Category: WOW

Home of tech and a city of start-ups, San Francisco has become a major destination for young professionals all over the world. Lukas Yla, a 25-year-old marketing specialist from Lithuania, moved to the city by the bay over the summer, where he hoped to land the job of his dreams. He soon realized, however, that finding work in such a competitive field would require him to think outside the box. And what better box than one filled with baked goods?

Disguised as a courier for Postmates, a food delivery service, Yla visited 40 prospective tech and creative employers bearing boxes of donuts from Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, a popular pastry shop. Each special delivery, however, contained more than just sweet treats—Yla’s resumé was actually taped inside, prefaced with an explanation for his antics and featuring a link to his Linkedin profile. While Yla had to leave some of the crafty parcels with reception, he was able to hand-deliver the majority of his goods to the intended recipients. 

His sneaky and sugary approach has proven quite successful; he has reportedly been offered 10 interviews. Through an innovative marketing technique, Yla has proven that the key to a successful job hunt really is self-promotion—and maybe some free donuts.

Above photo credit: @jessicascorpio

Photo credit: @mrholmesbakehouse

Lukas Yla: Blog | Twitter | Instagram 
via [Mashable, Metro]

All images via Lukas Yla unless otherwise stated.

The iconic Hello Kitty has been featured on all sorts of products since she was first illustrated by Yuko Shimizu in 1975. Now, you can say “hello” to one more iteration of the adorable character—she’s got her own wines. Sanrio, the company home to Hello Kitty, has partnered with Italy’s Torti Winery to produce varieties that capture the essence of this famous little girl.

Unsurprisingly, Hello Kitty graces the label of light and/or sweet wines like rosé and sparkling. Each bottle showcases a different attitude of Kitty, making them something collectible for fans—the Sweet Pink flavor even has a heart blown into the bottle neck.

Those itching to try these special beverages can find them by the glass at Antonello Ristorante in Santa Ana, California. But if that trek is too far, all the wines are available for purchase on Great Wine Direct.

Sanrio: Website | Facebook
Torti Winery: Website
via [Mashable]

Taking your bike out for a nighttime ride never looked so good. Poland’s first illuminated cycling path was created by TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp. z o.o, a company which has also experimented with scented asphalt—think strawberry, citrus, and rose.  The company was inspired by a similar bike path in the Netherlands that was an innovative take on Van Gogh’s Starry Night. A significant amount of time was spent researching sustainable solutions that would not require additional light sources—the path in the Netherlands included LED lights. 

The result is a 100 meter (328 feet) pathway that glows blue after dark due to a special synthetic material that gathers energy throughout the day from visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light. These luminophores, or particles, then emit light in a variety of colors, but blue was chosen as it was felt to best integrate with the surrounding landscape, which includes nearby lake. The particles hold enough energy to glow for about 10 hours, plenty of time for adventurous bikers to cycle along the path.

At the moment the project is experimental, as it remains to be seen how the glowing surface will hold up against the elements and the wear and tear of daily use. Cost is also a consideration, as the materials make the path more costly than normal bike lanes. Research is ongoing to make the materials more cost effective and the board of regional roads remains hopeful that the solution will increase safety for cyclists. If nothing else, it should certainly bring out curious cyclists looking for a unique experience.  

Screenshot via YouTube

Screenshot via YouTube

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu38SHyj-XY?rel=0&w=750&h=422]

via [Inhabitat, Upworthy]

If you’ve ever dreamed of being an astronaut but instead have found your feet firmly planted on Earth, Misha Gazel has created a small fashion collection just for you. Called Interstellar, it’s inspired by the film of the same name and takes the form of space-themed accessories like purses and brooches.

Gazel’s planetary handbags are the most striking part of Interstellar. The two pieces feature Saturn and the Moon, with photorealistic images printed on vegan leather and adorned with either a tiny metal astronaut or spaceship. Their unusual surface decoration and shape is a statement-making part of any outfit, but if you prefer your love of space subtle, Gazel sells the astronaut and a mini Saturn as brooches.

The Interstellar collection is available through Gazel’s Etsy shop, Purple Fish Bowl.

Purple Fish Bowl: Etsy
via [My Modern Met Selects]

Calendar-buying season is upon us, but you’ve got time to figure out how you want to define 2017. Will you greet each new month with an adorable baby animal? Or perhaps a hunky heartthrob and their hound dog? We’ve got another contender: shirtless French firefighters who have posed for Le Calendrier Des Pompiers 2017, or The Calendar of Firefighters 2017.

Shot by photographer Fred Goudon, the images are a mixture of candid and posed portraits. Some feature the servicemen in the midst of push ups or grooming, while others are clearly staged for our benefit—when else would you see these firefighters barely wearing half their gear? Whether the photos are fact or fiction, it’s a welcome excuse to look at these fiery men year-round.

Even better, the calendar was created with a good cause in mind. A portion of the proceeds go towards Pompiers Sans Frontières, or Firefighters Without Borders, an international NGO that specializes in development aid. It’s now available through the Pompiers Sans Frontières’ website and ships internationally.

Fred Goudon: Website | Blog
via [The Huffington Post]

Today, Yokohama is Japan’s second largest city by population, with a booming port industry. These charming images of Yokohama at the turn of the 20th century confirm its history as an international city, with an influx of industrial technology and foreign influence during this period. After the Meji Restoration of 1868, Yokohama developed from a small fishing village to an important port with a silk trade connected to Great Britain.

The photographs, found in the album of a presumed German tradesman living and working in the area around 1908, show a city in flux, caught between tradition and modernity. Artisans worked on embroidery, textiles, and silver cloisonné for foreign export, demonstrating the foreign appetite for Japanese goods during this period. Steamships arrived to the port while animal labor continued to be used in agriculture.

The images also preserve a Yokohama that was largely destroyed by the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923, providing precious insight into a Japan subject to natural disaster, whether it be flood, fire, or earthquake.

via [Vintage Everyday]

All images via Wolfgang Wiggers.

It’s commonplace to see illustrations grace the inside of a book, but long ago, some of the best imagery was displayed on the edge of a publication. Known as fore-edge painting, these incredible compositions were printed or drawn on the closed pages of a book.

As the book lays flat, entire scenes span the stack of pages. Some texts, however, are more secretive and can only be viewed when the book is fanned in a certain direction—if the book is closed as it normally is, it simply looks unadorned or perhaps gilded. Occasionally, there are two illustrations embedded on the fore-edge, and they’re each visible on different page slants (this is called a two-way double).

The Earl Gregg Swem Library is home to the Ralph H. Wark Collection, which comprises 700 fore-edge painted books—the largest array found in America. Jay Gaidmore, the Director of Special Collections at the Earl Gregg Swem Library offers insight to the special books. “Sometimes the fore-edge paintings corresponded to the subject of the book, and sometimes not,” he explains. “Typical scenes include Oxford and Cambridge, the Thames River, Westminster Abbey, the English village and countryside, Edinburgh, authors, ships, and classical figures.”

Although still seen today, the practice dates back to the 11th century, with the more sophisticated and elaborate forms of fore-edge painting (like the two-way double) appearing around the 17th century. The tradition peaked around the early 19th century and eventually fell out of vogue. Now, it’s used as a special, unexpected touch in modern publishing.

Above: Henry Longfellow from The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Photo via of The Swem Library.

A two-way double fore-edge painting from The Book of The Thames (1859), slanted one way. Photo via The Swem Library.

The American capital painted on the edge of American Poems (1870). Photo via The Swem Library.

A two-way double fore-edge painting from The Book of The Thames (1859), slanted one way. Photo via of The Swem Library.

A ship painted in Lectures on Modern History (1843). Photo via of The Swem Library.

A circus scene from Essays, Poems, and Plays (1820). Photo via of The Swem Library.

Spider monkeys from a fore-edge painting on The Natural History of Monkeys (1838). Photo via of the Swem Library.

Stonehenge painted on the side of The Royal Kalendar, and court and City Register for England, Scotland, Ireland, and The Colonies (Date unknown). Photo via of Albert H. Wiggin Collection/Boston Public Library.

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden on side of The Bible (1795). Photo via of Albert H. Wiggin Collection/Boston Public Library.

The Last Supper on the edge of The Holy Bible (1803). Photo via of Albert H. Wiggin Collection/Boston Public Library.

George Washington and Ben Franklin from the side of The Speeches of The Right Honourable William Pitt (1808). Photo via of Albert H. Wiggin Collection/Boston Public Library.

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A few years ago, Special Collections Librarian Colleen Theisen at the University of Iowa created GIFs of secret fore-edge paintings on a volume of seasons by Robert Mudie:
Autumn

Winter

Spring

Summer

Learn more about those volumes here.

via [Creative Boom, Atlas Obscura]

Evocative of twisting veins and pumping hearts, Etienne Meneau cleverly combines blood vessels with drinking vessels to create his striking series of Strange Decanters.

Featuring a set of exquisitely hand-blown receptacles, the series presents a peculiar twist on traditional wine decanting. The creative collection offers a wide range of styles, predominantly characterized by two aesthetics: linear, vein-like forms, and rounded, heart-inspired orbs. Although often interpreted solely as artery-influenced art, Meneau also draws inspiration from tree branches, plant roots, and other forms found in nature. He explains: “My work turns around geometry and nature. I love to put some flesh on geometrical shapes… that’s why vegetal life interests me… It is a pure living geometry and algebra.”

While the sculptural pieces may look more like works of art than practical carafes, they are entirely functional. Hand-blown from borosilicate, a sturdy glass, each decanter is designed to hold one bottle of wine (750 ml). And, while each vessel’s gnarled contours and twisting tubes may look impossible to wash, Meneau assures that simply rinsing each decanter and letting it air-dry upside down will do the trick—allowing you to wine and dine to your heart’s content. 

Etienne Meneau: Website 
via [Freshome, Food Republic]

All images via Etienne Meneau.

Legendary, eccentric artist Salvador Dalí declared at age 6 that he wished to become a chef. First published in 1973, Les Diners de Gala was a bizarre dream come true—a cookbook filled with surreal illustrations and recipes inspired by the lavish dinner parties that Dalí and his wife Gala organized. The parties were legendary for their wild opulence, with guests often required to dress in costume and wild animals left to roam free around the table.

Acclaimed publisher Taschen is reissuing the cookbook, available for pre-order, as only 400 of the original publications are known to exist. The book, which includes 136 recipes divided into 12 chapters, is arranged by courses—including aphrodisiacs. Aside from his illustrations, Dalí’s musings are scattered through the publication, giving insight into his philosophy on gustatory delights. If, as the artist proclaims, “the jaw is our best tool to grasp philosophical knowledge,” he does well to display the bizarre and decadent aspects of cuisine. “Thousand Year Old Eggs,” “Veal Cutlets Stuffed With Snails,” “Frog Pasties,” and “Toffee with Pine Cones” are all on the menu, with sometimes unsettling imagery to match. Overtones of cannibalism also creep into the work—for instance, an armless woman with a skirt formed from lobster stands atop of pile of dead bodies, many with severed heads.

Those interested in taking on the challenge of cooking Dalí-style will also need to throw their diets out the window. Dalí writes from the outset, “We would like to state clearly that, beginning with the very first recipes, Les Diners de Gala, with its precepts and its illustrations, is uniquely devoted to the pleasures of Taste. Don’t look for dietetic formulas here. We intend to ignore those charts and tables in which chemistry takes the place of gastronomy. If you are a disciple of one of those calorie-counters who turn the joys of eating into a form of punishment, close this book at once; it is too lively, too aggressive, and far too impertinent for you.”

Whether purchased for the cuisine or the art, Les Diners de Gala demonstrates how Dalí, as a multifaceted artist, never allowed himself to be bound by the limits of the canvas. His artistic mind knew no bounds, moving from the gallery to the kitchen with ease. 

Taschen: Website | Facebook | Instagram
via [Colossal]

All images via Taschen.

Origami extraordinaire Gonzalo Garcia Calvo meticulously crafts expressive and imaginative paper creatures. Using only his hands and a single, square sheet of colorful paper, the Madrid-based artist brings the animal kingdom to life through intricate folds.

From the cute and cuddly—like his slinky cats and energetic dogs—to more exotic wildlife—including a tiny treefrog and an elegant giraffe—the creatures that comprise his collection represent a wide array of animal life.  Some, like his exquisite unicorn and fierce dragon, are even mythical. Whether real or imaginary, however, all of his creations demonstrate Calvo’s indisputable talent and unwavering patience.

While many modern origami artists use multiple sheets of paper, adhesives, and scissors to sculpt their creations, Calvo’s method remains true to the ancient craft’s rudimentary roots; he uses just one square of paper per piece and only his fingers to bring his fantastic designs to life. He does, however, enjoy experimenting with different patterns, textures, and types of paper—including one that features fur, making his wooly mammoth actually wooly!

Through his stunning sculptures, Gonzalo Garcia Calvo successfully communicates the “feeling of fragility and delicacy” intrinsic to the origami art form. 

Gonzalo Garcia Calvo: Flickr 
via [Citkart]

All images via Gonzalo Garcia Calvo.