Trend Hunter’s Robin Currie told you about the Lacoste porcelain polo shirt by Li Xiaofeng. But here’s the rest of the story: In addition to the pattern designed by world-class artist Li Xiaofeng, a polo shirt sculpture made of ceramics inspired by the early Ming Dynasty was also created.
The innovative artist’s porcelain piece isn’t limited to the Lacoste shirt. Other one-of-a-kind ceramic garments are in Xiaofeng’s portfolio. But it is the Lacoste porcelain polo shirt by Li Xiaofeng that is currently making the rounds at world-famous art galleries in Europe.
Gilpin Family Whisky If you are a diabetes patient “sweet urine” can be used to make whisky!
A London-based designer James Gilpin, made “Gilpin Family Whisky” using the high-sugar urine produced by elderly diabetes patients, including the urine of his grandmother
James Gilpin, who is also a diabetes patient, filters the high-sugar urine using the same processes used to purify water, removing the sugars in the process, which are then used in the fermentation stages. If you are thinking to buy this exclusive “pee whisky,” too bad because Gilpin is not planning to market it commercially; it’s more of an art project for him.
So, what you can do now is to use your high-sugar urine to produce some special and luxury whisky to serve your guests when they visit you. I believe they will love it and thank you so much…but “No, Thanks!” from me.
Sohal Tang (Acanthurus sohal) is an expensive saltwater fish that goes by many names including the Zebra Tang, Arabian Tang, Sohal Surgeonfish, Red Sea Clown Surgeon, Zebra Surgeon, Majestic Tang, and Majestic Surgeon. Like a lot of other Tangs, these fish are considered to be quite aggressive and shouldn't be kept with other Tangs or many Wrasse species. These fish have a gorgeous display of black, blue, green, and yellow coloration with horizontal stripes running down its body and through its eyes. You can check out the Sohal Tang for yourself in the video below...
In the wild, the Sohal Tang is found in the Red Sea as well as the Arabian sea. They are often seen around reefs in depths of less that 60' or so. Because of their active nature and beautiful coloration, these fish are often kept in an aquarium setting. The Sohal Tang can grow to almost a 1' and a half, but are much smaller when kept in a tank. They are considered to be quite hardy, but need a large reef aquarium of 200 gallons or more with the following water conditions, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, and sg 1.020-1.025.
This species of Tang is an omnivore that should be fed a diet high in vitamins especially beta-carotene, which can help to prevent Hole in the Head or Lateral Line Erosion disease. Sea Veggies, Seaweed Salad, Meaty Foods and Ocean Nutrition are just a few feeding ideas to keep the Sohal Tang happy and healthy. These fish should be fed at least 3 times a week.
Popular aquarium salt water fish is called the Yellow Tang fish, also known as Zebrasoma Flavesenes or even the Naughty Tang. It is found in the Pacific Ocean north of the equator from Japan to Hawaii at depths of 3 to 46 meters.
The Yellow Tang feeds on wild grasses and algae. This species of Tang can grow up to 7" long with the males almost always being larger than the female. Its striking yellow coloration makes it a favorite for fish fans. Click the Yellow Tang picture below if you wish to purchase this colored fishes...
Bog Snorkelling Championships World Record is a sporting event that consists of competitors completing two consecutive lengths of a 60-yard (55 m) water filled trench cut through a peat bog, in the shortest time possible. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers, and complete the course without using conventional swimming strokes, relying on flipper power alone. Wet suits are not compulsory, but are usually worn.
163 competitors from around the world - many in fancy dress, as is encouraged by the competitions organisers - took part in the event, completing two lengths of a trench in the murky Waen Rhydd Bog near Llanwrtyd Wells, mid Wales. Crowds of spectators watched as Dan Morgan, from Brecon, destroyed the previous record time by almost eight seconds, completing the 110 metre course in 1 minute 30.66 seconds.
Organisers had anticipated fast times as the trenches had recently been cleaned.
Llanwrtyd Wells, the UK's smallest town, is noted for its unusual sporting events, also hosting the Man Versus Horse Marathon and a bog snorkelling triathlon, which includes a seven and a half mile run and a 19-mile bike ride, as well as two lengths of the infamous bog.
Organiser John Crompton said: 'It was a good turnout. Everyone had a good time. The weather was pretty miserable to start with. It was wet and rainy and the rain was coming down horizontally. By the end of the day it brightened up.'
Asked to explain the event's increasing popularity, Crompton said: 'The potential of being a world champion at something, I suppose. There's not many things you can be world champion at without any preparation, you can just jump in and swim.'
Only in Japan, Real Men Go to a Hotel With Virtual Girlfriends ATAMI, Japan—This resort town, once popular with honeymooners, is turning to a new breed of romance seekers—virtual sweethearts.
Since the marriage rate among Japan's shrinking population is falling and with many of the country's remaining lovebirds heading for Hawaii or Australia's Gold Coast, Atami had to do something. It is trying to attract single men—and their handheld devices.
In the first month of the city's promotional campaign launched July 10, more than 1,500 male fans of the Japanese dating-simulation game LovePlus+ have flocked to Atami for a romantic date with their videogame character girlfriends. The men are real. The girls are cartoon characters on a screen. The trips are actual, can be expensive and aim to re-create the virtual weekend outing featured in the game, a product of Konami Corp. played on Nintendo Co.'s DS videogame system.
"Atami has always been a romantic place, but it is now a romantic place for a modern generation," says Sakae Saito, Atami's mayor.
Love Plus+ re-creates the experience of an adolescent romance. The goal isn't just to get the girl but to maintain a relationship with her.
After choosing one of three female characters—goodie-goodie Manaka, sassy Rinko or big-sister type Nene—to be a steady girlfriend, the player taps a stylus on the DS touch-screen in order to walk hand-in-hand to school, exchange flirtatious text messages and even meet in the school courtyard for a little afternoon kiss. Using the device's built-in microphone, the player can carry on sweet, albeit mundane, conversations.
If the real-life Romeo earns enough "boyfriend power" points—by completing game tasks like homework or exercise to become smarter and more buff—the reward is a virtual trip to Atami.
In the game, the couple tours the local landmarks. The girlfriend changes into a yukata, a casual summer kimono, to go see the fireworks, and then they stay overnight at the Hotel Ohnoya. It is known for its cavernous, white-columned baths in the style of Ancient Rome.
In his first visit to the real-life Atami, Love Plus+ gamer Shunsuke Kato planned to walk around the city and see the sights familiar to him from playing the game. One small hitch: his girlfriend, Manaka, was giving him the silent treatment.
She was upset that he had been so busy at work that he had been playing the game only 10 minutes a day. "On days off, I spend one to two hours with her. I guess, compared to the people who come here, our relationship is a bit lukewarm," said Mr. Kato.
Located at the bend of the Japanese archipelago and a one-hour train ride from Tokyo, Atami has definitely seen better days.
The number of overnight visitors has dropped by half from the peak in the late 1960s. The main shopping area has many boarded-up storefronts—a lot of them defunct bars, clubs and other remnants of the city's heyday as an entertainment mecca.
The city is going all-out to indulge ardent Love Plus+ fans.
At the real Hotel Ohnoya, which opened its doors in 1937, the staff is trained to check in Love Plus+ customers as couples even if there is only one actual guest. Says Atsurou Ohno, the hotel's managing director, "We try not to ask too many questions because we want them to be able to remain immersed in that game world."
Some devoted fans will go so far as to pay twice the rate—most hotels in Japan charge per guest not per room—to indulge the fantasy that they are not there alone. A night's stay, at most, can cost $500 though many rooms are cheaper.
In Atami, the Love Plus+ fans—mostly men in their twenties and thirties—stand out. Unlike the deeply tanned beach crowd wearing very little, they are often pasty and overdressed for the heat in heavy jeans and button-down shirts.
Tatsuya Fukazawa, a 19-year-old college student, was visiting Atami for the first time on a recent weekend. In a small waist bag, he carried his Nintendo DS. Once he turned on the device, his virtual girlfriend Manaka Takane—a Libra who enjoys making pastries—greeted him in a syrupy sweet voice.
"There isn't a lot of romance in my life and this helps me cope with some of the loneliness," said Mr. Fukazawa with a chuckle.
Adding real elements to the virtual relationships is central to the Love Plus+ series. The games can be synched up to an actual calendar and clock, which means playing the game too late at night might mean that the virtual girlfriend is already asleep. Players are expected to remember important dates like birthdays and holidays.
Local businesses are feeling the love.
Yamadaya, a shop selling processed fish cakes on Atami's main shopping street, started offering special Love Plus+ fish cakes at the end of July. On top of a rubbery square white cake about the size of piece of toast, Yamadaya draws the characters' faces using black squid ink. At 450 yen ($5.30), the store has been selling out its daily allotment of 150 cakes—50 for each girl.
Korean barbecue-inspired restaurant Hien says a quarter of its customers are currently game-related. For 5,000 yen, customers get a special Love Plus+ menu of Japanese beef and side dishes.
Kanji Nagasawa, Hien's owner, says he is accustomed to making small talk with customers, but the Love Plus+ crowd often sits in silence and plays the game while eating.
"We've been stunned," Mr. Nagasawa said, "how happy this makes those customers."
Alas, the boom ends this month, when the imaginary characters have to go back to school.
It was during festivities to commemorate the opening of the new JR Nada station. The railway (around 100 meters long) was build in parallel with the Hanshin railway next to Iwaya park and people (mainly parents with their children) were taking ride on it. The locomotive was really tiny
I did try (using google) to find some information for the smallest functional steam locomotive but all I found were some toy locomotives and I definitely couldn’t find anything for this Japanese steam engine. So who knows – may be after all I did find the world smallest functional (cable to transport people) steam engine/locomotive. Unfortunately I couldn’t find and any information for the crew who assembled and maintained the small locomotive and its railway.
Fighters have battled it out in over 1,000 litres of gravy as part of the 4th annual World Gravy Wrestling Championships.
Dozens of competitors - all in fancy dress - attended the Lancashire event to grapple with each other in the 14ft pool filled with gravy an inch deep.
As over 1,000 fans cheered them on, points were awarded for wrestling skill, fun factor and the entertainment value in the two minute bouts.
Organisers say all the gravy used is made to a traditional Lancashire recipe and they get through over 1,000 litres during the day. Elliot Rooke, dressed as a bunny girl, took the men's title while the female winner was Elisa Samson who had fought as Little Bo Peep -- In odd news neither of them will ever want a Sunday Roast again.
The neon guitars designed by Rich Roland are instruments that anybody could own, even if they couldn’t play them. Embedded with neon lights, this sound-sensitive guitar changes in lighting as different tunes are played. Ranging well over $10,000 a piece, these neon guitars by Rich Roland are a little over the price range of what most people can afford. However, these pieces are undeniably interesting nonetheless.
In 1885 Gottlieb Daimler built his first bike, wooden bike. The first successful tests of the motorcycle passed November 10, 1885. In addition, in August 1888 Daimler received investment from William Steynveya, who proposed to begin mass production of motorcycles in the U.S.. Since 1891, the Daimler Motor Company, owned by Steinway began producing internal combustion engines for various types of vehicles, including boats. Some of this started the whole auto industry.
