Photographs of Japan from the Meiji and Taisho Periods (1868-1926) have captivated viewers around the world since they were first circulated. One photographer in particular captured Japanese life so beautifully that his work has been seen by countless people all across the globe. Until very recently, though, his name was virtually unknown. Now we know that the prolific photographer’s name was T. Enami – or rather, that was his trade name. He was born Enami Nobukuni, and his work made a deep and far-reaching impact on photography.

Some of T. Enami’s most popular and memorable works were his stereograms: two nearly-identical 2D images taken from slightly different angles that, when viewed together through a stereograph, appear three-dimensional. Here they are animated to give the 3D effect, but all of the originals can be seen on Okinawa Soba’s Flickr collection.

Enami started his career as a traditional photographer, but later embraced the more “modern” stereoviews and lantern slides. Judging from his carefully staged stereograms, he approached his work with a great deal of attention to detail. The colors on these stereograms were all hand-painted, and the resulting product was sold around the world. Today, collectors treasure these exquisitely detailed antique images.

T. Enami ran a photography studio in Yokohama until his death in 1926. His work spanned a multitude of areas, including postcards, large-format prints, private portraits, glass transparencies, photo processing and print-making, and numerous commercial photography projects. His photographs have appeared several times in the pages of National Geographic, a true honor for any photographer. One of his half-stereoview images was even used on the cover of their 100th-anniversary book Odyssey: The Art of Photography at National Geographic.

Despite his monumental contributions to early Japanese photography, T. Enami’s identity was not widely known outside of Japan until around 2006, when his descendants shared information about him with biographers and collectors. He was the only photographer of his era known to work in all contemporary commercial and artistic formats, and it can be said that his work has been seen by more people than that of the more established “masters” of his time.

The appropriate credit is now being given to thousands of Enami photographs that were previously unattributed or simply attributed to the wrong photographer. Enami is now, finally, in his rightful place amongst the most influential early Japanese photographers. A detailed biography of T. Enami can be found at T-Enami.org, and even more of his animated stereograms can be found at Pink Tentacle.

Master Blasters: Science Fiction Weapons to Die For

Mostly harmless? I think not! Any aliens who receive our old TV and radio transmissions will be raising their tentacles in submission once they get a glimpse of sci-fi's greatest hitmen and their weapons of mass annihilation. Click Here to See More

If the words “gargle” and “gargoyle” sound similar that’s no coincidence, but from their original function as decorative downspouts gargoyles have evolved into whimsically sculptured, cathedral dwelling creatures who often look evil but whose purpose is to do good.

Lookout Below

(images via: Livius, Under the Gargoyle and A.Davey)

Reminiscent of classically inspired lion-headed faucets, the ancient gargoyles above display the openings through which rainwater poured. The purpose of the heads was purely practical at first: keep water that fell onto a building’s roof from coursing down its sides and undermining the foundations. The gargoyles above hail (clockwise from above left) from Ai Khanoum in Afghanistan, ancient Greece and Axum in Ethiopia.

(image via: Corbis)

They may have helped the buildings upon which they were mounted but pity the poor townspeople for whom every rainy day became a walk in the waterpark. The majestic, lion-head gargoyle above once directed rainwater from a corner of an ancient Greek temple’s roof.

Roman Noses (and Mouths)

(images via: Jeff Cook, The Luminous Landscape and Degenerate Press)

In the time of the Roman Empire gargoyles began to be built with lead pipes inside to channel water without eroding the stone. It was an effective innovation, as can be attested to by the many gargoyles still performing their functions atop Roman temples 2,000 years or more after they were built.

(image via: Grows On You)

Like so many innovations pioneered or perfected by the Romans, gargoyles are popularly used today to give a distinctive look to fountains and other water sculptures that don’t need rain to let it shine.

Mooning Gargoyles

(images via: Krossbow and Skeptic Friends Network)

Sometimes gargoyles take on unusual forms that seem out of place with their usual locations – on places of worship. Take the pair of mooning gargoyles above from Germany (top) and England. Some say that these types of gargoyles were “aimed” at competing buildings or in the case of the German one, a government office across the street.

Japanese Gargoyles

(images via: Digital Photography School, Jenlyn and Sosaku)

Gargoyle etymology breaks gargoyles down into three occasionally overlapping formats: gargoyles that drain water, “grotesques” that are sculptures, and chimeras which are unusual representations of non-existent creatures. The onigawara figures that appear on the tops of medieval Japanese castles, temples and old houses are in a class of their own, however, and at some locations are covered in gold leaf.

(images via: Wikipedia and Tsubu Gai)

The most famous Japanese gargoyles are shachihoko: gold-plated, tiger-headed carp that were placed in pairs atop the country’s most important castles to protect them from fire. Shachihoko are often quite large and although valuable, would be very difficult to steal. They’re popular tourist attractions on the rare occasions they are taken down for cleaning.

Notre Dame Cathedral’s Gargoyles, Paris, France

(image via: Architecture/About)

(images via: Finazzo, Stonecarver and Raingod)

With Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, gargoyle sculpture reached its zenith of artistic beauty and laid the basis for centuries of gargoyle legends and lore. Technically “grotesques” and not pure gargoyles, the many mythical creatures crafted to guard over Notre Dame de Paris are favored subjects of photographers as they glare darkly over the City Of Light. Although extensively restored, the building and its trademark gargoyles looks much like it did upon the completion of its initial construction in the year 1345.

The Chrysler Building’s Gargoyles

(images via: Fotothing, XRoads and Alinbdt)

Completed on May 28, 1930 after only two years of construction, New York City’s Chrysler Building stands as a beacon of modernity and a celebration of American capitalism. With that said, the building harkens back to historic cathedrals with its set of amazing gargoyles.

(image via: Curbly)

William Van Alen designed the Chrysler Building and its iconic gargoyles, one of which is shown above. This spectacular Art Deco eagle – modeled after the hood ornaments used on 1929 Chrysler cars – gleams in stainless steel and looks out over New York City from the Chrysler Building’s 61st floor.

Arizona Gargoyles

(images via: Copperdragon and Photographers Direct)

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary church in Flagstaff, Arizona, is a little touch of Gothic charm in America’s desert southwest. The many gargoyles learing out from the church’s walls take on an especially grim appearance on mornings after the city is blasted by winter weather, causing icicles to grow on the already spiky figures.

Alabama Gargoyles

(images via: Selma Daily Photo, Deep Fried Kudzu and DiveMasterKing2000)

Gothic architecture in Alabama? It’s more likely than you think. The First Baptist Church on Lauderdale Street in Selma, Alabama, boasts an interesting group of gargoyles leaning out from the church tower’s four corners.

National Cathedral Gargoyles, Washington D.C.

(images via: Stonecarver and io9)

The National Cathedral in Washington D.C. looks much like any of Europe’s great historic cathedrals from a distance, but up close the visitor is in for a surprise. The cathedral’s gargoyles memorialize a mix of archetypal American imagery with pop culture cues that will fill many with Shock and awe. Perhaps the most famous of the cathedral’s many interesting gargoyles is one chilling figure carved to resemble Star Wars’ penultimate villain, Darth Vader.

Carved in stone or cast in metal, the many gargoyles, grotesques and chimeras perched menacingly on the world’s great buildings never fail to evoke emotions ranging from joy to hope to fear and even terror. It’s a good thing they’re inanimate, isn’t it?

12 Compelling Monuments Dedicated to Peace

From the most prolific countries in the world, unique, memorable and with a lot of history behind, these are the twelve picks that will help you decide if humans are as good at honoring peace, as they did with wars. Click Here to See More

Crime and punishment have been a necessary part of human society since we first began living in groups, and as long as laws have been in effect, there have been punishments to match. Whether torture was used as a form of punishment for crimes, real or imagined, or in an attempt to extract information, it’s truly frightening to see the creative cruelty spawned by the human mind. Here’s an exploration of 16 of the most cringe-worthy torture techniques and devices to ever come out of the haunted halls of human history.

(Images via jason.risley, keithc , rouleau, and Okinawa Soba)

In turns humiliating and painful, neck torture is an endurance test. While hooked into a neck device you’re unable to adjust into a comfortable position, while the very visible punishment announces your shame to the world. The cruelty of neck torture lies almost entirely within its side effects: Being unable to lie down, or lean back, or even lower your head without pain, prevents you from sleeping, or even eating, comfortably. This is a punishment that takes all your focus, and doesn’t let you forget for a moment what you did to get into this position.

(Images via dani drainpipe, party-service,and rouleau)

The Iron Maiden has an embrace anyone would want to avoid. Once inside the Iron Maiden’s conical frame, you’re unable to move because of dozens of steel points stabbing from every direction. An interrogator screams questions at you through a small hole, while poking you with jagged edges, or just leaving you for hours to stew in your thoughts. Just imagine the agony of standing stock still, with legs cramping and the heat of such an enclosed space drenching you in sweat. The sweet release of leaning back to take pressure off your aching legs wouldn’t be sweet for long.

(Images via Kafka Wiki, Ian Koh, aanda51406, and fatWacko)

Chastity belts were used as a preventative measure, to protect a Lord’s assets from being “tampered” with while he was out of town. It’s pretty clear that any attempt at infidelity would be a painful and futile exercise. Chastity belts are not a sign of great trust, and the silver lining of wearing this uncomfortable and embarrassing apparatus? Avoiding a worse punishment because of an imagined infidelity.

(Images via Auckland Gallery, geraldinha, zolla77, and kylz25)

Crucifixion is one of the most widely known forms of torture – a visible execution that was incredibly painful, and slow. One was nailed to a post, typically with limbs spread wide, and left in the elements to die. While being in a cage was not as immediately physically painful, the other effects were just as difficult. The nights would be cold, the days scorching hot, and chances are you wouldn’t be receiving any food or water. Cramped and huddled, you’d have to deal with the jeers of an uncaring populace every hour of every day.

(Images via DC, Kafka Wiki, and traed mawr)

Don’t let the decorative design of the “agonizing pear” fool you – it was incredibly painful. This device was inserted into uncomfortable places on the human body and slowly expanded to a terrible degree. An opposite tact was pursued by other punishments, which would target a victim’s sense of shame and social embarrassment rather than destroy their will by pain alone. A heavy iron mask would do just the trick, as it would be both uncomfortable and unseemly, but also impossible to hide. The masks were crafted to look goofy and invite mockery, letting the perceptions of others do all the work for the torturer.

(Images via irandefends, New World Encyclopedia, and GraniteGrok)

Ropes are easy to make, easy to find, and easy to use to inflict terrible retribution on others. A victim could be tied to a tree and left at the mercy of the populace, hanged at the gallows as a form of entertainment, or dealt with in an even more horrifying fashion… some victims would have a rope attached tightly to each limb, with the other ends attached to horses. When those four horses were spurred to a gallop in different directions, the victim would be torn instantly asunder.

(Images via Guildford Ghost, eoscatchlight, and Baden-Powell BSA)

This is arguably the most creative of the tortures in this list, and it involves an animal that many consider torture enough in its own right: rats. A cage with one open side was strapped against a victim’s body, and filled with large rodents. A heating element would be set against one side of the cage and rodent instincts would kick into action. In an attempt to escape the intense heat, the rodents would burrow into the victim, with fatal results.

(Images via k’telontour and roma.cintilante)

Saws were common farming tools and could easily be put to use as an implement of torture. When something designed to slice through a thick tree is used against fragile human skin and bone, there’s no contest. Death would come quickly, but it would be about as unpleasant as possible. This is not the way you’d want to go.

(Images via benrosen.com, Headless Historicals, and Christian Character)

The stocks are a favored prop in theme parks and historical areas, but they were not a treat for people placed in them. Stocks can constrain you by your head, hands, and legs, or something as simple as your thumbs. The physical uncomfortableness was definitely a factor, but being left at the mercy of the population was the true punishment. In a land without television, throwing stones and rotten fruit at people stuck in the stocks was one of the most popular forms of entertainment.

(Images via ogeli13, lirontocker, and dmertl)

The rack was typically an interrogation tool, and anyone would spill their guts to escape its pull. Both hands and feet would be tied to opposite ends, and the rack would slowly be spun to pull you in different directions. The addition of spikes on the rollers could be an added threat, but all in all, the stretching would be painful enough on its own.

(Images via Marsee Perkins, Making the Modern World, and Medieval Castle)

Thumbscrews are elegant in their simplicity, and incredibly effective. Screws would be tightened around a steel apparatus, squeezing one’s thumbs with increasing, and unbearable, pressure. The torturer doesn’t have the guilt of blood on their hands, but the victim will attest that thumbscrews are no walk in the park – especially if spikes are added to the mix.

(Images via DC, zuzana24, socyberty)

Skull and limb crushers are thumbscrews kicked up several notches. Basically vices with spikes, they would be shaped to conform to the targeted limb. Rows of sharp points would be ratcheted to higher and higher pressure, until something had to give… and bone breaks before steel.

(Images via jabulela, cope0021, and Stephanie)

Torture chairs are a decoratively intimidating addition to any dungeon. The chairs were layered with spikes on every surface, and had tight straps for restraint. Most chairs were made of iron and would contain spaces for heating elements beneath the seat. These chairs were an effective beginning to an all night torture session.

10 Historic Monuments Dedicated to Great Geeks

Here are ten monuments dedicated to remarkable men of science that have changed our lives. Click Here to See More

Operation Teapot Steams Up The Desert

(images via: Weird Wild Realm and Deseret News)

It can get hot in Nevada, but 1955 saw temps in selected areas reach that of the surface of the sun. In a roughly three month period in the spring of that year, the U. S. Army set off 14 nuclear explosions at the Nevada Test Site at Yucca Flats under the name of Operation Teapot. The explosions ranged in yield from 1.2 to 43 kilotons. The bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, ten years earlier had a yield of approximately 12 kilotons.

Home Sweet… Uh Oh

(image via: Wired)

The stage was set for Survival Town two years earlier when, on the first day of tests for Operation Upshot-Knothole, the charming 1950’s house above was exposed to an atomic blast. The walls of the house look unnaturally bright in the first image (above top left) because they’re reflecting the light of the just-detonated bomb. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Honey, Call State Farm”

(image via: Corbis)

The Apple-2 test on May 5, 1955… yes, 5/5/55, showed similar results to the 1953 structures and materials test. Civil Defense workers provide a composite Before & After photo of one of the homes built to be destroyed in what is known today as Operation CUE. This rare color photo was taken on May 6, 1955.

Nobody Home, Gone Fission

(image via: Spectrum)

The stark set of photos above shows another Survival Town building that sustained a somewhat less degree of damage – in other words, it wasn’t pulverized into kindling. The Army set up a variety of homes, buildings and other structures at varying distances from Ground Zero in an effort to determine how the power of an atomic blast would carry over an urban landscape.

This video of the “Survival Town Atom Test” is at once cute and creepy, backed by over-the-top melodramatic monster-movie music. Note that “a million dollars worth of equipment was installed”. Who planned this test, Doctor Evil??

Nevada Atomic test, 1955, via BobR1955

Eve Of Destruction

(images via: Nebraska Studies, Curiositas Mundi and OSU Library)

Survival City had it all: homes, buildings, electrical power lines, even people… well, fake people. Got to give the DOD some credit here, they stocked the homes with mannequins sourced from J. C. Penney. On a somewhat freaky note, the Army posed the mannequins in the acts of playing, eating and so on; then left cameras on to record the “fun” that was about to ensue.

Cue The Bomb

(images via: Postapocalypse, Vegaslandfill and National Archives)

The May 5th explosion dubbed Apple-2 took place 9 days late as the test site had been experiencing high winds. When the all-clear was finally given at 8:10am, nearby residents (and those who were tuning live on radio and TV) witnessed an atomic explosion weighing in at 31 kilotons. The explosion’s blast area extended 3 miles out from Ground Zero. Most of the approximately 6,000 spectators watched from about 6 miles away but Army troops in tanks and trenches got a birds-eye view at a mere 2 to 3 miles from the epicenter.

Gosh Mom, We’re Havin’ A Blast!

(images via: Flashpoint)

These rare color photos bring “home” the surreal horror of the mannequin tests with a bit more clarity. Once again the attention to detail is almost disturbing as it shows a typical, “Leave It To Beaver” type family engaged in typical middle-American pursuits, frozen in time just before their demise.

Behlen Buildings Bounce Back

(images via: Nebraska History and Nebraska Studies)

If one recalls anything about the mannequins & materials tests of the early Atomic Age, it’s the exploding houses – they make good visuals. At the time, however, survival was on the nation’s collective mind and though the test subjects of Operation Cue were inanimate, there WERE heroes among them. One of the most celebrated was the Behlen building, a corrugated steel structure that suffered not much more than the odd dent even though it was placed just 6,800 feet from Ground Zero. Behlen got a lot of mileage out of Operation Cue – the building was trucked around to state fairs for years after. The B&W photo above shows the building at the 1955 Nebraska State Fair.

Survival Town Survivors

(images via: Nevada Test Site Tour and Travelrag)

(images via: Seattle Times, Skyscraper City and Auroral Chorus)

You’d think the Army would have destroyed any and all traces of Survival Town once Operation Cue had wound down, but surprisingly some of the buildings remain standing today. The Nevada Department Of Energy conducts tours of the entire test area (no cameras allowed) including the remains of Survival Town, though visitors must be over the age of 14 and pregnant women are advised not to attend – not out of concern for any lingering radioactivity, but due to the long and bumpy bus ride.

(image via: Maison Bisson)

Survival Town, USA… wish you were here?

Amazing and Bizarre Green Art

Here are seven examples of green creativity that involve alternative uses of natural materials. Click Here to See More

What makes us human? With computer and robotics technology improving every day, we’ve already seen room-sized computers shrink to the size of a dime and cold metal has transformed into an increasingly organic aesthetic. With the current trajectory of technological advances, we’re bound to be faced with a situation in the future where the line between humanity and machine becomes blurred. Here are 11 robots in film faced with a crisis of identity. The obstacles faced by these compelling characters force us to analyze our own humanity. Where is the line between man and machine?

Roy Batty (Blade Runner)

(Images via VoyagerOnline, FilmSquish, SciFiCool, SeanAx)

Roy Batty is the leader of a band of four Nexus 6 model replicants – the most sophisticated bioengineered artificial humans yet created. All replicants have a failsafe, a four year lifespan to protect against gaining emotions, and Roy is obsessed with meeting his maker before he dies. The film follows a “blade runner,” a detective who hunts down and kills replicants, as he tracks Roy down and eventually succeeds in killing him. Roy’s desperation and overwhelming desire to discover his origins reflects our search for meaning in our own lives.

Astro Boy (Astro Boy)

(Images via FirstShowing, OberonPlace, chud.com, SMH)

Astro Boy was a robot designed by Doctor Tenma to replace a deceased son. When Doctor Tenma realized Astro Boy would never grow, or experience any of the changes of a human boy, he abandoned him. With his superhuman strength,  the ability to fly, and the ability to translate over 60 languages, Astro Boy’s skills are as varied as the media with which he’s been featured. From manga to movies, Astro Boy’s sad origins and hidden strength have struck a chord with audiences the world over.

Lieutenant Commander Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

(Images via MichaelROConnor, Dr. Mike’s Steak Dinner, FashionFunky, Kindasophical)

As the first, and only, sentient android working in Star Fleet, Lieutenant Commander Data has impressed audiences across seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and four subsequent films. With incredible strength and computational abilities, his logic is in constant battle with his desire to become increasingly human. Data’s attempts to decipher the inconsistent behavior of his human colleagues, and his jilted attempts at impersonating them, are a consistent source of humor. With the addition of an emotion chip Data is able to come closer to humanity than he ever thought possible.

Chip Carson (Not Quite Human)

(Images via SomethingAwful, and RetroJunk)

Dr. Jonas Carson created an android in the form of a 17 year old boy nicknamed “Chip” and adopted him as his own son. Chip struggles to conform to human norms while attending high school, and in so doing, exhibits a more “human” loyalty and honesty than many of the humans around him. Chip’s misadventures were featured in three made for TV movies produced by Disney. The series is filled with the campy humor and awkward situations so common in 1980’s family films.

Daryl (D.A.R.Y.L.)

(Images via Ice Pirate Ship, GeekSix)

D.A.R.Y.L., the story of a “Data-Analysing Robot Youth Lifeform,” comes at us from the 1980’s fascination with emerging technologies. Daryl is found wandering in the road, lacking any memory of who he is or how he got there. Fostered by a nice couple, he soon begins to display superhuman abilities that reveal his true nature. When the Government tracks him down and erases his newly formed memories, the emotions he’d begun to express are initially removed. Daryl’s personality is not easily dissolved and his emotions continue to surface. The military experiment is considered a failure and scientists at the lab help Daryl escape back to his foster family. One of the scientists later justifies aiding Daryl by saying, “General, a machine becomes human … when you can’t tell the difference anymore.”

Ulysses (Making Mr. Right)

(Images via PublisPain, Geebobg, Yum23)

Making Mr. Right is the story of Ulysses, an android created in the image of Jeff Powers, a brilliant and antisocial scientist. Ulysses was designed to go on expeditions deep into space, where a human being would struggle with such lengthy solitude. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Ulysses has the social intuition and emotion that his creator lacks, and Jeff Powers decides to take the trip instead; Ulysses takes over Jeff Power’s life, as he ended up being more “human” than his human creator.

Alsatia Zevo (Toys)

(Images via Aje, Videodetective)

Alsatia Zevo is the eccentric sister of Robin Williams’ character Leslie Zevo, in the film Toys. Alsatia lives inside a gigantic dollhouse and wears unusual clothing that appears fit for a life-size paper doll. The irony of Alsatia’s situation is only made clear after she’s hurt, and revealed to be a machine. Since Alsatia’s true nature is revealed so late in the film, the audience has plenty of time to become emotionally invested in her well-being, and the shock of this discovery throws off one’s conception of humanity. As is often the case in these situations, many of the humans in the film seem to have less of a zest for life than do their robotic counterparts.

Solo (Solo) and Todd (Soldier)

(Images via technovelgy, FreeWebs)

The Science Fiction genre is filled with examples of robots as soldiers, and fiction is equally filled with examples of these soldiers revealing surprising compassion. In the film Solo, Solo is a robotic soldier created to be a killing machine. During his first mission, mistakes in his programming result in the development of a conscience, and he turns the table on his creators by defending the very people he was sent to destroy. Todd, from the film Soldier, is an interesting twist on the genre, as he’s the flip side of the coin: a human brought up from birth to act as nothing but a sociopathic murdering machine. Todd was never shown emotion and has spent an entire lifetime executing commands as if he was a machine, until a unique set of circumstances brings forth an upwelling of humanity.

David (A.I. Artificial Intelligence)

(Images via Chaddiez, SceneStealers, Filmcritic)

Originally created as an emotional replacement to a real son crippled with a debilitating illness, David in Stanley Kubrick’s posthumously released work A.I. Artificial Intelligence, was created to exhibit the same emotional complexity as his human counterparts. David’s design becomes a cruel joke, however, when he’s abandoned by his family and left to fend for himself in a world that sees robots as nothing but tools to be mercilessly used and abused. Kubrick explores the dark side of humanity, and our future, as David becomes frozen and survives in hibernation long enough to see the extinction of the human race.

Sonny (I, Robot)

(Images via EnglishFilms, Calico, CyberPunkReview)

In I, Robot, the film based on Isaac Asimov’s award winning anthology, Sonny does something that should not be possible for a robot: Murder. Sonny and his fellow robots are ostensibly ruled by Asimov’s three rules of robotics, which don’t allow for a robot to harm a human. During the investigation of Sonny’s controversial action, the contradiction between human directives for robots and our own destructive natures is explored at an action-packed pace. Despite the fact that Sonny was the first robot to hurt a human, he risks everything to save humankind from a robotic uprising.

Andrew Martin (Bicentennial Man)

(Images via Our Daily Read, FreeInfoSociety, TheCIA, AllMoviePhoto)

Andrew Martin’s situation is arguably the most compelling example in this collection. Created as a servant and companion for a wealthy family, Robin Williams’ character is given his freedom and spends over one hundred years pursuing the goal of becoming fully human. Andrew falls in love, but is unable to get married because he’s not legally human. In order to fulfill his destiny, he slowly transitions from robotic parts to organic prosthetics, until he is no longer immortal. Andrew is pronounced human as he lies on his deathbed, and his marriage is made legal right before he closes his eyes for the last time. Andrew’s willingness to give up his immortality reveals a deep and unique understanding of what makes life special.

More Unusual And Geek Graffiti

Here are seven more geek graffiti projects that comment on and employ tools of the digital age to reinterpret traditional street art approaches or convey contemporary messages via new media. Click Here to See More