Reedswood's News

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

2012-03-17T23:44:00.000Z

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.

Slouching Simian Monkey

2012-03-09T13:49:00.000Z

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.

Discipline, Mummy Bear-style!

2012-03-03T10:41:00.001Z

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

Hilariously bad answers given by students!

2012-03-01T00:11:00.002Z

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...

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

2012-02-10T23:00:00.003Z

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.

Happy Chinese New Year 2012!

2012-01-23T12:20:00.002Z

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

Stay safe!

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

2012-01-15T19:16:00.001Z

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.

January sales Beijing style!

2012-01-11T19:34:00.001Z

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.

Wall Breaker Water Cannon

2012-01-03T19:22:00.000Z

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.

So long to 2011

2011-12-30T22:47:00.000Z

Say it with smiles!
From a shark flashing a toothy grin to a macaque caught monkeying around, these hilarious pictures reveal that some animals know how to have a laugh.

Cat stroking crying baby and sending him to sleep!

2011-12-20T12:11:00.000Z

How very cute... Baby Connar begins video wailing and writhing around
But cat Stewie quickly calms him and send him to sleep
Cat looks at camera proud of what he has achieved!

At first it appears the last thing baby Connar wants while he cries and writhes around is for a cat to come along and start playing with him.

But this hilarious video shows how Stewie manages to send his new friend off to sleep and stop the tears after some careful and patient stroking.

The clip, uploaded by the baby’s father Aaron Grant, 35, of Canada, ends with Stewie staring at the camera with great pride at what he has done.

18 Years Old but ONLY 2ft Tall!

2011-12-17T01:08:00.001Z

Jyoti Amge crowned world shortest woman at just 62cm tall
She weighs only 12lbs - just 9lbs more than she did at birth

Celebrating your 18th birthday is a momentous occasion for anyone, but for tiny Jyoti Amge the milestone is even bigger news.

The 2ft teenager is already a mini celebrity in her hometown of Nagpur, India, but is now set for a huge record when she is officially declared the world's smallest woman.

And despite her miniature stature, 61.95cm-tall Jyoti hopes to celebrate being crowned the world's shortest woman by launching a Bollywood movie career.

She took the Guinness World Record from 2ft 3in American Bridgette Jordan, and celebrated her birthday with a teddy bear which loomed over her tiny 24.4in frame.

She measured 7 centimeters (2.76 inches) shorter than the 22-year-old American Bridgette Jordan, who had held the title since September.

A teary-eyed Jyoti, dressed in one of her finest saris, called the honor an 'extra birthday present' and said she felt grateful for being small, as it had brought her recognition.

She also blew out candles on a birthday cake which was comfortably bigger than her.

Even the Guinness World Records book at the ceremony came up to Jyoti's waist.

Jyoti weighs just 12lbs (5.5kg) - only 9lbs more than she did at birth - and has a form of dwarfism call achondroplasia, which stopped her growing after her first birthday.

She has brittle bones and is likely to need care for the rest of her life, but that has not stopped her tall ambitions of cracking the movie industry.

Budding actress Jyoti, who is set to appear in two Bollywood films next year, told The Sun: 'I want to make people happy.'

As a teenager at school in Nagpur, Jyoti had her own small desk and chair, but said the other students didn't treat her any differently.

She also has to sleep in a specially-made bed and uses utensils that are smaller than average.

This was not Amge's first Guinness record. Until Friday she was considered the world's shortest teenager, but in turning 18 qualified for the new title.

She has grown less than 1cm (0.4in) in the last two years, Guinness said in a statement, and will grow no more due to a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia.

Her teenage title brought the chance for multiple Guinness-sponsored trips to Japan and Italy for tours and meetings with other record holders, she said.

The title of shortest woman in history continues to be held by Pauline Musters, who lived in the Netherlands from 1876 to 1895 and stood 61 centimeters (24 inches) tall.

Toddler's Taekwondo fight

2011-12-16T10:31:00.001Z

Pure innocence...

The 'blingmobile' Mercedes on offer for £7 million

2011-12-09T23:05:00.000Z

A flamboyant entrepreneur with apparently more money than taste has turned a classy Mercedes into a 'blingmobile' - and wants £7 MILLION for it.

Swiss businessman Ueli Anliker is selling the one-off supercar after transforming it using a team of 35 workers who spent a total of 30,000 man hours and more than £3.5 million.

He has renamed the 200mph plus Merc the 'Anliker McLaren SLR 999 Red Gold Dream'.

But his design changes have fallen flat, with Top Gear saying the paintwork could 'burn a hole through your eyes and into your nightmares'.
Entrepreneur: Swiss businessman Ueli Anliker who spent £3.5 million on the Mercedes

Entrepreneur: Swiss businessman Ueli Anliker who spent £3.5 million on the Mercedes

The garish body has 25 layers of red paint with 5kg of gold dust worked into it. Each of the car's wheels are covered in 24 carat gold as are the headlights and door sills

And the car's supercharged 5.4-litre engine has had power boosted from 640bhp to 999bhp - giving it a top speed of more than 210mph.

Inside, there are jewelled indicators, a gold-trimmed interior and steering wheel and ruby-covered switchgear.

In total there are more than 600 rubies within the car's interior, which would have cost around £300,000 before the staggering overhaul.

Mr Anliker is now selling the Mercedes with a 'minimum' price-tag of £7 million - making it the world's most expensive vehicle for sale on the open market.

A spokesperson for Mr Anliker said: 'Selling the vehicle has never been part of Mr Anliker's motivation but he will consider a suitable offer.

'Having invested about 5 million Swiss francs and more than 30,000 man hours, the car is worth more than 10 million Swiss francs, which is his minimum selling price.'

The SLR was jointly developed by Mercedes in Germany and McLaren in the UK.

It went on sale in 2003 with production running until last year.

The £85m superyacht...

2011-12-04T01:05:00.001Z

This huge superyacht is so sleek you'd almost be forgiven for mistaking it for a floating limousine.

Click The Images to Enlarge!

Luxury: This 100-metre superyacht, which comes with an onboard garage, is yours for a mere £85million

This is no coincidence - the 'Sovereign' yacht is based on the design of a limo, and even comes with its own matching car.

And the vessel fit for a king could be yours, if you're willing to shell out a mere $132million - that's £85million.

There is a glass helicopter pad, encircled by an infinity pool; 10 guests suites as well as the extensive main quarters; a private cinema; and a nightclub area which epitomises 'elegance and class' - according to Gray Design, at least.

The architects are also installing a golfing green, which can be converted into a god play area for an owner who preferred playing with pets to playing sport.

And of course there's an onboard garage, to store the matching limousine which is an optional extra, or whatever other car the owner feels is necessary to zip around the decks.

Every tiniest detail seems to have been taken care of - part of the bow can rise up to provide shade for the jacuzzi.

And the boat is eco-friendly too, sporting a huge wind turbine which powers the yacht's electricity systems.

Mr Gray insists that the boat is 'in the engineering stage', and is about to enter production.

The one attribute which Sovereign does not share with the supercars on which it is based - and which can be stored in its garage - is speed.

The yacht goes up to a maximum of 30 knots - fairly nippy for a vessel of this size, but perhaps a little disappointing for real petrolheads hoping to transfer to seafaring.

Fashionable: Armani are said to be involved with designing the ship's interior furnishings

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069490/The-king-sea-The-85m-superyacht-comes-matching-limousine-onboard.html#ixzz1fWWlX5ce

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2011-11-25T12:53:00.003Z

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The £60,000 Jetlev Ocean Toy

2011-11-20T13:18:00.000Z

Want to join the jet set? Water-powered jetpack propels fliers up to 30ft into the air... but it still costs £150 a go!

For years their use has been limited to the rich and famous or wealthy James Bond enthusiasts.

But walking on water with a jetpack is now one step closer thanks to a device which uses water from the ocean to propel users across the waves.

The £60,000 Jetlev uses jet stream technology to propel fliers up to 30ft in the air by sucking up water in a huge hose from the ocean and blasting it back out of the pack.

And while the £150 cost for a day using the Jetlev jetpack will still be too excessive for many, the lowered price has at least made jetpack technology available to more than just the incredibly wealthy.

Jetlev trainer Dean O'Malley said: 'This is actually fairly light, it's about 9kg, so it doesn't take much pressure to get you into the air.

'The key to the whole thing is, they off-loaded all the weight from the pack into the actual pod unit.'

The Jetlev R200 has a harness that straps the user into the jetpack's frame, two handles for steering and stability, a throttle for speed control, and two water jets that forcefully propel out streams of water that is pumped in through a hose.

For just £150 per day the adventurous can train to become fliers and experience first-hand the rush of jetpacking over water, eventually pull off dramatic figure of eight turns, fly so low so as to walk on water and even fly hands free.

It is now available for hire at Lake Havasu, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Florida, in the US as well as Germany and Singapore.

Giant Orbiting Power Plants

2011-11-16T00:12:00.000Z

Giant orbiting power plants could harvest the sun's energy to provide world's power needs Scientists claim...

Harvesting the sun's abundant energy from space could provide a cost-effective way to meet the world's power needs, a group of international scientists have said.

Orbiting power plants capable of collecting solar energy and beaming it to Earth appear 'technically feasible' within a decade or two based on technologies now in the laboratory, it has been claimed.
Such a project may be able to achieve economic viability in 30 years or less.

'It is clear that solar power delivered from space could play a tremendously important role in meeting the global need for energy during the 21st Century,' a study group of the Paris-headquartered International Academy of Astronautics said.

The study, which was led by John Mankins, a 25-year Nasa veteran and the U.S. space agency's former head of concepts, was billed as the first international assessment of potential ways of collecting solar energy in space and delivering it to Earth via wireless power transmission.

The study said government money would probably be needed to get the concept, known as space solar power, to market.

Private-sector funding is unlikely to proceed alone because of the 'economic uncertainties' of the development, it said.

But the study said that both governments and the private sector should fund research to pin down the economic viability of the concept, amid concerns about humankind's continuing reliance on finite fossil fuels that contribute to global pollution.

An estimate of the potential overall price tag for completing the project was not given.

Some scientists believe that space solar power is a potential long-term energy solution for Earth.

The idea is to put first one, then a few, and later scores of solar-powered satellites in orbit over the equator.
Each will be as wide as several kilometers across and the spacecraft would collect sunlight up to 24 hours a day.
This is compared with surface panels now used to turn sunlight into electricity which collect half of that at most.

The power would be converted to electricity on-board the spacecraft and sent to wherever it is needed on Earth by a large microwave-transmitting antenna or by lasers, then fed into a power grid.

Skeptics deem the concept a non-starter, at least until the cost of putting a commercial power plant into orbit drops dramatically.

Other hurdles include space debris, a lack of focused market studies and high development costs.

The study, conducted from 2008 to 2010 then subjected to peer review, found that the commercial case had substantially improved during the past decade, partly as a result of government incentives for nonpolluting 'green' energy systems.

A pilot project to demonstrate the technology even as big as the 400-tonne International Space Station could go ahead using low-cost expendable launch vehicles being developed for other space markets, Mr Mankins said.

Ultimately, tens of billions of dollars would be needed to develop and deploy a sufficiently low-cost fleet of reusable, earth-to-orbit vehicles to launch full-scale commercial solar power satellites, the study group estimated.

The group said the necessary research and development work should be undertaken by countries and organisations in concert, including space agencies, companies, universities and nongovernmental organisations.

International interest in the concept has grown during the past decade, spurred in part by fears that in coming decades global production of petroleum and possibly other fossil fuels will peak and start to decline.

Adding to a quest for new energy sources are projected jumps in worldwide per capita demand for energy to fuel economic development and concern over the accumulation in Earth's atmosphere of fossil fuel-derived greenhouse gases.

The idea of harnessing solar power in space has been studied off and on for 40 years, including by the U.S. Energy Department and Nasa.

U.S. and Indian business, policy and national security analysts in September called for a joint U.S.-Indian feasibility study on a cooperative program to develop space-based solar power with a goal of fielding a commercially viable capability within two decades.

The study group, co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank and Aspen Institute India, included former U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Naresh Chandra, a former Indian ambassador to the United States.

Colonel Michael Smith, the U.S. Air Force's chief futurist as director of the Center for Strategy and Technology at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, said the idea has the potential to send safe, clean electrical energy worldwide 'if we can make it work.'

'Isn't that what government and industry should be working to do?' he said.

World's first manned flight with an Electric Multicopter

2011-11-04T23:50:00.000Z

At the end of October 2011, Thomas Senkel of e-volo made the first manned flight with an electric multicopter at an airstrip in the southwest of Germany. The flight lasted one minute and 30 seconds, after which the constructor and test pilot stated: "The flight characteristics are good natured. Without any steering input it would just hover there on the spot". This could be the future of flight, piloting a device as simple as a car.

80kg machine can take off vertically like a jump jet
Powered by Lithium Ion batteries
Inventor claims the 16-rotor machine will make helicopters 'obsolete
Could be used for 'air sports' - or even as a flying car

It might look like as space hopper surrounded by model helicopters, but the 16-rotor E-Volo is an entirely new kind of helicopter - which can hover motionless in the air without input from the pilot

Its bold engineer, Thomas Senkel, took the machine on its first manned flight this week - lasting 1 minute 30 seconds.

It's not the first electric helicopter flight - but this is a new kind of machine, steered simply by joystick, with the pilot sitting above the rotors. Senkel says it could revolutionise transport.

The multicopter is currently only able to fly for around 20 minutes because it runs on lithium-ion batteries.

But E-volo hope rapidly developing technology will mean they can complete hour-long flights in the near future.

A hybrid drive, in which a conventional internal combustion engine generates the electrical power, would already show an hour-long flight time.

A one-hour flight would cost around six euros in electricity. The machine has few parts, which could wear out, meaning the aircraft needs little maintenance.

E-volo say their aircraft is special because of the 'simplicity of its engineered construction without complicated mechanics, and redundant engines.'

In an emergency, it can land even if four of its 16 rotors fail. And since the propellers sit below the pilot, a safety parachute can also be deployed.

The controls could be integrated with GPS software, the three friends claim, and the machine could even automatically avoid obstacles and direct itself to pre-determined locations. E-Volo have already completed several successful 'drone' flights with the vehicle, controlled remotely from the ground.

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2011-11-01T21:48:00.003Z

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Howl-o-ween Pet Parade

2011-10-24T12:46:00.000+01:00

Even dogs can celebrate Halloween - and here's a show to prove it.

Canines of all breeds sent tongues and tails wagging as they took part in the 2011 Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade in New York on Saturday.

The field of around 500 very patient pooches was packed with inventive and hilarious costumes, including a stegosaurus, Don Draper from Mad Men and a bride.

The parade of masquerading dogs is the largest Halloween Dog Parade in the U.S.

A pup done up like Lady Gaga from the 2009 VMAs won a prize for being best dressed.

But the top dog gong of Best in Show went to a canine disguised as an M23 New York bus, fully equipped with its very own passenger, the owner's child.

The proceeds raised during the event go to the oldest dog run in New York City.

One-eyed albino Creatures

2011-10-18T18:55:00.000+01:00

This one-eyed albino fetus was cut from the belly of a pregnant bull shark caught off the coast of California this summer

In 2005 a kitten born with only one eye and no nose caused a similar online stir.

The feline, one of two in a litter, became known as Cy (short for Cyclops) and died within a day.

Harvest mouse surveys his land!

2011-10-15T23:47:00.000+01:00

click to enlarge!

Perched between two stalks, this tiny harvest mouse adeptly uses his tail and hind legs to steady himself while scratching its nose.

These amazing pictures show one of Britain's most elusive and endangered species in its element.

They were taken by amateur photographer Matt Binstead, who is head keeper at the British Wildlife Centre in Lingfield Surrey.

World’s First ‘Super Bus'

2011-10-04T21:29:00.001+01:00

Room for one more? World’s first ‘super bus’ can take 23 passengers but looks more like a Lamborghini (and boasts a top speed of 155mph)

Click To Enlarge Image below!

You might be waiting a while for one of these to pull up at the local bus stop.

This is the world's first super bus, crafted with state-of-the-art materials which seats 23 passengers and had a top speed of 155mph (250kmh).

Developed in Holland by an astronaut and a former Formula One aerodynamics expert, the midnight-blue, electric-powered vehicle costs £7million and was flown to the United Arab Emirates where it will be used by a sheikh.

The hi-tech bus means he will be able to complete the 75-mile commute from Dubai to neighbouring Abu Dhabi in under 30 minutes.

Made of lightweight materials including aluminium, carbon fibre, fibreglass and polycarbonate, it is 49ft long (15 metres), 8ft wide (2.5 metres) and 5ft 5in high (1.65 metres).

Passengers will be able to enjoy comfort equal to that of a luxury limousine or private jet. The super bus has eight gullwing-style doors on each side to allow for a swift exit.

It has been developed at the Delft University of Technology in Holland under the direction of Professor Wubbo Ockels who in 1985 became the first Dutchman in space when he was part of the team on board the space shuttle Challenger.

The project was backed by the Dutch government, American chemicals company Dow and the Saudi conglomerate Sabic.

The first commercial interest came from the UAE where the super bus was flown in a jumbo jet.

It was tested for the first time on ordinary roads around Abu Dhabi Airport, its batteries fired up by solar power.

The wealthy owner of the super bus plans to travel on normal roads and at normal speeds in the region while it picks up passengers in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
SUPER SPECIFICATIONS

Length: 49ft (15 metres)

Height: 5ft 5in (1.65 metres)

Breadth: 8ft (2 metres)

Top speed: 155mph (250kmh)

Seating: 23

Cost: £7 million

However once it leaves the city, the vehicle is able to switch to a dedicated concrete track which runs parallel to the motorway and accelerate to a cruising speed of around 150mph.

As it approaches its destination, it would once again slow to rejoin the ordinary road network.

Project designer Antonia Terzi, former chief aerodynamics expert at the BMW Williams Formula One team, made the first test drive in Abu Dhabi.

She said it drove 'just like a car', thanks to two sets of manoeuvrable rear wheels which helps it around corners. If the super bus went into service, there would be no set routes or schedules.

Ms Terzi said: 'Commuters would book online or with their mobile phone and one of a fleet of buses would pick them up and drop them wherever they wanted.'

Abu Dhabi ’s traffic police chief Brigadier General Hussein al Harethi said: 'Electrically-powered vehicles like this would not only alleviate traffic congestion but reduce air pollution. Electric vehicles are the transportation methods of today and we want to see more of them.'

Dubai Roads and Transport Authority director Peyman Younes Parham added: 'It’s a brilliant idea. It’s not something we could use as a public transportation vehicle but it would be a great driver for executive commuting and for tourism.'

38 STONE Atlantic halibut fish

2011-09-30T00:05:00.000+01:00

That's one helluva halibut! Retired policeman battles for three hours to catch 38 STONE fish

* 8ft 3in Atlantic halibut smashed previous world record by 58lb
* Would make 1,000 fillet portions and as a good quality fish restaurant can charge £25 for halibut main course, it could have realised a value of £25,000

A retired policeman battled for three hours to catch a halibut weighing a whopping 38.5 stone to claim a world record.

The super flat fish was so big that at one point Reinhard Wuhrmann's rod snapped in two as he was tried to snare the creature off the island of Senja in northern Norway.

The 62-year-old and two others were only able to haul it onto their boat after tying a rope around it when it came alongside.

The 8ft 3in Atlantic halibut tipped the scales at just over 540lb - smashing the previous world record by an impressive 58lb.

It would have sold for about £2,500 at a British fish market and made about 1,000 fillet portions.

A good quality fish restaurant can charge £25 for a halibut main course, meaning the record fish could have realised a value of £25,000.

Despite being very tired after catching the halibut, Mr Wuhrmann still went through with a bet to shave off his beard the men had previously made for netting the biggest fish.

Boat skipper Ulrich Alstetter, 53, said: 'It was an incredible experience and we are very proud.

'Reinhard was very tired afterwards but also intoxicated by the experience and by claiming a world record.

'We had made a bet to shave his beard if he caught the biggest fish. Like a good sport he went through with it.'

Ulrich said: 'The halibut took Reinhard's little jigg bait and his rod bent over double.

'We all watched for a few minutes and then it became clear this was going to be a big fish.

'After about 90 minutes of Reinhard trying to reel it in his rod broke in two from the pressure it was under. It was his favourite rod.

'Because I am taller than him I took what was left of his rod and after another hour the fish was alongside the boat. It was then seen for the first time and it was a huge fish.

'It then shot another 100 metres deep and it took me another 15 minutes to bring him up and another 15 minutes to get a rope around it.

'It was a team effort but Reinhard was the official catcher.'

The men each took about 25lb of halibut fillets home and the rest was given away to other anglers and locals.

The previous record for an Atlantic halibut was held by fellow German Gunther Hansel who caught a 483lb specimen off Iceland last year.

Anglers Bosse Carlsson and Hans-Olov Nilsson caught a 464lbs halibut off Norway in 2009.

Before that Danish angler Soren Beck caught a then-record 443lbs specimen in the Arctic Circle off Norway in 2008.

The biggest Pacific halibut caught was by Jack Tragis off Alaska in November 1996 with a 459lbs fish.

Atlantic halibut - Hippoglossus hippoglossus in Latin - is among the largest bony fish in the world.

Their native habitat is the northern Atlantic, from Greenland to the Barents Sea and as far south as the Bay of Biscay.

They can reach up to 15ft in length, weigh up to 700lbs and can live for 50 years.

Their diet is usually other fish like cod, haddock and herring although they do face predation from seals and the Greenland shark.

Wow! This Blog has reached 100 Destinations around the World!

2011-09-25T22:49:00.000+01:00

This is to celebrate the fact; as of today, that this Blog has been visited by 100 destinations around the World!

Just click on the Destination Image; top right, and you'll be taken to the log where you can view where guests have visited us from!

Remember, it's not a page hit, but a global destination, so we could have had 40+ guests just from one destination!

Thank you all for visiting...hope you've found it an interesting visit!

Boo, the cutest dog in the World

2011-09-25T00:36:00.000+01:00

Is this the cutest dog in the world? Boo the Pomeranian has millions of fans and his own book!

He has nearly two million fans and a book deal. But Boo isn't a reality TV star, actor or a pop singer - he's a pet dog.

The five-year-old Pomeranian has the fame most celebrities dream of after amassing 1.79million fans on social networking site Facebook.

And Boo is also a hit with the ladies. He attracted the attention of Hollywood stars including Khloe Kardashian, who posted a picture of the dog on her blog last year and singer Ke$ha, who Tweeted that Boo was 'her new boyfriend.'

Since then, Boo's Facebook page, launched in 2009, has gone viral, receiving thousands of new fans a day.

Ways to dissolve a corpse

2011-09-20T12:51:00.000+01:00

Forget cremations or being buried, how about being liquidised? Funeral home brings in machine which turns dead bodies into 'brown syrup'

A Florida funeral home has introduced an eerie alternative to burial or cremation - body liquefaction.

The stainless steel machine can dissolve a corpse in just under three hours, and the 'brownish, syrupy' liquid is then pumped into the municipal water system.

The bones remaining can be ground down and returned to the family, rather like ashes from a cremation.

Resomation (from the Greek 'resoma' meaning 'rebirth of the human body') is an environmentally friendly alternative to burial or cremation, according to a BBC report.

The Anderson-McQueen funeral home in St Petersburg had the body liquefier put in just days after Florida became the seventh state to legalise the machines.

They plan to try it out on some dead bodies over the coming weeks.

The 'alkaline hydrolysis' unit, installed by a Glasgow-based company called Resomation Ltd, works by submerging the body in a solution of water and potassium hydroxide, which is then pressurised and heated to 180C for two-and-a-half to three hours.

The end result is a small quantity of green-brown tinted liquid containing amino acids, peptides, sugars and salts and soft, porous white bone remains which are easily crushed.

The white ash can then be returned to the next of kin of the deceased.

The liquid can be recycled back to the ecosystem by being applied to a memorial garden or forest or simply put into the sewerage system.

Resomation Ltd founder Sandy Sullivan said: 'Let's face it - there's no nice way to go. You have to go from what looks like a human person to ash and bone, whether you get there by flame or decomposition.

'If you stood in front of a cremation, with the flames and heat, it seems violent. You go next door and the resomation is quiet.

'It's stainless steel and clinical and sterile. It seems nicer and returns (a body) quickly to ash.

'We're using the exact same chemistry that's carried out by bacteria but instead of happening over months and years, it happens in three hours.'

A funeral director in Columbus, Ohio, reportedly had his body liquefying operation shut down a few months ago - after 19 uses - because it was not approved by the state.

Resomation Ltd claim that the system can reduce a funeral home's greenhouse gas emissions by 35 per cent, and that mercury emissions - typically released from dental fillings during cremations - are eliminated.

A scientist told the BBC that disposing of remains in a municipal water system is perfectly safe.
The UK is considering bringing in the technology here.

CuteXen Designs • View topic - [XenForo] CuteXen Designs V0.3 - Plasma Blue [ CuteXen ]

2011-09-18T19:22:00.001+01:00

CuteXen Designs • View topic - [XenForo] CuteXen Designs V0.3 - Plasma Blue [ CuteXen ]

CuteXen Designs • View topic - [XenForo] CuteXen Designs V0.2 - Khaki - [ CuteXen ]

2011-09-18T19:21:00.001+01:00

CuteXen Designs • View topic - [XenForo] CuteXen Designs V0.2 - Khaki - [ CuteXen ]

CuteXen Designs • View topic - [XenForo] CuteXen Designs V0.1 - Violet - [ CuteXen ]

2011-09-18T19:20:00.001+01:00

CuteXen Designs • View topic - [XenForo] CuteXen Designs V0.1 - Violet - [ CuteXen ]

Giant 21foot Crocodile captured - largest in the World so far...

2011-09-11T11:44:00.002+01:00

It weighs one ton and is believed responsible for eating at least one fisherman, but this monster crocodile has finally been caught by 100 very cautious men.

Measuring 21ft from snout to tail, the massive creature is the largest crocodile captured alive in recent years.

The beast was caught, after a three-week hunt, in a creek in the Philippines by villagers who had lived in fear of it for more than 20 years.

Its nearest rival in the monster stakes is Cassius, an Australian salt-water crocodile which measures a 'mere' 18ft - and which is still on the loose in the Northern Territory.

Cat Bully!

2011-09-01T14:54:00.000+01:00

One puss' venture into a box ended in a cat-astrophe after its calculating companion cruelly trapped them in there.

The contented white puss initially looks like the cat that got the cream as it contentedly sits in his large box and stretches while exploring its new play-thing.

But little did it know that it was being coolly appraised by it's feline foe.

The 10 most polluted fruit and vegetables!

2011-08-30T14:14:00.001+01:00

Between 2000 and 2009, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested 53 popular fruits and vegetables, to find those that had high levels of pesticides.

If, in your quest to reduce exposure to pesticides, it’s not possible for you to eat organic food and vegetables (at least for the 10 fruit and vegetables below) all the time, at least try to always eat locally grown produce from reasonable agriculture.

Understanding the impact of pesticides:

* Why are pesticides toxic? Because they were created to kill living organisms (plants, weeds and insects that attack crops), pesticides present a danger to man as well. Pesticides are accused of provoking nervous system problems, cancer, and hormonal deregulation. Therefore it’s important to avoid pesticides as far as possible, and above all avoid accumulating them in the body.

* Should we stop eating fruit and vegetables? Of course, not – fruit and vegetables are essential human foods, and guarantee good health while preventing a number of diseases. The benefits of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables remain higher than the known risks involved with pesticide exposure. That being said, by eating organic produce, we can avoid most pesticides.

* Is washing and peeling my fruit and vegetables effective against pesticides? Not really, as the Environmental Working Group (EWG) study was carried out with washed fruit and vegetables. And while washing all your fruit and vegetables before eating is definitely necessary, systematically peeling them is not the best solution because most of the vitamins and antioxidants are found in the skin. In addition, many fruits and vegetables store the pesticides in the flesh as well.

The ten most polluted fruit and veg:

Apples: More than 700 apple samples were tested by the EWG. 98% of them contained traces of pesticides and 92% contained at least 2 different types of pesticide. Along with peaches, apples are one of the most highly pesticide treated fruits, with not less than 56 different chemical substances being employed.

Blueberries: With their porous and fragile skin, blueberries hold pesticides deep within them. And what about frozen blueberries? While blueberries are often found in the frozen section of your supermarket, it’s best to avoid them as freezing helps preserve the pesticides too.

Celery: 96% of the celery samples tested positive for pesticides and nearly 90% contained a number of different types of pesticide. The problem with celery is that it takes time to arrive at maturity and is thus exposed to pesticides for a longer period than other vegetables.

Grapes: On one sample of grapes imported from the US, 14 different pesticides were detected. The presence of these traces is partly explained by the grape’s thin skin, that lets pesticides into the flesh. However, grapes produced locally in France showed that only 17.5% of samples contained traces of pesticides, while a study of European non-organic grapes showed that 99.2% of the samples were contaminated with pesticides.

Nectarines: 90.8% of the nectarines tested contained traces of at least two types of different pesticides. While the results don’t actually exceed authorised limits for each individual pesticide, these traces can still pose a problem as they become more powerful when combined with each other.

Peaches: 85.6% of the tested peaches contained traces of at least two different types of pesticide. With their thin skins, peaches are more receptive to absorbing pesticides.

Strawberries: On a single sample of strawberries, some 13 different types of pesticides were detected. And while you can wash a strawberry, you probably wouldn’t want to try peeling one!

Peppers: During this study, one sample of peppers contained more than 13 different chemical substances. During the European study, the pepper shone as the vegetable containing the highest number of pesticide traces – 21 in total. Unless they are organic, avoid red and yellow peppers if you can, as they are more mature versions of the green pepper and thus have more exposure time to the pesticides.

Potatoes: Like all vegetables that grow directly in the earth, potatoes are more exposed to pesticides than other above ground vegetables. And their skin is so thin, that they easily absorb a number of pesticides and fungicides. According to the EWG study, 91.4% of potatoes contained pesticide traces.

Spinach: As spinach also grows close to the earth, they are highly exposed to insects and are thus overly protected with pesticides.

Floating Cities

2011-08-26T00:43:00.000+01:00

PayPal-founder Peter Thiel was so inspired by Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand's novel about free-market capitalism - that he's trying to make its title a reality.

The Silicon Valley billionaire has funnelled $1.25million to the Seasteading Institute, an organisation that aspires to launch a floating colony into international waters, freeing them and like-minded thinkers to live by libertarian ideals.

Mr Thiel recently told Details magazine: 'The United States Constitution had things you could do at the beginning that you couldn't do later. So the question is, can you go back to the beginning of things? How do you start over?'

Life on the ocean wave: A design for one of the floating cities which Peter Thiel wants to start constructing next year off the coast of San Francisco

The floating sovereign nations that Mr Thiel imagines would be built on oil-rig-like platforms anchored in areas free of regulation, laws, and moral conventions.

The Seasteading Institute says it will 'give people the freedom to choose the government they want instead of being stuck with the government they get'.

Mr Theil, the venture capitalist who famously helped Facebook expand beyond the Harvard campus, called Seasteading an 'open frontier for experimenting with new ideas for government'.

After making his first investment in the project in 2008, Mr Thiel said: 'Decades from now, those looking back at the start of the century will understand that Seasteading was an obvious step towards encouraging the development of more efficient, practical public sector models around the world.

'We’re at a fascinating juncture: the nature of government is about to change at a very fundamental level.'

Mr Thiel and his colleagues say their ocean state would have no welfare, looser building codes, no minimum wage, and few restrictions on weapons.

Aiming to have tens of millions of residents by 2050, the Seasteading Institute says architectural plans for a prototype involve a movable, diesel-powered structure with room for 270 residents.

The long-term plan would be to have dozens and eventually hundreds of the platforms linked together.

Patri Friedman, a former Google engineer who is working on the project told Details that they hope to launch a flotilla of offices off the San Francisco coast next year.

'Big ideas start as weird ideas,' Mr Friedman said.

He predicted that full-time settlement will follow in about seven years.

But while some Ayn Rand acolytes may think the idea is brilliant, it's not without its critics.

Margaret Crawford, an expert on urban planning and a professor of architecture at Berkeley, told Details: 'it's a silly idea without any urban-planning implications whatsoever.'

Mr Thiel told an audience at the Seasteading Institute Conference in 2009 that: 'There are quite a lot of people who think it's not possible.

'That's a good thing. We don't need to really worry about those people very much, because since they don't think it's possible they won't take us very seriously. And they will not actually try to stop us until it's too late.'

How cute!

2011-08-22T11:02:00.001+01:00

Donald Trump's $100m magnificent 757 jet

2011-08-19T13:44:00.001+01:00

If you've got it, flaunt it - and Donald Trump certainly did that on Thursday by releasing a video tour of his amazing $100 million Boeing 757.
Presented by the beautiful Amanda Miller, who appeared on his hit reality show The Apprentice, the video gives us a three-minute glimpse into this presidential suite on wings.
Decked out in his trademark black and gold livery, the plane is a shrine to decadence.

Squid comes back to life!

2011-08-15T23:04:00.000+01:00

Diners in Japan looking for a moving experience over dinner can now order a squid that dances off their plate.

A restaurant has created a dish, named Odori don - literally meaning dancing squid rice bowl - by adding soy sauce to a fresh squid.

The high salt content in the sauce reacts with ions in cells of the squids' tentacles creating voltage differences, and making the squid move.

TopicMania.Co.Uk - Logging In or Registering

2011-08-14T13:15:00.000+01:00

A message from my dear friend, LordDB who is Site Admin at Topic Mania:

Are you having a problem logging IN or even Registering an account at Topic Mania?

if so, please contact the Site Administration here and explain your situation:
http://norfolk.isgreat.org/EmailSupport.php

Thank you!

Space Shuttle Time Lapse

2011-08-07T16:11:00.000+01:00

Space shuttle Discovery gets prepped for flight—in just under four minutes.

Onboard cameras capture the amazing journey of Atlantis into space, and the dramatic return of the solid rocket boosters.

Glum puppy dog find unlikely playmates!

2011-07-26T09:44:00.000+01:00

When worry is etched on your face, friends can offer a different perspective - even if they can't quite stop you frowning.

These two glum-looking bulldog puppies found some unlikely playmates to entertain them at a studio in Surrey.

Angel Star got close to a chirpy feathered friend, while Prince George showed he was too gentle to let the fur fly with his companions.

Photographer Mark Taylor, 46, said: 'I had no idea that bulldogs were such good fun.

'I expected them to be rather sedate and ponderous.'

Mr Taylor has an animal assistant who positions the pets but whips them out of the way if any claws come out.

His work with the iconic breed has seen him contacted by major calendar companies in the United States.

He said: 'A calendar company in the USA was keen on me supplying images for their 'Bulldogs & Friends' calendar so I arranged for the pups to come back in three weeks time.

'The dogs were absolute stars and they are extremely characterful and have such lovely natures.'

Topic Mania.Co.Uk

2011-07-25T13:27:00.000+01:00

My dear friend, LordDB, informs me that his new site, formerly Norfolk LiFeStYles!, has reopened under a new URL:
http://www.topicmania.co.uk
or an even shorter URL:
http://www.TopicM.tk

All existing Members of Norfolk LiFeStYles! & Paranormal World! can still login as usual and will not have to re-register!

Do support the site if you can, as much work has been implemented on the main framework, which has made it the best it's ever been...as a coder, I know the many long hours he spends perfecting that site, so good luck to Topic Mania.Co.Uk

Super Yacht that comes with its own VOLCANO!

2011-07-23T21:58:00.000+01:00

Click to enlarge Images!

This is the next super-yacht set to hit the world's oceans - which comes complete with its own functioning volcano and floating tropical islands.

The vessel - dubbed the 'Tropical island Paradise' - has been designed by British boat builders Yacht Island Design, from Derby, Derbys - some 90 miles from the sea.

The extravagant 295ft ship boasts a towering volcano with a cascading waterfall which feeds the swimming pool.

And playboys will feel right at home with the ships helicopter landing pad and huge bar set behind a series of beach cabanas.

Studio director Rob McPherson at the Derbyshire firm, who have also created the Streets of Monaco super-yacht, said: 'The exterior was designed to give the impression of waves breaking around a volcanic island, whilst maintaining the look of a contemporary yacht design.

'It comes with its own private beach cove and a waterfall cascading down from a volcano.

'This design centres around a secluded island paradise, with elements inspired by the islands of the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Polynesia. It is set to be a big hit when it comes onto the market.'

The lavish yacht can accommodate up to 10 guests - and can travel along at a top speed of 15 knots.

The main deck is a secluded beach 'cove' of cabanas surrounding a massive ocean view swimming pool.

And should the millionaire future owners get tired of taking a dip in the pool, they can sail out into the sea on their very own floating island complete with deck chairs and palm trees.

McPherson added: 'We had two reasons for designing such a boat. The first being that it's good fun, and secondly the current market is pretty saturated with designs that look fairly similar.

'Our mission is to work on incredibly fun designs and carve a niche for ourselves within the market, a place where other designers fear to tread.'

Inside the huge, towering volcano is a cinema, library, games room, gym, spa and VIP suites - including an owners pad spread over two decks.

The boat - which has yet to hit the market and hasn't had a price set - is causing waves in the boat building world with its unique design.

The Flying Car finally gets its driving licence

2011-07-06T23:59:00.000+01:00

It's been cleared to take to the skies for more than a year - but that's not much use when you're supposed to be able to drive it, too.

But now the flying car has at least been declared officially road legal.

It means the Terrafugia Transition could be in U.S. garages as early as next autumn, after two years of delays.

It may not be the world's first flying car, but its makers say it is the first to have wings that fold up automatically at the push of a button.

It costs $200,000 - about the same price as a Ferrari - and can be reserved online for what Terrafugia describes as a 'modest' $10,000 deposit.

The polycarbonate windscreens can withstand the impact of birds, so they won't fracture.

The administration has also granted Terrafugia permission to use heavier-grade tyres, which are not normally allowed on multi-purpose vehicles.

It's the second hurdle the Transition had to overcome before it could go on sale, after the Federal Aviation Administration ruled last year it could fly with its current weight, 110lbs over the normal legal limit for light sport aircraft category.

Terrafugia had originally hoped to deliver its first production vehicles as early as this year, but after problems with suppliers it has had to delay the release date to late 2012.

According to Terrafugia, it 'combines the unique convenience of being able to fold its wings with the ability to drive on any surface road in a modern personal airplane platform.'

THE FLYING CAR'S SPEC

Cost: $200,000

Length: 19ft

Width: 5ft 6ins when wings are folded, 27ft when they're open

Top speed on the road: 65mph

Top speed in the air: 115mph

Range in the air: 500 miles on one 20-gallon tank of fuel

Power: 100hp four-stroke engine

Prospective owners will need plenty of space for their new toy - it requires 1,700ft of road for take-off.

Its creators, which include former Nasa engineers, say the vehicle is easy to keep and run because it can fit into a normal domestic garage and uses regular gas.

It measures 19ft long and just 5ft 6ins wide when the wings are folded up, but they have a full span of 27ft.

It has a top speed of 65mph on the road, but that soars to 115mph in the air.

Drivers can convert it from a two-seater road car to a plane in less than 30 seconds with the touch of a button.

It doesn't have a gearstick, but on the road can be controlled with brake and accelerator pedals and a steering wheel like an ordinary car. In the air it is operated with a joystick near the steering wheel.

UK Fixed Broadband Map 2011 - see how your area fairs with the rest of the UK

2011-07-06T23:36:00.000+01:00

The UK's first interactive map showing accurate information on broadband take-up, speeds and availability has been produced by Ofcom, using data provided by communications providers.

It forms part of Ofcom's ongoing work to provide useful information about broadband in the UK.

Ofcom

Download Speed Report:

http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/downloads/ofcom-uk-broadband-speed-report-2011.pdf

More Info here:
http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/

Squirrel cheats death

2011-07-05T18:55:00.000+01:00

As much I hate the Grey squirrel, I have to admit they're intelligent, and this one got away within a whisker of its dear life!

Footage of a brave squirrel narrowly dodging a speeding Lamborghini at 100mph has become a web sensation.

The amazing video shows a plucky rodent scurry across a track just as a bright orange Lamborghini speeds past.

World's first flying motorbike

2011-07-01T16:26:00.000+01:00

Helicopter pilot invents the 'hoverbike' in his garage

Traffic jams could soon become a thing of the past thanks to an amateur inventor who has built the world's first flying motorcycle in his garage.

Australian Christopher Malloy ploughed his entire life-savings into the project which took him two and a half years to complete. His futuristic creation - dubbed the Hoverbike - can reach an altitude of 10,000ft and speeds of over 100mph.

Fans of the design have already compared Mr Malloy's work to the 'speeder bikes' from the Star Wars sequel Return Of The Jedi or the hovering car from Back To The Future.

The 32-year-old former helicopter pilot built the incredible machine in his Sydney garage using a custom-built carbon-fiber airframe and a BMW engine.

The futuristic prototype has the potential to travel up to 92 miles or for about 45 minutes on one tank of fuel and is expected to come with a hefty price tag of more than £45,000.

So far the bike, which weighs 270kgs, has only been tested while tethered to the ground to prevent it flying too high. But plans to test it's capabilities without any restrictions are set to go-ahead soon.

HOVERBIKE FACT FILE

* Airspeed - 150 knots
* Hover - 10,000ft (estimated)
* Dry weight - 110kg
* Max gross weight - 270kg
* Total thrust - 295kg
* Engine - 80kw @ 7500rpm

Mr Malloy explained: 'I am still ground testing at the moment only because I'm not 100 per cent sure what will happen so the straps are there to cover the unknown. I haven't had the pleasure of flying round the countryside yet.

'It is quite stable and doesn't want to tip over but if something unplanned happened during testing I wouldn't want to break the prototype.

'The Hoverbike was built with safety in mind so at least three components have to fail before you might have a serious airborne failure.

'There are also two explosive parachutes attached to the airframe and of course the rider could choose to wear their own parachute too.

Nice wheels: The Hoverbike is built from carbon fibre and can reach an altitude of 10,000ft and speeds of over 100mph

Mr Malloy is unwilling to reveal exactly how much he has spent on the project, but claims it is costing him roughly £140 a week.

He said the basic principle was similar to that of a Chinook helicopter and a normal motorbike.

He added: 'To lift off into a hover you just need to increase the thrust via a throttle grip with the right hand - exactly the same as the throttle on a motorbike.

'Flying forward involves a combination of an increase in thrust and the deflection of air from the front control vanes by twisting the left handle grip. You twist forward to accelerate and backwards to reverse.

'To make the bike turn left and right, all one needs to do is push the handle bars down on the side you wish to turn just like a bicycle.

'You could lean in the appropriate direction as you would on a motorbike but this isn't proving to be very sensitive.

'Having previous experience in a helicopter or plane would be a great help. That said, this is a new way to fly and one would need to learn to ride the hoverbike in much the same manner as a helicopter or riding a motorcycle.

'If you live in the USA or your country has similar civil aviation regulations, then the hoverbike will be classed as a 'ultralite' which means you do not need a pilot's license to fly it.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2009009/Chris-Malloy-hoverbike-Helicopter-pilot-invents-worlds-1st-flying-motorbike-garage.html#ixzz1Qrs8wNFx

JET PACKS for just £50,000

2011-06-24T12:27:00.000+01:00

It is the perfect way for city high-fliers to miss the morning rush hour. A company is set to produce the first commercial JETPACKS - and one could be yours for just £50,000.
The traffic jam-beating packs will be manufactured after a multi-million pound deal was signed with an international aircraft company this week.

Martin Aircraft Company, in Christchurch, New Zealand, aims to make 500 packs a year allowing first-person propulsion through the skies for commuters.

The world's first factory making space-age JET PACKS is going into production. It can travel at 60MPH for 30 miles

The 200 horsepower dual-propeller packs can travel at 60mph for up to 30miles on a full tank of fuel. They have been reached heights of 7,800ft in tests.

At 250lbs when empty, the jet pack is not heavy enough to require a pilot's licence, although users will take part in a Martin Jetpack training programme.
However, the gadget is not environmentally friendly burning 10 gallons of fuel per hour - five times as much as the average car.

The 5ft by 5.5ft device is the brainchild of Kiwi inventor Glenn Martin who unveiled his machine for the first time in July last year.

While jetpacks are traditionally powered by jets of escaping gases, the new device uses a gas engine with two ducted fans to provide lift.

Pitch and roll are controlled by one hand, yaw and the throttle by the other.
Martin Aircraft Company chief executive Richard Lauder said the pack could be perfect for the emergency services, private users and even the military.

The Biggest Snake found!

2011-06-15T18:56:00.000+01:00

This is the biggest snake ever found dead stretched out a long side a water tank!

Meet the 'Volkswagen Aqua' the car that drives on roads, sand, ice - and even water!

2011-06-12T19:18:00.000+01:00

An inventor has come up with a new design for a car that will drive on roads, sand, ice - and even water.

The all-terrain vehicle, which has a top speed of 62mph and works like a hovercraft, can move seamlessly between different surfaces.

Designer Yuhan Zhang, 21, created the amazing machine - called the Volkswagen Aqua - for a competition sponsored by the German car manufacturer

The vehicle's sleek sportscar-like design incorporates four high-powered fans and integrated airbags that inflate to lift it from the ground.

A large windscreen stretches above the front seats to give a panoramic view of the landscape ahead.

'There is no better form of transport than an air cushion vehicle because it travels equally well over land, ice, and water,' said Mr Yuhan.

The mechanic design graduate, from China, added: 'I hope Aqua will become an affordable supercar that is available to the general public one day.'

The competition asked designers to come up with a 'Chinese off-road vehicle'.

All terrain: The car was was the winning entry to a Volkswagen-sponsored competition that asked designers to come up with a 'Chinese off-road vehicle'

Info: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2002726/Meet-car-future-drives-roads-sand-ice--water.html

Fat California ground squirrel

2011-06-09T11:55:00.000+01:00

This fat California ground squirrel has ballooned to twice its size after tourists repeatedly fed it nuts in the park where she lives. Marina van der Linden photographed the chubby creature in the Morro Rock State Preserve, California. Marina, from Los Angeles, said: "I had been in the park taking photos but couldn't get any clear pictures because it was so foggy. I got out a bag of peanuts and suddenly I saw a family of squirrels. It was hilarious because they were all quite big, but there was one that was enormous. I concentrated on it since it was the fattest of them all but it kept hiding between the rocks. When it finally sat still out in the open for a brief period, I discovered that I was too close and I could not fit the entire squirrel in the camera's viewfinder. It was so big that I had to walk backwards in order to get the whole of her in frame."

What is Brand-i?

2011-06-07T13:11:00.000+01:00

QUITE SIMPLY A SHOPPING DIRECTORY THAT ONLY LISTS WEBSTORES SELLING GENUINE PRODUCTS.
You can use our directory to help you find popular designer or branded clothing, perfume, shoes, music, sunglasses, etc. You can trust the online stores we’ve listed as they have been provided with the consent of the brands themselves. Brand-i is an independent directory, but is supported by the Trading Standards Institute, so you know we are a reliable source of information. What’s more, you can use Brand-i to report suspicious webstores by clicking on our Report a Site link here:

Click to Report-a-Site

Bare hands into BOILING fat

2011-06-06T20:57:00.000+01:00

Dipping his hands into hot boiling fat, this chef takes his cooking to extremes.

Kann 'Superhands' Trichan can bury his hands in boiling fat and sieve fried chicken with his own fingers.

Amazingly the 50-year-old - a world record holder - walks away with no blisters at all.

Mr Trichan, from Chiang Mai, in Thailand, said: 'When I put my hands into the oil it feels hot but it doesn't burn or blister my skin. I can fry rice, chicken, and many things with just my bare hands.'

Mr Trichan discovered his unique talent seven years ago when he was accidentally splashed with hot oil but suffered no injury.

The father of two was working on his fried chicken stall when he saw a squirrel balancing on a tree eating a mango.
Look, no blisters: Mr Trichan's wife and children say they never tire of watching him at work

Look, no blisters: Mr Trichan's wife and children say they never tire of watching him at work

The mango fell and splashed into a huge wok of hot fat right next to him.

He said: 'The fat flew everywhere, all over my head, arms, hands. It should have seriously hurt me.

'I remember looking in the mirror, expecting to see blisters and red blotches, but there was nothing,' he added. 'The redness had disappeared. There was nothing.'

To the astonishment of his fellow market stall holders, he went back to work the next day.

'They couldn't believe I was back at work so soon,' he laughed. 'And then everyone wanted to see this man who had survived a hot oil shower.'

Mr Trichan started experimenting and began picking out pieces of fried chicken from a pan of hot fat with his hands.

He said: 'The people were loving it. They'd never seen anything like it before.

'People were coming from all over just to buy my chicken and watch me spoon it out with my hands.'

Over the past seven years Mr Trichan has become an international star and has traveled the world with his wife, Tuan, 45, showcasing his skills.

His daughter, Supalak, 34 and son Jessada, 27, couldn't be prouder.

'We never get bored of watching him, it's amazing,' said Jessada. 'We're very proud to have a dad like him.'

Mr Trichan holds the Guinness Book of World Record for picking 20 pieces of fried chicken out of 480c boiling fat in 1 minute.

'I have no idea how I can do what I do,' he said. 'It's crazy, but my stall gets busier and busier every day with tourists and customers wanting to see me.'

His popular little stall sits outside Chiang Mai technical college, 470 miles north of Bangkok.

He said: 'Don't forget, when you're in the area come and see me and try my chicken - The Fried Chicken Iron Hands Man.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394800/Dont-try-home-Superhands-chef-takes-cooking-extreme-dipping-bare-hands-BOILING-fat.html#ixzz1OWn3LAeO

Sleeping kitten hugged by mum cat!

2011-05-28T22:01:00.000+01:00

How to Keep Mosquitoes Away

2011-05-25T23:27:00.000+01:00

They are puffy, itchy and red. Mosquito bites. Mosquitoes are probably the most annoying thing about the summer months. But guess what? I haven't gotten a mosquito bite in years. An no, I'm not agoraphobic, Here are my tips for repelling mosquitos.

The first thing to realize is that mosquitoes find their targets not only using their sight, but our heat and smell as well. Peak mosquito times are dusk until dawn so, if at all possible, limit your outdoor physical activity during that time. This way, they probably won't notice you from a distance.

Don't use perfumes during summer months. Avoid scented lotion and soaps, too, if you can. Both of those items come in non-scented forms. Sweet smells attract not just mosquitoes but many varieties of bugs, and sweating just makes the smells stronger to them.

It is better to wear light colors during the daytime; dark colors in these hours attracts mosquitoes. Also, studies have been done that say mosquitoes prefer blue and green, so try pink, yellow or orange.

If you're going hiking or going out at night, wear long sleves and pants to create a barrier between you and the bloodsucker.

Mosquitoes are not just attracted to the smell of blood. Their favorites are heat, perspiration, carbon dioxide and lactic acid. All four are released when exercising, so try to exercise inside if you can or at least not during peak mosquito hours. Lactic acid can also be released after eating certain foods, particularly potassium rich foods.

Remember: If you use bug sprays, try to use ones that are DEET free. The active chemical absorbs into skin and could cause rashes or skin irritation. Natural, essential oil versions are available at many stores.

To keep the insect out of your house, you have a few options.

Gardeners plant certain flowers and herbs to keep mosquitoes away; marigolds, rosemary, peppermint, spearmint, daisies, garlic, allspice, cedar, and lemon grass naturally repel insects.

To keep the bugs from getting in, make sure there are no rips or holes in your window or door screens.

It's true. Mosquitoes love water. Make sure there is no standing water near your house. Culprits can be puddles, old tires, clogged gutters, bird baths, etc.

Keep a fan on. Mosquitoes prefer still air.

E-mail Addresses for eBay

2011-05-25T13:19:00.000+01:00

How frustrating it is these days in trying to resolve issues with eBay; they make it more difficult to contact them either by telephone or email as they fail to display such info on their site...anyway, found these for your information:

UK Customer Support

Tel: 0800 3586551

Email:

bev@ebay.com
eBay UK Community and Support Development Manager,
posts on UK Discussion boards

ccard@ebay.com
remove your credit card from eBay's billing system

e-merge@ebay.com
request the merging of two accounts into one

hnutford@ebay.com
Henry posts on UK Discussion boards

jamie.parkins@ebay.com
posts on UK Discussion boards

mfinnert@ebay.de
Customer Support Manager

richard.green@ebay.com
posts on UK Discussion boards

safeharbor@ebay.com
for investigation of misuse of the eBay system

spoof@ebay.com
forward spoof emails to eBay for investigation

ukbilling@ebay.com
Billing questions

ukboards@ebay.com
Discussion Board Violations

ukbuyerprotection@ebay.com
UK Buyer Protection

ukctywatch@ebay.com
Report items you believe are illegal or break eBay Listing Policies

ukfraud@ebay.com
For Fraud Reports

ukmisterlister@ebay.com
Mr Lister Problems

uksuggest@ebay.com
UK Suggestion Box

rswebhelp@ebay.com
uksupport@ebay.com
to contact eBay's customer support staff for assistance

userIP@ebay.com
Report copied Auction listings or Pictures

wynonna@ebay.com
Billpoint queries

Note a number of these e-mail addresses are going to be withdrawn in the near future, you will then have to use the Support WebForms

Diet Coke & Mentos

2011-05-21T10:23:00.000+01:00

A Rollercoaster Designed to Kill Humanely

2011-05-19T10:52:00.000+01:00

It’s a ride definitely not for the faint-hearted—a PhD candidate in Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art has designed a hypothetical rollercoaster meant to kill.

Julijonas Urbonas created his coaster as a hypothetical euthanasia machine; it will, he claims, take lives as humanely and euphorically as possible.

“Riding the coaster’s track, the rider is subjected to a series of intensive motion elements that induce various unique experiences: from euphoria to thrill, and from tunnel vision to loss of consciousness and, eventually, death,” he wrote on his website.

The 500-meter structure is designed to kill its rider from cerebral hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen supply to the brain.

Urbonas said he was inspired to create the rollercoaster by a quote from John Allen, former president of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company: “The ultimate rollercoaster is built when you send out 24 people and they all come back dead. This could be done, you know.”
A Rollercoaster Designed to Kill Humanely - DesignTAXI.com

Ghost Recordings

2011-05-18T22:12:00.000+01:00

Fungus That Kills!

2011-05-17T00:26:00.000+01:00

Owl & Pussycat @ play!

2011-05-17T00:01:00.000+01:00

Enjoy these clips!

2011-05-15T00:07:00.000+01:00

The 'Talking' Dog sensation!

Amazing People!

Click for YouTube Collection