Nerds!

How nerdy are you? Because I have to say, these charts by Ben Greenman made me laugh.

(I know my brother will appreciate them.)

P.S. More funny comics.

Rad video

My sister just sent me this amazing video about London style! We should all dress like we live in the 1930s. (Also, did you notice how the guy disappears for a second in the 1940's when he goes off to war?)

Cleaning up

Swiss artist Ursus Wehrli is releasing a new book called The Art of Clean Up, which features photographs of everyday scenes rearranged into organized rows. The sunbathers made me laugh--look at their perpendicular feet! Very neat, indeed. :)

(Via Swissmiss)

Dr. Katz show

Have you ever seen Dr. Katz, the genius animated show about a therapist and his grown son? He'll give sessions to his patients, but each patient's voice is actually a famous comedian (Conan O'Brien, Ray Romano, David Cross). One summer, my brother and I got totally obsessed with it and watched it everyday in Michigan. Well, this morning, I came across this clip and couldn't stop laughing.

(Now I'm tempted to buy the dvds and watch the full season:)

10 most amazing public pools

Have you guys been swimming yet this summer? I'm hesitant to swim in NYC's public pools (tons of kids, floating Band-Aids), but my jaw dropped when I saw these ten public pools around the world. Can you believe they're open to everyone?

Above are: Australia, England, Berlin and Austin (it's a 1000-foot-long pool, not a lake!).

Dutch subway slide

Leave it to the Dutch to install a slide in a subway station. Commuters are encouraged to use it if they're running late, and the official name is a "transfer accelerator." At night they play Bach. How rad is that?!

P.S. How long is your commute?

(Via Pop-Up City)

New York legalizes gay marriage

This July 24th was the first day that New York legally recognized gay marriages. Three hundred couples got hitched at City Hall, and New York Magazine took photos and asked them some giddy questions. (See them here.) Bravo, New York.

(Photos by Spencer Heyfron)

Make your own cheese!

Claudia Lucero moved to Portland in search of slower, happier life. She started pickling vegetables and making cheese, and now she runs an etsy shop with DIY cheese kits! You can make the fresh cheeses in your kitchen in under an hour with just a gallon of milk.

I'd LOVE to try these, wouldn't you?

P.S. More on stinky cheeses...

Temporary tattoos!

These days, I'm smitten with all the clever tattoos out there, but I'm too wussy to get a permanent one. So I was THRILLED to discover tatt.ly, a new online shop offering awesome, designy temporary tattoos.

Which would you wear?

Swedish optical illusion

Swedish artist Erik Johansson created this incredible optical illusion in a Stockholm city square. The ravine looks so real, it gives me goosebumps!

(Via the brilliant NYMag)

Deep dish cookies

Ooooh, yes please.

(Thanks, Kathryn)

Fountain bench

My mind is brimming with things to share today! But first: Does anyone know where to find this amazing fountain bench in New York City?! Wouldn't you love to be sitting there right now? xoxo

Update: Answer in the comments!

(Via Tina's instagram)

Embroidered portraits

Daniel Kornrumpf's embroidered portraits blow my mind. Can you imagine how long they would take? I love the incredible detail, like wayward mustache hairs and hungover eyes.

P.S. Motherhood Monday post coming up!

(Via Illusion)

Hello Fax!

Ok, so this might be the dorkiest post in Cup of Jo history, but my head is exploding with the awesomeness of the new website HelloFax. You can sign forms (with your mouse!), fill out documents, and send faxes, all online. No printers or fax machines needed. How amazing and time-saving is that?!

Thank you, HelloFax. You just added two years to my life.
(Via Swissmiss)

Weird fruits

German artist Uli Westphal started noticing how lawfully enforced standards of agriculture made every lemon, lime and tomato look exactly the same. "The complete absence of botanical anomalies in our supermarkets has caused us to regard the consistency of produce there as natural," he wrote. So, he went to Berlin farmer's markets and photographed a dazzling array of fruits and vegetables, in an effort to document the "last survivors of biological variety." I had no idea!

(You can buy the print here.)

P.S. Have you ever seen Food, Inc.?

Avocado popsicles

Yesterday we made our first batch of summer popsicles, and, inspired by the new popsicle cookbook Paletas, we made two awesome flavors: avocado (!) and Greek yogurt with blackberry.
The avocado popsicle was surprisingly sweet and refreshing...
...and the Greek yogurt with blackberry popsicle was creamy and tart.
Here are the recipes, if you'd like to try them out. Enjoy!

(Photos by our summer babysitter Sophie Mathewson, who just happens to be a photographer!)

Funny comics

In a seriously nerdy turn, I may or may not be newly obsessed with charts and comics.

(By Gemma Correll, Natalie Dee and Jessica Hagy; via I Love Charts and Anna)