Bugs tend to freak us out. Mosquitoes, spiders, wasps, centipedes… you name it. If it crawls, bites or buzzes (especially anywhere near our faces), then we squirm, swat and run. But what’s worse than a little bug crawling on, or biting you? How about a really, really big one?

Here are some pictures of the biggest bugs on Earth. Enjoy!

Belostomatidae is a family of insects better known as “giant water bugs” or “toe-biters.” Most species in the Belostomatidae family are relatively large (2 cm or more) with some of the largest, such as Lethocerus, exceeding 12 cm, and nearly reaching the dimensions (length and mass) of some of the larger beetles in the world.

All bugs in the Belostomatidae family are fierce predators which stalk, capture and feed on aquatic crustaceans, fish and amphibians. They often lie motionless at the bottom of a body of water, attached to various objects, where they wait for prey to come near. They then strike, injecting a powerful digestive saliva and suck out the liquefied remains. Yum!

Their bite is considered one of the most painful that can be inflicted by any insect. The saliva liquefies muscle tissue. In rare instances, their bite can do permanent damage to humans. So don’t get drunk and pass out with your face near one of these guys.

Occasionally when encountered by a larger predator, such as a human, they have been known to “play dead” and emit a fluid from their anus to make them look less appetizing. Giant water bugs are a popular food in Thailand.

Atlas moths are…

• …considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface area. Their wingspan is often up to a foot long.
• …are said to be named after either the Titan of Greek mythology, or their map-like wing patterns.
• …unsteady fliers and the female does not stray far from the location of her discarded chrysalis.
• …found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia.

When American soldiers aren’t worrying about insurgents and IEDs, they have to keep an eye out for Giant Camel Spiders. Iraq’s Giant Camel Spiders have even been found hiding in sleeping bags. Fortunately, the giant desert camel spiders native to Iraq aren’t venomous. But they are FAST. Giant Camel Spiders have been known to run around 10 MPH. Although most Camel Spiders are about the size of a credit card, they have been know to grow larger than 10 inches, especially in the deserts of the Middle East.

The above photo was taken in the desert area outside of Baghdad. The 2 camel spiders were in a fight to the death. The spider on the bottom has his fangs locked on the torso of the spider above.

The image below is of a U.S. solider stationed outside of Kuwait. He was bitten by a Camel Spider in his sleep. The infected wound was so bad doctors couldn’t stitch it up. They had to leave it open to drain and heal from the inside out. The bitten soldier now has a scar the size of a penny on his elbow.

Camel Spiders are common in the Middle East, but they can also be found in the southwest U.S. and Mexico. The Mexican’s call Camel Spiders matevenados, which translates to”deer killers” in English.

Many stick insects are easy to care for, and believe it or not make good tropical pets.

Indian stick insects are all female and reproduce by themselves (parthenogenesis) and seem content living without mates or kin. Occasionally part-male part-female individuals are reared in captivity, but never true males.

The stick insects molt and may eat their own shed skin. By the 6th molt, the stick insect will lay eggs. Yum!

Queen Alexandra‘s Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest butterfly in the world. The species was named by Lord Walter Rothschild in 1907, in honor of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Female Birdwings can reach a wingspan of about 14 inches, a body length of 3-4 inches and a body mass of up to 1/2 ounce. These are all enormous measurements for a butterfly and actually much more common for small birds.

The Goliath beetles are among the heaviest insects on Earth. They are found in Africa. The heavily armored adults are so large that when flying, they produce a sound akin to a toy helicopter in flight. They are scavengers and eat rotting fruit, vegetables and animal feces off the jungle floor. Jungle poop. It’s what’s for dinner.

Weta are extremely large by insect standards. They can weigh more than 70g, making them one of the heaviest documented insects in the known world. The Giant Weta can’t even jump because it’s so heavy. Giant Weta and are classified in the genus Deinacrida, which is Greek for terrible grasshopper. They are found primarily on small islands off the coast of the main islands, and are examples of island gigantism. Wetas like to hide under rocks or plant debris.

The Giant Isopod isn’t technically an insect. Believe it or not, it falls under the Crustacean class along with crab, shrimp and lobster. That’s right kids, it’s aquatic. Like a giant sea roach.

Although rarely found on food menus in most of the world, it’s not uncommon in some Eastern Asian countries to find seaside restaurants serving boiled Giant Isopods.

Even though the Giant Isopod is a deep sea dwelling creature, it might look strangely familiar to you. A close cousin of the Giant Isopod is the much smaller terrestrial Woodlouse (3-30 mm). But you might know the Woodlouse by one of its more common nicknames like pill bug or roly-poly. Woodlice are usually found in damp, dark places, rotting logs and typically eat decaying plant material.

Genetically, Woodlice and Giant Isopods have been unchanged for over 160 million years.

Source

One of my favourite topics is food, and it seems that food which is sculpted in to art is quickly gaining popularity in the creative world. Finally we seem to be learning from cultures like the Japanese who have been turning food into art for centuries. This innovative art form can be truly awe-inspiring but fun at the same time. The next time your looking for a some good pork chop recipes or testing out new sausage recipes you may just find yourself sculpting that food in to pieces of art rather than making dinner! These examples should give you some food for thought on your next masterpiece…

This one is hilarious and must have taken a long time to sculpt

This ‘art’ one is simple but super-effective

I wish my laptop was like this!

This definitely freaking me out more than just a little

Love this clever use of aubergine

Such an amazing use of salmon and potatoes to create this brilliant picture

Banana love -

Slightly rude but also slightly amazing

A clever recreation of “real” art -

And finally – this car is not for the faint-hearted!

It’s hard to imagine the year is almost over, time seems to fly faster each successive year so it’s fun to take a moment and look back at the year that was. Click any of the pictures below to be taken to the individual post to learn more about the photographer and picture taken. Enjoy and stay sifty my friends!

All Image are From this Source http://twistedsifter.com

With Facebook’s recent introduction of Timeline, users have begun to utilize their newfound real estate in funny and creative ways. Below is collection of the 25 funniest and most creative Facebook timeline covers the Sifter has come across. If you feel yours should be included in the list, please post in the comments below!

Here’s the Top-10 ‘What my friends think I do vs What I actually do’ posters. If we missed one you think should be included, post the picture in the comments below!

How would you like to dine at a restaurant built right at the base of a waterfall? I don’t mean you’d be sitting a safe distance away from the waterfall, I mean… your table, your feet, and your entire experience (including the sounds) would all revolve around the rushing water. That would create a memory to last a lifetime.

There is a restaurant in the world where you can have this actual experience. It’s at the Villa Escudero resort in the Quezon province of the Philippines. At this restaurant, not only are visitors encouraged to try traditional Filipino menu items, they are also invited to take off their shoesand shirts to get as close to the waterfall as possible.

I bet this would be a fun place to work too. I imagine each time there is a strong wind, water sprays on everyone. Since I know the weather in the Philippines is typically pretty hot, I’m sure it’s really refreshing to sit close to the water too. As you can see in the pictures, the waterfall is relatively small, and the resort is hacienda-style. Yup, staying at the Villa Escudero and visiting this restaurant is definitely going on my bucket list. What a great reason to finally travel to the Philippines.

Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson picks the top 10 gadgets at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. Check it out.

1 ) LG 55-INCH OLED TV

Due: October

At just 4mm thin, this television almost disappears from side-on. The first 55-inch organic light-emitting diode television revealed at CES offers more than just a skinny form, however, with benefits including brighter colours, better contrast and more energy efficiency. It also has a tiny bezel around the screen and weighs just 7.5kg, making it much easier to mount on a wall. Early customers will have to pay more for this OLED screen than an LCD model, though it will cost less than $10,000 when it launches in Australia late this year.

2 ) SAMSUNG 55-INCH SUPER OLED TV

Due: Second half of 2012

Just hours after LG’s TV announcement, Samsung released its own OLED television with a slightly different form. The slender screen is thicker than its rival, at 7.6mm, but Samsung claims it is superior as it eliminates the need for a colour filter. The 55-inch television will feature an internet connection for Smart TV, a built-in camera to enable gesture controls and 3D functionality when it arrives in Australia later this year.

3 ) PROJECT FIONA

Due: 2012

Gaming brand Razer has created a working prototype of a tablet that takes gaming to the next level. Rather than using the tablet’s 10.1-inch touchscreen, players are asked to grab hold of two game controllers on either side, which feature buttons and joysticks. The tablet computer uses Windows 8 and the yet-to-be-released Intel Ivy Bridge chip and delivers games such as Crysis that you would ordinarily only see on PCs or game consoles. Razer promises a price tag of less than $1000.

4 ) CHAOTIC MOONS BOARD OF AWESOMENESS

Not for release

It’s not quite the hoverboard Back to the Future promised, but it’s closer than ever. Software development firm Chaotic Moons has added gesture and speech controls to an electric skateboard to create the Board of Awesomeness so riders can gesticulate their way around streets at up to 51km/h. The board uses a prototype Samsung tablet running Windows 8 and makes use of Microsoft’s Kinect controls. Chaotic Moons appears unlikely to release this Board for sale, however.

5 ) FUJIfILM X-PRO1

Due: February

Fujifilm’s upcoming professional class camera looks retro but packs in cutting-edge technology. Its built-in optical viewfinder is actually a hybrid electronic model that can display settings over the scene in front of you and automatically adjusts the magnification to suit whichever of the three fixed X-mount lenses are attached: 18mm, 35mm or 60mm. The 16-megapixel camera features a surplus of dials and buttons for quick setting changes, although it doesn’t focus as fast as competing compact system cameras.

6 ) NOKIA LUMIA 900

Due: 2012

Nokia’s new flagship Windows smartphone offers an expansive screen and speedy 4G mobile downloads. The Lumia 900, celebrated by Microsoft in the company’s final CES keynote, looks similar to other recent Nokia releases, except for a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen. It also packs in an 8-megapixel camera, a 1.4GHz processor and 16GB of storage.

7 ) LENOVO IDEAPAD YOGA 13

Due: Second half of 2012

Named Yoga for its ability to flip its screen over, this computer is a laptop-tablet hybrid. It features a dual hinge that lets users fold the screen over entirely or just enough to prop it up on a desk, and a 13.3-inch touch-sensitive screen. The new IdeaPad model will be one of a handful of tablets using Windows 8 when it is released and will do so using a chip as powerful as the Intel Core i7, while storing up to 256GB. The Yoga 13 will be just 1.69cm thick and weigh 1.47kg.

8 ) SONY TABLET P

Due: This year

Revealed with Sony’s first tablet, this dual-screen tablet folds over into a much smaller device that can be carried inside a jacket pocket (like Sony president Sir Howard Stringer carries it). Working models at CES showed Google Android apps that could be used over both of the tablets 5.5-inch touchscreens or, in the case of games and others, in split-screen format. The tablet weighs less than 400g, runs a 1GHz dual-core processor and is due out sometime this year.

9 ) ACER ASPIRE A5

Due: Second quarter of 2012

Ultrabooks were thin to start with – 2cm at most – but this model from Acer beats that standard by a significant margin. The Aspire A5 is just 1.5cm thick at its biggest and weighs 1.3kg. It offers full-sized computing, however, with a new Intel processor, solid-state storage and a flip-down panel that reveals HDMI, USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt connections for speedy file transfers. The 13.3-inch laptop, available in a black finish, will arrive in autumn.

10 ) MOTOROLA MOTOACTV

Available in US now

Awarded the best Bluetooth gadget of CES, Motorola’s fitness gadget does its work wirelessly. The MotoActv is a 4.6cm square device loaded with sensors that can be worn on a wristband or armband to track your exercise. Speed, pace, heart rate and your path can be tracked, though this gadget will also act as an MP3 player and can note to which songs you perform best.

Reference link: new.com.au

There was an interesting experiment conducted years ago using monkeys and bananas.

Are We Like These Monkeys?

Have you ever asked a manager why don’t they solve a problem differently only to hear them answer, “Well that’s the way it’s always been done?”

Too often, we are quick to jump on what others are doing wrong without ever giving them a chance to see the results.

We like to predict the outcome based on our own experiences, and in worst cases off of what we’ve heard others say.  But what if times have changed? What if we are judging others based on a narrow understanding of their plan?

Moral of the story…don’t fear the ladder…don’t scare others from taking the ladder.