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Posts Tagged ‘Weird’

World’s Largest Rubber Duck Comes to Hong Kong

May 2nd, 2013 by Ieva | No Comments | Filed in Design

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman goes big – so big, that it’s practically impossible to miss his artistic statements. His latest work is a 46 feet tall and 55 feet long inflatable rubber duck, which today arrived to Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and will stay there till June 9. Boldly called the Rubber Duck, this floating sculpture is described by Florentijn as a “very positive artistic statement that immediately connects people to their childhood”.

The world’s largest Rubber Duck has already been drawing the attention of the locals while being inflated in the shipyard in Tsing Yi. Even though this is the first time this floating sculpture has visited Hong Kong, it has already been to cities like m Auckland, Osaka, Sao Paolo and Sydney. As said in the official statement, “the Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn’t discriminate people and doesn’t have a political connotation.The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties: it can relieve mondial tensions as well as define them. The rubber duck is soft, friendly and suitable for all ages!”

This duck is a very typical example of Florentijn’s style, as he says he is usually inspired by ordinary every-day objects, such as paper boats or mass-produced toy figures. Besides, he never settles for less than “humour, sensation and maximum impact”, and the Rubber Duck has got to be the best illustration of that!

Website: apple.florentijnhofman.nl (via: mymodernmet)

World’s Largest Rubber Duck Comes to Hong Kong originally appeared on Bored Panda on May 2, 2013.

Tags: Art, biggest rubber duck, boredpanda, Florentijn Hofman, full-page, giant rubber duck, hong kong, installation, largest rubber duck, Latest Posts, rubber duck, Victoria Harbour, Weird

Dizzying Photos of Ukrainian Daredevil Hanging from Tall Buildings

April 9th, 2013 by Lina | No Comments | Filed in Design

Eastern Europeans must have altered adrenaline glands! It hasn’t been long since we shared heart-stopping photos of Russian skywalkers, and this time it’s a former legal adviser Pavel from Ukraine that stops traffic and leaves people in awe. A 26-year-old rooftopper from Kiev, better known as Mustang Wanted, has shocked the world with the pictures of him holding on to various high-rise building with just one hand. It’s hard to believe, but Pavel doesn’t use any safety gear nor ropes.

Even though his pictures and videos might make some heads spin, Mustang Wanted himself claims that he never feels any fear: “Sometimes I think that I’m a robot. I do not feel anything,” he says. Which does seem to be quite true, seeing how Pavel manages to make all these tricks look effortless in the pictures.

It appears that most of the appreciation for the hobby comes from knowing that he is able to do just anything he wants: “Death is not the worst thing that can happen. Everyone dies – but not everyone lives the way they want. If you are afraid of everything – you must live in a sterile laboratory.” Take note, however, that he does not advice anyone to try doing it themselves!

Website: mustang-wanted.com, facebook, youtube.com

Mustang Wanted on 150 meter crane

Dizzying Photos of Ukrainian Daredevil Hanging from Tall Buildings originally appeared on Bored Panda on April 9, 2013.

Tags: boredpanda, daredevil, dizzying, full-page, Latest Posts, Mustang Wanted, rooftopping, scary, skywalkers, skywalking, ukrainian daredevil, vertigo-inducing, Weird

Rooftopping on the Top of the Tallest Building in the World

March 25th, 2013 by Tomas | No Comments | Filed in Design

National Geographic photographer Joe McNally snapped a shot that some call “the mother of all rooftopping photos.” Standing atop the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, Joe shared this amazing photo on Instagram from about 820 meters high!

“My old battered shoes climbed the worlds tallest building today. What an amazing structure! Tweeting from 820 meters straight up!”

Rooftopping on the Top of the Tallest Building in the World originally appeared on Bored Panda on March 25, 2013.

Tags: boredpanda, Burj Khalifa, Dubai, full-page, Latest Posts, no-ads, rooftopping, scary, skywalking, Weird

Immortal Jellyfish: The Only Known Species Known to Live Forever

January 28th, 2013 by Tomas | No Comments | Filed in Design

While the humans have been looking for the elixir of life throughout every period of history, it appears that there is one species of jellyfish that are actually immortal. Turritopsis nutricula, or sometimes – Turritopsis dohrnii, is able to transform its cells from mature state back to immaturity, in other words – back to youth. The medusa leads a regular cycle of life, but after maturing and mating, it reverts back to its initial state – a polyp colony. The process is referred to as “transdifferentiation”, and it basically makes the jellyfish unable to die.

The bell-shaped immortal jellyfish measures up to a maximum of bout 4.5 millimeters (0.18 in) and is about the same in its length and width. Originating in the Caribbean, it has now spread worldwide, and the discovery of its unique ability has heated up many discussions among the scientists. Some claim that their mystery is soon to be solved and applied to humans, while others only expect it to improve the quality of life at our final stages. Either way, knowing that something out there goes back and forth from being young to old to young again, blows your mind!

Sources: wikipedia, NY Times

Image credits: Takashi Murai

Image credits: Yiming Chen

Image credits: Takashi Murai

Image credits: NY Times

Immortal Jellyfish: The Only Known Species Known to Live Forever originally appeared on Bored Panda on January 28, 2013.

Tags: Animals, boredpanda, immortal jellyfish, jellyfish, Latest Posts, Turritopsis dohrnii, Turritopsis nutricula, Weird

10 Of the Most Unusual Homes in the World

January 23rd, 2013 by Tomas | No Comments | Filed in Design

Moving into and setting up your new home is definitely one of the most exciting things – especially for those who never find enough outlets for their ideas and designs. Throughout history, people have gone from caves to huts to castles to blocks of flats – and nowadays, seems like you can find an example of just anything. Some people are forced to get creative because of some physical restrictions – like small or unusual space – while others do so just because.

If you feel like you could use some inspiration to design your future home – or just like checking out the weird ideas some people have – this post is just for you! Would you choose to live in a former church, or a renovated water tower? Or how about a completely transparent house, or one that is a spitting image of the Flintstones’ cave? Check out our selection of world’s weirdest houses and share your thoughts in the comments!

1. Transparent House, Japan

Inspired by our ancient predecessors, who inhabited trees, this completely transparent “House NA” in Japan offers you a lot of day light, but not much privacy. (read more)

2. Skateboard House, USA

The Skateboard House allows you to skate on all the surfaces, both in and outdoors, and was planned to be built in Malibu. (read more)

3. World’s Slimmest House, Poland

The Keret House, inserted between two existing buildings, measures only from 92 to 152 centimeters in width! (read more)

4. Old Water Tower Turned Into Modern Home, Belgium

A 100-feet high water tower in Belgium used to serve as a Nazi hideout during the war, but was later transformed into a living space. (read more)

5. Dick Clark’s Flintstones Inspired Home, USA

This single storey house in Malibu was inspired by the Flintstones family from the classic 60’s cartoon. Television legend Dick Clark have listed it for $3.5 million. (read more)

See the rest of 10 Of the Most Unusual Homes in the World

Tags: Architecture, boredpanda, houses, interior design, Latest Posts, unusual architecture, unusual homes, unusual houses, Weird, weird homes, weird houses

Defrosting a Frozen Building

January 21st, 2013 by Lina | No Comments | Filed in Design

This cold storage facility in Chicago may not draw your attention from the outside, but had you entered the building a few months ago, you’d be surprised to see what was inside. After nine decades of cold storage and lack of proper maintenance, the whole interior was full of cave-like stalagmites and stalactites. Once the Fulton Market Cold Storage Company, which was renting the premises, decided to move out, it was sold to a bike component manufacturer SRAM. However, in order to use their new space, SRAM had to defrost the building first.

Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture were hired do the work, however, such sight couldn’t go unarchived. This is why photographer Gary Jensen was asked to photograph this indoor ice age phenomena. The video at the end of the article shows the defrosting process, where you see the team using propane heaters to dissolve the ice crystals.

Photos: garyrobertphotography.com

Looks like an ordinary building, right?

This is how it looks from inside

Defrosting a Frozen Building originally appeared on Bored Panda on January 21, 2013.

Tags: Architecture, boredpanda, Chicago, defrosting, defrosting a building, Gary Jensen, Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, ice, ice cave, Latest Posts, Weird

Dog Owners Wearing Clothes Made From Their Pet’s Fur

January 15th, 2013 by Tomas | No Comments | Filed in Design

If you’re torn between wearing fur and loving animals, the dispute has already been settled. The pictures by French photographer Erwan Fichou prove that you only have to love your pet long enough… to be able to wear it later! The dog owners in the photos below would pet their buddies so much that they could collect enough of their fur to spun it into yarn and knit a sweater from it.

We assure you that none of the wool-producers have been harmed in the making of the sweaters, and all of them pose happily with their owners. For those interested in this, there are even step-by-step

It’s not a joke, see Knitting With Dog Hair: Better A Sweater From A Dog You Know and Love Than From A Sheep You’ll Never Meet (via)

Dog Owners Wearing Clothes Made From Their Pet’s Fur originally appeared on Bored Panda on January 15, 2013.

Tags: animal fur, Animals, boredpanda, dog fur sweaters, dog hair, dog hair sweaters, dog hair yarn, dogs, Dogwool, knitted sweaters, knitting, Latest Posts, sweaters from dogs, Weird

Incredible Trampled Snow Art by Simon Beck

December 27th, 2012 by Tomas | No Comments | Filed in Design

When, due to his feet injuries, British engineer Simon Beck could no longer run, he decided to get some exercise by taking long walks. To make it more interesting, 54-year-old would put on his snowshoes and walk in distinctly geometric patterns. Step by step, after 8 to 10 hours of walking it creates some jaw-dropping trampled snow art.

Being an orienteering leader, Simon calls his method a ‘kind of reverse orienteering’ and first designs his patterns on the computer. Once in the snow, he uses an orienteering compass and a measuring tape to lay out the design, then picks up a clothes line and a central anchor to complete the circles and curves.

These snow ‘crop circles’ can be found in the ski resort of Les Arcs in France, where Simon resides during winter. For more snow art be sure to check out Sonja Hinrichsen that we’ve featured last year.

Website: facebook

Incredible Trampled Snow Art by Simon Beck originally appeared on Bored Panda on December 27, 2012.

Tags: Art, boredpanda, crop circles, Latest Posts, Other, Simon Beck, snow art, snow crop circles, snow drawings, Weird

Heart-stopping Photos of Russian Daredevils Taken Without Any Safety Equipment

December 19th, 2012 by Lina | No Comments | Filed in Design

Be it climbing up as high as a 380-meter crane or a 22-storey building – two young Russians have got it all, and more, on their cameras. Vitaly Raskalov and Alexander Remnov call themselves skywalkers, and take incredible, vertigo-inducing pictures of each other on top of the highest buildings in Moscow and some other cities in Russia.

Armed with no special protective equipment but a camera, these thrill-seekers plank on top of the Russian Academy of Sciences or enjoy a nocturnal panorama from a turret in the Kiev railway station just for a good shot. It’s hard to imagine what these guys feel, when their pictures are enough to make one dizzy.

Posting in his blog, Vitaly was extremely happy about conquering the tower of the Moscow State University, which is generally protected with security cameras and special entry codes:

“For three years, I thought that it is impossible to get here, but as they say – everything is possible, the main thing is to want it bad enough.”

Beautiful, but don’t take this as an encouragement!

Website: 500px, raskalov-vit.livejournal.com

See the rest of Heart-stopping Photos of Russian Daredevils Taken Without Any Safety Equipment

Tags: Alexander Remnov, boredpanda, climbers, climbing, daredevils, full-page, Latest Posts, photography, russia, scary, skywalkers, skywalking, vertigo-inducing, Vitaly Raskalov, Weird

Real Birds Tweet on Twitter

November 30th, 2012 by Tomas | No Comments | Filed in Design, Tweets

Finally, justice was served, and twittering was given back to the original source – the birds! Latvian conceptual artist and creative director Voldemars Dudums created a system for birds to type Twitter status updates: all he needed was a three-euro keyboard and some unsalted fat, attached to the keys with stainless steel screws. By eating off the fat, the birds would hit the keys with their beaks and post online!

The birds, mostly tits, seem to appreciate the idea as well, as this innovative bird feeder gives them a stable source of food in winter. The installation itself isn’t affected by cold, either, and is said to work flawlessly at 20 C degrees below zero. @hungry_birds are posting daily from 05.00 until 16.00 GMT, from Sarnate, a small village on the west coast of Latvia. You can find the selected tweets at @hungrybirdsnews. No wonder this Dudum’s idea won the people’s choice awards for Guerrilla Innovation in Advertising!

Website: birdsontwitter.com