The Underfull Tablecloth is a prototype from Norwegian designer Kristine Bjaadal, who has crafted a way to turn hapless accidents into beautiful patterns.

Below, subtle butterflies emerge in vibrant color under spilled wine. A stain is no longer a blemish, but a blessing.

(via) Mocoloco conducts an interview with Kristine, in which she discusses her process, more ingenious pieces, and future plans for the “Under” line.

I was perusing the procrastination vortex that is ffffound and came across a gem of a drawing from Russian artist Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva.

Her work can be simple like this or highly complex, but it is always interesting. Masha’s work is primarily figurative, with an experimental approach to scale, perspective, and architecture. This creates jarring, stream-of-consciousness landscapes that offer the viewer a look into a rich and colorful thought process.

Her blog is written entirely in Russian, but thankfully English speakers can read about and view her work through her portfolio site, Behance page, or flickr.

These are no ordinary landscapes. New Jersey based artist and photographer Matthew Albanese carefully constructs extraordinary models out of ordinary materials like paprika, faux fur, and dry ice. These miniature scenes then become very real through the lens of his camera.

This volcano, entitled “Breaking Point,” was created with tile grout, cotton, and phosphorus ink. Its realistic glow was supplied with 6 60 watt light bulbs, according to the artist.

A process shot

The artist at work

Amazing!

via Drawn!

Not too many people can say that they’ve published multiple books, given inspirational lectures on reading and writing, and are considered humanitarians by the ripe age of 11. Meet Adora Svitak, the 11-year old prodigy writer, who was first discovered for her exceptional writing talent at age 6.

It was interesting to see her speak about her thoughts on former President Bush, as well as President Obama. Smart kid.

Here’s a poem titled, “The Philosopher” that she wrote:

The Philosopher

In his candlelit chamber…
The philosopher works…
Day and night…
Without a rest.

And so his work is credited…
Like the philosopher dreamed it would be…
And, his work done, he fell into the
Endless Slumber…
Which he well deserves.

Amazing.

A good friend of mine recently told me about this website, www.photobooth.net which tells you of all the last remaining original photobooth locations all over the world. It’s a pretty simple concept, but a valuable one for what they refer to as a preserving the “vanishing American icon.” Simply type in your location, and track them down. The founders of the website have also taken it to the next level, and showcase really interesting interpretations of the photobooth photo by a variety of different artists.

Left: OC County Fair, Right: LA County Fair

They do have a nostalgic feel to them not just in the simple black and white photo but also in the experience of it being set carnivals or at bars. Even those Asian sticker picture machines don’t have the magic like photobooths do.

Just read an article in the OC Register regarding cultural faux pas which I thought to be kind of obvious and common. Along with some of their recommendations of never sticking chopsticks in a rice bowl (which is representative of the incense in an urn), they also discuss never raising your voice at someone who doesn’t understand English in the hopes that a louder voice will magically teach them the language. (Duh!)

What I’m curious about is knowing from our readers what kinds of cultural faux pas we should be aware of–particularly regarding the dining experience. Classic one every knows and loves: the Japanese and their noodle slurping.

Another one I’m really gung-ho about is Soju-shot receiving. Receive with two hands if received by an elder. Receive with one if received by friend or younger person.

It was also interesting to read that some cultures find it polite to arrive 30 minutes after start time of a dinner event, and in certain parts of Mexico, it’s better to leave some food at the end of your meal instead of cleaning your plate.

France–don’t put bread on plate. It’s okay and more common to put it on table. (yes, even with crumbs!)

What’s something you’ve had to discover first-hand that you had made a cultural faux pas? Or what do people do that irk you because it’s a faux pas in your own respective culture?

In a talk recorded for TEDMED back in October 2009, famed magician David Blaine gave a lecture on how he was able to hold his breath for 17 minutes.
To put this extremely dangerous and life-threatening “trick” into context, the average human being can hold his breath for only 3 minutes. At 6 minutes, doctors warn that the brain is subjected to severe damage. His lecture is interesting to watch because he survives to tell about the step by step process of his body breaking down and what it feels like right before he blacks out or gets a heart attack. More than magic, Blaine tries to push the physical boundaries of his body, many times on the edge of death:

Wow, even the slightest movements like moving your fingers, put you at higher risk for carbon dioxide poisoning. Call it incredibly courageous, or incredibly stupid, you gotta give him some street-cred for his spectacle-factor.

Again, unless you have a team of distinguished doctors who specialize in breath holding–DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Because I did, and I failed after 2 minutes.

For those of you living in Los Angeles, you know how confusing freeway signage can be–especially on the 110 North headed towards Pasadena. There’s one point in particular on the 110 N, where up to six freeways merge. Being a conservative driver, I know there were many times when I diligently stayed in one lane thinking it would lead me to the 5 North, then curiously ended up in Pasadena. Artist Richard Ankrom felt the same way too. Instead of contacting Caltrans and possibly waiting 5+ years for the problem to be fixed, he did it the bad ass way and changed the signage on the 110 North himself.

In August 2001, Ankrom along with his team of guerrilla artists created a steel plated sign that was en exact replica of the Caltrans “North” sign and the “5″ shield. Even after Ankrom had divulged his secret to Caltrans, eight years had passed and the sign silently remained intact. It wasn’t until the day after Thanksgiving 2009, that Ankrom discovered through a blog that his sign had been taken down by Caltrans, sent to an aluminum recycle center, ready to be delivered to China in neat cubes.

His work did not go unappreciated by Caltrans, however. To his delight, Caltrans merely upgraded and replaced the old signage on the 110 North with shinier, less suggestive signage. It’s a decade-long secret that I had never known about until last weekend. (Thanks GOOD magazine!)

We Angelinos may be some of the crankiest drivers out there, always in a rush, but if you’re ever on the 110 North take a second or two to admire Ankrom’s beautiful and fearless piece of guerrilla work.

More information on the project can be found here.