Tag: art

Grotesque Portraits of Aristocrats from Another Dimension

Christian Rex van Minnen paints his subjects in a very classic style of European portraiture, but makes the subjects themselves hideously grotesque. From humanoid fungus to creatures that appear to be half-cartoon, van Minnen’s portraits are compelling and repulsive all at once. Van Minnen combines a wide range of visual inspirations for his portraits, often jamming fashion, biology (with a special emphasis on entrails and spider eyes), tattoos, logos, and bits of cartoon imagery into a single image. They feel at times overloaded (especially in his more recent work), but also fascinating as our brains try to resolve how all those pieces could fit together into one cohesive painting. Some of his subjects look like plausible alien creatures, while others are deformed refugees from Toon Town, but each possesses its own unsettling beauty. Van Minnen is featured in Issue 25 of Hi-Fructose Magazine , where you can also take a peek at his solo show, Welsh Rats , which opens today at Robischon Gallery in Denver. And be sure to check out van Minnen’s website for more portraits and alien still lifes as well. Christian Rex van Minnen [via Hi-Fructose ]

View the original here:
Grotesque Portraits of Aristocrats from Another Dimension

Imagine Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Arthur C. Clarke together in conversation. It happened.

Back in 1988, Magnus Magnusson (best name ever) somehow managed to bring three of the 20th Century’s most fascinating personalities together to discuss God, the Universe, and Everything Else . In the hour-long program, the three talked about the Big Bang theory, the connection between science and scifi, the rise of computer science, extraterrestrial intelligence, and the puzzle that is human existence. More »

See the article here:
Imagine Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Arthur C. Clarke together in conversation. It happened.

This is a taser sword. That is all you need to know.

Now you can stab and deliver an electric shock at the same time. Plus, it’s something you can make in your garage! If this weapon doesn’t show up in the next installment of The Hobbit , I’m just going to get drunk and go home. More »

See more here:
This is a taser sword. That is all you need to know.

Apple’s Lightning Digital AV Adapter Hides a Tiny Computer

Apple’s Lightning Digital AV Adapter is 50 bucks. That’s expensive. Apple’s Lightning Digital AV Adapter hooks up your iOS devices’ Lightning port to HDMI. But it lags and gives artifacts. Apple’s Lightning Digital AV adapter actually hides a tiny computer inside in the cable…wait what? Yes. More »

Visit link:
Apple’s Lightning Digital AV Adapter Hides a Tiny Computer

These serene Chinese landscapes are actually photographs of landfills

At first glance, Yao Lu’s digital collages look like watercolor paintings of misty Chinese mountains. But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the real subjects of these photographs aren’t plant-covered hills but landfills, and the initial beauty of the images takes on an entirely different meaning. More »

View article:
These serene Chinese landscapes are actually photographs of landfills

Are You Getting Less Spam Mail?

The Economist has a chart from Kaspersky Lab , a security firm, that shows that spam mail is on a decline. Supposedly, it’s a combination of spam filters actually working, the authentication of senders and more police crackdowns on Nigerian princes. In fact, in the past year, junk mail has declined from around 80% to 67%. Do you guys agree with this study? Are you noticing less spam in your inboxes? More »

View article:
Are You Getting Less Spam Mail?

This incredible photograph illustrates the movements of a violinist’s bow

This photograph represents the meeting of two great 20th-century artists. Famed violinist Jascha Heifetz was known for his incredible technical precision, which made him the perfect subject for a series of light paintings by the photographer Gjon Mili. Mili is probably best known for his 1949 series of photographs in which he encouraged Pablo Picasso to draw with light , creating images that could be captured by the camera, but not by the human eye. For his series with Heifetz, Mili attached a light to the violinist’s bow and had him play in Mili’s darkened studio, letting the camera record the bow’s movement through a variety of pieces and styles. In this one, you can practically see music spilling over Heifetz. More »

Read More:
This incredible photograph illustrates the movements of a violinist’s bow

The Smartest Computer in the World Also Has the Dirtiest Mouth

We already knew Ken Jennings thought IBM’s Jeopardy-winning supercomputer was a dick , but he’s not alone. Developers at IBM were forced to wipe part of Watson’s memory once they realized their hyperintelligent computer had turned into a bit of a smartass. More »

More here:
The Smartest Computer in the World Also Has the Dirtiest Mouth