BY: JESSICA BEUKER Desert temperatures that exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit have left the surface inhospitable—which is why over half of the town’s 2,000 citizens live underground. Coober Pedy, a small town in South Australia, sits upon the edge of a…
Russian tattoo artist turns childhood fears into permanent works of art
BY: SHAY ANSARI Skulls, snakes and ravens are not usually the first thing you think of when choosing a tattoo. However, Russian tattoo artist, Alexander Grim, takes these dark images and turns them into breathtaking pieces of art that will…
Dutch architect is building off-the-grid homes in the middle of the forest (Photos)
BY: MATTHEW CHIN Dutch architect, Raimond de Hullu, is planning on building off-the-grid homes in the middle of an urban forest. His goal is to bring inexpensive eco-friendly homes into densely populated areas. The home design called “OAS1S” utilizes a…
These Dumpster Diving Artists built floating sculptures and sailed them from Slovenia to Venice
All Photos by: Tod Seelie If the love and drug-fueled hippies of the ’70s were ever born again and decided to relive the river-running adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this certainly would have been it. Brooklyn-based street artist, SWOON, and her…
Photographer hitchhikes across Europe to take powerful portraits of self-ruling people
After being swept away in the flow of constant emails, only to be caught in the dead river of early morning traffic, many of us stew and question the overwhelming pace of our lives. Do I really want my life…
Watch 200 average citizens re-build their life off-grid to own a house, not a mortgage
BY: ROB HOFFMAN Photo by: Eric Valli for original photo series called “Off The Grid” Where off-grid living once called to mind visions of reclusiveness, loners and dirty hermits, its reputation has since settled in to the golden throne of…
Africans are fighting media poverty-porn by tweeting beautiful images of their real lives
BY: TYLER FYFE Typecast with bloated stomachs of malnutrition against a backdrop of intrastate warfare, most Westerners know the archetypal image of the unfortunate African other. And while it is true that forms of extreme poverty do exist in Africa,…
Tinker’s Bubble is a sustainable forest community living almost entirely off the wilderness
BY: MATTHEW CHIN On the southern part of the United Kingdom, tucked away in the thick of a 40-acre woodland in Somerset, England, lies a tiny community that thrives in the wilderness. The community began in 1994 when Michael Zaer…
New bionic eyes apparently let you see three times better than 20/20 vision
BY: DANIEL KORN What single cyborg enhancement would you choose, given the option? I ask this because I’m a huge nerd. I’m also a firm believer in the fact that I’ll see cybernetic implants become common by the time I…
Politicians and celebrities are hiring fake fans to fool you into liking them — and it’s working
BY: DANIEL KORN If you were sitting at your computer screen with a look of bewilderment and mockery when you first read the words “Donald Trump Announces Presidential Campaign,” wondering how the sleazy, xenophobic, homophobic, failed businessman could have possibly…
Swiss pilot attempts the world’s first solar-powered flight, spanning five consecutive days and nights
BY: MATTHEW CHIN Swiss pilot André Borschberg from the company Solar Impulse is attempting the first flight across the Pacific Ocean in a solar powered plane, with the hopes of revolutionizing air travel. Borschberg is flying the Solar Impulse 2,…
This old-fashioned bakery/coffee shop, plus $15,000, is going to the best 250-word essay
The Plaid Zebra has already published a couple of well-received articles featuring business owners who, rather than selling their businesses through the more traditional route, have chosen to invite would-be new owners to pen an essay explaining why they might…
How I finished a five day hike in less than 7 hours (Video)
“We always question ourselves, like we got to be rational about things, instead of just actually doing it.” Sometimes the irrational decisions liberate us the most. In 2012 Ryan Sandes, a South African ultra-runner, completed the 85km run through the…
The Internet is crowdfunding a bailout for Greece and it’s going surprisingly well
BY: THE PLAID ZEBRA Everyone is aware of the wasteland that is the current state of Greek economic affairs, as the nation quickly approaches its financial melting point. Yesterday Greece missed the deadline to pay €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) to the…
Going on a road trip increases your creativity, lowers stress, and makes you a better person
BY: MATTHEW CHIN Going on a good old fashioned road trip is a surefire way to increase spontaneity, lower stress and inspire creativity, which lasts after you return from the trip. It encourages you to explore an otherwise overlooked part…
Watch New York City’s most influential buskers reveal why they sing to strangers
BY: MELISSA GONZALEZ I race to the subway, balancing a dripping tray of coffee while glancing anxiously down at my wristwatch. Already I’m late to work and I’ll no doubt be caught in the human swarm of Monday morning—sleep deprived…
Man leaves Japan to bike around the world with only $2 and has made it to 37 different countries
BY: ZOE MELNYK After working for his father’s air conditioning company for the majority of his twenties, Keiichi Iwasaki decided to take control of his life before it slip through his fingers completely. In 2001 at the age of 28,…
Chuck Palahniuk reading “Fight Club 4 Kids” is some seriously disturbing shit
BY: THE PLAID ZEBRA The consumingly violent novel-turned-cult classic, Fight Club, had millions of Average Joes across North America thinking about clearing the dusty cardboard boxes from their unfinished basements to start an underground fight club and grind their neighbours…
Wedding photographer exacts sweet sweet revenge on homophobic client who asked for a refund
The U.S.’s legalization of same-sex marriages across all 50 states represents a celebrated moment in history for most. For others, the ruling might as well be the first step on the slippery slope of national degeneracy. There’s no doubt it’ll…
Here is what a modern Scottish island powered almost entirely by renewable energy looks like
BY: MATTHEW CHIN On the western coast of northern Scotland, just 16 kilometres away from the mainland, lies Eigg Island, an island that runs almost entirely on renewable resources. The nine kilometres long and five kilometres wide island was bought…