Origami by Brian Chan

Mantis, Iron Man, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and more - - origami by Brian Chan. Some of these creations are on sale at Etsy.

*Previously: Origami wallaby.

*Buy Iron Man posters at eBay.

This cake is the bomb (link rounudp)

Bomb cake by Heidi Kenney - - one of the decorations at a detective-themed party.

And a few more links:

1. Lots of new layout options for Blogger.

2. Proposed class action settlement against AT&T regarding DSL speeds. (I don't know about the speed, but I've been very happy with AT&T's reliability over the last several years.) Via.

3. Outstanding photographs of insects taken with a scanning electron microscope by Steve Gschmeissner. Via.

*Previously: Bomb-worshiping kids t-shirt.

*Buy cake toppers at Amazon.

Abandoned Comb Amulet

Abandoned Comb Amulet by Derrick R. Cruz:

The alarming en masse disappearance of honeybees worldwide (Colony Collapse Disorder) is the inspiration for The Abandoned Comb Amulet.

The necklace is a bittersweet collaboration with nature: a honeycomb pendant sculpted by bees, crafted of solid 18 karat gold and captured in honey harvested from a rooftop hive in Brooklyn. Confined by a three inch hexagonal sugar-glass pyramid, The Abandoned Comb Amulet is defined by a Solomonic dilemma. A choice must be made to forcefully exhume the honey-drenched gold, violently shattering and consuming its casing, or to recognize value in its current form, nurturing a natural deterioration and the gradual revelation of treasure within.

THE PROCESS

A unique and lengthy production process renders each Abandoned Comb Amulet one-of-a-kind. The process begins with abandoned honeycomb gathered from rooftop hives. Using the ancient “lost-wax” tradition, the honeycomb wax is ultimately destroyed, burned away and replaced by molten gold. The result is a perfect golden replica of the original honeycomb.

Broken into unique combinations of hexagons, the individual pendant is clearly part of a greater whole. Each piece is cleaned and assembled into a 16 to 21 inch gold necklace, then sealed into a handmade sugar-glass pyramid filled with honey from the same Brooklyn rooftop. The final creation is a fragile balance of the natural and the manmade, shielded by glass, imprisoned in its own pristine environment.

A special thank you to The Brooklyn Bee, PapaBubble Caramels Artesans, Susanne Goetz and Austin Priebe. Photos by Gisel Florez.

25% of the proceeds will benefit local beekeeping efforts by The Brooklyn Bee. No bees were displaced to create The Abandoned Comb Amulet. For more information about Colony Collapse Disorder visit www.ANewHive.org.

I can't tell from the site whether there are more for sale, and if so, what the price is. Here's the companion blog, featuring more artwork created to help bees. Via.

*Previously: Jurassic Amber Soap.

*Buy amber fossils at eBay.

Found item sculptures by Ann Smith

Ann Smith creates animal sculptures out of broken electronics and machine parts. The squid, ram, crane, antelope and insect are all on sale at Etsy, ranging in price from $22 to $2500.







There are also postcards on sale at her shop, featuring photos of these and other creations. Via.

*Previously: Found item robot sculptures.

*Learn how to sculpt with these books at Amazon.

Nikon's Small World 2008 photography contest

Per Nikon:

The official judging for the 34th Annual Small World Photomicrography Competition took place on May 28, 2008. The winners will be announced on October 15, but we’re giving you the chance to pick your favorites among this year’s top entries. Click on the “Start Voting” button below to begin. You will be presented with a random image, which you may rate on a scale of 1 star to 5 stars (5 being the best). Have fun, and check back in this fall to see which of these images were the top selections of our distinguished judges panel.

Check out the top photos here. Pictured: Trichoptera Odontocerum albicorne larvae (10X). Via.

*Previously: Videos of Isabella Rossellini acting out the sex lives of bugs.

*Buy The Art of Insect Illustration at Amazon.

Video of UFC fighter Jon Koppenhaver explaining why he legally changed his name to "War Machine" amd other news of the day

You can read more about "War Machine" at Wikipedia.

Other weird news of the day:

1. Video of a moth with the face of Jesus.

2. Video of driver driving wrong way on freeway. The reporter mocks the driver at length, repeatedly calling him a "rocket surgeon." First time I've heard that phrase, but it's surprisingly common.

3. Roger Ebert tells Jay Mariotti to suck it.

4. West Point instructor describes fascinating visit with Sikhs at the Golden Temple.

*Find more weird news here.

*Buy War Machine action figures at eBay.

Most disappointing blog post title of the day

"Bees Help Detectives Catch Serial Killers." I thought it was going to be some kind of brilliant new discovery in forensics, but turns out it's simply some hypothesis that just as bees forage away from their hives, serial killers may kill somewhat away from their homes to avoid capture.

If you're interested in criminal profiling (and are under the impression profilers actually know what they're talking about), I highly recommend this article by Malcolm Gladwell.

*Buy pulp cover collections at Amazon.

Ant-filled lollipop, scorpion vodka, and other food delicacies available at Edible

So much more available at Edible. Via.

Spiders are into all types of kinky sex

The male European crab spider... approaches tentatively but, when close to the female, grabs one of her legs. Initially she struggles but later calms down as he moves over her body trailing silk threads, which bind her to the ground. He then lifts her abdomen, crawls under and inserts his palps [the organs that carry his sperm]. However, this bondage appears to be purely ritualistic because it is not difficult for the female to break free: it is likely that it helps to pacify her.

Just one example of spiders' unusual mating practices described in Paul Hillyard's book The Private Life of Spiders. You can find more factoids from the book here.