Sunday 21 October 2012

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Friday 21 September 2012

The Coffee Roaster Directory

 Please feel free to suggest a great Coffee Roaster you know or have visited in your area, and it'll get posted for all to view at HottopOwners.co.uk.

Coffee Roaster Owners can contact the Hottop Owners Admin for your establishment to be included...go here:

Hottop Owners Club - The Coffee Roaster Directory

The Coffee Shop Directory

 Please feel free to suggest a great Coffee Shop you have visited in your area, and it'll get posted for all to view at CoffeeGeek.co.uk.

Coffee Shop Owners can contact CoffeeGeek Admin for your shop to be included...go here:

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Popcorn Popper Coffee Roaster Forum

Introducing this exciting new forum for coffee roasting enthusiasts with a small budget... 

click the link here:

Saturday 8 September 2012

Coffee Beans Discount Code | CoffeeGeek Aficionado Network

Save yourself a few quid when ordering fresh roasted beans or even green beans; as a thank you for signing up you'll be given a unique discount code to receive 10% Off your order...

Thursday 6 September 2012

Insects close-up

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:

Click to enlarge image:
















The 'Flintstones' bicycle.

German inventors say the design could be the ultimate urban transport
Riders are held up by a harness

It is a design that is sure to turn heads around town

German designers have revealed a bizarre bicycle with no pedals.

Instead, riders are strapped into a harness and move by walking or running.

Click to enlarge image:

Called the Fliz, it needs the user to build up speed by running and then lifting their legs to settle on foot rests at the hub of the rear wheel.

Momentum then sends the rider and bike on their way, a little like cartoon stone age man Fred Flintstone’s car.

The bike, created by German designers Tom Hambrock and Juri Spetter, is fixed to the rider with a belt system suspended from the machine’s frame under which the rider is fixed into pace.

The bike is an entry into the annual James Dyson Award for technology , innovation and design open to international students and founded by the Dyson vacuum cleaner inventor.

FLIZ comes from the German word “flitzen” and means speeding... with your feet.

The concept is to provide healthy, ecological mobility in overcrowded urban spaces.

The frame has a five point belt which is said, despite appearances, to provide a comfortable, ergonomic ride between running and biking.

The belt replaces the saddle and adjusts your position.

The inspiration was the world’s first personal transport device , a two-wheeled frame which resembled a modern day cycle but without pedals.

It was built by German inventor Karl Drais and unveiled in 1817.

Known as a velocipede , the student team behind the FLIZ wanted to revive that principle but making it more modern with additional benefits.

The team even tested a replica of the Drais machine to pinpoint it’s failings such as th unsafe steering and over large seat.

The FLIZ prototype made of wood and tension belts has been tested.

Entries in the Dyson award compete for a £10,000 top prize.

Hambrock and Spetter have already won a Merit Award at the International Cycle Show in Taipei earlie this year.

Click to enlarge image:







Saturday 11 August 2012

Thursday 9 August 2012

Gorgeous Butterfly - August 2012

took this photo today of this beautiful butterfly perched on our water fountain in the garden!

Click to enlarge the photo to see it's full beauty!

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Who's Looking At You, Babe?


A monkey grinning, or pulling their lip up to show the teeth, may appear as a friendly smile to humans.

But for them, it is not a welcoming social nicety but instead it's a sign of aggression or anger.

Biting is one way that monkeys fight and defend themselves.

Other signs of aggression include head bobbing, yawning- again, to show the teeth - and jerking the head and shoulders forward.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Costa Coffee Beans | Special Online Delivery Prices | CoffeeFads iShop |

Costa Coffee Ground or Tinned Beans Online Delivery Service

CoffeeFads iShop now delivers Costa Coffee Ground or Tinned Beans direct to your destination of choice; be it work or home! Save that pop into town, and let our Online iShop help you today!

go here:

Costa Coffee Online Delivery Service | CoffeeFads iShop | Rancilio Silvia For Sale|

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Saturday 30 June 2012

OE LIDO Hand Coffee Grinder

This awesome hand grinder is a must for all coffee aficionados...hand grinds 20g of coffee beans in under a minute, and with ease; compared to the Porlex which is quite a chore!

read more by following this link here:
 OE LIDO Hand Coffee Grinder @Coffee iShop

Monday 25 June 2012

Thursday 21 June 2012

Just a Thought - by Joy Hedges

Met this delightful lady last evening in Ashburnham Place, East Sussex. Well worth a read...

go here to order Joy's book:

Just a Thought

Tuesday 1 May 2012

Monster Tasmanian King Crabs

Claude, the gigantic crab, was destined to become 325 crabsticks, but a twist of fate means he will now spend his days entertaining visitors at an aquarium.

The Tasmanian King Crab is a delicacy in its native Australia, but Claude was snapped up by a British aquarium worker who agreed to buy him and two other enormous crustaceans for a whopping £3,000.

He had them flown to the UK and they are now in quarantine at the Sea Life Park in Weymouth, Dorset, before they go on display.

Click The Images To Enlarge!


Claude, pictured, weighs a mighty 15lbs (6.8 kgs) and measures 15 inches (38cm) wide.

When he is fully grown he will weigh a weighty 30lbs and gain an extra three inches.

Although he is safe now he is would have been capable of producing about 20lbs worth of meat - and approximately 325 crabsticks.

The creatures - the second biggest crab species in the world - are likely to go on display at Sea Life Parks in Weymouth, Birmingham and Berlin in Germany.

Rob Hicks, head marine biologist for Sea Life, said: 'They are such impressive creatures we thought that it was worth the cost and effort of flying them half-way round the world to so they can flourish in an aquarium display.

'They had a stopover in Hong Kong and arrived with us a week ago.

'It took them a few days to get over the jet-lag but now they’re feeding happily and don’t seem any the worse of their trip.'

Jemma Battrick, aquarist at Weymouth Sea Life said: 'When I found out we were getting the crabs in I was really excited.


Mini me: Claude dwarfs a British Shore crab who is put on his back for size and to show just how gigantic he is

Friday 6 April 2012

The World's smallest dog


Take a bow-wow Milly the chihuahua: Micro mutt that fits in the palm of a hand and weighs less than a banana is set to be crowned the World's smallest dog.

She may be tiny, but Milly the Puerto Rican chihuahua is on the verge of something big - being officially recognised as the most petite pooch on the planet.

The current record holder is Boo Boo, another chihuahua from the U.S state of Kentucky, but Milly, who lives with her Argentine owners in the north east Puerto Rican town of Vega Alta, hopes to punch above her 170g weight to earn her place in the Guinness Book of Records.

After she was born three months ago the family believed that Milly would grow, but having maintained the same height of just 6.53cm for three weeks they began to think that the pedigree pup might be able to knock Boo Boo from the top dog spot that she has held since February 2008.

Measuring in at 10.16cm Boo Boo towers over the new pretender to the throne and miniscule Milly's carer Rivera Eizzal believes her pedigree puppy has got it in the (doggy) bag.

Ms Eizzal, said: 'Milly was so small she could not breastfeed due to the tiny size of her mouth.

'To get an idea of ​​just how petite she is, when she was first born she received milk from an eyedropper.'

The animal is constantly accompanied by Ms Eizzil or by her owner, Argentinian Vanessa Semler, who is dedicated to rearing chihuahuas in Puerto Rico.


Ms Semler says caring for Milly takes effort, but explains that she and her husband, Edwin Davila, have no children so they have the time to focus their energies on their pet project.

A judge from the Guinness Book of Records is due to travel to Puerto Rico in the coming months to clarify Milly's size and measurements which will then be sent from the island to be officially confirmed.

Chihuahuas originated from the state of Mexico that carries same name and they usually reach a height of between 15cm and 25cm.

Saturday 17 March 2012

Sky's the limit: World's first flying car!

Sky's the limit: World's first flying car on the market at £800,000 (and it's been in the air since 1946)

Magnificent men: The two-seat Aerocar was first designed in 1949 and now looks set to fly off the forecourts

If waiting in traffic jams leaves you ready to explode, the solution is finally here.

Drivers can switch from the road to the air in minutes at the wheel of the world's first flying car - which is on the market at a sky-high price of £800,000.

The two-seat automobile can reach speeds of 60mph on land and up to 110mph at 12,000 feet, despite being more than 60 years old.


The Aerocar, which is one of just six ever built, is expected to fly off the forecourt when it is sold by Illinois-based Courtesy Aircraft on behalf of Yellowstone Aviation.

Inventor Moulton 'Molt' Taylor began work on the car in 1946 and it became the world’s first road-legal flying car when he built the first prototype three years later.

But the sci-fi style vehicle, which boasts a propeller on the end of a long tail cone, initially failed to take off.
AEROCAR STATS

Length: 21 feet
Wingspan: 30 feet
Weight: 2,100lb
Range: 300 miles
Maximum speed: 110 mph
Cruise speed: 100 mph
Take-off speed: 55 mph
Road speed: 60mph

In November 1949, the prototype could not get off the ground after accelerating slowly down a grass runway.

One month and a number of modifications later, the Aerocar made its first official flight out of Longview, Washington, and Mr Taylor started to get funding from interested investors.

The first three models were sold for a hefty $25,000 (£15,800) each with a plan for mass production. But the firm struggled to get the 500 orders needed to make the car marketable.

Mr Taylor had designed the Aerocar to be able to convert from car to plane in less than 10 minutes.


He once said: 'The changeover from plane to auto can be made by a women in a fur coat and high heels.'

He wanted his brainchild to have wings which could fold back and allow the car to tow the rest of the plane.

The flying motor rolled off the U.S. company’s production line in 1954, its 150 horsepower coming from a 5.2-litre, four-cylinder engine.

Ron Twellman, curator at the EAA AirVenture Museum, said: 'Molt Taylor’s Aerocar was the first roadable aircraft to be certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration.

'Less than a half dozen of this original model were produced, though Molt continued working on other models for the rest of his life.

'It is special because it was the first roadable aircraft that you could order from the factory.

'With such a small number produced and with most of these already in museums where they’re likely to stay, the opportunity for an individual to purchase one is quite rare.'

But the Aerocar does has one winged nemesis, after U.S. firm Terrafugia’s ‘Transition’ was approved to be driven on road in 2009.

Despite the gap in time between the two models, however, their performance is remarkably similar.

The $250,000 (£155,000) Transition has a top flying speed of 115mph, driving speed of 65mph and range of 500 miles.

Friday 9 March 2012

Slouching Simian Monkey

No need to go ape: Slouching simian refuses to put on a show for zoo visitors!

This chilled out chimp doesn't give a monkey's what anyone thinks as he soaks up the sunshine in a Chinese zoo.

Lying on the ground with his legs crossed and a hand behind his head, his pose shows just how similar humans are to our closest cousins in the animal kingdom.

Normally found in the forests of West and Central Africa, chimpanzees have been found to share about 94 per cent of their DNA with humans.


They are notorious for their aggression, but are famously clever and have been observed to behave altruistically and even spiritually.

In the wild, they use tools - including spears, even - for hunting, dance rain dances, and appear to show appreciation for natural beauty such as sunsets over a lake.

This simian was seen slouching in his pen at a zoo in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.

He looks relaxed, but his face seems to betray a sense of melancholy. Perhaps, so far away from his native forests, he is simply missing home.

Saturday 3 March 2012

Discipline, Mummy Bear-style!

Discipline, Mummy Bear-style: Cub given roar of disapproval.... before finally getting a hug...

Quite what the little chap had done to incur his mother’s wrath remains a mystery.

But the chances are that he won’t do it again.

This astonishing series of pictures illustrates how, in the world of the brown bear, there are no agonised disputes over corporal punishment of children.

Click The Image To Enlarge!
Perhaps THIS will teach you a lesson: She picks him up by the scruff of the neck and swings him around...

Click The Image To Enlarge

How many times have I told you not to do that: She pins him in the corner for a dressing down!

First, the mother glares angrily at her son as he stands a few feet away looking guilty and sheepish.

Within seconds he is backed into a corner with a terrified expression as she roars her disapproval.

Shortly afterwards he finds himself airborne after she seizes him by the scruff of the neck and propels him from side to side.

However, the fierce encounter at Simferopol Zoo in the Ukraine comes to a peaceful conclusion when Mummy, who weighs the best part of 550lb, gently hugs him to her chest to reassure him that all is forgiven.

Click The Image To Enlarge

A word in your ear: The crestfallen cub approaches his mother...

Click The Image To Enlarge

There, there: He gets a bear-hug to show the row is over

Thursday 1 March 2012

Hilariously bad answers given by students!

For years, the 'Kung Fu' gland somehow escaped the attention of endocrinologists.

But one student has clearly found it... according to his hilarious answer to a biology exam question (complete with surreal sketch).Click The Images To Enlarge...
and What's hard water? It's ice...what about the meaning of the term 'hermaphrodite'. That would, apparently, be 'Lady Gaga'.
Click The Images To Enlarge...

Friday 10 February 2012

The 'No No' Cat has his say...

You’d think the reasons for something being funny were beyond the reach of science – but Google’s brain-box researchers have managed to come up with a formula for working out which YouTube video clips are the funniest.

Their algorithm has declared that a video of a cat appearing to say ‘no’ over and over again – called No No No No Cat - is currently the funniest.

The video only has just over 60,000 hits – which is small compared to the millions some clips clock up – but Google turned its attention to the comments users leave to gauge comedy value.

Monday 23 January 2012

Happy Chinese New Year 2012!

HCNY2012



Wishing all my Chinese friend's a successful and prosperous, and healthy Chinese New Year, 2012!

Stay safe!

Sunday 15 January 2012

Campbell's Tower in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

Thousands of onlookers braved the chilly temperatures at the old Campbell's soup factory site to watch the controlled explosion, which was ignited at 8am this morning.


The 1,000-ton Campbell's tower is sent crashing to the ground after 10kg of nitro-glycerine was ignited!

The 40-metre Campbell's tower dated back to 1959 and housed a giant pressure cooker used to make the famous canned soup.

The Tower was demolished at 8am on Sunday, 15th January, 2012.

Wednesday 11 January 2012

January sales Beijing style!

This pair of Chinese 'human snails' look like they've snapped up some cracking bargains during the January sales.

Click to enlarge photo!

Loaded sky high with office chairs and furniture they laugh and joke, to the visible gasps of onlookers, as they weave their heavy-load around the streets of Beijing.

But three-wheeling is not the preferred mode of transport for the delivery drivers who are actually forced to take to their tricycles during the day.

Beijing's banning of motorised delivery during daylight hours is just one of a series of measures introduced in 2008 and designed to cut down congestion in the Chinese capital.

Drivers of the city's five million cars are banned from taking to the road one day per week, depending on the final digit of their license plate, and only 20,000 licenses are issued each month.

Luckily the pair did not suffer the same fate as Fei Lin, 35, who shot up skywards when huge bags of rice strapped to the back of his trike slipped and catapulted him into the air.

Lin suffered the accident when his overloaded bike protested at its massive load in Xian, Shaanxi province, in December.

Tuesday 3 January 2012

Wall Breaker Water Cannon

A British company has invented a new weapon for use in the war against terror which uses ordinary water cooler bottles as ammunition.



The plastic bottles of water, which are used in coolers in thousands of offices and shops up and down the country, become powerful missiles when fired from the Wall Breaker cannon.

The tough plastic bottles can knock through double layer walls to break into hostage situations or other terror situations.

Inventors BCB International, based in Cardiff, say the strong bottles are perfect missiles because there are so many available wherever police or military are near buildings.

The company invented a wide air cannon to fire the water bottles 300 metres a second to break into buildings.

Company spokesman Jonathan Dell said: 'Our system uses compressed air and it fires a a big bottle of water at the target.

'That impact from a bottle can smash through a double layer breeze-block wall.

'What’s great about using water is that the casing shatters and it just sprays out.

'It means security teams are much closer to the point of entry, giving them vital seconds.'

'Security teams and counter-terrorism officers often use explosives but if you’re trying to rescue a hostage, that’s pretty dangerous.'

The company used ordinary plastic cooler bottles full of water, each weighing 22Kg, in tests.

When shot out of the pneumatic cannon, the everyday office items turn into powerful projectiles easily strong enough to punch a hole in a hostage-takers wall.

Mr Dell said: 'They are more than capable of ripping through everything from walls to transit vans.'

The firm have already sold the system to security forces and the military in a number of countries including the USA and Thailand.