Funny Farms: 12 Cool Agricultural Architecture Conversions

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by Steph

Silvery barn wood, exposed timbers, the sense of history and pastoral contentment – rural ruins have a lot to offer, whether they’re simply converted for new uses or creatively incorporated into novel structures. From great big barns to piles of century-old rubble, agricultural buildings have been adapted and recycled into stunning modern homes that are surprisingly bright, airy and up-to-date.

15 Striking Print Ads That Show the Audacity of Nazi Germany

15 Striking Print Ads That Show the Audacity of Nazi Germany

October 22, 2009 in Advertising

The Third Reich, Germany’s Nazi era, existed from 1933, when Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist German Worker’s Party came to power, until 1945, when the regime collapsed at the end of the Second World War. At the time of Hitler’s rise to power Germany was recovering from the First World War and coming to terms with the conditions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles.

As evidenced below, the media of the Third Reich era were instrumental in creating the impression of a confident and stylish modern European country, with an air of optimism and triumphalism reflected in the print ads of the time.

25 Vintage Ads That Would Be Banned Today

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Even though you may deny it, it won’t change the fact that you are living in a world created by marketers. Advertising is a powerful force shaping attitudes and behavior since the beginning of the 20th century when it got into radio, and then into television in the late 1940s.

With great power comes great responsibility – but try telling it to someone working in advertising field in the early 20th Century. Even today, advertising is far away from being in conformity with high moral standards, but after looking back to some offensive, racist and sexist vintage ads – today’s ads are as good as gold.

Besides being discriminating, vintage ads were also full of lies. Interesting fact – the first American advertising to use a sexual sell was created by a woman – for a soap product.

Whether we like it or not, it is a piece of history worth seeing for everyone. Enjoy these 25 offensive vintage ads, and as always – don’t forget to tell us what you think.

1. The Harder A Wife Works, The Cuter She Looks!

Top 10 Creepy Aspects of Victorian Life

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by JFrater

My birthday is on Monday so today I am in a mood of recollecting that life is short and we should live it to the full. In honor of the “life is short” bit, I have come up with a slightly depressing list (don’t worry – I will post a happier one tomorrow). The Victorians were a special breed and this list looks at 10 aspects of life from the Victorian era that are creepy. Note that the focus is entirely on Victorian England. Be sure to post any we have missed in the comments.

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Vignettes

The Victorian upper class (and later middle class) had no televisions to entertain them, so they entertained themselves. One of the popular forms of entertainment was for friends and family to dress up in outrageous costumes and pose for each other. This sounds innocent – but just think: can you imagine your grandmother dressing up as a greek wood nymph posing on a table in the living room while everyone applauds? No. You can’t. The idea is, in fact, creepy. But for the Victorians, this was perfectly normal and fun.

Futurama 2 - twenty years later...

published in technology by seven

In 1964, the World Fair returned to New York, about twenty years after the first event. Taking the opportunity, GM once again marked its presence with its pavilion where it revisited the future with the Futurama II exhibit, in an up-to-date and improved version. This time, though, its forecast didn't have the same twenty-year reach, nor did it limit itself to cities and roads: the future that was idealized was located at a sixty-year distance, in 2024, and the imagined world also included space conquest, in which the Americans deposited all their strength and enthusiasm.

Just like in the first edition, the exhibit was located in a building whose futuristic and aerodynamic lines resembled the Enterprise spaceship, from the StarTrek series. The visiting ritual remained the same, with the public touring the space sitting in chairs that moved over a railway line, from which the model cities and the diaporamas could be seen. There were simulations of underwater cities, cities in Antarctica and on the Moon, even. Even though it was devoid of any kind of ecological conscience, they proudly showed vast areas of deforestation in the Amazon jungle to build roads and cities, as well as crops in the desert.

Over 26 million people visited this unique exposition and, like in the first edition, they went home with a I saw the future badge. And, most likely, those who saw the future in 1964 won't survive to see the future in 2024; those who get there, though, will no longer expect a wonderful and perfect world, promised by the optimistic view of Futurama.

Read more: http://obviousmag.org/en/archives/2008/12/futurama_2_-_twenty_years_later.html#ixzz1RSKj7Fv7