Monday, June 29, 2009
Weirdest Dresses
The Porcelain Dress
Designed by stylist Li Xiaofeng, this dress was entirely made out porcelain.
The Emotion-sensitive DressIf you're stress or angry, your dress is going to be red; if you're calm, it'll come up green. Designed by Philips, it works with two layers: the inner one is able to detect your emotion by the change of body temperature and sweat and send signal to the outer one to change its color. (Source)
The Video DressThis video dress was designed by Turkish designer Hussein Cahalayan. His striking creation shows a time lapse of a rose opening and closing up, in a spectacular display of colours and light, created from 15.000 LEDs that are embedded in the fabric. The dress was presented at Milan Design Fair.
The Birdcage Dress
Conceptual artist Kasey McMahon's latest creation: the Birdcage Dress, a fully functional wearable brass bird cage. Notice the birdies inside?
The Tax Form Dress
This dress is completely made out of basic paper tax forms, tape and glue. The creator sketched out a whole lot of ideas for a couple weeks and the actual creation of it took about a month.
The Duct Tape Dress
This is a prom dress made out of duct tape. Duck brand "Duct Tape" holds a scholarship contest every year to see who can make the best prom outfit outta duct tape-- the winners gets $3,000 for college.
The Phonebook Dress
Jolis Paons, an amazing artist, handmade this dress made entirely out of phonebook paper. “I pleated, stuck, sewed, and glued everything by hand,” said the artist... and you can actually wear it.
The Wooden Dress
Made entirely of laminated and bent wood (and some bolts to hold it all together), this outfit designed by Grace Johnston can actually curtsy! When you pull on the rings at the sides, the cables make the skirt rise. Cool!
The Circuit Board Dress
The talented Em Stone made this dress by hand with real computer parts.
The Zipper Dress
Generally speaking, a cloth comes with a single size, but this design by Lee Joo Eun named "Duality" can adjust the garment to suit most people with the help of the zippers. Since every zipper has a color band hidden under it, your dress is going to be more beautiful after opening it.
Amazing Works of ‘Garbage Art’
Why waste money and add to the world’s waste by buying art materials when there are so many strange and interesting objects out there to use for design projects instead? From small found objects to entire abandoned houses, the sky is the limit when it comes to the palettes of these amazing trash artists. Their subject matter is about as varied as their material choices, ranging from self-portraiture and crushed can paintings to imitations of Monet’s masterpieces and gigantic sculpture parks.
Tom Deininger is no doubt one of the most creative and versatile trash artists in the world. His collages viewed from a distance seem like they could be made of anything - and they are indeed made out of just about everything he can find. He “majored in women, art and surfing” at college and “learned little about all three” by his own humorous admission. About a decade ago he moved to Rhode Island and started toying with found objects as artistic materials. In addition to creating his junk art Tom also lectures at local schools and colleges and creates canvas paintings.
Nek Chand Saini’s undeniable opus is his 1.7 million square-foot Rock Garden in Chandigarh - much of which he built on his own secretly and in his spare time. For years while working as a building inspector Chand reused found materials to begin constructing a remote complex of courtyards and sculptures out of pottery, concrete and other recycled materials. Since these constructions took place on a conserved plot of state-owned land they were nearly destroyed once discovered. The public came to his support, however, and rather than having his constructions torn down he was given workers and a salary to do his work with the official blessings of the city. His works have since traveled the world.
Tyree Guyton began the Heidelberg Project decades ago with the help of family, friends and neighborhood kids. As they cleaned up the streets of their area they began reusing the refuse they collected to fill the area with art. Deserted houses became massive sculptures and canvases, trees turned into places to hang strange found objects and dead lawns were developed into sculpture pedestals. Despite the destruction of many of these works by the city the project persists in the community. This project has breathed life and color into a city in need of both.
Elizabeth Lundberg gathers objects of a kind and recycles them into artwork that is sometimes serious, sometimes silly (such as a basket made of baseballs … get it? A ballbasket!). By changing the use of objects she encourages us to question their meaning and our relationship to them. Trained at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in mixed media and North Carolina State University in environmental design, Elizabeth has had her trash art featured in shows around the country.
Charles Kaufman makes one kind of art … but he makes it well. His crushed can works involve flattened beer and soda cans which he paints by hand and then mounts individually. Of course, both the painting itself (being hand-done) and the can’s particular shape (being hand-crushed) is entirely unique. Aside from his crushed can works he also paints with a similarly engaging color palette and likewise cartoonish flare.
Chris Jordan’s Running the Numbers series is not so much art made from trash as art representing the amazing impact of garbage and astounding scale of waste on our planet. The collection of portraits each takes on a single subject from office paper to aluminum cans and shows the quantities visually used by different industries or in varying specific circumstances (e.g. the number of plastic cups used on airlines every year). He makes these abstractly large numbers comprehensible by rendering them visual. Of his work, Chris says that by “employing themes such as the near versus the far, and the one versus the many, I hope to raise some questions about the role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.”
Gugger Petter has been obsessively creating works of two- and three-dimensional art from ordinary newspaper for decades. She applies lacquers to preserve these otherwise fragile works of art and selections different sections to achieve the colors, blacks and whites for specific areas of each work. She also sometimes paints the newspapers but often leaves them as they are. Her subjects are generally as typical and everyday as her materials - simple portraits of daily life.
Sardine Run Shark Feeding Frenzy Phenomenon in Africa
In a spectacular underwater marine ballet, millions of sardines run in hundreds of shoals, swirling, dancing, and transforming in shape in the annual Sardine Run — an unexplained phenomenon that’s been dubbed “the greatest shoal on earth” — for which they make their way through the cold Atlantic waters off the Cape towards the sub-tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, with vast numbers of predators in hot pursuit.
From the last week of May through early July every year, South African pilchard spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northward in droves for what researchers say could rival East Africa’s great wildebeest migration.
Their sheer numbers create a feeding frenzy along the coastline for sharks, dolphins, and even killer whales for a breathtaking event of the year’s greatest feast which is unique in both magnitude and complexity to the region.
As many as 18,000 Bottlenose and Common dolphins play their role like sheepdogs to expertly herd the sardines, pushing them to the shallow water where they’re more comfortable with hunting.
Running in hundreds of shoals, the sardines desperately attempt to throw off the deadly ambush of legions of predators that congregate in the formerly tranquil waters.
The silvery sardine’s instinctual behavior for defense to group together when they’re threatened creates massive ‘bait balls,’ which are short lived and seldom last longer than 10 to 20 minutes.
Once rounded up, sharks — Hammerheads, Coppers, Blacktip, Tiger, Spinner, and Great White — and other sea life including tuna and sailfish take turns diving through the bait balls, gorging on the fish as they sweep through the groups at will, feasting on massive mouthfuls of fish.
Cape Fur Seals also follow the shoals up the Eastern Cape coastline as far as Port St Johns.
The sardines aren’t even safe from the skies as they’re driven towards the surface, where voracious seabirds — Cape gannet, cormorants, terns and gulls — arrive in flocks and plummet through the blue waters like fighter planes from as high as 90 feet (30 meters), leaving vapor-like trails behind as they devour their victims en masse.
The shoals are often more than 4 miles (7 kilometers) long, 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) wide and 100 feet (30 meters) deep, clearly visible from spotter planes against the sandy shallow waters.
These bait balls can be anywhere from 33 to 66 feet (10 to 20 meters) in diameter and extend to a depth of up to 10 meters or more.
Untold thousands of marine animals — ’super-pods’ of as many as 2,500 dolphins, sharks, up to 300 on just one bait ball, and whales — devour the hapless plankton feeders, but surprisingly make little impact on the overall shoal size.
As one of Mother Nature’s most spectacular natural wonders on the planet, little is known about this phenomenon, but it’s believed that the water temperature has to drop below 70°F (21°C) in order for the migration to take place. Several years when the waters were too warm, the sardines have failed to ‘run.’
It occurs when a current of cold water heads north from the Cape Agulhas Bank — Africa’s most southerly point — during the southern hemisphere’s winter and swim north up to Mozambique, swarming the beaches of KwaZulu-Natal.
The run makes this trip through treacherous ocean currents along the rugged coastline and travels further east, disappearing into the deep Indian Ocean’s high seas — about a 1,000 mile ‘travelling buffet’ journey.
Sardines have a short life-cycle, living only from 2 to 3 years. Adult sardines about 2 years of age amass on the Agulhas Banks off the southern Cape coast where they spawn during spring and summer, releasing tens of thousands of eggs into the water which are then fertilized by males.
The eggs drift west and north with the current into the waters off the west coast, where the larvae mature and develop into juvenile fish. Once strong enough, they aggregate into dense shoals and migrate southwards, returning to the Agulhas banks in order to complete their life cycle.
Thermal satellite images now suggest currents rather than spawning or large plankton blooms trigger the migration. Scientists believe it’s primarily the cool water coming up the coast in the winter months that allows them to extend their range.
But experts are still mystified as to why the fish leave nutrient-rich feeding grounds for emptier, sub-tropical climes.
In these times of dwindling fish stocks, the shoals surprisingly represent a mere fraction of South Africa’s sardine fishery. Just 800 tons are caught off KwaZulu-Natal every year compared to 100,000 tons on the Agulhas Banks.
The Sardine Run also coincides with the annual migration of Humpback Whales that move north for the season into warmer water to mate and calve, performing their own spectacular display of breaching from the waters. They travel up to 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) for the journey in what’s probably the longest mammal migration known to man.
It’s been said that the sardine run is the only place in the world where scientists and tourists can see such extensive predation so close to shore, attracting many adventure seekers and extreme divers for this unique hunting collaboration and feeding competition between different species in a dazzling wildlife extravaganza as one of the largest marine events on the planet.
Great South African Sardine Run
From the last week of May through early July every year, South African pilchard spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northward in droves for what researchers say could rival East Africa’s great wildebeest migration.
Their sheer numbers create a feeding frenzy along the coastline for sharks, dolphins, and even killer whales for a breathtaking event of the year’s greatest feast which is unique in both magnitude and complexity to the region.
As many as 18,000 Bottlenose and Common dolphins play their role like sheepdogs to expertly herd the sardines, pushing them to the shallow water where they’re more comfortable with hunting.
Running in hundreds of shoals, the sardines desperately attempt to throw off the deadly ambush of legions of predators that congregate in the formerly tranquil waters.
The silvery sardine’s instinctual behavior for defense to group together when they’re threatened creates massive ‘bait balls,’ which are short lived and seldom last longer than 10 to 20 minutes.
Once rounded up, sharks — Hammerheads, Coppers, Blacktip, Tiger, Spinner, and Great White — and other sea life including tuna and sailfish take turns diving through the bait balls, gorging on the fish as they sweep through the groups at will, feasting on massive mouthfuls of fish.
Cape Fur Seals also follow the shoals up the Eastern Cape coastline as far as Port St Johns.
The sardines aren’t even safe from the skies as they’re driven towards the surface, where voracious seabirds — Cape gannet, cormorants, terns and gulls — arrive in flocks and plummet through the blue waters like fighter planes from as high as 90 feet (30 meters), leaving vapor-like trails behind as they devour their victims en masse.
The shoals are often more than 4 miles (7 kilometers) long, 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) wide and 100 feet (30 meters) deep, clearly visible from spotter planes against the sandy shallow waters.
These bait balls can be anywhere from 33 to 66 feet (10 to 20 meters) in diameter and extend to a depth of up to 10 meters or more.
Untold thousands of marine animals — ’super-pods’ of as many as 2,500 dolphins, sharks, up to 300 on just one bait ball, and whales — devour the hapless plankton feeders, but surprisingly make little impact on the overall shoal size.
As one of Mother Nature’s most spectacular natural wonders on the planet, little is known about this phenomenon, but it’s believed that the water temperature has to drop below 70°F (21°C) in order for the migration to take place. Several years when the waters were too warm, the sardines have failed to ‘run.’
It occurs when a current of cold water heads north from the Cape Agulhas Bank — Africa’s most southerly point — during the southern hemisphere’s winter and swim north up to Mozambique, swarming the beaches of KwaZulu-Natal.
The run makes this trip through treacherous ocean currents along the rugged coastline and travels further east, disappearing into the deep Indian Ocean’s high seas — about a 1,000 mile ‘travelling buffet’ journey.
Sardines have a short life-cycle, living only from 2 to 3 years. Adult sardines about 2 years of age amass on the Agulhas Banks off the southern Cape coast where they spawn during spring and summer, releasing tens of thousands of eggs into the water which are then fertilized by males.
The eggs drift west and north with the current into the waters off the west coast, where the larvae mature and develop into juvenile fish. Once strong enough, they aggregate into dense shoals and migrate southwards, returning to the Agulhas banks in order to complete their life cycle.
Thermal satellite images now suggest currents rather than spawning or large plankton blooms trigger the migration. Scientists believe it’s primarily the cool water coming up the coast in the winter months that allows them to extend their range.
But experts are still mystified as to why the fish leave nutrient-rich feeding grounds for emptier, sub-tropical climes.
In these times of dwindling fish stocks, the shoals surprisingly represent a mere fraction of South Africa’s sardine fishery. Just 800 tons are caught off KwaZulu-Natal every year compared to 100,000 tons on the Agulhas Banks.
The Sardine Run also coincides with the annual migration of Humpback Whales that move north for the season into warmer water to mate and calve, performing their own spectacular display of breaching from the waters. They travel up to 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) for the journey in what’s probably the longest mammal migration known to man.
It’s been said that the sardine run is the only place in the world where scientists and tourists can see such extensive predation so close to shore, attracting many adventure seekers and extreme divers for this unique hunting collaboration and feeding competition between different species in a dazzling wildlife extravaganza as one of the largest marine events on the planet.
Great South African Sardine Run
Manic Monkey Waiters in Japan
Not your typical monkey business, two furry critters are making a monkey out of top-notch maître d’s as they serve tables waiting on hungry customers in Japan, working for nothing more than mere peanuts — or rather, soya beans, to be specific.
The two monkey waiters are the star attraction at the Kayabukiya tavern, a traditional “sake house” north of Tokyo, which employed the uniformed Japanese macaque.
Yat-chan and Fuku-chan serve customers drinks and hot towels to clean their hands before they order, as per Japanese custom, and are given soya beans as tips which they get to eat in their down-time.
Four-year-old Fuku-chan has only 2 years experience under his furry belt, so his work load is limited to hot towels.
The two monkey waiters are the star attraction at the Kayabukiya tavern, a traditional “sake house” north of Tokyo, which employed the uniformed Japanese macaque.Yat-chan and Fuku-chan serve customers drinks and hot towels to clean their hands before they order, as per Japanese custom, and are given soya beans as tips which they get to eat in their down-time.
Four-year-old Fuku-chan has only 2 years experience under his furry belt, so his work load is limited to hot towels.
Firaun in the Cairo Museum
Last year i went to Egypt and visited the Cairo Museum. It has the greatest collection of Egyptian antiquities. One whole day will not be enough to visit all the antiquities there. Personally i would rate the Cairo Museum better than the British Museum in London.However, the negative side is that the environmental and display conditions leave a great deal to be desired. Labels on some exhibits date from early in the century and many items have no labels at all. Guidebooks are available at the museum, although they are limited to some of the major items. For a small fee, the best part of the visit is seeing the embalmed body of Firaun (believed to be Ramses 2), i.e the Firaun that is mention numerous times in the Quran.
The Firaun's embalmed body features a hooked nose and strong jaw, and is below average height for an ancient Egyptian, standing some five feet, seven inches. He has an average body frame with strands of hair still remaining and he, may have been a redhead. There lies a man, who claimed to be God and during his reign prophet Moses led his Jewish people to rebel against him. As told in the Quran, he was drowned in the Red Sea while pursuing prophet Moses towards the Senai desert. A closer look, revealed a face that died in shock, probably due to the trauma seeing the parting sea engulfing and drowning him!
Allah says "This day shall We save you in your body, that you may be a Sign to those who come after you! But verily, many among mankind are neglectful of Our Signs
Professor Maurice Bucaille who did a thorough forensic investigation on the mummy, concluded that the body has a high salt content akin to someone drowned. The salt in his body is peculiar to the salt of the Red Sea. A medical examination of this mummy, has shown that the body could not have stayed in the water for long, because it does not shows signs of deterioration due to prolonged submersion and immediate after that the body was embalmed and mummified.Professor Maurice Bucaille was the French medical Doctor who led a team of Scientists and Doctors ordered by France's President to preserve the mummy. In 1974, Egyptologists visiting his tomb noticed that the mummy's condition was rapidly deteriorating. They decided to fly Ramesses II's mummy to Paris for examination. Ramesses II was issued an Egyptian passport that listed his occupation as "King (deceased)." According to a Discovery Channel documentary, the mummy was received at a Paris airport with the full military honours befitting a king!
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