10 Fascinating Artisan Crafts

As has been discussed before in a previous list, an artisan craft is the practice of creating an item made to serve one or more practical functions and be influential as an artistic work. Though some of the entries on this list serve no practical purpose other than artistic merit and aesthetics, they are all the more welcome as they borrow from similar skill-sets to craft. The focus of this list is on the more intriguing and lesser-known artisan crafts but is also composed of suggestions in demand from the previous list. As such I have tried to include as much information on the crafts mentioned that I have deemed relevant and informative, and as a result, some of the list entries are longer than others. Feel free to suggest or mention your own craft in the comments!

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Scrimshaw

Scrimshaw is the handiwork of carving and engraving the byproducts of marine mammals, most commonly the bones and teeth of sperm whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses. The practice originated on whaling ships around the 1750s on the Pacific Ocean, and was largely practiced until the ban on commercial whaling. The practice still survives as a hobby and as a trade for commercial artisans. A maker of scrimshaw is known as a scrims hander.

8 Deserts That Aren’t Really Deserts

Deserts take up nearly one-third of the Earth's land surface, yet only 41 countries in the world (one-fifth) are hosts to all the deserts on this planet. That leaves out quite a significant number of countries without one. I don’t know how it feels to live in a country without a desert, but it must certainly feel bad and inadequate because there are a large number of regions that don’t actually have these hot and arid geographic anomaly but are still quick to label any sandy or arid place a ‘desert’, and turn it into a tourist attraction. 

Here are some of most notable pseudo-deserts around the world.

Desert of Maine

Portraits Made With a Single Unbroken Line

Reddit user who calls himself “renbo” shared some of his unique artwork on the social news site yesterday. The Redditor draws portraits that consist of single unbroken line that neither crosses over or ends. It’s just one long loop. It’s pretty amazing and reminds me of Kumi Yamashita’s work that I shared recently.

For renbo it’s a kind of meditation. “It puts my brain in a good place, completely random and I don’t know where I will go next”, says the artist.

What Is the Fear of Friday the 13th?

Question: What Is the Fear of Friday the 13th?

The fear of Friday the 13th is known as paraskavedekatriaphobia. According to About.com's Urban Legends guide, an estimated 8 percent of Americans may suffer from the fear of Friday the 13th. Some people refuse to start new projects, go out to eat or even go to work on that date.

The fear of Friday the 13th is related to the fear of the number 13. That fear appears to be rooted in pre-Christian religious traditions, when the Norse god Loki invited himself to the Banquet of Valhalla, becoming the 13th guest. His mischief caused the death of Baldr, a favorite of the gods. Early Christian traditions also highlight 13 as an unlucky number. Christ's betrayer, Judas, may have been the 13th to join the table at the Last Supper.

Friday itself is also considered an unlucky day. In many pre-Christian sects, Friday was the Sabbath. Those who spent the day involved in their own matters did not properly honor the gods. In return, they could not expect the gods to bless their projects. Early Christians noted the day as the "Witches Sabbath," differentiating their own day of worship from that of the pagans. The Bible is sprinkled with references to catastrophic events that occurred on Fridays, from the Great Flood to the crucifixion of Christ.

Since both Friday and the number 13 are considered unlucky, it holds that the conjunction of the two is particularly unlucky. Some claim that this connection was solidified when the Knights Templar were arrested on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307. Yet the fear of Friday the 13th seems to be a much newer phenomenon, dating only to the beginning of the 20th century. About.com's Urban Legends guide posits that the connection between Friday and the number 13 may have been solidified by a popular 1907 book provocatively titled Friday the Thirteenth. Though it actually dealt with stock market corruption, the novel may have generated long-lasting interest and fear in the juxtaposition of day and date.

Source:

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Super Magnets: All About Rare Earth Metals

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Animal Love Photography by Marina Cano

Animal Love Photography by Marina Cano. Marina is a landscape and wildlife photographer, based in Cantabria, in the North of Spain. She has strong commitment with the threatened wildlife and captured a series of amazing wildlife animal photography in Africa, in a hope people could find out true love in the wildlife.

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