ManBabies

Here are some of the most popular entries from the ManBabies website.  Funny, sweet, creepy, or just plain weird?  You decide…

(Thanks to Charlie for the submission!)

Selleck Waterfall Sandwich

Just what it says. Visit the Selleck Waterfall Sandwich website for more, including animated sandwiches and a random high-speed car. Be sure you scroll down far enough to hear the theme song…and be warned, it will stick in your head.

(Thanks to Nick for the submission!)

Awkward family holiday card photos

Some of my favorites from the Awkward Family Photos website (click a thumbnail to see the full photo in all its glory, then use your “Back” button to return to this page):

Liu Bolin, Invisible Man

Here’s a guy you never want to play hide-and-seek with.

Artist Liu Bolin, from Shandong, China, camouflages himself into his surroundings with paint and painstaking effort. The effect is truly amazing. Click on a thumbnail to see it larger, then use your Back button to return to this page. (My favorite is the last one…it took me a while to find him.)

(Thanks to Rory for the submission!)

Perspective photos

Some cool perspective photos from the Russian photo/video site, Interesno.dn.ua (click a thumbnail to see a larger image, then use your “Back” button to return to this page):

(Thanks to Tina for the submission!)

Toothpick cities

Artist Stan Munro (although he prefers “architectural historian”) builds entire cities out of toothpicks and a whole lotta glue. According to the Telegraph article:

He has built structures out of toothpicks since his school days when he was asked to build a 6-inch tall structure that could hold an egg.

His was so strong it could hold his desk.

Here are some of my favorites, or check out the entire gallery:

Paced breathing

Stressed?  Recent studies have shown that you can calm yourself down (and quickly lower your blood pressure) using special breathing techniques.  “Paced breathing” basically guides you into a regular, slower-than-normal rhythym using audio tones, visual cues, and/or biofeedback devices.  The technique is being used successfully with diabetes patients; however, everyone can benefit from it.

Ready to try?  Watch the videos below, breathing in on the high tones and out on the low tones.  The basic blue circle is a little more hypnotic, the other one features lots of pretty pictures.  You can experiment to see which you prefer…

Safety Graphic Fun

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Now to stay safe, check out Safety Graphic Fun, a website full of wacky safety signs.

Oh, and look out for Giant Poo Monsters on your next trip to Japan…

Happy Father’s Day!

A day to thank (and remember) our dads. Here’s my favorite picture of me and mine:

And here’s National Geographic’s gallery of best animal dads, from the ridiculously cute to the kinda strange. Enjoy, and Happy Father’s Day!

Loving kindness…pass it on

You may be familiar with the Loving Kindness meditation, developed from the Buddhist concept of Metta:

May you be filled with loving kindness
May you be well
May you be peaceful and at ease
May you be happy

Stated simply, Metta is the wish that all beings (regardless of social, religious, racial, political, and economic status) have welfare and happiness. Developing Metta through loving-kindness meditation can make it easier to replace feelings of bitterness, resentment, and animosity with more positive feelings of benevolence, sympathy, and love.  Sounds good, right? And it is.

Basically, here’s how it works:  You start out by saying the meditation a few times to yourself, “May I be filled with loving kindness…”.  After that, visualize your loved ones and say it to them.  After that, visualize a mentor or someone who has influenced you in a positive way and say it to him/her.  Then visualize someone who is challenging to you and say it to them (tough, I know, but bear with me here).  Finally, branch out to saying the meditation to your community, country, and the world.  Wish happiness for all beings.

Try it a few times, you’ll see that it really can make a bad day better!  And if a visual way of thinking helps–or you just want to relax for a few minutes–check out this video (bonus: in addition the trippy music, there’s some really beautiful photography):

(Thanks to Betty for the submission!)