The Anti-Loneliness Hugging Chair

Posted on October 17, 2014 by

The “tranquility chair” is built in the shape of a larger-than-life fabric doll with a friendly face and a fetching hat, but more importantly, it has long arms that wrap around the user in an affectionate embrace.

“It makes you feel safe. Anyone can use it, but it is designed for older people,” said a spokesman for UniCare, which is selling the chair. “They are comforting for people who live alone – they can talk to them and hug them. They also play old Japanese music, which is nostalgic for older people.”

I have to say, the guy in the top photo seems about as enthusiastic about his “hug” as I would a clown trying to hug me.

Actually, never mind – if I was being threatened with a hug by a clown I’d be pulling out my falcata or crossbow. Possibly both. Just to be sure.

Via MSN News.

Adolf Hitler’s Prescription for Crystal Meth and Bull Semen

Posted on October 17, 2014 by

According to the medical diaries and journals of his personal physician Dr. Theodor Morell, [Adolf] Hitler was a nervous hypochondriac with an extreme drug habit.

Dr. Morell’s diaries, which have been locked away since 1945, [indicate that] Hitler was treated with Mutaflor for stomach cramps, barbiturate Brom-Nervacit, the morphine-based sedative Eukodal, bull semen for testosterone boosts and Pervitin, a pill containing crystal meth.

Well, a diet of crystal meth, bull semen, morphine and barbiturates might explain quite a bit of Hitler’s instability…

Channel 4’s “Hitler’s Hidden Drug Habit” documentary via Huffington Post.

The Zebra Ships of World War I

Posted on October 16, 2014 by

Dazzle painting, in which ships were decorated with unpredictably zigzagging stripes, was the brainchild of British artist Norman Wilkinson, who developed the idea in response to the toll that German submarines were exacting on the British fleet.

By World War II, the technique was modified and then abandoned, as targeting systems improved and ships faced threats from the air.

One important point: the intent of the designs was not to make them invisible so much as to make accurate description of their facing and velocity more difficult, making them much challenging targets to hit.

Images via io9.
Via Slate for the full article.

Google Street View with…Camels?

Posted on October 16, 2014 by

Google Street View has evolved into “Camel Cam”.

The trial in the United Arab Emirates’ Liwa Desert has made it possible for each and every one of us to carry out a virtual tour of those sandy dunes from the comfort of our own homes.

The company says using using camels meant they could take “authentic imagery” with minimal disruption to the environment.

I, for one, can’t wait for the results of Google Camel Cam (I suppose I should add a trademark icon after that, right?) to make it into Google Maps.

Map vie Google Earth.
Via BBC.

Abacus Bracelet

Posted on October 15, 2014 by

The bracelet is made from layers of bubinga veneer, glued around a form one layer at a time.

The first step was to make a form for the bracelet. I drew out the shape in Illustrator, printed it, then spray-mounted it to a scrap of 2×4. I cut around the edges with the band saw, then smoothed it right up to the line with the belt sander.

To make the bracelet I spread some glue on a strip of veneer, wrapped it around the form with the glue side out, then wrapped another strip around it. Hose clamps held its shape until it dried, then I added another layer, let it dry, added another, and so on until seven layers were built up.

When I glued on the last three layers I passed a piece of guitar string back and forth through each channel to keep it clear.

I cut each wire shorter than the width of the bracelet so that it would be inset in the holes, then filled the holes with a paste made from super glue and sawdust from the bracelet.

Now, that’s what I call retro…

Via Haha Bird for the full description of how it was made.

Welcome to Inlé

Posted on October 15, 2014 by

This project actually started way back in 2006 or so when I decided I wanted to sculpt my interpretation of the Black Rabbit of Inlé from Richard Adams‘ Watership Down.

I was still pretty new to sculpting, but ended up making something I was really happy with and that marked a pretty big turning point for me, both in terms of style and subject.

Last summer, a couple purchased the original piece (you can find photos of it posted here on my tumblr, quite a few pages back), and paid me to create a more detailed base for the piece, and gave me free rein, creatively speaking, to do so.

Talk about an incredibly difficult novel to market. As Richard Adams’ publisher noted to an associate, “I’ve just taken on a novel about rabbits, one of them with extra-sensory perception. Do you think I’m mad?”

The subject of this sculpture, “The Black Rabbit of Inlé”, is a grim reaper figure with touches of Mictlanteuhctli (ignore the spelling on Wikipedia; they use the more popular but linguistically inaccurate transcription of the name) who as the servant of the rabbit god, Frith (the Sun) is responsible for ensuring that all rabbits die at their appropriate time.

Sculptor Rachel Young via Black Rabbit Sculpture.

Breakaway Packagingless Hexamine Pencils

Posted on October 14, 2014 by

Laurence Grégoire created a unique and sustainable way to package (colored) pencils. By using the product itself as the packaging, she was able to eliminate waste and create something visually beautiful.

The wooden pencils are lined up and bound together requiring the simple act of breaking them apart for them to be functional.

Very clever. Eliminating packaging costs while at the same time making something somatically engaging like this is very clever indeed.

Laurence Grégoire via The Die Line.

prettyawfulthings

Strange and odd and pretty and awful things.

Monthly Archives: October 2014

The Anti-Loneliness Hugging Chair

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Adolf Hitler’s Prescription for Crystal Meth and Bull Semen

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The Zebra Ships of World War I

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Google Street View with…Camels?

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Abacus Bracelet

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Welcome to Inlé

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Breakaway Packagingless Hexamine Pencils

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