Boffins Just Blew My Mind

Despite having extremely close links to the British community, I had never heard the term "boffin" until today. I shall be employing the word from now on, so please add it to your personal dictionaries. Ha.

But that's not the point of this post. According to this rather technical website, boffins are now able to insert 3D objects into old photographs. (Check out the website for some rather dull examples.) The results are so realistic that they'd fool any non-boffin's eyes.

If you clicked the link above, you might have watched a video with the yawn-inducing title, "Rendering Synthetic Objects into Legacy Photographs." (Those boffins sure have a way with titles!) If you didn't watch it, you should. Because this new technology is pretty darn amazing.

I started thinking about the many 3D objects I'd like to insert into old photographs. And all of the bizarre stories that might begin with a single altered photo.

In case you're wondering, this is the kind of discovery that can inspire a new book. (Not making any promises, though.)

The Museum of Obsolete Objects

Click here.

Thou Rank, Beetle-Headed Maggot Pie!

Now you can insult your enemies and impress your English Lit teachers at the same time. All you have to do is consult this handy "Shakespeare Insult Kit!" (From blameitonthevoices.) Just make sure you know what the terms mean first. And if you get yourself in trouble, keep me out of it!

The Penguins Need Sweaters!

Attention all knitters, (and I know there are quite a few of you out there), the penguins of New Zealand need sweaters! Seriously! A recent oil spill has left many of them in terrible danger. Sweaters will not only keep the little birds warm until they've recovered enough to be properly cleaned, it will also keep them from consuming the oil that's coating their feathers. (Which would make them even sicker!)

Here's how to knit a penguin sweater. And here's more information, including what to do with the sweaters when you're done!

Escape from Wonderland

(Picture from toxel.)

I've always wanted to learn how to rock climb. (Why haven't I? Hmmm. Good question.) I just wish I could find a climbing wall like this one, which was recently installed at a Tokyo fitness club. It was inspired by Alice in Wonderland and features climb holds in the shape of frames, vases, and bird cages. Very, very cool (but perhaps a little too tasteful--the designers could have gone a bit crazier if you ask me). And I gotta wonder: Is it really safe to climb in tights and a skirt?

Moustache Man

Above: Is it art? Propoganda? Vandalism? Hilarious? Let's discuss.

Until June, when he was nabbed by the NYPD after a two-month investigation (because the one of the biggest threats this city faces is Sharpie-wielding graffiti artists), Moustache Man roamed the NY subway system, altering the advertisements that line our scenic underground stations.

I happen to think that a well-drawn moustache improves most celebrity faces. However, there are many who would probably beg to differ. (The cops, the ads' owners, humorless movie stars.) But I honestly believe that Moustache Man (who took himself and his work VERY seriously) was performing a service for all humankind.

Imagine this: It's eight o'clock in the morning, and you're crammed into a metal tube with several thousand of your loudest, smelliest neighbors. You deserve a little something to take your mind off your suffering, and a baby with a moustache may be EXACTLY what you need.

I, for one, will miss the marvelous Moustache Man.

Another Explosive Subject

I usually don't like to "borrow" so liberally from other blogs, but I recently came across these two videos on one of my favorite sites, TYWKIWDBI. Maybe you're already familiar with "stick bombs," but they were new to me. (I have been living under a rock for the last year or so.)

I think I know how I'll be spending my free time for the next couple of weeks.

The first video shows a stick bomb in action. The second is a fabulous tutorial. Enjoy!

Yarn Bombing the Alamo

The Alamo is a huge, rotating cube in the middle of Manhattan's Astor Place. And it was just "yarn bombed" by artist Olek. According to hyperallergic, (the blog where I found the photo above by Alex Sarkesian), it has already been removed! Why?

Insanely Twisted

Apparently, the video above was too dark for Nickelodeon. (It's not gory. Just really, really weird.)

Bonus below . . . the letters and envelopes of Edward Gorey. I love envelope art. It's getting rarer and rarer these days, and I hope it doesn't become a thing of the past.