New in the Colossal Shop: Calamityware Mugs

Retired graphic designer Don Moyer has found a delightful second career illustrating and designing a line of charmingly calamitous products to help you keep your woes in perspective. The Calamityware Mug Set, newly available in The Colossal Shop, features four identical mugs glazed with Don’s illustrations. Riffing on traditional Blue Willow porcelain patterns, the Calamityware mugs slyly integrate some unlikely and unwelcome visitors. Watch out for UFOs, a zombie poodle, aggressive pterodactyls, and, perhaps most fearful of all, the Unpleasant Blob Creature. Each porcelain mug holds 12 ounces and is made at the award-winning Kristoff Porcelain workshop in Poland. The set includes four mugs because as we all know, misery loves company.

An Amazing Split View of the Milky Way as If Photographed from Beneath a Frigid German River

Johannes Holzer / Caters News Agency

Last October, photographer Johannes Holzer braved the winter cold to setup a series of long-exposure shots along the the Isar, a river in Southern Germany. To accomplish the eye-popping view of the Milky Way, a mountainous landscape, and the murky depths of the river he relied on two cameras to shoot three photos from roughly the same perspective, stitched together here in a final image. Holzer says the photo “was done with two cameras, [the] sky with a Sony A7r and Vixen Polarie Startracker, one additional shot for the landscape without [a] Startracker, [and] underwater was done with a Canon 5Dm2 with an EWA Underwater case.”

Holzer specializes in Milky Way photography and landscapes, you can see much more of his work on Karwendelbilder. (via Reddit)

Kayashima: The Japanese Train Station Built Around a 700-Year-Old Tree

Photo by Kosaku Mimura/Nikkei

In the Northeast suburbs of central Osaka stands a curious train station unlike any other. Kayashima Station features a rectangular hole cut into the roof of the elevated platform and, from inside, a giant tree pokes its head out like a stalk of broccoli. It’s almost like a railway version of Laputa.

The large camphor tree is older than most records but officials believe it to be around 700 years old. The story of how this tree and station became, quite literally, intertwined, varies depending on who you ask. It certainly has to do with a great reverence for nature, but also a fair amount of superstition.

Kayashima Station first opened in 1910 and, at the time, the camphor tree stood right next to the station. For the next 60 years the station remained largely unchanged. But an increase in population and overcrowding began to put pressure on the station and plans for an expansion where approved in 1972, which called for the tree to be cut down.

But the camphor tree had long been associated with a local shrine and deity. And when locals found out that station officials planned to remove the tree there was a large uproar. Tales began to emerge about the tree being angry, and unfortunate events befalling anyone who attempted to cut it down. Someone who cut a branch off later in the day developed a high fever. A white snake was spotted, wrapped around the tree. Some even saw smoke arise from the tree (it was probably just a swarm of bugs).

And so, the station officials eventually agreed to keep the tree and incorporate it into the new elevated platform’s design. In 1973 construction began and the new station was completed in 1980. The station even surrounded the base of the tree with a small shrine. To this day, the tree still stands thanks to a strong, local community and a little bit of superstition. (syndicated from Spoon & Tamago)

Photo by Studio Ohana.

Photo by Studio Ohana.

New Classical Paintings Reimagined as Part of Modern-Day Italian Life by Alexey Kondakov

For his latest works in the ongoing series Art History in Contemporary Life, Ukranian artist and designer Alexey Kondakov (previously here and here) has staged classical paintings in scenes from modern day Naples, Italy. The figures effortless merge with their present day surroundings, two women looking perfectly bored flipping through comic books in the back of a dusty book store, while a different woman takes a nap beside a latte and half-eaten sandwich. You can view more of his digitally altered scenes on his Instagram and Facebook page. (via My Modern Met)

Patiently Arranged Dandelion Works by Botanical Artist Duy Anh Nhan Duc

Whimsical Storybook Illustrations by Antanas Gudonis

Antanas Gudonis is a Helsinki-based illustrator who created this wonderful series of images as part of a personal project centered on a handful of rotund egg-like creatures and their adventures. You can see more of his digital illustration work on Behance. (via Lustik)

8 Myths About Solo Female Travel Debunked

Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse writes our regular column on solo female travel. It’s an important topic I can’t adequately cover, so I brought in an expert to share her advice for other women travelers to help cover the topics important and specific to them! She’s amazing and knowledgable. This month, we are starting the year off with some of the common myths people have about solo female travel!

I had a lot of misconceptions about traveling alone before I went overseas. I thought it might be dangerous, lonely, too much work, or make people think that I didn’t have any friends. Moreover, I always thought that being alone as a woman would make me a target for terrible things (thanks, mainstream media!). Plus, who wants to see all these amazing places completely alone? It sounded like a non-option, at least at first.

Then I realized that nobody had the time to go with me. My friends were working on their careers while I had just decided to take a break from mine. I couldn’t wait. I just had to go, or else I might never go.

So I went alone and found out that all of my assumptions about traveling solo were dead wrong. I wasn’t lonely, I didn’t end up kidnapped, and, in a lot of ways, it was actually way better to travel by myself. The freedom it afforded me, the way it grew my confidence, and all of the new friends I made were huge benefits that wouldn’t have happened it I went with a group of friends.

So for everyone who thinks that solo travel is lonely, dangerous, or boring, I want my first column ofthe new year to be on the common solo female travel myths — and why they are all wrong – to help give you the courage to get over your fears and conquer the year:

Myth #1: Solo traveling means being lonely often.

The scariest thing about traveling by yourself is the thought that you might be alone for your entire vacation, right? Who wants to travel to the other side of the world only to have to be by herself while looking at the majestic red sunrise over Angkor Wat?

I was really worried about this before I started traveling solo. Thankfully, I came to find that I made more friends in one week on the road than I had in a whole year back at home.

The best thing about traveling solo is that you’re not the only one doing it. More and more women are considering the concept of solo traveling to be realistic these days, and I couldn’t believe how many other solo female travelers there were on the road with me! Since so many other people are in the same boat, they tend to be pretty outgoing and friendly. It’s as simple as staying in a social hostel — you can easily find which those are by doing a quick search on Hostelworld — and heading to the common room. I regularly did that all over Southeast Asia and I rarely felt alone during my years of traveling there.

Myth #2: Solo traveling is only for those who are single.

Before I started traveling and meeting people with all kinds of different stories and backgrounds, I figured that if you’re traveling by yourself, it must be because you don’t have a significant other. People who have commitments like a family or partner don’t just go traveling on their own. It must mean there’s a problem in the relationship or that they’re escaping their commitments, right?

Wrong. I came to learn that plenty of people who are in relationships travel alone, and for all kinds of reasons.

It could just be that they have different interests, something many relationship experts say is totally healthy. Maybe their partner can’t get time off from work, or maybe both parties made a conscious decision to do some soul-searching on a solo adventure, even just for a portion of the trip, and meet back up again.

Many solo travelers are single, but there are many more who are in relationships too. Just because you’re not single doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome trip by yourself.

Myth #3: You must be extraordinarily brave to travel on your own.

A lot of my friends thought I was ultra brave and independent because I was going to travel alone. The honest truth is that I was incredibly scared and overwhelmed with the idea of traveling solo until I finally just got on the plane and went. To fear what you don’t know is just to be human. It’s in our nature.

Despite being terrified, I went anyway. Later I laughed at how scared I had been, after I realized that getting around, meeting new people, and finding things to eat was all way easier than I had ever thought it could be.

You don’t have to be sure of everything and incredibly courageous to go traveling on your own. Those things may come as a nice benefit of traveling solo, but they don’t have to be prerequisites. The hardest part is getting on the plane. After that, it’s surprisingly easy to get around language barriers, figure out timetables, and have an adventure. Plenty of locals speak at least some English, and Google Maps, translation apps, and cellphone connectivity have all made traveling so much easier than it used to be.

Myth #4: You can’t be an introvert.

I used to quietly watch the TV in bars or wear my headphones in public places so that I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. I used to feel pretty paralyzed in a room with someone with a strong personality. Basically, I was kind of awkward.

But an incredible benefit of traveling by myself is that it has made me super outgoing. Even if you have trouble starting a conversation, in a hostel common room, chances are really good that eventually someone will reach out to you and bring you into a conversation. I recall that in the Philippines, a girl tapped me and asked where I’m from, and after chatting for a while, we became friends and hung out all week.

You will probably also find that after a few times approaching new people — which will be incredibly nerve-racking at first — they will be so much more open than you feared that it will be an encouraging surprise. It’s so easy to start a conversation by simply asking somebody where they’re from or where they just came from. I know those are cliché, but they also work, and before you know it, you have something to talk about.

It’s easy to build up confidence around travelers — they’re just really friendly people!

Myth #5: It’s dangerous to travel solo, especially as a woman.

You’ve seen the movie, Taken, right? The one where Liam Neeson’s daughter gets kidnapped in Europe and he kicks major butt and rescues her? Or what about Brokedown Palace, where Claire Danes gets thrown in Thai jail when a handsome stranger plants drugs on her? This is our image of girls traveling the world (thanks, Hollywood!). I’m guessing that, given dramatic stories like these, the biggest argument against solo travel that you might be hearing from your friends and family is that it is dangerous.

First of all, neither of the protagonists in those movies actually was traveling solo. Maybe if they had been, they would have paused and listened to their voices of reason and stayed out of trouble.

Staying safe on the road is all about trusting your intuition, behaving abroad like you would at home. Would you get super drunk alone at a bar at home? Would you walk around alone at night? Talk to the locals at your guesthouse about what you should watch out for, and practice common sense. What kept you alive at home and keeps you alive on the road, too.

For more check out this post all about solo female travel safety.

And take a look at these blogs for inspiration and proof women can travel alone:

• Never Ending Footsteps
• The Great Affair
• Legal Nomads

Every day millions of women travel the world alone. It’s safe and doable, and you won’t end up in a ditch!

Myth #6: You will constantly get unwanted attention.

It happened from car windows when I was walking home from school at age 14, it happened when I was getting into my car at a random gas station in the middle of nowhere in Nevada, and it happens when I walk down the streets of New York City. Sometimes a boyfriend was only a few steps away — it didn’t matter. Catcalls happen abroad and at home. They’re annoying, yes, but don’t let them keep you from having the awesome solo trip you deserve.

The best way to deal with that kind of attention is to make sure you understand the modesty requirements in the countries that you visit and dress accordingly. Some women suggest wearing a wedding band, but I find that being very confident, looking people in the eye, and being respectfully assertive are all good ways to stand my ground as well.

While simply being a female does open you up for catcalls and unwanted advances in some parts of the world, in many cases, though, it’s quite the opposite, and I’m treated with respect and kindness, particularly because I’m a woman traveling on her own.

Myth #7: It’s way more work because you have to do everything yourself.

If you travel on your own, you will be making all of the decisions.

This is also the biggest benefit of traveling solo. It means that you don’t have to plan ahead if you don’t want to, worry about whether the other person is having fun or not, or stress about doing everything for two or more people. Solo travelers get to have more serendipitous fun, the novelty of which we are hardwired to crave. There’s often room for just one more on a motorbike, in the car, or at a local’s family dinner, and you’ll be able to make split-second decisions without asking anyone first.

I found that the benefit of complete freedom while traveling solo outweighed the extra legwork that I had to do. I also found it easy to just ask a friend which restaurant or activity they liked, or the person working at the hostel counter. It’s not that hard. (Besides, planning everything for multiple people and keeping them happy is a lot of work too.)

Myth #8: Traveling solo is a huge, life-changing decision.

A lot of people sell off everything they have and take off to the other side of the world with a one-way ticket in hand (I’m talking about myself here), but that doesn’t mean that everyone who travels solo has turned her life upside down in order to do it.

It can be as simple as a weekend trip alone to another city, a two-week jaunt to a warm and tropical place you’ve never been, or a monthlong solo backpacking trip in Europe between semesters. It doesn’t have to be a huge deal, and you could come right back to life as you know it before, with a few new adventures and a bit more confidence.

****

It turned out that, contrary to what everyone (including me) thought, solo traveling wasn’t dangerous, boring, or lonely at all. It actually was one of the most social activities I’ve ever tried.

I ended up finding that, instead of solo traveling being a disadvantage in any way, it was actually advantageous to be free when I traveled. It endeared me more to locals, and I got to have unique experiences because I could say yes to everything, and that’s something that only solo travelers can say. It’s a big benefit to be able to go where you want when you want, without having to answer to anyone else. There must be a reason why it keeps growing in popularity year after year, right?

If traveling is about the benefits, the time spent in a new reality, and a departure from your normal, everyday life, then to traveling solo is to put those benefits on steroids. Give it a try, and you too may find that your misconceptions about it are all wrong.

Kristin Addis is a solo female travel expert who inspires women to travel the world in an authentic and adventurous way. A former investment banker who sold all of her belongings and left California in 2012, Kristin has solo traveled the world for over four years, covering every continent (except for Antarctica, but it’s on her list). There’s almost nothing she won’t try and almost nowhere she won’t explore. You can find more of her musings at Be My Travel Muse or on Instagram and Facebook.

Conquering Mountains: The ultimate Guide to Solo Female Travel

For a complete A-to-Z guide on solo female travel, check out Kristin’s new book, Conquering Mountains. Besides discussing many of the practical tips of preparing and planning your trip, the book addresses the fears, safety, and emotional concerns women have about traveling alone. It features over 20 interviews with other female travel writers and travelers. Click here to learn more about the book and start reading it today!

The post 8 Myths About Solo Female Travel Debunked appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Dramatic View of a NASA Rocket Launch over Alaska

NASA/Wallops/Jamie Adkins

Early this morning NASA launched an experiment to measure nitric oxide in the polar sky from the Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska. Staff photographer Jamie Adkins captured this amazing view. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

A Sprawling Coral-Like Structure Suspended Above an Orlando Convention Center by Marc Fornes

All photos © Marc Fornes / The Very Many

An interconnected pathway of tubular branches hangs above the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, Florida, an installation produced from perforated aluminum by architect Marc Fornes and his studio The Very Many. Under Magnitude, which appears like a large segment of bleached coral, is composed of over 4,600 strips of metal, each just a millimeter thick. When formed into tubes however, the material increases in strength, allowing it to be walked over without damage.

This installation is suspended from the OCCC’s atrium to create a sort of secondary ceiling, its white surface highlighted by the windows that surround it. Passersby can view the work from both above and below, allowing the hollow structure to be seen from multiple vantage points.

“Borrowing and mismatching elements from the world, pushing them out of scale and hybridising them to the realm of the bizarre, the structure achieves a familiar yet mysterious quality, at once friendly and alien,” said The Very Many in Dezeen.

Under Magnitude is based on a previous nonlinear structure titled nonLin/Lin Pavilion installed at the FRAC Centre in Orleans, France by Fornes and his studio in 2011. You can see more projects by the art+architectural studio on their website, and view a behind-the-scenes video of Under Magnitude below. (via NOTCOT, Dezeen)

Artist Windy Chien Unearths Obscure Knots Everyday for an Entire Year

In January of 2016, artist Windy Chien devoted herself to learning a new knot every day for a year, tying a total of 366 by December 31st (2016 was a leap year). Although 366 knots might seem like a staggering number, it is nothing compared to the 3,900 included in Chien’s go-to knot manual—The Ashley Book of Knots, which took its author nearly 11 years to compile.

The daily ritual was both meditative and informative for the Apple project manager turned artist, allowing Chien to access an energetic flow, while also giving her a chance for constant experimentation with line and form. You can see a selection of Chien’s knots on her website, and view the entirety of the project on Instagram. (via Wired)

Travel Tip: Put Away Your Damn Phone!

Before you read this post, watch this awesome video:

OK, you watched it? Great! No? Dang. Who has 15 minutes, right?

Well, in this video, Simon Sinek, one of my favorite authors, discusses millennials in the workplace. I found it to be an insightful and incredible discussion on exactly why companies have such a hard time with millennials. To Sinek, one of the major problems is millennials’ addiction to their phones. Back in the day, before a meeting started, you would socialize with your coworkers, ask about their families, talk about work, etc. Now, no one talks because everyone is glued to their phone. It drives him up the wall, because this very important form of socialization and bonding in the workplace is now disappearing.

It’s not just a workplace issue, either. How many times are you out to dinner and everyone is checking their phones? How many times do you walk into a glass door because you are looking intently at the phone (not saying I did this recently or anything)? How often do you talk to someone while staring at the phone (“I’m paying attention, I swear!”)?

When I first started traveling in 2006, if a hostel had a computer, it was a big deal. I remember taking pictures and going to Internet cafés to upload them to my MySpace page or waiting for my turn at the hostel computer to check my email. No one I knew traveled with a phone. If you made plans to meet someone in another city, you just had to hope they would stick to them or wouldn’t get delayed. You were connected sparingly, but that never seemed to matter. You wanted to be disconnected, because that was the whole point — to break away and explore the world.

But over the last few years, I’ve seen a remarkable shift in social interactions in hostels. Now, it’s all like “This hostel’s Wi-Fi doesn’t even reach my dorm room!” While hostels are still incredible places to meet new people, they aren’t as incredible as they used to be, because everyone is on their phone, computer, or iPad, watching Netflix, working, or checking Facebook. No one is just hanging out and interacting with each other like before. I find this really sad and depressing.

I’m not against technology or all this beautiful Wi-Fi. We now have Google Maps, and we can book rooms and flights from our phone, stay in touch easier, and communicate better. Wondering why your friend isn’t at the appointed meeting spot on time? No problem! Now you can just ping them a message on WhatsApp. Problem solved!

But, as much as technology has helped us, I think we’ve really lost one of the most beautiful aspects of travel. Constant distraction keeps us from observing the place we are at and being present in the moment. Too often we’re glued to the phone, Snapchatting and Instagramming that moment but never really being in it. We’re in a hostel reading the news online or chatting with our friends back home instead of meeting people. We’re at dinner looking up Facebook “for just a second,” wondering how many people liked our last photo. Or on some adventure activity but Snapchatting the experience.

A few years ago, I read the book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. In it, the author Marshall Goldsmith talked about how if you are doing something else while talking to someone, you are subtly signaling to them that they aren’t important, even if you can parrot back everything they said. I thought about that and realized I did that all the time. I was only ever half there. That book made me rethink how I interact with people. It taught me to put away my phone, to make better eye contact, and focus on the people around me.

It was a very hard thing to do, as I was totally addicted to my phone. (And the video above reminded me that recently I’ve backslid into my old ways: too often I use my phone as a crutch when I’m bored or have downtime.)

Last year, as part of my anxiety-reducing initiative, I cut down the amount of work I do when I travel. When I go some place new, I put the computer away. If I’m not going for a “workcation” or a conference, the computer is off.

I write this from Malta. During my four-day jaunt around the island with friends, I didn’t open my computer. I didn’t write. There were a few tweets and posted pictures, and when someone was caught on their phone, we reminded each other to put it down. We focused on enjoying the destination and being present.

I don’t want this to be a “get off my lawn” kind of post, but think about it — how often and how long do you go without your phone? When you travel, how many times are you “pulled away” from the experience while commenting on someone’s last post? Did you travel around the world so you can check on what your friends back home are doing, or did you go for the adventure?

This year, as we travel, let’s pledge to put our damn phones away. Let’s not retreat into our safe zone when we feel slightly uncomfortable around strangers or in silence. Let’s interact with the people and places we are visiting. Observe the amazing scenes around you. Say hello to someone new. Give yourself 15-30 minutes max — and then put the computer or phone away, step out the door, and take in the world!

This year I am going to refocus on getting off my phone and being more present when I travel. Join me in doing so!

If you’re traveling with someone, tell them to remind you to put the phone away. Eventually, you’ll break your habit. If you are traveling alone, leave your phone in your dorm when you go downstairs. You’ll be forced to interact with people.

Let’s make 2017 the year we stop curating our lives, cut the umbilical cord to home, put away our phones, and enjoy the moment and beauty in front of us!

P.S. – Looking for another way to kick start your new year? Over at the forums, we are doing our quarterly Travel Action Challenge, where you can win prizes (like a $100 USD Amazon.com gift card) just for traveling!

The post Travel Tip: Put Away Your Damn Phone! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Colorful Paper Village Installations for Hermes by Zim & Zou

Papercraft duo Zim & Zou (previously) are back at it with one of their most grandiose installations yet for Hermès in Dubai. Each piece is a miniature paper village populated with tiny characters, one centered around towers of fungi, the other based around blooming lotus flowers. Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann, the names behind Zim & Zou, specialize in designing and building installations out of tangible materials for advertising, product display, and as part of personal artistic pursuits. You can follow more of their recent work on Instagram and Behance.