Nerds Republic

When he’s not working for an advertising agency, photographer Rich McCor is turning the world into a more entertaining place with the help of a few paper cutouts. Placed in front of landmarks, they turn everyday street scenes into charming, witty photos.

McCor got the idea after joining Instagram.

He was tired of taking ordinary photos, so he decided to start a clever Instagram series.

He started adding amusing cutouts to famous scenes and totally transforming them.

Here, the Eiffel Tower is ready for takeoff!

Initially, McCor challenged himself to do ten cutout photos around London, creating different compositions for each one. Coming up with clever ideas was a bit difficult, but the images quickly gained popularity on Instagram.

He also says that the process was extremely fun and rewarding, since he created awesome photos while also learning more about major landmarks and interacting with passersby.

This photo, for example, earned him the praise of a 10-year-old girl.

He can find inspiration in just about anything.

Of course, all of this planning and shooting makes McCor’s vacations a little different from the average traveler’s. “I am probably the worst sort of person to go on holiday with,” he jokes. “I’m constantly taking photos and tracking down ideas.” Still, he enjoys learning about every city he visits. This collection allows him to see popular landmarks from a whole new perspective.

He’s already created a ton of images, but he has no intentions of stopping!

You can see more of McCor’s cutout photos on Instagram, as well as a few more traditional travel pictures.

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On this couple’s trip across Europe, they managed to motorcycle across 13 countries, including Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Andorra, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria.

They wanted to create a keepsake that would remind them of these good times, so they decided to film a series of five-second videos each day. When they got home, they compiled these video clips into one awesome film.

video-player-present

I’m going to go ahead and guess that these two crossed quite a few things off their bucket list on that trip. Even though they could never possibly forget these good times, this video will still serve as a reminder of their most epic adventure yet.

When you think of the world’s most terrifying fish, you probably think of sharks, right? Well, I regret to inform you that the world’s scariest fish is actually the bloodsucking lamprey. The lamprey can be found all over the world, but over the years, populations in England have plummeted.

While some might call that a victory, the English see it as a tragedy. Lampreys were once an English delicacy. Unfortunately, outside factors like pollution have taken a toll on these critters. With the help of environmentalists, however, the species is making its way back to the region.

Lampreys are among the oldest vertebrate creatures in the world.

Evidence suggests that they’ve been lurking around in our waters since before the dinosaurs even showed up.

With the Industrial Revolution came devastating pollution, and fish populations suffered as a result.

That’s why the lamprey disappeared from English dinner tables for almost two centuries.

But now, they’re making a comeback.

Just to give you an idea of how important these fish used to be in England, it’s said that King Henry I died after gorging himself on fresh lamprey.

They have English conservationists to thank for their miraculous return.

But if you’re eager to get out there and catch your own English lamprey, we have some bad news. They are currently listed as a protected species in England, and fishing for them could result in jail time.

(via The Daily Telegraph)

I’m not one to buy into stereotypes, but I will say that traditional English food is pretty terrible. That’s why it’s completely unsurprising to learn that these folks just love a good lamprey supper.

Modern-day Norway is a beacon for Western civilization. Using any number of metrics, it’s easy to see how truly progressive Norway is as a country. However, like every country on Earth, Norway is not without its flaws or dark spots. It might come as a shock, but one of these dark spots was in the early ’90s, when the country was terrorized by satanists.

In the late 1980s, the thriving Norwegian death metal scene started to turn darker.

The music became heavier. Several guitarists pioneered new ways of voicing chords that gave them a darker tone. The lyrical content of the music referred heavily to satanism. Thus, black metal as a genre was born.

The event that was said to have sparked the black metal genre was the suicide of Per Yngve Ohlin.

Ohlin was the singer of a black metal band called Mayhem. In 1991, after battling depression, Ohlin shot himself in the bathroom he shared with his bandmates. Mayhem’s guitar player, Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, found Ohlin’s body. Instead of calling the police right away, he took a photograph of the scene, and collected bits of Ohlin’s skull from around the bathroom. It’s said that Euronymous made necklaces from those bits of skull and gave them to different people in the black metal scene.

After Ohlin’s death, Mayhem went on and used their singer’s death to gain publicity.

The scene began to pick up steam in Norway and Sweden after that. At the height of the movement, Euronymous opened a record store in downtown Oslo called Helvete, which translates to “hell.” Helvete was where members of the black metal scene gathered. Founding members at the top jokingly called themselves the “Black Circle.”

While Helvete was a meeting ground for black metal fans, it soon started drawing the attention of police.

Because of their staunchly anti-Christian ideology, black metal fans began acting out against the Christian establishment in Norway by burning down churches. The attacks first began in 1992. By 1996, at least 50 churches had been targeted by black metal fans.

But the crimes did not stop there. Several murders were committed by black metal fans during that same time.

In August 1992, the guitar player for black metal band Emperor stabbed a gay man to death in the forest outside the city of Lillehammer.

By 1993, police began watching the Helvete record store. To avoid the publicity, Euronymous shut down the shop.

There were those not happy about Euronymous closing the shop, which came back to haunt him. In August 1993, two black metal musicians drove to Euronymous’ apartment. When they arrived, there was a fight and one of the musicians stabbed Euronymous to death. Police found his body with 23 stab wounds to the head, neck, and chest.

While the black metal scene in modern Norway is still going strong, it’s not nearly as radical as it was during those early days. Still, this was perhaps just as violent, if not more violent, than the hip-hop wars in the U.S. during the same time. Yikes!

Half the fun of traveling is trying new foods in exotic places. While being open to adventure can lead to some unforgettable experiences, you have to make sure your stomach can always handle it. If you come across any of these local delicacies, however, you might be better off skipping a meal instead of risking an inevitable stomach ache.

1. Jellied Moose Nose.

This simple dish is a native Alaskan delicacy, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. First, you cut the nose off a presumably dead moose and boil it. Then you remove all the hair before boiling it again. Afterwards, you let the boiled water sit overnight, and voila! You have yourself some delicious jellied moose nose.

2. Stinkheads.

Stinkheads are a native Inuit dish that has existed for hundreds of years. In the centuries before modern refrigeration technology, fish, a staple of the Inuit diet, would spoil rapidly. As a way to combat this, the Inuit developed fermentation as a means to cook and preserve their food. Stinkheads are essentially salmon heads that are buried in the ground in fermentation pits. After several months, the heads have rotted down to something stinky, but edible. It’s a great way to get through those harsh Alaskan winters.

3. Sheep’s Head.

Americans like to forget that our meat once had a face. In northern Europe, however, they not only like to recognize this, but they sometimes make a meal out of the head. Take, for example, the Scandinavian specialty of whole-roasted sheep’s head. To make matters more unsettling, the eyeballs and the tongue are the most desirable parts of the meal.

4. Bat Soup.

Aside from being living bug zappers, bats are considered a delicious food source in some parts of the world. Depending on where you are, they’re prepared in different ways. However, the most well-known bat dish is fruit bat soup, which is served in parts of Asia. It would be yummy, but bats also tend to be disease carriers, so it might be best to avoid this.

5. Mongolian Boodog.

This ancient method of Mongolian cooking is actually pretty innovative. It’s often prepared with a whole goat, but marmots are also sometimes cooked this way. First, you kill the animal, bleed it, and break its legs. Then, you stuff scalding hot rocks into the carcass until you can’t fit any more. After that, you spit-roast it over a fire until it achieves its desired crispiness.

(via Culinary Schools)

I’m actually halfway curious to know what fruit bat soup tastes like. However, I don’t think I’ll take any chance with it any time soon.

Set against the striking backdrop of the Madonie Mountains in Sicily rests a small Italian town. Cobblestone streets, charming churches, and old buildings with years of history make up the quiet locale. In fact, it’s so quiet that the Municipal Office is doing something about the lack of foot traffic…

They’re giving away houses.

Yes, you read that right, folks. The government is giving away homes to anyone who wants them — even if they want to tear ’em down and build hotels! If it sounds too good to be true — as in, they must all be ugly and undesirable — let’s get a little tour of this Italian township.

(via Where Cool Things Happen)

While the offer is only available for residents of Italy and EU citizens, I’m not letting that slow me down. I wonder if squatters count?

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