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Origami That’s Sure to Blow Your Mind

LABERT02 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:14:45 +0000

These paper creations laugh mockingly at the swan or flower you used to create in study hall. Some are remarkably creative and some are mind-boggling in their complexity. These origami masterpieces are marvels!

Origami Master: Taking over 40 hours to fold, which was spread out over several months, Satoshi Kamiya from Japan produced this eight-inch-tall Eastern dragon (or ryuu in Japanese) with a thousand overlapping scales.

This origami Yoda even captures his famous wrinkles, but where is his lightsaber?

Castle on the Ocean: Wataru Ito, an origami artist from Japan, spent four years creating this model city named Castle on the Ocean. This 2.4 meter by 1.8 meter by 1 meter high city went on display at an exhibition on the artificial island of Umihotaru, near Tokyo, Japan. Plans for the display after the exhibition? Mr. Ito plans to burn the paper city down.

This origami swan was made from approximately 500 pieces of paper. If this was a living swan, it would have over 25,000 feathers covering its body!

Iron Man Light: Origami artist, Brian Chan constructed this origami model of Iron Man from only one piece of paper.

This American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) was designed and folded by Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander. Featured in the Origami Now! exhibition at the Peabody/Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts this origami ‘gator measured a full 6 feet in length!

Vroom! Yes, this model of a V-12 four-stroke engine actually runs! With the help of electrical wires, swtiches, a resistor, a motor and a battery holder, this engine moves just like a real one. Taking over 4 years to design and build, this origami engine was constructed out of 1,978 pieces of paper and weighs 3.2 lbs.

This origmai cobra may be harmless, but did you know that the King Cobra is the world’s longest venomous snake?

Rain, rain go away: While these outfits show some amazing origami skills, these ladies should probably stay indoors and away from open flames! This French collection, complete with dainty little hats, is defnitely more art than functional clothing.

These three figurines were inspired by The Lord of the Rings characters. Each model was made from only one sheet of uncut paper.

Dan McPharlin, a native of Adelaide, Australia uses his artistic skills to exercise his passion for classic vintage synthesizers. Mr. McPharlin uses paper of different colors and forms to create the keys, knobs, and faders of miniature model synthesizers reminiscent of those electronics of the 1970s made by Moog, Korg, ARP Instruments and Roland.

Palicio del marques de Salamanca is a model by Ingrid Siliakus, a paper artist/architect from the Netherlands who specializes in models of classic architecture.

Won Park, a self-proclaimed “money folder”, created this koi fish out of an American one dollar bill.

All Terrain Armored Transport: The AT-AT is the large, four-legged walker introduced in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back during the Battle of Hoth.

This is probably more bookmark than anyone needs! Created for a bookstore in the Czech Repulic, this papercraft delivered a powerful message for a series of advertisements to promote reading to children.

No Ugly Duckling: This beautiful swan took around 2 weeks to fold and build.

French origami master Eric Joisel made this snail out of one piece of wet-folded rectangular paper.

[Credit: ChaCha]

18 Clever Christmas Trees Created With Recycled Materials

The Naked Facts About Infidelity [Picture]

LABERT02 — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:58:31 +0000

Behold, the depressing facts about adultery. Ok, now go look at pictures of kittens to cheer yourself up. [Via: Alltop]

Yuji Fujimura | ver2 Electric Bike Concept

LABERT02 — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:28:21 +0000

Industrial designer Yuji Fujimura has developed a unique concept bike utilizing an lithium-ion battery. This means that the bike is rechargeable as well as reliable for long term use. The ver2 battery will provide power to the motor, so that this bike can be used as an electric bike or electric motor cycle. When ver2 is in motor cycle mode, both pedals will set themselves at the lowest position. One of our favorite aspects is that the battery also serves as a power source to the any gadgets stored in the compartment located underneath the seat. Easily recharge your laptop,cellphone, ipod or any other electronic gadgets you decide to embark with. Fujimura also designed the handles, pedals and seat to be foldable so the ver2 can fit in very narrow spaces making it convenient to park. More images after the jump!

[Credit: Buzz-Beast]

Fashion – Jacket has 200 Laser Diodes

LABERT02 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:14:16 +0000

We agree that Wie-Chieh Shih Jacket Is absolutely pointless, but absolutely cool. Featuring a full 200 Laser Diodes, wearing this bad boy will essentially turn you into Mother One… Well without the golden symbiote and targeting system that is.

This gadget proves to me that there are some things that you should do with technology, simply because you can.

Case in point, a jacket that is nothing but “frickin’ lasers”. There are about 200 of these laser diodes that are sewn on the garment itself. There is nothing here that could help feed the world, but this jacket is just “frickin’ cool”.

I suppose the reason why this laser-jacket was made is so that you look like a disco ball without any light to make the myriad reflections. Except that you’re creating dots of red light, not white.

I believe that Bono once wore one of these jackets for one of his concerts, and there was concern that people viewing this jacket could be hurt. After all, there is a reason why you’re not supposed to look at the laser on your CD or DVD player.

It turned out that the lasers on Bono’s jacket were “safe class 2M lasers which have been defocused for additional safety”. I have no idea if the creator, Wie-Chieh Shih, took the same precautions.

But hey, I’m assuming if this guy is intelligent enough to create a jacket with 200 laser diodes, then he is smart enough to figure out how to make the beams not blinding.

I just had an awesome thought, though. Imagine this guy wearing a laser jacket, standing in a House of Mirrors.

[Credit: NerdWithSwag]

The Truth About Orgasms

LABERT02 — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:34:51 +0000

What’s that? You’ve never had one? Well, look and learn, the naked truth about orgasms…

Via: Online Schools

Fashion – 15 Unusual & Creative Shoes

LABERT02 — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:49:48 +0000

Collection of the world’s most creative shoes and unique footwear designs.

Illuminated Shoes

Modern shoes by Francesca Castagnacci come with integrated optical fibre that creates awesome light effects. [link]

Mesh Shoes

Stunning shoes created out of metal wire mesh and black leather. [link]

Heel-Less Shoes

Creative shoes with no heels designed by Chau Har Lee. [link]

Bird Shoes

Pigeon shoes designed by Iris Schieferstein from Germany. [link]

Wooden Sandals

Lightweight summer shoes inspired by traditional Japanese sandals. [link]

Melonia Shoes

World’s first 3D printed shoes by Naim Josefi and Souzan Youssouf. [link]

Elevator Shoes

Innovative robotic shoes are activated by an iPhone app. [link]

Chain Shoes

Unique shoes by Tove Jansson and Per Emanuelsson from Sweden. [link]

Gun Hoofs

Unusual and somewhat disturbing shoes by Iris Schieferstein. [link]

Stationary Shoes

Unique shoes by talented French artist Caroline Sciancalepore. [link]

Sci-Fi Shoes

Stylish platform shoes designed by Gabriella Marina Gonzalez. [link]

Futuristic Shoes

Cool shoes designed by the world renowned architect Zaha Hadid. [link]

Kronier Shoes

Uncomfortable fashion shoes designed by Kronier from Germany. [link]

Skeletal Shoes

Skeletal stilettos are a part of Dsquared2’s 2010 fall collection. [link]

[Credit: Toxel]

Bizarre Creatures Discovered at the Bottom of Atlantic

LABERT02 — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:49:43 +0000

Oddly-shaped, brightly-coloured or even transparent these are some of the bizarre creatures that scientists did not even know existed until recently.

They are among a host of new animals that scientists have just uncovered in the hidden depths of the Atlantic Ocean during a new study which has ‘revolutionised’ thinking about deep-sea life.

Scientists believe they have discovered more than 10 new marine species by using the latest diving technology during the groundbreaking study.

A Benthic Holothurian (Peniagone diaphana) from the mid Atlantic ridge, which was caught swimming above the sea floor

A Polynoid Polychaete worm, caught at approximately 2,500m below sea level in the Atlantic Ocean during the new voyage

A group of creatures thought to be close to the missing evolutionary link between backboned and invertebrate animals are among those captured by the team on the MAR-ECO international research programme.

Many other samples of rare animals were collected on the six-week voyage aboard the research ship James Cook.

Details of the trip were revealed by scientists at the University of Aberdeen, who are leading the UK contribution to the project exploring marine life along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Iceland and the Azores.

Using the UK’s deepest diving, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to reach depths of between 700m and 3,600m, they focused on the area beneath the cold waters north of the Gulf Stream and the warmer waters to the south.

Professor Monty Priede, director of the University of Aberdeen’s Oceanlab, said: ‘This expedition has revolutionised our thinking about deep-sea life in the Atlantic Ocean.

The southern purple enteropneust worm, left, which was found attached to seafloor by adhesive tentacles and a Hydromedusa caught at approximately 2,500m below sea level

‘It shows that we cannot just study what lives around the edges of the ocean and ignore the vast array of animals living on the slopes and valleys in the middle of the ocean.

‘Using new technology and precise navigation, we can access these regions and discover things we never suspected existed.’

Scientists said they were surprised to see how different the animals were on either side of the ridge.

On the north-west plains they encountered enteropneust acorn worms, of which only a few specimens from the Pacific Ocean have ever been recorded.

Prof Priede said: ‘These worms are members of a little-known group of animals close to the missing link in evolution between backboned and invertebrate animals.

‘They have no eyes, no obvious sense organs or brain but there is a head end, tail end and the primitive body plan of backboned animals is established.

‘By the end of the expedition three different species were discovered each with a different colour – pink, purple and white – with distinctly different shapes.’

A Basket Star – Euryalid Ophiuroid, which was caught at approximately 800m below sea level

A pale and transparent Holothurian, caught at approximately 2,500m below sea level

The pale red Acorn worm which was one of the deepest creatures found at 2,700m below sea level

The voyage was carried out as part of the Census of Marine Life programme and was the last in a series of four annual voyages undertaken since 2007.

Ben Wigham of Newcastle University, which is also taking part in the project, said: ‘We are interested in how these animals are feeding in areas of the deep-sea where food is often scarce.

‘The differences we see in the diversity of species and numbers of individuals may well be related to how they are able to process and share out a rather common but meagre food supply.

‘We certainly see indications that there are differences between the north and south regions of the ridge.’ [Credit: DailyMail]

10 Cool Transparent Animals

Jealousy, The Antidote for Cheating?

LABERT02 — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:54:47 +0000

Both men and women experience jealousy and this is both healthy and necessary to the fitness of a faithful relationship. In this article, learn about the differences in men’s and women’s attitudes toward relationships.

In The Dangerous Passion: Why Jealousy Is As Necessary As Love and Sex, David Buss, Ph.D. describes his survey of women and men in the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Korea and Zimbabwe. The majority of women interviewed were troubled more about a partner’s emotional infidelity, while the men were most upset about sexual transgressions.

Human jealousy has roots in our reproductive past and has probably endured because it serves its ultimate purpose, to help ward off potential rivals. Buss writes, “Jealousy is not a sign of immaturity, but rather a supremely important passion that helped our ancestors, and most likely continues to help us today, to cope with a host of real reproductive threats.

Full article at HowStuffWorks.com. [Via: Alltop]

People of Walmart Coming to a Bookstore Near You

LABERT02 — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:30:52 +0000

Kids, get ready to revamp your Christmas lists: People of Walmart, everyone’s favorite blog mocking the insane and disheveled, is coming out in book form this September 7 from Sourcebooks. The title? People of Walmart: Shop and Awe. Nice.

Some of you might be scratching your heads at this point, under the impression that this blog had, in fact, already scored a book deal. Not so! Although a cadre of popular blogs have already come out in paperback form, the folks over at People of Walmart only announced their literary leanings today.

The blog — which was started in August of 2009 by brothers Adam and Andrew Kipple and childhood friend Luke Wherry — will make its way to book form complete with 200 photographs and captions (70% of which will be original content) and fan-submitted stories about their own experiences. (Oh man, I bet it’ll be sold in Walmart… That’s so meta!)

We’re curious to see how the blog translates to book. A lot of critics see the blog-to-book phenom as the end of literature, a slap-dash process whereby publishers merely serve up warmed-over digital content in a glossy cover.

Seeing as how the authors plan on offering original content and perhaps even more of the written word, we wonder if they will be able to create something new and engaging that will appeal to more than just the adherents of the blog. We’ll see come September. In the meantime, there’s always the People of Walmart Rap to tide us over.

[Credit: Mashable]

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How Women Are Changing Our Planet’s Future

LABERT02 — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:00:44 +0000

Scientific American recently published an interesting article that explores the currently exploding reproductive revolution, and how women are changing our planet’s future for the better. Author Fred Pearce investigates how women the world over are finally making their own choices when it comes to childbearing, and how their long-overdue freedom is defusing the population bomb.

Read the full article at Scientific American. [Credit: Alltop via Scientific American]

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