, Turkey

And now we come to the most surreal landscape and weird habitation of them all - the fairy chimneys and hollow towers of the Cappadocia area in Turkey - a land rich in history and spiritual heritage. According to this, "Cappadocia is mentioned in the Biblical account given in the book of Acts 2:9, with the Cappadocians being named as one of the people groups hearing the Gospel account from Galileans in their own language on the day of Pentecost shortly after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:5 seems to suggest that the Cappadocians in this account were "God-fearing Jews".

The Natural Rock Citadel of Uchisar is the highest peak in the region, and quite unexpectedly it is completely honeycombed with ancient dwellings! Many of these spaces were used as cave monasteries, though today they mostly inspire photographers and artists. Its honeycombed architecture is revealed by erosion and suggests intense fortifications and infrastructure:

(image credit: Patryk Moriak)

(image credit: CT Pehlivan)

Fairy Chimneys:

(image credit: CT Pehlivan)

We will cover more difficult-to-access and precariously located monasteries in the next installment of this series. But by now, you might be asking yourself a question:

How far would you be willing to go, just to get your peace & quiet?

Some paths to sacred places require a special blessing for safety. Take for example, this bridge... where the Russian sign states it clearly: "Did you get a blessing before crossing this bridge?"

Once you put all the sheer walls and narrow paths behind and reach the "sacred ground", then it will prove to be truly inspiring:

CONTINUE TO "MYSTERIOUS MINARET OF JAM"! ->

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Rusty Shipwreck in Liberia

2012-04-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

"QUICK SHOT" #3
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Rusty Shipwreck in Liberia

"A fisherman passes a shipwreck near the port of Greenville. In the mid 1990s, a vessel arrived carrying an aid cargo of rice and fuel. The captain and crew left the ship when it developed a problem and was in danger of sinking. They returned the next day to find that the whole cargo had disappeared and the ship had been ravaged".

(image credit: Tim Hetherington, via)

Photo taken by Tim Hetherington, who has been documenting life in Liberia for more than six years and has published a book "Liberia: An Uncivil War" (2004)... See more photographs here.

"Hetherington was killed while covering the front lines in the besieged city of Misrata, Libya, during the 2011 Libyan civil war. There appeared to be uncertainty whether he was killed by a mortar shell or an RPG round. The same attack also killed photographer Chris Hondros and gravely wounded photographer Guy Martin. A source said that the group was traveling with rebel fighters." source

Ghost Shipwreck in Neverwhere

Deliciously gothic and foreboding image by Kentaro Kanamoto, or Korbox:

(image credit: Kentaro Kanamoto, see more of his works here)

This is book cover illustration for Ben Julien's "Bhel Sea". See more artwork for this book here.

CONTINUE TO "SHIPWRECKS & SEA DISASTERS"! ->

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This is one of our regular "Quick Shots" - mini posts published in-between the main articles. Check our recent full-length articles below.