Year: 2009

Categories
Photoworthy

The 2009 Sony World Photography Awards

The Sony World Photography Awards aims to promote the work of photographers worldwide and this year’s professional finalists and amateur winners were announced on Tuesday, 17th March. Out of the 186 shortlisted entrants, 44 photographers from 22 countries received accolades in categories including current affairs, sport, arts & entertainment, fashion, music, landscapes, and architecture.

Wojciech Grzedzinski from Poland scooped first place in the “Professional Photojournalism and Documentary – Current Affairs” section with his photograph of a Catholic priest blessing a soldier, seemingly absolving the man from whatever sins he might commit in the name of war.

See more photos at the Sony World Photography Awards winner galleries.

Categories
Animal Kingdom Featured

Kiev, Ukraine: The Homeless And Their Dogs

How sad is this? This lady lives with a handful of homeless people in an abandoned house in the city of Kiev, Ukraine. She and the homeless people share their house with 70+ stray dogs that the lady cares for. Whilst the lady has a small flat of her own, she chooses to live in the building with no electricity or a heating system because there is enough space for all the dogs.

On the weekends she and a few of the homeless people travel to downtown Kiev to collect money to feed themselves and their dogs. She hopes one days that someone wealthy will see the hardships she’s facing and donate enough money for her to get electricity to the house and to buy enough food.

More images at English Russia.

Categories
Cautionary Tales

World’s Most Luxurious Prison

Recently Austria’ Josef Fritzel was sentenced to life in a psychiatric hospital for incest, rape, forced imprisonment, and coercion for holding his daughter captive underground for 24 years and fathering her seven children. The penalty should have much worse and one hopes he won’t be heading to “Justice Center Leoben” in Austria which happens to look more like a 5-star hotel than it does a prison.

Prisoners enjoy living in well-designed cells, and have access to a gym and a basketball court. Apparently the only complaint is the lack of a computer and Internet access in the cells. Hell, this looks more like a vacation than a jail sentence, I wouldn’t be surprised if some Austrian folk leave their rented rooms to go live in the better surroundings.

More images at EatnineGhost.

Categories
Mindlessness Video Clips

The Disastrous Wedding Ceremony

Weddings can be pretty stressful affairs where people often lose their minds, their will to live, or in the case of this unfortunate best man, who happens to lose his footing when trying to hand over the rings at the ceremony.

Categories
Mindlessness Video Clips

Robot Party

Shredder throws a party at the Technodrome and invites some of your favourite robots to get on down.

Found on Unique Daily.

Categories
Animal Kingdom

Sieg Miaow: Cats That Look Like Hitler

The Internet is a major source of entertainment for us all. If everything on there was about funny looking cats, this world might be a happier place.

What is a Kitler?
Most cats possess that typically feline facial expression that implies a secret longing for world domination. All cats want to rule the world, that’s part of the nature of the species, but to be a genuine Kitler there has to be some other similarity when compared to that ever popular German/Austrian dictator. We’re looking for that toothbrush ‘tache, that most unfashionable of facial adornments. Or the flock-of-seagulls hairdo. Perhaps an evil glint in its eye, or maybe a Kitler will be Sieg Miaowing their paw all the way to their dinner plate. Of course, the best Kitlers will have all of the above.

Check out the cats most likely to invade Poland at Cats That Look Like Hitler.

Categories
Featured Inspirational Designs

Going Analogue: Liberia’s Blackboard Blogger

These are the days of our Tweets and WordPress-powered blogs. But in Liberia, a country which has been without constant electricity since the 1990s, bloggers need to think of other ways to get news and opinions across to people. Alfred Sirleaf is one such blogger who uses a simple method to overcome the electricity problems. his “Daily News” is written on a blackboard by the side of a major road in the middle of Monrovia.

He recruits people from the city and around country to report news to him. Not only does he use symbols like army helmets to get information to the illiterate, but he also offers advertising sections (prices vary depending on the location on the blackboard). He also has ideas opening up identical locations in other parts of Monrovia and the country.

Here’s an interview with him.

Good on you Alfred!

Read the full story at AfriGadget.

Categories
Competitions Site Announcements

Vote For Your Favourites in The SA Blog Awards

The nomination period for the SA Blog Awards has come to an end, and the finalists in all the different categories have been posted. Unfortunately the Onelargeprawn blog fell victim to the culling process and we didn’t make it into the next round. It’s just as well that I didn’t write a winning speech beforehand, but I would like to thank our readers for visiting, interacting with us, and nominating us. It’s much appreciated.

I’d be pants-on-fire liar if I said I wasn’t disappointed but the people behind the finalist blogs are very accomplished and I definitely praise them for their efforts. So head over to the SA Blog Awards and vote for your favourite blogs, you might just find local gems you never knew existed.

Categories
Link Loving

Link Loving – March 20, 2009

20 minutes to go before I can crap in my own toilet. Til then, here are some links.

Categories
Mindlessness

If Web Browsers Were Women…

Pretty accurate wouldn’t you say? I’m glad I chose wisely. Firefox FTW!