bookofjoe

Pencil Tip Sculpture

49-year-old Dalton Ghetti, a carpenter in Connecticut by profession, has been creating his tiny graphite sculptures for some 25 years.

He uses three tools — a razor blade, sewing needle and sculpting knife — to create his pieces.

He has never used a magnifying glass and has never sold a single work, preferring to give them away to his friends.

In an interview with Odd Stuff Magazine, he said, "I use the sewing needle to make holes or dig into the graphite.

I scratch and create lines and turn the graphite around slowly in my hand."

More: "The longest Dalton has spent on one piece was two and half years on a pencil with interlinking chains.

A standard figure will take several months.

He said: 'The interlinking chains took the most effort and I was really pleased with it because it’s so intricate people think it must be two pencils.'"

And: "When Dalton, from Connecticut, USA, first started he would become frustrated when a piece would break before being finished after he had spent months working on it.

He said: 'It would drive me mad when I would be just a bit too heavy handed and the pencil’s tip would break.

I would get very nervous sometimes, particularly when the piece was almost finished, and then I would make a mistake.

I decided to change the way I thought about the work – when I started a new piece my attitude would be ‘well this will break eventually but let’s see how far I get.

It helped me break fewer pencils, and although I still do break them, it’s not as often.'"

Finally: "Dalton, who is originally from Brazil, has a box full of more than 100 sculptures that have broken while working on them that he affectionately calls 'the cemetery collection [below].'

He said: 'I have quite a few broken pieces so I decided to glue them on pins and into styrofoam for a display case. People might think it’s weird I keep them but they’re still interesting. I worked on them for months so they might be dead now but at one point I gave them life.'"

[via Milena]

What are they?

Answer

here

this

time tomorrow.

Landslide in Italy

It occurred on February 15, 2010 in the southern Italian town of Maierato and according to the NASA Earth Observatory website, it "may have been caused by heavy rain.... The slide area was a steep, plant-covered hill before the landslide occurred."

"A video [top] of the slide shows the hillside slowly moving forward and crumbling as if pushed from below."

Above, a photograph from space of the affected area taken back in 2003.

Below, the same area on March 14, 2010, a month after the landslide.

More from the NASA site: "Gravity constantly tugs downward on a slope, but only when gravity’s force exceeds the strength of the rocks, soils, and sediments composing the slope does land begin to slide down hill. Landslides often occur in conjunction with other events, and rainfall in the Maierato region likely initiated this slide."

"The landslide affecting Maierato was one of perhaps 100 landslides in the southern Italian region of Calabria, although most of the landslides reportedly did not affect populated areas."

BBC News reported that approximately 200 people were evacuated.

[via Milena]

Adjustable Heat Hot Sauce

From GEARFUSE:

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Whether you’re a full-on chili head or just want a touch of added flavor, Dave's Adjustable Heat Hot Sauce accommodates all of your hot sauce

needs.

The specially designed twist top allows you to choose your level of heat.

A nozzle mixes your chosen brew, rationing out the correct amount of each sauce to create your perfect spiced condiment.

This is perfect for someone like me who’s rather picky about their heat.

Sometimes I like to feel my sinuses boil. Other times I just prefer a mild sizzle.

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£12.99.

[via Cool Material and Milena]

Spectrum of apple flavors

The many comments on this graphic on reddit are informative and amusing.

[via Blame It On The Voices and Milena]

Vertical Lunch Box

From the website:

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From books and laptops to cell-phones and digital cameras, the content of any bag is full of “vertical elements.”

So why do conventional lunch boxes (think Tupperware full of spaghetti), when placed flat in a bag have to remain as “horizontal elements”?

Looking to resolve this issue, METAPHYS created Ojue – a lunch box with a minimized base area that can be stacked vertically, allowing it to be placed neatly and freely even within the slimmest of bags.

The lunchbox is comprised of three units that can be stacked or removed like LEGO blocks to accommodate your varying appetite or condition.

Lunchbox dimensions: 6.3" (160 mm) W x 6.3" (160.5 mm) H × 2.16" (55 mm) D.

Matching chopsticks and chopsticks rest included.

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"Your varying appetite or condition" — I like that.

Just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in.

But I digress.

Green, Black or White.

$41.50.

[via Shell Meggersee-Briggs]

BehindTheMedspeak x Helpful Hints from joeeze (World Premiere Edition): Eliminating Elbow Pain

Two of my long-time features, together for the very first time.

You say nothing good can come of this mashup, and you're probably right.

No matter.

No one ever said I did the smart thing.

At least, not on purpose.

But I digress.

If you're anything like me and have an iPad and use it with a physical keyboard — whether it be the keyboard dock or a Bluetooth iteration — you might find yourself propping your elbows on a desk or table while you type.

If you do that for any length of time, you might find, as I did, that your elbows start to hurt and your ulnar nerves begin barking.

I bought a piece of half-inch-thick acoustic foam rubber sheet (above and below), cut it so that it was about two feet wide and eight inches deep, and now rest my elbows on a blissfully soft cushion.

No pain, significant gain.

Highly recommended.

Fashionista Shower Caps

 

What took so long?

I've got my eye on the purple one below.

 

Your choice may vary.

That's OK.

It's a big tent here.

 

From the website:

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Banish bad hair days for good with ZAZZ Shower Caps, a glamorous beauty solution with style that suits all complexions and hair types. 

ZAZZ Caps are designed for women who struggle to find a shower cap that’s both functional and enhances their natural beauty. 

Our fabrics and designs are luxurious, feminine and bold. 

 

They add color to a morning complexion, style to a daily beauty regime and playful personality to a grooming essential.

The lightweight cap is made from a waterproof, ultra-thin Italian vinyl fabric and features a thin stretch elastic and ribbon detailing to protect the hairline from unwanted frizz. 

Available in two sizes, these luxury shower caps promise to meet your unique hair maintenance needs.

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$36–$45.

Note to ZAZZ: You need to offer gift cards yesterday.

Many people would love to give someone one of these but far more likely than not the one they choose will NOT be the one the recipient would've selected.

[via Hilary Howard and the New York Times]