Thomas Barbèy grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, across the street from the “Caran D'ache” factory, the largest manufacturer of art supplies. He started drawing seriously at the age of 13, using black “encre de Chine” and gouaches for color. His influences were Philippe Druillet, Roger Dean and H.R. Giger. After living in Geneva for 17 years and designing posters for musical bands, he decided to move to Italy, where he lived in Milan for 15 years making a living as a successful recording artist, lyricist and fashion photographer.

Located in the Mokattam Mountain in southeastern Cairo, Egypt, the Monastery of Saint Simon or the Cave Church is a beautiful and mystical location. The area is also known under the name of the “garbage city” because of the large population of garbage collectors or Zabbaleen that live here and who are the descendants of farmers who started migrating from Upper Egypt to Cairo in the 1940s.

The largest island, also called Socotra, is about 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies some 240 kilometres (150 mi) east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometres (240 mi) south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through the process of speciation, a third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet. It has been described as the most alien-looking place on Earth. The island measures 132 kilometres (82 mi) in length and 49.7 kilometres (30.9 mi) in width.

«Mignon 2». A.E.G., Berlin, Germany, 1905. Despite its unusual appearance, the Mignon typewriter is of a very clever design, giving a smooth and fast operation for typing. (Photo and caption by Martin Howard/Martin Howard Collection)

Vatnajökull (meaning Glacier of Rivers), also known as the Vatna Glacier, is the largest and most voluminous Icelandic glacier, and one of the largest in area in Europe. It is located in the south-east of the island, covering more than 8 percent of the country.

During dull lectures 19-year-old Jody Steel, from Boston, America, likes to draw on her thigh. Using pen she creates stunning temporary masterpieces – and now her doodles have given her internet fame and job offers from around the world. Even her lecturer is a fan – instead of punishing Jody when she was spotted doodling on her leg in class, the lecturer commissioned her to illustrate a book she was editing.

In 1983, Steve Jobs and his team who were attending a conference in Aspen, decided to bury a capsule that could be opened by future generations or roughly twenty years later. However, they forgot where the capsule was buried and therefore could not follow through with this plan. Recently, National Geographic’s TV Show, “Diggers” inadvertently discovered the capsule.