finding cain

We've known the Chinese to copy almost everything. From sneakers, designer brands, smartphones, tablets, furniture, and cars, they have it already freshly made at a cheaper price. Recently, it's China's knock off buildings and monuments that have caught international media attention. The Sphinx in Cairo, the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower in Paris, the White House in Washington D.C., the Leaning Tower of Pisa, even the Moai statues of Easter Island have all been replicated by the Chinese. The Gray House Fake Moai statues are a sight in Beijing. This one looks similar to Moscow's Kremlin. Macau houses a replica of Rome's Colosseum.  There's also a smaller version of Arc de Triomphe. The full-size replica of the Sphinx in Chuzhou wears a mask. A knock off of Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa can be found in Shanghai. Here's a lonely Eiffel Tower in Hangzhou. [Image credits: Business Insider ]

Most celebrities are always in a rush when it comes to signing autographs. However, a few famous people take the time to make their signatures interesting and unique. Of course, those Comic-Con signings often come with a (cash-only) fee. But you get a bonus if you choose Mark Hamill. [h/t: reddit ]

One thousand Italian musicians came together in Cesena, Italy for an epic performance of the Foo Fighters song Learn to Fly to convince the band to play a gig in their city. The idea was the brainchild of Fabio Zaffagnini, who is a huge fan of the Foo Fighters and desperately wants the band to visit his hometown. And guess what? It worked! Dave Grohl and company responded via Twitter, saying, "Ci vediamo a presto, Cesena," which translates to "See you soon, Cesena."

There's something peculiarly pleasing about Molly Mendoza's art. Her sketchbook is such a wild ride, and I'm fascinated by how she's created meaning and depth with extreme limitation of color. Aside from her sketches, I also love the amazing stuff she's been posting recently on her tumblr and Instagram .    Molly grew up in Romeoville, Illinois and was captivated by the diversity of people and encounters that she has experienced in her twelve years of living there. Now, she uses those recollections to create things with her own unique and personal touch. Although she's quite young, the Portland-based artist has already produced an endless amount of hand-drawn and digital illustrations.    A recipient of a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Molly has exhibited her work in various galleries. She has also been commissioned to create pieces for clients including Adobe, Nautilus, The New York Times, The Scientist, and Uncovered Cl...

Who does embroidery by hand these days? Only elderly ladies, and perhaps a few hipsters. But for Connecticut-based artist Alaina Varrone , hand embroidery is her primary method of expression and creation. Alaina was "born to a family of weirdos and storytellers" – and this creative upbringing is reflected in her exceptional needlework. She is well known for her erotic pieces but, in her latest series, the self-taught stitch queen focuses on the intimate moments of everyday people. Check out the images below for more amazing embroidery designs. [h/t: Feminist Fiber Art ]

The Medieval Period was clearly a dark time for infants. Most of the artists during this era depicted babies as being not precious little angels, but ugly old men. They have tiny heads, scary faces, and terrifying expressions, as if they have been painted by someone who hated them. In the two-minute clip, embedded below, Vox  explains why these medieval babies look like total creeps. [h/t: BuzzFeed ]

The Face of War is a large scale portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin made out of bullet shells. Ukrainian artist Dariya Marchenko used 5,000 cartridges brought direct from the frontline in eastern Ukraine for the 2meter-high portrait.    "For me the face of war is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, because he gives out these orders and these lies. But with the help of this picture I would like to show that in any case everyone sees everything and to show not only to him, but to all of society as well that war means lives," Dariya  said in Kiev.    Dariya used at least eight different types of bullet casings to create the piece, and all the cartridges used for her work have been sourced from zones that were under the control of the Ukrainian government. The Face of War will be presented along with a novel which will tell personal stories of six people involved in this project including the artist's own account and tales of people who hel...

Hot Toys action figures are so expensive, or in some cases borderline ridiculous. But there are some good reasons why these collectibles come with a hefty price tag. First, they're highly detailed. Second, they're extremely difficult and time-consuming to make. These 'toys' are also designed to appeal to fans of various comic book and film franchises, and are marketed exclusively to adults. JC Hong, president of Hot Toys production in South Korea, recently sat down with The Story Plus to talk about the strenuous process of creating these hyper-realistic figures. [h/t: Kotaku ]

If you happen to be in Turkey right now, don't forget to drop by the famous Pera Museum. Aside from its wondrous Ottoman artworks, you will be delighted to see a vast sculpture fashioned from thousands of used eyeglass lenses. The nine-meter wide kinetic installation, titled sea/see/saw, hangs in the front of the historic building in Istanbul. It was created by Canadian artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett using 14,000 lenses from discarded eyewear. The two were looking for something translucent so that it wouldn't cover up the museum facade, and came up with the idea of using eyeglasses to create pixilated ripples across the front of the building, as drawn by the wind. The shimmering sculpture, which is on display until January next year, has been designed to mimic the way the light dances on the surface of the Golden Horn, the major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in the city. "It has a really sort of delicate, elegant q...

When I first saw these portraits by Axel Void , I thought they were spot-on tribute paintings to the 1974 slasher flick Black Christmas . However, after looking more closely at these images, I realized that none of these subjects seem to be in any sort of discomfort or pain.     These oil paintings are part of Sehnsucht , Axel's solo exhibition at BC Gallery in Berlin. According to his exhibition statement, "This show gives emphasis to that confusion and state of wellbeing within our basic necessities, and longing for something else."    From an early age, Axel (Alejandro Hugo Dorda Mevs) has been strongly influenced by classical painting and drawing. Aside from creating shocking and dark pieces, the Miami-based artist is also conquering buildings and walls around the globe with his socially relevant murals.  [h/t: Hi-Fructose ]

Kristián Mensa , aka mr. kriss, is an artist, dancer, pianist, and actor from Prague, Czech Republic. A few times a week, the teenager (yes, he's only 17) shares a new doodle with his almost 27,000 Instagram followers. Each drawing incorporates everyday, often uninteresting objects like matchsticks, forks, combs and noodles. The illustrations transform these simple items into something completely new and different. Kristián started drawing as a child. In first grade, he joined an after-school art class that really helped him with the art basics. Throughout the years, he was trying to develop his own style, and just recently, fell in love with the idea of working with ordinary objects. He looks around to find something to combine with his doodles, arranges them in certain ways, sketching around them and turning them into unique pieces of art which make people smile.

There's a new documentary on Steve Jobs which takes a critical look at the extraordinary life of the late tech icon. Combining old footage and new interviews, Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine centers on the Apple co-founder's brilliant career and his private life.    Not to be confused with the Steve Jobs movie starring Michael Fassbender, the documentary follows Jobs from his pre-Apple days to his reign as CEO of a multibillion-dollar company. However, the film also depicts him as a brutal and arrogant man driven as much by ambition as innovation.    Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine  is the latest project from Oscar-winning documentary maker Alex Gibney, who is the director behind Taxi to the Dark Side , along with We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks , and, most recently, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief .    The film will be released in theaters and on iTunes on September 4.

Canadian quartet The Elwins have released a cool stop motion video with hand-drawn illustrations on thousands of Post-it notes for their song So Down Low , the first single off of their second studio album Play for Keeps . Check it out below.

Rural areas in the Philippines with no access to electricity depend on candles, kerosene lamps or battery operated lanterns as common household light sources. But aside from being costly and inefficient, they are also dangerous to use. Now, thanks to Engr. Aisa Mijeno, a lamp that is totally safe, environmentally-friendly, and capable of emitting light on just a glass of salt water will soon brighten up these communities.    Aisa was inspired to design the SALt lamp (SALt is a contraction of Sustainable Alternative Living) after living with the natives of Kalinga's Butbut tribe for days relying only on kerosene lamps and moonlight to do evening chores.    So how does it work? As simple as it sounds, the lamp uses a solution of one glass of water mixed with two tablespoons of salt to provide 8 hours of light. It will even run off seawater. Oh, and did I mention that you can also charge your smartphone or tablet from the lamp?    The device uses the sa...

Radiant colors can transform the appearance of a neighborhood significantly, and this tiny village in Mexico is definitely a sight that dazzles the eye and cheers everyone up.    More than 200 houses in Barrio de Palmitas in Pachuca were painted in intense colors, transforming the entire neighborhood into a beautiful rainbow community. Youth organization Germen Crew teamed up with the Mexican government to repaint around 20,000 square metres of wall to form a single rainbow mural that spans the barrio.    According to Street Art News , 452 families (around 1808 people) said they were positively affected by the beautification, and youth violence has been reduced. Check out the video about the project, embedded below:

Seeing as how I'm writing this while I sit with a view of an expansive rice field in Batangas, I'd thought I'd share with you some of Thierry Bornier 's breathtaking photos that highlight the magnificence of China's man-made rice paddies.     Much of his work resembles intricate paintings rather than landscapes. Published several times in the National Geographic, the Frenchman always waits for the perfect lighting condition and the ideal cloud formation to make his pictures appear more surreal.    "What is most important in landscape photography is the light," Thierry said . "Weather is king, but he is also a magician and can show you something amazing and beautiful when you least expect it. You must be there to capture it."    Thierry ended up taking photos of Chinese terrain after spending seven years in the finance industry. Entirely self-taught as a photographer, he travelled to China and found a country of so many unique regions ...