# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For the past ten years, Jean Marie Smith has created wonderful giant hay bale sculptures during the Halloween season for the Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve in Goshen Kentucky, where she is artist-in-residence. For the 2019 Harvest Hay Village at the Preserve's annual Haunted Hike, Smith looked to the classics as well popular culture for her designs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo9KZW0hcyI/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Iconic Characters Sculpted Into Halloween Hay Bales

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For the past ten years, Jean Marie Smith has created wonderful giant hay bale sculptures during the Halloween season for the Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve in Goshen Kentucky, where she is artist-in-residence. For the 2019 Harvest Hay Village at the Preserve's annual Haunted Hike, Smith looked to the classics as well popular culture for her designs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Cleaning the sloppy, seedy insides of a pumpkin out to make a Jack-o-lantern can be a lot of work. Imagine doing this with so many pumpkins that you're able to create a stop-motion short! Sean Ohlenkamp, Rob Popkin, and some friends did exactly that to create Oh My Gourd, this Halloween stop-motion pumpkin carving experiment.

Dozens upon dozens upon dozens of pumpkins were cut, gutted, rotated, scraped, poked, slapped, and banged to make this stop-motion animation and the music that bring it to life. It took a few years - pumpkins rot, schedules get busy - but we loved discovering the methods that worked and the many that didn't.

Many pumpkins were photographed twice. First as a nicely lit, carving-free plate. Then again after carving our designs and removing the top or back so we could insert a light. The two were then composited together to remove the lighting equipment. We re-used pumpkins where we could (fronts and backs and sometimes sides) but that wasn't always possible.

Next: Carving a spooky goblin face, a 3D pumpkin time lapse, LEGO In Real Life: Making toast and eggs in stop motion, Magic Clay stop motion, and more Halloween videos.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Oh My Gourd, a Halloween stop motion pumpkin carving experiment | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Cleaning the sloppy, seedy insides of a pumpkin out to make a Jack-o-lantern can be a lot of work. Imagine doing this with so many pumpkins that you're able to create a stop-motion short! Sean Ohlenkamp, Rob Popkin, and some friends did exactly that to create Oh My Gourd, this Halloween stop-motion pumpkin carving experiment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Photographer Jason Ferguson has been shooting from helicopters for over 6 years. In early August, he captured some incredible photographs of a dust storm spreading over Phoenix, Arizona. From his position in a news helicopter, he whipped out his smartphone to snap a few pictures as the chopper outran the storm.

These dust storms, also known as haboobs, are quite common in Arizona and occur a handful of times a year during monsoon season. The word haboob is taken from Arabic and means "blasting or drifting." They commonly happen in arid or semiarid regions. Collapsing thunderstorms cause these dust storms, as the collapse causes precipitation to release and winds to reverse. When the cold burst of air reaches the ground, it blows up dust from the desert which moves like a wall in front of the storm cloud.

Haboobs can travel between 20 and 60 miles per hour, so Ferguson was lucky that the chopper he was traveling in moves well over 100 miles per hour. In these situations, staying ahead of the storm is key in order for the pilot to retain visibility.

"It is difficult to convey just how massive and threatening these walls of dust are compared to a relatively tiny helicopter unless you experience it firsthand," Ferguson told PetaPixel. "We fly at around 800 feet above the ground, and these dust storms still tower thousands of feet above us. Out of curiosity, we recently flew to the top of one, and measured it at over 6,500 feet tall."

Ferguson and his pilot were able to land safely and wait out the storm before taking to the skies again. For Ferguson, Arizona's rapidly changing, dramatic weather is just one of the reasons he enjoys his work.

This news helicopter recently outran a dust storm in Arizona, but managed to capture some striking photos as it fled the scene.

This photo shows just how massive these haboobs are, with winds reaching up to 60 mph.

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Chopperguy.

Related Articles:
Adventurous Photographer Captures Thrilling Thunderstorms Massive Sandstorm Blankets Saudi Arabia's Capital Pilot Captures Rare Photo of a "Microburst" Raining Over Phoenix Magnificent Landscapes Dominated by Powerful Storms

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Incredible Photos of Massive Dust Storm Taken From Fleeing News Helicopter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Photographer Jason Ferguson has been shooting from helicopters for over 6 years. In early August, he captured some incredible photographs of a dust storm spreading over Phoenix, Arizona. From his position in a news helicopter, he whipped out his smartphone to snap a few pictures as the chopper outran the storm.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Visual identity project for the first virtual Adobe 99U Conference. Art direction and design by Mark Brooks (NYC). Illustrations by Mark Brooks and alademosca Balearic Islands). Motion graphics by Peter Cobo and Jorge Artola (Madrid). Event direction by A...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Could you ride a tricycle with square wheels? Having ridden on a few at our local science museum, we can tell you that it is, in fact, surprisingly a smooth ride. Watch this video to see how square wheels can work.

Related watching: How Round Is Your Circle? and other videos about shapes.

via Doobybrain.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How do you ride a square-wheeled tricycle? | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Could you ride a tricycle with square wheels? Having ridden on a few at our local science museum, we can tell you that it is, in fact, surprisingly a smooth ride. Watch this video to see how square wheels can work. Related watching: How Round Is Your Circle?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For Turkey's "Microangelo", any tiny, discarded item could be the canvas for his next mini masterpiece, from a matchstick to a pumpkin seed.

The delicate, impeccably detailed miniature paintings of Hasan Kale often require a magnifying glass in order to see the nuances, but can also take months to complete.

Some of his best-known pieces include a scene from the movie Pulp Fiction on the side of a piece of popcorn and the silhouette of Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on a grain of rice.

"I started this journey 25 years ago with the goal of establishing a new language in art... by transforming the objects that we put aside or see as trash into little capsules of art," he told AFP, at his Istanbul studio.

A scene from 'Pulp Fiction' on a kernel of popcorn.

"It is a blend of experience and hand discipline. I can work on a single object for up to six months."

The 60-year-old artist, who has never had a formal art teacher, began researching miniature art in the 1980s.

He was stunned, he said, by how tiny details and touches can change a form of artistic expression. But it was not until 1995 that he had the idea of doing it himself on unconventional objects.

He had been looking at an empty cup of coffee and noticed how the remains at the bottom formed what he thought were beautiful patterns in the small space.

"I started working on a bean. I sat down and engraved a picture of Istanbul on it.

"I enjoyed it so much that I started trying other objects," he said.

Turkey's micro artist Hasan Kale paints on a broad bean in Istanbul on August 23, 2019. His canvas could be anything from match sticks, seeds to razors and crown corks. Turkey's micro artist, also known as Turkish Microangelo in reference to Italian Renaissance sculptor and painter Michelangelo, has been hitting his brush onto tiny everyday objects for more than two decades. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION / AFP / Ozan KOSE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION

Kale has since used some 300 items and revels in the idea that any forgettable item - from a pebblestone in the sea, to a fish bone that gets stuck in your teeth - could become a work of art.

"Imagine the noise of hundreds of seeds as you bite into a fig. Can you dream an Istanbul view on one of them?" he said, enthusiastically.

'Enormously patient'

Kale, who works just with the naked eye and "the glasses given by his doctor," says that his greatest muse is Turkey's historic hub, Istanbul, which he has depicted on sugar cubes, dice and sunflower seeds.

"Istanbul is a brand on its own. It is a rare city which never sleeps, which straddles two continents and harbours the traces of many cultures," he said.

He learned his trade by studying Ottoman artists from the past, like Nakkas Osman, nicknamed "Osman the Miniaturist", who was featured in Orhan Pamuk's famous novel My Name is Red.

As it was for Osman in the 16th century, it remains painstaking work and Kale often paints for around 16 to 18 hours a day and goes without sleep.

"First of all, you must be enormously patient. Second, you must love the work, and third, you should have no economic expectations," Kale told AFP.

That said, his work has attracted worldwide interest and his pieces have sold for thousands of dollars.

There are advantages to his chosen medium, not least that he needs very little room, and can work anywhere. He has created artworks on international flights and even in a hot-air balloon.

"While walking in the street, I come up with an idea and I sit down and work. All I need is a drop of water in a bottle cap and I take out my palette and paints."

Turkey's micro artist Hasan Kale in Istanbul

Kale, who also designs jewellery, said he especially liked the way people recalled his work during mundane moments of their day.

"They remember me when they eat popcorn at the movies or drink a cup of coffee or swim in the sea," he said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tiny Turkish art: the incredible work of 'Microangelo' Hasan Kale - in pictures

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For Turkey's "Microangelo", any tiny, discarded item could be the canvas for his next mini masterpiece, from a matchstick to a pumpkin seed. The delicate, impeccably detailed miniature paintings of Hasan Kale often require a magnifying glass in order to see the nuances, but can also take months to complete.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A backdraft is a rapid or explosive burning of superheated gasses in a fire, caused when oxygen rapidly enters an oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a window or door to an enclosed space is opened or broken. Backdrafts present a serious threat to firefighters. There is some debate concerning whether backdrafts should be considered a type of flashover (see below).

A backdraft can occur when a compartment fire has little or no ventilation, leading to slowing of gas-phase combustion (due to the lack of oxygen); however, the combustible fuel gases (unburnt fuel vapor and gas-phase combustion intermediates such as hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide) and smoke (primarily particulate matter) remain at a temperature hotter than the auto-ignition temperature of the fuel mixture. If oxygen is then re-introduced to the compartment, e.g. by opening a door or window to a closed room, combustion will restart, often rapidly, as the gases are heated by the combustion and expand rapidly because of the rapidly increasing temperature.

The colour and movement of smoke is used by firefighters to infer fire conditions, including the risk of backdraft. Characteristic warning signs of a backdraft include yellow or brown smoke, smoke which exits small holes in puffs (a sort of breathing effect) and is often found around the edges of doors and windows, and windows which appear brown or black when viewed from the exterior. These darker colors are caused by the presence of large amounts of particulate matter suspended in the air inside the room due to incomplete combustion; it is an indication that the room lacks enough oxygen to permit oxidation of the soot particles. Firefighters often look to see if there is soot on the inside of windows and in any cracks in the window (caused e.g. by the heat). The windows may also have a slight vibration due to varying pressure within the compartment due to intermittent combustion.

If firefighters discover a room pulling air into itself, for example through a crack, they generally evacuate immediately, because this is a strong indication that a backdraft is imminent. Due to pressure differences, puffs of smoke are sometimes drawn back into the enclosed space from which they emanated, which is how the term backdraft originated.

Backdrafts are very dangerous, often surprising even experienced firefighters. The most common tactic used by firefighters to defuse a potential backdraft is to ventilate a room from its highest point, allowing the heat and smoke to escape without igniting.

Common signs of backdraft include a sudden inrush of air upon an opening into a compartment being created, lack of visible signs of flame (fire above its upper flammability limit), "pulsing" smoke plumes from openings and auto-ignition of hot gases at openings where they mix with oxygen in the surrounding air.

Although ISO 13943 defines flashover as "transition to a state of total surface involvement in a fire of combustible materials within an enclosure", a broad definition that embraces several different scenarios, including backdrafts, there is nevertheless considerable disagreement regarding whether or not backdrafts should be properly considered flashovers. The most common use of the term[by whom? ] flashover is to describe the near-simultaneous ignition of material caused by heat attaining the autoignition temperature of the combustible material and gases in an enclosure. Flashovers of this type are not backdrafts as they are caused by thermal change. Backdrafts are caused by the introduction of oxygen into an enclosed space with conditions already suitable for ignition, and are thus caused by chemical change.[citation needed ]

Backdrafts were publicized by the 1991 movie , in which a serial arsonist in Chicago was using them as a means of assassinating co-conspirators in a scam.

In the film adaptation of Stephen King's 1408, the protagonist Mike Enslin induces one as a last-ditch effort to kill the room.

The term is also used and is the title of a scene in the 2012 video game Root Double: Before Crime * After Days.

In Bob's Burgers Season 10 Episode "Motor, She Boat", Linda instructs Louise and Gene to say "Backdraft" upon taking a picture of them at the Fire Station Open House. The firefighter on duty informs Linda that backdrafts are actually a very serious problem and not to be taken lightly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A backdraft is a rapid or explosive burning of superheated gasses in a fire, caused when oxygen rapidly enters an oxygen-depleted environment; for example, when a window or door to an enclosed space is opened or broken. Backdrafts present a serious threat to firefighters.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Aquarium of Leaves"

A 34-year old artist who goes by the name Lito has been living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) his entire life. Lito had been searching for an outlet where he could channel his above-normal levels of concentration and obsessiveness when he discovered the Japanese art of kirie (切り絵, literally 'cut picture'). Earlier this year in January he began experimenting, not with paper, but with leaves.

"My Father's Dragon"

According to a recent interview, leaves turned out to be an ideal medium for Lito as their decomposing nature forced him to work quickly. Over time he got faster and his daily creations, which he began posting to social media, became more intricate.

Following the standard kirie practice, each piece is always cut from a single leaf. But Lito always leaves traces of the leaf's midrib, perhaps a sign of respect towards the leaf. Lito also always manages to imbue his creations with a playful narrative, one that is either inspired by film or books, or plucked from the artist's own imagination.

You can keep up with Lito's work on Instagram and Twitter.

"Swimmy by Leo Lionni"

"Autumn Harvest Festival"

"Night sky, moon and bicycle" (a tribute to E.T.)

"Forest Librarian"

"Ghost Parade"

"Even graffiti is a fine art - As drawing time begins, the colorful crayons start to move in unison. What a wonderful world is being created today."

"Lunch is coming soon." (a tribute to Peter Rabit)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kirie Artist Carves Playful Narratives Into Tree Leaves

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Aquarium of Leaves" A 34-year old artist who goes by the name Lito has been living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) his entire life. Lito had been searching for an outlet where he could channel his above-normal levels of concentration and obsessiveness when he discovered the

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Watch a pea sprout and grow into a tall plant in this Boxlapse video. The time-lapse covers 36 days and makes an excellent video introduction for planting peas at school or at home. Boxlapse planted the pea against the clear container's side so that its initial root growth is visible, as well.

In this next video, a cherry tomato plant grows from a slice of the tomato placed in the soil. The video runs in reverse in the last few seconds, covering the plant's first 19 days and back again.

Basil thrives in this next Boxlapse video covering 40 days of growth. Its large leaves thrive before the footage reverses.

See a cucumber plant grow from seed to fruit in just under four minutes in the next video, a 60-day record of the plant's growth, including cucumbers that didn't succeed in growing completely. The Finland-based YouTuber writes:

This one was a bit tricky but it turned out alright after a bit of work.

The beginning went well but after I started filming the first three cucumbers they suddenly rotted away at the same time at day 45.

After that I started to take better care of the plant and added a piece of plexiglass so the fourth cucumber wouldn't be in contact with the moist soil. Also removed the lower leaves when they started to get a bit dry to get a better view of the cucumbers.

Why didn't the cucumbers grow? And how do cucumbers grow in nature? Follow this last video with Science Friday's Unwinding the Cucumber Tendril Mystery and Li Ziqi's The Life of Cucumbers.

Then watch more plant time-lapse videos, including:
* From Seed to Sapling: Time-lapse of an Oak Tree
* Seed germination to growth time lapses by Neil Bromhall
* Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria), a time lapse of growth
* Time lapse summer lawn daisies grow, get cut, and regrow
* This humidity-powered seed drills itself into the ground

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Boxlapse: Pea, Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber plants grow in time lapse | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Watch a pea sprout and grow into a tall plant in this Boxlapse video. The time-lapse covers 36 days and makes an excellent video introduction for planting peas at school or at home. Boxlapse planted the pea against the clear container's side so that its initial root growth is visible, as well.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As the summer approaches, a group of art students in Taiwan have concocted an unusual treat for the heat.

Hung I-chen, Guo Yi-hui, and Cheng Yu-ti, three students at the National Taiwan University of Arts, collected sewage water from all over Taiwan and and turned them into popsicles for a project titled "Polluted Water Popsicles."

Hung and her teammates visited 100 locations across Taiwan to collect waste. They then placed the samples-complete with dirt, bugs, and trash-into a freezer, turning them into popsicles. In order to preserve them, they encased the popsicles in a polyester resin.

Hung tells Quartz she hopes the project will raise awareness about water pollution. Her team chose to use popsicles as a motif because they are translucent and because popsicles typically look appealing to the eye. "Such pretty popsicles, would you still want to eat them?" she asks.

The team has made 100 popsicles in total. They recently put their collection on display at an art exhibition in Taipei.

Hung and her team even designed wrappers for the popsicles, assigning each one with a number and "flavor" named after the source where the waste was collected.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
These gross, weirdly beautiful "pollution popsicles" are made from 100% pure sewage

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As the summer approaches, a group of art students in Taiwan have concocted an unusual treat for the heat. Hung I-chen, Guo Yi-hui, and Cheng Yu-ti, three students at the National Taiwan University of Arts, collected sewage water from all over Taiwan and and turned them into popsicles for a project titled "Polluted Water Popsicles."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I love Benoît Leva's simple stop motion animated loops made from rocks and stones. This bouncing one is my favorite:

You can check out more stone animations on his Instagram. (via colossal)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I love Benoît Leva's simple stop motion animated loops made from rocks and stones. This bouncing one is my favorite: View this post on Instagram on Aug 29, 2020 at 10:48am PDT You can

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When looking at a case of pastries in a bakery it's usually possible to intuit what something might taste like because of its familiar shape or color. Such is not the case with these radically unusual cake designs by Ukrainian pastry chef Dinara Kasko whose experimental techniques result in edible objects unlike anything we've ever seen.

Most of her creations would look just fine sitting on a pedestal inside a contemporary art museum, but surprisingly everything you see here is completely edible. Kasko actively works math into her creations, incorporating principles like the Voroni method or utilizing 3D modeling and printing to create different cakes or silicone molds. If the cake shapes are unfamiliar, it might be easier to relate to some of the ingredients she uses like sponge cake, chocolate mousse, berry confit, shortcrust dough, and meringue.

A number of the pieces seen here were created for an article in the February issue of So Good pastry magazine, more photos of which you can find on Instagram. (via Quipsologies)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Unusual Geometric Cake Designs by Dinara Kasko

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When looking at a case of pastries in a bakery it's usually possible to intuit what something might taste like because of its familiar shape or color.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Butterflies and bees benefit from green spaces that include food sources like milkweed and dandelions, but there aren't enough of these plants to keep these pollinators in cities and suburbs at their happiest. What if there was an easy way to help plant more beneficial flower seeds?

In this episode of PBS Kids' Design Squad, kid engineer Amiyr invents a seed launching backpack to help create a more pollinator-friendly neighborhood.

After designing the invention's parts with computer-aided design (CAD) software, Amiyr 3D-prints key pieces and assembles them inside a backpack. Small scale tests along the way show how seed balls filled with native milkweed and dandelion seeds can be launched out of a tube, propelled by a motorized fan.

If you want to make your own seed balls, be sure to use pollinator-friendly seeds that are native to where you live. Learn more about why milkweed is so important at Save Our Monarchs and Milkweed Regions & Seed Needs from Monarch Watch. Read more about how dandelions can help bees at The Guardian.

You'll also want to use soil, not craft clay, mixed with compost and mycorrhizal fungi or worm casings, to give the seeds their best chance of germinating. This recipe from the UK's National Trust and this Snapguide recipe are both mindful of a seed ball's need to crumble easily.

Other factors in throw and grow gardening will also contribute to the success of this activity. "Seed depth, water, temperature, and seasonality are among the critical factors influencing seedling germination." From Seed-Balls.com has a few tips and tricks, including how some seeds need to be planted in the fall, not the spring.

Seed-Balls also sells an easy three-compost mix to make your own, or check out their poop-shaped Guerrilla Droppings at Seed-Balls.com or on Amazon via affiliate links.

Then watch these videos about monarch butterflies, seeds, and seed dispersal, including these favorites:
* The Private Life of Plants: Dandelions
* How to Create Your Own Monarch Butterfly Rest Stop
* Why Is The Very Hungry Caterpillar So Dang Hungry?
* Symbiosis & a surprising tale of species cooperation
* Seed germination to growth time lapses by Neil Bromhall

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Seed Launching Backpack, a 3D-printed, pollinator-friendly invention | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Butterflies and bees benefit from green spaces that include food sources like milkweed and dandelions, but there aren't enough of these plants to keep these pollinators in cities and suburbs at their happiest. What if there was an easy way to help plant more beneficial flower seeds?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The following images are the finalists for the Bird Behaviour category in the Bird Photographer of the Year competition 2020. The winners are in there somewhere and will be announced on 22nd August 2020!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Enter the Bird Photographer of the Year Competition - Bird Photographer of the Year

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find out how to enter one of the world's most prestigious wildlife photography competitions, and the largest competition dedicated solely to bird photography. Competitions open in August and close at the end of November. Prize fund has a value of over £20,000 with a top prize of £5,000.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Meticulously cutting each piece by hand, Katsumi Hayakawa crafts dense cityscapes and urban districts from white paper. The Japanese artist assembles towers and various cube-like structures that are positioned in lengthy rows, resembling congested streets. Dotted with primary colors and metallic elements, the sculptures evoke electronic equipment like microchips and motherboards, which references the relationship between modern cities and technology. Hayakawa's use of an ephemeral, organic material further contrasts the manufactured nature of both urban areas and technological inventions.

To explore more of the artist's projects that are concerned with the complexity of modern life, head to Artsy.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Katsumi Hayakawa's Congested Cities Are Constructed with Scrupulously Cut Paper Buildings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Meticulously cutting each piece by hand, Katsumi Hayakawa crafts dense cityscapes and urban districts from white paper. The Japanese artist assembles towers and various cube-like structures that are positioned in lengthy rows, resembling congested streets. Dotted with primary colors and metallic ele

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the time of COVID-19, disposable face masks, toilet paper, and other essentials are synonymous with safety, precaution, and staying indoors. But in Tatsuya Tanaka's ongoing Miniature Calendar series, the everyday items are subverted to create the tiny sets of outdoor adventures. A folded mask serves as a small tent, toilet paper descends from a wall holder as a snowy ski hill, and a thermometer outfitted with wheels transforms into a speedy racecar. For more of the miniature scenes from the Japanese artist and photographer ( previously), head to Instagram, where he publishes a new piece daily. (via Lustik)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Masks, Toilet Paper, and Thermometers Transform into Miniature, Outdoor Adventures by Artist Tatsuya Tanaka

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the time of COVID-19, disposable face masks, toilet paper, and other essentials are synonymous with safety, precaution, and staying indoors. But in Tatsuya Tanaka's ongoing Miniature Calendar series, the everyday items are subverted to create the tiny sets of outdoor adventures. A folded mask ser

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Little Inventors, a UK-based educational non-profit organization, is dedicated to giving "children across the world the opportunity to develop and showcase their creativity and problem-solving skills, build their confidence, curiosity and resilience to become caring citizens of our planet". The kids' assignment, as profiled by this Science Friday video: "Invent something that would solve a problem and then draw it."

Although it may seem overly simple, according to the program's manager and founders, its simplicity is its secret weapon. Little kids are often intimidated by being asked to detail a scientific or engineering process or to express themselves artistically. Asking a child to present their ideas to audiences can be equally off-putting.

However, by blending whimsical yet problem-solving ideas of invention with the intimacy of drawing, the threshold for engagement is significantly lowered. From this basic inquiry, comes a fount of whimsy and creativity ... Little Inventors then works with a team of engineers, designers, and artists, to bring some of the inventions to life and present them to wider audiences.

Some of the realized kid inventions include The Worry Shredder, as seen below, A Push-Up Machine, this space suit for cats, The Love Heart Jacket, The Miracle Chair, and more.

Do you have an idea for a problem-solving invention? Share it with Little Inventors here. As artist, designer, and Chief Inventor Dominic Wilcox explains:

" Invention and creativity is like a muscle, and if you stop using it... you lose it in a way. And that's the thing about creativity-that's why it's so important to encourage children to be creative, and then to get through to adulthood where they can really do things that make the world a better place."

Follow this with Wilcox's wonderfully creative inventions in The Reinvention of Normal: Dominic Wilcox's quest for new ideas.

Plus, explore more videos about innovation and problem-solving.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inventions made real by Little Inventors | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Little Inventors, a UK-based educational non-profit organization, is dedicated to giving "children across the world the opportunity to develop and showcase their creativity and problem-solving skills, build their confidence, curiosity and resilience to become caring citizens of our planet". The kids' assignment, as profiled by this Science Friday video: "Invent something that would solve a problem and then draw it."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
While many of us slather our toast with butter day-after-day, Manami Sasaki is transforming thick slices of bread into Zen Japanese rock gardens and Pantone swatches that make breakfast into the most jubilant meal of the day. A watercolor artist turned toast connoisseur, the Japanese designer combines the stocks available in her fridge and pantry to assemble delightful bread-based creations.

In a patch of flowers, she adorns a tomato-sauce base with margarine petals and mint leaves that are finished with mustard details. Another dense slice is torn and reassembled with edible gold before being smothered in sour cream and garnished with ketchup to resemble Kintsugi, the Japanese art of pottery repair.

To see the latest in Sasaki's delightful series of nourishments, follow her on Instagram. You also might like this candy garden. (via Spoon & Tamago)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Toast Slices Undergo Edible Makeovers into Rock Gardens, Pantone Swatches, and Flower Beds

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
While many of us slather our toast with butter day-after-day, Manami Sasaki is transforming thick slices of bread into Zen Japanese rock gardens and Pantone swatches that make breakfast into the most jubilant meal of the day. A watercolor artist turned toast connoisseur, the Japanese designer combin

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Astronomers have produced a remarkable new image of Jupiter, tracing the glowing regions of warmth that lurk beneath the gas giant's cloud tops.
The picture was captured in infrared by the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii, and is one of the sharpest observations of the planet ever made from the ground.

To achieve the resolution, scientists used a technique called "lucky imaging" which scrubs out the blurring effect of looking through Earth's turbulent atmosphere.

This method involves acquiring multiple exposures of the target and only keeping those segments of an image where that turbulence is at a minimum.

When all the "lucky shots" are put together in a mosaic, a clarity emerges that's beyond just the single exposure.

Planet Jupiter's winds run deep

Jupiter Great Red Spot has deep roots

Infrared is a longer wavelength than the more familiar visible light detected by the likes of the Hubble telescope. It is used to see past the haze and thin clouds at the top of Jupiter's atmosphere, to give scientists the opportunity to probe deeper into the planet's internal workings.

Researchers want to understand better what makes and sustains the gas giant's weather systems, and in particular the great storms that can rage for decades and even centuries.
Fa st facts about Jupiter
The study that produced this infrared image was led from the University of California at Berkeley. It was part of a joint programme of observations that involved Hubble and the Juno spacecraft that's currently orbiting the fifth planet from the Sun.

Jupiter is 11 times wider than Earth and 300 times more massive

It takes 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun; a 'day' is 10 hours long

In composition it resembles a star; it's mostly hydrogen and helium

Under pressure, the hydrogen assumes a state similar to a metal

This 'metallic hydrogen' could be the source of the magnetic field

Most of the visible cloudtops contain ammonia and hydrogen sulphide

Jupiter's low-latitude 'bands' play host to very strong east-west winds

The Great Red Spot is a giant storm vortex wider than Planet Earth

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Scientists obtain 'lucky' image of Jupiter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Astronomers have produced a remarkable new image of Jupiter , tracing the glowing regions of warmth that lurk beneath the gas giant's cloud tops. The picture was captured in infrared by the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii, and is one of the sharpest observations of the planet ever made from the ground.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Toronto-based designer Ben Johnston plays with color, shadow, and perspective to create typography that appears three-dimensional in his site-specific murals. He's a self-taught designer, spending time in the agency world of South Africa before moving back to his home country of Canada to pursue a freelance career focusing on branding and typography.

Johnston happened upon mural painting when a friend asked him to create a piece for the entranceway of a new office building. That opportunity completely shifted the course of his career, and he now spends 80% of his time creating murals for clients, charity, and fun.

A disciplined designer, Johnston told Scotty Russell of the Perspective Podcast that he spends no more than four days painting a mural, preferring to work longer days to get it done rather than stretch it out over a week. He balances outdoor mural painting with client work in his studio and always tries to get in a bike ride before the day begins to clear his mind. The designer pushes what's possible with letter art by finding inspiration outside of the digital realm-by flipping through classic design books on Bauhaus and taking photos of peeling vinyl lettering. He even has entire mood boards dedicated to shadow references.

Follow Johnston on Instagram to keep up with his latest illusory murals, and get a glimpse into his painting process on Vimeo.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Illusory Street Typography Pops Off the Wall in Bold Murals by Ben Johnston

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Toronto-based designer Ben Johnston plays with color, shadow, and perspective to create typography that appears three-dimensional in his site-specific murals. He's a self-taught designer, spending time in the agency world of South Africa before moving back to his home country of Canada to pursue a f

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I've wanted to build an Orrery out of LEGO for quite a while now, and a couple of months ago I finally sat down and started putting one together. I mainly focused on the movements of the objects, paying close attention to the rotation of the Sun and Earth, and the orbits of the Earth and Moon. Clearly the relative sizes of the objects, and the distances between them, are not even remotely to scale. You can see it in action in the video, and you can find instructions for building your own down below.

As far as accuracy goes, it's not too far off the real thing. Each rotation of the crank represents one day, and the Earth rotates once with every turn. The Moon orbits the Earth every 28 days, the sun makes a full rotation every 25 days, and the Earth orbits the Sun every 375 days.

Some notes on the construction.

For the large turntable, I'm using the newest 60 tooth version. You can use the older 56 tooth version, which is slightly smaller in diameter, you just need to use a 12 tooth double bevel gear instead of the regular 8 tooth gear to drive it.

When assembling the various gears, it's important to make sure everything rotates freely. That is, don't push the gears onto the axles too tightly, otherwise there will be a lot of friction between the gears an the Technic liftarms beside them.

The model can be motorized by replacing the crank with a gear and attaching a Power Functions motor to it. There are many ways to do it, but I've posted a couple of pictures of how I did it below.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I've wanted to build an Orrery out of LEGO for quite a while now, and a couple of months ago I finally sat down and started putting one together. I mainly focused on the movements of the objects, paying close attention to the rotation of the Sun and Earth, and the orbits of the Earth and Moon.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A series of small, specific LEGO pieces are popped together one by one, creating two rounded stands. One has a base. Three flexible LEGO chains are added to connect them. And then, as if it can defy gravity, one is held up over the other and seems to actually defy gravity. But what's really going on here?

This mind-blowing LEGO tensegrity sculpture is by Jason Allemann of JK Brickworks. An explanation:

This is built using a structural principle called tensional integrity ( tensegrity for short), where all the chains are under tension due to the distribution of mass in the system.

There are many ways one of these can be built. With a three chain setup like this one, the key is that for the upper part there must be more mass on the side facing away from the two long chains.

In this model, that is just barely the case, so it will collapse pretty easily if it is disturbed. It can be made more stable by adding more bricks to the 'long' side. For example, in the video it becomes more stable once Emmet is seated on top.

You can remake this specific LEGO tensegrity structure with Allemann's part list and guide, or create your own design. More on tensegrity from Wikipedia:

Tensegrity, tensional integrity or floating compression is a structural principle based on a system of isolated components under compression inside a network of continuous tension, and arranged in such a way that the compressed members (usually bars or struts) do not touch each other while the prestressed tensioned members (usually cables or tendons) delineate the system spatially.

The term was coined by Buckminster Fuller in the 1960s as a portmanteau of "tensional integrity". The other denomination of tensegrity, floating compression, was used mainly by the constructivist artist Kenneth Snelson.

You might already know of this popular example of tensegrity: This "skwishy" baby toy.

Follow Jason Allemann on Instagram and YouTube.

Then watch this: Exploring Space with Shape-Shifting Robots.

Plus, there are lots of LEGO videos on TKSST, including these three DIY activities that might inspire your own projects:
* JK Brickworks' LEGO Drawing Machine
* Three LEGO soap bubble machine ideas
* The Egg Wizard, a DIY LEGO and cardboard egg-decorating machine

via Colossal.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How do you make a DIY LEGO tensegrity sculpture? | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A series of small, specific LEGO pieces are popped together one by one, creating two rounded stands. One has a base. Three flexible LEGO chains are added to connect them. And then, as if it can defy gravity, one is held up over the other and seems to actually defy gravity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The New York Academy of Medicine Library

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
At first, the garments look as though they've been spun with a traditional medium - wool or yarn - but on closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the thin and springy mesh-like material is composed of thousands of elastic bands that have been knitted together. Made by Japanese designer Rie Sakamoto, the handmade collection includes a jacket and dress, each of which illustrates the diverse functionality of stationery items like rubber bands.

Sakamoto's "rubber collection" initially was exhibited at Tama Art University in Toyko as part of a graduate exhibition and the garments, which took Sakamoto half a year to make, reflect on how overlooked materials and objects can have diverse uses in fashion, contemporary design, and art.

The flexibility of the soft bands allows Sakamoto to stretch the rubber to make different-sized garments that are adaptable to various bodies. Similar to how wool garments are created with needles, Sakamoto makes each garment by knitting the rubber bands together. When closely observed, the materials are a matte, sand-like color, but when thousands are merged together into textiles or fashion pieces, an earthy orange emerges. When Sakamoto's garments are held up in the light, they become almost iridescent

To keep up with the designer's inventive apparel, follow her on Instagram. (via designboom)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fringed Orange Apparel Knit Entirely From Rubber Bands by Rie Sakamoto

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At first, the garments look as though they've been spun with a traditional medium-wool or yarn-but on closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the thin and springy mesh-like material is composed of thousands of elastic bands that have been knitted together. Made by Japanese designer Rie Sakamoto,

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Published Apr 1, 2019

Japanese artist and animator Monami Ohno creates incredibly detailed sculptures out of cardboard.

"The talented and award-winning artist from Wakayama Prefecture's hobby for practicing animation on cardboard boxes has turned into a full-time craft, landing her appearances on Japanese television, workshop appearances, and even film campaign models."

More art on the grid via Design You Trust

#want

These are affiliate links to Amazon and other partner brands. We may earn a small commission if you click the link and make a purchase.
There is no extra cost to you, so it's just a nice way to help support the site.

Awesome products for creatives

These are affiliate links to Amazon and other partner brands. We may earn a small commission if you click the link and make a purchase.
There is no extra cost to you, so it's just a nice way to help support the site.

Inspiration
in your inbox

Amazing art & design, never any spam.

We care about protecting your data. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for more.

© 2020 Inspiration Grid, all rights reserved. Some of our posts may contain affiliate links to partner brands. We earn a small commission if you click the link and make a purchase. There is no extra cost to you, so it's just a nice way to help support the site. All images, videos, and other content posted on the site is attributed to their creators and original sources. If you see something wrong here or you would like to have it removed, please contact us.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fantastic Cardboard Creations by Monami Ohno | Inspiration Grid

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Published Apr 1, 2019 Japanese artist and animator Monami Ohno creates incredibly detailed sculptures out of cardboard. "The talented and award-winning artist from Wakayama Prefecture's hobby for practicing animation on cardboard boxes has turned into a full-time craft, landing her appearances on Japanese television, workshop appearances, and even film campaign models."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Rotterdam-based David Moreno ( previously) prefers his spatial pieces to oscillate between initial sketches of architectural projects and fully-realized constructions. His steel sculptures are comprised of lengthy metal strips and piano strings that are arranged to form building complexes, cathedrals, and steep flights of stairs. Despite being three-dimensional artworks, they mimic an architect's outlines with their swooping lines and grid-like qualities. Moreno shares a plethora of his imaginative projects on Behance, in addition to some progress shots on his Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mimicking Architectural Sketches, Artist David Moreno Forms Sculptures of Countless Metal Strips

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rotterdam-based David Moreno ( previously) prefers his spatial pieces to oscillate between initial sketches of architectural projects and fully-realized constructions. His steel sculptures are comprised of lengthy metal strips and piano strings that are arranged to form building complexes, cathedrals, and steep flights of stairs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In this delightful short, watch filmmaker Philipp Klein Herrero get horizontal for an ascent, and then ski descent, of a pile of sheets on his floor. Herrero writes, "Just before the current health situation locked us in, I was about to go Freeriding with my family. It was supposed to be the big adventure of the year, the one I had been eagerly awaiting for a year. Therefore, the lockdown had me thinking about skiing the whole time, so I started to think how I could ski without leaving my living room."

Related:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Freeride: Climbing and Skiing at Home Stop Motion Animation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this delightful short, watch filmmaker Philipp Klein Herrero get horizontal for an ascent, and then ski descent, of a pile of sheets on his floor. Herrero writes, "Just before the current health situation locked us in, I was about to go Freeriding with my family.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Artist Jeff Koons spent twenty years creating , his three-meter (ten-foot) tall painted aluminum sculpture. It was inspired by a mound of Play-Doh that his son Ludwig made, but creating a massive version required the extensive exploration of materials and fabrication techniques by scientists, metallurgists, and modelers. From The Whitney:

If you look closely at this object, you see the crustiness. You see the cracks in the surface. You see all of the incredible detail of this mound of Play-Doh that was blown up to a monumental size. The way that it was ultimately achieved was through a casting in metal, and then painting each part.

What's quite amazing about this sculpture structurally is that each of the separate colors that you see is, in fact, a separate piece of metal, a separate cast. It is put together one piece at a time, in a stack. The largest pieces that you see at the bottom, are continuous all the way through.

See the artwork's 27 interlocking pieces stack together in the Christie's time-lapse video above.

Then watch Jeff Koons talk about the piece in this two-minute Whitney Museum video from 2014:

See more oversized art and more museum videos, including:
* Making a rice straw animal sculpture for the Wara Art Festival
* The giant sculptures along North Dakota's Enchanted Highway
* Florentijn Hofman's HippopoThames
* Installing massive statues with engineering and care at the Met
* The meticulous work that goes into running MoMA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Assembling Jeff Koons' massive Play-Doh sculpture, a time-lapse | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Artist Jeff Koons spent twenty years creating , his three-meter (ten-foot) tall painted aluminum sculpture. It was inspired by a mound of Play-Doh that his son Ludwig made, but creating a massive version required the extensive exploration of materials and fabrication techniques by scientists, metallurgists, and modelers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In Tianshui, China, a clear dome casts sunlight onto 483 polychromatic glass panels lining a kindergarten's windows, railings, and doorways. It gives the spacious building a kaleidoscopic effect, refracting varying hues onto the white walls and minimalist wood furnishings. "Color shades can grow and shrink as colors overlap and become different colors, or move from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane and back again," architect Keiichiro Sako wrote on Instagram. "I hope that spending childhood in this beautiful light will foster the creativity of the children."

Centered on the open atrium, the playful glass pieces and doorways are rounded, which is a nod to the school's location in the Loess Plateau. They even border the outdoor recreation area, giving the kids a colorful and translucent view of the surrounding city. (via Trendland, thnx Laura!)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hundreds of Rainbow Glass Panels Emit a Rotating Kaleidoscope in a Playful Kindergarten

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In Tianshui, China, a clear dome casts sunlight onto 483 polychromatic glass panels lining a kindergarten's windows, railings, and doorways. It gives the spacious building a kaleidoscopic effect, refracting varying hues onto the white walls and minimalist wood furnishings. "Color shades can grow and

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In a series of promotional videos for Disney's The Lion King on Broadway, stage actors share how they put on and perform within their hand-crafted animal costumes. Above, actor Ray Mercer dons stilts to transform into a 4.27 meter (14 foot) giraffe -"the towering puppet that sets the stage as the sun rises during 'Circle of Life.'"

Debuting in 1997, The Lion King is Broadway's " third longest-running show in history and has grossed more than $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time." The costumes are a huge part of the show's success.

Tony-winning director and costume designer Julie Taymor created the costumes to feature the actors and the animals simultaneously. The art and the engineering of the puppet design are also on display, from the textile's patterns and earthy colors to the poles and wires that make the puppets move, to the trust and teamwork that actors practice for larger costumes.

In the clip below, James Brown Orleans describes how he and three actors- Bonita J. Hamilton, Joel Karie, and Enrique Segura-maneuver an elephant they call 'Bertha.' Unable to communicate during the performances, they rely on their choreography and musical cues to walk through the audience and onto the stage.

Lisa Marie Lewis describes how her cheetah costume runs, scratches, stretches, and rears back in this behind-the-scenes clip. She also underscores the magic of an audience seeing both the actor and the animal costume perform in unison:

In every performance, Christopher Freeman gets an additional workout from the weight of his 11.34 kilogram (25 pound) zebra costume. He compares it to a rollercoaster seat harness and a backpack. Poles on each side control the animal's back legs.

Follow this set of videos with another behind-the-scenes video: What Happens Just Before Show Time At the Met Opera.

Plus, watch more videos about costumes and puppetry on TKSST:
* The gigantic dinosaur puppets of Walking With Dinosaurs
* Project Raptor: Mechanical Dinosaur Costume by Esmée Kramer
* San Francisco's Kei Lun Lion Dancers
* Moko Jumbie On 9-Foot Stilts & J.B.-style Skating

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Lion King's animal costumes behind-the-scenes | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In a series of promotional videos for Disney's The Lion King on Broadway, stage actors share how they put on and perform within their hand-crafted animal costumes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In winter, starlings join in flocks of thousands of individuals to try to confuse the hawks that attack them, doing a mesmerizing dance.

This video is part of the Ornitografias project, a project in which Xavi Bou has been working for years, which consists in visualizing the beauty of bird flight paths.

To learn more about this project visit the web:
www.xavibou.com

Music by Kristina Dutton

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Robots Bluethunder? and Metallic Fighter face each other in this robot sword match for ROBO-ONE's bipedal walking robot fighting games. Like fencing, their aim seems to be about scoring points rather than damaging their opponent. And each is built to get back up pretty quickly after it falls.

Compare this competition to that of these off-balance, soccer-playing robots from nine-ish years ago. Then watch more robot videos, including Disney Imagineering's autonomous robot stunt doubles and Lisa Winter, Robot Builder.

Bonus: Fencing 101 taught by Olympians.

via The Awesomer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ROBO-ONE Robot Sword Match | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Robots Bluethunder? and Metallic Fighter face each other in this robot sword match for ROBO-ONE's bipedal walking robot fighting games. Like fencing, their aim seems to be about scoring points rather than damaging their opponent. And each is built to get back up pretty quickly after it falls.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Some meals leave an impression-you might remember the cherry pie your grandma always made or a multi-course dinner consisting of toast and caviar, a mound of shaved truffle topping pasta, and wagyu tartare. Rather than solely rely on his memory to envision the fare he's enjoyed, though, Japanese chef Itsuo Kobayashi has been painting and describing in detail the dishes he's eaten for the past 32 years in a series of notebooks and standalone works.

While an interesting look at Kobayashi's nourishment, the detailed projects are also a growing collection of outsider art. N. Kushino, who runs Kushino Terrace gallery in Fukuyama, Japan, and represents Kobayashi, tells Colossal that the artist begins by writing detailed passages of what he eats before going back to create his appetizing illustrations.

What stands out is that all of these drawings feature an overhead perspective so that all of the ingredients of the food Kobayashi depicts can be seen. Furthermore, in the blank spaces in his compositions, the artist writes the names and prices of, and his opinions about the food and the ingredients he portrays. He adds positive descriptive words about his subjects, such as "delicious," so that he may provoke good memories when he later looks at the drawings.

For many years, Kobayashi cooked at a soba restaurant and provided meals for schools until he was diagnosed with alcoholic neuritis, a debilitating condition that reduced his mobility. Now, the artist mostly works from home, ordering take-out often and continuing to detail his meals at length. Since he started the creative project at age 18, Kobayashi has produced more than 1,000 illustrations. "For him, painting and living have the same meaning. The disease (makes it) more and more difficult to walk, but he does not stop painting," Kushino says. Most recently, Kobayashi has begun shaping pop-ups in his works featuring bowls of tempura seafood and piles of noodles.

Shared at the Outsider Art Fair in New York earlier this year, Kobayashi's pieces sold for up to $3,000. To see a project in the same vein, check out James Deeds Jr.'s Ectlectric Pencil. (via ArtNet)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, apply for our annual grant, and get exclusive access to interviews, partner discounts, and event tickets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Japanese Chef Has Filled Notebooks with Delectable Illustrations of All of His Meals for 32 Years

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Some meals leave an impression-you might remember the cherry pie your grandma always made or a multi-course dinner consisting of toast and caviar, a mound of shaved truffle topping pasta, and wagyu tartare. Rather than solely rely on his memory to envision the fare he's enjoyed, though, Japanese che

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Space Shuttle thermal tiles conduct heat so poorly that after being in a 2200 °F oven for hours, you can pick them up with your bare hands only seconds after they come out, still glowing hot.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Picking Up Glowing Hot Space Shuttle Tiles with Bare Hands

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Space Shuttle thermal tiles conduct heat so poorly that after being in a 2200 °F oven for hours, you can pick them up with your bare hands only seconds after they come out, still glowing hot.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the age of Covid-19 confinement, Elisha Nochomovitz has figured out a way to keep occupied by running a marathon on his balcony.

Nochomovitz ran 42.2km (26.2 miles) back and forth, never leaving his 7 metre-long (23 feet) balcony.

He saw it as a physical and mental challenge, and also shared images of the feat online as a way to extend his support to medical personnel who were doing an "exceptional job", he told Associated Press from his apartment in Balma, a suburb of the southern French city of Toulouse.

Like athletes who ran around their Wuhan apartments or cyclists who found ways to train in their locked-down Abu Dhabi hotel rooms, Nochomovitz wanted to show that it's possible to stay fit as virus containment measures tighten around the world.

He also wanted to lighten the mood. "It was about launching a bit of a crazy challenge and bringing a bit of humour, to de-dramatise the confinement situation," he said.

He didn't exactly make record time. It took him six hours and 48 minutes. He got nauseous and worried the neighbours would complain about the pounding of his footsteps. But he did it.

Technically, the French authorities are still allowing people to go outside for exercise such as running, if they fill out and sign a form explaining their reasons for leaving their homes.

The number of joggers on French streets has multiplied in recent days, amid exceptionally balmy weather. And that has authorities worried that too many people are still out on the streets, threatening efforts to contain the virus.

"If everyone thinks the same way and does the same thing, we will all find ourselves outside and that won't help anything, and the message that we need to stay confined at home will have had no impact," said Nochomovitz.

He said he had been training for a marathon, adding: ""I needed to assure myself that I could still run 40km."

He lost track of how many laps he did, but his pedometer kept track while his mind wandered. "I thought about many things, what's going to happen, when I see that the world has stopped, sports, economy, finance," he said. "We learned in history about wars between nations, men and weapons, but this is something that is beyond us."

He especially thought about medics, which he described as the real everyday heroes".

He had crucial support in his challenge. "I had my girlfriend here who was giving me drinks and M&Ms."

Outside, some onlookers stared in confusion. And his neighbours? "They were very understanding."
Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Man runs marathon on 7-metre balcony during French lockdown

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the age of Covid-19 confinement, Elisha Nochomovitz has figured out a way to keep occupied by running a marathon on his balcony. Nochomovitz ran 42.2km (26.2 miles) back and forth, never leaving his 7 metre-long (23 feet) balcony.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
China could deploy 100,000 ducks to neighbouring Pakistan to help tackle swarms of crop-eating locusts, according to reports.

Pakistan declared an emergency earlier this month saying locust numbers were the worst in more than two decades.

An agricultural expert behind the scheme says a single duck can eat more than 200 locusts a day and can be more effective than pesticides.

However, another researcher questioned whether the ducks would be effective.

Millions of the insects have also been devastating crops in parts of East Africa.

The Chinese government announced this week it was sending a team of experts to Pakistan to develop "targeted programmes" against the locusts.

How a single locust becomes a plague

Somalia declares emergency over locust swarms

Drones tested to combat desert locusts

Lu Lizhi, a senior researcher with the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told Bloomberg that the ducks are "biological weapons". He said that while chickens could eat about 70 locusts in one day a duck could devour more than three times that number.

"Ducks like to stay in a group so they are easier to manage than chickens," he told Chinese media.

A trial involving the ducks will take place in China's western Xinjiang province in the coming months, Mr Lu said.

After that they will be sent to Pakistan's worst-affected areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab provinces.

The scheme quickly took hold on Chinese social media.

"Go, ducks! I hope you come back alive," wrote one user of China's Twitter-like Weibo platform.

"Heroic ducks in harm's way!" said another, in a parody of the description commonly used for medical staff tackling the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.

However, a professor from the China Agriculture University, who is part of the delegation to Pakistan, questioned whether the ducks would be suited to the mainly arid conditions where the locusts are a problem.

"Ducks rely on water, but in Pakistan's desert areas, the temperature is very high," Zhang Long told reporters in Pakistan.

He said that although ducks have been used against locusts since ancient times, their deployment "hasn't yet entered the government assistance programme" and was an "exploratory" method.

In 2000, China shipped 30,000 ducks from Zhejiang province to Xinjiang to tackle an infestation of locusts.

According to the UN, the current heavy infestations can be traced back to the cyclone season of 2018-19 that brought heavy rains to the Arabian Peninsula and allowed at least three generations of "unprecedented breeding" that went undetected. Swarms have since spread out into South Asia and East Africa.

In January, the UN called for international help to fight swarms of desert locusts sweeping through East Africa.

Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are all struggling with "unprecedented" and "devastating" swarms of the food-devouring insects, the UN said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
China may deploy ducks to battle with locusts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
China could deploy 100,000 ducks to neighbouring Pakistan to help tackle swarms of crop-eating locusts, according to reports. Pakistan declared an emergency earlier this month saying locust numbers were the worst in more than two decades. An agricultural expert behind the scheme says a single duck can eat more than 200 locusts a day and can be more effective than pesticides.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Queen Victoria, Matthew Barney, Jules Verne, and Pink Floyd are not names you usually hear in the same sentence, but then the place that they all share is itself quite uncommon. Known as Fingal's Cave, it bears a history and geology unlike any other cave in the world.

At 72 feet tall and 270 feet deep, what makes this sea cave so visually astoundingly is the hexagonal columns of basalt, shaped in neat six-sided pillars that make up its interior walls. These fractured columns form a crude walkway just above the water level so that visitors to go far inside and explore the cave.

The cave was a well-known wonder of the ancient Irish and Scottish Celtic people and was an important site in the legends. Known to the Celts as Uamh-Binn or "The Cave of Melody," one Irish legend, in particular, explained the existence of the cave as well as that of the similar Giant's Causeway in Ireland. As both are made of the same neat basalt columns, the legend holds that they were the end pieces of a bridge built by the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (a.k.a. Finn McCool), so he could make it to Scotland where he was to fight Benandonner, his gigantic rival.

The legend, which connects the two structures, is in effect geologically correct. Both the Giant's Causeway and Fingal's Cave were indeed created by the same ancient lava flow, which may have, at one time formed a "bridge" between the two sites. Of course, this happened some 60 million years ago, long before people would have been around to see it. Nonetheless, the deductive reasoning of the ancient peoples formed the connection and base of the legend that the two places must be related.

The cave was rediscovered when naturalist Sir Joseph Banks visited it in 1772. At the time of Banks' discovery, Fingal, an Ancient Epic Poem in Six Books was a very popular poetic series, supposedly translated from an ancient Gaelic epic by Irish poet James Macpherson. The book was an influence on Goethe, Napoleon, and Banks, who promptly named the Scottish cave, which already had the name Uamh-Binn, after the Irish legend, calling it "Fingal's Cave."

And though Banks is responsible for both rediscovering and renaming the cave, it would be a romantic German composer who truly vaulted the cave to world fame.

So moved was famed composer Felix Mendelssohn by the splendor of the cave that he sent the opening phrase of an overture on a postcard to his sister with the note: "In order to make you understand how extraordinarily the Hebrides affected me, I send you the following, which came into my head there." The Hebrides Overture, also known as Fingal's Cave, premiered on May 14, 1832, in London. (The original name may have been based on the amazing noises the cave sometimes produces.)

In a one-two Romantic punch, artist J. M. W. Turner painted "Staffa, Fingal's Cave" in the same year and together these launched the cave from a little-known wonder into a must-see Romantic-Victorian tourist site. William Wordsworth, John Keats, Lord Tennyson, and Queen Victoria all visited the cave as did consummate traveler and lover of wonders, Jules Verne.

After this, the cave never left the public imagination. Pink Floyd named one of their early, unreleased songs after the cave, and Matthew Barney used the cave in his Cremaster cycle.

One can visit the cave via cruise (though boats cannot enter the cave, they make regular passes by it) or can travel to the small island of Staffa and hike into the cave by stepping from column to column. By the way, northern shores of Staffa host a puffin colony during the summer months.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Queen Victoria, Matthew Barney, Jules Verne, and Pink Floyd are not names you usually hear in the same sentence, but then the place that they all share is itself quite uncommon. Known as Fingal's Cave, it bears a history and geology unlike any other cave in the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Grab a sheet, some rope, tent pegs, a flashlight, some string, and a jam jar. With these supplies, you can make a light trap. These two videos from London's Natural History Museum, featuring NHM Principal Curator in Charge of Insects Dr. Gavin Broad, demonstrate how to make a light trap and why they're a fun activity.

Light trapping is a great way to learn more about the wildlife living in your local area. It's easily repeatable and harmless to the insects involved. By gently capturing them in a jar, the insects can be released back into their habitat once they've been recorded.

It is a simple but effective way of collecting a lot of data in a short amount of time - though this does depend on factors like location and weather conditions.

By sharing the data that you collect on an excursion (even if it's just to the bottom of your garden) you can help increase our understanding of the geographic ranges of species and any changes in their distributions - you might even come across something rare or new to your area.

And here's the quick how-to:

Can't figure out what bug you're looking at? Post photos and descriptions in the Natural History Museum's identification forums. They also have an advisory service.

Related watching: A simple way to tell insects apart: Look at their mouthparts and life in the soil revealed in claymation shorts by Maxwell Helmberger.

Bonus jam jar experiment: How to capture a scent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to make a light trap | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Grab a sheet, some rope, tent pegs, a flashlight, some string, and a jam jar. With these supplies, you can make a light trap. These two videos from London's Natural History Museum, featuring NHM Principal Curator in Charge of Insects Dr. Gavin Broad, demonstrate how to make a light trap and why they're a fun activity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Thanks to the technologies at play, factory machine commercials can be some of the more fascinating videos on the internet. Example: This Rayvolution optical sorting machine promo featuring a machine that's fitted with high-resolution cameras. It processes every peeled and unpeeled tomato zooming by on the conveyor belt with scanners scan, swatters that swat, and sorters who sort. Graphics explain what's going on as tomatoes speed by.

Then watch how machines and employees work together to deliver diced tomatoes. These machines suck up and remove unwanted bits, then run it by human workers for a final quality check:

Watch these food machines and factory videos on TKSST next:
* Jiggling mushrooms on machines at the processing factory
* A Rube Goldberg-style Egg Breaker machine
* Automated Cake Icing and Decorating Machines
* This carrot peeling machine

Then go analog: How to Make Tomato Paste in Sicily and how to make ketchup at home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Crazy high-speed optical sorting of tomatoes | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thanks to the technologies at play, factory machine commercials can be some of the more fascinating videos on the internet. Example: This Rayvolution optical sorting machine promo featuring a machine that's fitted with high-resolution cameras. It processes every peeled and unpeeled tomato zooming by on the conveyor belt with scanners scan, swatters that swat, and sorters who sort.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
First of all, we would like to congratulate everyone who joined the 2019 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition! This competition is one of the most prestigious nature photo contests in the world, and the winning images represent some of the best underwater photographs of the year.

Photographers from 78 countries entered images, and over $85,000 in sponsor prizes have been awarded, making the Ocean Art prize value among the highest in the world. Our two new categories, conservation and blackwater diving, had an overwhelming response of incredible photos and were two of the highlights of the competition. In addition to the "Best of Show", we added a new award "Rising Star Photographer" won by Jules Casey who took an amazing photo of six juvenile seahorses.

Winners were asked to rank their prize choices and were awarded one prize based on totaling points from all their winning photos.

We would also like to extend your much appreciation to our world-renowned judges Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman and Scott Gietler for judging the competition, Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel for their support. An additional thanks to Mark Strickland and Craig Dietrich for their help with the judging process when their expertise was needed. Click here to view the judges comments for this year's competition.

Press Release and Media Contact: http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/ocean-art-2019-press-release
Click here to view the Ocean Art 2019 winners at a larger size (best for desktop) Want to win next year? Join one of our underwater photo workshops
Best of Show
Click photo to view full size Shot in Antartica Peninsula
Wide-Angle Category
Click photo to view full size
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Shot in Fakarava, French Polynesia

"Under the Pier"

Macro
Click photo to view full size Shot in Puerto Galera, Philippines Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

"Lucernaria Quadricornis"

Shot in White Sea, Russia

Shot in Anilao, Philippines

Honorable Mention - Paolo Bondaschi

Honorable Mention - Yat Wai So

Shot in Anilao, Philippines

Marine Life Behavior
Click photo to view full size Shot in Queensland, Australia

2nd Place - Paolo Bausani

Shot in Anilao, Philippines

3rd Place - Steven Kovacs

Shot in Palm Beach, Florida, USA

4th Place - Hannes Klostermann

Shot in Baja California Sur, Mexico

Honorable Mention - Pedro Carillo

Shot in Baja California Sur, Mexico

Honorable Mention - Steven Kovacs

Shot in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

"Gigantic Aggregation of Munk Devil Rays in Baja California Sur"

Honorable Mention - Jay Clue

Shot in Baja California Sur, Mexico

Portrait
Click photo to view full size

Coldwater
Click photo to view full size
Nudibranchs
Click photo to view full size
Supermacro
Click photo to view full size Shot in Tulamben, Indonesia

Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

Shot in Cebu, Philippines

Reefscapes
Click photo to view full size
Blackwater
Click photo to view full size
Conservation
Click photo to view full size Shot in Eleuthera, Bahamas Shot in Punta Chiappa Camogli, Italy

3rd Place - Brooke Lori Pyke

"Acropora Robusta Coral Fragments at the Ocean Gardener Coral Nursery in Candidasa Bali"

4th Place - Nicole Helgason

Shot in East Bali, Indonesia

5th Place - Francis Perez

Shot in Canary Islands, Spain

"The Dawn of a NOT, New Day"

Honorable Mention - Pasquale Vassallo

Honorable Mention - Rafael Fernandez Caballero

Underwater Art
Click photo to view full size

1st Place - Francisco Sedano

2nd Place - Enrico Somogyi

4th Place - Tae Wook Kang

Shot in Daegu, South Korea

Honorable Mention - Kimber Greenwood

Honorable Mention - Aia Mar

Novice Wide Angle
Click photo to view full size Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia Shot in Cebu, Philippines

3rd Place - George Kuo-Wei Kao

Shot in Mikura-Jima, Japan

Shot in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

"Humphead Parrotfish and Diver""

Shot in Sipadan Island, Malaysia

Honorable Mention - Jeongin Kim

Novice Macro
Click photo to view full size
"Rising Star Photographer" Award
Shot in Victoria, Australia
Compact Wide Angle
Click photo to view full size Shot in Sydney, Australia
Compact Macro
Click photo to view full size
Compact Behavior
Click photo to view full size
List of Winners

1st Place: Nicholas More

2nd Place: Tobias Friedrich

3rd Place: Adam Martin

4th Place Borut Furlan

5th Place: Taeyup Kim

Honorable Mention: Alessandro Buzzichelli

Honorable Mention: Jose Antonio Castellano
Macro
1st Place: Stefano Cerbai

2nd Place: Wu Yung-Sen

3rd Place: Dave Johnson

4th Place Petr Polách

5th Place: Hakan Basar

Honorable Mention: Paolo Bondaschi

Honorable Mention: Yatwai So
Marine Life Behavior
1st Place: Paula Vianna

2nd Place: Paolo Bausani

3rd Place: Steven Kovacs

4th Place Hannes Klostermann

5th Place: Pedro Carrillo Montero

Honorable Mention: Steven Kovacs

Honorable Mention: Jason Clue
Portrait
1st Place: Virgina Salzedo

2nd Place: Davide Lombroso

3rd Place: Claudio Zori

4th Place Emry Oxford

5th Place: Mok Wai Hoe

Honorable Mention: Greg Lecoeur

Honorable Mention: Galice Hoarau
Coldwater
1st Place: Greg Lecoeur

2nd Place: Tobias Friedrich

3rd Place: Johan Sundelin

4th Place Johan Sundelin

5th Place: Aldo Costa

Honorable Mention: Celia Kujala

Honorable Mention: Mirko Zanni
Nudibranch
1st Place: Jenny Stock

2nd Place: Andrea Pescarolo

3rd Place: Andrey Savin

4th Place Mauro Apuleo

5th Place: Cedric Peneau

Honorable Mention: Chun Ho Tam
Supermacro
1st Place: Paolo Isgro

2nd Place: Leon Zhao

3rd Place: Paolo Isgro

4th Place Qing Lin
Reefscapes
1st Place: Eduardo Acevedo Fernandez

2nd Place: Nicholas More

3rd Place: Enrico Somogyi

4th Place Greg Lecoeur

5th Place: Yen-Yi Lee

Honorable Mention: Nicholas More
Blackwater
1st Place: Fabien Michenet

2nd Place: Paolo Bausani

3rd Place: Steven Kovacs

4th Place Lureen Ferretti

5th Place: Tianhong Wang

Honorable Mention: Fabien Michenet

Honorable Mention: Steven Kovacs

Honorable Mention: Suzan Meldonian
Conservation
1st Place: Shane Gross

2nd Place: Alessandro Grasso

3rd Place: Brooke Lori Pyke

4th Place Nicole Helgason

5th Place: Francis Perez

Honorable Mention: Pasquale Vassallo

Honorable Mention: Rafael Fernandez Caballero
Underwater Art
1st Place: Francisco Sedano

2nd Place: Enrico Somogy

3rd Place: Jenny Stock

4th Place: Tae Wok Kang

Honorable Mention: Kimber Greenwood

Honorable Mention: Aîa Mar
Novice Wide Angle
1st Place: George Kuo-Wei Kao

2nd Place: George Kuo-Wei Kao

3rd Place: George Kuo-Wei Kao

4th Place Jake Wilton

5th Place: Jeongin Kim

Honorable Mention: Jeongin Kim
Novice Macro
1st Place: Julie Casey

2nd Place: Michael Loh

3rd Place: George Kuo-Wei Kao

4th Place Mel Wu

5th Place: Kierstin Zetterberg

Honorable Mention: Naomi Strong
Compact Wide Angle
1st Place: Talia Greis

2nd Place: Minsik Roh

3rd Place: Benhur Sarinda

4th Place Enrico Somogyi

Honorable Mention: Enrico Somogyi
Compact Macro
1st Place: Stan Chen

2nd Place: Stan Chen

3rd Place: Fabien Martinazzo

4th Place: Fabien Martinazzo

Honorable Mention: Donghoon Lee

Honorable Mention: Alessio Tinti
Compact Behavior
1st Place: Ferenc Lorincz

2nd Place: Fabien Martinazzo

3rd Place: Willy Irawan

4th Place Simon Deblock

Honorable Mention: Lawrence Wu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
First of all, we would like to congratulate everyone who joined the 2019 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition! This competition is one of the most prestigious nature photo contests in the world, and the winning images represent some of the best underwater photographs of the year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Handpainted Anamorphic Glass Sculpture With Four Hidden Images

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
James Friedman is primarily a documentary and street photographer, but for his Interior Design project, he went abstract and captured the insides of golf balls.

For some viewers, my photographs from this series, titled Interior Design, allude to celestial bodies and the sublime. For me, their serendipitous structural exquisiteness and their subtle and passionate arrays of colors have inspired new exploration in my photography; I am particularly delighted to see the diminutive golf balls transformed into 36" x 36" prints.

Incidentally, I do not play golf.

Here's a 1966 British Pathé film about how golf balls are made (compare w/ a more modern process):

See also Friedman's short account (w/ photos) about photographing Andy Warhol at a 1978 art opening. (via dense discovery)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Abstract Photographs of the Colorful Insides of Golf Balls

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
James Friedman is primarily a documentary and street photographer, but for his Interior Design project, he went abstract and captured the insides of golf balls. For some viewers, my photographs from this series, titled Interior Design, allude to celestial bodies and the sublime.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With 54 counter-rotation propellers in a hexagonal arrangement around a single seat, this buzzing aerial "super drone" vehicle was built and tested by a man named Paul, according to a moment of shouting in the video. Notes on the vid claim that the multirotor vehicle, called The Swarm, can lift 164 kg (361 pounds), and can stay in the air for 10 minutes or so.

The gasturbine101 channel also includes vehicle tests as early as July 2013. Watch a October 2013 test below:

Watch these next: The first manned flight with an e-volo electric multicopter and the Atlas Human-Powered Helicopter's AHS Sikorsky Prize Flight.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Flying The Swarm - An aerial multirotor "super drone" vehicle | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With 54 counter-rotation propellers in a hexagonal arrangement around a single seat, this buzzing aerial "super drone" vehicle was built and tested by a man named Paul, according to a moment of shouting in the video.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If there's no snow outside, try growing your own snowflakes. From Science Friday's collection of Holiday Science features and experiments, learn how to grow snowflakes in a bottle. Caltech physicist, snowflake expert, and author of The Secret Life of a Snowflake Ken Libbrecht shares his snow crystal growing experiment, which requires a large plastic bottle, a bucket, a sponge, fishing line, pins, needles, and dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide (CO2).

Reminder: Wear gloves when working with dry ice, which can "burn" your skin if you touch it. Read more about safe dry ice handling here.

Watch more dry ice videos, experiment videos, and videos about ice crystals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to grow snowflakes in a bottle - Science Friday | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If there's no snow outside, try growing your own snowflakes. From Science Friday's collection of Holiday Science features and experiments, learn how to grow snowflakes in a bottle. Caltech physicist, snowflake expert, and author of The Secret Life of a Snowflake Ken Libbrecht shares his snow crystal growing experiment, which requires a large plastic bottle, a bucket, a sponge, fishing line, pins, needles, and dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide (CO2).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Glide peacefully down a mountain full of fresh powder as a powder surfing snowboarder carves his pathway through the trees. The piano piece Clair de Lune, by French composer Claude Debussy, accompanies the smooth uninterrupted shot of his binding-free ride: Pow Surf 101.

Related videos: Snowboarding in a LED suit, Moonline: Speed Riding at night over Bossons Glacier, and the Iditarod from above and from the trail.

via The Awesomer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pow Surf 101: Powder surfing to Debussy's Clair de Lune | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Glide peacefully down a mountain full of fresh powder as a powder surfing snowboarder carves his pathway through the trees. The piano piece Clair de Lune , by French composer Claude Debussy, accompanies the smooth uninterrupted shot of his binding-free ride: Pow Surf 101.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Layer upon layer of heated and spun sugar is shaped into pastel-colored patterns that eventually form what international street and gourmet food YouTube channel Aden Films calls a "massive, massive, massive" cotton candy flower. The price for this dessert, made in ten minutes by this skilled street vendor in Chongqing, China: 50 RMB (Chinese Yuan Ren Ming Bi) or around $8 dollars.

There are more videos about sugar on this site, including liquid sugar painting of a Chinese candy dragon, Amezaiku (飴細工) Japanese Candy Sculptures by Ame Yoshihara, Sugar: Hiding in plain sight and Why do carrots taste sweeter in the winter?

Bonus: More street vendor videos.

via The Awesomer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How a gigantic cotton candy flower is made | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Layer upon layer of heated and spun sugar is shaped into pastel-colored patterns that eventually form what international street and gourmet food YouTube channel Aden Films calls a "massive, massive, massive" cotton candy flower. The price for this dessert, made in ten minutes by this skilled street vendor in Chongqing, China: 50 RMB (Chinese Yuan Ren Ming Bi) or around $8 dollars.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
﻿

Back in January, photographer Ger Kelliher snapped this high speed photo of angry sea foam captured on Coomeenole beach in West Kerry, Ireland. The lighting and perfect timing make the water look almost sculptural in quality. If you're interested, he has the image available as a high resolution download over on Etsy so you can make your own prints.

© 2019 Colossal, all rights reserved. We try our best to attribute images, videos, and quotes to their creators and original sources. If you see something on Colossal that is misattributed or you would like removed, please contact us. Colossal participates in affiliate marketing programs and may earn a commission on sales through links to Etsy, Amazon, Society6, and iTunes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
High Speed Sea Foam Photographed by Ger Kelliher

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Back in January, photographer Ger Kelliher snapped this high speed photo of angry sea foam captured on Coomeenole beach in West Kerry, Ireland. The lighting and perfect timing make the water look almost sculptural in quality. If you're interested, he has the image available as a high resolution down

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you ever find yourself in Budapest, Hungary for the winter holidays, don't miss the wonderfully festive Christmas trams, local streetcars decorated with over 30,000 twinkling LED lights. People of all ages and nationalities marvel at the special trolleys each winter, mesmerized by the sight of thousands of blue-and-white lights glittering like stars in the evening or the glow of a futuristic vehicle jetting through time, while passengers also get to enjoy seeing the whole city lit up with Christmas cheer as they travel through the streets.

Started in 2009 by the Budapest Transport Company, the festive tradition is a delight for locals, citizens, and children. Best of all, anyone with a regular ticket or public transport travel pass can ride the Christmas trams, making them a fun and budget-friendly way to get around Budapest while enjoying some holiday spirit.

For more information on the routes and tram schedule, check out the Budapest Transport Company's website as we get closer to the holiday season in December.

Above: Viktor Varga
Mrk Mervai Budapest Transport Company Website Centre for Budapest Transport Centre for Budapest Transport Centre for Budapest Transport englishhungary Krisztian Birinyi Krisztian Birinyi

Andras Csore

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Twinkling LED Lights Make Budapest Tram Look Like it's Traveling Through Time

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you ever find yourself in Budapest, Hungary for the winter holidays, don't miss the wonderfully festive Christmas trams, local streetcars decorated with over 30,000 twinkling LED lights.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The formation of snowflakes, recorded with a macro lens by Vyacheslav Ivanov. Music: Aphex Twin - Avril 14th. Via Colossal: "Ivanov confirms from his home in St. Petersburg that the video is indeed genuine (non digital) and was filmed through a microscope with a lot of effort and patience." And some science behind the snowflake's formation from io9:

The ice crystal(s) in snowflakes owe their six-fold rotational symmetry to the hydrogen bonds in water molecules. As water freezes, water molecules bound to other water molecules crystallize into a hexagonal structure, where each point on the hexagon is an oxygen atom and each side of the hexagon is a hydrogen bonded to an oxygen. As freezing continues, more water molecules are added to this microscopic six-sided structure, causing it to grow in size into the six-sided macroscopic structure that we recognize as snow flakes.

Related watching: Snow Facts Cheat Sheet, ice crystals form on a soap bubble, jazz and tiny hailstones, and instant ice crystals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Watch snowflakes form in time lapse through a microscope | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The formation of snowflakes, recorded with a macro lens by Vyacheslav Ivanov. Music: Aphex Twin - Avril 14th. Via Colossal: "Ivanov confirms from his home in St. Petersburg that the video is indeed genuine (non digital) and was filmed through a microscope with a lot of effort and patience."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We adore math art projects. I've been eyeing the idea of using parabolic curves in a creative endeavor with my math-loving kid for a while. I was experimenting in my own art journal with the groovy way you can fool the eye into thinking a group of straight lines is actually a curve when my 10 year old leaned over and said, "That is so cool!!"

That's when I knew I had a great math art activity for us to do together. Since my sons are naturally drawn to S.T.E.M. - themed activities, I do try and find ways to sneak in the "A" to make it S.T.E.A.M., in which the "A" stands for Art and Design. Last week I shared our Fibonacci Art Project, and like that lesson, our exploration of parabolic curves is just that: a process-based exploration.

I'll give you the basic instructions for how to make parabolic curves and then let you and your kids explore math art on your own! (Note: this post contains affiliate links)
What you need:

Pencil (believe me, you do not want to start with ink!)

Eraser (see above!)

Pens. We've switched from Sharpies to Flair pens. You only have to smell them to find out why.

Rulers or straight edges. It's easier to create squares if you have a triangle or t-square. I think it's well worth having a math set. They aren't very expensive and they are loads of fun, not to mention being handy for school projects.

Protractor. Optional, but a must if you want to do a circle design. We get a lot of use from our 360 degrees protractor

Paper. We made ours in our art journal. The mixed media visual art journal is our absolute favorite, which regular readers (waving hello!) know that I frequently sing the praises of. Alternatively, you can use graph paper.

Sharpener. You want sharp, sharp pencils for this project!

Colored pencils. Optional, but fun.

Instructions:

1. Create a set of crossed lines, preferably at a 90 degree angle. ( Kids can experiment with different angles once they've learned the basics.) For ease, make sure each line is an even measurement. We used 1 cm and 5mm increments

2. Divide the lines into equal divisions. In my example I've uses 5 millimeter increments.

3. Draw angled lines. Start on the bottom line in the left hand corner at the furthest mark. ( See photo above.) Draw a line from the mark to the first mark on the adjacent line. Draw a second line from the second furthest mark and connect it to the second mark on the adjacent line. ( See photo below.)

4. Continue until all the lines have been drawn.

TIP: The starting/ending points of the first and last few lines can get "lost". To make it easier, number the marks. ( See photo below)

Voila! A "curved" line appears.

5. Optional: go over pencil lines with marker and/or use colored pencils to create colorful designs.

TIP: For kids just starting out, divide the lines with wider marks. My example above is 5 mm, but Kiddo preferred to work with 1 cm sections.
Variations:
1. A single parabolic curve, while cool, is just the beginning. Encourage your kids to create boxes, triangles, and interlocking shapes as a basis to create elaborate math art designs!

2. Connect the dots in a circle! My son created a "parabolic eyeball".

For inspiration, here are some of our experiments, straight from our art journals. ( You can see I need to work on my photo editing skills, ha ha ha.)

Watch more of our math art ideas in action:

MORE: Tessellations and the Pi Skyline are two of our favorite math drawing projects. Little kids can practice connecting the dots, too, with a giant dot to dot. Or check out more fantastic patterns in these math art books.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Super Cool Math Art with Parabolic Curves

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We adore math art projects. I've been eyeing the idea of using parabolic curves in a creative endeavor with my math-loving kid for a while. I was experimenting in my own art journal with the groovy way you can fool the eye into thinking a group of straight lines is actually a curve when my 10 year old leaned over and said, "That is so cool!!"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Earthquakes between July 2017 and July 2018

Earthquake depth is exaggerated by a factor of 8. Click on each earthquake to find out more about its magnitude and depth. Original data from USGS. Made by Raluca with ArcGIS API for JavaScript.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Earthquake depth is exaggerated by a factor of 8. Click on each earthquake to find out more about its magnitude and depth. Original data from USGS. Made by Raluca with ArcGIS API for JavaScript.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The decomposition of a pineapple over 2 months | The Kid Should See This

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The decomposition of a pineapple over 2 months, time-lapsed by TEMP0NAUT. Below, two pineapple slices transform over the course of 41 days: Watch