15 Cool Cell Phone Concepts From The Future

Early thermal weapons

Early thermal weapons were devices or substances used in warfare during the classical and medieval periods (approx 8th century BC until the mid-16th century AD) which used heat or burning action to destroy or damage enemy personnel, fortifications or territories.

Incendiary devices were frequently used as projectiles during warfare, particularly during sieges and naval battles; some substances were boiled or heated to inflict damage by scalding or burning. Other substances relied on their chemical properties to inflict burns or damage. These weapons or devices could be used by individuals, manipulated by war machines, or utilised as army strategy.

The simplest, and most common, thermal projectiles were boiling water and hot sand, which could be poured over attacking personnel. Other anti-personnel weapons included the use of hot pitch, oil, resin, animal fat and other similar compounds. Smoke was used to confuse or drive off attackers. Substances such as quicklime and sulfur could be toxic and blinding.

Fire and incendiary weapons were used against enemy structures and territory, as well as personnel, sometimes on a massive scale. Large tracts of land, towns and villages were frequently destroyed as part of a scorched earth strategy. Incendiary mixtures, such as the oil-based Greek fire, could be launched by throwing machines or administered through a siphon. Sulfur- and oil-soaked materials were sometimes ignited and thrown at the enemy, or attached to spears, arrows and bolts and fired by hand or machine. Some siege techniques, such as mining and boring relied on combustibles and fire to complete the collapse of walls and structures.

Towards the latter part of the period, gunpowder was discovered, which increased the sophistication of the weapons, and led to the eventual development of the cannon and other firearms. Development of the early weapons has continued ever since, with a number of modern war weapons, such as napalm, flame throwers, and other explosives having direct roots in the original early thermal weapons. Fire-raising and other destructive strategies can still be seen in modern strategic bombing.

Amazing Ice Lantern and Snow Sculpture Festival

Visitors gather outside the gate of Zhaolin park at the ice lantern festival in Harbin, China ..



Every year the Harbin ice lantern festival opens on 22 December ..



The event, recognised as home to ice and snow art in China, lasts until February ..



This year is the 35th ice lantern festival. The festival is internationally renowned for its exquisite sculptures..



This year's ice lantern festival has over 2,000 illuminated ice scultpures on display..



It began in 1985 and considers itself to be China's greatest ice artwork festival, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors..



The city's location in northeast China accounts for its arctic climate which provides abundant ice and snow..



This year, the festival is Disney sponsored and themed

Money Sculpture - Art

Amazing Money Sculpture Art.

Meet artist Steven Kutcher the bugs painter

The 63-year-old, who uses insects as living paintbrushes, dips the insects in paint, places them on a blank canvas and lets their movement create a string of colourful paintings.Artist Steven Kutcher of Los Angeles, who paints with moths, beetles, spiders, flies, honey bees, butterflies, grasshoppers - and even Hissing Cockroaches from Madagascar.

Mr Kutcher, a keen environmentalist, who has a master's degree in entomology, said: "I can switch colours and even insects to create the effect I am looking for. If a bug is sensitive to light, I can influence its movement on the canvas by controlling the lighting. Insects have different footprints and behaviours so I use both my entomological and artistic knowledge to create fine works of art."

"I use water-based, nontoxic gouache paints which easily wash off. I have to take good care of them. After all, they are artists," he added.




Living paintbrush: One of Steven's beetles.



The Bug Picture: Another masterpiece?


The man behind the magic: Steven Kutcher.


Arty: Another masterpiece from Van Moth.


Bright spark: Steven's canvas is awash with primary colours.

800 years old tree sculpture

This delicate sculpture completed by 8 sculptors which consumed more than 6 months.A very old tree was carved into a huge sculpture themed with the stories of the Huaguo Mountain in the Journey to the West. The height of the tree is 6.8m and it is at least 800 years old.

420 pounds of tresses linked by glue and twine fascinate

The 80-foot-by-13-foot massive banner that made from 420 pounds of human hair was seen at the foyer of Baker-Berry Library foyer in Dartmouth College. It runs the length of the vast foyer, bright green lettering stretching from end to end. According to the reports, hair for the awesome banner was collected over several months last year from 42,000 haircuts of Dartmouth students, faculty, staff and local residents in Hanover.

Wang Fu-gui's 2,008-Meter-Long Calligraphy

Calligrapher Wang Fugui shows his 2,008-meter-long calligraphy work at a stadium in Beijing Aug. 5, 2007. The calligraphy enthusiastists spent three years to finish recording the history of the Olympic Games, champion list, and nearly 200 poems on these super long paper rolls, expressing his blessings to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.