Cool

Yesterday marked the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year 2013, the Year of the Snake. One of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, the snake signifies cleverness and tenacity and is associated with the element of fire. In the larger Chinese astrological cycle, this year is also associated with the element of water, which makes 2013 the Year of the Water Snake. The combination of the water and fire elements may signify turmoil in the months ahead. But people around the world ushered in the new year with displays of fireworks, family get-togethers, temple visits, and street festivals. Collected here are images from several countries where revelers have been welcoming the arrival of the Water Snake.

If you prefer the feel of an old-fashioned handsets against your ear or you just want best your fellow cubicle dwellers in a game of gadgety one-upmanship, Native Union's new MM03i Bluetooth Handset might be just what the doctor ordered (the gadget doctor, that is). Featuring an integrated iPhone charger / dock and a 3.5mm audio line out for plugging into speakers, this bad boy is available in both colors: black and white. But that ain't all! There are dedicated answer and end call buttons, volume control, and a connection status visual indicator. You love those! Available now for $150. PR after the break.

Nobody likes it when they start telling a story and the ice melts in their drink. This is especially disapointing when drinking expensive liquors! But hey, don't worry because there are plenty of solutions for that problem already! 

There are differently shaped pieces of ice that melt slower, synthetic "ice", and other chilled drink enhancers that can make your night out at the bar worth while again.

California is slowly advancing toward its goal of building a $69 billion high-speed rail network connecting San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Until the project is complete, American rail travelers will have to settle for Acela trains, which hit 150 mph.


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Yes, you kid can now be a junior rodeo master whe he takes the challenge of the barnyard beast!

Like the idea of your tuddler being thrown around by a sheep? Gotta move to Puyallop, Washington State. 

That's right, this isn't Texas! 

Its always a little weird when you're looking for a place to have dinner or go clubbing and your friend says, "yeah they have really nice bathrooms there." 

It wasn't until I saw one of these bathrooms that I finally understood what they meant! 

These are some public bathrooms that will definitely make you wonder if you're sober or not.

Itching for a touch of the tropics? Inspired by the Hibiscus flower, these Kenneth Cobonpue Bloom chairs feature a flamboyant floral motif that's true to their muse. These stunning seats are handmade of microfiber, painstakingly shaped with thousands of fine stitches spreading out from the center of the seat, creating the look and feel of a flower in full bloom. The material is stretched over a resin top and a steel base, bringing stability and durability to the design. And like the Hibiscus flower that lures you with its vibrant colors and sweet scent, these flower chairs also come in bright hues including yellow, red, lime green, moss green and black, beckoning you to lean in a little closer and take a seat. The Bloom chair is available in Easy Armchair and Club Chair designs. Mix and match different colors and styles to create a lively garden of seating in your home. Check out the Bloom chairs by visiting Kenneth Cobonpue.

Been meaning to get a fireplace, but "don't have the space"? Or maybe your flat is "too modern"? Forget about it. These fireplaces are made for those who need every inch they can get, and rid of any ridiculous detail they can. 

Would you use a portable fireplace?

Marta Klonowska is a Polish artist from Warsaw. Her passion is sculpture and she creates installations of her amazing shattered glass animal sculptures, typically placing them in front of historical paintings from masters like Rubens and d’Agar. While the source paintings had the animals in secondary roles, Klonowska makes them the focal point. As she explains to European Glass Context:

Liu Bolin is an artist from China’s Shandong province. Born in 1973, he currently lives and works in Beijing. Bolin received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Shandong College of Arts in 1995 and his Master of Fine Arts from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 2001. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world.

Levitation has been a mystery since the very early days on Paeganism. But is it real? Photographer Bence Bekonyi makes it possible in his collection of "floating people."

His images leave us with chills as he centers the stage with large bulky man-made objects, and people levitating in a deathly sort of way above them. 

People are weird. Dads are even weirder. Get a kick out of this "small dads" series, where peoples' fathers are reduced to pure minisculity!

Aside from the huggable Totoro, the Catbus is one of the most memorable characters in the 1988 classic My Neighbor Totoro. After all, what’s not to like about a huge multilegged cat that can take you wherever you want to go? And what’s not to like about a LEGO version of said cat?