Friday, October 14, 2011
The IKEA effect
"The IKEA Effect refers to the tendency for people to value things they have created/built themselves
more than if made by someone else – in fact, nearly as much as if an
expert with much greater skill had created the same item. Is this the
reason that open source software proponents are so 'enthusiastic' about
their products while the general market resists them – because those
proponents had a hand in developing them?"
Finger monkeys
Ever held a finger monkey before? What’s a finger monkey, you ask. Well, believe it or not, it’s a monkey the size of a human finger. They got their name because of their size and the fact that they cling to your fingers when you try to hold them. The planet’s smallest living primate, finger monkeys are also known as pocket monkeys or tiny lions.
Indigenous to the rain forests of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia (where they possibly export drugs to other finger monkeys), the common finger monkey can grow up to 14 inches. Don’t let a finger monkey’s looks fool you. Its claws are extremely sharp, and when a provoked, these pygmy marmosets can wreak havoc like you’ve never seen.
"I'm clinging for dear life!"
"It turns out this rug is as soft as advertised. Testing complete."
"I was in the middle of a goddamn nap, and you just had to wake me! Why!"
"I'm fascinated by that cat in the corner. He thinks he can outwit me. Oh, how little he knows."
"This is like an amusement park ride from hell."
"I'm
old man finger monkey magoo, and my arm and hand are freakishly human.
That said, I'm extremely far to the right and don't believe in
evolution. Other finger monkeys have ostracized me."
"I
just learned that I can keep my balance in any situation. Oh hell yea!
I'm gonna bring home the gold in the finger monkey Olympic games. Or
not, because I refuse to take finger monkey steroids, but all things
being equal, I would win."
"Wait, who thought this would be a good idea again?"
"I'm number 1! Number 1!"
"I'm still number 1."
"Getting
sleepy. Probably because I'm bored. I haven't been this bored since I
went to the finger monkey Phil Collins concert and he sang three
different versions of 'Sussudio' back to back to back."
Mini worlds in jars
So, you’ve seen lots and lots of incredible miniature art over the years, but I highly doubt you’ve ever seen miniature art going to this extreme! The contents of the little containers depicted above and below are so petite you need a magnifying glass to actually see what objects they are supposed to be. And prepare to be amazed once you take a magnified peek because every little jar has a tiny world of brilliance sitting inside. One world shows a couple kissing under a tree, another shows a turtle on an island, and a third shows a golf course with one itsy-bitsy golfer playing a round; maybe he’s a Lilliputian.
These jars are the incredible work of Japanese architect Akinobu. His wonderful designs are so tiny it’s unbelievable. One would imagine he uses tweezers to fit the materials inside, but how does he shape and so intricately design the palm trees and the people? That’s definitely a mystery.
I'd like to be in an octopuses' garden in a jar.
I think I see Ben Stiller in that bottle over there. Sigh, do we REALLY need yet another Night at the Museum film?
These little bottles would work perfectly as a cute and thoughtful gift to friends or loved ones, but unfortunately they are not for sale. Not yet anyway. Five to ten years from now, perhaps the artist will put them on sale, but there’s no word yet on whether or not he would do that. Speaking of small things, check out these finger monkeys.
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