Cool

Think you know your pop culture? Can you reference obscure Star Wars characters, fantasy heroines or bands from the 70s? Well talented French designer Grégoire Guillemin is here to test that theory. Check out his wonderful design, featuring a colourful assortment of pop icons and heroes. The question is, how many of these characters do you recognise and how many can you name? If you get 70% of them, give yourself the day off – you totally deserve it.

Vampire fanatic Ben Douglass has created this simple and fun graphic showcasing the 12 different types of vampires. Who knew that in between all the bats, fangs and capes that things could get so complex? With Halloween coming up, it’s good to be informed & in the know right? At least this way you’ll be able to narrow it down to which bloodsucker might be visiting you late in the night

It’s a depressing reality that these days, most of the music videos released feature that all too familair R&B / pop hybrid complete with those horrible auto-tuned vocals & usual bevy of buxom bikini clad types awkwardly strutting around in too much fake tan. So count your lucky stars that a director & animation wizard like Jérémie Périn still exists and even more so that he’s chosen to work with upcoming Parisian electronic artist DyE on his new single ‘Fantasy’. To be perfectly honest, we’d never heard of DyE’s (aka Juan de Guillebon) until we saw this clip – but on this evidence it’s not a name which will be unknown for long.

Located in Zweibrücken, Germany, The Rose Garden of Princess Hildegard of Bavaria grows more than 60,000 roses of 2,000 varieties and, as a result, Zweibrücken is appropriately known as the City of Roses. In celebration of this alluring flower, German artist Ottmar Hörl developed a massive public art installation, entitled 1,000 Roses for Zweibrücken (2012).

Upcoming Mexican artist José Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros puts a deliciously devious twist on those famous Disney characters that graced everyone’s childhood. Appropriating beloved Disney heroes and heroines in his latest exhibition titled “Disenchanted”, Ontiveros places them in the darker human realities of voyeurism, vanity, perversion and addiction. The strength of time-honored iconoclasm and the weakness of haphazard ideology awkwardly sitting side by side – just don’t let your kids see them.

Okay, you can thank me now. Go ahead. Before you become a millionaire on the next game show. Whenever you’re next on a game show & down to that final question (you know the one that is worth a staggering $1,0000,0000) now you’ll comfortably know the answer instantly. What was Marilyn Monroe’s secret? How can you judge a good quality bottle of champagne? What was Brad Pitt’s first job? Through to that all encompassing question….what really is Barbie’s real name? Well ladies and gentlemen, all is revealed via our 10 Mind-Blowing Fact You Probably Didn’t Know

With the rise of technology, 140 character tweets and SMS shorthand texts (“BWl! Aamof afaik gonna mari him cuz im in luv wit him!” = “*Bursting with laughter* As a matter of fact, as far as I know I’m going to marry him – because I’m in love with him.”) the English language is under attack. But fear not, we’re going to arm you with 13 of the most deadly and pretentious punctuation marks in the history of the written word, soon enough you’ll be able to come across as a well-educated and well-rounded private school Boffin. Plus you’ll sound cool doing it, how could using a symbol called the ‘Interrobang‽’ not be awesome right?

Before and after photos of the participants of the FOX TV show called "The swan." The ‘ugly’ women were given loads of plastic surgery and then competed against each other in a beauty contest. What do you think of this concept?

“The Street Aesthetic of New York City”, a beautiful short video shot by Christian Andersen while he was visiting NYC. Here’s Christian’s description of the video: "I had a chance to go visit one of the greatest cities this summer. Right when I got of the plane and arrived downtown New York, I took my camera and strolled out through the busy streets of New York City. I wanted to capture the great culture and street aesthetic of New York and I think it turned out really well. The video includes recordings from both Manhattan and Brooklyn, where I spend hours capturing the culture and everyday life of native New Yorkers".

San Diego resident and Los Angeles local Darren Pearson uses a combination of intense flashlights, long exposures and large amounts of creative genius to conjure up these beautiful dinosaur light sculptures. The results are simply stunning. With out, further ado, enjoy the photography!

When it comes to your online persona – you’re the ultimate curator. That’s the focus of witty French photographer Mathieu Grac’s new series titled Boyz and Girlz du net. It centres around society’s general obsession with their social media profile pictures. His work aims to take you behind the scenes, revealing how 95% of your friends composed and curated their own online alter-egos and personas. Guilty as charged as it were. The question is, are they a true representation of contemporary society, or are we all allowed a little bit of creative licence these days?

The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Thailand isn’t entirely what you’d expect from a festival with such a family friendly name…. Now don’t get us wrong, there probably are numerous vegetarian stands serving up countless hotpots of delicious veggies and healthy crunchy snacks. You’d need them, because attending the festival on an empty stomach is not recommended. The festival (which dates back to the 1800s) commences on the first night of the 9th lunar month and lasts for 9 days in total in the Kathu district. It’s roots stem from the supernatural beliefs of the Chinese tin mine workers who settled in Phuket during that era. During the Chinese 9th lunar month, Phuket itself was hit with an epidemic that claimed countless lives and destroyed numerous families. The legend is that the Chinese tin mine workers had forgotten to pay homage to the Nine Emperor Gods (Kiu Ong Iah) in the first nine days of the month – leading to the epidemic and heavy loss of life. And thus, next year the Chinese followed the tradition of refraining from eating meat, drinking alcohol, engaging in sex, arguing or even telling lies. Spookily enough, the epidemic ceased, and each year since, the people of Phuket have continued to celebrate the festival. The majority of participants at the festival perform extreme acts of body modification and body piercing – their face, arms and any other area by way of appeasing Kiu Ong Iah, many of them claim to being possessed during the act. Mysteriously enough participants apparently feel no pain, and show little no sign of real injury. Word of warning: Reader discretion is advised, the images you’re about see contain graphic content.

It’s often been said that Sci-Fi films are brief glimpses into our technological future (although quite why we don’t have lightsabers yet is anyones guess – it’s like scientists aren’t even trying). A really simplistic example of that (H.G. Well’s War Of The Worlds aside) is Star Trek. Remember when you saw the sliding doors open automatically when Captain Kirk boldly stepped onto the flight deck? Well, these days you experience those same automatic doors every time you go to the local supermarket. And how long will it be before we get floating holographic screens to work from, like those featured in Minority Report? Bye bye iPad. Now of course a lot of sci-fi films are deliberately ridiculously far fetched but some (as we’ve just noted) are a lttle closer to reality than we first imaged. The talented Michael Hobsonfrom Tremulant Design has put together a timeline based on the future of the human race – according to all the major sci-fi movies. Apparently the zombie Armageddon is taking place next year, so now is probably a good time to stock up on some spare ammo…

Here’s an idea – take some of the biggest and most iconic names & faces in Hollywood and re-create them as Renaissance portraits and paintings! A touch of the old, mixed with the modern. It’s all down to those talented creative wizards over at worth1000.  Do let us know who your favs are! You should be able to tell straight away who they are

Lets face it, you can never have enough Star Wars can you? But for all the millions of memes, mashups and fanpages littering the internet – hardcore Star Wars fan Nick Agin is adding a new twist into the mix. We all know that Star Wars is set light years into the future…but what if it wasn’t? What if Star Wars was based in the Renaissance era? With gunslinging cowboys and gentlemen clasping fine cigars and single malt whiskies? Rather than Darth Vader, what if he was simply known as “Uncle Vader” to the locals? Well, you don’t have to imagine for long – because that’s precisely what Nick has done with his superb & humorous collection of reto Star Wars illustrations. The usual suspects are present and correct – the question is, which side of the force are you on? High five Nick !

It’s never nice when you’re precious Mr Bigglesworth dies. Some families visit the taxidermist to get their furry friend stuffed into oblivion so they can place them neatly on the mantlepiece for eternity. But if you thought that was more than a little morbid, wait until you see what Amsterdam-based sculptor Cedric Laquieze can do to your dead pet…. Forget simply having your pet stuffed into an awkward pose, how about getting its skeleton covered in fake flowers so you can use it as the main feature as your next dinner party? No? Yeah we thought that would be your answer.

Make no mistake, there are some really talented artists and illustrators out there creating really beautiful works of art. Serge Birault, aka PapaNinja isn’t one of them. He’s on a whole new level all by himself. He’s the mastermind behind this collection of jaw-dropping 2D Pin-Up’s. Rarely have such beauty, creativity and skill all come together in such perfect harmony. Regardless of the subject matter (which hey I’m a fan of obviously!) they are simply stunning works of art. I’m sure Dita Von Teese would certainly approve! I’d totally have them all over the walls in my house – wouldn’t you? Phenomenal.

We spend many many hours flying all over the web trying to find and showcase cool things for you – sometimes we come back empty-handed, sometimes we come back after discovering someone like Dan Matutina. Hailing from the Philippines he’s a designer and illustrator – but what makes him so special (and indeed stand out from thousands of others out there) is his passion for mixing handmade, digital, clean & dirty, old and modern aesthetics into one incredible visual mix. We’ve selected a few of our favorite artworks (it was a tough choice!) that really showcase his versatility, gift & talents – if you want to see more of his visual eye-candy, head over to his wonderful site If only more designers & illustrators were equally as bold,ambitious & creative – the world would indeed be a much better place.

I recently stumbled on this video by L.A based project Magic Machines. To say the least, this is my new favorite video of the week. The entire clip is comprised of your favorite animated gifs from the across interwebs - set in perfect time to the groups latest track “Hey Mister” a pounding dance anthem designed to make you work up a sweat. Once you start watching it, you won’t be able to stop. Seriously awesome.

What kind of games? Koreans have this yearly event, where hundreds of people get together and synchronously dance. The history of the games dates back to 1946 and are the result of thousands of hours of preparations & many many months of intense training. To put its scale into perspective, a staggering 10,000 performers took part this year. Interestingly enough, the incarnation of the Mass Games represents North Korea’s outlook and focus on “the group” rather than “the individual” – highlighted by the complex levels of synchronicity between each performer and the overall effect they create. As for the performers themselves, many are selected in early childhood (some even from age 6 and up) and for many, it provides them with income and a job for life – until retirement. When it comes to North Korea (and as these truly spectacular photos by Sam Gellman highlight) – no part is greater than the whole.

Men’s Life Magazine – whose heyday was in the 1950-1960’s featured glamor photography and outlandish tales of adventure that typically featured wartime feats of daring, exotic travel or conflict with wild animals (Ed – Because you know that’s what men had to contend with back in those days). Here’s 14 of the most ridiculous covers from that era. As you’re about to see, being a man in the 1950′s was tough – forget the war, you also had to contend with sea snakes, oceans brimming with zombies, mad elephants, hungry cannibals, several boatloads of pirates with machine guns, 20ft tigers pouncing on you oh and your Missus being held captive by a giant Lion on a railway line. The 1950′s then, where men battled the ele & nature with swagger and vigor!

Looks awesome doesn’t it? Would you believe it’s actually a clock. Or more specifically an ambient display that paints a visual memory of the last 60 seconds, the last 60 minutes and the last 12 hours in an never-ending loop. So how on earth does it work? Well, the hands of the clock are made of a slice of live video that gets scanned to the clockface – you can make this yourself, but shooting footage on your iPad and then importing it into the clock itself.

WHO? You’ve probably never heard of “Team Ghost” in fact nor had I until yesterday – but upon closer inspection they might just be something very special indeed. They’re a new duo formed by Nicolas Fromageau, a founding member of M83 alongside Anthony Gonzalez. Disregard the bizarre promo photo that makes them look like Digitalism (they sound nothing like them) SO WHAT DO THEY SOUND LIKE? Melancholic, romantic, evocative, sparse, expansive, soaring & epic. ANY VIDEOS? Sure are, the hypnotic “High Hopes”

Rewind to 2009, hip hop duo N.A.S.A. consisting of L.A.-based producers Squeak E. Clean and the Brazilian DJ Zegon had just dropped their debut record “The Spirit of Apollo“. At the time was one of the freshest, most creative hip-hop records to come out in years. It had an astounding list of vocalists and talent mixed all over it, with guest MC’s including Kanye West, Chuck D, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, David Byrne, Tom Waits, Lykke Li, Karen O, Santigold, M.I.A., and George Clinton.

WHO? Skylar Grey (aka Holly Brook Hafermann) aged a mere 25 is a Grammy-nominated American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter & producer. She’s no wide-eyed newcomer to the music business either having major role in writing 2010′s biggest selling single “Love the Way You Lie” for Eminem & Rihanna. In fact the rumor is, she penned the chorus in a mere 15 minutes. To add that impressive achievement, she’s also written & featured on “I Need A Doctor” (Dr. Dre & Eminem), “Coming Home” (Diddy-Dirty Money), and “Words I Never Said” (Lupe Fiasco). Simply put, the girl has connections and a knack for writing hooks. So here’s the question. When did the name Holly Brook!2?id=25555520fade and the pseudonym Skylar Grey emerge? The answer, is apparently whilst renting a room in a house infested with black widow spiders & editing porn videos (no I’m not making that up.). In a recent interview with Rap-Up.com she’s stated that shock-rocker Marilyn Manson would feature on her new album. Specifically on a song called “Can’t Haunt Me,” of which she mentioned is about zombies. Fitting really. SO WHAT DOES SHE SOUND LIKE? A mixed bag currently. But judging by her influences (Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan and Death Cab for Cutie ) & latest video – her new record should be rather interesting. ANY VIDEOS? Sure is, released this week. The eerie “Dance Without You”.

The Sims Video Game creates some funny situations. The Sims life is a lot like real life. These video game moments are hilarious. This game is great.

Retired German Volker Kraft decided to take Easter decorations to a whole knew level. Volker Kraft chose to hang 10,000 decorated Easter eggs on an apple tree. This is one pretty Easter decoration. Check it out for yourself.

Need a easy and fun date night food dish idea? Well you came to the right place. Here are some easy and fun recipes to make for your date night dinner. What is your favorite date night dish?

These Tweets are ridiculous. They are all a little inappropriate but hilarious. This is why twitter stays around. Creative Hysterical Tweets!

Lets make this weekend a good one. These pictures are sure to give you a good smile and laugh. Which one of these is your favorite photo?

Looks like it was another fun filled drinking weekend! Here are some people who partied hard this weekend. Probably a little to hard. These people got wasted! Go Home Your Drunk!

Get out and explore the world. These people will show you that the world we live in is an epic place filled with beauty and adventure. Go explore all the beauty. Just Look how awesome these photos are.

Easter is here which means Peeps are back around. Who doesn't love a sugary peep? Well before you munch down all of those sugary snacks how about taking some time to make some art first. That's what these people did.

Always wanted to live in the building with a cool spiraling staircase, but I had no idea that they can be so amazingly beautiful. Check out this pictures by German photographer Nils Eisfeld he captures some truly unique spiraling staircases. The photographer's Stairs series exhibits the winding paths of steps as they both ascend and descend, highlighting the mesmerizing beauty of the architectural constructs.

In the series by photographer Magdalena Bors, entitled The Seventh Day, each photograph features a single person set within a chaotic and surreal domestic space. Bors constructs the bizarre environments as a visual connection between ourselves and the natural world, saying, "I am fascinated by the simultaneous strength and fragility of this connection as we go about our lives, spending most of our time within the confines of the small compartments we call home. " Check it out, amazing!