Animal House Imaging

Time Travel????

2011-09-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

First Nicolas Cage, now John Travolta: Is this a photo of the Grease star in 1860? (Scientologists do believe in reincarnation)

From the Mail online.

He is a member of the Church of Scientology, which believes in reincarnation and asks some members to sign one billion year contracts of service.

And one photograph collector in Ontario, Canada, claims he has found a picture of John Travolta from a previous incarnation in 1860.

The 150-year-old photo of a man who looks remarkably like Travolta has been put up for sale on eBay.

Lookalike: The 1860 photo of John Travolta looks very similar to a shot taken of the Grease star in 1980

'I've had this interesting photograph for years and I've been unable to part with it,' the seller said on the auction site.

'When you look at it and into the eyes of the sitter you will see what I mean!

'I believe this is the photograph of a very young John Travolta taken around 1860... This is a ruby glass ambrotype photograph and it is one of a kind.

'It hasn't been changed, tampered with or altered in anyway. It is clear and is as nice as the day it was taken roughly 151 years ago.

The photo is listed at $50,000 or nearest offer, and while it has a large price tag comes with free shipping and gift wrapping.

On sale: The photo has been listed at $50,000 or nearest offer

Genuine: The photograph collector selling the picture says it has not been tampered with

The listings comes after another antique dealer joked that he has a photo that is proof Nicolas Cage is more than just an a-list actor - he’s also a vampire who lived during the American Civil War.

The eBay seller claims to have a 4” by 2.5” carte de visite photo from around 1870 of a man who looks exactly like the 47-year-old star of Con Air, Ghost Rider and The Rock.

The seller, who has put the starting price at $1million, says the photo is 100 per cent genuine and was taken of a man who lived in Bristol, Tennessee, around the time of the Civil War.

The man who put the photo on eBay is Jack Mörd, of Seattle, Washington, whose Facebook page says he is originally from Los Angeles, California, and owns ‘The Thanatos Archive’.

'My theory is that he allows himself to age to a certain point, maybe 70, 80 or so, then the actor “Nicolas Cage” will “die”,’ Mr Mörd joked.

Lookalike: An eBay seller claims to have a 4” by 2.5” carte de visite photo, right, from around 1870 of a man who looks exactly like the 47-year-old star of Con Air, Ghost Rider and The Rock, Nicolas Cage, left in 2006

Listing: The seller, who has put the starting price at $1million, says the photo is 100 per cent genuine and was taken of a man from Bristol, Tennessee, around the time of the Civil War

How the real Mr Cage is not immortal...

The photo comparison may suggest Nicolas Cage could have lived forever.

But the actor's radically-changing appearance over the years suggests he's as vulnerable to the ravages of time as the rest of us.

The 47-year-old Californian has clearly aged since his appearances in Con Air in 1997, top right, and then Adaptation in 2002, right.

Mr Cage's wife Alice Kim is around half his age at 27.

But hair transplants have seemingly helped maintain a youthful look.

‘But in reality, the undead vampire “Nicolas Cage” will have rejuvenated himself and appeared in some other part of the world, young again, and ready to start all over.’

The picture was found in the back of an album that contained many unusual death portraits from the Civil War era - but the Nicolas Cage lookalike was not identified by name, Mr Mörd said.

He has a 100 per cent positive feedback rating on eBay and his profile says he is interested in collecting and selling Victorian Era post-mortem photography, as well as other vintage pictures.

The eBay product description for ‘Nicolas Cage is a Vampire / Photo from 1870 / Tennessee’ says: ‘Original c.1870 carte de visit showing a man who looks exactly like Nick Cage.

‘This is not a trick photo of any kind and has not been manipulated in Photoshop or any other graphics program.

'It's an original photo of a man who lived in Bristol, TN, sometime around the Civil War.'

It is believed the photo was taken by a confederate Civil War prisoner of war photographer called Professor G.B. Smith.

Mr Mörd joked that Nicolas Cage could be a walking undead man who reinvents himself once every 75 years - and might be looking at going into politics or talk show hosting next.

WoW , Just WOW!!!!!

2011-06-08T17:51:00.000-07:00

A bug's life: Photographer captures flies in exquisite detail by snapping each one 687 times through a microscope

If you are scared of creepy crawlies you might want to look away now.

These are the remarkable close-up photographs of flies composed by stitching together up to 687 separate images taken through a microscope.

Tomas Rak photographs a tiny area of the fly under a microscope before moving it a mere five hundredth of a millimetre and taking another snap.

It can take a staggering 687 movements and 'micro-photographs' to capture every part of the fly in such stunning detail.

Close up: The head of dung beetle, which is a type of earth-boring dung beetle. Its entire body is only 10mm long

Flying head-on: The photos are the result of an ingenious photography technique using a microscope. Pictured is the head of a wasp

Are you looking at me? The Ichneumon wasp close-up which has a body size of just 3mm. The bulging eyes are clearly visible

He then uploads the images to a computer and 'stitches' them together to create a larger whole.

They show the furry insects' bizarre facial expressions, bright colours and bulging eyes in an extraordinary new way.

Tomas, from Wandsworth, South West London, said: 'I put the flies on a special microslider which can be moved as little as one five hundredth of a millimetre.

'I then place this under a camera and microscope and take a photo.

'I get a really sharp picture but over a small area so I move the microslider across a tiny bit and take another shot.

Zooming in: The sawfly which has a body size of just 3mm. Even the hairs on its antenna are visible

No need for widescreen: A metallic wasp, measuring just 2mm. The insect can be seen in exquisite detail in the close up shot

High definition: Common fruit fly, left, showing it's actual size. The ruler is in millimetres, so this tiny insect measures just three mm in length. Right is the sawfly beside a normal match head

'This has to be repeated many times before I have photographed the whole fly. My record is 687 shots to make up a single insect.

'I look for insects everywhere, I always have a pot with me in case I see something interesting.

'Most of my insect are not larger than 3mm so I have to look very carefully for small black 'dots' on walls.'

Mr Rak, 29, added: 'Microphotography can teach other people what these insects really look like.

'My photos are pretty artistic. I particularly like to take shots of insects because I like their shape and they have so many invisible details which you don't usually see.'

'I have had a very positive reaction to the these images. People who see them keep asking me how photos on a scale such as this could even be possible!'

The vivid backgrounds in Tomas' images are real flowers which are then carefully boosted by the editing software.

Tomas has only been doing microphotography for eight months.

He had previously become a dab hand at macrophotography, a technique which also examines the smallest of objects, but not to a microscopic level.

He said: 'Microphotography is more difficult and more time consuming than macrophotography because with such huge magnifications, the depth of field has to be very small.

'It is actually the computer editing which is the most time consuming part.'

Creepy: The Ichneumon wasp, which has a body size of 3mm Mr Rak said microphotography can teach other people what these insects really look like

Side view: The common fruit fly. Photographer Tomas Rak uploads the images to a computer and 'stitches' them together to create a larger whole

Full frontal: The common fruit fly. Tomas Rak said it can take a staggering 687 movements and 'micro-photographs' to capture every part of the fly in such stunning detail

Toad the Wet Sprocket - Something's Always Wrong

2011-02-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

One of my vids

2010-12-01T08:40:00.001-08:00

Africa

2010-11-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

2010-11-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

Is this a time-traveller in a Charlie Chaplin film? Footage from 1928 shows woman 'using a mobile phone'

Perhaps she really is a time-traveller, sent back through the decades to make a jaw-dropping cameo appearance.

Or maybe she was a maverick genius, secretly testing out advanced technology for the government and caught on camera at the wrong moment.

Whatever the explanation, this footage from a Charlie Chaplin promotional film in 1928 showing a woman apparently using a mobile phone has left viewers stumped.

A traveller from the future? This clip from a film about the premiere of Charlie Chaplin's 1928 movie The Circus shows what appears to be a woman talking on a mobile phone in the opening scene (on the right)

The baffling scene is found in the extras section of The Circus and shows members of the public attending the premiere of the film at Manns Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

The short piece of footage shows an older woman dressed in a coat and hat with her hand held up to the left-hand side of her face as she talks.

There is no one around for her to be speaking to apart from a suited man who strides on ahead at the beginning of the shot.

Even her gestures and behaviour as she 'talks' will be eerily familiar to modern-day viewers as she appears to stop, mid-sentence, during her apparent conversation.

The bizarre anachronism was unearthed by film buff George Clark on his Charlie Chaplin box set.

Look who's talking: Her gestures as she walks and talks appear just like those of modern-day mobile phone users

Woman out of time: A close-up of the image shows the woman's hand is close to her face and she appears to be talking

He says he has shown it to more than 100 people and still no one can come up with a convincing explanation.

Some viewers have suggested she is listening to a portable radio close to her face, although this would not explain why she appears to be talking.

Others say she may be displaying signs of schizophrenia and covering her face to hide the fact that she is talking aloud to herself.

It has also been suggested that she is simply trying to hide her face from the camera so she is not filmed.

There are also sceptics who believe the footage is just a stunt created by Mr Clark - a film maker with Yellow Fever Productions - to publicise his latest film festival.

The first device that could be likened to a mobile phone was Motorola’s original ‘Walkie-Talkie’ which was developed in the 1940s, but that was the size of a man’s arm and still came more than a decade after the Chaplin film.

See you later... As the scene fades out, the mystery figure can be seen smiling

The main attraction: In The Circus, Chaplin's character falls in love with the circus-owner's daughter

Portable mobile phones that we would recognise today did not appear until the 1980s and even then they were still too big to hide in the palm of your hand.

In a video that Mr Clark has posted on YouTube he jokes that the only plausible theory is that the woman is a time traveller.

He says: ‘This short film is about a piece of footage I found behind the scenes in Charlie Chaplins film The Circus.'

'Attending the premiere at Manns Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California - the scene shows a large woman dressed in black with a hat hiding most of her face, with what can only be described as a mobile phone device - talking as she walks alone.

‘I have studied this film for over a year now - showing it to over 100 people and at a film festival, yet no one can give any explanation as to what she is doing.

‘My only theory - as well as many others - is simple... a time traveller on a mobile phone. See for yourself and feel free to leave a comment on your own explanation or thoughts about it.'

Chaplin’s The Circus was one of the master director’s final silent movies and won him the Academy Award in 1929 for ‘Versatility and genius in writing, acting, directing and producing’.

It tells the story of the Tramp, who works as a clown in a circus and who falls in love with a circus-master’s daughter.

Chaplin produced the film at the height of the legal fallout over his divorce from Lita Grey and he did not mention it once in his autobiography, even though it is now regarded as one of his masterpieces.

Need a new phone

2010-11-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

The 99p mobile: Incredible deal of the budget phone that costs less than a cup of coffee

The cheap and disposable Alcatel OT-209

It’s the mobile phone that is cheaper than a Big Mac.

Carphone Warehouse is introducing the ultimate throwaway accessory – the 99p mobile phone.

Available in a range of colours as long as it’s silver, the handset is the perfect Christmas gift for the hard-up shopper.

The retail chain claims the OT-209, which is made by French firm Alcatel, is the cheapest pay-as-you-go phone ever to be sold in the UK.

Customers, who are not tied to an expensive contract, will be connected to the Virgin network.

The only catch is they will have to buy £10 of credit to make calls, otherwise there are no other fees other than the cost of making calls and text messages.

The phone is aimed at first time users and people fazed by technology.

It has just a few features and is uncomplicated to use.

Executive chairman Charles Dunstone told the Mail it is also useful for consumers to have as a back-up phone: ‘You have to remember at Christmas the one question we get asked the most in our stores is ‘what’s your cheapest phone?’ and at 99p this is the lowest its ever been.

‘I guess it reflects just how competitive the UK mobile market has become between carriers and manufacturers. Mobile phones are such an important part of people’s lives and so many are manufactured that they have become very cheap to make.’

Consumers are facing a wave of gloom as the Government hikes VAT to 20pc at the turn of the year and the Chancellor’s austerity cuts kick in.

But Dunstone says the 99p phone is not a reaction to Britain’s battered economy.

A screengrab from Carphone Warehouse's website whcih shows the Alcatel on sale for an unbelievable 99p on a pay as you go contract

‘I think if we could have produced a 99p phone in 2007 [when the economy was booming] we would have.

'It’s not about the current economic climate but more about retailers trying to find best possible deals to attract customers and make Christmas better than the last. The 99p phone is a regular mobile phone that four or five years ago would have cost you £100.’

The budget mobile

The Alcatel 209 weighs only 65g and has large, separated buttons

You can place hands-free calls, start conference calls with up to four other people.

Charges up in two hours and gives five hours of non-stop talk time.

The fake call function allows you to place a call to your phone with just the touch of a button, and quickly excuse yourself to take it.

Built-in FM radio and mobile games

One charge gives you up to 400 hours of standby power.

The 99p phone is the latest example of Britain’s throwaway culture. Tesco started selling jeans costing £4 jeans two years ago and Ikea has pioneered the market for cheap furniture.

Trend guru Lloyd Burdett, director of The Futures Company, said the trend towards value has been around for some time but it has been accelerated by the downturn.

‘There is a general trend towards shoppers not making large investments unless it’s very special,’ he said.

‘While the iPhone is as popular as ever – people are only willing to make an investment if something really stands out. Otherwise they think ‘why spend more than 99p for something so long as it works?’.’

Carphone say its Alcatel OT-209 is a simple, lightweight phone that weighs only 65g.

In its marketing brochure it says: ‘It is ideal for sending text messages, as it has large, separated buttons and a clear, bright display.

'The group messaging facility allows you to send the same message to up to ten people - handy when organising a meet up or rescheduling a meeting.

‘You can place hands free calls, start conference calls with up to four other people, and stay in touch throughout the day, with up to five hours of talk time.’

Unusually it also has a feature that allows users to fake receiving calls whilst already on the phone. This, the brochure says, is to help users extricate themselves from telephone conversations they are finding difficult to end.

It takes two hours to fully charge the handset, and one charge gives up to 400 hours of standby power.

Amazing pics

2010-09-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Incredible close-up shots of mantises as they feed and disguise themselves on twigs

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:20 PM on 7th September 2010

With bulbous eyes and their strange stick-like bodies, these mantises look like creatures from another planet.

Perched on the tiny stem of a plant, one insect enjoys a lunch of tiny yellow aphids.

Another picture shows a mantis about to pounce on an unwitting butterfly and one incredible shot even shows the creatures in larvae form, not much bigger than a thorn.

This ball of liquid is probably the contents of this mantis' stomach as they expose the fluid to the air to aid digestion

These incredible close-ups were snapped by wildlife enthusiast Jimmy Hoffman.

The 50-year-old scours the vegetation around his home in the Costa Brava, Spain, looking for the insects.

He said: 'I've been interested in nature since I was a child and I've always had an eye for wildlife, especially insects.

'Praying mantids are my favourite because of their special predatory behaviour, shapes and colours.

'I also like the fact that they can rotate their head in all directions and seem to look at you in an almost intelligent way.

'They can be found by thoroughly searching through vegetation.

'The morning is usually the best time to do this because they often sit on top of plants and shrubs to warm up in the sun.' As well as searching for mantises, Mr Hoffman collects the insects' egg cases, which he takes home and hangs in his garden so he can watch them hatch.

An Empusa Mantis, blending in with the colour of the flower on which an unwitting butterfly has landed

A Religiosa Mantis tucks into a lacewing insect it has caught

He said: 'I have witnessed the emergence of the larvae several times, it's a very special moment because they usually hatch all at once.

'The young larvae are initially very vulnerable but they are able to move very rapidly and can jump a little.' After finding his subjects, Mr Hoffman can spend up to two hours waiting to get the perfect shot.

He said: 'My favourite picture is of a mantis about to catch a butterfly.

'Unfortunately for the mantis the butterfly was too fast and managed to fly away before it could be caught.

'I got my picture at exactly the right moment and it was very special for me because I had waited a couple of hours for something interesting to happen. After that I decided to called the picture 'patience.''

Mantis march: A trio of tiny Empusa Mantis larvae march along the stem of a rose, passing a thorn

An Ameles Mantis eating tiny aphids

Despite their vicious appearance, Mr Hoffman has never been harmed by a mantis he has photographed - but admitted a friend had had the misfortune of being mistaken for prey.

He said: 'Mantids are real predators and grab prey which can be as large or even larger than themselves.

'Once one of them saw my friend's finger as prey and latched on, wanting to eat it.

'Thankfully, we managed to extract the digit without causing any harm to my friend or the insect.

'Mantids are normally completely harmless to humans as long as you don't move your fingers in front of them.'

An Empusa Mantis larva looks as if it's made from twigs, as it perches on one

A trio of Empusa Pennata mantises perch, clutched together, on a twig

2010-09-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

High-kicking ninjas and Pac-Man: The incredible video homage to 80s video games made entirely out of Lego bricks

It took more than 1,500 hours over eight months and many thousands of Lego bricks.

But two Swedish musicians have achieved youTube fame with this animated tribute to the video games of their youth.

The animation, which lasts just over three and a half minutes, has already had more than seven million views on YouTube.

The three Lego ninjas from the YouTube video, which harks back to the classic 8-bit video games of the 80s

The odd music that plays throughout the video is known as BitPop - electronic music that is played entirely on old 8-bit computers and video game consoles from the 1980s.

The video begins with one of the pair lying down and being covered head to toe in Lego bricks.

It then segues into a fast-paced homage to classic video games from the 19080s which were played on consoles like the Atari, the original Nintendo NES and the classic Commodore 64.

A series of high-kicking ninjas crop up throughout the video and there are sections which reference classic arcade games Tetris and Pac Man among others.

The Swedes, who were formerly known as Rymdreglage, have now changed their name to Ninja Moped because it is easier for non-Swedes to pronounce.

No rundown of classic arcade games would be complete without Pac-Man - rendered in impeccable Lego

Their next project is even odder. They are appealing for funds to build a huge crossbow - more than 60 feet wide - that can be used to propel a collection of pianos more than 300 feet.

They want to to hurls the 62 pianos they have amassed into objects like houses and trees to so that they smash into firewood.

The pair said: 'The whole thing is filmed with a high speed camera in full-HD (1000 fps, 1920x1080) and wait to be history's most beautiful music video.

iwatch

2010-09-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

Time for change: Apple's new 'iWatch' is so tiny it can be worn on your wrist

It was a busy day at Apple stores around the country as the latest range of new iPods went on sale, including what is thought to be the smallest music player on the market.

The nattily designed new iPod nano measures just 1.48 inches by 1.61 inches by 0.35 inches and weighs in at a slender 21.1 grams.

For such a small gadget, the battery life is also impressive, with 24 hours of music playback in addition to an FM radio.

Would you wear one? The new iPod nano is thought to be the smallest music player on the market and even boasts a clock face to make it look like a watch

Dubbed the 'iWatch', the latest addition to the iPod family boasts a clock face which appears at the touch of the power button but still allows users to view pictures and track your movements.

'It’s very tiny and instantly wearable,' said Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. 'It even has a clock - one of our board of directors says he’s going to wear it as a watch.'

The tiny player is similar in function to the iPod and iPhone also boasts a 'multi-touch' screen, allowing more than one finger to be used on the screen at once.

It's thought that manufacturers will be quick to exploit the clock function of the new player by flooding the market with detatchable watch straps.

Several other new iPods have gone on sale. The fourth-generation of iPod Touch has a new slimline appearance and now uses the same high-definition screen as the iPhone 4.

New front and rear-facing cameras complete the make-over whilst the new budget iPod shuffle now costs just £39.

Gamers were also kept happy with the release of new iPhone software which allows for live competition gaming with other iPod and iPhone users worldwide.

YOU ARE HERE !

2010-08-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

You are here: Incredible photo of the 'twin star' that is the Earth and Moon taken from 114 million miles away

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:21 PM on 23rd August 2010

It is an image that should put us firmly in our place.

Set against the inky blackness of space our Earth can be seen with the smaller Moon orbiting around it from a distance of around 114 million miles.

Taken by Nasa's Messenger deep space probe the incredible image illustrates how insignificant we really are.

Earth can be seen at a distance of around 114million miles in an image taken by Nasa's Messenger spacecraft

A beautiful, thought-provoking picture, this image was actually taken as part of Messenger's mission to search for vulcanoids, small rocky objects that scientists believe exist in orbits between Mercury and the Sun.

No vulcanoids have yet been detected, the Messenger spacecraft is in a unique position to look for smaller and fainter objects than have ever before been possible.

Messenger searches for vulcanoids when the spacecraft's orbit brings it closest to the Sun.

It follows a path through the inner solar system, including one flyby of Earth, two flybys of Venus, and three flybys of Mercury.

Messenger and is using gravity from Earth and Venus to slightly alter its orbit over time before it moves into Mercury's orbit in March 2011.

A graphic which shows Messenger's elliptical orbit relative to the Earth, Sun and Mercury. Messenger uses gravity from the flybys to propel itself closer to an orbit with Mercury next year

An image from the space craft Cassini of the Earth and moon just visible as a tiny dot through Saturn's rings taken in 2006

A view of the Earth and Moon pictured by Europe's Mars Express spacecraft on its way to the Red Planet from a distance of 8 million kilometres in 2003

A 1969 Nasa photo that shows the lunar module, with Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, as it approaches the Apollo 11 command module for a rendezvous with the Earth in the background

A Japanese space agency picture of the Earth as it rises from behind the Moon

Album that didn't get far.....

2009-04-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

What Next?

2009-02-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hot Sunny Beach with Cold Sand

January 1st, 2009 ·

Only in Dubia, will you find this type of idea coming to fruition. he Palazzo Versace hotel is building a beach with refrigerated sand.The small beach will protect guests’ precious feet by piping cold air through a series of tubes underneath the sand, which will suck enough heat from the blistering surface to offset the beaming sun and 110F temperatures. A system of computers and thermostats will monitor and adjust the system.

Hotel proprietor Soheil Abedian, who holds the uniquely Dubaian job title of “Guy Who Takes Wild Guesses at What Very Rich People Might Pay For”, had this to say about his project:

“We will suck the heat out of the sand to keep it cool enough to lie on. This is the kind of luxury that top people want.”

Xtranormal Tv. The God theory with Freddie Lizzard

2009-02-03T07:22:00.000-08:00

Need a new phone?

2009-02-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

Anyone want to buy a $30,000 cell phone

December 11th, 2008

I little out of my price range but still looks hot!

The Vertu Boucheron 150 is made from “solid gold” and is meant to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Boucheron jewellery house in Paris. According to the designer, it took 1,000 hours to cut into shape, 700 hours to hand polish, and more than 500 hours to build.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-02-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

Well its a new year so I need to update this blog more often I guess. So here I am standing on a hill overlooking Belo Horizonte in Brazil, my new ish home. I have been here since December 2007. I got a little more than I bargained for when I arrived. But its been good so far. Still need to get my head round Portuguese and my new job teaching English.
My photography has suffered a little so I need to start taking pictures again to. So I hope this year is good to us all and hope to get back to England to see my family in July .

Who''d want to be a cop? ME ME ME

2008-10-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Italy's top policeman gets sleek new James Bond-style super car

Italy's top policeman has picked up the keys to his new squad car - a Lamborghini fitted with a fridge to store severed body parts, gun racks and Wi-fi internet.

Famed for hunting down Mafia dons, Antonio Manganelli, the head of Italy's state police, took delivery of the 200mph Gallardo LP560-4 last week.

Italy's new police car is a Lamborghini fitted with gun racks, Wi-fi internet and a fridge to store severed body parts

Lamborghini designers managed to squeeze in an array of high-tech crime-fighting equipment into their sleek new supercar.

The motor is equipped with a video recording system that wirelessly transmits back to the station in real time.

It features the usual array of gun racks and radio equipment and is supplemented by a cooler in the front compartment that can be used to transport severed limbs and digits to the local hospital. The finishing touch is a heart defibrillator.

Antonio Manganelli, the head of Italy's state police who is famed for hunting down Mafia dons, took delivery of the 200mph Gallardo LP560-4 last week

The £150,000 Gallardo is the third car Lamborghini has delivered to the country's stylish police but the first dedicated to just one lucky officer.

The 5.2-litre V10 has 560 horsepower, speeds from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds and hits a top speed of 204mph.

WOW.......

2008-10-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Cave of Crystals discovered 1,000ft below a Mexican desert

Until you notice the orange-suited men clambering around, it's hard to grasp the extraordinary scale of this underground crystal forest.

Nearly 1,000ft below the Chihuahua Desert in Mexico, this cave was discovered by two brothers drilling in the Naica lead and silver mine. It is an eerie sight.

Up to 170 giant, luminous obelisks - the biggest is 37.4ft long and the equivalent height of six men - jut across the grotto like tangled pillars of light; and the damp rock of their walls is covered with yet more flawless clusters of blade-sharp crystal.

Scroll down for more

Crystal forest: People clambering through the Cave of Crystals in Mexico wearing suits and backpacks of ice-cool air to cope with the 112F temperature

The giant obelisks are formed from groundwater saturated in calcium sulphate which filtered through the cave system millions of years ago

They are formed from groundwater saturated in calcium sulphate which, warmed by an intrusion of magma about a mile below, began filtering through the cave system millions of years ago.

More......Solomon's real mine? 3,000 years on, archaeologists uncover fabled site in desert

When, about 600,000 years ago, the magma began to cool, the minerals started to precipitate out of the water, and over the centuries the tiny crystals they formed grew and grew until 1985, when miners unwittingly drained the cave as they lowered the water table with mine pumps.

The November issue of National Geographic is available on news-stands today

Because the crystals resemble giant icicles, the picture suggests it must be very cold inside the Cave of Crystals - but appearances can be deceptive.

In fact, the temperature is a sweltering 112F, with a humidity of 90-100 per cent.

This is why cavers wear protective suits and carry backpacks of ice-cooled air.

Such conditions, and the fact that it takes 20 minutes to drive to its entrance through a twisting mine-shaft, haven't deterred would-be looters - one of the crystals bears a deep scar where someone has tried, and failed, to cut through it.

But the cave has now been fitted with a heavy steel door, the better to preserve this beautiful wonder for generations to come.

Lego to the beach.........

2008-10-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

Pictured: The giant 8ft Lego man who washed up on the beach

At 8ft tall and wearing a garish green jersey he's not the sort of chap to get lost down the sofa.

In fact, you'd think he was unlikely to get lost at all. But someone (possibly someone big), somewhere is missing a key bit of their Lego set.

The colourful character mysteriously washed up on Brighton beach yesterday spawning dozens of tales - soon to become local legend - about where he may have come from.

Stand-up comedy: Bemused children heave the brightly coloured figure upright

While some believe he floated from Denmark-where there is a Legoland park), others suggest he toppled off a ship. Of course, there's always the cynical possibility he's part of a publicity stunt.

Resident Gerry Turner, 34, said: 'It's very odd. God knows how it got here but people are saying it's from Holland because it's got some Dutch writing on it.

'It must have fallen off a boat of something. The kids love it.'

Children who helped stand the Lego man up on the beach were desperately curious about where it came from.

One said: 'It's great, but we don't know why it's here.'

Castaway: The giant Lego man lies where he washed up on Brighton beach

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said town hall officials had no idea of the origin of the Lego man, but added that they saw no difficulty in letting it stay on the beach where it washed up.

He said: 'There's no problem at all. It will be interesting to see how long the Lego man stays there for. We'll keep an eye on it.'

But Lego was insistent: 'We're bemused. He has nothing to do with us.'

The Lego giant's arrival on the East Sussex shingle yesterday morning comes two years after an armada of plastic ducks landed on British shores.

Borne on the ocean currents, the ducks had made a 17,000-mile odyssey from the Pacific where they had been washed from a container ship in a 1992 storm.

Sweet Sinners

2008-10-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

Sweet Sinner's are a Roch Band from Belo Horizonte in Brasil. The Bass player in a good friend and ask me to take some photos of the band in action. As you can see the Drummer really gets into the mood while playing. The throat is provide by a man who is larger than life and believe it or not, a really sweet guy.

Then, we have the strings with my friend Filipe in the middle on bass.

Great British ideas.............are you sure?????

2008-10-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

The Land Rover sports car that's more powerful than a Ferrari

Last updated at 4:43 PM on 29th September 2008

The iconic British Land Rover has been turned into an £80,000 sports car by two fans of the off-road classic.

The Bell Aurens Longnose – designed by Thomas Bell and fellow enthusiast Holger Kalvelage – will be more powerful than a Ferrari.

Using a long wheel base Land Rover 109, they plan to fit it with a massive V16 engine, slice the top off and revamp the interior.

Roadster: How the Bell Aurens Longnose will look

But the Longnose will stick to the traditionally minimalist Land Rover cockpit, including the distinctive wide steering wheel.

But an aluminium finish and leather seats have been added.

And the front grille and headlights will still bear a strong resemblance to the classic series two Land Rover, which was first launched in 1958.

All the components, from the axles to the gearbox and steering system, will come from classic Land Rover models like the Defender.

And even the traditional leaf spring chassis will be in place so the driver feels “every detail of the road’s surface unvarnished and without any compromise.” The open-top “off-roadster” will be available to buy in black, Sahara cream or in British racing green.

When produced for public us it will be available with either a V8, V12 or even a whopping V16 engine.

Work in progress: Thomas Bell and Holger Kalvelage will fit a massive V16 engine

The most powerful options available to buy will be able to churn out an impressive 700 break horse power.

A Ferrari 430 can only develop 483bhp.

But, leaving the rest of the competition behind, a special version will feature the Merlin engine out of another British icon, the Spitfire - and will be able to produce a staggering 1,500bhp.

Briton Mr Bell and German Mr Kalvelage came up with the idea after meeting on an online forum.

They immediately set about combining their two loves - the classic British roadster and the Land Rover.

The result is the 15ft long, six feet wide Longnose, which Mr Bell, 33, and Mr Kalvelage, 46, describe as being 'full of character, authoritative and stylish'.

Mr Kalvelage said: ‘I first fell in love with the Land Rover at a very early age when I used to see them being used by the military close to where I grew up.

Suped-up: Despite developing a massive 700bhp the car will be limited to 125mph

‘It is such an iconic car all over the world and is certainly very special to both of us. In fact, between us we own five Land Rovers.

‘We came up with the idea for the Longnose three years ago but the hardest part was finding a factory who could manufacture the cars for us.

‘Eventually we found one who were as excited as we were about the project.

‘We see it as a deferent evolution of an icon of the British automotive industry.

‘The Longnose is truly an offroader from the front fender to the rear lights - yet it is still a roadster.’

But he says that because most of the car will come from an original series two Land Rover, they plan to limit the speed to around 125mph for safety reasons.

He said: ‘The top engine available to buy will be a 700bhp, V16 engine but we are also planning on building a special edition with a Merlin engine from a Spitfire.

Slick: The Longnose comes in racing green and Sahara cream

‘It will be fantastic to combine two British icons like the Land Rover and the Spitfire.’ Mr Kalvelage added: ‘Every piece of the Longnose will be handbuilt from the original Land Rover part.

‘We want to keep it as exclusive as possible so we are only planning to build ten each year.

‘Buyers can either come to us with their own Land Rover 109s for us to rebuild or we can buy one for them.

‘We”ve actually already had around ten orders from people all over Europe.

‘We are planning to show the prototype Longnose in Peterborough, in September.’ Anyone ordering a Longnose will get inducted into the exclusive Bell Aurens Owner Club.

And they will be invited to travel to the factory, in Nuremberg, Germany, to see their vehicle on the production line.

They will also get an exclusive Bell Aurens register which logs all the owners of the cars as well as detailing exactly who was responsible for crafting their vehicle.

A spokeswoman for Land Rover said: ‘We have had no involvement in this project.

A new spin on the Swiss amy knife

2008-10-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

The £9,000 'Swiss Army knife' bathroom with foldable showers, cupboard and even a loo

Last updated at 9:12 AM on 02nd October 2008

A designer is turning heads with his extraordinary space-saving bathroom - which folds out like a giant Swiss Army knife

It looks like an art installation inspired by a hi-tech corkscrew or Swiss army penknife.

But this is no ornament or sculpture. It is, in fact, the world's first fold-up vertical bathroom.

Called the Vertebrae, it stacks a toilet, sink, water cistern and two showers into one 8ft-tall steel column.

It has a price tag of £9,000 and is aimed at space-conscious householders who struggle to fit a traditional shower, sink and toilet into their bathroom space.

The Vertebrae is the brainchild of award-winning designer Paul Hernon, of Huddersfield, who created it with small apartments in mind.

He said: 'I did lots of research and it became obvious to me that bathroom space was decreasing, particularly in apartments.

'I have created an intriguing but functional and simplistic space-saving bathroom by stacking the contents of a bathroom on top of one another.

'It's designed to utilise vertical space instead of horizontal floor space. It is quick to assemble and easy to maintain - all you need is a wet room to put it in.

'I think it pushes the boundariesof anything that has been done before. People who have seen it are completely blown away.'

The two showers - one for adults and one for children - both rotate 180 degrees while the other units all rotate a full 360 degrees.

They all twist around a steel column which contains all the piping, and each part simply pushes out when it is required.

Mr Hernon, 38, said his creation could fit into a smaller space than a traditional bathroom, meaning architects could design smaller bathrooms and free up more space for other rooms.

But he warned that the Vertebrae - named after the human spine - weighs 150 kilos, or more than 23 stone, and that householders might have to reinforce their bathroom floor before fitting it.

The Vertebrae is expected to go on sale in the new year. Bespoke versions will be available with shaving mirrors, lights and other additions.

Champagne IS British.

2008-09-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

Pardon Messieurs, but champagne was a BRITISH invention, claims new research

Last updated at 3:01 AM on 27th September 2008

Christopher Merrett: New claims suggest he invented the process - and the bottle - for making champagne

It is the most quintessentially French drink, and the pride of a whole nation.

But there could be consternation across the Channel after a claim that champagne was invented by an Englishman.

Born in 1614, self-taught West Country scientist Christopher Merrett came from an area better known for producing cider.

However, records show he devised two techniques that were fundamental to making champagne decades before Benedictine monk Dom Perignon, who is usually associated with the invention of the ultimate luxury drink.

He used techniques from the cider industry to control the second fermentation which makes wine fizzy and - crucially - invented the stronger glass needed to prevent the bottle exploding.

Merrett, also spelled Merret, gave a paper to the Royal Society in 1662 describing how adding 'vast quantities of sugar and molasses' to French wine made it taste 'brisk and sparkling'.

That was more than 30 years before Dom Perignon's work at the Abbey of Hautvillers at Epernay marked the 'official' beginning of a multi-million-pound industry which the French have jealously protected ever since.

Merrett also carried out experiments which led to his masterwork The Art of Glass, explaining how stronger bottles could be blown by adding iron, manganese or carbon to the molten mixture.

Tough glass was essential to prevent the pressure created by the fermenting wine causing the bottles to explode.

Early French accounts of champagne production describe the revolutionary bottles as being made of 'verre anglais', or English glass.

Merrett's crucial contribution to the history of both champagne and cider is recounted by author James Crowden in his new book, Ciderland.

He said yesterday: 'The French will no doubt guard their rights to the methode champenoise to the last cork and rigorously prevent anyone using the champagne name outside their tightly-controlled region.

'But they cannot claim, however ingenious they are, to have invented the method for the simple reason they did not have the new stronger English bottles.

'It is the invention and manufacture of these bottles that is the key to the whole enigma as much as the addition of the extra sugar.'

The first champagne house was not founded until 1729, 97 years after Christopher Merrett first published his discoveries

The French have played down Mr Crowden's claim, insisting that while the fermentation technique is 'interesting', the drink Merrett proposed would have borne little relationship to champagne

This it scary............

2008-09-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Catwoman Jocelyn Wildenstein flaunts her feline features on a romantic day out with her man

By Tammy Lovell
Last updated at 2:16 PM on 16th September 2008

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder...and that obviously goes double for Catwoman Jocelyn Wildenstein.

The 62-year-old's surgically-enhanced face looked scarier than ever when she stepped out on the prowl with partner Lloyd Klein.

Luckily for her fashion designer Klein is obviously a moggy lover and her feline features didn't seem to bother him on the couple's romantic day out.

Jocelyn and Lloyd enjoy a drink at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California

The pair were arm in arm as they went for a stroll in Beverly Hills before stopping for a cocktail at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Jocelyn has been dubbed Catwoman due to her shocking surgically-enhanced features, which are said to be based on a love of exotic wild cats.

The ex-wife of late billionaire Alec Wildenstein underwent at least seven facelifts and drastic eye reconstruction surgery and received collagen injections to her lips, cheeks and chin.

Feline features: Jocelyn's surgically-enhanced face is said to be modelled on a love of exotic wild cats

During her marriage to Alec the socialite began to fear her husband was losing interest in her and, inspired by his love for cats, began altering her face to make her appear more feline.

Despite spending £2million on altering her previously-attractive looks, Alec was said to have screamed in horror when he saw her face.

Cat lover: Jocelyn and Lloyd out on the town

Is this the begining..........

2008-09-13T04:24:00.000-07:00

Tiny water bears become first creatures to survive in space

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:20 PM on 10th September 2008

They are the toughest animals on the planet - and now scientists have discovered that they can even survive in space.

The tiny creatures, known as tardigrades or water bears, are certainly strange-looking with their eight chubby legs, little claws and probing heads.

Some experts have compared their shape with jelly babies or moles but tardigrades they should not be judged by their 'cute' appearance. They are virtually indestructible - they will not die even if they are boiled, frozen, squeezed under pressure or desiccated.

Tardigrades or 'water bears' are the toughest creatures on the planet

In fact, they can be completely dried out for years - and then spring back to life as if nothing had happened.

Now researchers have revealed that tardigrades - which usually measure no more than a millimetre in length and live in moss - have withstood the airless extremes of space.

A year ago, 3,000 of them were dried out and fired into space to see if they could handle the cosmic rays, a near vacuum and freezing cold.

Amazingly, after ten days, some of them did. They became the first animals to survive exposure in space without protection.

The experiment, supported by the European Space Agency, was headed by Dr Ingemar Jonsson, of the University of Kristianstad, Sweden.

'Our principal finding is that the space vacuum, which entails extreme dehydration, and cosmic radiation were not a problem for water bears,' he said. But admitted that exactly how they survived 'remains a mystery.'

The water bears were kept in a chamber on board the FOTON-M3 spacecraft as it orbited 270km above the Earth 270km.

A slide was opened to expose them to the vacuum and the cold. Some were also subjected to the Sun's UV rays which are 1,000 times stronger in space than on Earth and, incredibly, survived for the return trip. They continued to breed successfully.

Dr Jonsson and his colleagues in Stockholm, Stuttgart, and Cologne published the results of the space study in the journal Current Biology.

He said, 'The ultraviolet radiation in space is harmful to water bears, although a few individuals can survive even that.'

He believes that even if they suffered DNA damage, the little water bears could somehow repair it. The next challenge is to try to understand the creatures' 'exceptional tolerance' to extreme conditions, he said. It could help scientists learn how to treat cancer.

'All knowledge involving the repair of genetic damage is central to the field of medicine,' Dr Jonsson said.

'One problem with radiation therapy in treating cancer today is that healthy cells are also harmed. If we can document and show that there are special molecules involved in DNA repair in multicellular animals like tardigrades, we might be able to further the development of radiation therapy,' he added.

German scientist Dr Ralph Schill, who also worked on the project, said, 'I hoped they would make it but I could hardly have expected this result - you can't simulate some of the space conditions in the lab'.

Water bears exist in nearly all ecosystems of the world. What makes them unique is that they can survive repeated dehydration and can lose nearly all the water they have in their bodies.

When dehydrated, they enter into a dormant state in which the body contracts and metabolism ceases. In this death-like dormant state, water bears manage to maintain the structures in their cells until water is available to 'reactivate' them.

In 1998, Japanese scientists subjected the creatures to pressures up to 6,000 greater than our atmosphere. They lived. In tests, they have also survived X-rays and being frozen to just above absolute zero - that's minus 273.15C, the coldest temperature possible.

'No animal has survived open space before,' says developmental biologist Bob Goldstein of the University of North Carolina.

'The finding that animals survived rehydration after days in open space - and then produced viable embryos as well - is really remarkable.'

Cute as a button.....

2008-09-13T03:47:00.001-07:00

Shell shocker: The baby turtle born with two-heads

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:43 PM on 12th September 2008

It is the baby turtle that proves two heads really are better than one.

While its siblings grow at a the usual steady pace, this tiny creature is speeding ahead.

The reason for its extraordinary growth spurt is simple: having two heads mean it eats twice as fast.

Enlarge

The two-headed turtle - a mutant - is a rare find

Staff could have been forgiven for thinking they were seeing double when the turtle turned up at the Water World aquatic farm at Wuwei town in Anhui, eastern China.

They had ordered a shipment of babies from a local farm - and discovered that one of them had two heads.

It weighed just 17g when it arrived at the centre but is now thriving.

Enlarge

Scientists will keep an eye on the turtle as it grows

Water World spokesman Jimmy Hu said: 'We got it two weeks ago and it's growing fast, probably because it can eat twice as fast as the others.

'It was mixed among many other turtles and we only discovered it this week.'

Mr Hu added: 'It's very rare to see a turtles with two heads, we plan to keep it and raise it carefully for future research.'

Enlarge

The turtle is growing fast since weighing in at 17g when it arrived at Water World

Photoshop

2008-09-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

I love photoshop it rocks

The Far side

2008-08-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

Trivia

2008-08-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

I love trivia, if never ceases to amaze me. Here are a few I found , enjoy.......

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter in the English language.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

A cockroach will live nine days without its head, before it starves to death.

The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

A jiffy is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second. Thus the saying, I will be there in a jiffy

Most elephants weigh less than the tongue of the blue whale

Most American car horns beep in the key of F

Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin

Look-alike contest

Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings!

Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to SLOW a film down so you could see his moves.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.

"Pants Man"Japanese Learning video.

2008-08-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

We can thank the Japanese for this information film .

The driller

2008-08-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

A new exhibition from the well know photographer Marc Antoni was unvalued today. Titled "The Drill" this picture seemed to provoke interest?

Jenson

2008-08-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a great band from my home town (well ish) they are called Jensen and used to play covers. These days they are working on there own stuff and looking for a record deal. So if you are in the area (Maidenhead,Slough,Marlow and Reading and surroundings, UK southeast) then go see them.

weird inventions

2008-08-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

weird inventions

Ever thought about ways to make you life a little easier. Check out this link....

Train station in Wales, UK

2008-08-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is a train station in Wales.The meaning is: St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool of St Tysillio's church, by the red cave.

Just a great Vid........

2008-08-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Performance Reviews

2008-08-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

These quips purport to have been taken from actual performance reviews. Some versions of the posts I have seen claim that the reviews were of federal employees.

Who can tell. Maybe someone just made them up. No matter. They are great anyway.

Performance Reviews

"Since my last report, this employee has reached rock bottom and has started to dig."

"This employee is really not so much of a has-been, but more of a definitely won't be."

"Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap."

"When she opens her mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet."

"He would be out of his depth in a parking lot puddle."

"This young lady has delusions of adequacy."

"He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."

"This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."

"This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts, the better."

"Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thing to hold it all together."

"A gross ignoramus — 144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus."

"He certainly takes a long time to make his pointless."

"He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier."

"I would like to go hunting with him sometime."

"He would argue with a signpost."

"He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room."

"When his IQ reaches 50, he should sell."

"If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he's the other one."

"A photographic memory but with the lens cap glued on."

"Donated his brain to science before he was done using it."

"Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming."

"Has two brains: one is lost and the other is out looking for it."

"If he were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week."

"If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change."

"If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."

"It's hard to believe that he beat out 1,000,000 other sperm."

"One neuron short of a synapse."

"Some drink from the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled."

"Takes him an hour and a half to watch 60 Minutes."

"The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead."

"Just a way to whittle away a few minutes of retirement."

"His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of morbid curiosity."

I would not allow this employee to breed.

This employee is really not so much of a has-been but more of a definite won't be."

"He's been working with glue too much."

"He has a knack for making strangers immediately."

"A prime candidate for natural deselection."

Money, Money, Money...........

2008-08-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

I Lived in Botswana for 5 years and have visited Zimbabwe a number of times. I remember when £1 got you $80 Zim dollars. How times change.....

Is this the biggest cheque EVER? For Zimbabwe $1,072,418,000,000,000 ... or about £2

Last updated at 6:13 PM on 30th July 2008

It is without doubt the largest cheque ever seen. But it’s worth little more than the paper it’s written on.

The astronomical sum of one quadrillion, seventy-two trillion, four hundred and eighteen billion and three million dollars only – note the only – was drawn on the MBCA Bank in Zimbabwe, part of one of the largest banking groups in Africa. Enlarge

The biggest cheque ever?: The amount is incomprehensible

It was paid by Kasawe Estates, a property company, and was emailed to the Daily Mail by a group of former Rhodesian expatriats who are horrified at Zimbabwe’s incredible rate of inflation – officially 2.2 million per cent, but, British experts say, closer to 12.5 million per cent.

Currency dealers said the plunging value of Zimbabwe dollars made it almost impossible to estimate its value, but some thought it would have been worth no more than a few pounds yesterday -- and certainly even less today.

The incredible cheque, which is believed to be a payment as part of a property deal, was revealed as the Zimbabwe central bank decided to reduce the huge sums that hard-pressed citizens have to deal with by simply knocking 10 zeros off the end. Enlarge

Desperate measures: The new Zimbabwean one dollar note

That means that from Friday, when new bank notes are printed, 10 billion old Zimbabwean dollars become a single dollar.

The desperate move was taken by bank governor Gideon Gono because the nation’s computers, calculators and ATMs faced meltdown because they can’t handle all the zeros involved when bread and staple foods cost billions and trillions of dollars.

The move came a week after Dr Gono introduced a 100 billion-dollar note which is now not enough to buy a loaf of bread.

But analysts said the move would do nothing to end an economic disaster blamed on President Robert Mugabe's land-grab policies which have caused chronic shortages of food and foreign currency.

The Guinness Book of Records says the greatest amount in real money paid by a single cheque in the history of banking was £2,474,655,000 (two billion four hundred and seventy four million, six hundred and fifty-five thousand pounds). It was issued in March 1995 as part of a share deal between Glaxo and the Wellcome Trust.

"The Zimbabwe dollar will be redenominated by a factor of one to 10, which means we are removing 10 zeros from our monetary value. Ten billion (Zimbabwean) dollars today will be reduced to one dollar with effective from August 1," Gono said in a television broadcast.

Fault: Robert Mugabe in Harare today. Analysts have blamed the hyperinflation on his economic policies

"The new currency will co-circulate together with the family of bearer cheques ... which shall cease to be legal tender on the 31st of December 2008," Gono said.

Fun with words.....

2008-08-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

Lost in Translation

I will start to teach English soon and thought it would be appropriate to share this. It was sent to me a few years ago and show the problems with translation.

The world is smaller. The internet has done that.

But language still poses many barriers.

What I say and what you hear may not always be the same.

Don't believe me? Buy a product made overseas and read the English translation of the instructions.

Need more examples? These marketing failures may help to illustrate . . .

1. Coors put its slogan, "Turn it loose", into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer from diarrhea".

2. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux."

3. Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick", a curling iron, into German only to find out that "mist" is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the "manure stick".

4. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the U.S., with the beautiful Caucasian baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what's inside, since most people can't read.

5. Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno magazine.

6. An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I saw the potato" (la papa).

7. Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" translated into "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave", in Chinese.

8. Frank Perdue's chicken slogan, "it takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" was translated into Spanish as "it takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate".

9. The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as "Ke-kou-ke-la", meaning "Bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax", depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent "ko-kou-ko-le", translating into "happiness in the mouth".

10. When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." Instead, the company thought that the word "embarazar" (to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read: "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."

First Post

2008-08-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from Africa.