Oddity Central |
- Optical Illusions at South Korea’s Awesome Trick Eye Museums
- Digital Artist Creates Realistic Version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night
- The Future Is Now – China Opens Robot-Operated Restaurant
| Optical Illusions at South Korea’s Awesome Trick Eye Museums Posted: 29 Jun 2012 05:07 AM PDT
Planting a kiss on Mona Lisa’s cheek, riding the legendary Pegasus and even getting peed on by a baby, it’s all possible at one of South Korea’s Trick Eye Museums. I’ve never been to Korea, but apparently people there, like the Japanese, love to take photos of themselves with cool stuff, so it’s no wonder they’ve created a bunch of tourist attractions where people can immortalize themselves doing the craziest things. They’re called “trick eye museums” and feature various well-executed trompe l’oeil (French for “deceive the eye) artworks that either look like they’re coming out of the frame, or that you’re stepping in. If you manage to get a shot from the right angle, you can get some really cool photos of yourself interacting with the paintings. Judging by the photos I’ve found, these places are lots of fun. Photo: Busan for 91 Days There are three popular trick eye museums in South Korea, one in Seoul, and two others, in Busan and on Jeju Island, each boasting an impressive number of fun optical illusions waiting to be discovered. But if you don’t like having your picture taken, you best stay away from these museums, because they don’t really offer anything but setups for funny photos. You can have your photo taken while preparing to be eaten by a giant four-headed serpent, launching an Angry Bird, riding a centaur or picking up a giant piece of sushi. If you love goofy photos, it really doesn’t get better than this. And don’t let the lack of a camera keep you from having a blast at a trick eye museum, as they all offer digital camera rentals for just $9. Photo: Busan for 91 Days Photo: Busan for 91 Days Photo: marichica88 Photo: marichica88 Photo: Epicurious Travels Photo: marichica88 Photo: Busan for 91 Days via Jurgen and Mike of Busan for 91 Days, who find the coolest places in the South Korean city and share them with us. They’re the ones who discovered the cool Dog Cafe we featured a few days ago. Optical Illusions at South Korea’s Awesome Trick Eye Museums was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Digital Artist Creates Realistic Version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night Posted: 29 Jun 2012 04:01 AM PDT
Ever wondered what the sky must have looked like when Vincent Van Gogh painted his famous Starry Night? Well, Alex Cruz has and he even created his own realistic-looking version of the post-impressionist’s masterpiece, using Photoshop. “I’ve often wondered about how the night ski looked to Van Gogh when he painted Starry Night,” Ruiz said. “I wanted this piece to be somewhat magical and fantastic, not just a normal night painting. Hence the large moon, large stars, transparent clouds, etc., yet keeping a mostly realistic feel to it.” I don’t know how long it took the Dutch artist to finish his famous artwork, but Ruiz did his in just 7 hours, using matte painting techniques in Photoshop. Art sure has come a long way since the 1800s. “This is an homage to him, and to his painting, one of my all time favorites. We see him standing here, looking up at the night sky…probably in awe, as he wondered how he would capture the beauty he saw. As well, this was the view from the sanitarium he was staying at, as it's well known that the poor guy was quite mentally troubled.” If you’re interested in the techniques Alex Ruiz used on his version of Starry Night, when he created it last year, as well as other of his amazing digital artworks, be sure to check out his blog. via Fine Art America Digital Artist Creates Realistic Version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| The Future Is Now – China Opens Robot-Operated Restaurant Posted: 29 Jun 2012 03:10 AM PDT
Well, it’s not exactly as advanced as you’re used to seeing in sci-fi movies, but China’s colorful robot-themed restaurant can be a sign of things to come. They’re probably going to render us extinct one day, so we might as well enjoy their servitude, while it lasts. A unique restaurant, in Harbin, China’s Heilongjiang Province, has 18 different robots doing all kinds of jobs, from ushering in guests to waiting tables and cooking various dishes. All the robots were designed and created by the Harbin Haohai Robot Company. Chief Engineer Liu Hasheng, they invested around 5 million yuan ($790,000) in the restaurant, with each robot costing 200,000 to 300,000 yuan ($31,500 – $47,000). With an average cost per dinner of between $6 and $10, they won’t be recovering their investment anytime soon, but it is great advertisement for what the robot company can create. So what happens at the Harbin robot-operated restaurant that makes it so special? As customers walk through the door, they are greeted by a robot usher that extends its right arm and says “Earth Person, Hello, Welcome to the Robot Restaurant,” with a robotic accent. After you’ve placed your order with one of the human waiters, the robots in the kitchen get cooking. There are dumpling-making robots, noodle experts and even robot chefs that get the foods right every time. Once the meals are ready, robot waiters bring guest their orders, following a set of tracks through the restaurant. All robots are equipped with sensors which allow them to move freely without bumping into anything or anyone. As human guests enjoy their robot-cooked food, a singing robot provides the entertainment. According to China Daily, the 18 differently-colored robots range from 1.3meters to 1.6meters in height, can show more than 10 different facial expressions and speak simple Chinese. They are controlled by a human staff in the computer room, and can work for five straight hours after a 2-hour charge. Chinese people must not enjoy working in restaurants, as they’ve had quite a few previous attempts to replace humans with robots. In 2010, they opened their first robot restaurant, in Jiang, but they’ve also invented robot cooks a couple of times. If you like this kind of robot-operated joints, you should definitely visit the Hajime Restaurant, in Japan, where robot samurai have replaced human waiters.
Photos via Xinhua News The Future Is Now – China Opens Robot-Operated Restaurant was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
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