3d illusion arts: Oddity Central

Oddity Central

Russian Tattoo Artist Has His Pet Cat Tattooed
Ultra-Resistant Kevlar Socks Make Your Feet Hobbit Tough
Creepy Geminoid-F Android Waits for a Friend
Man Makes Life-Size Tank from over 5,000 Egg Cartons

Russian Tattoo Artist Has His Pet Cat Tattooed

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 02:07 AM PST

Timur, a 24-year-old tattoo artist from Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, caused a lot of controversy after he posted photos and a video of him tattooing his pet cat, a hairless Sphynx, on the Internet.

Apparently, Timur wanted his beloved cat, Coco, to have a similar tattoo as the one he had done on his chest. So he just put the hairless feline to sleep for an hour and unleashed his artistic talent on her little chest. Proud of his crazy idea, he videotaped the whole process and took some photos of the finished artwork and posted them on his VKontakte (Russian Facebook) profile. As you can imagine, animal rights activists weren’t very impressed with his achievement, and began accusing Timur of animal cruelty. Although the young artist tattooed Coco under the supervision of a veterinarian, animal lovers claim the Sphynx was still abused for no reason because every time a cat is put under she loses about a year of her life, and because the healing process for the tattoo is very painful. Also, if any paint got into her blood she could get very sick, and even die.

But there are those who believe Timur did nothing wrong. They say the cat was put to sleep and didn’t feel any pain, and that all the 24-year-old did was to make Coco a beautiful ornamental cat. Unfortunately for Timur, experts say the tattoo will very likely degrade over time and eventually become just an ugly spot. Which is probably for the best, because the guy actually managed to misspell a simple phrase like “carpe diem”, a popular Latin saying translated as “seize the day”. In the mean time, the eccentric artist actually got a tattoo of his tattooed cat on his forearm, and Russian forums posters are now joking about the probability of him tattooing himself on one of Coco’s front legs.

According to local sources, animal tattooing became a fashion trend in Tatarstan about five years ago, when tattoo parlors had a different price list especially for pets. It’s believed the trend migrated here from Belgium, where artist Wim Delvoye started tattooing pigs, in 2007.

via Kazan.kp.ru

Russian Tattoo Artist Has His Pet Cat Tattooed was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Ultra-Resistant Kevlar Socks Make Your Feet Hobbit Tough

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:50 AM PST

Vibram Fivefingers have been around for quite some time now, but frankly, I find the sight of those 'toe shoes' really weird. They have been pretty popular though. and now there's a company making socks along the same lines. They're called Swiss Protection Socks, ant they’re part of a new range from the Swiss Barefoot Company. But it's not just the toes that make these socks unique, it's the fact that they don't need to be worn with shoes. Yep, you simply put them on and go for a stroll, a run or even hike up a mountain.

The Swiss Protection Socks are being marketed by the company as the best way to get the complete barefoot experience. Apparently, there are people who love being barefoot, but can't always do that due to the possibility of injuries. With these socks however, your feet stay well protected without the need for shoes. The special socks are made of 50% Kevlar, 32% polyester, 8% spandex, and 10% cotton. Eco friendly PVC is also used, and it provides resistance to cuts. But the big question is, are the socks puncture resistant? I seriously doubt they'd offer protection against something as sharp as broken glass.

The idea sounds good, but there are some obvious disadvantages, don't you think? I mean, what if you had to step in a puddle? Doesn't look like they are water proof, so you'd end up walking with wet socks for the rest of the day. I would consider using them indoors, but at over $80 a pair, I think I’ll pass.

Ultra-Resistant Kevlar Socks Make Your Feet Hobbit Tough was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Creepy Geminoid-F Android Waits for a Friend

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:27 AM PST

There are horror stories and films about mannequins in store windows that come alive supernaturally. Of course these aren't true, but what if you accidentally waved at a mannequin and it waved right back? Man, that would be just too creepy. If you happen to be in Tokyo this time of the year, however, you might just witness this happening in the store window of the Takashimaya mall in Shinjuku. No, it's not a ghost-mannequin on display, but the Geminoid-F, an android capable of displaying human expressions and actions.

The android sits casually in the window, as though waiting for a friend. Basic emotions and behavior have been programmed into it, which is the basis of all its expressions in response to whatever is happening around it. So you will be able to see it twitch its eyebrows, smile, frown and occasionally even wave at passersby. Not like a robot though, but like a real human being.

The Geminoid-F is a creation of Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor at the Osaka University. His work largely involves not just the development of androids, but also the study of how they interact with and are perceived by human beings. Prior to the store-window project, the professor created an android theatre, where human actors and androids performed together. By placing them in store windows, he now wants to study how large groups of the general public react to the expressions of androids. According to professor Ishiguro, mannequins don't really look like real people and hence aren't the ideal choice for a show window. Actual fashion models would be better, but of course, they couldn't possibly sit around all day in a window. So the next best choice would be to use androids that look like humans.

The professor also warns that just like a real person waiting for a friend, the Geminoid-F will ignore you if you continue to pester it. "Treat the android as if it's a natural person sitting there in the usual way. If you react as you normally would to a sitting person, the android will react," he says. I watched the video of the android in the window, and I must say, I found it really freaky. I mean, I know it's just a machine in there, but I can't help thinking it's going to start speaking its mind any moment now!

via Diginfo

Creepy Geminoid-F Android Waits for a Friend was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

Man Makes Life-Size Tank from over 5,000 Egg Cartons

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:16 AM PST

'Eggs for Soldiers' is a family event held every year at the Clapham Common in London to raise money for Help for Heroes. It's basically about the sale of khaki green boxes of eggs, with 15 pence from the sale of each box going to the charity that helps wounded servicemen returning from war. This year's event on the 4^th of March will have two great things to look forward to – a national egg and spoon race, and a life-size tank made of no less than 5,016 egg cartons.

The tank, a replica of The Challenger 2, was created by British sculptor Stuart Murdoch. Along with the 5,000 odd egg cartons, he also made use of over 10,000 nails, 26 liters of glue, 15 liters of paint, 80 sq. meters of steel and 5,013 staples in the creation of this epic tank. I can't believe someone actually counted the number of staples. What's more, the whole project took Mr. Murdoch and his assistants only 3 weeks to complete. That included 3 sleepless nights as well. The tank will be on display for the general public on 4^th March at Clapham Common, so if you happen to be in London, don't miss it!