DUALSHOCKK

Funniest OWNED Photographs Ever Taken - Chill Out Point - Funny images and artwork

2010-04-19T14:33:00.000+05:30

Funniest OWNED Photographs Ever Taken - Chill Out Point - Funny images and artwork

Top 10 Unsolved Mysteries - Listverse

2010-04-19T14:17:00.000+05:30

World’s most Costliest & Expensive Mobile: iPhone 3G S Supreme

2010-02-06T22:31:00.000+05:30

The worlds most expensive and exclusive phone, the iphone 3G S Supreme was unveiled last year. What makes it so special is the number of diamonds filled in it together with the factor of it being solid gold. This iphone is made of 271 grams of 22ct solid gold besides the front bezel being adorned with 136 diamonds totaling 68 carats. The apple logo on the back of the iphone is also in gold and has 53 diamonds in it totaling 1 ct. The home button is itself made of a very rare 7 carat diamond.

This exclusive phone was designed by Stuart Hughes. It even has a special chest with which it is sold. The chest weights 7 kg and is made out of a single block of granite and is filled with top-quality leather.
Now that I have described the phone, the issue is only about the price which costs a whopping 3.2 million dollars being around 16 cores INR. So you have to be a Ambani or Tata or someone in their league to be able to afford this phone.
Just this January another iphone was unveiled by the same designer and this one being the, iphone 3G S Supreme Rose, is slightly more expensive than the above one since this one has a platinum bezel, 18 ct Rose gold and 4 pink diamonds being 2.5 carats each. So this iphone is currently is the most expensive phone.
Link: iPhone 3G S Supreme Official Website

HI-TECH hotels... ( i cant afford even to tip the waiter...LOL..)

2010-02-05T21:45:00.000+05:30

The days when high-tech rooms for hotels meant adding a kettle and alarm clock are long gone, with hotels realizing guests want far more wizardry in their rooms. But now the criteria and things put into new high-tech hotels has totally revolutionized to a significant extent.

Here I have compiled some of the most high tech hotels around the globe. I may have missed out some so please add your suggestions in comment area. Thanks J

Helix Hotel, Abu Dhabi

The Helix Hotel is yet to be built but its hi-tech credentials come in the form of heat and energy conservation with state-of-the-art GROW panels, which harness energy from the sun and wind, to be affixed to the outside of the hotel. There will also be a giant glass wall that will periodically slide open, allowing a fresh sea breeze to blow in.

Hotel Sax, Chicago

There’s the free Wi-Fi, massive wide-screen TVs, and the 6th floor Studio Lounge, free for all guests, where you can relax on big sofas or play Rock Band, Wii games and Guitar Hero. Guests each receive a laptop and Zune MP3 player for use during their stay. The hotel also has tech studios and tech suites.

Hotel 1000, Seattle

Besides innovative plumbing like water pouring from the ceiling to fill the bath, Hotel 1000 also boasts a “silent electronic doorbell” system. Housekeeping staff push a button at your door which sets off an infrared scanner inside your room.

The Peninsula Hotel, Tokyo

The Peninsula takes its tech so seriously that it even has an electronics service department. Rooms have Internet radio boasting 3,000 stations, mood lighting controls, and wireless phones with Skype capability that you can use throughout the hotel. Lastly, there’s a nail polish dryer.

Blow Up Hall, Poznan, Poland

The moment you step inside, you’re a performer in the video being played in the lobby comprising 2,400 tiny images gathered from as many cameras inside the hotel. No keys or door numbers here, just iPhones. Every guest is supplied with an Apple phone which, through recognition tech, you use to gain access to your room.

The Upper House, Hong Kong

All guests at this virtually paperless hotel are supplied with an iPod touch preloaded with games, music and everything you need to know about the hotel and its environs. There’s free and unlimited broadband access.

Mama Shelter, Paris

Once a parking garage, Mama Shelter has a 24-inch iMac in each one of its 172 rooms. The iMac acts as your entertainment center, and there’s free Wi-Fi available too.

Montage, Beverly Hills

A real practical feature for the guys — a fog-free shaving mirror in all bathrooms. The Montage this year became one of the first hotels in the world to receive gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Element Hotels, U.S

Rooms at Element Hotels feature ambient lighting made possible with energy efficient light bulbs, and specially designed, cutting-edge low flow rain showers that minimize water wastage. All rooms have state-of-the-art kitchens and soon guests will be supplied with a Nintendo DS console loaded with Personal Trainer.

Pod Hotel, New York City

Targeted at the younger traveler, New York’s Pod Hotel has an in-house Pod Community Blog, open to those with reservations, that allows guests and guests-to-be to interact, ask questions and exchange information. The hotel is sure to satisfy the tech-hungry budget traveler with its free Wi-Fi, LCD flat screen TVs and iPod docking stations.

expensive accidents !

2010-02-05T21:43:00.002+05:30

Throughout history, humans have always been prone to accidents. Some, such as the exotic car crashes seen on this page, can be very expensive. But that’s trivial compared to the truly expensive accidents. My aim is to list the top 10 most expensive accidents in the history of the world as measured in dollars.

This includes property damage and expenses incurred related to the accident such as cleanup and industry losses. Many of these accidents involve casualties which obviously cannot be measured in dollar terms. Each life lost is priceless and is not factored into the equation.

Chernobyl

On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the costliest accident in history. The Chernobyl disaster made 50% of the area of Ukraine in some way contaminated. The total costs has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion.

Space Shuttle Columbia

The Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed during re-entry over Texas on February 1, 2003. The total cost of the accident came out to $13 Billion according to NASA.

Prestige Oil Spill

On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil in Galicia, Spain. According to a report the total cleanup cost was $12 billion.

Challenger Explosion

The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle 5.5 billion in today’s dollars.

Piper Alpha Oil Rig

This is world’s worst off-shore oil disaster. On July 6, 1988 due to a mistake by a technician Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion in damages.

Exxon Valdez

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to the world’s biggest oil spills. On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the ship’s master. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.

B-2 Bomber Crash

This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system.

Metro Link Crash

On September 12, 2008, 25 people were killed when a Metro link commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles. Wrongful death lawsuits expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metro link.

Tanker Truck vs. Bridge

On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million.

Titanic

The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage . The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today’s dollars).

A.P.P.L.E - the vision beyond future !

2010-02-05T21:41:00.000+05:30

A great wave of excitement is sweeping across all Apple fans as they wait for the official launch of the latest amazing Apple product on 27^th January. Yes, it is the eagerly anticipated Apple Tablet. Some of us may have seen the prototype online, and few will disagree that it is yet another beautiful creation by Apple.

In terms of the design and the aesthetic value of IT wares, there is little dispute that Apple create some of the finest and most creative design for their products that few or no other competitors can match. Over the years, product concept designs by hardcoreApple fans began to surface as Apple started to stand out among its competitors. Although these designs are not going to be marketed as actual products, it reflects the deepest wishes of die-hardApple fans.

So Here I have compiled some of the best, coolest and most creative Apple Futuristic concept designs created by Apple fans around the globe. I am sure that you will appreciate there efforts.

Mac Mini (Slim)

Mac Mini is super-slim concept design of the actual Apple Mac Mini. It has all the features of the original machine but is a lot slimmer. Connect the Mac Mini to an Apple LED displays and you will have a powerful Multimedia computer in-front of you.

Apple iView

iView is concept Mac design with curved display that is made for best orientation with the curvature of a human eye. It has a dual-sided display and 2 web-cams on both sides of the display.

Apple Tribook

The tribook has exactly what the name and the picture suggest, it has three screens. One is the regular laptop-style screen and the other two can be folded to save the space when they are not in use. It is possible that the fordable screens use theApple’s patented transparent screen technology, that way when they are folded.

MacBook Mini

MacBook mini is a smart concept design goes one further to make MacBooks smaller. It features a foldable trackpad which saves up the space when you are not using the keyboard.

Macbook Touch

The MacBook Touch is actually an iPhone concept design with a bigger screen and I/O ports.

Apple TouchBook

This concept may be a reality soon as the rumors are that the two companies, Apple and Verizon, are looking forward to develop a wireless iPhone. The device is expected to be thinner, lighter and much affordable than the iPhone.

iPhone Elite

When Apple was to launch iPhone, a reporter asked Steve Ballmer what he thought about it – He laughed and said, “A Phone without a Keyboard?” If only he could see thisconcept design of iPhone. iPhone Elite has a dual slider mechanism. It has a bigger camera and a full keyboard too.

iEye

The iEye is a concept mobile phone which boasts a shutter button onto the camera making it over iPhone constraints. The phone curbs a glut of features that take in 720p HD video, 5.1-megapixel stills, 12GB of flash memory, and a large-capacity lithium-ion battery hardwired inside.

iPod Shuffle

This concept is a portrayal of an iPod Shuffle wrist wrap dangling and would be found on all the joggers and runaway models on the roads, strapped on their arms. It’s an iPod shuffle with an Mp3 bracelet and a wireless ear piece that might look prettier on arms of girls.

iPhone Nano

The iPhone Nano? It’s a pretty good concept which can be abstracted from the image above. It’s a concept mated from an iPhone 3G and Nano G4.

GREAT DISASTERS...

2010-02-05T21:38:00.002+05:30

Explosions are tricky to measure. For one, what are the criteria? And most data on “blasts from the past” are speculation at best. Explosions, both natural and man-made, have caused awe and terror for centuries. And some even caused the extinction of life from earth.

Here I have compiled some of the most powerful explosions the world has ever seen. I hope you will like it and will find it informative.

Gamma ray bursts

Gamma ray bursts are the most powerful explosions known in the universe. GRB 090423 reached our world even from about 13 billion light-years in 2009. That explosion, which lasted just a little more than a second, released roughly 100 times more energy than our sun will release in its entire 10 billion year lifetime.

Shadow-casting Supernova

The brightest recorded supernova in history was sighted in the constellation Lupus in the spring of 1006. The extraordinary golden explosion now known as SN 1006 took place roughly 7,100 light years away in a fairly nearby part of the galaxy, and was bright enough to cast shadows and read by at night, remaining visible for months in the daytime.

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

The comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided spectacularly with Jupiter in 1994. The giant planet’s gravitational pull ripped the comet apart into fragments up to 1.8 miles wide, and they struck at 37 miles per second, resulting in 21 visible impacts. It was estimated to have exploded with the force of 6,000 gigatons of TNT.

The K-T Extinction Impact Event

The Age of Dinosaurs ended in a cataclysm roughly 65 million years ago that killed off roughly half of all species on the planet. It is thought to have been by a cosmic impact vast crater roughly 110 miles (wide at Chicxulub on the coast of Mexico may be the blast site.

Mount Tambora

In 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia exploded with the force of roughly 1,000 megatons of TNT, the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. The blast hurled out roughly 140 billion tons of magma and not only killed more than 71,000 people on the island of Sumbaw. The picture is not of mount Tambora but just a depiction of it.

Tunguska

The mysterious explosion near the Tunguska River in 1908 flattened some 500,000 acres of Siberian forest. Scientists think the blast was caused by a cosmic impact from an asteroid or comet perhaps 65 feet in diameter and 185,000 metric tons in mass. The resulting explosion could have been roughly as strong as four megatons of TNT.

The Trinity Blast

The first atom bomb in history, dubbed “the gadget,” was detonated at the Trinity Site near Alamogordo, N.M., in 1945, exploding with a force of roughly 20 kilotons of TNT.

Chernobyl

In 1986, a nuclear reactor exploded at Chernobyl in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. It was the worst nuclear accident in history. The blast, which blew the 2,000-ton lid off the reactor, sent out 400 times more radioactive fallout than the Hiroshima bomb, contaminating more than 77,000 square miles of Europe.

The Halifax Explosion

In 1917, a French cargo ship fully loaded with explosives for World War I accidentally collided with a Belgian vessel in the harbor of Halifax, Canada. It exploded with more force than any man-made explosion before it, equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT.

The Texas City Disaster

A fire onboard the cargo ship SS Grandcamp docked at Texas City in 1947 detonated 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate, a compound used in fertilizers and high explosives. The explosion blew two planes out of the sky and triggered a chain reaction that detonated nearby refineries as well as a neighboring cargo ship carrying another 1,000 tons of ammonium nitrate.

strangest stadiums...must see

2010-02-05T21:34:00.001+05:30

5 Strange Stadiums Around the World

January 25, 2010

Sample Housing Showground Stadium in Japan
Osaka Stadium was a stadium in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan. It was primarily used for baseball and was home of the Nankai Hawks until they moved to the Heiwadai Stadium in 1988.
TheOsaka stadium was abandoned for baseball and soon converted to sample housing showground. The stadium was demolished in 1998 and and shopping center is build on that location.link

Eco-Stadium – The Stadium without concrete

Here’s the funniest stadium ever, Eco-Stadium Janguito Malucelli, in Curitiba, Brazil. Became famous for being the first “green stage” of Brazil, his main stand was built with chairs placed on top of a hill, without the use of concrete. Therefore, the stage is also called Eco-Stadium.

The stadium carved out of a mountainside

Estádio Municipal de Braga (English: Braga Municipal Stadium) is a football stadium in Braga, Portugal
The stadium was carved off a quarry (Monte Castro) that overlooks the city of Braga. Stands run only along both sides of the pitch. Behind the goal at one end are the rock walls of the quarry and at the other is an open view over the city sprawling in the distance. Each stand is covered with a canopy-style roof, and both are connected to each other across the pitch by dozens of steel strings, a design inspired by ancient South American Inca bridges.
The enormous rock moving process contributed heavily to the final €83.1 million cost, more than any other of the ten new stadiums built for Euro 2004.
The stadium is often considered one of the most original and beautiful stadiums in the world

The Stadium next to the Sea

Vesturi á Eiðinum Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Vágur, Faroe Islands. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of VB Vágur. The stadium holds 3,000 people.
There’s also a guy in a boat that collects the balls that fall into the sea during a match link

The Stadium that Defy Gravity

We don’t have additional info about this “Stadium”,but gravity is not a best friend of players on this team. If you have any information about this “stadium”, please leave a message.

How to Operate Mouse Pointer Without Mouse (Magic) - lol

2010-02-03T13:21:00.003+05:30

You have Mouse Problem ?? No Problem

I will give you suggestion

Press Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock Button + Ok

with the help of Numeric Keypad e.g ( Press and Hold the following Keys )

For Normal Click Press 5

Default
Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock

GO THE SHORTCUT WAY (windows shortcut keys)

2010-02-03T13:15:00.000+05:30

Microsoft Windows Shortcut Keys

This is a listing of some common shortcut keys in different versions Microsoft Windows.
Some shortcut keys are not supported in all versions of Windows. You can identify which versions of Windows support which keys from the listing below. These shortcut keys only apply for Windows in general, if you are looking for shortcut keys for a specific application (i.e. Excel, Word, etc..) please see the links at the bottom of this page.

Use this trick at your own risk.

Shortcut Keys	3.x	95	98	ME	NT	2000	XP	Vista	Description
Alt + Tab	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Switch between open applications.
Alt + Shift + Tab	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Switch backwards between open applications.
Alt + double-click		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Display the properties of the object you double-click on.
Ctrl + Tab	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	With an application that has multiple sub tabs/document windows, this switch between tabs
Ctrl + Shift + Tab	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Same as above but backwards.
Alt + Print Screen	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Create a screen shot (image in clipboard) only for the active screen/program.
Print Screen	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Create a screen shot (image in clipboard) for your entire desktop.
Ctrl + Alt + Del	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Reboot the computer and/or bring up the Windows task manager.
Ctrl + Esc	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Bring up the Windows Start menu. In Windows 3.x this brings up the Task Manager.
Alt + Esc		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Switch Between open applications on taskbar.
F1	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Activates help for current open application.
F2	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Renames selected Icon.
F3		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Starts find from desktop.
F4		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Opens the drive selection when browsing or pull the list of drive selections
F5		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Refresh.
F10	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Activates menu bar.
Shift + F10		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Simulates right-click on selected item.
Alt + F4	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Closes Current open program.
Ctrl + F4	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Closes Window in Program.
F6		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Move cursor to different Windows Explorer panel.
Ctrl + Space bar	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Drops down the window control menu.
Ctrl + (the '+' key on the keypad)			X	X	X	X	X	X	Automatically adjust the widths of all the columns in Windows explorer
Alt + Enter		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Opens properties window of selected icon or program.
Shift + Del		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Permanent Delete - Delete programs/files without throwing them into the recycle bin.
Holding Shift at Startup	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Boot safe mode or by pass system files as the computer is booting.
Holding Shift		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	When putting in an audio CD, will prevent CD Player from playing.
Enter	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Activates the highlighted program.
Alt + Down arrow		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Display all available options on drop down menu.
* (on the keypad)		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Expands all folders on the currently selected folder or drive in Windows Explorer.
+ (on the keypad)		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Expands only the currently selected folder in Windows Explorer.
- (on the keypad)		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	Collapses the currently selected folder in Windows Explorer.

Most of keyboards now have a Windows Key (key with a Windows icon). This key provides additional shortcuts on Microsoft Windows. Below is a listing of the shortcut keys by combining the Windows key and another key.

Shortcut	Description
WINKEY	Pressing the Windows key alone will open Start.
WINKEY + F1	Opens the Microsoft Windows help and support center.
WINKEY + F3	Opens the Advanced find window in Microsoft Outlook.
WINKEY + D	Brings the desktop to the top of all other windows.
WINKEY + M	Minimizes all windows.
WINKEY + SHIFT + M	Undo the minimize done by WINKEY + M and WINKEY + D.
WINKEY + E	Open Microsoft Explorer.
WINKEY + Tab	Cycle through open programs through the taskbar.
WINKEY + F	Display the Windows Search / Find feature.
WINKEY + CTRL + F	Display the search for computers window.
WINKEY + F1	Display the Microsoft Windows help.
WINKEY + R	Open the run window.
WINKEY + Pause / Break key	Open the system properties window.
WINKEY + U	Open Utility Manager.
WINKEY + L	Lock the computer (Windows XP and above only).

USE THE SHORTCUT KEYS AND SAVE SOME TIME FOR EATING THE DONUTS !!!

HIDE UR DRIVE :P

2010-02-03T13:11:00.000+05:30

To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:
1.Open RegEdit
2.Go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer
3.Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives
4.Give it a value of 3FFFFFF
5.Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show.

BOOT UR PC IN A SEC !!!

2010-02-03T13:07:00.000+05:30

Does your Computer takes a lot of time to start? Well,if the Answer is Yes then this is really gonna help you out. So Let Me Tell You How To Speed Up The Boot Process of Windows Xp...

1. Open Notepad then Copy/Paste the following code in it.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters]

EnablePrefetcher�=dword:00000003

2. Then save the notepad file with any name but make sure to rename its extension .REG ,Finally double click on the file and then click Yes.

10 Coolest Pillow Designs

2009-11-19T06:56:00.002+05:30

1 - "Cocaine-chic" pillow

CarteBlanche is the brain child of French Designers Jean-Philippe and Gaston Valeur- a “new luxury products company pioneering cocaine-chic couture”.
This opens up a whole new line of pharma merch - think of it the way beer brands advertise on billiard lamps and neon signage - can’t you see doc’s offices and hip loungey bars with crazy pill filled PILLows?

2 - Boyfriend Pillow

The Boyfriend Body Pillow for the lonely girl or SF city boy, costs only $40 and doesn’t fart!

Wrap yourself up in the Boyfriend Body Pillow. The Boyfriend Pillow is a soft and pleasurable body pillow that resembles the torso of a big strong man with a comforting arm that cuddles you.Feel his safe and warm embrace while comfortably resting on his chest. This fun and cozy snuggle pillow is great for people whose partner is away on military leave or work absence. Singles who wants to feel the touch of a man without actually having to have one love it too..

3 - iSleep pillow

While catching up for piled-up work using your laptop, you’ll barely have much time for a break. How you wish that you could just use your laptop as pillow and take a quick nap on your desk.
iSleep pillow makes it possible. You just need to attach iSleep pillow to your laptop’s exhaust vent and it’ll make use of the warm air to inflate and heat itself up to form a warm pillow for the cold winter nights.Unfortunately, iSleep still remains as a concept that was designed by Ivonne Dippmann.

4 - Pillow Design That Looks Like Rock Avalanche

The Livingstones come in sizes ranging from 6.1 inches to 6.6 feet, all with the right, natural-looking proportions

5 - Blood Puddle pillows

The blood puddle pillow is the ideal way to start your Halloween morning.
Designed to look like a splattered puddle of blood under your head. In the images it looks pretty realistic and could be a really cruel joke to pull on your family

6 - Lap pillow

Shaped like the legs of a kneeling woman in a short skirt, this Japanese pillow is described as "a comfy cushion for napping, reading or watching television."

7 - Horse head pillow

This Godfather-inspired pillow will make anyone a offer they can't refuse.

8 - Nintendo Controller pillows

A nice retro rest for your favourite geek gamer, at least until someone makes a plush Wii.

9 - Pillow Cases for singles

Cecilia Lundgren is talented designer from Halmstad.. One of her latest creations is a series of hand made pillow cases for lonely singles: brilliant concept and stylish design.

10 - Scrabble pillow

Great concept and the original designer built couches that looked like tile holders. Still, a lousy word score.

Another 14 Spectacular Light graffiti

2009-11-19T06:52:00.002+05:30

Vicki DaSilva has been creating light graffiti and light painting photographs since 1980.
Though based in Pennsylvania, much of DaSilva’s work was influenced by the time she spent in NYC during the rise of graffiti and hip-hop culture.
Her current series that is a work in progress, Light Tartans, needed a site that would facilitate an intersection to create a plaid by crisscrossing the lamps running along the track system. That site is a cornered wall of a park’s soccer field. The 100-foot track is propped up on the wall and moved along repetitiously along either side. The wall is 10 feet high.

Spectacular 3D Street Art

2009-11-19T06:46:00.002+05:30

Anamorphosis is a distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point to reconstitute the image. "Ana - morphosis" comes from the Greek words meaning "formed again."
The best part of this artwork, nevertheless, is the viewer’s ability to interact with the pieces. They become a living part of a well-designed illusion. An illusion that still makes me look twice and gives respect to modern artistes.

10 most unusual mirrors

2009-11-15T04:36:00.000+05:30

Razorblade Mirror

A nice piece of design from Suck UK, the Razorblade Mirror is based on the shape of a typical razorblade. Designed by Phil Sims and ideal for a novelty shaving mirror or just an interesting decoration for your living room wall, it's even got the name of the most famous razorblade-user of all on the front - Sweeney Todd. Razor Blade Mirror is selling for £74.99. The price is pretty high for a mirror. So, make sure you are not buying this mirror only for just a “mirror”!

(Link)

Narcisse Mirror

French design brand Domestic has launched a collection of mirrors by various designers including Matali Crasset, 5.5 Designers and Ich&Ka. According to their website, Narcisse is a collection of artists' mirrors, in which other than the qualities linked to its reflective functions, the key aspect of the mirror resides generally in the quality, design and workmanship of its frame. (Link)

Ironing Board Mirror

An interesting concept by designer Aïssa Logerot, this innovative mirror can be used as ironing board when it's tilted and secured on horizontal position. According to the designer, "this object is a link between two consecutive actions: iron clothes and dress up." (Link)

How Tall Are You Mirror

Are you mini like Kylie? Or a mountain like Hulk Hogan? Measuring your height with numbers is so last decade, we all gauge our heights by celebrity now darling. This tongue-in-cheek mirror lists 120 celebrities by height and guarantees to have people loitering in front of it trying to make themselves more James Dean instead of Ben Stiller. (Link)

Touch Screen MP3 Mirror

No longer is a mirror just a mirror – Stocco Maitre mirror has a touch screen console in the lower-right corner, offering easy programming and operation of radio, date, barometer, and an MP3 player so you can sing your heart out in the shower or while dressing out! (Link)

Interactive Mirror

Conceptualized by Alpay Kasal, this is a patent pending touch capable mirror. The interactive mirror features proximity sensors, gesturing, and both nearfield and farfield infrared.

Interactive Mirror from Alpay Kasal on Vimeo.
(Link)

Tetris Mirror

UK product designer Soner Ozenc's Tetris Mirror is comprised of thirteen interlocking mirrored acrylic panels, which can be arranged on your wall to form a rectangle, or broken apart into their individual puzzle blocks. Hopefully, these pieces won't fall down at the same speed they do in the classic arcade game or you'll have more than a few years of bad luck on your hands. (Link)

Eclipse Mirror

Bodo Sperlein has designed a mirror using not one branded material but two: Corian and Swarovski crystals. (Link)

Weave Mirror

The Weave Mirror uses 768 individual strips which are woven together into a grid. As passersby walk in front of the work, motors adjust the woven strips to change the greyscale intensity of that particular X/Y coordinate on the grid. When you step back, it forms the illusion of a real-time mirror. Design by the artist Daniel Rozin's.

(Link)

Skull Mirror

Especial for Halloween.. Scary!!! (Link)

Reader Contributions

		wooden mirror by mollio on Today 11/14/2009 this mirror is filled with tiny cameras that tell the hundreds of blocks in the matrix to imput of t(...) (Source)

		Ghost Mirror by Olivier Sidet by Mars on Today 11/14/2009 This awesome ?Ghost Mirror? was designed by Olivier Sidet. In this mirror, the observer can see the (...)

10 gr8est jobs

2009-11-15T04:34:00.001+05:30

Paradise island caretaker

Ben Southall, 34, of Petersfield, beat out nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef, while writing a blog to promote the area. He was selected for the $111,000 gig - a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island. He now has to live rent-free in a three-bedroom villa, complete with pool.

Before getting the job he had to spend four days on the island for an extended interview process, which required applicants to snorkel through crystalline waters, gorge themselves at a beachside barbecue and relax at a spa. He also had to demonstrate his blogging abilities, take swimming tests and sit through in-person interviews.

(Link)

Luxury bed tester

A student from Birmingham City University has landed her dream job...literally! Sleeping on the job and having a lie-in will no longer be a problem for a girl, who has been selected to test out luxury beds for a month and get paid for it.

Roisin Madigan, 22, is earning £1,000 to sleep in designer beds every day for a month. The student is helping with a "sleep survey" carried out by luxury bed specialists Simon Horn Ltd. The company sells luxury Savoir Beds, originally made for the Savoy Hotel. General manager Craig Roylance said Roisin will not only provide an objective view of the beds on sale, but will also be part of a look into what brings a good night's sleep. She will spend 10am to 6pm in beds in the company's showroom in Edgbaston, and then will blog about her experiences. (Link | Photo)

Resort waterslide tester

Surely the envy of any desk-bound office worker, Tommy Lynch has travelled over 27,000 miles this year for his job, testing holiday resort waterslides. Mr Lynch, 29, works for holiday giant First Choice, checking the height, speed, water quantity and landing of the flumes, as well as all safety aspects. In 2008 Mr Lynch tested waterslides at holiday villages in Lanzarote, Majorca, Egypt, Turkey, Costa Del Sol, Cyprus, Algarve, Dominican Republic and Mexico. This year he will quality control First Choice's new splash resorts in Greece, Turkey, Florida, Jamaica and Ibiza.

Liverpool-born Mr Lynch, whose job title is lifestyle product development manager, was recruited to identify the very best pools to be featured in First Choice's new Splash Resort collection. He also ensures potential new resorts are up to the company's standard. (Link)

Professional prostitute tester

Jaime Rascone is no different than the rest of us in that the erstwhile DJ needs to grab the occasional odd job to make ends meet. But the Chilean lothario has beat all of us by holding the type of fantasy job that just sounds too good to be true: Quality Control in a brothel.
Rascone, an occasional male model and DJ, first happened upon Fiorella Companions in Santiago, Chile while working on a story about the country's sexual revolution. He was offered the gig by Madam Fiorella, who needed somebody to provide that final “interview” in her hiring process. It goes like this: girls who are interested in working as VIP escorts for Fiorella have to undergo interviews, psychological testing, and a photo session. The applicants are whittled down to a final six, who are then fucked one after the other in a single day by Jaime. He takes diligent notes on, say, how they moved their hips and whether their groans were adequate, and makes recommendations to the madam. There is even paperwork involved. The strain of the job is actually such that he can only do it once a month, testing around seventy girls or so a year. (Link 1 | Link 2)

Wine tester and blogger

Imagine moving to the heart of Sonoma County, where every day you'll come home to more than 450 wineries along the beautiful northern coast of California. Picture living rent free, learning the intricacies of making the perfect wine, and capturing and sharing the entire experience for your network of Twitter followers. Now imagine getting paid $10,000 a month to do it. Listening? Hardy Wallace of Atlanta, the first person to submit his application, was the winner for the position at Murphy-Goode Winery— a $10,000 p/mo for six months, rent-free job updating Twitter and Facebook with his winery lifestream. The interview process was simple: submit a YouTube video explaining why you would be good for the job and wait to see what happens.

(Link 1 | Link 2)

Candy taster

Another one of the world's best job has gone to schoolboy Harry Willsher, 12, chief taster in a sweet factory. Harry's job is to test top secret recipes. He got the job after winning a contest at Swizzell's Matlow to find a recruit. According to him, after his first tour at his new job, he felt like having tepped into the book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. He wowed judges by describing the flavor and smell of his favourite sweet, the Drumstick lolly. The Derby firm, which also makes Love Hearts, Rainbow Drops and Parma Violets, has now given the youngster chief taster overalls and business cards. As well as sampling the sweets, he will also monitor their development at the company's factory in New Mills, Derbyshire. I don't know if it's the best job, but it's definitely the sweetest. (Link 1 | Link 2)

Condom tester

An Australian manufacturer called for applications for what it claims could be the world's best job - condom tester. Durex marketing manager Sam White was hiring Australians over the age of 18 who could apply for one of 200 positions as a condom tester. Unfortunately the position is not paid, but successful applicants would receive a free $60 selection of Durex products and will be required to provide the company with honest feedback about the products' performance. One of the lucky 200 testers would win a $1000 bonus. Maybe the bonus is not that great, but one thing's for sure - it's a job where employees won't mind taking their work home and burning the midnight oil. We are sorry to inform you applications are closed. (Link 1 | Link 2)

World of Warcraft Tester

Do you Play World of Warcraft? And if so, do you play well? Can you farm 200 gold an hour and hit level 80 in under 2 weeks? If the answer is yes, you can apply for the job that about 12 million players only dream about, as a Wow game tester! There are in fact several Blizzard jobs posted on their website. The Blizzard employment database has dozens of mmorpg jobs available, mostly WoW employment opportunities. They are currently hiring for several game tester positions for World of Warcraft, under the QA department. They are in particular looking for foreign language testers, so if you speak any other language besides English, don't hesitate to apply to start your Blizzard career. And, yeah, you will be required to play at least four hours a day. (Link 1 | Link 2)

Director of Fun at a museum (age 6)

A six-year-old boy who wanted to become the director of York's National Railway Museum landed himself a job - as the director of fun. The ambitious youngster got a plum role at the National Railway Museum after applying to replace retiring boss Andrew Scott. Sam Pointon sent a handwritten letter headed "Application for director" asking for an interview at the centre, in York. The letter listed his credentials for the role, including his expertise on his train set. "I am only six but I think I can do this job," wrote Sam. "I have an electrick (sic) train track. I am good on my train track. I can control two trains at once." Staff was so impressed they appointed Sam an honorary "Director of Fun" and his job will be to bosses how he thinks they can ensure the museum is the most fun place for kids to spend a day out.

Ok, maybe this isn't the best job in the world for an adult, but it certainly rocks the world of a 6 year old. (Link)

Bike rider-photographer for Google Maps

Google (GOOG) has hired two lucky young men to ride around France on dopey looking tricycles snapping up photos of historical sites that are inaccessible by car. This three-wheeler is a sight with its long pole holding nine cameras, a GPS, a computer and a generator. But the contraption tooling around the French capital needs all that gear to do its job – adding three-dimensional images to Google's Street View Maps.

The riders, wearing Google tee-shirts and white helmets, are visiting well-known sites such as the Chateau de Versailles, west of Paris, the Jardin du Luxembourg on the city's Left Bank or Les Halles, in the busy centre of the French capital. (Link)

the world in lego

2009-11-15T04:29:00.000+05:30

All images courtesy of Ajari unless otherwise noted
To rebuild buildings, places and objects in Lego has become so commonplace that it takes a unifying theme to put a method to the brick madness. For us at Environmental Graffiti, what could be better than to highlight the beauty of selected UNESCO World Heritage Sites? We’ve picked ten incredible Lego equivalents.
Japan has already had two “Piece of Peace – World Heritage Exhibit Built with Lego” events – one in January 2006 and one in March 2008. Both sponsored exhibitions were charity events with ticket proceeds and souvenir sales benefiting UNESCO. Both times, the creations were built with the assistance of Japanese LEGO Master Builder Kazuyoshi Naoe. Here are our ten in alphabetical order.

Acropolis, Athens, Greece

The term acropolis, Greek for “Highest City”, is usually equated with the Acropolis of Athens, a temple complex about three hectares in size, built on a flat-topped rock. Though the area was used for settlements as early as the 6th millennium BCE, the current ruins date from the 5th century BC. The Acropolis was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.
The Acropolis with one lonely Lego tourist:

Great Sphinx and Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt

Just as the Acropolis in Athens came to symbolise all acropoleis, so does the Great Pyramid in Giza come to mind when thinking of pyramids in general. Given its size, it took only about 20 years to build – how exactly is still unclear – and was finished around 2540 BCE. For a good 3,800 years, it was the world’s tallest man-made structure. If that’s impressive, consider this: to date, it is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that’s still intact.
The Great Pyramid of Giza with the Sphinx in the foreground:

As determined by its role as a temple guardian, the Great Sphinx of Giza can be found close to the Great Pyramid, most likely created in the third millennium BCE. A lion with a human head, this mythological figure goes back to ancient Egypt and Greece, but similar creatures are also known in South and Southeast Asia. At 73.5 m (240 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide and 20 m (66 ft) high, it is the world’s largest monolithic statue.
Not quite as frightening in Lego, or is it?

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

The Tower of Pisa is a free-standing bell tower whose construction started in 1173. Right from the beginning, the tower started to lean to the southeast because of a shoddily laid foundation and loose soil. The highest side of the tower measures almost 57 m (186 ft). Today, lead counterweights have been put on the opposite site to halt the tower’s incline. Together with the neighbouring cathedral, the tower was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa with visitors in the background:

Moai, Easter Island

The small island of Rapa Nui, later called Easter Island, pretty much in the middle of nowhere in the southeastern Pacific, was once the site of hundreds of humongous human figures carved from rock. Not much is known about these moai – only that they were created between 1250 and 1500 – but how and why still largely remains a mystery. One thing is carving these heavyweights: the tallest moai was almost 10 m (33 ft) high and weighed 75 tons – but how could the few islanders erect the statues in those times? The Rapa Nui National Park and the moai have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 1994.
Brick-faced and colourful in Lego:

Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, London, UK

The Palace of Westminster, a.k.a. the Houses of Parliament, lies on the north bank of the Thames and houses about 1,100 rooms and 5 km (3 miles!) of corridors. Good that not all parts are open to visitors as a full visit might take days. A Palace of Westminster has existed in this location since the Middle Ages but was rebuilt and remodelled frequently due to many devastating fires.
Even nicer in bright yellow – the Palace of Westminster:

Big Ben is the nickname for the palace’s bell tower at the northern end. Apart from being one of London’s most famous sites, Big Ben holds two records: It has the largest four-faced chiming clock and is the third tallest free-standing clock tower in the world. Together with the Palace of Westminster, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
The amazing Lego replica of Big Ben:

Red Square, Moscow, Russia

The Red Square is not only Moscow’s most famous centre but the most famous in the whole of Russia. Its most striking building is Saint Basil’s Cathedral, officially called the “Cathedral of Intercession of Theotokos on the Moat.” The Russian Orthodox cathedral was built between 1555 and 1561 and was declared a World Heritage Site together with the Kremlin and the Red Square in 1990.
Only bright Lego bricks can do justice to St. Basil’s colourful onion domes:

Here a close-up:

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

The Sagrade Familia is a privately-funded building project that was started in 1882 according to plans by architect Antoni Gaudi. The enormous Roman Catholic church whose full name is “Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family” will be completed at the earliest in 2026.
This hasn’t deterred the public, which views the church as one of Barcelona’s main attractions. After all, Gaudi devoted the last 15 years of his life to this project. Most striking are the 18 spindle-shaped towers, all rife with Christian symbolism, and in general the amount of detail devoted to each part of the church.
Seen from afar, pictures of the “real” Sagrada Familia and its Lego replica look so similar that one might mix up the two:

An amazing detail of the Sagrada Familia:

What do you think, made of Lego or not?

Image: Jullag

Statue of Liberty, New York, USA

What Big Ben is to London, the Statue of Liberty is to New York – one of its most famous landmarks. Few know though that Lady Liberty is also a functioning lighthouse that has helped many a ship navigate the dark waters of New York harbour. Admittedly this was more so in olden times but it still functioning today.
The Statue of Liberty standing tall in all her brick glory:

Visitors to the statue have to take a ferry ride out to the star-shaped island that Lady Liberty stands on and can – depending on what state the old girl is in – visit the visitors’ platform, take a peek down from the crown or walk up to the torch (don’t even think about this if you’re claustrophobic).
A close-up, making her look quite stoic:

Lady Liberty or Liberty Enlightening the World, the lady’s allegorical name, carries the Declaration of Independence in her right hand. It was a gift from France to the United States in 1886 to cement the budding friendship of the two countries that developed during the American Revolution. Since 1984, it’s been a World Heritage Site.

Swayambunath Complex, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

The whole Kathmandu Valley in Nepal has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1973. The area bears witness to ancient Asian civilisations of which more than 130 remain today, many important pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists.
Swayambhunath Stupa with the Buddha’s eyes and eyebrows:

One such incredible monument is the Swayambhunath religious complex, also called Monkey Temple because holy monkeys live in parts of it. It is one of Nepal’s oldest sites, dating back to the early 5th century CE. The eye-catching dome at the base is supposed to represent the whole world.

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Last but not least, the Taj Mahal. Nothing could really do justice to this most splendid and famous of all mausoleums, but this Lego model comes quite close. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built from 1632 to 1653 for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The best artisans worked on the building, using only the best materials, and combining Persian, Indian and Islamic architectural styles. The Taj Mahal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
The Taj Mahal, much more sprawling in real life:

And a close-up of this brick beauty:

Whoever’s been missing the Lego specs in this blog – how many bricks were used, how long it takes to rebuild a site in Lego – will have to be patient, until either we learn Japanese or someone digs up this information in English… any links appreciated!
Leaves us to point to the 2006 and 2008 mottos – “It takes a lot of pieces to build peace” and “Pieces of peace – the more, the better.” We couldn’t agree more. Just imagine all the world leaders had to out-build each other or defeat each other in Lego battles only; these would indeed be peaceful times.
With special thanks to Ajari for sharing his great collection of photographs from Piece of Peace 2008!

15 Unfortunately Placed Ads

2009-11-15T04:26:00.002+05:30

Advertising can be creative and even purposely funny. But sometimes, an ad on a bad place can have unexpected results! Here is a list of 15 unfortunately Placed Ads.

Ad on the bus reads: "If you don't have GIO Third Party Property Insurance, we suggest you don't hit this bus"

12 Amazingly Tiny Pieces of Art

2009-11-15T04:22:00.002+05:30

"Little People" is a fantastic street art project by artist Slinkachu, where photos are taken of tiny figures that are placed in public locations throughout London. This one is called "Overpowered." (Link)

Willard Wigan is the creator of some of the world's smallest sculptures. The above scene is situated inside a sewing needle, it's a tribute to the Obama Family. Wigan takes months to complete a piece and works between heartbeats to avoid hand tremors. He uses a tiny surgical blade to carve his figures out of gold and grains of sand which are then mounted on pinheads. He uses a hair plucked from a dead fly to paint them (the fly has to have died from natural causes, as he refuses to kill them for his art). (Link 1 | Link 2)

Toothpick artist Steven Backman has carved this miniature replica of San Francisco's landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge. Measuring 1 7/8”(L) x 1/8”(W) x 3/4”(H), it was sculpted from one single toothpick and glue. (Link 1 | Link 2)

Online beauty site, FeelUnique commissioned artist Willard Wigan to create the world's first ever lipstick sculptures – of Brad and Angelina! The lippies, measuring 4mm by 9mm took over 50 hours to sculpt and will be auctioned off on the FeelUnique site, with all proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Campaign. (Link)

Who says you can't put a camel through the eye of a needle? Russian miniaturist Nikolai Aldunin has fit seven through this one. The artist works between the beats of his heart, in order to keep his hands perfectly still. He creates works of art so tiny that a microscope is needed to see them. (Link)

A team of Japanese engineers created the smallest statue ever. A three-dimensional bull the size of a red blood cell has been etched in plastic by engineers at Osaka University in Japan. Measuring only 10 by 7 micrometers -- one micrometer is one-thousandth of a millimeter -- the bull is the smallest truly three-dimensional sculpture ever created. (Link)

This pin-head sized replica of the Lloyd's of London building, by Willard Wigan, has been sold for £94,000 at auction. The work, which took four months to be created using white gold and platinum, is no larger than a granule of sugar and must be viewed through a microscope. (Link)

Also by artist Steven Backman, this is a miniature replica of the Empire State Building. (Link)

Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo diligently carved hundreds of miniature ice figures as part of a recent installation for WWF, only to watch them slowly melt in the heat of the day. As the sun beat down on the tiny sculptures they stooped and slumped, lending an ephemeral quality to the already very cool installation. (Link 1 | Link 2)

Incredible Hulk, also by artist Willard Wigan. (Link)

Another sample of "Little People" at the Fame Festival in Grottaglie, Italy. (Link)

Tiny chalk sculptures by Thomas Jacob. (Link)

Reader Contributions

		pinhead painting by Peter Weiss on 10/26/2009 Painting of the last super on the head of a pin (Source)

		Match sticks carving by Sebastián Silva on 10/8/2009 The chilean sculptor Cristián Hernandez has made a career out of creating classic sculpture the size(...) (Source

10 Breathtaking Bridges Around the World

2009-11-15T04:18:00.000+05:30

1 - Magdeburg Water Bridge

The Germans took over a century to build this water bridge. The 918-metre Magdeburg Water Bridge, is a navigable aqueduct water bridge in Germany, completed in October 2003. It bridges the River Elbe to connect two important German shipping canals; the
Elbe-Havel Canal and the Midland Canal.
Plans for joining the two canals had been conceived as far back as 1919, and construction on such a project began during the 1930s,but first World War II and then the post-war division of Germany put the project on hold until after German reunification was achieved in the 1990s
The bridge site is open to visitors and includes a parking lot, bicycle and pedestrian paths and informational signs detailing the history and construction of the bridge. The bridge itself is located outside of Hohenwarthe near the city of Magdeburg and is known locally as the Wasserstrassenkreuz Magdeburg

2 - Seoul's Banpo Bridge Turns into Gigantic Fountain

The Banpo Bridge which crosses over the Han River in the Seoul capital of Korea has been given new life with the addition of a very interesting fountain, that was specially designed to attract more tourists.
The fountains at the Banpo Bridge were installed on September ninth and have since become a major tourist attraction.The bridge has turned into a major tourist attraction. It has nearly 10 thousand nozzles ( more exactly 9, 380 ) on either side of the bridge that shoots out 190 tons of water every minute. According to the Seoul mayor, Oh Se-Hoon, the fountain bridge would help acknowledge Seoul as an eco-friendly destination amassing more tourists.

3 - Aiola Island Bridge

A cool bar located on a river. Aiola Island, located right in the center of the Mur River in Graz, Austria, was built in 2003, and immediately developed itself as a popular attraction. The ‘island’ was created by the New York artist Vito Acconci. It has a sunbathing area, a trendy bar and a coffee house, plus it allows you to cross the Mur River from one shore to another.

4 - Gateshead Millennium Bridge

The award winning $44 million Gateshead Millennium Bridge is the first and only tilting bridge in the world. Hydraulic rams at each end of the bridge allow it to tilt so small ships may pass through, and it is this innovative technology which won its designers the prestigious Stirling Prize for architecture in 2002. Thanks to the 19,000 tonnes of concrete poured into 98ft deep foundations and enough steel to build 64 double decker buses, the bridge can withstand a collision with a 4,000 tonne ship moving at 4 knots.

5 - The Falkirk Wheel

The Millennium Link was an ambitious £84.5m project with the objective of restoring navigability across Scotland on the historic Forth & Clyde Canal and Union Canal, providing a corridor of regenerative activity through central Scotland.
A major challenge faced, was to link the Forth and Clyde Canal, which lay 35m (115ft) below the level of the Union Canal. Historically, the two canals had been joined at Falkirk by a flight of 11 locks that stepped down across a distance of 1.5km, but these has been dismantled in 1933, breaking the link.
What was required was a method of connecting these two canals by way of a boat lift. British Waterways were keen to present a visionary solution taking full advantage of the opportunity to create a truly spectacular and fitting structure that would suitably commemorate the Millennium and act as an iconic symbol for years to come.
The resultant, perfectly balanced structure that is The Falkirk Wheel, the world’s first and only rotating boat lift.

6 - Henderson Waves Bridge

At a height of 36 metres or 12 storeys from the road, it's the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. The 300-metre bridge links up the parks at Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill.
The bridge has a unique wave-form made up of seven undulating curved steel "ribs" that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved "ribs" form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within and also to accommodate large number of people during public events.
During the day, one can enjoy the habour views while standing on the 12-storey high bridge.At night, the wave-forms will be lit with attractive LED light from 7pm to 2am daily, giving the bridge an illuminative glow, offering beautiful night scenic view of the city.

7 - Tianjin Eye Bridge

The Tianjin Eye,is a gigantic ferris wheel constructed on Yongle Bridge over the Haihe River.
The 110 meter diameter ferris wheel will lift people 120 meters up into the air, as high as one 35-storey building, and promise a grand view of around 40 square kilometers over the surrounding city.
There are 48 capsules on the ferris wheel, each of them carrying up to 8 people at a time, giving a capacity of 768 passengers per hour. It takes half an hour for this slow-rotating observation wheel to complete a full circle.

8 - The Malaysia Sky Bridge

It’s not a bridge to the sky, but it’s not far from the idea!The Langkawi sky-bridge in Malaysia is suspended at 700 metres above sea level and spans 125 across the mountains, offering magnificent views of the Andaman Sea and Thailand’s Tarutao Island. It’s set apart from other bridges by its curves that provide different perspectives of the landscapes. Here’s one of the most spectacular bridges in the world that delivers quite a pump of adrenaline.

9 - Ponte Vecchio

These bridge is oldest and most famous of its kind. The Ponte Vecchio in Florence is one of the most famous tourist spots. These bridge is thought to be the oldest wholly stone built & segmental arch bridge in Europe. Although there are many partial segments which date further back. It was first originally built of only wood and then it was destroyed by floods in 1333 and twelve years later it was rebuilt using stone. These was famous for its lining of shops, the bridge has housed everybody from Medieval merchants and butchers to souvenir stalls and art dealers.

10 - Bridge to Nowhere

A bridge on the Atlantic Road in Norway. The fact that the Atlantic Road of Norway was voted as the Norwegian Construction of the Century in 2005 pretty much says it all about this wonderful integration of modern technology with nature’s magnificence. The road is akin to man’s stroke of brush on nature’s canvas and the view and the ride it offers is both unique and enthralling. The wonderful ride moves along a scenic five-mile stretch along highway Rv64 between Molde and Kristiansund. Best time for a ride: when a storm mild hits the ocean! Ironically, that is when the ocean under the road is at its dramatic best.

15 of the World's Strangest Limousines

2009-11-15T04:13:00.000+05:30

Limousine services, car manufacturers and individual designers are going the extra mile to stand out. Meet some of the craziest limousines out there.

Pink Hummer Limo

Three TVs, laser lights, strobes, 1800 watt sound system, Disco Floor, star lights, optic lights, pink leather interior, 22" Chrome alloy wheels. Very popular with ladies on their night around town.

(Photo)

World's Longest Limousine

Total length is 100 feet (more than 30 meters). It has 26 tires, room for a lot of passengers, a heated Jacuzzi, sun deck, swimming pool, a few beds and… a helipad! (Photo)

Dual-nosed Escalade Limousine

(Photo)

Prius Limousine

A custom 6 door 10 seater Toyota Prius done by a Canadian with way more smarts then most of us. (Photo)

KAZ, the electric Limousine

KAZ is an Italian-Japanese joint project to make an electric limousine. Keio Advanced Zero-Emissions vehicle, that's what KAZ stands for. It took 5 years to build and cost $4 million but the result is more than impressive: it has 6 electric engines powering the limousines six wheels, each producing 74 horse-power and 74 lb-ft. of torque. That means this baby goes from 0 to 62mph in just 7 seconds, reaches a quarter mile in 15 seconds and has a top speed of 193.3 km/h. (Photo)

Skoda Limousine

Behold the Skoda Limousine! Czech technology for those with champagne tastes on a beer belly budget. (Photo)

Corvette Limousine

The longest Corvette limousines are ‘just' seven meters long (23 feet). (Photo)

Beetle Limousine

Found in Ordu, Turkey. (Photo)

Dodge Extended-Cab Limousine With Camper

(Photo)

Mini Limousine

(Photo)

Monster Limousine

(Photo)

Redneck Limousines

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10 strangest inventions

2009-11-15T04:09:00.000+05:30

Electromechanical teenager repellant

Howard Stapleton (Merthyr Tydfil, Wales) invented an electromechanical teenager repellant -- a device that makes annoying high-pitched noise designed to be audible to teenagers but not to adults. The "Mosquito" ultrasonic teenage deterrent aims to solve the problem of unwanted gatherings of youths and teenagers in shopping malls, around shops and anywhere else they are causing problems, claiming to be "the most effective tool in our fight against anti social behaviour". He later used that same technology to make telephone ringtones that are audible to teenagers but probably not to their teachers. More

Apparatus for facilitating the birth of a child by centrifugal force

The late George and Charlotte Blonsky (New York City and San Jose, California) invented a device (US Patent #3,216,423) to aid women in giving birth -- the woman is strapped onto a circular table, and the table is then rotated at high speed.

In their patent application, Blonsky and Blonsky explained the need: "In the case of a woman who has a fully developed muscular system and has had ample physical exertion all through the pregnancy, as is common with all more primitive peoples, nature provides all the necessary equipment and power to have a normal and quick delivery. This is not the case, however, with more civilised women, who often do not have the opportunity to develop the muscles needed in confinement."

Therefore, wrote Blonsky and Blonsky, they would provide "an apparatus which will assist the under-equipped woman by creating a gentle, evenly distributed, properly directed, precision-controlled force, that acts in unison with and supplements her own efforts". The Blonskys explained: "The foetus needs the application of considerable propelling force." They knew how to supply that propelling force.

The rest of their patent - eight very detailed pages altogether - specifies exactly how to do it. The design includes some 125 basic components, including bolts, brakes, wing nuts, a massive concrete floor slab, a vari-speed vertical gear motor, a speed reducer, more wing nuts, sheaves, stretchers, shafts, thigh members, a butt plate, aluminium ballast water boxes, more wing nuts, pillow clamps, a girdle member, and some additional wing nuts. More

Anti-flatulence Underwear

Buck Weimer (Pueblo, Colorado) invented "Under-Ease", airtight underwear with a replaceable charcoal filter that removes bad-smelling gases before they escape. As the slogan says: "Wear them for the ones you love". More

Dog-to-human language translation device

Keita Sato, President of Takara Co., Dr. Matsumi Suzuki, President of Japan Acoustic Lab, and Dr. Norio Kogure, Executive Director, Kogure Veterinary Hospital, invented Bow-Lingual, a computer-based automatic dog-to-human language translation device. The Bow-Lingual's a two-piece set—a wireless microphone that attaches to your dog's collar, and a walkie-talkie-looking handset with an LCD screen. Barks and yelps are transmitted to the handset, where their voiceprint is analyzed and placed into one of six emotional categories: happy, sad, on guard, frustrated, needy, or assertive. Once the appropriate emotional state is determined, the Bow-Lingual randomly selects a phrase belonging to that category and displays it on the screen. So if your pooch is determined to be on guard, maybe you'll get "Are you my friend or my enemy?" If aggressive, perhaps the sentiment will be "I'm dominant." You get the drift. More

Alarm Clock that runs away from you

Gauri Nanda (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) invented "Clocky", an alarm clock that runs away and hides if you don't get out of bed on time. When the alarm sounds you can snooze one time. If you still don't wake up, Clocky will jump off of the bedside table, and wheel away, mindlessly bumping into objects until he finds a spot to rest. You'll have to get up and out of bed to silence his alarm. Clocky will find new spots everyday, kind of like a hide-and-seek game. More

Artificial replacement testicles for dogs

Gregg A. Miller (Oak Grove, Missouri), invented "Neuticles", testicular implants for pets. Many caring pet owners hesitate or even to refuse to neuter their pets, soNeuticles eliminates 'neuter-hesitant' concerns - as a 'Neuticled' pet looks exactly the same after surgery. Neuticles are available for canines, felines, equine, bulls or any pet which is neutered. Neuticles should be implanted when the pet is neutered- but can be implanted years afterwards in most cases. More

Self-perfuming Business Suit

Hyuk-ho Kwon of Kolon Company of Seoul, Korea, invented this suit. The suit is made with fabric soaked in a chemical that contains scented micro-capsules, which pop and release the odour when the wearer moves -- or gets bumped on a crowded subway train. More

Washing machine for cats and dogs

The co-inventors of the Lavakan, Eduardo Segura and Andrés Diaz, decided in 1998 that their dogs deserved the same treatment that humans get from a shower massage. The side-loading automatic pet washing machine, is safer and less stressful for the animals than washing them by hand. It soaps, rinses and dries dogs and cats in less than half an hour. It has a series of conical nozzles that wash and massage beasts from every direction, while dirty and soapy waste is filtered through a hose at the bottom. Operators use the Lavakan's touch panel to choose the best wash cycle for the animal's size and dermatological needs. Pesticide soaps, for example, require an extended wait period to kill fleas and ticks. More

Software that detects cats walking across the keyboard

Chris Niswander (Tucson, Arizona) invented PawSense. When cats walk or climb on your keyboard, they can enter random commands and data, damage your files, and even crash your computer. This can happen whether you are near the computer or have suddenly been called away from it. PawSense is a software utility that helps protect your computer from cats. It quickly detects and blocks cat typing, and also helps train your cat to stay off the computer keyboard. More

Automobile burglar alarm consisting of a detection circuit and a flamethrower

Charl Fourie and Michelle Wong (Johannesburg, South Africa) invented an automobile burglar alarm consisting of a detection circuit and a flamethrower, to provide a deterrent to carjackings. With a rising crime rate, carjackings became a serious concern in South Africa. The Blaster car modification functions as a liquified petroleum gas flamethrower; when a carjacking occurrs, the driver steps on an additional pedal next to accelerator and flames erupt from outer sides of both front doors, "neutralizing" the assailant. The inventor claims it is unlikely to kill but would "definitely blind" the assailant. In South Africa, it is legal to use lethal force in self-defense if in fear of ones life, and ownership of flamethrowers is unrestricted.

Electromechanical teenager repellant

Apparatus for facilitating the birth of a child by centrifugal force

Anti-flatulence Underwear

Dog-to-human language translation device

Alarm Clock that runs away from you

Artificial replacement testicles for dogs

Self-perfuming Business Suit

Washing machine for cats and dogs

Software that detects cats walking across the keyboard

Automobile burglar alarm consisting of a detection circuit and a flamethrower

12 MOST CREATIVE SOFAS

2009-11-08T10:42:00.001+05:30

Pixel Sofa

The fabric for the Pixel Sofa has been picked up by Danish manufacturer Kvadrat, based off of a concept by Cristian Zuzunaga, a Royal College of Art graduate. The contemporary couch is sure to grab everyone's attention by virtue of its wide spectrum of colors.

Swimming Pool Sofa

This intriguing concept sofa design was made for an advertisement campaign of Piscine Castiglione, a swimming pool design firm.

Bocca Sofa

The iconic 1970 lip-shaped sofa is based on Salvador Dali's famous Mae West sofa of 1936. The erotic lips of this great Hollywood actress inspired Dalí. A special installation by the master shows the image of the face of May West. It's available only in red, of course.

Coliseum Sofa

Created in the shape of the famous Roman Coliseum, this sofa seems like a confortable rest place for gladiators.

Coffin Sofa

Call them coffins or couches, this pieces of furniture are worth $4,500 each. Designed using recycled 18 gauge steel coffins; the raw material was gathered from local funeral homes based in Southern California. Against the health and safety law that doesn't allow funeral homes to resell used coffins, these coffins were sold to public as the idea of recycling sound quite interesting. They cannot be used for burial purpose.

Tiger/Cow Sofa

Rodolfo Rocchetti of "Tappezzeria Rocchetti", a master upholsterer from Rome, made this incredibly creative pieces of furniture.

The Double Decker Sofa

Where do you want to sit? Napoleon versus Napoleon 1999, by Kuno Nuessli in collaboration with Sven-Anwar Bibi.

Harrod's Stuffed Animals Sofa

This fun couch made of stuffed animals is displayed at one Harrods store.

Sila, The Yoga sofa

The word Sila is a yoga expression, which means to sit cross-legged. The design intends to bring the tranquility of meditation to a modern, dynamic environment. Sila was created by Eridani Saleh with the desire to create a piece of furniture that is grand and dramatic, which represents the solidity of traditional construction and practice while offering a playfulness and new type of relaxation.

Wave Seat Sofa

Remember the story about Goldilocks and the 3 bears? While the bears were out, she helped her way into their house trying everything until she found the perfect fit. In hindsight she was on to something. We all want products designed custom just for us. The Wave Seat, by Jung Hoon Rhee, eludes to this old axiom and makes it possible thru the magic of nanotubes.

Songololo Sofa

The Songololo Sofa was created by Haldane Martin, a south african furniture design company based in Cape Town. Their furniture pays close attention to its sustainability, using green materials and processes whenever possible.

Groovy Banana

Yohanan Siskindovich's rocking couch design looks almost as fun as its wildly entertaining name, Groovy Banana. Siskindovich throws in the ol' "magazine rack" bonus feature, but we'd also shove blankets, books, dog toys, remotes, or even younger siblings in there--bring 'em along for the ride. A roll-up pod pad sits atop the Banana as to provide the utmost comfort whilst you rock.

10 COOLEST LIGHTERS

2009-11-08T10:41:00.002+05:30

Helmet Lighter ($7.98) (Link)

Leather Boot Lighter ($3.95) (Link)

Poker Chip Lighter ($7.00) (Link)

Snake Strike Torch Lighter ($5.99) (Link)

Talking Middle Finger Lighter ($6.49) (Link)

Mini Fire Extinguisher Style Butane Novelty Lighter ($6.95) (Link)

Twin Laser Flame Gun Torch Lighter ($6.99) (Link)

Electric Guitar Lighter ($4.95) (Link)

Enor 15" Double Barrel Shot Gun Lighter ($13.49) (Link)

All In One Cigarette Case With cigarette Lighter ($7.99)

10 GEOLOGICAL WONDERS THAT U DONT KNOW ABT!

2009-11-08T10:38:00.002+05:30

The Wave (between Arizona and Utah - USA)

A red-rock stunner on the border of Arizona and Utah, The Wave is made of 190-million-year-old sand dunes that have turned to rock. This little-known formation is accessible only on foot via a three-mile hike and highly regulated.

Antelope Canyon (Arizona - USA)

The most visited and photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest, the Antelope Canyon is located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona. It includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon --or “The Crack”-- and Lower Antelope Canyon --or “The Corkscrew.”

The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tse' bighanilini, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." Lower Antelope Canyon is Hasdestwazi, or "spiral rock arches." Both are located within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation.

Great Blue Hole (Belize)

Part of the Lighthouse Reef System, The Great Blue Hole lies approximately 60 miles off the mainland out of Belize City. A large, almost perfectly circular hole approximately one quarter of a mile (0.4 km) across, it’s one of the most astounding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth. Inside this hole, the water is 480 feet (145 m) deep and it is the depth of water which gives the deep blue color that causes such structures throughout the world to be known as "blue holes."

Crystal Cave of the Giants (Mexico)

Found deep inside a mine in southern Chihuahua Mexico, these crystals were formed in a natural cave totally enclosed in bedrock. A geode full of spectacular crystals as tall as pine trees, and in some cases greater in circumference, they are a translucent gold and silver in color and come in many incredible forms and shapes. The Crystal Cave of the Giants was discovered within the same limestone body that hosts the silver-zinc-lead ore bodies exploited by the mine and it was probably dissolved by the same hydrothermal fluids that deposited the metals with the gypsum being crystallized during the waning stages of mineralization.

Eye of the Sahara (Mauritania)

This spectacular landform in Mauritania in the southwestern part of the Sahara desert is so huge with a diameter of 30 miles that it is visible from space. Called Richat Structure --or the Eye of the Sahara-- the The formation was originally thought to be caused by a meteorite impact but now geologists believe it is a product of uplift and erosion. The cause of its circular shape is still a mystery.

Blue Lake Cave (Brazil)

Mato Grosso do Sul region in Brazil (and especially the quiet town of Bonito) boasts many marvelous underground lakes: Gruta do Lago Azul, Gruta do Mimoso, Aquário Natural. The world famous "Gruta do Lago Azul” (Blue Lake Cave) is a natural monument whose interior is formed by stalactites, stalagmites and a huge and wonderful blue lake. The beauty of the lake is something impressive. The Blue Lake Cave has a big variety of geological formation but impresses mainly for the deep blue colored water of its inside lake.

Giants Causeway (Ireland)

An area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the Giants Causeway is a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Located on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland, most of its columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 meters (36 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 meters thick in places. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom.

Hell Gate (Uzbekistan)

Called by locals The Door to Hell, this place in Uzbekistan is situated near the small town of Darvaz. When geologists were drilling for gas, 35 years ago, they suddenly found an underground cavern that was so big, all the drilling site with all the equipment and camps got deep deep under the ground. None dared to go down there because the cavern was filled with gas, so they ignited it so that no poisonous gas could come out of the hole, and since then, it has been burning. Nobody knows how many tons of excellent gas has been burned for all those years but it just seems to be infinite.

Wave Rock (Australia)

The Wave Rock is a natural rock formation located in western Australia. It derives its name from the fact that it is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. The total outcrop covers several hectares; the "wave" part of the rock is about 15 meters high and approximately 110 meters long. One aspect of Wave Rock rarely shown on photographs is the retaining wall about halfway up the rock. This follows the contours and allows rainwater to be collected in a dam. It was constructed in 1951 by the Public Works Department, and such walls are common on many similar rocks in the wheatbelt.

Chocolate Hills (Philippines)

Composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi), this highly unusual geological formation, called Chocolate Hills, is located in Bohol, Philippines. There are a number of hypotheses regarding the formation of the hills. These include simple limestone weathering, sub-oceanic volcanism, the uplift of the seafloor and a more recent theory which maintains that as an ancient active volcano self-destructed, it spewed huge blocks of stone which were then covered with limestone and later thrust forth from the ocean bed.

12 WORST PHOTOSHOP MISTAKES EVER !

2009-11-08T10:36:00.002+05:30

Need an extra hand?

Nice stomach on the "Before" picture

World's smallest waist - Maxim Mexico

The model apparently had a stroke during her shoot (right eye)

The only cereal that makes you white

Yeah, nice legs

No head. From Sports Illustrated

At 4 am, somewhere, a designer who needs Photoshop training wakes up and utters "OMG! I forgot to put her finger back in"

Is she's about to devour her friend?

Madonna's Microcephalic issue

So what's wrong with this girl's arm?

Ok, how many hands do you actually have Lady Guineviere?

TOP 5 DUDES YOU DONT WANNA MESS WITH

2009-11-08T10:30:00.002+05:30

Italian Mafia

The Italians are still the ones that first come to mind when the topic is organized crime. With estimated revenues of $50 billion in 2005, the Mafia would be one of Italy’s biggest companies if they incorporated
Strong local and family connections. Cosa Nostra has been famous for enforcing omertà, its code of silence, on local populations, government officials, and even the Church. They and the other Mafia families take advantage of poor communities and almost feudal societies to maintain power and influence.

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The Yakuza

Despite their notoriety in modern Japan, the precise origin of the Yakuza is still somewhat the subject of debate
With close ties to many politicians and right-wing pressure groups, Japan’s crime syndicates can operate without much fear of the law.
The largest yakuza group is the Yamaguchi-gumi, whose 39,000 members account for nearly half of all Japanese gangsters. Headquartered in Kobe, the group has been growing fast through corporate-style acquisitions. Current godfather Kenichi Shinoda manages the criminal empire from jail. This incarceration is his second stint; in the 1970s, he did time for slicing up a rival with a sword.
The Distinguishing features, publicity and style. The yakuza are the most open of crime syndicates, with official headquarters, nameplates, and business cards. Flashy suits, distinctive tiger tattoos, and missing fingers (cut off as penance for failure) make for a romantic public image. Humanitarian gestures and an avoidance of “civilian” casualties, meanwhile, leave the public willing to look away from the groups’ violence.
Many Yakuza have full-body tattoos. These tattoos, known as irezumi in Japan, are still often "hand-poked," that is, the ink is inserted beneath the skin using non-electrical, hand-made and hand held tools with needles of sharpened bamboo or steel. The procedure is expensive and painful and can take years to complete

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Russian Mafiya

As much as one tenth of Russia’s territory, and one quarter of its economy, may be under the sway of roughly 300,000 members in some 450 different Russian mob groups.
Distinguishing features, ruthlessness, the Russians are willing to go after journalists, the police, and senior officials to an extent that would make other syndicates squeamish.The Russian mob will back down from no one.

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Italian-American Mafia

Despite its vaunted reputation, the American version of Cosa Nostra is a pale reflection of its former self. Once a nationwide presence, now its reach is limited to New York City and Chicago.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security made their names in high-profile trials of top “godfathers” in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, New York’s “Five Families”—Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, and Bonanno—are still presences in New York. But after decades of relentless prosecutions, none of them now has an easily identifiable don.

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Mexican Drug Cartels

Increased interdiction efforts by U.S. authorities put the Colombian cartels out of the transport sector of the drug trade, and vicious gangs in Mexico have risen to take their place.
Distinctive features: Multimedia flair. The cartels have recently been locked in a low-intensity war, and the executions and torture through which it is being fought have been the subject of numerous music videos posted on YouTube by gang members. When a video hasn’t said enough, gang members have been known to brandish the decapitated heads of their enemies as warnings.

TOP 5 SPECIAL FORCES AROUND THE WORLD

2009-11-08T10:28:00.000+05:30

BOPE - Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiai

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Portuguese for Special Police Operations Battalion) is the elite special forces unit in the Military Police of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Due to the nature of crime in favelas, BOPE units have extensive experience in urban warfare as well as progression in confined and restricted environments. It also utilizes equipment deemed more powerful than traditional civilian law enforcement. Currently serving with 400 soldiers, BOPE is believed to be one of the most violent military forces in Latin America before PMESP

BOPE duties are break barricades constructed by drug traffickers, shoot to kill at criminals threatening human life,
exterminate drug ghettos as well as its gangs, suppress prison riots,s pecial missions in swamps or mountainous terrains such as reconnaissance, planning and infiltration

The force has a fleet of Armoured fighting vehicles, which are known as "Pacificador" ("Peacemaker"), or "Caveirão" ("Big Skull")
These vehicles are used in operations in the slums (favelas) where BOPE faces intense conflicts with drug dealers, they are heavily equipped with .30 Carbines. BOPE soldiers are equipped with heavy armament: M16 rifle A2, Taurus PT92, IMBEL 9mm, C-4 explosives, Frag grenades and more

SWAT - Special Weapons And Tactics

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A SWAT (special weapons and tactics)team is an elite tactical unit in American and some international law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers. Their duties include performing hostage rescues and counter-terrorism operations, serving high risk arrest warrants and search warrants, subduing barricaded suspects, and engaging heavily-armed criminals. A SWAT team is often equipped with specialized firearms including assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, carbines, riot control agents, stun grenades, and high-powered rifles for snipers. They have specialized equipment including heavy body armor, entry tools, armored vehicles, advanced night vision optics, and motion detectors for covertly determining the positions of hostages or hostage takers inside of an enclosed structure.
SWAT Duties are: Hostage rescue, rescuing officers and citizens captured or endangered by gunfire,
countering terrorist operations in U.S. cities and stabilizing dangerous situations dealing with violent criminals (such as rapists, serial killers or gangs)

SWAT units may also employ ARVs, (Armored Rescue Vehicle) for insertion, maneuvering, or during tactical operations such as the rescue of civilians/officers pinned down by gunfire. Helicopters may be used to provide aerial reconnaissance or even insertion via rappelling or fast-roping. To avoid detection by suspects during insertion in urban environments, SWAT units may also use modified buses, vans, trucks, or other seemingly normal vehicles.
While a wide variety of weapons are used by SWAT teams, the most common weapons include submachine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, and sniper rifles.
Semi-automatic pistols are the most popular sidearms.
Common submachine guns used by SWAT teams include the 9 mm and 10 mm Heckler & Koch MP5
To breach doors quickly, battering rams, shotguns, or explosive charges can be used to break the lock or hinges, or even demolish the door frame itself. SWAT teams also use many less-lethal munitions and weapons. These include Tasers, pepper spray canisters, shotguns loaded with bean bag rounds, and PepperBall guns.

AFEUR - Agrupación de Fuerzas Especiales Antiterroristas Urbanas

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The Agrupación de Fuerzas Especiales Antiterroristas Urbanas ("Urban Counter-Terrorism Special Forces Group", AFEUR) is an elite unit of the Colombian Army, whose primary mission is to perform counter-terrorist operations and hostage rescues based on stealth, surprise and team work.
VIP protection is another task of the unit. For example, they protect the Colombian President when he travels, and provided protection for President Bill Clinton's (Army group) and President George W. Bush visits to Cartagena, in 2000, 2004 respectively. They also provided the second security ring to President Bush's visit to Bogotá in 2007.

Yamam - Special Police Unit

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The Yamam (Hebrew: ימ"מ‎), is the acronym for Special Police Unit (יחידת משטרה מיוחדת, Yeḥidat Mishtara Meyuḥedet), Israel's elite civilian counter-terrorism unit. The Yamam is capable of both hostage-rescue operations and offensive take-over raids against targets in civilian areas. Besides military duties, it also performs SWAT duties and undercover police work.
The Yamam's primary duties are:Offensive or preemptive operations.Direct action, Undercover police operations.VIP security.
Most of the Yamam's activity is classified, and published Yamam operations are often credited to other units. Nevertheless, the Yamam enjoys a high reputation among SF professionals and the Israeli public.

JTF2 - Joint Task Force 2

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Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) is a Canadian Forces unit responsible for counter-terrorist operations.
JTF2 describes its mission as "rendering armed assistance in the resolution of an incident that is affecting, or has the potential to affect, Canada's national interest."
JTF2 personnel are divided into two categories: Category A – special operations assaulters (SOA) who are directly employed in the tactical aspects of special operations and other high value tasks; and Category B – support and specialist personnel (SP) fill positions in staff officer, support, and specialist positions. This category also includes the special operations coxswain position.
JTF2's secrecy has kept the unit out of the Canadian public eye for quite some time, though it did appear in the Tom Clancy Rainbow Six video game series. A character named Roger McAllen, who was part of the former Royal Canadian Mounted Police SERT, ported over to JTF2 when they were handed over responsibility for counter-terrorism duties in 1993.

did u know? (food)

2009-11-01T20:09:00.003+05:30

Foods & Drinks

Coca-Cola was originally green because of fresh cocoa leaves.
Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil.
Strawberry is the only fruit with its seeds on the outside.
All other vegetables must be replanted every year except two perennial vegetables; Asparagus and rhubarb that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons.

did you know? (world records)

2009-11-01T20:08:00.003+05:30

World Records

The war between England and Zanzibar in 1896 was the shortest war in history, lasted only 38 minutes.
Monumental Axis in Brazil is the world's widest road. 160 cars can drive side by side at the same time.
The Central Railway in Peru is the world's highest railway. It climbs to 15,694 feet in the Galera Tunnel.
Australian $5 to $50 notes are made of plastic

did you know (language and literature)

2009-11-01T20:07:00.002+05:30

Language & Literature

Typewriter is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
E is the most frequently used letter in English.
Gadsby is the only novel (267 pages, 50,000 words) written in 1939 by Ernest Vincent Wright, without the use of letter "E".
Tom Sawyer was the first novel written on a typewriter; by Mark Twain in 1876.
Uncopyrightable is the only 15-letter word in the English language that can be written without repeating a letter.
The word Set has 464 definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary. The word Run runs a distant second, with 396.
The dot over the i or j is called a tittle.
The word queue is the only word in the English language that is pronounced the whole for its first letter.
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
Mandarin is most-spoken language in the world, spoken by 1.07 billion people, followed by English, spoken by 514 million.
Papua New Guinea have the greatest number of first languages. There are 869 separate languages - not dialects.
The world's first university was established in Taxila (comprised of cities Mohenjadaro and Harappa) Pakistan in 700 BC.
There are fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar; Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.
The only three English words beginning with dw are; Dwarf, dwell and dwindle.
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
There are currently 6,912 living languages, defined as languages that people speak today.
Letters 'a', ' b', 'c' & 'd' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 99
(Letter 'd' comes for the first time in Hundred)
Letters 'a', ' b' & 'c' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 999
(Letter 'a' comes for the first time in Thousand)
Letters 'b' & 'c' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 999,999,999
(Letter 'b' only comes for the first time in Billion)
Letter 'c' does not appear anywhere in in the spellings of entire English Counting

did you know (inventions & discoveries)

2009-11-01T20:05:00.006+05:30

tInventions & Discoveries

Bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers are invented by women.
The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
In 1932. Engineer, Harry Jennings, built the first folding, tubular steel wheelchair. The chair was built for a paraplegic friend of Jennings called Herbert Everest. Together they founded Everest & Jennings, a company that monopolized the wheelchair market for many years.
Otto Frederick Rohwedder is generally credited with inventing the first automatic bread slicer in 1928.

did you know? (human body)

2009-11-01T20:05:00.005+05:30

tHuman Body

Randy Gardner of San Diego is the longest person who has gone without sleep for 11 days in 1965. He broke the record of Peter Tripp of New York, who settled a record of 8.5 days without a wink.
The fingernails grow faster on the hand you favor. If you are right-handed, your right fingernails will grow faster, and vice versa. The middle fingernail grows faster than any other nail.
Usually right handed people utilize left side of brain for all their conscious, voluntary activities.
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men!
The women who snore are at an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease than men.
You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.
If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib.
If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.
An average person eat 60,000 pounds of food in his lifetime.
An average person spent 24 years of his life in sleeping.
An average woman consume 6 lbs. of lipstick in her lifetime.
Sitting while talking on the phone for eight hours will burn 914 calories. Driving a car for eight hours will knock off around 1,219 calories. And standing in a casino for eight hours will burn about 1,402 calories.

did you know? (history)

2009-11-01T20:04:00.003+05:30

History

If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
Mao Zedong of China never brush his teeth in his lifetime.
When Elizabeth-I of Russia died in 1762, there were 15,000 dresses in her closets.
During World War II, the Japanese used shark liver oil in the engines of their fighter planes.
J. P Blanchard, a Frenchman, is credited with having been the first person to use a parachute. In 1785, from a balloon high in the air, he dropped a dog in a basket to which a parachute was attached. Blanchard also claimed to have descended from a balloon in a parachute in 1793.

did you know (general)

2009-11-01T20:03:00.002+05:30

General

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
The name of all the continents ends with the same letter that they start with.
Albert Einstein never learned how to drive a car.

did you know? (games &sports)

2009-11-01T20:02:00.002+05:30

Games & Sports

There are 366 dimples on a golf ball.
There are 318,979,564,000 possible ways to play first four moves, per side, in chess.
Playing cards in India are in round shape.
Boxing is the only sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the winner until the contest ends.
The biggest badminton shuttle in the world can be found on the lawns of the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, in Kansas City. It is 48 times larger than the real thing. This shuttle is 18 feet high and weighing 5,000 pounds.
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents great king from history. Spades - King David, Clubs - Alexander the Great, Hearts - Charlemagne, Diamonds - Julius Caesar.

did u know? (animals & insects)

2009-11-01T20:01:00.002+05:30

Animals, Birds & Insects:

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A snail can sleep for three years.
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All polar bears are left handed.
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Butterflies taste with their feet.
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Ants never sleep.
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Owls cannot move their eyes because their eyeballs tubular in shape.
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A newborn kangaroo is about 1 inch in length.
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A cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.
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There are 701 types of pure breed dogs.
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Tapeworms range in size from about 0.04 inch to more than 50 feet in length.
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A baby bat is called a pup.
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A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
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German Shepherds (dog) bite humans more than any other breed of dog.
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A female mackerel lays about 500,000 eggs at one time.
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The animal (insect) responsible for the most human deaths world-wide is the mosquito.
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The biggest pig in recorded history was Big Boy of Black Mountain, North Carolina, who was weighed 1,904 pounds in 1939.
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Snakes are immune to their own poison.
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Cats have more than one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.
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Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
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A shrimp's heart is in their head.
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It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
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Hydra - an aquatic creature is the only living creature that never die. It regenerates, replacing its cells with fresh ones.
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Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
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In the animal kingdom, the animals that fart the most are the elephants.
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Lions, leopards, tigers, and jaguars are the only species of cats that can roar; but they can’t purr.
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Entomophagy is the scientific name for insect eating. There are more than 1,450 recorded species of edible insects. Many species of insects are lower in fat and higher in protein and have a better food-to-meat ratio than beef, lamb, pork, or chicken.

8 packs kid !!! (lol i have six packs hahaha)

2009-11-01T19:58:00.002+05:30

Do you guys still remember the
6-year-old strongest kid with 8 packs??
Yeah, seriously he gt 8 packs not even 6 packs!!
Any of the gentleman out there has 8 packs as well as the kid had??
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Proudly to present
Richard Sandrak- The Little Hercules!!
If ya dunno who is he yet,
let's have a look at the pics & the video below^^
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My gosh,
do u believe he was only 6-year-old in this pic??
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Fuyoh~~
awesome+incredible body with 8 packs!!!
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He is obviously a "Pro" body builder eh!!
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So, what ya think??
Not enough??
Let's check out the video below

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Anyway, all of the pics n video above are about Richard Sandrak's childhood~
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According to Wikipedia,
he is 16-year-old teenager now!!
Let's look at his currect pic below..
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Ehemmm...
From this pic,
He still gt his packs but it seems no more 8 packs
instead of 6 packs only.
( I hope I didn't count wrongly)
.
.
.
Phew~~
He really strong eh!!
Look macho in this pic too^^
.
.
.
Richard with Hulk Hogan!!
(Do u still remember who is Hulk?? The wrestler man!!)
.
.
.
Wow wow wow~~
The guy behind Richard is absolutely bigger+stronger than him!!
Richard is showing his muscle with
Paul (Big Show)- The WWE's wrestler!!
.

top 27 unbelievable facts !!! (must know facts)

2009-11-01T19:56:00.003+05:30

27. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

26. The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.

25. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than
left-handed people do.

24. Its impossible to smoke oneself to death with weed. You won't be
able to retain enough motor control and consciousness to do so after
such a large amount. (Common Sense)

23. Uncle Phil, from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, did the voice of
Shredder in the TMNT cartoon.

22. Every drop of seawater contains approximately 1 billion gold atoms.

21. The US national anthem actually has three verses, but everyone
just knows the first one.

20. During World War II, IBM built the computers the Nazis used to
manage their death/concentration camps.

19. The total combined weight of the worlds ant population is heavier
than the weight of the human population.

18. The deadliest war in history excluding World War II was a civil
war in China in the 1850s in which the rebels were led by a man who
thought he was the brother of Jesus Christ.

17. Just about 3 people are born every second, and about 1.3333 people
die every second. The result is about a 2 and 2/3 net increase of
people every second. Almost 10 people more live on this Earth now,
than before you finished reading this.

16. Happy Birthday (the song) is copyrighted.

15. The number of people alive on earth right now is higher than the
number of all the people that have died. Ever.

14. The average American consumes 1.2 pounds of spider eggs a year and
eat 2.5 pounds of insect parts a year.

13. The Kamp Krusty episode of the Simpson's was originally meant to
be made as the Simpsons movie.

12. Men can breastfeed babies.

11. There is a rare condition called Exploding Head Syndrome which
you've probably never heard of.

10. Scientists have determined that fungi are more closely related to
human beings and animals than to other plants.

9. In some (maybe all) Asian countries, the family name is written
first and the individual name written second (opposite of the America
method). That's why Asian athletes like Yao Ming and Ichiro Suzuki
have Yao and Ichiro written on their jerseys. Those are their family
names and in America their names are written Ming Yao and Suzuki
Ichiro.

8. Abe Lincoln bought 50 cents worth of cocaine in 1860

7. A German World War II submarine was sunk due to malfunction of the toilet.

6. Washington State has the longest single beach in the United States.
Long Beach, WA.

5. The largest living thing on the face of the Earth is a mushroom
underground in Oregon, it measures three and a half miles in diameter.

4. The town of Los Angeles, California, was originally named El Pueblo
la Nuestra Senora de Reina de los Angeles de la Porciuncula.

3. 9 out of 10 people believe Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.
This isn't true; Joseph Swan did.

2. Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the
tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found
edible.

1. The Population of the world can live within the state boundaries of Texas.

10 geekiest t-shirts

2009-10-30T06:30:00.001+05:30

Wi-Fi Detector T-Shirt

Want to be a walking Wi-Fi detector? The Wi-Fi Detector Shirt ($19.99) has a basestation design on its front with signal waves emanating from it that glow according to the intensity of a nearby network's strength. For example, a weak signal may only light up a couple of bars on your shirt, while a stronger signal could illuminate all of them.

The shirt works with 802.11b/g and runs on three AAA batteries that sit inside a small pocket sewn into the shirt. And if you're a messy surfer, the Wi-Fi decal can be removed so the t-shirt can be washed of course.

T-Equalizer Shirt

Imagine people's reaction when you come to a party and your T-shirt equalizer bars start moving up and down as the music rises and falls. Well, that's exactly what the T-Equalizer Shirt ($34.99) does, it features a graphic equalizer panel that is sound sensitive. The shirt is made from 100% cotton, with a fully functional EL (Electro Luminenscence) panel with a battery pack that snuggles discretely into a pocket inside the shirt. The end result is an awesome sound sensitive music T-Shirt that commands attention. And for the girls there's the Equalizer Heart T-shirt ($39.99) of course.

8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirt: Measures Proximity to Lovers

Let me explain the concept of the 8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirt ($24.99): you wear one and give one to your partner. Then whenever you both are "in range", the pixilated hearts start glowing to full charge. This means your beloved is somewhere nearby and you can go over and give him/her a hug! When you are out of range the glowing hearts dip to two and a half. Essentially you either need to pick up two T-Shirts or one T-Shirt and a transmitter for the concept to work. Replicating the life power of your fav gaming hero, the hearts on the Tee indicate your life/love status: weird but cute, especially since Valentines is round the corner.

The Battery Pack is concealed in a Small Pocket Sewn Inside the Shirt and it runs for hours off three AAA Batteries.

There's No Place Like 127.0.0.1

Yes, only a geek would know what There's No Place Like 127.0.0.1 ($15.99 - $17.99) means. For the non-geeks, 127.0.0.1 is the standard IP address used to connect to the local host, or to put it in another way, home. So there's no place like... home!

There are only 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't

Do you enjoy watching the desperately puzzled faces of your co-workers day in and day out? Then we are sure you'll enjoy being the source of their frustrations as you bring a T-Shirt reading this profound phrase: There are only 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't ($15.99 - $17.99). If you don't get it, you just shouldn't get it now should you?

No, I will not fix your computer

The No, I will not fix your computer T-Shirt ($15.99 - $18.99) will pretty much answer to half of the favors asked to geeks everyday. Talk to my Shirt.

SELECT * FROM users WHERE clue > 0; 0 rows

The SELECT * FROM users WHERE clue > 0; 0 rows returned ($15.99) is an SQL joke. Get it?

It must be user error

The It must be user error ($15.99 - $17.99) T-Shirt explains 99% of all computer problems, so it might just be all you need for a successful career in IT.

Brain Loading

When you're just waking up, the Brain Loading T-Shirt ($21.99) will clarify to non-believers of C++ the process of loading your brain again to its geeky state.

tag

So here's the tag T-Shirt ($15.99 - $17.99). Sometimes simpler is better. No need for funny one-liners or obscure and geeky references here. Just a simple homage to the markup language that makes the web go 'round.

15 Failed Predictions about the Future

2009-10-30T06:28:00.000+05:30

"It will be years --not in my time-- before a woman will become Prime Minister."
--Margaret Thatcher, October 26th, 1969.

She became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom only 10 years after saying that, holding her chair from 1979 to 1990. But she wasn’t all that wrong since she is the only woman to have held this post. Maybe she should have added the word “again.”

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
--Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

It may sound ridiculous now, but the prediction was actually true for about ten years after it was made. Almost every forecaster would settle for a ten year limit on the testing of their forecasts. Of course, by the 1980s and the advent of the PC, such a statement looked plain daft.

“That virus [HIV] is a pussycat.”
--Dr. Peter Duesberg, molecular-biology professor at U.C. Berkeley, 1988,

By 2006, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization estimated that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized on December 1, 1981.

"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy."
--Associates of Edwin L. Drake refusing his suggestion to drill for oil in 1859.

Only one hundred fifty years passed by since the first attempt to dig out oil from the ground met such contempt, and now the whole world is trying to look for unimaginable places to satiate the thirst for money that is propelled and sustained on this black gold.

“A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.”
--New York Times, 1936.

10 years later, in 1946, the first American-built rocket to leave the earth's atmosphere was launched from White Sands, attaining 50 miles of altitude.

"Reagan doesn’t have that presidential look."
--United Artists Executive, rejecting Reagan as lead in 1964 film The Best Man

Before becoming the 40th President of the United States in 1981, Ronald Reagan pursued an acting career, but spent the majority of his Hollywood career in the "B film" division. In 1964 he was rejected for a part in a movie with presidential candidate theme due to "not having the presidential look".

"The singer [Mick Jagger] will have to go; the BBC won’t like him."
--- First Rolling Stones manager Eric Easton to his partner after watching them perform.

We can only wonder what Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, Golden Globe, Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter, rock musician and occasional actor, has to say about it now.

“Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.”
--Dr Dionysys Larder (1793-1859)

It may sound impossible to Dr Larder, professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy at the University College London back in the 1800, but in 1939 the first high speed train went from Milan to Florence at 165 km/h (102.5 mph). Thankfully no one died. Nowadays these trains go at 200 km/h (125 mph) and faster.

“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”
--Lord Kelvin, 1895.

This was said by Lord Kelvin (British mathematician and physicist, president of the British Royal Society) only eight years before brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright took their home-built flyer to the sandy dunes of Kitty Hawk, cranked up the engine, and took off into the history books.

"There will never be a bigger plane built."
--A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people.

What would this engineer say if he saw the current largest passenger plane on earth, the Airbus A380? The Airbus A380 has 50% more floor space than arch rival Boeing's 747 Jumbo, with room for duty-free shops, restaurants and even a sauna, and can provide site for up to 853 people.

"Taking the best left-handed pitcher in baseball and converting him into a right fielder is one of the dumbest things I ever heard."
-- Tris Speaker, baseball hall of famer, talking about Babe Ruth, 1919.

Ruth has been named the greatest baseball player in history in various surveys and rankings, and his home run hitting prowess made him a larger than life figure in the "Roaring Twenties". He became the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a record which stood for 34 years until broken by Roger Maris in 1961. Ruth's lifetime total of 714 home runs at his retirement in 1935 was a record for 39 years, until broken by Hank Aaron in 1974.

"Ours has been the first [expedition], and doubtless to be the last, to visit this profitless locality."
---- Lt. Joseph Ives, after visiting the Grand Canyon in 1861.

More than a century later, five million people annually visit this "profitless locality," by car, foot, air, and on the Colorado River itself.

"If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one."
--W.C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954.

In 1964 the United States Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health began suggesting the relationship between smoking and cancer, which confirmed its suggestions 20 years later in the 1980s. Nowadays, it’s well known that long-term exposure to tobacco smoke is the most common causes of lung cancer.

"You better get secretarial work or get married."
--Emmeline Snively, advising would-be model Marilyn Monroe in 1944.

In 1944, Marilyn Monroe was discovered by a photographer who encouraged her to apply to The Blue Book modeling agency. She was told by Snively, director of the Modelling Agency that she should became a secretary, besides they were looking for models with lighter hair. So Marilyn dyed her brunette hair to a golden blonde. She finally signed a contract with the agency. And of course, became Blue Book's most successful model.

"Read my lips: No new taxes."
--George Bush, 1988.

That pledge was the centerpiece of Bush's acceptance address, written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, for his party's nomination at the 1988 Republican National Convention. It was a strong, decisive, bold statement, and you don't need a history degree to see where this is going. As presidents sometimes must, Bush raised taxes. His words were used against him by then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton in a devastating attack ad during the 1992 presidential campaign

10 Most Extreme Wedding Proposals

2009-10-30T06:23:00.000+05:30

The man who proposed at Gravity Zero

Graciela Asturias, a 27-year-old architect from Manhattan, got a very unique birthday present when her now fiancé proposed to her a thousand feet above the ground while floating in an airplane cabin.

To celebrate Asturias' birthday, the couple boarded a specially designed Boeing 727 aircraft that creates the experience of microgravity during four-five minute plunges as it flies up and down between 24,000 and 35,000 feet, allowing the passengers to experience a near zero gravity effect. While Alex and Graciela were floating in the cabin, Alex popped the question. Alex was a bit worried that while in zero G, the ring might float away but luckily everything worked out. Graciela not only received a great birthday present but they experienced an amazing proposal, a love so strong, unbound by gravity itself.

The couple plan on spending their ten year anniversary in orbit.

The man who proposed virtually at Halo video game

In November 3, 2007 Moviesign (his username) made a Forge map in Halo® 3, and set up what his girlfriend of over two years (Furtive Penguin) thought was going to be a two-on-two match with his friends. After they started the game, Moviesign led Furtive Penguin to a spot where he claimed he'd left an energy sword.

Instead there was a nice top-down view where he had spelled out a proposal using weapons. He then asked her to be his teammate for life.
Furtive Penguin and Moviesign recently moved from Indianapolis to Chicago where she (Penguin) is a copyeditor and he (Moviesign) is a graphic designer. They haven't set a wedding date yet. As Furtive Penguin said, “We're waiting to see what the release date is for the next Halo game. We don't want any conflicts.” (Link)

The man who got on fire before kneeling down and proposing

Todd has some interesting friends. One in particular is well-known stunt man Eric Barkley who's done many human-torch fire jumps. Todd devised a plan to not only entertain family and friends at their annual 4th of July family reunion but to also propose to his girlfriend Malissa.

With Eric's help, Todd set up a stunt to launch himself off a platform above a swimming pool while being completely engulfed in flames. Eric dressed him in the appropriate fire-retardant attire, with flaming cape and all. Eric fashioned a torch out of an aluminum pole and with Todd ready to jump from the platform over the pool, Eric lit Todd's cape on fire and seconds later he became complete engulfed in gasoline induced flames. Todd ran off the platform in a breath-taking display of dangerous excitement. The burning man soared through the air against the night sky and landed in the pool, extinguishing himself from the fiery blaze.

Todd surfaced and pulled off his hood, walked over to Malissa and got down on one knee. "Malissa, you make me hot. I want to get the point across that I'm on fire for you", said Todd. Malissa was laughing from the excitement and insanity of the whole display until Todd pulled out the ring and popped the question.

"Will you marry me, Malissa?" Todd placed the ring on her finger. "Yes!" she exclaimed. (Link)

The man who proposed at 20,000 feet just before skydiving

When it comes to marriage, men traditionally have a big responsibility -- the proposal -- and they've got to make it memorable. And that's exactly what Mateo Martinez did. Martinez popped the question at 20,000 feet just as he and his girlfriend were about to sky dive.

"There is no better way to get your heart rate up than jumping out of a plane and proposing to your girlfriend," Martinez said.

The man who raised money on the internet to buy TV ad space to propose

Rand had been dating Geraldine for about 5 years and the time had come for Rand to pop the question. Rand wanted to propose in a genuine, unique, and completely romantic way, equal to the love he felt for Geraldine. Being a major NFL fan, Rand began to play with the idea of proposing via a Super Bowl commercial. Obviously the task would be monumental but luckily Rand works within an industry that may make the idea work. Rand works within search marketing, specializing in search optimization, online viral marketing, and things of this nature. Rand started on his idea in late August of 2006. He put together a website and started working his magic. Rand started to draw a lot of attention online. On his website he posted his game plan, the hurdles that lie ahead, and the solution he needed to execute the Super Bowl commercial proposal.

Rand found that in order to purchase ad space during the 2007 Super Bowl, he would have to raise approximately $2.5 million dollars. He put up a good chunk of his own cash and waited for the donations to pour in. By February 1st, just 3 days prior to the Super Bowl, Rand had only collected $85K. The wedding invitations would be covered but unfortunately this was not nearly enough for the Super Bowl ad space. His proposal publicly gained the attention of Entertainment Tonight, MSNBC, Good Morning America, and Fox News just to name a few. Despite all of this, CBS was unwilling to part with the valuable ad time for a mere $85K. Rand did the next best thing and purchased local ad time during Geraldine's favorite television show Veronica Mars. On February 6th at 9:23 PM, as Geraldine was watching the show, Rand's ad came on the screen, asking Geraldine to marry him. She said yes! Her response was genuine, sweet, and very romantic.
Rand donated the remaining money raised to the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

The man who hacked his Girlfriend's computer game to pop the question

A US man has been credited with the ultimate nerd wedding proposal after hacking into his girlfriend's favorite video game. Bernie Peng, 26, of New Jersey, reprogrammed Bejeweled so a ring and a proposal popped up when Tammy Li, 27, reached a certain score.

Mr Peng, who works as a programmer of financial software, spent about a month reprogramming the game. He presented the game to a surprised Li, who played until she hit the score that triggered a digital pink sapphire ring to drop down with Peng's proposal.

According to Li, he set a pretty low score; she is now sporting an identical pink sapphire engagement ring. The story was picked up by video gaming sites and spread across the internet until the manufacturer eventually heard about it. Instead of being angry that Peng had hacked into their game, company officials were so impressed they offered to pay for part of the wedding. (Link 1 | Link 2)

The man who popped the question with umbrellas

Sean Palmgren won a contest run by GroomGrove.com and Platinum Guild International for his most unique proposal to his girlfriend Betsy. He caught hold of friends and family and got them to carry umbrellas in a park. What he had done was to paint a letter on each umbrella. He then convinced his soon to be fiancé to take a walk in the park. Upon the finish of the three mile walk around the lake they proceeded to walk towards a line of people all holding an umbrella right above their heads.

Besty was very intrigued on what was going on and wanted to take a closer look. About 100 feet away, someone counts 1-2-3 and everyone flips their umbrella over to spell out the infamous “WILL YOU MARRY ME?” Betsey starts looking around saying, “Oh my gosh, someone is getting engaged!”

When she saw him on his knee she knew the proposal was for her and said Yes.

A camera man who asked Tom Cruise to pop the question

In 2004, Tom Cruise appeared on Portuguese television to ask a woman to marry her boyfriend. Cruise asked the factory worker, named only as Sonia, to marry cameraman Joao Martins. He'd filmed the actor at the Spanish premiere of The Last Samurai. In a clip shown on state channel RTP, Cruise said: "Sonia, you have to marry Joao. Please marry Joao. He is crying behind the camera." His girlfriend accepted the proposal. Martins, who works for RTP, was on the phone to his girlfriend when the marriage proposal was aired.

Cruise also joked in the footage they should name their children after him.

The man who hired a £10,000 theatre company to play his proposal

A lovestruck tycoon hired an entire theatre company so he could star in a play and give his girlfriend a proposal she'd never forget.

Gennady Zaleskiy, 38, paid £10,000 to have the play The Romantics staged in Zaporozhie, Ukraine, with him as the leading man. He then arranged for his theatre-fan girlfriend to have a seat at the show on a girls' night out with friends. He appeared on stage in a mask where he was supposed to declare his love for his leading lady. Instead, he turned to face his girlfriend in the audience and said: "No, the woman I love is called Victoria and she is in the sixth row. Will you marry me Victoria?"

The bride? She said "Yes!"

The man who created an art exhibition to pop the question

Over a four day period George spent a total of about 24 hours constructing what would soon become his engagement proposal to his girlfriend Sara.

Wishing to create a proposal and art piece all in one that would be elaborate and meaningful George, an industrial designer, sat down at his computer and designed the piece in a 3d program, then laser cut foam core to create the different pieces that would form the words, “Will You Marry Me.” Putting in even more thought, he named the art piece “My Early Muir Owl” which is an anagram of “Will you marry me.” He then brought in an actor who he dubbed “Serge Gandaora” who played the part of the artist for the night. (”Serge Gandaora” is an anagram of “George and Sara”)

When “Serge” asked Sara to view the art installation through a carefully placed frame, George dropped down to one knee beside her and as the words took shape before her eyes she came away with a clear yes and a ring on her finger.

10 Cool Romantic Places

2009-10-30T06:17:00.001+05:30

Think Paris and Venice are a little too mundane? Tired of going to the same old places? If you really want a romantic vacation and one that neither of you will ever forget, check out one of these places.

San Camp, Botswana

While spending time together in the middle of nowhere in Africa may not be your idea of a romantic getaway. Think again, Botswana is one of the most popular and modern states in Africa and while San Camp is in the middle of nowhere, you won’t feel like it. This used to be a favorite spot for safari travelers and people looking for a bit of adventure but now it has been turned into an exclusive resort. How exclusive? Expect to pay $1,960 a night, so even though you may still be camping out in a tent you’ll be doing it in luxury. Well…there actually isn’t any electricity or running water, but this is still the trip of a lifetime, and each tent does come with its own bathroom!

Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren, Netherlands

This is the perfect weird destination for the romantic traveler that loves wine. Most people consider sharing a bottle of wine to be very romantic, well how about sleeping in one? While not exactly a wine bottle the Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren offers giant wine casks as rooms. These 14,500 litre wine casks were shipped all the way from Switzlerand and offer an experience that you will never forget. The hotel offers beautiful views of the harbor and a restaurant featuring a wide variety of international cuisine. The best part is that these rooms are only 109 Euros a night, and if go during the off season you might even get them for only 27 euros.

Ice Hotel, Sweden

There’s nothing like curling up together to keep warm to get those romantic juices flowing. Well at the world famous Ice Hotel you will need more than just body head to keep warm. This gigantic and beautiful hotel is made entirely from ice and snow and it only open during winter (it will melt during the summer!). Every year artists from all over the world come to create beautiful works of art using the snow and ice. Normally each artist will be given their own room to do with what they want, so a stay here means viewing one of a kind artwork…that has an expiration date. Expect to bundle up in warm coats and furs because even the bed is made of solid ice.

World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain, Las Vegas

Well they say that chocolate is an aphrodisiac and well who doesn’t love chocolate? At the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas is the world’s largest chocolate fountain. World renown pastry chef Jean Philippe Maury spent a year and a half in design and planning alone to build this monstrosity. The chocolate fountain is 27 feet tall and circulates 2,100 pounds of chocolate at a rate of 120 quarts per minute. There are three types of chocolate in the fountain and while you may not be able to eat directly from the found Jean Philippe’s bakery offers plenty of the prized chocolate.

Angel Waterfall, South America

If you’re looking for romantic scenery and a beautiful sight than look no further than Angel Waterfall. This is waterfall is the tallest in the world, in fact, it is so high that the water turns into a fine mist before it even reaches the bottom. It is an 802 meter drop from the top of the falls to the Kerep river flowing below. Flying over this waterfall by plane is one of the most beautiful sights to behold

The Skeleton Church, The Czech Republic

For many churches are beautiful and romantic places to visit and experience. This church…is definitely an experience. The church was built in 1400 and decorating began in 1870. But the decorating was not done with beautiful artwork or sculptures, but rather arrangements of bones. At this church you will find somewhere between 40,000 and 70,000 human bones used in the décor. Macabre and yet enchanting this church must be seen to be believed.

Huacachina Oasis

Now there is always something about being alone in the middle of nowhere with the one you love because it gives you a chance to really feel close to each other. At Huacachina Oasis you may not be alone but just a few steps away and you’ll be in the middle of a sweltering desert with little or no sign of human life. Yes, Huacachina Oasis is a real oasis in the middle of the desert, fed by an underground river. For centuries it has been the salvation of lowly travelers on the verge of death and now has become a very popular tourist destination. You can experience what it is like to be in a cool relaxing paradise right in the middle of a desert.

Cappadocia Cave Hotel, Turkey

Quite possibly one of the most unique hotels you will ever visit, the Cappadocia Cave Hotel is just what it sounds like. A beautiful, luxury hotel carved into a cave. Don’t worry this isn’t a tourist trap stunt this hotel is actually carved into the Yunak Evleri mountain cliff, with 30 rooms all carved around the 5th and 6th centuries. You’ll also find cave houses, underground cities, churches and some of the most beautiful scenes you will ever see. So if you’re ready to travel back in time and see just what it was like when people lived in small but cozy caves. Each room is very quiet and peaceful which makes for the perfect place for really getting to know each other.

Waitomo Cave, New Zealand

Some of the most romantic places in the world are considered romantic because they have a magical feel to them. Well few places in the world look more magical than Waitomo Cave. In this cave it looks as if the stars shine underground! Well they don’t really, in actuality what you are seeing is thousands of glow worms. While worms may not exactly be romantic the effect they create will truly take your breath away.

Harbin Snow Sculpture Festival, China

This is one museum you will truly never forget and it is definitely a magical experience. Every year the greatest sculptors come from all over the world to carve magnificent sculptures in the ice and snow. But these are not just any sculptures, they are often built to scale, so you may actually see a fairy tale castle made completely of snow! These massive sculptures are beautiful from a distance but during the festival you can actually get up close. So snuggle up with someone you love, fight off the cold and experience something truly amazing.

GLOWING MUSHROOMS!

2009-10-30T06:12:00.000+05:30

Emmanuel Boitier
No, you’re not hallucinating; you really are seeing bright green mushrooms, but if you are partial to the odd magic mushie, these images won’t faze you in the slightest.
These neon green mushrooms, or Mycena chlorophos, to use the technical term, emerge during the rainy season in Japanese and Brazilian forests, scattering the floor with glowing spores. The bases of tree trunks, fallen branches, leaf litter and moist soil provide perfect breeding grounds for the mushrooms.

Rodgrigo Baleia
Found mostly on Mesameyama island in Ugui, Japan and Ribeira Valley Tourist State Park, Brazil, the appearance of these garish looking fungi is due to bioluminescence, one of the weird but wonderful reactions that happen naturally in many plants and animals.

via io9
Bioluminescence occurs when the natural chemical energy produced within an organism is converted to light energy. The result is an amazing display of natural fluorescent light, or ‘cold light’ (as opposed to red hot light). The color of bioluminescence is normally at the blue/green end of the visible light spectrum.

Rodgrigo Baleia
This organic light display can be seen in the late summer months, and although there are nightly visits to the forests in Japan, these rare shrooms only thrive where they are because they’ve been relatively undisturbed by humans. So, for now it’s probably best to enjoy them from the comfort of your own home, that way they’ll be around for a while longer. And, no, you can’t get high on them, although no doubt someone has tried!

via rincon del misterio

10 bizarre wine names !

2009-10-30T06:09:00.000+05:30

1.Fat bastard

A French wine produced and distributed by a British - French partnership, FAT bastard is a fast growing brand, recently selling over 400,000 cases per year in the United States alone. BusinessWeek has called FAT bastard a "marketing phenomenon".

2.Bitch

An Australian wine called "Bitch", the back label repeats it 77 times, followed by "some more".

3.Le Vin de Merde

Jean-Marc Speziale, who owns a small restaurant in Aniane near Montpellier, was so fed up with the bad press that wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon were getting that he decided to hit back. So he started making his own batch of wine, and labelled them Vin de Merde, or Wine of Shite as they say in Ireland.

4.Oops

The name originates from the fact that they mislabeled the grape type for such a long time that they decided to call it "Oops!"

5.Arrogant Frog Ribet

6.Elephant on a Tightrope

7.Frog's Piss

This label belongs to Cheers Calais booze-cruise store. The fruity drinkable wine is a plonk, worth the few coins the wine costs.

8.Cleavage Creek

"Premium grapes grown in the cleavage of some of the most beautiful California hills are then handcrafted into an elegant complex wine that is full bodied yet vivacious" as the back label says, written over a photograph of the bare back of the lady pictured on the front label.

9.Mad Housewife

This wine has taken a different approach in marketing by catering to women and has appropriately been named Mad Housewife Wine. Its tagline : "What's domestic bliss without a little wine? "

10.Blasted Church

The Blasted Church is a small estate winery located in Okanagan Falls in Canada.

Worlds Tallest Human !

2009-10-30T06:07:00.003+05:30

World’s tallest man, that is living in Ukraine has got a present from an engineer. A new bike that can suit his needs. This guy is 8 feet 5.5 inch tall (2 m 57 cm), see how the regular things look when compared with him:

10 Most Famous Altered Photos

2009-10-30T06:02:00.001+05:30

Robert Capa's famous photograph, Falling Soldier, may be the latest addition to a growing list of art fakes. The image, taken in 1936, depicts a soldier in the Spanish Civil War at the moment of his death, twisting towards the ground as a rifle falls from his hands. But a new book, Shadows of Photography, a Spanish researcher named Jose Manuel Susperregui suggests that the photo was not taken at the town of Cerro Muranio, as was originally thought, but outside the town of Espejo, 35 miles away. It may seem like a small difference, but according to Susperregui, that's evidence that the photo was staged, similar to the other photos from the series on that front. And along with the help of the Spanish press, he managed to match the background of the photo with a current location. Historians add more evidence: the fighting in Espejo had not yet begun when Capa passed through. (Link 1 | Link 2)

The caption Reuters gave to this photo is "Georgians stand next to the body of their son in the town of Gori". The woman is looking up towards the sky from where, presumably, death had stricken "her son". But for the purposes of this photo the body of the "son" has been obviously moved quite a bit away from the curb. This was clearly not done in order to cover up the naked parts of the dead man's body, nor to allow some measure of dignity to the dead. Was it done for the light? (One should challenge Reuters to find a mother -- any mother -- who would allow the body of her child to be dragged through dirt half naked like this, while she is taking instructions from a photographer where to stand, where to look and what to do next).

Note: some readers wrote to us saying these pictures weren't doctored. When a news photographer first sees a scene he or she will immediately take a photo from where he or she is, with the longest zoom or focal length required to frame the shot so that you get SOMETHING. Then the photographer proceeds to move closer to the scene while zooming out or switching to a wider focal length in order to get a better photo with more impact. Often the best photo of the series is an extreme wide angle shot very very close to the main subject with the supporting elements near but not competing with the main subject. These photos show the difference between photographing the scene with a 200mm lens vs. using a 20mm lens. (Thanks, Greg). (Link)

This hoax emerged on the internet just weeks after the Sept 11 attack. Although rational assessment of the picture quickly reveals its flaws (how could the tourist not hear the plane? how did the camera survive? Besides, anyone who visited the WTC before 9/11 knows the outdoor observation deck was atop #2 WTC (the south tower). The photo looks north, toward the Empire State Building. But #2 WTC was hit from the south by the hijacked plane.), the horror of the scenario and the rawness of America's wounds gave the image a huge emotional impact.

The June 271994 covers of Newsweek and Time had two different versions of the same mug shot of O. J. Simpson. The Time cover makes Simpson's face darker, blurrier, and unshaven. Matt Mahurin, the illustrator at Time Magazine who manipulated the police photo of O. J., at his word, he said that he "wanted to make it more artful, more compelling." (Link)

The cover of TV Guide in August 1989 displayed this picture of daytime talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. This picture was created by splicing the head of Winfrey onto the body of actress Ann-Margret, taken from a 1979 publicity shot. The composite was created without permission of Winfrey or Ann-Margret, and was detected by Ann-Margret's fashion designer, who recognized the dress. (Link)

This photo of George W Bush holding a picture book the wrong way up during a visit to a school delighted some opponents of the Republican president, and helped foster his buffoonish image. But press photos from the event in 2002 revealed that Mr Bush had been holding the book correctly - hoaxers had simply used photo editing software to rotate the cover. (Link)

This photo was first published by the Reuters as an image of a "dead woman being carried by the Georgian soldiers from the town of Gori". But this "dead woman", incredibly, is clutching the nurse's arm. Later, the same man lying next to her was spotted in different positions. (Link 1 | Link 2)

August 2006: This photograph by Adnan Hajj, a Lebanese photographer, showed thick black smoke rising above buildings in the Lebanese capital after an Israeli air raid. The Reuters news agency initially published the photograph on its Web site then withdrew it when it became evident that the original image had been manipulated to show more and darker smoke.
"Hajj has denied deliberately attempting to manipulate the image, saying that he was trying to remove dust marks and that he made mistakes due to the bad lighting conditions he was working under," said Moira Whittle, head of Reuters public relations. "This represents a serious breach of Reuters' standards and we shall not be accepting or using pictures taken by him." Other photographs by Hajj were also determined to have been doctored. (Link)

The most common examples of photograph alteration and falsification come from communist Russia. Unwanted persons, so-called "enemies of the people" were not only killed, but also removed from photographs where their presence was unwanted. Photographs were altered with the intent of changing the past. Leo Trotsky was a close friend of Lenin, and shared his idealistic ideas about the communist state. In these pictures he can be seen together with Lenin and later was removed from both photographs.

The historical reason for this alteration is that Stalin eventually began to see Trotsky as a threat and labeled him an "enemy of the people". After he was deported from the Soviet Union in 1929, Trotsky criticized Stalin's leadership, arguing that the dictatorship Stalin exercised was based on his own interests, rather than those of the people. This contributed substantially to Trotsky's removal from photographs and history. (Link)

The dramatic image on the top made its rounds on the Internet in 2001. This striking fake was created by merging two separate images - a US Air Force helicopter on a training exercise in San Francisco, and a great white shark leaping out of the water off the cost of South Africa.

15 Extraordinary Mass Human Formations

2009-10-30T05:52:00.001+05:30

Arthur Mole's Living Formations

Almost a century ago and without the aid of any pixel-generating computer software, the itinerant photographer Arthur Mole (1889-1983) used his 11 x 14-inch view camera to stage a series of extraordinary mass photographic spectacles that choreographed living bodies into symbolic formations of religious and national community. In these mass ornaments, thousands of military troops and other groups were arranged artfully to form American patriotic symbols, emblems, and military insignia visible from a bird's eye perspective. During World War I, these military formations came to serve as rallying points to support American involvement in the war and to ward off isolationist tendencies.

Eugene Goldbeck's Photographs

Another of the most notable photographers of living people groups was Eugene Omar Goldbeck. Along with the large scale work, he also took photographic portraits of important personalities, such as Albert Einstein.

John Quigley's Aerial Messages

Artist John Quigley is internationally renowned for his environmental messages and images spelt out by human bodies and photographed from the air.

Canopy Formation World Record

On July 2008, three Kennedy Space Center engineers helped set two new world records in the parachuting sport of "canopy formation", with 81- and 85-person formation dives that took place over Lake Wales, Fla.

And some more...

Grenzhausen, Germany - 1st Field Artillery Brigade, 1st Division, 1919

209th Engineers, Camp Sheridan, Alabama, 1919

Spencer Tunick's nude group photography

A Human MIG

6 Wedding Proposals Gone Bad

2009-10-30T05:50:00.000+05:30

The Woman Who Swallowed the Engagement Ring Hidden in a Milkshake

When Reed Harris asked Kaitlin Whipple to marry him, he didn’t plan it out that well. First he took to her a Wendy’s to do it. Second he hid the ring her Frosty milkshake. Third he invited her friends and one of them challenged to a race to down the Frosty. What happens next makes you wonder why she said yes. She swallowed the ring whole. Reed drove her to the hospital to find out if she did indeed swallow the ring and she did. Two days later she got her ring and the two are set to marry around early June when it is warm and Frostys melt! Although she said she would have felt it. Frostys numb your tongue and she probably didn’t feel it. Poor Katilin but at least she will remember it always.

The Engagement Ring that Took Off Inside a Helium Balloon

A London man named Lefkos Hajji, wanted to "pop the question" to his fiancee, Leanne, literally. His idea was to hide her $12,100 diamond engagement ring inside a helium balloon. Then, he would present it to her and "pop" the question. Now, some of us see the obvious danger in hiding a ring inside a helium balloon. Lefkos didn't. After leaving the balloon store, a gust of wind swept the balloon out of his hand. Like a bad dream, Lefkos saw her ring (and his money) floating calmly away in a balloon. He tried to chase it in his car for two hours, but it soon became a mere dot vanishing on the distant horizon. "I just watched as it went further and further into the air. I felt like such a plonker," said Lefkos. Leanne, 26, has shown what a worthy bride she will be. She is not speaking to Lefkos until she gets a new ring.

The Quirky Marriage Proposal That Triggered an UFO alert

A young man's creative marriage proposal apparently triggered several UFO reports in a small town in Germany. Bavarian police say several people called during one night to alert them to strange lights floating above the sleepy town of Plattling. It turns out the lights were 50 paper lanterns sent aloft by a 29-year-old man proposing marriage to his girlfriend. Neither the man nor the 27-year-old woman were identified. However, police reported the woman did say "Yes."

The Man Who Dropped The Ring On Brooklyn Bridge

Imagine saving enough money to buy the love of your life a beautiful diamond ring, only to drop it off the Brooklyn Bridge just as she agrees to marry you. Teacher Don Walling planned to propose to his girlfriend, Gina Pellicani, on the Brooklyn Bridge's pedestrian walkway with his family looking. But at the moment of truth, Walling dropped the ring through a crack in the pedestrian bridge and into traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge roadway below. But he didn't let his shock sway him for long. He kissed the bride to be and said he was going to get the ring back. The groom-to-be jumped onto the bridge's roadway and began looking for the ring.

Miraculously, he found it. The ring is now being repaired and will be restored to its former luster, but Walling said the next time he gives it to his fiance it will be in the safety of his home.

The Woman Who Was Swept Out To Sea Before Proposal

A romantic marriage proposal on the Oregon coast turned deadly for the bride-to-be when a wave swept her out to sea. Scott Napper had taken 22-year-old Leafil Alforque to Proposal Rock near Neskowin Beach to pop the question at a place that got its name from couples ready to marry. Napper and Alforque had been dating since they met on the Internet in 2005. Napper said the tide had receded around Proposal Rock on Saturday when the couple began to walk to it. He planned to propose and give her the ring he carried in his pocket. About 10 feet from the rock, a wave about 3 feet high suddenly came toward them. By the time he turned to find Alforque, only 4-foot-11 and 93 pounds, she had been caught by the receding waters. She was never seen again.

The Woman Who Swallowed her Engagement Ring Hidden in a Cake

Remember that woman who swallowed her ring on a milkshake? Well, she's not alone. A Chinese woman passed out in after accidentally swallowing an engagement ring her boyfriend had hidden in a cake. Mr Chen, of Xinyan Town, Fuqing City, said he was inspired by romantic movies in which leading men hid rings in cakes and gave them to their girlfriends. "I imagined the surprise on her face, mixed with happiness," he regretfully told the Southeast Morning Post.

Instead, his girlfriend Wen fainted when she saw Chen get down on one knee. "I realized I had just swallowed the ring with a full mouth of cake," she said. Chen called the police, who immediately sent Wen to hospital. Doctors used a catheter to retrieve the ring from her stomach.

On waking up, Wen accepted Chen's marriage proposal.