Monday, September 29, 2008
Staircase Illusion
FROM DISTANCE IT MAY LOOK LIKE ANY STAIRCASE BUT ON CLOSER INSPECTION YOU WILL NOTICE THAT IT LEADS TO NOWHERE AND IS ACTUALLY A STEEL SCULPTURE.
The Old Seven Wonders of the World Pictures
The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt. The Egyptian pharaoh Khufu built the Great Pyramid in about 2560 B.C. to serve as his tomb. The pyramid is the oldest structure on the original list of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which was compiled by Greek scholars about 2,200 years ago. It is also the only remaining survivor from the original list.
The Colossus of Rhodes, Greece. In contrast to the pyramids, the colossus was the shortest lived of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Completed in 282 B.C. after taking 12 years to build, the Colossus of Rhodes was felled by an earthquake that snapped the statue off at the knees a mere 56 years later.
The Lighthouse of Alexandra, Egypt. The lighthouse was the only ancient wonder that had a practical use, serving as a beacon for ships in the dangerous waters off the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, now called El Iskandarîya. Constructed on the small island of Pharos between 285 and 247 B.C., the building was the world's tallest for many centuries. Its estimated height was 384 feet (117 meters)—equivalent to a modern 40-story building—though some people believe it was significantly taller.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece. The massive gold statue of the king of the Greek gods was built in honor of the original Olympic games, which began in the ancient city of Olympia. The statue, completed by the classical sculptor Phidias around 432 B.C., sat on a jewel-encrusted wooden throne inside a temple overlooking the city. The 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) figure held a scepter in one hand and a small statue of the goddess of victory, Nike, in the other—both made from ivory and precious metals.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq. The hanging gardens are said to have stood on the banks of the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq, although there's some doubt as to whether they ever really existed. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II supposedly created the terraced gardens around 600 B.C. at his royal palace in the Mesopotamian desert. It is said the gardens were made to please the king's wife, who missed the lush greenery of her homeland in the Medes, in what is now northern Iran.
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Turkey. The famous tomb at Halicarnassus—now the city of Bodrum—was built between 370 and 350 B.C. for King Mausolus of Caria, a region in the southwest of modern Turkey. Legend says that the king's grieving wife Artemisia II had the tomb constructed as a memorial to their love.The Temple of Artemis, Turkey. The great marble temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis was completed around 550 B.C. at Ephesus, near the modern-day town of Selçuk in Turkey. In addition to its 120 columns, each standing 60 feet (20 meters) high, the temple was said to have held many exquisite artworks, including bronze statues of the Amazons, a mythical race of female warriors
The Temple of Artemis, Turkey. The great marble temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis was completed around 550 B.C. at Ephesus, near the modern-day town of Selçuk in Turkey. In addition to its 120 columns, each standing 60 feet (20 meters) high, the temple was said to have held many exquisite artworks, including bronze statues of the Amazons, a mythical race of female warriors.
Artistic Water Tanks
Pineapple Water Tower. Location: Honolulu - HI.
Coffee Pot Water Tower. Location: In Stanton Montgomery Co. IA.
Catsup Bottle Water Tower. Location: In Collinsville IL Madison Co - IL.
Ear of Corn Water Tower. Location: Libby Foods in Rochester. One block south of Rt 14 on 3rd Ave. Olmsted Co - MN.
Old Forester Water Tower. Location: In Louisville. On Dixie Hwy just south of Rt 150 (Broadway). Jefferson Co - KY.
Coffee Pot WT. Location: In Lindstrom. Along US8 in the center of town. Chisago Co - MN.
Cup Saucer Water Tower. Location: In Stanton Montgomery Co. IA.
Peach Water Tower. Location: In Gaffney SC, north of I-85 and east of exit # 90 1.4 miles. Cherokee Co - SC.
Baseball Water Tower. Location: North of Ft. Mill on the east side of I-77. Just south of exit 88. York Co - SC.
Watermellon Water Tower. Location: In Luling TX Caldwell Co - TX.
Eye WT. Location: In Austin Travis Co - TX.
Cape Charles Water Tower. Location: Cape Charles Northampton Co - VA.
Mud Cats Baseball Water Tower. Location: East of Zebulon on 264 at Rt 39 beside the Mud Cats baseball diamond. Wake Co - NC.
Globe WT. Location: In Germantown at the Univ. of Maryland campus off of Observation Drive. Montgomery Co - MD.
Strawberry Water Tower. Location: In Poteet. Atascosa Co - TX.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
17 Famous People Suspected of Having Superpowers
NBC's Heroes features many evolved humans with extraordinary abilities. We believe there are superhumans among us and that the history books are full of evidence that superpowered people do exist...or do they? Famous people, are you on the list?
To celebrate the new season of NBC's Heroes, my friend Mark deGuzman and I began analyzing history books and tabloids, trying to find the evolved humans among us. We were especially encouraged when a Heroes graphic novel included Benjamin Franklin, who had the power of electrical absorption. Here is our list of suspected evolved humans:
Harriet Tubman
Former slave and Underground Railroad conductor
Abilitie(s): Super speed and/or invisibility
How else could this amazing woman manage to transport hundreds of slaves undetected? Although most evolved humans so far have been shown to only have one natural power, "Moses," as they called her, may have had either or both of these abilities.
Genghis Khan
Mongol founder and emperor
Abilitie(s): Mass impregnation
A British man named Tom Robinson was told that he was a direct descendant of the ruler and many, many, many kings have claimed to be descended from him as well. Genghis Khan didn't just invade when he took over a land, he would actually repopulate the land with little G. Khans. Talk about dominant genes.
Leonardo daVinci
Artist, inventor, military strategist, anatomist, everything
Abilitie(s): Intuitive aptitude
daVinci definitely could've been the Sylar of his day. He could understand things that didn't even exist yet! This would explain his keen knowledge of and expertise in multiple fields. He was definitely a Renaissance man.
Michelangelo
Artist, architect, engineer
Abilitie(s): Intuitive attitude
Maybe he was angry that he wasn't good at as many things as Leo was. Or he was just angry. Michelangelo wanted to concentrate on sculpting and was furious when Pope Julius II told him to go paint the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. He was melancholy, arrogant and had a ridiculous temper. But who can blame a man who was caned in the street by a pope?
Michael Jackson
Musician
Abiltie(s): Appearance alteration
He's just not very good at it. MJ has changed his look several times, and by look, we mainly mean his nose. He has also managed to change ethnicities and reinvent himself fashion-wise over his long career.
Chuck Norris
Martial artist and actor
Abiltie(s): Empathic mimicry
Because the character who can take other characters' powers is always the best. (Like Peter Petrelli.) And considering he trained with Bruce Lee, he has had some awesome people to empathize with. Thanks to his mimicry, Chuck has multiple powers including the power to divide by zero, slam a revolving door, and not read books, but stare them down until he gets the information he wants.
Sean Combs
Rapper, actor, entrepreneur, producer, and more
Abiltie(s): Name shifting
Besides being able to have six or seven occupations at once, this man can also have multiple names at once. Puff Daddy? Puffy? P. Diddy? Diddy? Duddy? No one knows who this guy will be next!
Amy Winehouse
Singer-songwriter
Abiltie(s): Rapid self-degeneration
No one has used alcohol, cigarettes, and crack cocaine quite like Amy. That is, no one has used them in combination with heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, self-harm, depression, eating disorders and soulful singing ... the ability she really needs to stick to.
Amelia Earhart
Aviator
Abiltie(s): Access to parallel dimension or space-time manipulation
If Amelia had these abilities, that could account for her disappearance. Perhaps she went to an alternate universe where people can fly? Or perhaps she traveled to some time in the future? Past? Well, wherever she disappeared to, she may have come back to us in the form of Jet Man.
Heidi Montag
Reality television personality, aspiring person-with-another-occupation
Abiltie(s): None
Self-explanatory.
Barbara Walters
Journalist, writer
Abiltie(s): Lacrimal manipulation
Everyone cries when Barbara interviews them and that's no coincidence. The only person who can possibly resist Barbara's powers might be Rosie O'Donnell because she's a psychopath. Or because she no longer has a heart.
PETA
Animal lovers, crazy people
Abiltie(s): Superior delusion and lack of compassion for humans
They call themselves The Organization. While animals don't deserve abuse, they don't deserve the attention PETA gives them. These people actually thought Ben & Jerry's might come out with breast milk ice cream. Then again, this is the same group that compared chickens dying to the Holocaust and complained that a donkey was used in warfare without protesting the loss of human life.
David Blaine
Magician and endurance artist
Abiltie(s): Intuitive disappointment
All this guy does is do boring things for long periods of time and finds new and interesting ways to use the bathroom in public. And then when he does something almost exciting like a "dive of death," it ends up being the "bungee hop of death." Thanks for the entertainment, Dave.
John McCain
Senator, presidential candidate
Abiltie(s): Immortality or superior durability
There's got to be a reason this guy has lived so long. And no, I'm not saying that just because he's old. He endured five and a half years being tortured as a prisoner of war in Viet Nam. The knowledge that he will never die probably helped him make his vice presidential decision.
Barack Obama
Senator, presidential candidate
Abiltie(s): Change
We're not sure what kind of power he has, if any. But this is the one he advertises. Perhaps he isn't an evolved human at all. He's just ... some guy.
Sarah Palin
Governor, vice presidential candidate
Abiltie(s): Media magnetism, cryogenesis, telescopic vision and/or light manipulation
We have not yet identified what exactly Governor Palin's abilities are or how many of them she has. She has clearly demonstrated media magnetism, but the other abilities may have been expressed while she was out of the spotlight and governing Alaska. Her cryogenesis has been largely responsible for maintaining Alaska's snowy grounds, her light manipulation for aurora borealis, and her telescopic vision to see Russia from her house. On a side note, while the governor is quite adept at creating ice, she is not in fact responsible for the creation of Hillary Clinton.
Joe Bidden? Biden?
Who?
During our discussions, Mark actually spelled Biden's name wrong when he suggested that he had the power of "Who?" Proves a point. But perhaps this is simply Biden's demonstration of one of the coolest abilities an evolved human can have ... invisibility.
To celebrate the new season of NBC's Heroes, my friend Mark deGuzman and I began analyzing history books and tabloids, trying to find the evolved humans among us. We were especially encouraged when a Heroes graphic novel included Benjamin Franklin, who had the power of electrical absorption. Here is our list of suspected evolved humans:
Harriet Tubman
Former slave and Underground Railroad conductor
Abilitie(s): Super speed and/or invisibility
How else could this amazing woman manage to transport hundreds of slaves undetected? Although most evolved humans so far have been shown to only have one natural power, "Moses," as they called her, may have had either or both of these abilities.
Genghis Khan
Mongol founder and emperor
Abilitie(s): Mass impregnation
A British man named Tom Robinson was told that he was a direct descendant of the ruler and many, many, many kings have claimed to be descended from him as well. Genghis Khan didn't just invade when he took over a land, he would actually repopulate the land with little G. Khans. Talk about dominant genes.
Leonardo daVinci
Artist, inventor, military strategist, anatomist, everything
Abilitie(s): Intuitive aptitude
daVinci definitely could've been the Sylar of his day. He could understand things that didn't even exist yet! This would explain his keen knowledge of and expertise in multiple fields. He was definitely a Renaissance man.
Michelangelo
Artist, architect, engineer
Abilitie(s): Intuitive attitude
Maybe he was angry that he wasn't good at as many things as Leo was. Or he was just angry. Michelangelo wanted to concentrate on sculpting and was furious when Pope Julius II told him to go paint the Sistine Chapel's ceiling. He was melancholy, arrogant and had a ridiculous temper. But who can blame a man who was caned in the street by a pope?
Michael Jackson
Musician
Abiltie(s): Appearance alteration
He's just not very good at it. MJ has changed his look several times, and by look, we mainly mean his nose. He has also managed to change ethnicities and reinvent himself fashion-wise over his long career.
Chuck Norris
Martial artist and actor
Abiltie(s): Empathic mimicry
Because the character who can take other characters' powers is always the best. (Like Peter Petrelli.) And considering he trained with Bruce Lee, he has had some awesome people to empathize with. Thanks to his mimicry, Chuck has multiple powers including the power to divide by zero, slam a revolving door, and not read books, but stare them down until he gets the information he wants.
Sean Combs
Rapper, actor, entrepreneur, producer, and more
Abiltie(s): Name shifting
Besides being able to have six or seven occupations at once, this man can also have multiple names at once. Puff Daddy? Puffy? P. Diddy? Diddy? Duddy? No one knows who this guy will be next!
Amy Winehouse
Singer-songwriter
Abiltie(s): Rapid self-degeneration
No one has used alcohol, cigarettes, and crack cocaine quite like Amy. That is, no one has used them in combination with heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, self-harm, depression, eating disorders and soulful singing ... the ability she really needs to stick to.
Amelia Earhart
Aviator
Abiltie(s): Access to parallel dimension or space-time manipulation
If Amelia had these abilities, that could account for her disappearance. Perhaps she went to an alternate universe where people can fly? Or perhaps she traveled to some time in the future? Past? Well, wherever she disappeared to, she may have come back to us in the form of Jet Man.
Heidi Montag
Reality television personality, aspiring person-with-another-occupation
Abiltie(s): None
Self-explanatory.
Barbara Walters
Journalist, writer
Abiltie(s): Lacrimal manipulation
Everyone cries when Barbara interviews them and that's no coincidence. The only person who can possibly resist Barbara's powers might be Rosie O'Donnell because she's a psychopath. Or because she no longer has a heart.
PETA
Animal lovers, crazy people
Abiltie(s): Superior delusion and lack of compassion for humans
They call themselves The Organization. While animals don't deserve abuse, they don't deserve the attention PETA gives them. These people actually thought Ben & Jerry's might come out with breast milk ice cream. Then again, this is the same group that compared chickens dying to the Holocaust and complained that a donkey was used in warfare without protesting the loss of human life.
David Blaine
Magician and endurance artist
Abiltie(s): Intuitive disappointment
All this guy does is do boring things for long periods of time and finds new and interesting ways to use the bathroom in public. And then when he does something almost exciting like a "dive of death," it ends up being the "bungee hop of death." Thanks for the entertainment, Dave.
John McCain
Senator, presidential candidate
Abiltie(s): Immortality or superior durability
There's got to be a reason this guy has lived so long. And no, I'm not saying that just because he's old. He endured five and a half years being tortured as a prisoner of war in Viet Nam. The knowledge that he will never die probably helped him make his vice presidential decision.
Barack Obama
Senator, presidential candidate
Abiltie(s): Change
We're not sure what kind of power he has, if any. But this is the one he advertises. Perhaps he isn't an evolved human at all. He's just ... some guy.
Sarah Palin
Governor, vice presidential candidate
Abiltie(s): Media magnetism, cryogenesis, telescopic vision and/or light manipulation
We have not yet identified what exactly Governor Palin's abilities are or how many of them she has. She has clearly demonstrated media magnetism, but the other abilities may have been expressed while she was out of the spotlight and governing Alaska. Her cryogenesis has been largely responsible for maintaining Alaska's snowy grounds, her light manipulation for aurora borealis, and her telescopic vision to see Russia from her house. On a side note, while the governor is quite adept at creating ice, she is not in fact responsible for the creation of Hillary Clinton.
Joe Bidden? Biden?
Who?
During our discussions, Mark actually spelled Biden's name wrong when he suggested that he had the power of "Who?" Proves a point. But perhaps this is simply Biden's demonstration of one of the coolest abilities an evolved human can have ... invisibility.
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