Unusual Life

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, just became home to the world’s largest LED project. The Yas Hotel looks like something out of a science fiction movie or, in the words of the hotel, “a giant fishing net tossed over the sea.” The eye-catching hotel is wrapped in 5,000 LED lights that can change colors and even display video. The hotel has several restaurants, a spa, two rooftop swimming pools and access to an 18-hole golf course on Yas Island.

World’s Biggest Stuff slideshow

Related: World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things by Erika Nelson.

Meet at Noon, at the Kiddy Pool at the North end of Greenlake in Seattle, Washington on Friday, January 1st, 2010

What a great way to get the New Year off on the right foot.

Luckily, wigs do offer some insulation from hangovers and there’s no need to fret about bad bed-head.

Rain-or-shine, umbrella’s & kids ok. Meet at the Kiddy Pool on the North end of the Lake at noon. I’m pretty sure we’ll all be pretty easy to spot.

More details on Seattle Twist.

• Here’s a link to the Set on Flickr if you prefer to see the photos LARGE or for high resolution printing from the originals…

The title character of Ray Bradbury’s book The Illustrated Man is covered with moving, shifting tattoos. If you look at them, they will tell you a story.

New LED tattoos from the University of Pennsylvania could make the Illustrated Man real (minus the creepy stories, of course). Researchers there are developing silicon-and-silk implantable devices which sit under the skin like a tattoo. Already implanted into mice, these tattoos could carry LEDs, turning your skin into a screen.

Read lots more about this in the WIRED Gadget Lab and h+magazine

The Heidelberg Project is an outdoor community art environment located in Detroit. The elements of the canvas contain recycled materials and found objects, most of which were salvaged from the streets and each work of art is carefully devised to tell a story about current issues plaguing society. As a whole, the Heidelberg Project is symbolic of how many communities in Detroit have become discarded.

The HP is the brainchild of native Detroit artist, Tyree Guyton. It began in 1986 and was originally designed as a creative response to ongoing blight and decay in the neighborhood in which he grew up.

The Heidelberg Project, as it came to be known, developed into a block long environment consisting of free standing found-object constructions and abandoned buildings and trees adorned with found objects. Much of the area and works are are simplistically painted upon with multi-colored polka dots being the signature icon.

The Heidelberg Project

Though we’ve previously featured Steve’s Strange House on Unusual Life, I wanted to add this post including some recent videos I’ve captured at the home of Steve Bard so you can see for yourself how things are progressing there. Thank you Steve for the gracious tour of your home. - jodavid
( …and lots more videos right this way…)

…and lots more videos right this way…

PlantAmnesty’s mission is to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs, and this photo is used as an example of terrible pruning.

But I must admit, I kind of like it! I would love to have Happy Face shrubs outside my front door. But that’s just me.

PlantAmnesty has a whole photo gallery of plant and shrub mutilation. While most are pretty bad, the more topiary-style shrubs are rather cute.

Unbelievable photo set from Boston.com

It is Carnival Season in many countries around the world with a Roman Catholic heritage. Celebrations and parades put on just prior to the observance of Lent. Tomorrow will be the Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but the past couple of weeks have seen parades and celebrations throughout Europe, the Caribbean and South America - notably Venice, Italy and Brazil. Collected here are just a glimpse of some of the elaborate celebrations of this Carnival season.

More fabulous photos about the Carnival on Boston.com

To celebrate Lincoln’s birthday and President’s Day, the editors at RoadsideAmerica.com have selected their favorite Lincoln tourist attractions and exhibits. From a much longer list, these 12 leapt onto the stage of infamy — from the Lincoln Watermelon Monument to the bronzed foundation of Lincoln’s Boyhood Home. There’s even one unmentionable exhibit (which they’ve chosen to mention, of course).

Buy Abraham Lincoln candy

Unusual Lincoln objects at Brown University

Abe Lincoln and Jesus Shrine

Lincoln Watermelon Monument

Marlow Harris and JoDavid wish you the very best this holiday season from the streets of downtown Seattle.

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why: Santa Claus has abs of steel.

Or at least this one does.

Leave it to Los Angeles to concoct a wild plot twist involving the role of the traditional mall Santa. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings throughout the holiday season, Hunky Santa and the Candy Cane Girls dance and delight throngs of shoppers at the Beverly Center mall. (The standard jolly and rotund Kris Kringle appears at the mall during the week and midday on weekends.)

Hunky Santa and the Candy Cane Girls

Is it a trend, a fashion or just a really bad idea? Ugly Christmas sweaters are making a comeback and we here at Unusual Life are on the cutting edge, as usual.

Click here for slide show of bad holiday sweaters.

The local Shop-Rite grocery store won’t personalize a birthday cake for little 3-year old Adolph Hitler, son of Aryan Nation members Heath and Deborah Campbell of Greenwich Township. Little Adolph has a younger brother and sister too, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell.

“We believe the request … to inscribe a birthday wish to Adolf Hitler is inappropriate,” said Karen Meleta, a ShopRite spokeswoman.

The Campbells turned down the market’s offer to make a cake with enough room for them to write their own inscription and can’t understand what all of the fuss is about.

Holland Township family angry that supermarket won’t personalize cake for their son

• Here’s our best shot at starting off the year in the right frame of mind.

Can we interest you in a bit of exercise wallking around Greenlake
at noon on New Years Day
dressed in bad wigs and ugly track suits?

WHAT? Who would show up for that???

Well, we showed up for that.

The Annual New Years Day
Bad Wig and Ugly Track Suit Walk

Only 2.5 miles around Greenlake.
Noon, New Years Day.
Perfect for that possible New Years Eve hangover cure,
and best attitude way to start the year.

Please Join Us next year.

Please make sure you show up at noon on New Years Day January 1, 2009 for our next Annual New Years Day Bad Wig and Ugly Track Suit Walk.

YES, Kiddie/Wading Pool, Noon, 1/1/09 !

If you missed the opening, don’t worry, you can drop by anytime to the Official Bad Art Museum of Art at Cafe Racer because it’s now open from 7am until 2am, 7 days a week. Stop by for lunch or dinner or a cold one after work and view the stupendous art.
• Video by Marlow •