Radio Bejad: June 2013

Sunday, 30 June 2013

6 Abandoned Mega-Machines: Jumbo Jets, Space Shuttle Transporters & More

Mega-machines are quite simply the largest man-made mechanical objects ever built, designed to carry out tasks that even a century ago would have seemed like fantasy. From ferrying hundreds or thousands of passengers and cargo by air and sea, clearing thousands of tons of earth with apparent ease, or transporting vast payloads bound for space, mega-machines have redefined the course of modern industry. But when they become surplus to requirements, removing their immense bulk swiftly from the landscape becomes a task almost as challenging as their inception. Many thus remain abandoned for years, as illustrated by these six varied examples from around the world.

The Top 10 Craziest Science Stuff You Didn't Know

Published on 12/27/2005

You can Hypnotize Chickens

A chicken can be hypnotized, or put into a trance by holding its head down against the ground, and continuously drawing a line along the ground with a stick or a finger, starting at its beak and extending straight outward in front of the chicken. If the chicken is hypnotized in this manner, it will remain immobile for somewhere between 15 seconds to 30 minutes, continuing to stare at the line.

Today I found out the origin of the word “soccer”. For all you out there who love to complain when Americans, and certain others, call “Football”, “Soccer”, you should know that it was the British that invented the word and it was also one of the first names of what we now primarily know of as “Football”.

Winds Beneath Your Wings

By Captain Lim Khoy Hing
(This article was published in Air Asia inflight magazine, travel3sixty June 2013 edition)

There are different kinds of winds that aid or encumber aircraft on the ground and in the air, but good pilots always know what to do when one of them blows their way.

The Top 10 Dumbest Personal Names Ever

Optimus Prime has got you covered

Optimus Prime (born 1971) is a U.S. Army Ohio National Guard firefighter. His name is taken from the character of the same name in the Transformers cartoon series. He legally changed his name to Optimus Prime in May of 2001, on his 30th birthday, because the show character was like a "father figure" for him when he was growing up. His former name has not been disclosed. The name appears on his driver's license, military ID, and even his uniform. Maybe on his next birthday he'll be Megatron.

10 Interesting Junk Food Facts (Part 2)

10 Interesting Junk Food Facts (Part 1)

Dinning is an exciting experience for the food junkies. Visiting one of the most expensive restaurants in the world gives one a true culinary encounter.

10 Amazing Metal Detector Discoveries

By Brynn Mannino

Metal detectors are often called "the gift that keeps on giving," a description that certainly holds true in the case of these 10 lucky treasure hunters, who got much more than they bargained for when their trusty machines alerted them to an underground discovery. From the largest-ever unearthed golden nugget to a 67-year-old diamond engagement ring, these finds are rich in history - and value.

What Those Nasty White Chunks That Sometimes Come From Your Throat Are

by: Noreen

Today I found out what those foul smelling, small, white-ish, chunks that you can sometimes feel at the back of your throat when you swallow are. They’re called Tonsilloliths or Tonsil Stones.

System Industries: "80 MB for under $12,000" (1977)

Top 10 Most Winning Countries In The Olympics Ever

I don’t know about you, but for me, the Olympics get better every year. Started in 1896, this international gathering is commonly referred to as the world’s premiere sports competition. Now split and alternating between both Summer and Winter Olympic events, it includes more than 200 nations around the world. So who are the top competing countries of all time? I did a little research to bring you the top ten winners in Olympic History.

Creative Sushi Art

In a world where you can express your creativity and talent in any way or form, here are some examples of sushi dishes that have an artistic edge to it. It has received a fair bit of popularity and more Chef's are testing their creative side with this art form.

One phrase that we frequently read on the “contents list” of various food items is “natural flavors”, which is quite intriguing. They say it is a way of protecting the secret formula or recipe of the food item under question and a way of protecting the product’s uniqueness. Can you imagine that FDA could approve regurgitated secretions produced in an animal’s digestive system to be used as food additives? Another couple of examples of disgusting food additives include secretions produced by the beaver’s sacs and civet absolute which is derived from the unctuous secretions from the receptacles between the anus and genitalia of both the male and female civet cat hence watch out for those “natural flavorings & flavors”! Lanolin, which is used to soften chewing gum, is actually secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Animal ingredients are not contained in sugar itself, but most companies decolorize sugar with the help of bone char (animal charcoal) in filters. Regulatory bodies’ requirement is that the bones must come from cattle, which have died of natural causes. Main suppliers of these bones include countries like Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria, India and Morocco. Hence what you actually are consuming and paying for, may not only be surprising but disgusting (if you know what actually the ingredients are).

Here is the list of 10 most disgusting food ingredients:

The 5 Worst Charities In America

No doubt, there's a special place in Hades for those who bilk the generous goodwill and donations of others in order to line their own pockets. The Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting have conducted an exhaustive year-long investigation into the worst charities in America, based on how much money they collect versus how much they actually spend on their causes. These tax-exempt organizations all spend only pennies on the dollar of their fundraising coffers to help the causes they purport to serve, while squandering millions on professional for-profit solicitation companies to raise such donations.

Here's a look at the top five worst charities in America.

A bad habit is like a prominent red light so it is immediately noticed even from a great distance, such as smoking? Ugh! Being lazy and lying sedentary all the time? Duh! Churning on sugar coated sweets? Very bad! But what about, something like, eating lunch at your desk in the office? Well well! It can be worse for you than you’d think (and there you were just trying to be extra productive). Knowing what’s good for us and what’s not is not an easy task, especially because of the continuously changing medical advice due to newly emerging research. But just don’t worry we have narrowed down along and wide list of adversely affecting habits down to 9 potentially worrisome everyday habits so you will know just when you can - and can’t - relax.

Fishes are strange enough as they are, but what about fishes with hands? Weird! The pink handfish, as it is called, is a part of the handfish family, and is last seen in 1999. It is now one of the newly named species of the handfishes, among nine others.

10 Common Plants You Didn’t Know Were Toxic

Throughout time, plants have provided us with many things: Food, shelter, warmth, fuel, medicine, clothes, textile, entertainment and a love of nature. With many of the species of plants around today, toxicity is an important aspect that must be addressed – especially when the toxicity involves a plant you are already quite familiar with. I am proud to present to you a list addressing some common plants that also have a hint or two of toxicity. A list of the 10 Common Plants You Didn’t Know Were Toxic.

6 Worst Soccer Injuries

The biggest fear of a footballer is to get injured while doing what he loves, playing football. An injury at any time could potentially be the end of a promising career. A slide tackle too early or too late, a misjudged volley, a collision of heads while going for a header, anything could lead to some serious damage. Here are 6 of the worst injuries suffered by footballers.

Over two decades after the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska, significant quantities of oil can still be found covering the state's shores and beneath gravel beaches, a new study has discovered. Over 21,000 gallons of crude oil remains of the 11 million gallons of crude oil that gushed from the stranded tanker Exxon Valdez on the night of 23 March 1989. Traces of Valdez's oil have been detected as far as 724km away from the spill-site in Prince William Sound, and the toxic film that coats Alaska's shores remain a danger to wildlife, entire eco-systems and the lives of local people.

Ever seen beaches with black, green, white, red or multicolour sand? See this amazing nature phenomenon below!

30 Craziest Lawsuits

Sued Michael Jordan, because he looks like him

Allen Heckard sued Michael Jordan and Phil Knight on July 2006. Heckard claims he has suffered emotional trauma because he looks like Michael Jordan. Heckard has filed his look-alike case at the Washington County Court in Oregon and with a $832 million dollar head. Allen Heckard believes his life has been rough since people continually think he is Michael Jordan. Heckard says when he plays basketball, people are constantly telling him he plays like Michael Jordan and this has been difficult for him. Heckard is only six feet tall, so obviously those who assume he is Michael Jordan have little regard for height. Heckard even wears Air Jordan shoes, he says that they're the most comfortable.

Scientists at the University of Missouri have devised a new way to create and control plasma that could transform American energy generation and storage. Randy Curry, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Missouri’s College of Engineering, and his team developed a device that launches a ring of plasma at distances of up to two feet. Although the plasma reaches a temperature hotter than the surface of the sun, it doesn’t emit radiation and is completely safe in proximity to humans.

One structure looks more like a toilet

Old VHS Tapes Turned Into Slightly Less Old Hard Drives

by: Paul Strauss

Need some additional storage for your computer? Then you might want to check out these wacky hard drives, fashioned out of old VHS tapes. Sure, VHS tape tech is definitely obsolete, but aren’t hard drives on their way out too? It just begs the question: why not a Betamax cassette with a 3.5″ floppy drive inside; or a U-Matic tape with a punch card reader built in?

5 Humiliating GPS Disasters

By: Justine Goodman

The stupidity is endless when it comes to people blindly accepting the instructions provided by their GPS devices. Here's what happens when you let Garmin and TomTom run the show.

5 Misleading Car Names

By Rob Sass

Few things in the development of a new car are more crucial than the name. In the case of a bland or mediocre car, it’s the last chance the marketers have to generate some buzz. That may well be why some of the most ordinary cars have wound up with some of the fiercest and flashiest names. Here are five of our favorite inappropriately named cars:

Who says soap can only be used for cleansing?As you can see it makes for great material when you have an artistic sense. Some of you may not be impressed by all these pieces, but I for one never looked at soap as anything but something to help me get squeaky clean, so I’m genuinely impressed to see art in something so common.I wonder how much one of these babies costs and if anyone really uses them when they bathe? I doubt it.

10 Greatest Robberies Of All Time

Original source : http://2spare.com
Posted : August 2006
Author :

Central Bank of Iraq (2003): Saddam took US$1 billion a day before the war

In March 2003, on several occasions beginning on March 18, the day before the United States began bombing Baghdad, nearly US$1 billion was stolen from the Central Bank of Iraq. This is considered the largest bank heist in history.

Riusuke Fukahori's 3D Goldfish Art

Riusuke Fukahori was born in 1973 in the Aichi prefecture, he went on to graduate from the Aichi Art University in 1995 and has pursued full time work since 1999.

In 2002 he started creating 3D images of goldfish by using acrylic and resin and painting one layer at a time, the end result is a fusion of hundreds of 2-dimensional painted resin images, layered one on top of the others, similar to the function of a 3D printer. The whole process is equal parts painting and sculpture. It is hard to comprehend the gravity of Fukahori's task, and with each new layer, the goldfish begin to take shape, shifting from the colorfully abstract to the shockingly detailed.

Here are some of the amazing pieces Fukahori has created with his unique method :

3D Paintings By Keng Lye

Beautiful three-dimensional artworks painted by talented artist Keng Lye on multiple layers of transparent resin. Inspired by Riusuke Fukahori’s creative painting technique, this Singapore-based painter has taken the art of 3D painting to the next level. You can see realistic animals emerge from bowls with clear resin - great 3D illusion.

We love a cool and handy kitchen gadget, this fridge magnet is great. Ever spent hours looking for the cap opener? Well now that problem is fixed. The magnet is subtle and integrates well in your kitchen and doesn´t scream out (unless you choose the red version). Available in chrome, red or white.

Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom checks in at more than 5 x 7 feet and weighs 133 pounds. Certified by Guinness World Records as the largest published book in the world, it features 112 pages of spectacular images and showcases a variety of digital, photographic and printing techniques. Each copy is printed only on demand, and uses a roll of paper longer than a football field, more than a gallon of ink and 24 hours' printing time.

10 Everyday Fruits And Vegetables That Are Poisonous

Most of us think that eating fruits and vegetables can be nothing but healthy but there are hidden dangers in many common foods. Poisons that make you sick, paralyze and even kill you lurk behind some of our favorites.

What Creature Is This?

Guess what animal has such mouth?
Read on to find out....

Read more »

Saturday, 8 June 2013

7 (Un)Luckiest People In The World

1. Frane Selak

Escaped from a derailed train, a door-less plane, a bus crash, a car into flames, another 2 car accidents... but then won $1,000,000 dollars on the lottery!

Top 5 Most Bizarre Products Ever

Eat Alternative Human Flesh, for the cannibal in you

Hufu is a tofu-based product that is meant to resemble, as realistically as possible, the taste and texture of human flesh. It is touted as a "human flesh alternative" for "cannibals who want to quit", as well as a product for anthropology students studying cannibalism. Mark Nuckols, the creator, said "I think that a lot of the pleasure of eating the Hufu product, is imagining you're eating human flesh. For that moment, you can join the fraternity of cannibalism... If you really want to come as close as possible to the experience of cannabalism, Hufu is your best option."

What you're looking at above is Claude, a monster Tasmanian king crab that weighs a whopping 15-pounds and measures 15-inches wide and would have produced 20-pounds worth of meat.

These amazing paper sculptures are made by Jeff Nishinaka. For 28 years he has made some of the most beautiful paper sculptures that currently exists. His works includes some projects for Sprint, Visa, Paramount and C and probably one of the most recognizable brands in the world, Coca Cola.

13 Simple Solutions To Annoying Everyday Problems

Keep Your Tube Clean

All you need is two Q-tips and two rubber bands for an awesome homemade toothpaste squeezer.

14 Hacks That Will Make Your Life A Whole Lot Easier

Some tips on handling your daily life....

Top 10 Animals Who Live Longer

Red sea urchin

The red sea urchin or Strongylocentrotus franciscanus is found only in the Pacific Ocean, primarily along the West Coast of North America. It lives in shallow, sometimes rocky, waters from the low-tide line down to to 90 meters, but they stay out of extremely wavy areas. They crawl along the ocean floor using their spines as stilts. If you discover one, remember to respect your elders - some specimens are more than 200 years old.

It is very rightly said that cigarette has fire at one end and a fool at the other. Whenever you light a cigarette you actually are putting your health, your life expectancy and your money on fire. Why do people smoke? Answer to this question lies in one line, which has been part of Marlboro’s advertisements over the years and the line says “come for the style stay for the taste”. It is true that initially people start smoking to look cool, stylish and sexy and gradually they become dependent on smoking both physically and psychologically because nicotine is a highly addictive substance. Another myth about smoking is that it is a sign of manhood as is depicted in another Marlboro ad saying ” where there’s a man there’s a Marlboro” on the contrary smoking actually kills the manhood in a man including his libido and sexual capability and sexual drive.

Here are 10 interesting facts about smoking, most of which most probably are not known to most of you.

Abu Dhabi Airport's Sleeping Pods

We had a dream stop-over in Abu Dhabi!

Airport unveils cocoon-like sleep pods where you can nap for £8 an hour

* Ten pods have been installed at Abu Dhabi International Airport

* Pods boasts wifi and power points to charge electronic equipment

Pod night's sleep? Weary travellers looking to catch up on their 40 winks at Abu Dhabi airport can now take to these futuristic-looking sleep pods

Whether you are suffering from jetlag or hope to make the long wait for your next flight a dream, a pod-nap could be the answer to your bed-time prayers. Travellers and tourists finding themselves stuck in the departure lounge at Abu Dhabi International Airport are now able to catch up on some shut-eye in a futuristic-looking 'sleeping pod'. Unveiled this week, the 'GoSleep' pod offers time away from noise, light and crowds of the airport and only costs £8 for one hour's alone-time.

Top 10 Countries With Highest Illiteracy Rate

by LiAqAt

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines literacy as:

The ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society.

UNESCO is being involved in providing global education to all the countries of the world. But sadly numerous developing countries are at loss in this field of education. There literacy rates show appalling condition of education which has a direct affect on infrastructure, economy and development of the country. This determines the main reason of the slow rate of progress in the Top 10 following lowest states in literacy with an increased rate of disharmony and chaos in the total administrative setup.

I See Faces Here And There

Is it just me, or are all the things around us want to say something?

Top 10 Worst Military Leaders In History

By Jeff Danelek

In war, there are winners and losers. Sometimes an army is defeated because they simply faced a larger and more powerful foe. Other times they lose because of some bizarre set of circumstances no one could have foreseen, or because they were simply outwitted by a cunning adversary. Sometimes an army is even dealt a defeat because of bad weather (as happened to the Mongol fleet of Kublai Khan in 1281 AD, which was destroyed by a typhoon as it tried to cross the narrow strait between Korea and Japan.) However, there are also those battles that were lost due to the sheer incompetency of a leader, which is the source for this list. Of course, even a good military leader can have a bad day. As such, this list is not about leaders who simply lost a battle, but those who either snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory or were classic incompetents that somehow managed to be given command of entire armies. A few are on this list because they are perceived as being far more capable than history demonstrates them to have been; in other words, besides the worst leaders, this list also contains the most overrated leaders who, while competent to a degree, do not rightly deserve the level of credit given to them by history. Finally, this is not a list of Generals only, but of men - some of whom may not even have been in uniform - that made the decisions that ultimately led their armies to utter catastrophe. And so, without further ado, here is my list for the top ten most incompetent, overrated, or just plain unlucky military leaders in history.

Here are some fantastic tiny pieces of art from a three-dimensional bull the size of a red blood cell create by Japanese engineers to the Incredible Hulk in the pin of a needle!

Sunday, 30 June 2013

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