unique and interesting: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Villages, Florida, USA - The Town Of Custom Golf Carts

Golf cart paths take people wherever they so desire in the town of The Villages in Florida - no cars necessary. That doesn't prevent residents from indulging in their love of cars, with custom-designed golf carts that are street legal.

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

Wacko Search is a search engine. But not a regular one. It's actually a joke and targeted at people with a quirky sense of humour. Remember when you first started using the Internet and the thrill of finding interesting and different sites, often by accident? Search engines have taken the fun out of surfing.

Wacko Search changes all that. Wacko Search gives you completely irrelevant and wrong search results, because being right all the time is boring.

When an amusement park is abandoned and an eerie silence settles over the rusty and crusty decay, the setting seems to twist the atmosphere of enthusiastic excitement into a suffocating blanket of dread. The place takes on creepy vibes and freaks people out.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and ripped the heart of fun and the amusement out of this park. Almost six years later, Six Flags in New Orleans is unnaturally silent, no lines and no laughter.

How To Send And Reply To Email

You think you know how to send and reply to email? This article is from Matt Might, Assistant Professor at the University of Utah, USA.

The problem with email is that people think it's electronic mail. Email is not mail in electronic form. You are not writing a letter. Few send readable email or tap the deliberative potential of the medium. For example, email should be formatted into points - not paragraphs.

And, you should not always reply above the message you were sent. Many of these tips are already widely followed in academia, where debate and discussion over email have been taking place for decades.

Jeff's Day

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be blind? Canada's Accessible Media Inc. followed a local man from Toronto and created a YouTube channel to show viewers what everyday life is like as a blind person in Canada. Jeff Berwick, blind since age 13, shares his day with us.

YouTube link

(thanks Jesse)

When dogs drink, water looks like it is standing in mid-air before the dog gulps it. But how does that happen? Dogs turn out to be much more sophisticated drinkers than previously realized, since new research explains how they seemingly defy gravity with each gulp.

The findings, published in the latest Royal Society Biology Letters, put dogs in the same lapping category as cats. Both can lift liquids into the air before they swallow the near-freestanding vertical column of water or other drink. But there is one important difference between cats and dogs: Dogs make much more mess.

When one looks at the incredibly intricate sculptures of Chinese artist Shi Jindian, it's hard to believe that they aren't computer models. Using tools of his own devising, he weaves together precise replicas of wheeled vehicles with steel wire.

Indianapolis 500, 2011 - Crazy Finish

What a way to lose a race. Rookie JR Hildebrand looked like the winner of the most prestigious race in the world, the Indianapolis 500. Until the final corner when he smacked into the wall. He kept his foot on the gas to make it across the line, but Dan Wheldon was there and took the win.

YouTube link

As it says in the title, 'Animals Dressed As Other Animals' is about... well, animals dressed as other animals. Shown in the picture above is a dog dressed as a cow. Why? I don't know!

The Great Pyramid of Giza has long been rumored to have hidden passageways leading to secret chambers. A robot explorer sent through the Great Pyramid has begun to unveil some of the secrets behind the 4,500-year-old pharaonic mausoleum as it transmitted the first images behind one of its mysterious doors.

The images revealed hieroglyphs written in red paint that have not been seen by human eyes since the construction of the pyramid. The pictures also unveiled new details about two puzzling copper pins embedded in one of the so called 'secret doors.'

A new Bart Bonte game. Can you unlock all 14 locks? Look around using your mouse and move forward or backward using the cursor keys. Explore your enviroment and click the correct 3-digit code on the keypad on the door in each room.

More Bart Bonte games.

A dazzling tiara featuring emeralds believed to have belonged to Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, sold for a record £7.8 million ($12.9 million) to an anonymous buyer at Sotheby's. The tiara, composed of 11 Colombian pear-shaped emeralds and weighing over 500 carats, was commissioned by German prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck for his second wife Katharina.

If You Touch It And It's Cold, Then It's Cold

How to tell if your beer is cold? The low-budget truth in beervertising by Breckenridge Brewery says: 'If You Touch It And It's Cold, Then It's Cold.'

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

Archaeologists recovered one of three giant anchors believed to be used by the 18th-century high seas bandit on his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. The 11-foot, 4-inch long anchor was pulled from the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North Carolina. The Queen Anne's Revenge was first discovered underwater in 1996.

Scientists hoped to raise the ship's other two anchors, but they are stuck to the sunken ship. Five months after the ship sank, the pirating days of Blackbeard (real name: Edward Teach) were ended when he was killed in 1718 by the Royal Navy in Ocracoke Inlet.

Renault - The Electric Life

I know that Renault and Nissan have an industrial and commercial partnership since 1999 called the Renault-Nissan alliance. But I find it strange that the two companies would produce a video advertisement that's almost the same. Yesterday I posted a video of the Nissan Leaf. Take a look and then compare it with this video of the Renault Z.E.

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

Sweden is planning to build a tourist facility in the shape of a large moose on top of Vithatten Mountain which borders on the county Norrbotten. The facility - called Stoorn - is set to become a centre for commercial tourism and adventure activities, with a focus on forest and wildlife.

Stoorn will be home to a restaurant, exhibition venues, a concert hall and modern conference facilities. The moose will have a height of 45 metres (almost 148 feet).

Cairngorm Funicular Train Trip

A trip up the Cairngorm funicular railway in Scotland. A funicular railway is a type of railway used on steep grades, such as on a mountainside. Two counterbalanced cars or trains are linked by a cable, and when one moves down, the other moves up.

YouTube link

Turn your sound up. Draw lines on the black screen to bounce the balls. Enjoy the music.

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Caterpillars - the shapes and sizes that they come in and for many the urge to touch, pick up and hold is almost irresistible. Yet although most butterfly and moth larvae are quite harmless, preferring to curl up in a ball when threatened, some will make it quite plain that they do not like to be touched. They will sting: here is a selection of the stinging caterpillars of the United States.

(thanks Robert-John)

Gas Powered Everything

An advertisement for the Nissan Leaf. What if everything ran on gas?

YouTube link

(thanks Steve)

Time was when humans didn't have to worry much about getting exercise. When we had to kill, gather, grow, or herd our own food, working out happened naturally. Of course, as soon as we figured out how to avoid those laborious chores, we did. Not long after, we had to come up with new ways of staying in shape; hence, exercise.

Exercising is a laborious, energy-draining, and time-consuming process, so we started making machines to do our workouts for us. While some of these inventions evolved into modern gym equipment, many were as physically useless as they were absurd-looking. Here's a look at effort-free exercise gizmos through the ages.

(thanks Lisa)

The Adult Bib.

Clothing bib with moisture barrier. The comfy, attractive adult bib incorporates an oversized 17 x 20" moisture barrier to keep clothes free of stains so you can feel carefree about accidents. Adjust with hook and loop closure.

(via NeatoHub)

Dirt Devil - The Exorcist

What an excellent day for an exorcism.

YouTube link

Well off the beaten track, 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle, an incredible hotel comes with a touch of Swedish eccentricity. Called simply the 'Tree Hotel', it consists of four rooms, each designed by a different Swedish architect, nestled anywhere between six and 40 feet up in the pines.

The most striking is a luxury room called the Mirrorcube, which is coated in a reflective material that causes it to blend into the surrounding forest. With room names like The Bird's Nest and the Blue Cone, the eco-friendly hotel near to the town of Harads has been designed by Kent Lindwall and his wife Britta Jonsson Lindvall.

(via UniqueDaily)

Moment of Impact is a series of photos by Alan Sailer who shoots stuff with a pellet gun and captures the results with a home-made high-speed microsecond flash. For most of his shots he uses a Nikon D90.

How To Sleep In An Airport

It seems that some people do actually sleep in airports to save money on hotels. If you are curious about this odd idea you may be asking yourself the following questions: How do I do it? What should I bring with me? What tips do you have to share with us airport sleeping newbies? Here are some ideas that will help you get started in your airport sleeping adventures.

The Difference Between...

Differencebetween.net explains the difference between similar terms and objects. Wondering what the difference is between men and women? Or maybe you want to know the difference between a violin and a fiddle, an apostle and a disciple, an arbitrator and a mediator, or white eggs and brown eggs?

Differencebetween.net not only facilitates your understanding of a topic, but it also enables you to differentiate two similar subjects.

With photo manipulation software, you can do lots of creative and fun stuff and let others know about your creativity and imagination. Here are some examples of photo manipulation done by various artists.

Just because science fiction has a low budget, doesn't mean its alien creatures need to look silly or ho-hum. Here are 10 aliens that were obviously done on a shoestring budget, but which absolutely knock your space boots off.

Alimation

A zoetrope is a device that produces an illusion of action from a rapid succession of static pictures. Alimation is a zoetrope with food. It's an edible creation of Alexandre Dubosc created for the 2011 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

Vimeo link

(thanks Cora)

The Ostrich - a pocket pillow for a nap at work.

Working patterns are constantly evolving. We gradually spend more time in our working environments, and this in turn means that we often need to make work and rest fully compatible within the same space. Some cultures have assimilated this concept more naturally than others, but in general the workplace has rarely adapted to this new working-resting paradigm.

The Ostrich offers a micro environment in which to take a warm and comfortable power nap at ease. It is neither a pillow nor a cushion, nor a bed, nor a garment, but a bit of each at the same time. Its soothing cave-like interior shelters and isolates our head and hands for a few minutes, without needing to leave our desk.

(via Neatorama)

On May 22, a huge tornado hit the town of Joplin, Missouri, USA, wiping many neighborhoods off the map and thus far killing in excess of 120 people. I live in a country located within Europe's optimum zone of tornado frequency. The Netherlands gets its fair share of tornadoes but they are very weak. In fact, tornadoes of F1 (a tornado description of 'moderate damage' on the Fujita scale) or greater are uncommon in the Netherlands.

The tornado in Joplin had a rating of F5 on the Fujita scale. Here are some pictures that show the unbelievable and devastating damage. By the way, someone posted these pictures on a site called 'Totally Cool Pix.' I hope you understand that wasn't done on purpose. There's nothing 'cool' about these pictures.

(thanks Miss Rare)

For most people, getting out of bed in the morning is a bit of a struggle. Here are 10 clocks that will help. Some wake you up with an annoyingly loud noise, while others won't shut off until you complete a task - but they all promise to get even the sleepiest sleepyhead up and moving.

(thanks Theodora)

31 Colourful Photos Of Tulips

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Although tulips are often associated with the Netherlands, commercial cultivation of the flower began in what is now called Turkey. Nevertheless, the tulip is a much loved symbol of Holland, together with windmills and wooden shoes. Here are 31 beautiful photos of tulips.

Keep your ears safe from ear-spiders and earwigs with these protective Ear Guards.

Just slip them over your ears before you go to bed at night and you'll wake up revitalized, refreshed and ear-bug free. After all, ears are meant for hearing not housing. Two vinyl guards with snug-fit elastic on each illustrated card. One size fits all.

(via J-Walk Blog)

Running With An Otter

A toddler at Sea World in San Diego, USA, has fun with an otter. Or is it the other way around?

YouTube link

English comedian Milton Jones performed a stand-up routine to a field of cows in an experiment intended to see if they have a sense of humor. He was joined by cow expert Bruce Woodacre on a Hertfordshire farm to test the reaction of a herd of fresians. He performed a special set of visual and verbal jokes, called 'Pull The Udder One', while Mr Woodacre monitored the cows' reaction.

Mr Woodacre, who has studied cow behaviour for more than 40 years, said: Happy cows are more productive and there's a chance we've stumbled across something here. Most of the herd crowded closely round the stage and jostled for a good position. They had their mouths open and their ears laid back, indicating they were relaxed and content. Not everyone was entertained though - some low heckling moo's were heard and there were even a few walk-outs.

Chair based on the original Space Invaders arcade game from the 1970s. Compact foam seating in various colours. Designed by the Dorothy collective.

A satellite survey of Egypt has uncovered lost treasures including 17 pyramids and more than 1,000 tombs. Three thousand ancient settlements have also been located by scientists who studied infrared images which allowed them to see underground buildings.

Astounded researchers on the ground have already confirmed that two of the pyramids exist - and they believe there are thousands more unknown sites in the region. Researchers from the University of Alabama, USA, believe that there are many more buildings buried deeper than those already spotted, the most likely location being under the banks of the River Nile.

In the spirit of the Wild West, this holster keeps your beer ready for a quick draw whenever the need arises. Made of rugged leather, it snaps onto any standard belt and the adjustable nylon strap wraps around the thigh for additional support.

A fun accessory for parties and tailgates, the Beer Holster also makes a convenient holder when you need your hands free for grill duty.

(thanks Cora)

Biggest Domino Pyramid Ever... Almost!

This took about 30 hours of actual work, spread over five weeks. And it would have been the biggest 3D domino pyramid in the world made with 13,482 bricks. Would have? Yes! Because when it was more than 96% completed, it toppled all by itself, with just 439 bricks short of completion.

YouTube link

(via The Awesomer)

Spanish designer Martín Azúa created the Bios Urn. The Bios Urn turns you into a tree after you die. When your remains have been placed into the urn, it can be planted and then the seed germinates and begins to grow.

The Bios Urn project reintroduces the human being to the natural circle of life. It is the profaine ritual of regeneration and the return to nature. Bios is a mortuary urn made from biodegradable materials: coconut shell, compacted peat and cellulose.

Inside it contains the seed of a tree. Once the urn is planted, the seed germinates and begins to grow. The seed can be changed for a different type of seed or plant more adequate to the chosen planting place, if need be.

Well, not really. But what if there actually was an axe in my head? And imagine it happened while I was in Lithuania. I don't speak Lithuanian so how would I make it clear what happened to me?

Fortunately there's a web site with 112 translations for 'Oh My God! There's An Axe In My Head!' In Lithuania I would have to say: Dieve mano, turiu kirvi galvoje!

Yesterday I posted about 'The Beast,' President Obama's Cadillac, getting stuck at a ramp at the US Embassy in Dublin. Here's is a look inside the General Motors Cadillac, the car that thinks it's a tank.

How To Make Popcorn In Korea

The title of the video says 'How To Make Popcorn In Korea' but it's probably not popcorn but puffed rice.

YouTube link

Known as Flying Mouse, Chow Hon Lam is a t-shirt designer and an illustrator from Malaysia.

In our days, companies are still trying to get more and more distinctive in people's mind. Although the main difference is made through the brands they create, the important companies are beginning to use their corporate identity as part of the big competition. And a major role in a business’s identity is represented by the look of their offices, the place where everything happens.

The more distinguishing the headquarters are, the more interesting the company becomes for the large public and the more appealing it turns out to be for the potential employees. Here are some of the greatest architectural examples ever created to host a company's office.

A rare white kiwi chick has been born - the first to be hatched in captivity. The chick, named Manukura, is not an albino but the rare offspring of some North Island brown kiwis from Little Barrier Island. He was born at the Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre in New Zealand.

I Like Vegetables

I Like Vegetables by Parry Gripp.

YouTube link

(via Miss Cellania)

Designer company The_Rodnik_Band from London, United Kingdom, created a line of wearable artwork where each piece is a couture artwork and part of a limited edition. Created and designed by Philip Colbert, the label is inspired by developments in the modern art world, in particular the work of Marcel Duchamp and the Pop Art movement.

'The_ Rodnik_ Band' label is presented as a pop band rather than a traditional fashion label. The collection is a unique amalgamation of music, art and fashion which combines three closely associated genres to create a unique fashion concept. And yes, that's a Urinal Dress in the picture above.

(via Waslijn)

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Bonsai is the art of cultivating dwarf trees. Bonsai literally means 'plant in a tray' and to obtain a harmonious bonsai can take dozens of years of pruning, wiring, leaf trimming, clamping and grafting. The oldest known bonsai trees still living (400 to 800 years old) can be found in a private restaurant garden in Tokyo, Japan.

(thanks Danny)

related posts:
Blooming Bonsai Trees

Obama's Car Gets Stuck At US Embassy In Dublin

It's one of the most protective cars in the world. It's bomb-proof, it has bullet-proof glass, and its own oxygen supply. But a teeny weeny ramp at the US Embassy in Dublin caused the President's car to 'beach', causing the crowds waiting outside to gasp in surprise.

The low bottom of the car, nicknamed 'The Beast' because of its bomb-proof features, seemed to catch on a ramp crossing over the gateway. US security services later denied it was 'The Beast' that got stuck, saying 'it was a spare limo, carrying staff and support personnel.'

YouTube link

The OfficePOD is designed for people who work at home.

The garden based OfficePOD provides a work environment that is separate from the disruptions of home life. Being an OfficePOD user will bring a positive change to life. A chance to cut down on commuting, to be more productive, to spend more time at home but at the same time keep your work separate. Home working rarely works effectively when the kitchen table or spare bedroom is given over to work.

Japanese company Genepax presented its eco-friendly car that runs on nothing but water. The car has an energy generator that extracts hydrogen from water that is poured into the car's tank. The generator then releases electrons that produce electric power to run the car.

The car can run for an hour at about 50 miles per hour on just a liter of water. Genepax, the company that invented the technology, aims to collaborate with Japanese manufacturers to mass produce it.

(via Neatorama)

Cuteness is usually characterized by some combination of infant-like physical traits, especially small body size with a disproportionately large head, large eyes, and round and softer body features. Infantile personality traits, such as playfulness, fragility, helplessness, curiosity, innocence, affectionate behavior, and a need to be nurtured are also generally considered cute.

70 Cute Baby Animals.

Defending The Big Stick

I don't know what this exercise is called. My Japanese isn't as good as it used to be but I believe this is from a sports day at the National Defense Academy in Japan. The Academy educates and trains cadets who will be officers in three services of the Self-Defense Forces.

YouTube link

The Cosby Sweater Project is a blog by Kelly Tucker where she paints a sweater worn by the Huxtable family members from every episode of The Cosby Show in chronological order.

Chair Dancing Through The Decades

All you need is a chair and two paper plates. Presented by Jodi Stolove.

YouTube link

(via Everlasting Blort)

Do you know how Tupperware got its name? Or Adidas? Crabtree & Evelyn, Chef Boyardee, Hallmark, or Hasbro? Here's a list of the origin of popular brand names.

You've probably seen the video of Osama bin Laden watching himself on television using his satellite receiver. The video was selected by the Pentagon from what it says it seized from bin Laden's compound. But he wasn't just watching himself.

He was watching 'Chair Dancing Through The Decades.' That's right! The same video that you just saw in the post above. Don't believe me? Then take a look at this.

The Difference Between Your Boss's Office And Yours

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

When it comes to size, humans are mere peanuts next to ballpark-sized animals. Here's a snapshot - you never know what a paleontologist will dig up - of some of the biggest animals that have walked our planet, present and past.

Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

Does it never end? We just survived the Rapture and now the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns for a Zombie Apocalypse.

There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That's right, I said zombie apocalypse. You may laugh now, but when it happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency.

An Amazonian tribe has no abstract concept of time. The Amondawa lacks the linguistic structures that relate time and space - as in for example, 'working through the night.' A study shows that while the Amondawa recognise events occuring in time, it does not exist as a separate concept.

The Amondawa language has no word for 'time,' or indeed of time periods such as 'month' or 'year.' The people do not refer to their ages, but rather assume different names in different stages of their lives or as they achieve different status within the community.

Games For Cats

Friskies - a brand of cat food - has developed three new games made just for cats. The colors, movement, and game-play have been researched and tested for maximum feline fun. The games were created for the iPad and Android.

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

related posts:
iPad Game For Cats

Measure the speed of your web site with Slowcop. Type in a URL and get an instant speed report. This tool will give you insights into what's making your page slow. The result is often dramatic – a few simple changes can shave hundreds of kilobytes from the page size.

These days, 'snake oil' is synonymous with quackery, the phoniest of phony medicines. A 'snake oil salesman' promises you the world, takes your money, and is long gone by the time you realize the product in your hands is completely worthless. But get this: The original snake oil actually worked. Save this one for the next cocktail party; it will blow your friends' minds.

(thanks Lisa)

image credit

If you wander away from the town of Xilitla in Mexico and enter the tropical rain forest then you are likely to come across something unexpected but extraordinary. The jungle, at over 2,000 feet above sea level, retreats to uncover 80 astonishing acres of pools, buildings, statues and walkways. You have just discovered Las Pozas (The Pools in English).

(thanks Robert-John)

Are You Ready For The Rapture?

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Today there will be an earthquake. At 6pm local time. Not just a little one but an earthquake that will cause all of the graves all over the world to be thrown open.

Then, on October 21, the world will end for good. That at least is what Harold Camping, founder of Family Radio, a Christian broadcasting company based in California, says.

The most interesting question is what will happen to Harold Camping and his followers tomorrow, when they are faced with the bitter realization that their predictions of the Rapture and the Last Judgment are mistaken? How are they likely to react to their disappointment?

The Journalism museum, the Newseum, and Google have joined forces to launch the Journalists Memorial channel, described as 'A Tribute to Journalists Who Have Died Pursuing the Truth.' The Journalists Memorial pays tribute to reporters, photographers, broadcasters and news executives who have died reporting the news.

The names of 2,084 journalists from around the world are etched on the glass panels of the soaring, two-story structure. The Journalist Memorial is rededicated each year to add the names of journalists who lost their lives in the preceding year. Adjoining the memorial are photographs of hundreds of those journalists; electronic kiosks contain information on every honored journalist.

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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

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