Entertainment Web

Guy films wife crying at end of every movie she watches

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:18:00 +0000

Catfish and Basketball

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Bill Driver, who lives in Wichita, KS, saw a ball bouncing around kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate.

It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!!

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface.

Bill tried numerous times to get the ball out, but was unsuccessful. He finally had his wife, Pam, cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish.

You probably wouldn't have believed this, if you hadn't seen the following pictures...

Be kinder than necessary 'cause everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Awesome Portal Gun Replica

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:10:00 +0000

It lights up both blue and orange along the tube, in the barrel, and in the "indicator light" on top. The light switch is a three-position toggle in the back by the handle. It's 22 in long including the prongs and weighs about 15 lbs.

A Glance in the Past of Netherlands through These Incredible Old Pictures (110 pics)

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:52:00 +0000

Black and White Photos Of A Mental Institution In Kosovo

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:06:00 +0000

This black and white photos are just to disturbing.This photos are made in South part of Serbia-Kosovo. This photos are taken in the mental institution, and you will get to see that most of the people are with some physical disability too. The conditions are terrible and this people don’t get the proper medical care. Kosovo is asking for independence and wants to be an European country with all the rights which an independent country has, but they are not giving the rights for the people who are living there. The majority in Kosovo are Albanians for more than forty years now.

Collection of Anti-American propaganda posters from North Korea

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:48:00 +0000

Amazing Chicago Photos from Crane Operator of Trump Tower (150 Pics)

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:51:00 +0000

Batman throughout history

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:01:00 +0000

50 Things People Want to Save

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Ships camouflage from WW1 are Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:00:00 +0000

You are the Fleet Admiral of the Navy in WWI what do you do?

HE SITUATION
You’re the Fleet Admiral of the Navy in World War I. Your ships are being sunk at an alarming rate by the devastatingly effective German U-Boat. The traditional camouflage isn’t working because your environment (sea and sky) changes with the weather. What do you do?

The German U-Boat: Sinking your Battleships
THE INSIGHT
It’s not where you are it’s where you’re going
World War I occurred from 1914–1918; back then sinking an enemy battleship was a three-step process:
Step 1: Locate your target’s position and plot its course.
Step 2: Determine the ship’s speed and confirm the direction it is heading
Step 3: Launch torpedo not directly at the ship, but where you think it’s going to be by the time the torpedo reaches the ship.
*Remember this is early 20th century warfare, weapons don’t travel at the speed they do today
So what’s your solution Fleet Admiral?
HIT THEM WITH THE RAZZLE DAZZLE
Forget about not being seen, that only solves their first problem. Focus on confusing them so they don’t know where you’re going. Then their torpedoes will be shot in vain because they thought you zigged when you really zagged.
British Artist and naval officer Norman Wilkinson had this very insight and pioneered the Dazzle Camouflage movement (known as Razzle Dazzle in the United States). Norman used bright, loud colours and contrasting diagonal stripes to make it incredibly difficult to gauge a ship’s size and direction.
It was cheap, effective, and widely-adopted during the War. Check out the incredible photographs below.
*NOTE: Unfortunately the images are in black and white, being from the early 1900s and all, so the loud, bold colours will require a little imagination. Can you picture a fleet of electric yellow, orange and purple ships coming to get ya!

The Father of Dazzle Camouflage Norman Wilkinson

To give you an idea of colour, here’s a sketch, actual and render

As sonar and radar technology improved, the once effective dazzle camouflage was rendered obsolete. By WWII the dazzle camouflage was an afterthought. Thankfully contemporary artists like Jeff Koons have kept the style alive with outrageous boats like this:

Bullets Cutting Through Cards

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:56:00 +0000

ATM Skimmer Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:55:00 +0000

ANIMAL CAMOUFLAGE Leaf mimics

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:46:00 +0000

Nature is fascinating, and some of Nature’s best work—or evolution rather—is illustrated by a group of animals that have evolved adapted to mimic leaves. Leaf mimics employ a heightened form of camouflage to evade detection from predators or prey. These animals make use of extraordinary color patterns, in addition to modified exoskeletons, skin, scales, and behavior to take camouflage to another level.

INVERTEBRATES AS LEAVES
The “dying” leaf-mimic katydid below is a fascinating creature, and evolution natural selection has endowed it with the ability to mimic a dying leaf.

Dead leaf butterflies are extraordinary creatures to observe up close. The specimen below illustrates the intricate details chiseled out by adaptation through natural selection, which is a driving force of evolution. The remarkable details help the butterfly evade predation by mimicking a dead leaf.

The images and videos below show various species of leaf- and stick-mimicking praying mantises, including a dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys desiccata) and a violin mantis subadult (Gongylus gongylodes). The detail and similarity to vegetation in some species, like the specimen in the first image, is extraordinary.

The image above showing a dead leaf mantis (Deroplatys desiccata) camouflaged amongst some leaf litter

Violin mantis subadult

VIDEO: Leaf Mantis at 04:45:

VIDEO: A violin mantis catching a fly:

Another leaf mimic katydid positions itself below. This specimen mimics a decomposing leaf instead of a dying leaf.

Leaf insects or walkingleaves from the family Phylliidae are some of the best examples of leaf mimics.

Phyllium giganteum

VIDEOS of walkingleaves:

An unidentified species of dead leaf insect

Here are more examples of leaf-mimicking katydids. The species directly below from Costa Rica is mimicking a dead or brown leaf. Note the mottling or splotching of darker browns, which certainly allows this species to camouflage itself amongst decaying leaves very well.

Undergrowth dead-leaf katydid (Orophus sp.), Barro Colorado Island, Panama

This series of images shows several small-leaf katydids (Pseudophyllinae) from Peru and the Peruvian Amazon. The last image in the series shows a dead-leaf katydid nymph or an immature form of a small-leaf katydid.

The image showing the undergrowth dead-leaf katydid (Orophus sp.),

You may or may not see the katydid in the image below right away, since it kind of jumped out at me when I first saw the image. This specimen looks more like the katydids that use to get into my parent’s home in the United States if the door was left open too long at night during the summer months.

This peacock katydid’s (Pterochroza ocellata) exceptional resemblance to a dead leaf is remarkable, but if its camouflage fails and a predator realizes it’s a potential meal, the peacock katydid has a behavioral trick—it can quickly flash a pair of false eyes by opening its wings to startle a predator.

The peacock katydid images

The children’s stick insect (Tropidoderus childrenii) is found in Australia, and it mimics Eucalyptus leaves.

This cuttlefish is trying its best to mimic a leaf.
. . .
VERTEBRATES AS LEAVES
Can you find the leaf mimic frog? Leaf mimicry isn’t exclusive to insects, since some vertebrates make use of this extreme form of camouflage.

The first two leaf-mimic frog images The third leaf-mimic frog image
. . .
The South American or Amazon leaf fish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus) uses camouflage, mimicry, and stealth to hunt its prey. It will often sit in the water column at varying angles or sideways mimicking a dead leaf (note the individuals in the background). Its prey is quickly gulped into its hard to see large mouth.

The Uroplatus, a genus of gecko endemic to Madagascar, are sometimes referred to as leaf-tailed geckos. The first image shows an individual hibernating during cooler Malagasy weather, and the leaf-tailed gecko uses its tail to mimic a leaf or camouflage itself as it hibernates.

This robust ghost pipefish (Solenostomus cyanopterus) mimics a blade of sea grass, and rests at an angle similar to the South American leaf fishes above. Ghost pipefishes are relatives of pipefishes and seahorses and display some of the best camouflage found in nature. They are very ornate and showy like the weedy and leafy sea dragons.

There are two robust ghost pipefishes in this image:

Hilarious overview of evolution

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:41:00 +0000

How do we know about ancient creatures?
Scientists who study the extinct creatures that once roamed the Earth are called paleontologists. If you were to watch a paleontologist at work, you would probably see him on his hands and knees, methodically and painstakingly examining the surface of the ground. This is because he is looking for fossils, or else he has lost a contact lens.
A fossil is any trace left behind by a living thing. Usually the term refers to mineralized bones, but it can also include teeth, eggs, footprints and unpaid phone bills. By careful analysis, paleontologists can often reconstruct an entire animal from just a tiny fragment of bone.

By collecting and analyzing fossils, paleontologists have succeeded in tracing the entire history of life on Earth, from the first living things to modern man. Of course, there are gaps in the record and minor uncertainties of interpretation. Nevertheless, the overall picture is clearly understood.

How does evolution work?
Animals of a given species are alike because they inherit a certain set of genes from their parents. Every so often, something goes wrong with the mechanism that transmits the genes, and an animal is born that doesn't resemble its father and mother. You probably know of examples in your own family.
If this accidental variation, or mutation, is helpful in the animal's struggle to survive, it is more likely to be passed on to succeeding generations. In this way, new species can arise.

The First Living Things
Evolution proceeds from simpler forms to the more complex. The first animals were simple one-celled blobs of protoplasm. Then two-celled animals arose. They were followed by three-celled, four-celled, five-celled, etc. (If you find the mathematics here too difficult, just think of the numbers larger than one as "many.")

It is easy to see how this process led inevitably to more complex forms such as sponges, the worms and so forth. Especially if you don't think about it too much.

Conquest of the Land - The Amphibians
The first vertebrates to exploit the rich food resources of dry land were the amphibians (from the Greek amphi-, slimy + bios, dumb). Many species attempted the transition without success. These early forms were hampered by their limited range and mobility on land.

A true land-dwelling form was made possible by the development of the lung. The amphibians, however, still had to return home to lay eggs and do their laundry.

The Mammal-like Reptiles

This group, with characteristics that foreshadowed those of the later mammals, arose early in the development of the reptiles. However, other reptilian orders became the dominant terrestrial forms, crowding out these forward-looking species. As you may have noticed, often when you arise too early, you're no good for the rest of the day.

The Age of Dinosaurs
The reptiles reached their peak with the rise of the dinosaurs (from the Greek dino, ugly + sauros, smells bad).
For millions of years, the Earth trembled under the footsteps of these giant reptiles, such as the fierce Tyrannosaurus Rex (right). This reconstruction reflects the current view that the dinosaurs , for all their size and ferocity, may have been closley related to birds.
At the end of the Metatarsal Age, the dinosaurs abruptly vanished. The theory that a single catastrophic event may have been responsible has been strengthened by the recent discovery of a worlwide layer of whipped cream marking the Creosote-Tutelary boundary.

The dinosaurs have traditionally been pictured as slow, stupid and lethargic beasts (above). Recent thinking, however, suggests that they may in fact have been highly intelligent, active and well-adapted to their environment (below).

The Birds
At the end of the Creosote era, two new classes arose to challenge the ruling reptiles - birds and mammals.
The success of the birds was due in large part to their development of the feather. As you may recall from chapter 2, Galileo demonstrated that a feather falls more slowly than a lead weight. Being covered with feathers thus gave the birds a definite advantage over the flying reptiles, which were covered with lead weights.

The Mammals
The first mammals were tiny shrewlike creatures. They seemed to be no match for the mighty dinosaurs. But though small, they were clever and may have contributed to the downfall of the giant reptiles.
One of the mammals' evolutionary advantages was that they bore their young alive. As research has conclusively shown, animals that bore their young dead generally got nowhere.

Early mammals were typically small, like the tiny Itsyhippus and the Pond Hippopotamus

The Rise of the Giant Mammals
After the Creosote extinctions, mammals were able to take advantage of the fact that they were endothermic (liked flowers), placental (had bad breath) and quadrupedal (didn't know any better) to spread and diversify.
In the Tutelary Age, mammals became the dominant class and grew quite large at times. The great Irish bunny, for example, often had antlers eight feet across.

Naoshima Japan's Art Island

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:31:00 +0000

Naoshima is a small fishing island off the southern Japan coast on the Seto Inland Sea, between Honshu and Shikoku, within eyeshot of the city of Takamatsu.

During the 1990s, the Benesse Corporation, a Japanese textbook publisher, partnered with architect Tadao Ando to create Benesse Art Site Naoshima, a series of spectacular contemporary art museums designed around the theme of "Nature and Art."

Amazing photos of the Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbour (60 Pics)

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:28:00 +0000

1 Before the raid

2 Fighters prepare for take off

3 Supervising the attack

4 Bound for Pearl Harbour

5 Start your engines

6 Banzai!

7 Crashed Zero

8 Had a hard landing

9 Anti-aircraft shell bursts blot the sky

10 View from the road

11 Smoke rises from the Naval Yard

12 The attack begins

13 Smoke in the distance

14 Chaos after the first wave

15 Japanese destruction

16 Smoke fills the sky

17 Steaming past battleship row

18 Japanese aftermath

19 Escaping the smoke

21 Smoke rises in the harbour

22 USS Nevada beached in the sand

23 USS Nevada's deck in ruins

24 Massive hole in USS Nevada

25 Deck damage on USS Nevada

26 USS Arizona ablaze

27 USS Arizona burning furiously

28 Sinking USS Arizona

29 Aftermath of USS Arizona

30 Rescuing a survivor

31 Fighting fires on USS West Virginia

32 Sitting on the harbour floor

33 Smoke blackens the sky

34 USS West Virginia burning strong

35 Attempting to rescue survivors

36 USS Oklahoma rescue efforts

37 USS Oklahoma capsized

38 USS California hit by torpedoes

39 Sinking USS California

40 Oil pours from Battleship Row

41 USS Arizona spewing smoke

42 USS Utah capsizing

43 Destruction from above

44 Capsized USS Utah

45 USS Utah under attack

46 USS Oglala capsized

47 Burned out P-40

48 Wrecked B-17C

49 Wheeler Army Air Field burning

50 USS Oklahoma being righted

51 Farewell to Thee

52 Burying those lost

53 Tribute to USS Arizona

54 USS Arizona memorial

55 USS Downes and Cassin

56 Drydock Number One

57 USS Shaw's magazine explodes

58 USS Shaw goes up in flames

59 Aiming for the skies

Babies with Laser Eyes (56 pics)

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:05:00 +0000

How to Tie the 10 Most Useful Knots

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:02:00 +0000

1: Overhand Knot

2: Figure-eight Knot

3: Reef (Square) Knot

4: Sheet (Becket) Bend

5: Carrick Bend

6: Bowline

7: Clove Hitch

8: Timber Hitch

9: Taut-line Hitch

10: Sheepshank

Urban Camouflage

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:29:00 +0000

The Evolution of the Hipster 2000-2009

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:22:00 +0000

1 2000: The Emo

The proto-hipster’s white belt and guyliner make for a soulful combination.

2 2001: The Emo Redux

The skulls on her tour-only Death Cab tee don’t match the skulls on her Vans, so it’s not like she’s trying too hard.

3 2002: The Ashton

His PBR trucker hat and faux vintage t-shirt reveal an obsession with “irony.”

4 2003: The Scenester

A gaudy tattoo appears on her chest, and she is never spotted without her iPod.

5 2004: The Twee

He adores his rare-vinyl collection and tobacco pipe. Despite 20/20 vision, he wears Buddy Holly glasses.

6 2005: The Fauxhemian

She suffers for fashion, wearing a furry hat, boots and keffiyah even during the warmest months. Her new wrist tattoo is the Japanese symbol for beauty—or at least that’s what the guy at the tat shop told her.

7 2006: The Mountain Man

He seeks working-class authenticity, taking pride in his full beard and the fact that he’s often mistaken for a homeless person.

8 2007: The Vintage Queen

She shops at retro boutiques and posts Holga photos on her blog. She has said that the koi fish cover-up tattoo on her arm symbolizes “nature and love and peace and stuff.”

9 2008: The Williamsburg

He thoughtfully hangs shutter shades in the deep-V of his white tee, and he’s often seen walking his fixed-gear bike around town while texting with his iPhone.

10 2009: The Meta-Nerd

By wearing the popular Three Wolf Moon T-shirt, today’s hipster makes a mockery of herself. She has finally completed the full-sleeve tattoo.

An abandoned village in Italy

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Unusual Design of Ordinary Things.

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:21:00 +0000

Night Photography Abandoned America

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:51:00 +0000

Abandoned Amusement Park

Aircraft Boneyards

Cold War Relics

Lost Wheels

Out Of Gas

10 Absolutley Retarded Yahoo Answer Fails

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:50:00 +0000

Face Sketch Synthesis and Photo Synthesis Using the Multi-Scale Markov Random Field Model

noreply@blogger.com (uniquescoop9) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:56:00 +0000

Face Photo Synthesis Using the Multi-Scale Markov Random Field Model

Face Sketch Synthesis Using the Multi-Scale Markov Random Field Model