In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the…
A fungus is a member of a large group of organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and moulds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria. The discipline of biology devoted to the study of fungi is known…
There’s nothing like a road trip to really experience a country. From coastal highways and dizzying mountain passes, to scenic routes through national parks and bridges over great spans of water; roads are the circulatory system that connects a country. After an extensive search online, the Sifter has compiled a list of some of…
Murad Osmann (@muradosmann on Instagram) is a Russian photographer and film producer (Hype Production) who has seen his personal photo series #followmeto on Instagram explode online in recent days. First it made the front page of Reddit, eventually spreading outwards to the likes of Mashable and other publications. The story goes that Osmann’s girlfriend,…
Classroom Portraits is an ongoing series by photographer Julian Germain that started in 2004. Germain received his MA from the Royal College of Art in London and has had exhibitions around the world. He has also published several books including Classroom Portraits 2004 – 2012. The series engages the viewer because the portraits trigger…
Earlier today, Google released a massive gallery of pictures of their Data Centers around the world. In an effort for greater transparency, Google also published a guided tour on YouTube and even a Street View tour of their data center in Lenoir, North Carolina. With 13 data centers around the world (7 in the…
With over 33,000 restaurants serving nearly 68 million people in 119 countries every single day, McDonald’s is the hallmark of ubiquity [Source]. Since 1954, McDonald’s has spread across the globe to become one of the most recognized brands in the world. With over 33,000 locations there will undoubtedly be storefronts and exteriors that are…
Dallas native Gray Malin graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 2007, majoring in photography and marketing. While he has had his work displayed in the Dallas Museum of Art, David Streets Gallery in Beverly Hills, and in the Julia Dean Gallery in Venice, he is currently working independently with online curators and art…
Lavender is a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, southern Europe across to northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, south west Asia to south east India. Many members of the genus…
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow. Typically they are expelled by a volcano during an eruption and can be actively draining lava from a source; or they can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a…