Nerds Republic

Take a good look at the sumptuous wallpaper in this room. Take a really good look. The bright magenta hue itself is inviting, but once you get past that, get right in there and have a look at those details.

When you get close enough, you might want to recoil.

That’s because these designs are all made from dead insects.

Yep. Those are all bugs.

This installation is the work of Jennifer Angus, an artist and professor of apparel and textile design at the University of Wisconsin. She was inspired by the beauty of insects after a trip to Thailand, where she encountered “singing shawls,” which are traditional shawls with tassels made from the iridescent green shells of beetles. Combined with her fascination with textile patterns, the shawls became the foundation of this installation.

The inspiration resulted in several installations, the most recent of which is housed in the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery.

In this installation, Angus used the bodies of over 5,000 weevils, cicadas, green stag beetles, and other insects to create the pattern seen here.

So many bugs…

Angus is careful to use farmed insects when possible to avoid damaging ecosystems.

She also reuses as many insects as possible, keeping them carefully pinned and stored between projects.

If they become too damaged to display, Angus also donates them to schools so that kids can explore insect life.

In case you’re wondering, this vibrant pink background also has buggy origins.

It’s created from the cochineal — an insect that produces a vibrant red-purple pigment.

But if you’re worried about the ecological repercussions of using once-living creatures for art, Angus discusses these concerns on her website.

In fact, Angus hopes that educating people about the huge variety of insects on our planet will inspire more people to support the conservation of rainforests around the world.

(via Slate)

If you’ve only thought of bugs as being gross, artwork like this is here to change your mind. They might be creepy and crawly, but the insects with which we share a planet can also be strikingly beautiful, and they remind us that there are habitats beyond our own that need to be protected.

You can see more of Angus’ work on her website (which includes some pretty awesome games, too).

For some people, Halloween is about dressing up in cute costumes and hanging out with friends. But for a few deranged weirdos out there, it’s about being as disgusting and scary as humanly possible. These 21 treats (if you can even stand to call them treats) are perfect for people of the latter variety.

You’ve been warned. These are going to make you sick.

1. Okay, so these aren’t that bad.

2. But this kitty litter cake really, really is.

3. Intestines, anyone?

4. Feeling murderous? These Dexter-inspired candies are good substitutes for the real thing.

5. These texturally-accurate monster eyeballs are probably delicious, but good luck enjoying eyeball eggs in your mouth.

6. NOPE. No. Uh-uh.

7. What is wrong with people? Just make jello to not look like worms, okay?

8. Yes, I would like my jalapeño poppers to look like fried mice. Thanks!

9. I would also like my healthy turkey meatballs to be swimming in a pool of blood.

10. Never not calling ear wax “ear pesto” ever again.

11. Yum, open wounds.

12. I love when I can associate bloody, skinned skulls with cheese.

13. Taking finger food to a whole new level.

14. You could also chow down on what looks like a burn victim’s severed hand.

15. Give someone your heart this Halloween…in a cocktail.

16. Aw, teeny brains!

17. I don’t know who’s trying to eat plain hard boiled eggs at a party, but they sure are creepy.

18. As if shrimp weren’t weird-looking enough already.

19. This just isn’t even a little bit funny for anyone living in a city.

20. This spaghetti is for those who are trying to keep it classy, but also spooky.

21. THIS IS NOT OKAY.

Saved the best for last!

Listen, if you’re trying to get people to boycott your house parties for at least one calendar year, or if you happen to have a bunch of sickly twisted friends, then go ahead and try out some of these snacks. If you want people to come back, I suggest sticking to the cute stuff.

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.

Wearing contacts certainly has its perks — not the least of which is the fact that you actually have peripheral vision. However, with those privileges comes great responsibility. Any eye doctor worth their salt will tell you that wearing contacts overnight can lead to serious infection and even blindness.

But does anyone listen?

Just to warn you, some of this content is a bit graphic. If you’re squeamish, you might want to skip this one.

Meet Chad Groeschen. He’s an avid scuba diver and hiker — and he’s a contact wearer.

A user of “extended wear” contacts, Groeschen did as the packaging told him he could do, and left the contacts in for days at a time. He would wear them for up to a week straight, often bathing and sleeping in them.

One day, his eyes began itching, but he just chalked it up to allergies. But one night, he woke up to cloudy vision in his left eye, and a serious headache akin to sinus pressure. He decided to go to the doctor to see what was going on.

The news he got from the physician wasn’t what he expected.

Doctors discovered that the cause of this discomfort was Pseudomonas bacteria.

This bacteria usually accumulates underneath contacts if lenses are left in for extended periods of time.

While they were able to stop the infection, the damage was already done.

Groeschen is currently completely blind in his left eye.

A corneal transplant may be able to restore some of his vision, but that can’t happen until any open sores or wounds in the eye are healed.

This might seem like a freak accident, but the American Academy of Ophthalmology says otherwise. Especially among “extended wear” users, infections brought on by careless maintenance are surprisingly common. Any lens, regardless of whether or not the company claims that it can be worn overnight, can cause similar damage if worn for too long.

You can check out Groeschen’s story below, but the content is a little disturbing. You’ve been warned.

If you’re a contact wearer, always remember to take good care of your lenses.

Here are a few tips:

• Never sleep in your lenses, even if they’re the “extended wear” kind. Take them out every night.


• Replace lenses regularly.


• Change contact solution before you store them every day.


• Never wear contacts in water (swimming, bathing, etc.)


• Never wear contacts while you’re sick.

These little things can pack a big, blinding punch.

You only get one set of eyes, so be sure to take care of them! If you feel like they’re acting up, see a doctor immediately. No amount of pride is worth risking blindness.

If you’ll excuse me, I need to go change my contacts.