unique and interesting: June 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

What's Inside Worcestershire Sauce?

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Though Worcestershire sauce was originally developed in India by the English, it takes its name from the fact that it was first bottled in Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins. It's a thin, dark, rather piquant sauce used to season meats, gravies, soups and vegetable juices, and as a table condiment.

You may know about the garlic, onions, anchovies, and vinegar but what else is inside Worcestershire sauce?

The Difference Between Men And Women

Sheikh Jassem Al-Mutawah explains the differences between men and women on Saudi Arabia TV.

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In 1910, during the Paris Exhibition, one project stole the show. It was a plaster model of a church designed by the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi - a design so daring and outrageous that it was difficult to believe anyone seriously consider building it.

Not only was this unconventional design approved and commissioned but at the time of the exhibition the church was already under construction. Gaudi himself had been working on the Church of the Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family) in Barcelona since 1883. He continued to work on it until his death in 1926. The church is still unfinished today.

The Terrafugia Transition, a light aircraft that can convert into a road-legal automobile, is to go into production after being given a special weight exemption by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The Transition was designed as a 'light sport' aircraft, the smallest kind of private aeroplane under FAA classification.

But the manufacturers found it impossible to fit the safety features that are required for road vehicles into that weight. Uniquely, however, the FAA has granted the Terrafugia Transition an exemption - allowing it to be classified as a light sport aircraft despite being 120lb over the limit.

Guinea pigs dressed up in fedoras and frilly skirts have been the unwitting participants in a fashion show at the third annual Festival of the Guinea Pig in Huacho, Peru. The celebration also included contests for the biggest, fastest, best-dressed and, finally, tastiest animal of all.

While the lucky guinea pigs at the festival escaped with only the indignity of being turned into kings, miners and Peruvian peasants for the day, the less fortunate ended up on a plate.

Warning: article contains pictures of roasted guinea pigs.

Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by producer Hal Roach, Our Gang started in 1922 as a silent short subject series.

Roach changed distributors from Pathé to MGM in 1927, went to sound in 1929 and continued production until 1938, when he sold the The Little Rascals to MGM. MGM in turn continued producing the comedies until 1944. A total of 220 shorts and one feature film, General Spanky, were eventually produced, featuring over forty-one child actors.

Snub Fighter (Star Wars Re-Edit)

Snub Fighter is a re-edit of the finale from Star Wars, A New Hope, made by Presurfer reader Mark Dury from Thoughtbubble Design Concern.

In Snub Fighter Luke Skywalker is a dangerously incompetent rookie. He shows up late for the attack, disobeys orders, ignores Obi-Wan's advice and then misses his shot at destroying the Death Star.

A sleeping bag that looks like a shark? Or a bear, a coffin, a cocoon, or a cadaver. There are a lot of weird sleeping bags.

A top 10 of sports stadiums ordered by their spectator capacity. Most of the largest stadiums are used for Association football or American football.

Inside A Birdhouse

You've seen them before, those boxes with an entry hole made as a nesting place for birds. Yes, birdhouses. They may look small on the outside, but they really aren't. From the inside, they're huge.

Why should dogs be the only ones allowed to drink out of the toilet?
This silly toilet-shaped mug holds up to 12oz of your favorite hot beverage and will make your co-workers do a double take.

Five months ago, Steve Jobs announced that Apple would be releasing a 'magical' device called the iPad. While it received decidedly mixed first impressions from the tech press at the time, Apple has had the last laugh, with 3 million iPads sold in its first 80 days.

During these first five months, there have been creative, bizarre, and bizarrely creative uses for the iPad aplenty, propelled by an Internet that can't seem to get enough of them.

(thanks Robert)

My friends at Neatorama, in collaboration with social news website Reddit, are looking for the best talent on the web. Their 'Great Talent Fantastic or Otherwise' search is not only looking for people with with amazing talents, they also want to find those with the most unusual and odd talents that mainstream media don't appreciate.

If you can belch a Lady Gaga song, juggle forks while doing acrobatics, lick your elbow or do other nearly impossible things with your body, then you may just win! Grand Prizeis an Apple iPad (or monetary equivalent if you're outside the USA) Runner-Up Prizes are 5 Alien 4GB flash drives, 5 evolution posters signed by the entire Reddit staff, and more. More information at Neatorama.

The Daily Mail Falls Victim To Spoof Steve Jobs Twitter Message

This is how some journalists work. First you see this (ignoring the bit on the right about it being a parody).

Next put this in your newspaper.

source

Lightning Strikes Three Of The Tallest Buildings In Chicago At The Same Time

Three of the tallest buildings in Chicago get struck by lightning at the same time. Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and the John Hancock Building.

(thanks Cora)

Designer and illustrator John Woo from Hongkong created these drawings of Star Wars' characters wearing famous fashion.

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Times have changed since Wiley Post was the first man to fly solo around the world. He helped to develop the first pressure suits for high altitude flying, which would then eventually evolve in to what we know today as space suits.

There have been many different space suits along the decades, but which are the best? Here is a list of the coolest ten space suit designs from down the decades.

(thanks Robert-John)

A surefire way to save money is to come face-to-face with an ATM which, for one reason or another, immediately repels you. Maybe the machine is empty; worse still, maybe it only contains denominations that are worth more than your entire balance, thus making it impossible for you to withdraw your last note, or maybe the machine is vandalised to the point where it's physically impossible to press any buttons.

Here are five unaccommodating ATMs, all set to save you money for reasons less common.

(thanks Dave)

Fat Cat Ad

An advertisement from Thailand. My knowledge of the Thai language isn't what it used to be but I think it's for a life insurance company.

(via Miss Cellania)

Finally a coloring book for grown-ups. And what is there to be colored? Sneakers of course. The Sneaker Colouring Book is a collection of 100 black-and-white line drawings of popular sneaker designs to colour, alter or customize.

The models featured are designs from 1916 to the present day from 18 major brands including Adidas, Converse, New Balance, Nike, Onitsuka Tiger, Puma, Reebok and Vans. The drawings are printed on high-quality paper and the pages are perforated so that a drawing can be removed once completed.

(thanks Cora)

Vuvuzela Hits

Now on sale! A double CD of Vuvuzela Hits.
Over two hours of non stop vuvuzela.

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Once one of the most numerous horned animals in North Africa, the Scimitar Oryx has now been classified as extinct in the wild.

A pale antelope with a ruddy chest this almost horse-like mammal would perhaps be unremarkable save for one thing - it's majestic and incredibly long curved horns. For this reason it was hunted almost to extinction.

(thanks Robert-John)

Ageing Brains Retain Knowledge

The human brain improves as it gets older in some functions, according to scientific research that suggests age really does confer wisdom. A study by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York has found that long-term memory remains unaffected with age and a person's vocabulary, emotional intelligence and social skills may all get better.

Short-term memory, learning skills and the ability to reason do decline with age, the research shows, but not all mental faculties reach their peak when a person is in their 20s as is commonly believed.

An infographic which takes a look back at the history of the iPhone, its many iterations, and the cultural and economic contexts in which the various devices were introduced.

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The Code of Hammurabi is one of the earliest known examples of human laws being defined and written down in an orderly way. Little is known about Hammurabi himself; he ruled Babylon nearly four millennia ago, from roughly 1792-1750 B.C.

The Code of Hammurabi has 282 entries covering all sorts of civil interactions, from inheritance to theft to slave ownership. Some of the laws are general and others quite specific. The code's best-known dictum is 'If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out' - commonly quoted as 'An eye for an eye.'

(thanks Lauren)

Giant Spider Crab Sloughs Off Old Skin

(thanks Cora)

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Destined to be one of the most instantly recognized buildings in the world the Aqua Tower in Chicago has the simplest of ideas behind it. The idea for the tower came from the eroded rocks that can be found around the Great Lakes.

(thanks Robert-John)

Streamdin is a web based Twitter client paired with Google Maps. You can see what's happening around you, let others know what you're doing or broadcast your thoughts and location with live video.

Track, discover and explore activity in your city or across the globe. To get started with Streamdin, sign in with your Twitter account and find something interesting near you.

Gandalf Goes To The World Cup

Gandalf Goes to the World Cup. Why? To fight the Vuvuzelas.

A polar bear display for the zoo. Free towels at public swimming pools. A 'drug-free Parliament by 2020.' Iceland's 'Best Party,' founded in December 2009 by a comedian, Jón Gnarr Kristinsson, to satirize his country's political system, ran a campaign that was one big joke.

At least it looked like a joke until they won the elections. Jón Gnarr is now the new mayor of Reykjavik. In his acceptance speech he said: No one has to be afraid of the Best Party because it is the best party. If it wasn't, it would be called the Worst Party or the Bad Party. We would never work with a party like that.

(via Neatorama)

Fallen Princesses is a site by Canadian photographer Dina Goldstein. This series of photographs shows fantasy figures facing a modern day reality check.

Fallen Princesses place fairy tale characters in modern day scenarios. In all of the images the Princess is placed in an environment that articulates her conflict. The 'happily ever after' is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues.

The Hierarchy of Beards.

Welcome To The Internet

Welcome To The Internet.

If you fancy a dip in this pool, you'll need a head for heights - it's 55 floors up. But swimming to the edge won't be quite as risky as it looks. While the water in the infinity pool seems to end in a sheer drop, it actually spills into a catchment area where it is pumped back into the main pool.

The pool features in the impressive, boat-shaped 'SkyPark' perched atop the three towers that make up the world's most expensive hotel, the Marina Bay Sands development in Singapore.

(thanks Cora)

Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates.

James Nash from London, UK, invented a single-serve plastic glass of French wine with a tear-off lid. The 187ml glasses equate to about a quarter of a bottle of wine, which adds up to 2.25 units and below the drink drive limit for most people of 3 units.

(via Neatorama)

Find The Person Behind An Email Address

You get an email from a person you don't know and before you reply to that message, you would like to know something more about him or her. How do you do this without directly asking the other person?

Web search engines are obviously the most popular place for performing reverse email lookups but if the person you're trying to research doesn't have a website or has never interacted with his email address on public forums before, Google will probably be of little help. Here are a few tips and online services that may still help you uncover the identity of that unknown email sender.

Kitten Riding Tortoise

The world's most expensive suit was designed by Richard Jewels of Manchester & Stuart Hughes of Liverpool. The suit is made from a blend of cashmere wool, silk and diamonds. The suit took 600 man hours to create and has 480 diamonds positioned around the suit.

Only three suits will be made and each costs £599,000 ($893,887). The first suit has already been sold to a buyer in France. The suitmakers are donating ten per cent of each sale to the Haiti relief fund.

(thanks Cora)

Staring Contest With Animal

At The Webby Awards last week, viral video superstars and Webby winners OK Go and Animal from The Muppets had a bizarre, not-to-be-missed staring contest backstage.

(thanks Gita)

Mystery surrounds a man wearing a horse's head who has been captured on Google's Street View in Aberdeen. The man - who has become known as 'horse-boy' - can be seen in the Hardgate area of the city.

The man (it could actually be a woman as well) is wearing dark trousers, a purple shirt - and a brown and white horse's head.

The GreenHouse Golf Mouse not only looks and feels like a golf ball, it also comes with a 'golf turf-like' mouse pad, a mini-putter, a mini-flag and a mini-golf ball. When connected to a computer via USB the golf mouse glows with colorful lights.

I spent most of the last three days watching history being made at Wimbledon. American John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut from France with 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68.

It was the longest tennis match ever (11 hours and 5 minutes), the most games played in a match (183), the most games played in a set (138), and the highest number of aces in a match: 215 (Isner: 112, Mahut: 103).

The Sound Of The Sun

Scientists at Sheffield University in the U.K. have released what amounts to a recording of what you would hear if you could stand inside the solar corona - the upper layer of the Sun's atmosphere - and it turns out that what you'd hear is music. Click the button to hear the sound of the Sun.

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The smooth sides and rounded outline of the shape do not disturb the flow of water and do not cause turbulence behind the object. Turbulence causes drag in a vehicle. The hulls of vehicles that are immersed in water are streamlined so that the vehicles can sail faster through the water.

The center of gravity of the vehicles in water must be below the water level so that the vehicle is stable and balanced when moving on water.

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Many squares in Europe are beautiful and unique. Like many city squares found in other continents, most squares in Europe were built as public open spaces suitable for open markets, music concerts and other important events. Here is a list of beautiful squares in Europe.

The Ultimate Lazy Boy

Someone shot this footage while driving on the I-85 in North Carolina, USA.

(thanks Cora)

It takes a lot of skill for an actor to master a foreign accent. But when they pull it off, like Heath Ledger did as a cowboy in Brokeback Mountain or Gwyneth Paltrow as a Brit in Sliding Doors, it's a huge success.

When they fail, however, it can ruin the movie and their reputation. Some actors actually became famous for their botched dialects, like Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Others learn their lesson and never try again - like Tom Cruise, who, probably due to his mangled Irish lilt in Far and Away, was the only actor on the set of Valkyrie who didn't try to sound German. Regardless of the outcome of their attempts, here are 12 picks for worst on-screen accents.

(thanks Jessie)

The Art Of Analog Computing

The Art of Analog Computing shows what it would be like if we did everything at work the same way we do things on a computer. The film represents the digital tools and interfaces we use daily in an analog way.

In the analog office, your computer desktop becomes your actual desk, your inbox gets flooded with Spam cans, the server runs past you multiple times a day, and Twitter users follow each other around the space.

(via Laughing Squid)

Mystical places ruled over human imagination far before the world did its best to encourage us to dream. Whether these places are part of a local folklore or they are somehow integrated in our society development, they are all united by the same concept, the ideal place where the chosen of one criteria or the other are supposed to live happily ever after doing exactly the things they dreamed of all their life.

Some of these mystical places are created by legends, some are meeting the illumination ideal but all of them have in common the creation of a legend that lingers even in these modern skeptical times.

Hi. I opened the screen door yesterday and my cat got out and has been missing since then so I was wondering if you are not to busy you could make a poster for me. It has to be A4 and I will photocopy it and put it around my suburb this afternoon.

Members of military and intelligence forces around the world risk their lives daily to defend their countries and assist in peacekeeping and aid missions both at home and abroad. The men and women who make up the world's defense forces make sacrifices that most civilians wouldn't consider to serve their countries.

So, with everything they do for us, shouldn't they be represented online by website designs that reflect the honor and responsibility they undertake every day? Unfortunately, that's not the case in many countries out there.

Many military websites out there are some of the worst designs in any industry. Whether they're outdated, broken or designed by amateurs, some of these websites are bad enough to make you cringe.

When I was young, I placed my baby teeth under my pillow and when I woke up I'd find a shiny new quarter. But whatever happened to those little teeth? Where did they go? Would I ever see them again? Many years later, a little tooth was standing at my door. It looked familiar. Its name was ickle.
Welcome home, my milk toof!

Artists from the city of Cluj Napoca in Transylvania, a historical region in Romania, are presenting their creations made from trash at the Planet Report Environmental & Film Festival. The pedestrians are welcomed by a giant mobilephone and some scary looking fish skeletons.

(thanks Zsolt)

Art restorers in Italy have discovered what are believed to be the oldest paintings of some of Jesus Christ's apostles. The faces of Apostles Andrew, John, Peter and Paul were uncovered using new laser technology in a catacomb in Rome.

The paintings date from the second half of the 4th Century or the early 5th Century, the restorers and Vatican officials believe.

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Everyone knows cobras, sharks and lions are killers. But there are plenty of other animals that are just as dangerous as the usual suspects. There are some rather surprising, not to mention frightening, species that if bothered, can kill humans.

Whether it's their bite, sting or strong limbs, these animals are some of the most lethal in the world, so find out which wild things not to mess with.

(thanks Jessie)

Moms With Guns

A Public Service Announcement for Amber Watch Alert.

(thanks Lindsey)

Julio Cou Cámara is a sewage diver in Mexico City, one of only two sewage divers in the world.

A cheerful and charming middle-aged man with a couple of missing teeth and an evident pride in his work, Julio described his twenty-seven year career diving blind beneath the streets of the city, clearing blockages and repairing infrastructure.

(via Miss Cellania)

What It's Like To Own An Apple Product.

Wildlife photography is regarded as being one of the most challenging forms of photography. It involves a thorough understanding of the behavior of animals and in addition to it, one needs to have sound technical skills, such as being able to expose in the right manner. Its all about being in the right place at the right time.

In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange - who lead the struggle for Dutch independence - and the color stuck. A thousand years of yellow, white and purple carrot history, was wiped out in a generation.

New Bus For London

The New Bus for London will use the latest green technology when it launches in 2012. It will meet London Buses' requirements for vehicles in public service in London, including high standards of accessibility, safety and emissions abatement.

In addition, it will be more durable, more fuel efficient and better ventilated. The bus will incorporate a double-deck and a platform at the rear near-side corner, so passengers will be able to get on and off easily.

(thanks Cora)

World War II Posters.

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For most of us, the materials scattered throughout our offices, whether they be Post-its, pencils, paper clips or staples, are mere tools of the trade.

But clearly we're just not being very creative - some people consider them inspiration for art. Office supplies can do wonders when they fall into the right hands.

(thanks Jessie)

Clean waterways are now in danger anywhere in the world is. Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut designed the Physalia, a prototype of an amphibious garden. The Physalia is a floating agora that is designed to clean the waterways.

Aside from its use of cleaning the waterways, the Physalia itself is earth friendly as well, for its roof contains a double pneumatic membrane with photovoltaic solar cells. The Physalia's hull on the other side has hydro-turbines that provides hydro-electricity by transforming the fluvial stream's energy.

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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Monday, June 28, 2010

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Friday, June 25, 2010

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Wednesday, June 23, 2010