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Every year, the Nazi Party used to hold large annual rallies in Nuremberg, which was at that time the center of the German Reich. These rallies were grandiose propaganda events, carefully orchestrated to reinforce party enthusiasm and to showcase the power of National Socialism to the rest of Germany and to the world.

Moss is a common plant in Iceland. It grows abundantly in the mountainous region and is a special characteristic of Iceland’s lava fields. One of the most spectacular moss blanket is located on the southern coast of Iceland, over the Eldraun Lava Field.

Every year in Japan, spring’s cherry blossoms burst into summer's colorful flames known as “hanabi taikai,” which partially translates to “flowers of fire.” The 200 fireworks shows are part of an annual tradition dating back to the 18th century. Pyrotechnics across the country compete to create the best spectacle, lighting up the nighttime skies with utter beauty.

In The Wash, a squarish estuary on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire, there is a peculiar island, perfectly circular, with a dimple in the middle resembling a giant doughnut. This doughnut, known as the ‘Outer Trial Bank’, is one of two islands constructed during the 1970s to study the feasibility of converting the entire estuary into a fresh water reservoir.

Hugging for even 20 seconds a day can make you live longer, say the researchers at the University of North Carolina. It absolutely makes sense. Hugging releases chemicals (Oxytocin, Dopamine, and Serotonin) in the brain that make you feel happier, more valued, and help lower the heart rate and relieve stress and depression. It doesn’t even need to be interpersonal. Hugging animals has the same effect, and hugging inanimate objects does wonders for the brain too. Perhaps that’s why children hug their teddy bears, and adults hug pillows in their sleep.

Kavicsos Lake, or "pebble lake" in Hungarian, is a picturesque lake around 2 km crosswise over found south of Budapest, only a 30-minute ride far from the downtown area. The lake sits at the site of a previous rock quarry, and subsequently its name. 

Fordite, also known as Detroit agate, comes in bright colors and psychedelic swirls, and are often crafted into eye-catching jewelry. But fordite is not a gemstone, rather it is dried paint that built up, layer upon layer, in factories that painted automobiles long ago. Especially in Detroit, and hence the name.

“We will never forget”, is the phrase that has been famously repeated over and over again since the devastating attack on New York City on September 11, fourteen years ago. Yet, this giant monument erected on the shores of Bayonne, New Jersey, just 16 km from New York City has been largely forgotten.

When Rock stumbles upon the magical Paper, it's love at first sight. But when the wrath of Scissors threatens the well-being of Paper, Rock must stop at nothing to save what he loves most, no matter the cost.

Photographer and filmmaker Kirill Neiezhmakov has excelled himself this time.  Visiting Portugal in May 2014 he took in Lisbon and Sesimbra, creating this amazing combination of time-lapse and hyperlapse, with a little tilt shift thrown in for good measure.  The merge from one place to another is seamless (how does he do that?) as is the transition from terra firma to water.  An outstanding piece of film.

Just a 30-minute-drive away from the city of Vladivostok, Russia, lies a stunning bay surrounded by impressive cliffs. Not very long ago, the beach here was used as dumping ground of unwanted glass by a local porcelain factory, or so the story goes. According to another version, the waste glass products were washed away by the river and then swept into the sea.

Since medieval times, the village of Rocamadour in the Occitanie region of southwestern France has attracted pilgrims from across Europe for its historical monuments and its sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is said that Saint Amator—thought to be the Biblical tax collector of Jericho, Zacheus—had lived and died here, shortly after he left Jerusalem. Legend has it that after St Amator's body was discovered, several miracles started to happen, and as the healing powers of Amator's remains became known, the site began attracting pilgrims and donations from French kings and queens allowing the site to grow into a village with several shrines and places of worship. Eventually, Rocamadour became an important stop on the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Campostela.

Scattered throughout the streets of London, often overlooked, are small green sheds that have been offering shelter and hot food to the city’s cab drivers since 1875.

The Hill of the Buddha is a giant Buddha statue located atop a small hill near a cemetery in the Japanese island Hokkaido. The statue was built some 15 years ago, but it was only in December 2015, that the landscape around it was sculpted to highlight the massive figure.

Scotland, comprised initially of the primary road, now known as the Royal Mile, and countless rear ways that opened it toward the north and south. Some of these prompt open patios and are hence called "courts". Others are open lane sufficiently wide for a horse and cart, and are called "wynds", a reference to the way they twist along. Be that as it may, a large portion of these back roads are called "closes", since they prompt private property and are henceforth gated and closed to the public.

Across Europe, there are hundreds of underground tunnels that lead to nowhere and about which no historic records have ever been found. They are mostly located in the German state of Bavaria and the adjoining country Austria, where they are known by the German name “Erdstall”, which means “place under the earth”. Locally, they are also called by various names such as "Schrazelloch" (meaning "goblin hole") or "Alraunenhöhle" (meaning "mandrake cave") which reflects the various theories and legends associated with the mysterious tunnels.

Droids on Roids is a team of programmers, so making their new office seem familiar made perfect sense to the designers at Mode:lina. Navigating the space is a lot like navigating the home screen on your phone! Icons placed on the black stripe that runs along the walls (that serves as a sort of status bar) as well as the doors serve as a visual code which allows employees and guests to identify the function of each space. Apart from looping in elements typical for mobile apps, the interior was also given yellow features, which together with lamps in a shape of a zig-zag located all across the office, correspond with the Droids On Roids lighting logo.

A majority of the occupations we humans carry out are human-centric… and almost everything designers do revolves around human interaction and emotion; and while most products we design today have evolved from physical to digital, there’s always one key binding factor. The user… and the user hasn’t physically changed much (or even at all) in the past century, and probably won’t for the foreseeable future. Because design as a practice inhibits human evolution i.e., it changes circumstances so that we, without changing the way we are, can achieve the great feats.

Inspired by the Greek mythological creature of a similar name, the Hippokamp chair is an abstract interpretation of a seahorse’ iconic shape. Intentionally intricate, this artistic take on lounge seating almost looks more instrument than furniture. Its many taut cords of the seat, back and footrest, which support the user, give it an interesting harp-like look that’s sure to garner second glances.

Qua is a nightlight for children that exude a soothing effect thanks to its textured glass and looks. It even doubles up as a natural humidifier because of the water that you need to load in for the effect.

“Our cities are a assembly of steel, concrete and glass,” says Penda partner Chris Precht. “If you walk through the city and suddenly see a tower made of wood and plants, it will create an interesting contrast.” He couldn’t be more right. We’ve seen how alluring vertical forests are. A building devoted to being a celebration of everything natural would make a great urban as well as ecological landmark. That’s what Penda’s Toronto Tower aims at being.