Skip to main content

Posts

The Groove That Refuses to Quit

Ezra Collective's No One's Watching Me with Olivia Dean has really grabbed my attention, even though it was released a year ago. I've been playing it at least twice a day for a straight week. Maybe it's the tune, the rhythm, or the words—I just know it's a total earworm. This song is a rare blend of mellow and energetic. The secret is that killer horn opening, which immediately establishes a contagious, upbeat vibe that carries through the entire track. Olivia's smoky, soulful vocals then glide over the music, adding a touch of pure sultry goodness. The track is held together by a fantastic, steady backbeat that never lets up, even during the impressive trumpet solo. The London quintet's Afrobeat-infused style really shines here, propelled by a funky bassline and gentle synth keys. The interplay between the intermittent horn flourishes and Dean's voice is absolutely perfect. It's a truly masterful and vibrant arrangement.
Recent posts

Drawing with a Blow

If you follow contemporary art, you know the name Simon Berger . This distinctive artist should have been on my blog sooner—my apologies for the oversight, but I’m fixing that right now. Simon literally draws with a hammer. He uses concentrated, surgical blows to create stunning portraits in safety glass, where the resulting cracks become the lines and shadows. It’s the ultimate high-wire act: he's one wrong tap away from turning a masterpiece into expensive debris. The Swiss genius might have started his career with wood, but you know artists get restless. Now, his process is pretty neat: He begins with a simple model photo, transfers the outlines onto a large glass panel, and meticulously marks the areas he’ll refine. Then comes the tricky part: he uses his hammer to carefully crack the surface, meticulously transforming the sheet of glass into an incredible portrait. WATCH: Scroll down to see more of Simon's fascinating glass art, and follow him on Facebook to keep up with ...

Unseen Beauty

The winners of the Nikon Small World photo contest have been announced , showcasing truly breathtaking talent under the lens. For over fifty years, this competition has masterfully blended scientific technique with artistry, giving us an unparalleled view into the hidden biome around us. These aren't just macro photos; they are stunning, hyper-detailed portraits that transform ordinary, overlooked specks—from microscopic invertebrates to plant architecture—into monumental subjects. They prove that the greatest jungles often exist in the smallest spaces. This year’s top prize goes to Zhang You from China. His winning image is a perfectly timed and illuminated shot of a rice weevil perched on a grain. With its wings fully extended, the humble insect looks less like a pest and more like an armored shuttle preparing for an epic interplanetary battle. Below are some of my favorites. After seeing these phenomenal close-ups, you'll never look at a speck of dust or a houseplant the sam...

Skynet on wheels, anyone?

Yamaha just dropped the mic on the future of two-wheelers with the MOTOROiD:Λ concept. This isn't just an electric bike; it's a four-wheeled robot pretending to be a motorcycle—one that learns, corrects itself, and can apparently look back at its own taillight while cruising. This bike is really smart. It uses Self-Learning AI that constantly tracks your riding style (braking, turning, speed) and refines its own handling to become smoother and smarter over time. If you hit a pothole or start to tip, the AI instantly corrects the balance, and it can even self-right without you touching it. It stays upright thanks to robotic stabilizers (called Motion Arms) that are so precise they can spin the bike's rear end 180 degrees while moving. Plus, the wheels have Hub Motors built in, giving it super-quick throttle and brake response, which adds to its almost supernatural stability. Is this stunning technology a real product coming soon, or is it just an impressive concept bike des...

High-Fashion, High-Stakes Bug Drama

It's the ultimate insect smackdown: eat or be eaten, served with a side of absurdity. The action kicks off with a cute cicada happily snacking on a worm. So far, so chill. Then, in swoops the villain, a ridiculously stunning and hungry orchid mantis. Drama! But before that fashionista can land a single blow, the flamboyant peacock spider crashes the party, looking to turn both of them into a two-course meal. This microscopic, high-stakes standoff is wild. Every bug is hamming it up with expressions so relatable, you forget they're just bugs—until that bizarre, out-of-nowhere sequence drops. It’s all based on the genius Chinese proverb: "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." This short is a gorgeous, tense, and surprisingly funny reminder that you're never safe on the food chain. Seriously, go watch it—it’s an award winner for a reason.

Full Throttle, No Runway

Flying car races are officially here! Seriously. The "Formula One of the skies" just had its inaugural event, the Jetson Air Games, and watching these electric octo-copters execute tight turns and perilous overtakes is quite entertaining. The Jetson One is a single-passenger ride, basically a drone you sit in. It hits 102km/h, uses eight powerful rotors, is built with a lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum frame, and weighs 115 kg, 60 kg of that being batteries. What do you get for all that tech? About 20 minutes of flight time up to 1,500 feet. They've also crammed in a ton of safety features: it can safely land even if it loses a propeller, and there's a ballistic parachute that can deploy from the roof like a last-ditch save. It'll set you back $128,000 now, but that's planned to jump to $148,000 on November 3rd. If you have lots of money, better get your preorder in because they sold out the first run and are currently booking for 2028 delivery. WATCH: So...

Inside Improv Art Gallery

You walk into most galleries, and what do you get? Silence. Sacred, hushed, dead silence, like you’re waiting for a tax audit. The work is finished, framed, priced, and ready to be stuffed into a wealthy person’s house. Not at Improv. This art space in Cubao is a factory floor of magnificent mistakes and potential genius. It’s where art is still happening. Forget the final, polished product. The real juice, the real, heart-pumping stuff, lives right here—in the mess, in the middle of the argument. This isn't just a cozy “artist-first” therapy session; it’s a structural critique of the entire system. It’s a haven built for the true, high-stakes risk-takers: the ones who might totally, embarrassingly fall flat on their face trying to figure out the next big thing. And you know what? That glorious, potential failure is a hundred times more thrilling than the hundredth perfect little canvas hanging at some safe, sterile, blue-chip shop. Look at the walls! This is where the beautiful an...