Word of the Day

Taphophile:

Tombstone tourist (otherwise known as a "taphophile", "cemetery enthusiast", cemetery tourists or "grave hunter" or "graver") describes an individual who has a passion for and enjoyment of cemeteries.[1] This involves epitaphs, gravestone rubbing, photography, art, and history of (famous) deaths. The term has been most notably used by author and biographer Scott Stanton as the title of his 2003 book and his former website[2] on the lives and gravesites of famous musicians.

..via Wikipedia

Bounce Below: Underground Trampoline Park

Located in the Llechwedd caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales, Bounce Below is operated by adventure tourism company Zip World and offers visitors a chance to explore this huge underground hole in an exciting fashion -- with supplied safety helmets and overalls, of course.

Alternatively, it would be nice to see something like this created inside of a gutted old building rather than tearing it down.

Bubble Football

I so very, very much want to try this.

Soo Sunny Park

Soo Sunny Park: Unwoven Light from Walley Films on Vimeo.

If I ever have some sort of very tall loft, with lots of natural light streaming in, an installation such as this by Soo Sunny Park would be ideal. I could star at this for hours and hours, just watching how the sun moves across it and the light changes. Absolutely beautiful.

Finding the Comfy Spot

Penthouse

The American Tract Society Building is one of the oldest surviving skyscrapers in NYC. Tucked away inside is a four-story, 6,500-foot expanse with full panoramic views of the city. It had never been inhabited, until now.

It has a climbing wall, and an 80 foot slide. I'll move in tomorrow!

The Artist who Knitted a Playground

If you thought knitting a sweater required patience, try knitting a playground. That’s right—Japanese artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam challenges our understanding of what a playground can look like by creating breathtaking, interactive “sculptures” from colorful nylon ropes.

ArchDaily editor Vanessa Quirk recently sat down with Horiuchi MacAdam to learn more about her work. When asked what motivated her to start creating playspaces for children, Horiuchi MacAdam says:

"One day I was exhibiting a 3-dimensional open-work textile sculpture I had created in collaboration with a friend. Some children came to the gallery and climbed into it. Suddenly the piece came to life. My eyes were opened. I realized I wanted just such a connection between my work and people alive at this moment in time (not a hundred years from now). I realized I was in fact making works for children. It was an exciting moment for me.

"Often it is parents who are the problem. They seem to have forgotten what it was like to be a child."

I want to go there. I want to play.

Things I Want #090091.2

This chair by Fiona Roberts might be the chair of my dreams. The only drawback is that I've never been such a fan of the wingback-ish style, and the brown leather isn't doing it for me. Make it slightly more modern, and I would display this as the centerpiece of my home forever.

Parisian Trampoline Bridge

The architects at Parisian firm Atelier Zündel Cristea know that bridges can be destinations in and of themselves. "Think about the lovely Pont Neuf or Pont des Arts," one team member told me. "In Paris, you don’t just cross a bridge … you admire the city from the bridge." But their proposal for the recent "A Bridge in Paris" competition would offer pedestrians an entirely new way of seeing the City of Lights--like, upside down. Instead of a staid walkway, AZC’s proposed bridge calls for a series of inflatable, Seine-spanning trampolines.

Holy crap, how fun would that be to cross? Although, logistically, a little difficult for to navigate on crutches or with a wheel chair.

Glass art by Jon Kuhn

Where the majority work with molten or blown glass, Mr. Kuhn works in cold glass that is cut, polished, and fused into a myriad of shapes from the inside out. The result is a sculpture that takes in surrounding light, then reflects and refracts it back into space much like a fine diamond. No two are alike, and once created they appear to change color and radiance when viewed from different angles and lighting. His desire is to continue creating beautiful works, every one unique, bringing light and joy to those who experience them.

Some of his work is displayed at Gallery Mack at Western x Lenora. Next time in Seattle.....

Who Left a Coffin in the Library?

It started suddenly. Without warning.

Last spring, Julie Johnstone, a librarian at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh, was wandering through a reading room when she saw, sitting alone on a random table, a little tree.

It was made of twisted paper and was mounted on a book.

Gorgeously crafted, it came with a gold-leafed eggshell broken in two, each half filled with little strips of paper with phrases on them. When reassembled properly, the strips became a poem about birds, "A Trace of Wings" by Edwin Morgan.

What was this?

"This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas..." said a note, addressed to the Library by its twitter name "@ByLeavesWeLive". There was no artist signature, no one to thank. The staff, totally nonplussed, asked on their blog if anybody knew who made it. They described the gift as a "poetree" and waited. Nobody claimed authorship.

Then, it happened again.

..via NPR via my awesome sister.

One Day on Earth

One Day on Earth - Original Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

One Day on Earth is a project to capture how humans live in every country on the planet. It is collaborative, anyone can submit footage, creating a giant video archive that encompasses something of each culture. The original date was 10/10/10 and this year on 11/11/11 the group wants to be able to get even more footage, to act as a time capsule of how the world is at this time.

This is a celebration of individual beliefs, expression and perspective.

Flying Over the Earth

A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our planet at night. This movie begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, El Salvador, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon. Also visible is the earths ionosphere (thin yellow line), a satellite (55sec) and the stars of our galaxy.

Love is still the answer, take my hand

Without doubt, the best, most amazing Google doodle of the day ever. I normally am not a fan of the 'xxxx birthday of some dead person', but this is my favorite singer with an over the top great 8-bit animation to go with one of my favorite songs. Thank you Google, for doing it right.


This made my week.

Asparagus Cake

If I ever learn to like cake, this is totally one I would love to have. Not make, serve.

Unexpected

Strange to hear multiple songs by the band Man Man in an episode of Weeds. Or, anywhere. However, an absolutely awesomely fun show to see live.

Go Starbucks!

Starbucks says “disposing of the cups is the top environmental concern of its customers. The angst over the problem has reached the highest levels of the company.”

Supposedly, eco-focused CEO Howard Schultz has promised that by 2012 all Starbucks cups will be recyclable.

Guess I'll have to start using plastic bottles for the next Christmas tree......and get more room in my car to carry all of the recycled cups.

Stop-Motion Light Painting

Light Drive from Kim Pimmel on Vimeo.

MIT Tardis Prank

Pranksters at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology placed a replica of a famous British TV time machine on the roof of a campus building.

The prank involved the TARDIS, an old-style British police call box used for time travel on the long-running British sci-fi program "Doctor Who," being placed atop Building 7 on campus late Wednesday or early Thursday, The Boston Globe reported Friday.

Photos stolen from bbcamericangirl and Bostonist

Guerra de la Paz

Artwork created from fabric by Guerra de la Paz. Beautiful designs, and clothing that even though it would be hot as hell, I would absolutely love to wear the designs created. I can only imagine some of these creations being used for fantastic cosplay. For the non-costume based, still utterly wonderful.