An ad for Sweden's Apotek Hjärtat's Apolosophy hair care products. The ad recognizes when trains enter the station - and then shows a woman's hair blowing all around, as though windswept by the train.
Vimeo link
(via Adweek)
Friday 28 February 2014
Piodao: Portugal's Most Picturesque Village
At its advent, Piodao was a farming community, and that heritage is still felt today, with the main industries of this town being livestock, produce, olive oil, and cheese. The relative remoteness of this village created a microcosm of distinct culture, with an attitude of self-sustainability.
In the middle of the last century, many of the people in this small village began to abandon it, favoring the big cities to the primitiveness of the city. Piodao did not even receive electricity or a road until 1972. It is those who visit this picturesque town that have breathed life back into it.
Daily Cartoon
Dan Rosandich is an American cartoonist. Dan's cartoons have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, National Review, The National Enquirer, Science Digest, Reader's Digest and Woman's World. The Presurfer, in cooperation with Dan Rosandich, will bring you a cartoon every day.
Van Damme - Zero Gravity Split
Remember the Epic Split ad Jean-Claude Van Damme did for Volvo? Chinese film director Linh Mai put it up a level with this CGI parody.
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Adventure Time: Ice King's Castle For Sale
The Ice King is a character in the American animated television series Adventure Time. He lives in the Ice King's Castle in the Land of Ooo.
Movoto wanted to find out what the value is of the Ice King's Castle. So grab your favorite princess, a pair of long johns, and maybe hide some pizza in your beard for good measure, because we're heading to the Ice Kingdom.
(thanks Patrick)
Mercury The Kitten
Meet Mercury. Despite missing his two front legs and all but one of the toes on his left hind leg, this inspirational survivor is just as rambunctious and playful as the rest of his pals.
Mercury was found with his horrific injuries when he was just four days old - his eyes weren't even open yet. His owners suspect that he must have been injured by a weed whacker. After taking him to a vet, they continued to care for him and tend to his wounds.
(thanks Berend)
Mark Malkoff's Vegan 28 Day Challenge
Comedian Mark Malkoff teams with personal trainer Robert Brace in an attempt to get ripped on a vegan diet in 28 days. Will Mark pull it off? Watch and find out.
YouTube link
(thanks Mark)
YouTube link
(thanks Mark)
Dutch Village Designed Just For People With Dementia
In the Netherlands a radical idea is being tested: Self-contained 'villages' where people with dementia shop, cook, and live together - safely. In the small town of Weesp at a dementia-focused living center called De Hogeweyk, aka Dementiavillage, the relationship between patients and their care is serving as a model for the rest of the world.
Hogeweyk, from a certain perspective, seems like a fortress: A solid podium of apartments and buildings, closed to the outside world with gates and security fences. But, inside, it is its own self-contained world: Restaurants, cafes, a supermarket, gardens, a pedestrian boulevard, and more.
Thursday 27 February 2014
Cuttlefish Hunting - The Executioner
Cuttlefish are marine animals belonging to the class Cephalopoda, which also includes squid, octopi and nautiluses. 'Cuttle' is a reference to their unique internal shell, the cuttlebone. Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but mollusks.
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Scientists Discover A New State Of Matter In Chicken Eyes
Scientists have discovered a system of matter unlike anything they've ever seen before, capable of being both crystal-like and a liquid.
The new matter is called 'disordered hyperuniformity' and it may drastically change the way we can design materials. The new matter is only found in chicken eyes.
Daily Cartoon
Dan Rosandich is an American cartoonist. Dan's cartoons have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, National Review, The National Enquirer, Science Digest, Reader's Digest and Woman's World. The Presurfer, in cooperation with Dan Rosandich, will bring you a cartoon every day.
My Nature Documentary
My Nature Documentary is an animated short by Noah Rappaport. Adapted from a story written by Jack Handey, the film has played at a few film festivals and won Best Animated Short at the Santa Monica Film Festival, and third place at the Athens International Film Festival.
Vimeo link
Vimeo link
14 Facts You Might Not Know about The Brady Bunch
On September 26, 1969, a fictional family called the Bradys permitted Americans a reprieve from a tumultuous age. Sherwood Schwartz's The Brady Bunch showed a family that was perfectly good - free from want, misfortune and serious conflict. Let's look at some bits of trivia that you might not know about The Brady Bunch.
Gladiator School Discovery Reveals Hard Lives Of Ancient Warriors
Ancient Rome's gladiators lived and trained in fortress prisons, according to an international team of archaeologists who mapped a school for the famed fighters. Discovered at the site of Carnuntum outside Vienna, Austria, the gladiatorial school, or ludus gladiatorius, is the first one discovered outside the city of Rome.
Now hidden beneath a pasture, the gladiator school was entirely mapped with noninvasive earth-sensing technologies. The discovery Makes clear what sort of lives these famous ancient warriors led during the second century A.D. in the Roman Empire.
Wednesday 26 February 2014
Raving To 'Yakety Sax'
Jesse Nieuwenhuijzen created this silly video showing a group of Dutch ravers dancing to The Benny Hill Show theme song 'Yakety Sax.' The original footage can be seen here.
YouTube link
(via Laughing Squid)
YouTube link
(via Laughing Squid)
The Lost Cow Tunnels Of New York City
Like every other major metropolis, New York City has tunnels for people, tunnels for cars, and lots of tunnels for trains. But it also has something rather more unique: tunnels for cows. Or does it? This is the story of New York's lost, forgotten, or perhaps just mythical subterranean meat infrastructure.
Daily Cartoon
Dan Rosandich is an American cartoonist. Dan's cartoons have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, National Review, The National Enquirer, Science Digest, Reader's Digest and Woman's World. The Presurfer, in cooperation with Dan Rosandich, will bring you a cartoon every day.
Production Of A Spanning Tree
A spanning tree is a handicrafted decorative item which is a component, among others, of the pyramid jewelry. It is mainly produced in workshops in the German Erzgebirge.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
Put A Propeller On It: The Golden Age Of Tinkering
Once upon a time, motorcycles, trains, and even UFOs were driven by propellers. Personal flying machines roamed the streets of Paris, and people were afraid that marauding anarchist Zeppelins might destroy their cities. No, it's not a steam punk novel. It was the turn of the twentieth century, and the golden age of tinkering.
The Chemistry of Sriracha: Hot Sauce Science
Sriracha is a type of hot sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha in Eastern Thailand. Beloved by millions for its unique spicy, garlicky, slightly sweet flavor, the chemistry of 'rooster sauce' is the focus of this video.
YouTube link
(thanks Kirk)
YouTube link
(thanks Kirk)
Extreme Parenting And Wild, Wild Kids!
A funny (and sometimes very bizarre) image compilation focusing on unusual bits of parenting of fascinating and energetic kids.
Tuesday 25 February 2014
Squirrel Steals Airplane
Squirrel steals airplane! Yes, you read that right. Squirrel steals airplane!
YouTube link
(via Miss Cellania)
YouTube link
(via Miss Cellania)
Crush The Best-Dressed List: Our Style Guide To A Century Of Dazzling Party Dresses
Now that the jeans-and-T-shirts plague has reached our fancy restaurants, cocktail parties, and nightclubs, it seems as though nobody cares about dressing up anymore. And yet, as fashions become increasingly casual, the perfect party dress is like a secret weapon - turning anyone into a rose among daisies.
But with so many looks to choose from, what are the most stunning, decade-defining dresses? It's a perfect question for Jacqueline WayneGuite, a writer, researcher, and fashion archivist who currently manages the garment collection at Columbia College Chicago.
(thanks Hunter)
Daily Cartoon
Dan Rosandich is an American cartoonist. Dan's cartoons have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, National Review, The National Enquirer, Science Digest, Reader's Digest and Woman's World. The Presurfer, in cooperation with Dan Rosandich, will bring you a cartoon every day.
Alice Herz-Sommer: Pianist And Oldest Known Holocaust Survivor Dies Aged 110
Alice Herz-Sommer, who died last Sunday, was a pianist, music teacher, and supercentenarian from Bohemia, and a survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where she was sent by the Nazis because of her Jewish origins. She lived in Belsize Park in London from 1986 until her death, and at the age of 110 was the world's oldest known Holocaust survivor.
YouTube link
You can read more about Alice Herz-Sommer at theguardian.
(thanks Michael)
YouTube link
You can read more about Alice Herz-Sommer at theguardian.
(thanks Michael)
The Smoking Machine
The Smoking Machine, created by Norway-based Kristoffer Myskja in 2007, works it way through loading, lighting, smoking, and discarding a cigarette.
Internet Fuels procrastination And Lowers Productivity
A survey in the UK reveals that the majority of people are distacted from their work by the internet, as well as feeling less productive. Over half of the 2,500 individuals surveyed by motivational aid site Webtrate admitted that checking their emails and social media when trying to do work revealed a worrying lack of impulse control.
Over 60% said they lost their chain of thought because they checked and responded to an email or social media alert while they were working on a report or longer piece of written work.
Monday 24 February 2014
Meerkat Trying Not To Fall Asleep
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. This member of the meerkat clan has difficulties keeping his eyes open.
YouTube link
(thanks Paula)
YouTube link
(thanks Paula)
The Abandoned Commune And Medieval Village Of Craco, Italy
Craco is both a commune and town located in the Matera Province in the Basilicata region, south of Italy. This historical town experienced several recurring landslides over the years, which eventually led to its abandonment in 1963.
Because of its mysterious appearance, Craco became a major tourist destination and even a popular location for shooting films. It was incorporated into the World Monuments Fund watch list in 2010.
Daily Cartoon
Dan Rosandich is an American cartoonist. Dan's cartoons have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, National Review, The National Enquirer, Science Digest, Reader's Digest and Woman's World. The Presurfer, in cooperation with Dan Rosandich, will bring you a cartoon every day.
The Weirdest Warship Ever Built
After its defeat in the Crimean War (1853-1856), the victorious powers forbade Russia from operating battleships on the Black Sea. Once these restrictions ended, Russia rebuilt its Black Sea fleet with modern warships that it hoped could defeat the navies of France and Britain should they ever cross again.
From 1872 to 1874, Russia built one of the strangest-looking warships the world had ever seen. Andrei Alexandrovich Popov, the naval officer responsible for the design, wanted an ironclad monitor, which was a common naval design concept.
Fish On Wheels
By using a camera and computer vision software it is possible to make a fish control a robot car over land. By swimming towards an interesting object, the fish can explore the world beyond the limits of his tank.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
Evolution Of News Media And Social Media
From wire services to global media, emergent social channels are changing the face of journalism. This infographic designed by University of Florida Online, takes a closer look at the recent history in the news industry and tracks the development of social media's rise as powerful new platform for journalism.
10 Gloriously Underhanded Sports Tactics
There's a difference between being underhanded and cheating. Cheating is unimaginative, brutish, and plain. Underhandedness, on the under hand, requires a certain moustache-twirling panache - a boldness that beguiles us, no matter what the rulebooks say!
Monday Puzzle
The Presurfer, in cooperation with pzzlr.com, brings you a puzzle every Monday. Just to tickle your brain.
image credit: Matt
Malcolm keeps his Junior Encyclopaedia (10 volumes of 1000 pages each) in his bedroom on a book shelf in the usual order. Distressingly, he discovers that moth larvae have eaten their way in a straight line from the Encyclopaedia's first page to its last page. Ignoring covers, content pages, etcetera, how many pages did the moth larvae eat?
You can find the answer here.
Malcolm keeps his Junior Encyclopaedia (10 volumes of 1000 pages each) in his bedroom on a book shelf in the usual order. Distressingly, he discovers that moth larvae have eaten their way in a straight line from the Encyclopaedia's first page to its last page. Ignoring covers, content pages, etcetera, how many pages did the moth larvae eat?
You can find the answer here.
Sunday 23 February 2014
Daily Cartoon
Dan Rosandich is an American cartoonist. Dan's cartoons have appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, National Review, The National Enquirer, Science Digest, Reader's Digest and Woman's World.
Starting tomorrow, The Presurfer in cooperation with Dan Rosandich will post a cartoon every day.
Starting tomorrow, The Presurfer in cooperation with Dan Rosandich will post a cartoon every day.
The Musketeers: Locations Revealed
The Musketeers is a BBC television historical action drama series that is based on the characters in Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers. The first episode was shown on BBC One on 19 January 2014.
Something which has come in for praise has been the locations chosen to portray the Paris of the seventeenth century. Yet if you want to see them for yourself, don't go dashing off to the French capital - you won't find them there. Instead head for Prague - the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic.
They Were Who They Weren't: 6 Audacious Impostors
Throughout history, people have changed their identities and become someone completely different. Sometimes it was to avoid consequences in their previous lives, and sometimes it was to be something grander than they were. Here are 6 audacious impostors.
Infographic: Illegal Wildlife Trade
Illegal wildlife trade, linked to global criminal gangs and terrorist groups, is estimated to be worth over $10 billion. Find out how and why these key species are being threatened by illegal wildlife trade.
Saturday 22 February 2014
The Wolf Eel: The Old Man Of The Sea
Picture one of those double-take moments when you have to look again in a mixture of curiosity and alarm. Then imagine that you are thirty meters underwater when that happens.
Over the years, divers off the coast of California have had many such moments when they suddenly come across the huge face of an old man peering at them from the rocky reefs below. It is the face of an extraordinary creature, the wolf eel.
Top 10 Internet Cats Hall Of Fame
British internet users officially love cats more than they love themselves, after it emerged they share more than 3.8 million cat-related photos and videos every single day, compared to 1.4 million selfies.
In honour of such wonderful news, here are the 10 most famous cats of the internet.
Watch This Liquid Transform Like Magic
A ferrofluid is a liquid which becomes strongly magnetized in the presence of a magnetic field.
YouTube link
(via Laughing Squid)
YouTube link
(via Laughing Squid)
The Opium Wars
It was a major drug bust with more than 1,600 arrests and the confiscation of 11,000 pounds of a highly addictive substance. No, this wasn't a DEA raid of a major meth operation, or an Interpol investigation into international drug smuggling.
It was the year 1839 and the Chinese government was cracking down on British importation of opium. The drug issue was a powder keg that led to a series of wars between the two countries over the course of more than 20 years and changed both nations for generations.
10 Japanese Travel Tips For Visiting America
With the help of Google Translate (and an ability to interpret completely random sentence structure), an American can find out what kind of advice the Japanese give to their own countrymen on how to handle the peculiarities of American culture.
Here are some things to look out for if you are visiting America from Japan.
(via Miss Cellania)
Here are some things to look out for if you are visiting America from Japan.
(via Miss Cellania)
Friday 21 February 2014
Walking City
Referencing the utopian visions of 1960's architecture practice Archigram, Walking City is a slowly evolving video sculpture. The language of materials and patterns seen in radical architecture transform as the nomadic city walks endlessly, adapting to the environments she encounters.
Vimeo link
Vimeo link
A Few Things You May Not Know About The Movie Grease
Sadly, the passing of the great Sid Caesar last week brought back many memories of the movie Grease, filmed way back in the happy, innocent summer of 1977. Sid, who passed away at 91, was the oldest surviving cast member of Grease. Here's a few facts you may not have known about Grease.
Awkward! 28 Cringe-Worthy Vintage Product Endorsements
There's a moment in your typical advertising brainstorm when the people charged with wrestling the creative elements to the ground cry uncle, settling on a clumsy compromise for the sake of getting on with the really important business - billing their clients.
Many vintage ads feature unfortunate celebrity endorsements, from Mark Twain shilling for Campbell's soup to Bill Gates touting the virtues of the latest Radio Shack computer. Is a clown really going to convince us to buy tires for our cars?
(thanks Ben)
The 10 Most Beautiful Abandoned Places In The World
Many of these places are really something amazing, but they are also sad when you take a closer look at them. Here are the 10 most beautiful abandoned places in the world. You'll see abandoned ships, as well as the abandoned houses, and so many other things, that are really amazing and magnificent.
Friday Cartoon By Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson is a professional cartoonist from the Chicago area. His cartoons have been published in Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Woman's World and the Saturday Evening Post, to mention just a few. Among his clients are GM, General Electric, FedEx, Microsoft, and IBM.
Introducing The WAVE Concept Truck
The Walmart Advanced Vehicle Experience concept truck is a one-of-a-kind prototype. The tractor has very advanced aerodynamics and is powered by a prototype advanced turbine-powered, range-extending series hybrid powertrain. The trailer is made almost exclusively with carbon fiber, saving around 4,000 pounds which can then be used to carry more freight.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
How Much Is Your Body Worth On the Black Market?
Organs and tissue are used for millions of transplants and medical products yearly. The traditional path for a transplant is a waitlist, but with thousands of people dying before they make it to the front of the line, some take matters into their own hands.
Every year 100,000+ people join the waiting list for heart, kidney or liver transplants. Half of them die while on the waitlist. Some resort to illicit means. Organ trade is illegal in every country except Iran. How much is your body worth on the black market?
(thanks Jaelynn)
Natalie Dee Machine
Natalie Dee Machine is a random comic generator in the style of classic Natalie Dee comics. The comics on Natalie Dee Machine are generated by a program that intelligently combines existing Natalie Dee comics with new text and images. Just hit the big red button to make another random comic.
(thanks Brian)
Thursday 20 February 2014
The Ragtime Gals: Ignition (Remix)
Jimmy Fallon's barbershop quartet, The Ragtime Gals, performs the R. Kelly classic 'Ignition (Remix).'
YouTube link
YouTube link
Emotions Of Sound
Emotions of Sound asks you what emotions you feel when listening to various sounds. When hearing a sound do you feel happy, annoyed, anxious, peaceful, excited, fearful or romantic?
Take a tour through this interactive journey of sound and you might even surprise yourself along the way. After you decided on your emotion, you can see what other people feel.
Aquard.io
Aquard.io is the first live interactive aquarium on the net. Why watch fish when you can interact with them. There's a countdown at the bottom of the screen. When it reaches zero you can feed the fish just by sliding the handle. Keep in mind that feeding time only comes once every hour or so.
20 Mildly Amusing Doormats
Doormats are not particularly valued. We have even adopted the noun as a metaphor to describe people who allow themselves to be used by others.
Yet these vital but unsung heroes of a clean house should be more of an everyday treasure than they are. A few well-chosen words (or symbols) can make all the difference. Here are twenty good reasons why doormats shouldn't be such... doormats.
Sir David Attenborough Describes Olympic Curling
Legendary British nature documentary narrator Sir David Attenborough provides an alternative commentary for winter's most mysterious sport.
LiveLeak link
(thanks Cora)
LiveLeak link
(thanks Cora)
New Startup Wants To Create Living Avatars For Dead People
By scanning the digital footprints of our dearly departed and recreating their personality, some MIT entrepreneurs hope to use artificial intelligence to bring them back to life in the virtual world.
After sorting through all of your Facebook posts, emails, photos, and chats, a new startup called Eterni.me can use artificial intelligence to create an avatar that acts 'just like you.'
Inflatable Emergency Bench
Jamie Wolfond is a Brooklyn-based designer originally from Toronto. Wolfond's work is born from experimentation; with ideas, materials, patterns, colours and functionality.
Like an emergency bench made from inflatable raft elements and tables from hand-molded plastics.
Wednesday 19 February 2014
Camera Falls From Airplane
Someone accidentally drops a camera from a sky diving airplane and it lands in... well, see for yourself.
YouTube link
YouTube link
Horse-Drawn Ski Racing Was Almost An Olympic Sport
Skijoring is a winter sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse. In skijoring, a skier hangs on to a rope attached to a horse (or a dog, or a snowmobile) and glides across the snow until she falls down or the horse gets tired.
Eighty-six years ago, Skijoring was on the verge of becoming a full-fledged Olympic event. The sport caught the eye of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics. He expressed his hope that there might one day be room for skijoring in the Olympic Games. As we know, that never happened.
(thanks Cora)
Creation And Destruction Of Sand Mandalas
The Sand Mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. A sand mandala is ritualistically destroyed once it has been completed and its accompanying ceremonies and viewing are finished to symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life.
This Is How Strong A Modern Plane Is
What happens when 120 tons of landing Boeing 767 encounters severe turbulence just above the runway? You get to see the incredible strength of modern engineering. Watch the wings flex and the landing gear absorb the shock.
YouTube link
(via Digg)
YouTube link
(via Digg)
50 Amazing Finds On Google Earth
You've no doubt already come across some interesting finds on Google Earth. Here are the most fascinating sites others have stumbled upon browsing Google Earth. From natural formations to human structures, the world is a different place when viewed from above.
How Artificial Snow Is Made
In what may be the warmest Winter Olympics on record, Sochi looks more like SoCal by the day. With few real snowflakes to blanket Sochi's slopes, this video by Kirk Zamieroskiour explains how science keeps the Winter Olympics alive with artificial snow.
YouTube link
(thanks Kirk)
YouTube link
(thanks Kirk)
In 1951, Children Could Buy A DIY Nuclear Reactor Kit
You don't see toys like this around anymore. Who wants the kid next door to create his own Manhattan project in the backyard? The Atomic Energy Lab set was available from 1951 to 1952 and sold for a whopping $50.
The set came with four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source, a pure beta source, a gamma source, a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber, an electroscope, a geiger counter, and a manual.
Tuesday 18 February 2014
The Poodle Trainer
Irina Markova, a solitary Russian poodle trainer, reveals her transcendent relationship with her dogs, the childhood tragedy that sparked a lifetime of working with animals, and the welcome isolation behind the red velvet curtains of the circus.
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
You're The Last. The Very Last One. Now What Happens?
What happens if you are the last (the very, very last) of your species and you die - and humans notice? We live at a time when extinctions are recorded, remembered, and the last animal (or plant) in its line, by virtue of its being last, becomes a kind of celebrity.
Its finality becomes a thing to honor. If it's an animal, its body can be stuffed, embalmed, and displayed for all to see. One would think that, as modern celebrities, the Last Ones would be celebrated, mourned, fussed over. But, curiously, that's not what happens.
Giant Hedgehog Arrives On Clapham Common
The locals close to London's Clapham Common are used to some odd happenings on their triangular area of grassland situated in the south of the city. Yet few were prepared last Sunday for the arrival of a gigantic hedgehog.
Debunking The Myth Of Kitty Genovese
The circumstances of her murder and the lack of reaction of numerous neighbors were reported by a newspaper article published two weeks later; the common portrayal of neighbors being fully aware but completely unresponsive has since been criticized as inaccurate.
Nonetheless, it prompted investigation into the social psychological phenomenon that has become known as the bystander effect or 'Genovese syndrome' and especially diffusion of responsibility.
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