Monday, January 9, 2012

Monowheel - A One-Wheeled Cycle

Although the concept isn't new and various monocycles of this kind had already been built, it's unlikely you'll find one for sale, even in special stores. That's what happened to british designer Ben Wilson, who, consequently, decided to build his own one-wheeled vehicle, which he simply named Monowheel.

Latte Art

Although many people agree that making good coffee is an art, very few would imagine that there actually is "art in coffee". Latte Art is precisely the ability of making drawings and patterns with foam... Seducing...

Did You Know?

Q. Why do men’s clothes have buttons on the right while women’s clothes have buttons on the left?
A. When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid’s right! And that’s where women’s buttons have remained since.

Q. Why do ships and aircraft use ‘mayday’ as their call for help?
A. This comes from the French word m’aidez – meaning ‘help me’ – and is pronounced approximately, ‘mayday.’

Greatest Flying Aces In History

A flying ace is defined, in combat terms, as a pilot who has successfully shot down five enemy aircraft in combat. It is almost impossible to imagine the adrenaline rush, not to mention the breathtaking danger of aerial dogfights, and many of us have winced just watching film depictions of such events. There have been too many heroic pilots to count in the course of history, but this is a list of genuine aces - the absolute best of the best.

10. Joseph Christopher McConnell, Jr - US ace pilot
Joseph Christopher McConnell, Jr. was the top US ace during the Korean War, credited with shooting down 16 enemy Mig-15 aircraft. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star for combat heroism. McConnell is still the top-scoring American jet ace, and probably the most successful jet fighter pilot in history.

Unusual And Bizarre Statues

A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger. Its primary concern is representational. The definition of a statue is not always clear-cut. A small statue, usually small enough to be picked up, is called a statuette or figurine. Many statues are built on commission to commemorate a historical event, or the life of an influential person. Many statues are intended as public art, exhibited outdoors or in public buildings for the edification of passers-by, with a larger magnitude than normal words could ever have for the common man.

10 Foreign Words You Thought Were English

Original source : http://www.toptenz.net 
Posted : July 2010 
Author : Shannon Harris

“English: A language that lurks in dark alleys, beats up other languages, and rifles through their pockets for spare vocabulary.” (Bumper Sticker)

A humorous quote that is quite accurate, actually. Of 80,000 English words, roughly 28% originate from Latin, 28% from French, and 25% from Germanic languages (Pie Chart: Wikipedia). So, to honor those countries that have shared their vocabulary, by choice or by force, here is a list of ten words that native English speakers may not know as foreign. Granted, there are thousands of words to choose from, and to pick ten was difficult. After all, how many know that tycoon comes from the Japanese word “taikun” (great lord)? Or, that gung ho is Mandarin Chinese for “gongye hezhoushe” (work in harmony)?
Impress your friends with your new knowledge of the English language as you explain the interesting origin of words like robot (robota, Czech for “drudgery”), chic (originally schick, German for “elegance”), and kiosk (Turkish for “pavilion” or “palace”):

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Incredible Gadgets You'd Kill For

Gadgets are more unusual and more clever than normal technological objects and that makes them gain popularity. These wonderful gizmos ease our daily routine and keep us in contact with the innovative movement, making sure we don’t get stuck in the past. But of course, in the world of gadgets there are also some devices that take it a little bit far, making us gaze at them with hope that we will get our hands on them sooner.

Window phone concept
Is it a window, is it a phone? No. Actually, it’s Window phone and this is the part where you are saying “Whaaat? What are you talking about?”. The phone is actually a concept with extraordinary features. Surely if this could be actually put into production, it would set a new standard for the term “cool”.

Prediction: These Famous Brands Will Disappear In 2012

Provided by Business Insider:
Thursday, January 5

Two days before the Wall Street Journal reported Kodak may have to file for bankruptcy in the coming weeks, James R. Gregory, CEO of branding and market research firm CoreBrand, predicted that Kodak would "disappear" as a brand in 2012.

CoreBrand conducts 8,000 phone surveys of business leaders every year, and asks them about the corporate reputations of 800 companies in 49 industries. Participants are asked to rate brands based on favorability, overall reputation, perception of management, and investment potential. Here are the survey results.

Kodak has been in trouble for years, of course, after it invented the digital camera in 1975 and then failed to capitalize on it. But it was intriguing that the CoreBrand survey signaled the potential end of Kodak before its lawyers did.

Gregory says his data also shows that the Sears and Saab brands are failing to contribute to their companies' fortunes, as is Yum! Brands and insurer Aon.

We asked Gregory to tell us which other companies' brands appear to be in trouble, and why.

Top 10 Highest Motor Manufacturers In The World

Here is a list of Top Ten Highest Motor Manufacturers in the world. The data reproduced hereunder has been collected from the records preserved till 2008. Therefore, the figures revealed here may not be pertinent or up to date till now.

10. Fiat (A Company based in Italy)
Giovanni Agnelli and a group of money providers ventured forward in 1899 and established a car production company named Fiat. Since then, it has been one of the best car manufacturers of Italy. The group has won the popular award of the ‘European Car of The Year’ for more than twelve times. This company manufactured an astounding and above number 2,524,000 of cars in the year 2008.

How NOT To Transport A Brahma Bull

A cowboy with a prize Brahma Bull shows us that you can transport your farm animals without a trailer. While he proves that the actual transport of a big ass bull via his Pontiac is possible, it’s probably not something you’d want to do right before a date. +1 for creativity.

Tiger Woods’ Ex-wife Bulldozes $12 Million Home

Courtesy of Pacific Coast News
There are times when divorce forces people to do strange things. Burn sheets. Throw out clothes. Toss rings into the ocean. But when you get $100 million in your divorce, you can trump just about anything and that's what happened with Tiger Woods' ex-wife when she bought a $12 million home and bulldozed the whole thing.

[Check the before picture above and the after picture after the jump]

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