Have you always dreamed of taking a trip into outer space but couldn't convince your parents to foot the bill for space camp? Come 2012, you might be able to take a luxury vacation in space, as a Barcelona-based company Galactic Suite Ltd. is planning on opening the universe's first "out of this world" hotel.
The Galactic Suite Space Resort will be a multi-billion dollar resort that allows visitors to take a trip around the world 80 times, watching the sunrise an incredible 15 times a day (do you think that would be as interesting the 15th time as it was the first?)
Prior to their three-day retreat in their space condo, complete with velcro suits and fuzzy walls for Spiderman-like mobility, guests will complete an eight-day training session in the Caribbean. We hope that includes a few massages, because the cost of this trip will blow your mind.
The Galactic Suite will cost a mere $4.4 million, apparently chump change to some, as there are already 23 people who have booked reservations, and a growing list of others who are interested in taking a trip.
Is writing a novel one of those things you've always wanted to do but haven't yet gotten around to? Get off your tush this month and do something about it! November is National Novel Writing Month, the perfect time to dig your paws into sharing that story that's been up in your mind for ages.
How does it work exactly? It's like this: everyday this month, take some time to write a few pages (or more), with the end goal of completing a full, 175-page (50,000 word) novel. Over 120,000 aspiring novelists will take on the challenge this month.
"NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly."
Sometimes you need a little extra push to get started... this could be just the thing to breathe life into your writing project. Plus, it's getting colder outside and the days are getting shorter. Take advantage of those extra hours of darkness and start writing!
You might like playing with LEGOs and enjoy watching art created out of LEGOs, but how would you feel about a LEGO reality television series? Better get used to the idea, because it seems such a program is now officially in the works.
Reality producer Scott Messnick, executive producer of Cartoon Network's "Destroy Build Destroy," recently met with LEGO's licensing and entertainment team about developing a non-scripted series that would assist the toy company on their mission to bring the brand further into the entertainment arena.
"Lego seemed like such a powerful brand, and I don't think they were thinking about reality TV," said Messick.
In addition to an already in-the-works live-action feature film about the colorful plastic building blocks, Messick plans on leveraging the ever-growing fan community to drive the project forward.
While a final concept has not been decided on, several ideas are being tossed around, such as docu-series, competition shows and kid-oriented game shows. Messick will have full access to use the Legoland theme park.
"They have some great ideas regarding programming that captures and showcases the inherent creativity at the core," says Jill Wilfert, VP of licensing and entertainment at LEGO.
What do you think of a LEGO reality tv series? Would you watch?
Everyone loves a good optical illusion, especially if it involves a jack-o-lantern a week before Halloween! Here's a cool video of the infamous hollow face eye-trick created by Tony Bailey. Is it concave? Is it not? Look for yourself and see:
Personally, we've seen stranger optical illusions, but it's still kind of neat. What do you think - cool or not?
Need something extra-special to get you through Hump Day? Have a gander at these gorgeous photos of light by Alan Jaras, an artist who uses a creative and somewhat different formula when composing photographs.
"By focusing a beam of light through transparent, textured materials, and recording that light directly onto 35mm film without the use of a lens, he produces dazzling works of color and light. The images are scanned to a computer, but no CG was used at all."
If you know what all that means, more power to you. If you just want to see pretty pictures, check out more of his work on his Flickr page.
Peter Silverman just thought it was a pretty painting. He had no idea that the art he was bidding on, described only as "German, 19th century," was actually a genuine Leonardo da Vinci painting!
After paying just $19,000 for a portrait of a German girl in 2007, Silverman noticed a fingerprint from an index or middle finger on the corner of his newly acquired painting. After taking it in for thorough observation, a Paris laboratory found that it was strikingly comparable to that of famous artist Leonardo da Vinci.
After lining up a few other similarities (such as the left-handed technique (da Vinci was a leftie), "significant" stylistic parallels with those in another da Vinci painting (Portrait of a Woman in Profile in Windsor Castle) and even the 15th century fashion worn by the girl in the painting, quite popular early in da Vinci's career when this would have been created) it was deducted that this is indeed a da Vinci work of art!
The value of the painting has skyrocketed from a mere $19k to literally millions of dollars. The painting will be put on display in a Swedish exhibition next year.
What a stroke of luck for this guy, huh? It makes you think what other unknown works of art from famous artists are out there in circulation.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt captured the heart of many an indie-film lover in 500 Days of Summer. This 3rd Rock from the Sun alum has grown up, and along the way, developed many talents outside of acting, among them, music and filmmaking. Originally intended as a creative outlet for his work, Joseph launched HitRecord.org, a place where he could post his content and get feedback from friends and fans.
HitRecord.org is designed to be a platform for actors, producers to share their work, like YouTube, but without all the negative, snarky comments from viewers. The site is open to the public, allowing artists of all shapes, sizes and genres to come and share their work and get feedback from fellow artists, but on one condition: positive, constructive criticism only!
“This is how I would like to do my work in front of and behind the camera in the future," says Joseph. "Soon the Internet is going to be the only platform."
Joseph's online venture has also earned him a nomination as one of Huffington Post's Game Changers. If you think he's worthy, go vote for him here!
Earlier this summer, Invisible Children supporters around the world camped out for days on end until rescued by local media and powerful figures, hoping to raise awareness of the terrifying war in Uganda. Chicago area participants received quite a shock when they were rescued by one of the biggest people of influence in all the land - OPRAH!
Among Oprah's viewers that day were Caroline and Olivia, teenage daughters of Maurice Marciano... head honcho of GUESS, the iconic fashion brand. After pleading with their father to help, he agreed, but on one term: it had to be THEIR project. The end result was a is a line of organic tees and tanks for men and women, launched solely for the purpose of supporting the organization. 100% of the proceeds will benefit Invisible Children.
“We are excited to celebrate the launch event for the third collaboration between GUESS and Invisible Children,” says Maurice Marciano. “Not only am I thrilled to see the GUESS name aligned with Invisible Children, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for war-affected people in Northern Uganda, but it means so much to me personally that my daughters, Caroline and Olivia, came up with the initial idea to partner with this organization, and have spearheaded the partnership since its inception in 2006.”
The tees and tanks will be available on guess.com and in stores in early November, priced between $20 and $30. The men's shirt will feature the shape of Africa, with gradient text highlighting messages of love, peace and hope in the colors of the Uganda flag. The women's tank features the LOVE logo, with the "O" representing the globe. Both shirts will be manufactured by Ugandan company EDUN LIVE, who use 100% percent certified organic cotton and support sustainable socioeconomic development.
