notice how many floors are missing in the following ‘25 floor’ building in china…

1. the bennie railplane - 1922




back in the 1920s george bennie designed and built the railplane, a propeller-driven monorail initially intended to travel between glasgow and edinburgh. the design was way ahead of its time, the railplane capsule home to a 4-blade propeller at each end, each of these powered by its own electric motor - the result a cruising speed of 120mph.



a test track was built and demonstrations given to many astounded members of the public and potential backers of this futuristic mode of transport but ultimately the idea was dropped due to the projected costs and the start of the 2nd world war.



2. the rail zeppelin - 1929





the rail zeppelin was designed by frank kruchenberg, also responsible for designing zeppelin airships.
this dangerous looking beast was home to a huge bmw aircraft engine which drove the rear-mounted 4-blade wooden propeller, the resultant power responsible for a new train speed world record of 145mph in 1931.



the zeppelin was eventually scrapped due to the high risk design - it was extremely difficult to find insurance for the vehicle due to the propeller, especially on a public railway.



3. the dringos prop-locomotive - 1919

even before the rail zeppelin was designed the ‘dringos prop-locomotive’ prototype was being tested on tracks in berlin, a 2-blade propeller attached to each end of the train helping it achieve a speed of 60mph. higher speeds were probably achievable but not pushed for due to the ‘primitive chassis and braking system’ of this prototype.

outside interest for the concept was apparently lacking.



4. the leyat helica - 1913 



the model in the photo above was the first marketed version of the leyat helica, a propeller driven car designed by a frenchman called marcel leyat, a guy who actually designed and built planes until the beginning of the 2nd world war.


above: the leyat helica sport


above: this particular helica reached a record speed of 170kmh in 1927. the photo was taken that day.

5. the helicron no.1 - 1932



this beauty was discovered in a french barn 7 yrs ago, apparently after being left there by the owners in the 1930s. when found it needed a complete restoration and was rebuilt using most of the original parts. these days the huge wooden propeller helps the helicron reach a top speed of 75mph.



6. propeller driven bicycle - 1936

the article below is taken from a copy of popular science magazine in 1936 and i know nothing more about this particular invention. what i do know is that it’s one of the best pictures i’ve ever seen and that the amount of pedalling required to get that propeller moving at any decent rate must’ve been immense.
no wonder the guy looks close to death.



7. the aerosan - 1909



aerosans/aerosleds are basically propeller-driven sleds that were originally used in russia for recreational purposes.



around 10 yrs after their conception a number of aerosans were developed specifically for the soviet red army, uses including mail-delivery, border patrol and relatively rapid medical support.



a number of different models were designed, more can be read about them here.

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

if you’re anything like me you’ll be pretty jealous of this guy, peter hiesinger.

for as long as i can remember i’ve always wanted my biceps to look like massive mouldy tomatoes - i just never knew which machine to use at the gym. this fella obviously found that very machine pretty early
on and never looked back.





check out the hole in his bicep in the next one. must’ve fallen on something sharp.



completely unrelated, here’s a photo of a bicep that’s been introduced to far too much synthol..



and here’s that same man, gregg valentino, before his body gave in..




source

most of you will have seen one of these giant tap illusions before..



they can usually be found in waterparks around the world, surrounded by young kids attempting to destroy the hidden pole that holds it up. well late japanese-american architect isamu noguchi took this family favourite one step further and created an incredible looking set of fountains for the world expo in osaka, japan. the effect is stunning and surreal, the boxes seemingly held in the air by the force of the water.




these were the only photos i could locate on the intertubes. if you know of any others please let me know.

sources: 1, 2

a house’s exterior drainage system in dresden, germany…




thanks to jeff for the photos

here are some examples of vehicle cemeteries around the world, areas on earth that have unwittingly become the home to rusting, unused machines - remember, this is just a selection of the many boneyards on earth and while they often look stunning and make for a great photo, the environmental costs far outweigh the view.

(photos found on flickr link to source)

- ships

bay of nouadhibou, mauritania

welcome to the bay of nouadhibou, mauritania, an area containing over 300 ships which have been abandoned during the last 20 years.
until recently the attraction of this particular area for frustrated boat owners was, unsurprisingly, money. in order to avoid the high costs needed to discard a ship properly, people from all around the globe slowly realised that the harbour authority in this particular bay was corrupt and would turn a blind eye to any decaying vessel in return for a cheeky backhander.
the result can be seen below. it’s a surreal, haunting image. there’s an unembeddable clip of some of the dead ships here.

have a look on google maps here.





- mining vehicles

consolidated diamond mine, oranjemund, namibia 

i found this brilliant photo on flickr (click pic to go source) and, according to the description, once a piece of mining equipment or a mining vehicle enters the consolidated diamond mine in oranjemund, namibia, it’s never allowed to leave. for that reason there’s a huge vehicle graveyard near the mine. considering the mine apparently owns the largest private earthmoving fleet in the world, that must be a huge boneyard.



i’ve had a look on google maps for the boneyard but the area is massive. the picture below is of a collection of machinery i found - whether it’s the correct collection i don’t know. take a look on google maps here.



- planes

amarc/the boneyard, tuscon, arizona


home to over 4000 aircraft, amarc (aerospace maintenance and regeneration center) is managed by the us airforce material command who claim to carry out ‘a continual process of anti-corrosion and re-preservation work’ in order to stop the unused aircraft damaging the surrounding environment. whether that’s the case or not, i don’t know.

either way, it’s an immense amount of aircraft in such a relatively small area.

take a look on google maps here.




- trains

train cemetery, uyuni, bolivia 

a kilometre outside the town of uyuni in bolivia is the train cemetery, a resting place for dozens of old steam engines along a short length of unused track. pretty much all of the trains are comlpetely covered in rust and way beyond any kind of repair, the eerie sight attracting a large number of tourists each year who have come to the area to see the world’s largest salt flats (salar de uyuni) and a few locals on the hunt for scrap metal.

the area on google maps can be found here.





- nuclear-propelled submarines

various harbours, far east russia 



frightening but true.

following the cold war, russia is now home to the largest fleet of nuclear-propelled submarines in the world, a large percentage of these currently out of service and residing in harbours on the eastern coast of russia in various states of decay, the main reason for the neglect apparently being lack of funds. these areas have become known as the ’submarine cemeteries’.

here are some photos from just a couple of these harbours.

zvezda



above: 2 unused submarines at zvezda shipyard.

below: a similar scene on google maps. direct link here.



chazma bay
 


above: submarine reactor compartment units floating in chazma bay.

below: a simliar view on google maps. link here.



sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

this is quirin chapel in luxembourg, built in 1355.

it’s quite difficult to work out at first glance due to the bizarre location of the building, the road above not helping to ease the visual confusion.



the chapel is built into the rock, much of the interior space situated under the road and entry can be gained either through the visible front door or by way of a tunnel to the rear which connects to the incredible undergound network of casements below luxembourg city.



source

the pontcysyllte aquaduct in north wales is the highest navigable aqueduct in the world. built in 1805, the ‘waterway in the sky’ enables the llangollen canal to travel over the river dee valley 126ft above ground. it was designed by thomas telford and immediately hailed as an ‘engineering marvel’ by many.



as if the height wasn’t scary enough, only the side walkable by pedestrians is guarded by a rail. if you’re on a narrowboat crossing the valley and you’re even slightly afraid of heights, it’s not advisable to look to the right…




one false move and you could very easily plummet 126ft to the ground…



watch this clip and be prepared to soil your pants..



use your eyes to experience a 360 degree panorama of the view from the top here.

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

(any photos found on flickr are linked to the user’s page)

the humans that designed the following monsters should be commended. i say that because it really can’t be easy making a building so disgusting and i actually think it takes more brainpower to make something this hideous than it does to come up with a stunner. so for effort i’d give them all a 10. artistic merit? 0.

so well done chaps. really well done.

in no particular order…

9. torre velasca, milan, italy

architects - belgiojoso, peressutti and rogers



an absolute eyesore, this hulk of a building can be found in the centre of milan, just opposite milan cathedral.
look at it. it has no grace. it’s colour (i think it’s officially called ‘muddy puddle brown’) is depressing and the top-heavy shape confusing. the struts half way up make it look like some kind of insect and if fangs suddenly appeared one morning i wouldn’t be shocked.

8. taipei 101, taipei, taiwan

architects - c. y. lee & partners



the tallest building in the world also happens to be one of the ugliest. first of all, it looks cheap. the staggered effect makes it look like a massive child has just plonked each of the sections on one by one in a matter of minutes. secondly, it’s wearing a belt. that in turn makes the building look like an enormous, armless, useless, kilt-wearing robot.

7. hotel piccadilly, manchester, united kingdom

architects - covell, matthews & partners 



i come face-to-face with this despicable, shitty building on a daily basis and i’m still shocked by its hideousness each time.

i used to think that a good scrub to the exterior with some soap might give it some hope. i quickly realised that this would be the worst possible course of action due to the fact that a clean and shiny hotel piccadilly may stand out more, thus catching more pedestrians’ eyes, in turn causing more offence.

6. russian embassy building, havana, cuba

architects - unknown



what the hell is this meant to look like?

i can’t even begin to fathom the thought process behind this design. remember, this was created by (hopefully) people with qualifications. the thin tower at the top looks pathetic, as if it got lost on its way to a castle - it’s proper home. the locals call it ‘the vodka bottle’.

the whole thing just looks like a building where punishments are handed out, the most severe at the top.

5. hotel sofitel, tokyo, japanarchitects - kikutake architects



horrific.

if you asked a child to draw a white christmas tree using a bbc micro computer they’d possibly come up with something similar to this. it stands out like a sore thumb and looks like some kind of high-rise detention centre. and how is it a good idea to have practically no windows on one side of a massive building? i hope to god sofitel don’t print photos of this monstrosity in their brochures.

4. ryugyong hotel, pyongyang, north korea

architects - baikdoosan architects



this disgraceful creation has stood unfinished since 1992, the year construction stopped, and the crane still stands at the top. unbelievably it wasn’t based on a young child’s space rocket sketch.
the fact that it is incomplete still doesn’t save it as i can’t see what further developments would make this even slightly attractive.

3. tuk chang, bangkok, thailand

architects - arun chaiseri group



‘tuk chang’ translates as ‘elephant building’. however, instead of a tusk it seems they decided to give it a beak. either way, objects resembling animals should not exceed a certain size.
of course, none of this matters in the grand scheme of things. the main thing to remember is that the building is a man-made stain on our planet. the fact that the elephant is thailand’s national symbol makes no difference, i just know that i’d be thoroughly ashamed to live anywhere near it, let alone be responsible for its design.

2. westin hotel, new york, united states

architects - arquitectonica




this building makes me angry.

ok, so it’s situated in times square and if it had to be built then that’s probably the only home for it, but leave the gaudiness to the neon signs and electronic billboards. for $300 million i’d expect a building that turned heads for a positive reason. the shapes, angles, colour scheme… all badly designed. awful.

1. green citadel, madgeburg, germany

architect - friedensreich hundertwasser



absolutely disgusting.

if i saw this at disney world i’d let it go. i’d be slightly repelled but yeah, i wouldn’t feel wronged. to see it in a town centre and learn that it’s an accommodation block really really concerns me. witnessing crap like this truly makes me want to start a petition to enforce some kind of public jury system to greenlight proposed constructions because the current system is obviously not working.

sources: 1, 2, 3

‘monster x’ (thanks - unlucky with the name) sent me these brilliant aerial shots illustrating the rapid growth of dubai over the last few decades. it’s not surprising at all but pretty cool nonetheless.
notice the man-made islands in the last shot.



dubai, 1973



dubai, 1990



dubai, 2006

i think a photo for each of the last 15 years would’ve been even more impressive, the speed at which the area’s been growing recently is fucking phenomenal.

i’m missing something here.

never have i been so confused by a bus stop.





it’s a fully functioning bus stop in ventura, california and it looks like some kind of mutant house snake. it’s very possible that i’d be too scared to sit on a bench in the middle of that and calmly wait for a bus.
turns out the guy that designed it, dennis oppenheim, also created this beauty called ‘device to root out evil’…




it’s situated at harbour green park in vancouver and obviously caused some controversy.

read more in the flickr description here.

here’s a quick selection of shocking photos / google maps links to start the day. they all illustrate an extreme degree of wealth divide in different parts of the world.

1. paraisópolis favela, morumbi, sao paulo



(above: check out the size of the tennis courts in comparison to the size of the housing on the left)

the shantytown area in the photo is called paraisópolis favela, which bizarrely translates as ‘paradise city’.
you can see the area on google maps hither.



2. caracas, venezuela



caracas is the capital of venezuela - the shacks on the left are called ranchos and most of the hillsides in the area are inhabited by the poorer population (a whopping 80% of the entire population of caracas) in similar housing.



the area on google maps is shown below. map link here.



3. dharavi, mumbai



dharavi is one of the largest slums in the world, home to over 1 million people. due to the location of the slum, the ground below it is actually worth a huge amount of money and the government apparently has plans to transform the area in the near future.



below is the slum on google maps. direct link here.



sources: 1, 2

trust the japanese to make a bridge look like a rollercoaster.

built in 1981, the kawazu loop bridge is possibly the only double loop bridge in the world.
at 45 meters high, 1.1 km long and with a diameter of 80 metres this apparently earthquake-proof construction is something of a tourist attraction in kawazu, japan.

i wonder how many people have accidentally driven of the edge due to dizziness.





as soon as they install a vertical loop i’m there.

sources: 1, 2, 3

to live at the top of one of these roads would be my worst nightmare, mainly due to my current lung capacity being similar to that of a baby slug with a smoking habit. plus, i don’t think i could sleep at night with my car parked outside unless it was cemented to the floor.

before i start, this is just a selection of some of the steepest streets on earth. i’m sure i’ve probably missed out a few corkers. let me know and i’ll maybe add them. also, to explain the grade percentage: as an example, a road with a 30% grade would rise 30 feet in height for every 100 feet travelled horizontally.

1. canton avenue, pittsburgh, united states - grade = 37%

officially not the steepest street in the world, canton avenue is actually steeper than the current world record holder, baldwin street in new zealand. for that very good reason alone i’m sticking it at the top.




it’s not a very long road but if you check out the cyclist’s face in the photo below you’ll see that it’s definitely long enough.



2. baldwin street, dunedin, new zealand - grade = 35%

the current world record holder of ’steepest street in the world’, baldwin street is famous for its slope. it was previously thought that the road’s gradient hit 38% near the top but that was apparently a mistake.





if handbrakes could sob there’d be a stream of tears running down the road in the photo below.



the clip below consists of a pretty annoying guy on a segway attempting to ride up the slope. unfortunately he makes it.



3. eldred street, los angeles, united states - grade = 33.3%

the guy in the photo below looks thoroughly depressed and you can’t blame him. he lives in los angeles. add to that equation the fact that he lives on the steepest street in the city and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.




there’s a los angeles times article about the street here.



4. fargo street, los angeles, united states - grade = 32%

fargo street in 1930…



once a year around 90 mentalists gather at the base of fargo street in los angeles for the fargo street hill climb. they then attempt to scale the hill on a bicycle as many times as humanly possible in a day.



this year the winner was a guy called steve gilmore and he managed it 92 times, in the process climbing around 14′000ft in only 15 miles.



watch this clip and feel the pain…



sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

(click photos for bigger versions)



this strange-looking beast in tokyo is an artificial island and tourist attraction by the name of umihotaru (translation: marine firefly) which forms part of the tokyo bay aqualine, a bridge-tunnel that connects kawasaki and kisarazu.



cars can either drive over the 4.4km bridge to the island and park in order to admire the view or drive straight through to the tunnel entrance where they will be taken under the water for 9.5km until they reach kawasaki.
to see this incredible bridge-tunnel on google maps click here.



the tunnel is apparently the longest underwater road tunnel in the world.
here’s a clip of a car parking up on umihotaru…



sources: 1, 2

on earth there are close to 100 impact craters with a diameter of 0.1km or more, many of them either so eroded or large that they can only be recognised on satellite images. for the uninitiated, impact craters are formed by the hypervelocity impact of a meteoroid, asteroid or comet on the earth’s surface (or the surface of any large object in space). i’ve chosen 5 of these incredible craters and used my computer’s keyboard and mouse to present the results below.
any photos i found on flickr are linked to the account.

1. barringer crater, arizona, united states (google maps)

age - 49′000 yrs
diameter - 1.2 km




it’s hard to believe that the photo above is actually of our planet.
probably the most famous crater on earth and also the first on the planet to be recognized as an impact crater, barringer crater in arizona is actually one of the smaller examples with a piddly diameter of 1.2km and depth of 570ft. the impact occured 49′000 years ago.



here’s a flyby of the crater…



2. gosses bluff, northern territory, australia (google maps)

age - 142.5 million yrs
diameter - 5 km



around 142.5 million years ago gosses bluff crater was formed by an object thought to be around 600 metres in diameter. the crater you see today is actually a lot smaller than the original depression due to erosion. its diameter currently stands at 5km, the original diameter thought to have been closer to 20km.



3. vredefort crater, johannesburg, south africa (google maps)

age - 2 billion yrs
diameter - 300 km



with an astounding diameter of around 300km, vredefort basin in south africa is currently the largest confirmed impact crater on earth and also one of the oldest at 2 billion years. the crater was the result of an extreme impact with an object whose diameter was 10km.



4. manicouagan reservoir, quebec, canada (google maps)

age - 212 million yrs
diameter - 72 km



this incredible 72km wide impact crater in quebec has slowly transformed into its current state, what was originally the rim of the crater has since eroded away due to glaciation. the impact occured around 212 million years ago and the diameter of the asteroid is estimated to have been approximately 5km.

you can clearly see the reservoir in the amazing photo below, taken from the international space station during the sts-100 mission.



5. bosomtwe crater, lake bosomtwe, ghana (google maps)

age - 1.2 million yrs
diameter - 10.5 km



the actual impact crater which holds lake bosomtwe is 10.5km in diameter, the lake itself 7km. the impact took place 1 million years ago and since then, due to heavy rainfall, the water level has sometimes spilled over the rim and flooded surrounding areas.



sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

satellite dishes are slowly taking over the world. they’re creeping up every building on earth, sucking the life out of all humans within the walls.

i reckon the guy in the first photo succumbed a long time ago and now works directly for the dishes.



munich…



kosovo…



tehran (please note, they’re illegal here)…



kabul…



amsterdam…

(if you’re expecting filth you’ll be disappointed).

looking at photos like these scares and fascinates me in equal doses. the sheer scale of these holes reminds you of just how tiny you are.

mirny diamond mine, serbia siberia

i’m pretty sure most people have seen this one. it’s an absolute beast and holds the title of largest open diamond mine in the world. at 525 metres deep with a top diameter of 1200 metres there’s even a no-fly zone above the hole due to a few helicopters being sucked in.



the red arrow in the photo below is pointing to a huge truck.




kimberley big hole - south africa

apparently the largest ever hand-dug excavation in the world, this 1097 metre deep mine yielded over 3 tonnes of diamonds before being closed in 1914.



the amount of earth removed by workers is estimated to total 22.5 million tonnes.



glory hole - monticello dam

a glory hole is used when a dam is at full capacity and water needs to be drained from the resevoir.



this is the glory hole belonging to monticello dam in california and it’s the largest in the world, its size enabling it to consume 14′400 cubic feet of water every second.




the hole can be seen at the top left of the photo above. if you were to jump in for some reason your slightly damp body would shoot out near the bottom of the dam (below).



bingham canyon mine, utah




this is supposedly the largest man-made excavation on earth. extraction began in 1863 and still continues today, the pit increasing in size constantly. in its current state the hole is 3/4 mile deep and 2.5 miles wide.




great blue hole, belize

situated 60 miles off the mainland of belize is this incredible ‘geographical phenomenon’ known as a blue hole. there are numerous blue holes around the world but none as stunning as this one.



at surface level the near perfectly circular hole is 1/4 mile wide, the depth in the middle reaching 145 metres. obviously the hole is a huge hit with divers. read more here.



diavik mine, canada

this incredible mine can be found 300km northeast of yellowknife in canada.



the mine is so huge and the area so remote that it even has its own airport with a runway large enough to accomodate a boeing 737. it also looks equally as cool when the surrounding water is frozen.




sinkhole, guatemala

a sinkhole is caused when water (usually rainwater or sewage) is soaked up by the earth on a large scale, resulting in the ground collapsing.



these photos are of a sinkhole which occured early this year in guatemala. the hole swallowed a dozen homes and killed at least 3 people.



officials blamed the monster of a hole on a ruptured sewage pipe.



a news report about the hole…



sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

(…or ‘top 10 films with at least one scene which contains an actor convincingly portraying a pissed person’.)

it’s easy to stumble around, roll your eyes and slur your words in front of a camera but it’s not that often you watch a movie and wonder whether an actor was actually hammered during shooting due to such a convincing turn as a drunken fool.

i’m sure you will anyway but let me know of any glaring omissions, preferably not in the following format that i’ve become accustomed to recently:

“you cock, you don’t know anything. you fucking missed __________. i hate you”.

so, the list…

10. steve buscemi - trees lounge (imdb)


first off: the guy’s a legend and i wish he was in every film i chose to watch.
he wrote and directed this film and it’s definitely worth a watch - it’s one of those films where not much happens but the not much is extremely enjoyable. he plays tommy barilio, an alcoholic who spends his days sitting at the bar. the thing is, no matter what film i see him in he looks either pissed or extremely hungover so the chances of him not being convincing as a pisshead when he actually makes the effort are always gonna be slim.



9. val kilmer - tombstone (imdb)


ahh, rememeber when val kilmer was a decent judge of a script? he’s the best thing about this film as the permanently drunk doc holliday and passes the convincing drunkard test with flying colours. the amount of extremely quotable, half-cut lines he delivers totals a very large number that i really can’t be bothered to work out.



8. elizabeth taylor - who’s afraid of virginia woolf? (imdb) 

taylor deservedly won an oscar for her performance in this classic and it’s easy to see why, playing one half of a volatile, alochol dependant couple opposite richard burton who also excels in his drunken role. taylor pips it though and is often frighteningly convincing as she lays into pretty much every other character on screen.



7. bing crosby - the country girl (imdb)

bing crosby plays an alcoholic actor in this 1954 film alongside grace kelly as his long-suffering wife. she actually won an oscar for her role but he walked away empty handed - if i was him i’d have been pretty pissed off. he’s brilliant in every scene and appears to be literally drunk in a large percentage of his appearances during the film. bravo.



6. william h macy - magnolia (imdb)


possibly the most criminally under-used actor on earth, macy gives an incredible performance in this incredible film. there’s only really one scene of drunkenness (see below) but he completely nails it as a drunk quiz-kid donnie smith. the word tragic doesn’t do the scene justice.



5. ray milland - the lost weekend (imdb)

before i watched this film i was the sort of person that hated black and white films for no good reason. then i saw the light. it’s a great movie in every way and milland’s performance is legendary, his slow descent into drink-fuelled insanity totally believable from start to finish. there’s a scene where his character starts hallucinating due to an alcohol overload which is harrowing to say the least and how he managed to switch off after filming is anyone’s guess.



4. dudley moore - arthur (imdb)

i must’ve watched this film at least 10 times when i was a kid and every time i assumed dudley moore was actually drunk. there’s a possibility that i was hugely gullible as a child but even so, i’ve never been as entertained as when i witnessed dudley expertly slurring every sentence and generally making a fool of himself as arthur. his drunken comedic timing was especially good. if ever there was a pissed character that i looked up to it was this one.



3. richard e grant - withnail & i (imdb)

it’s an obvious inclusion in this list but only because it’s so good. there’s a couple of things that make it even more worthy. firstly, this was richard e grant’s first film. secondly, before filming this he had never been drunk - not because he can really take his booze but because he’s teetotal. the director apparently forced grant to go on a drinking binge before shooting so he could experience drunkenness and the following hangover, something the actor was apparently not too happy about.



2. mickey rourke - barfly (imdb)

interesting fact: before mickey rourke’s head expanded and started resembling a giant walnut he actually looked like a human.
as with leaving las vegas, after watching this film you may actually feel slightly drunk. it was written by charles bukowski and is based on a period of his life when all he did was drink. rourke is astounding as drunk poet henry and is utterly convincing as an alcoholic who meets a lady in the same predicament. the script is pretty clever too but rourke’s acting draws you in and after a while you could easily believe him to be genuinely hammered.



1. nicolas cage - leaving las vegas (imdb)


fucking hell, this film is hard work to watch. not just because of the subject matter but due to the utterly convincing portrayal of an alcoholic by nicolas cage. to prepare he spent weeks binge drinking with a friend who filmed his behaviour so he could then study the effects and if the acting had been any less than perfect this film could have been an embarassing shambles. there are so many amazingly effective scenes that it’s impossible for me to pick one out. if for some reason you haven’t watched it, make sure you do soon. but not on a first date.

on a daily basis for the past few months i’ve been reading about mammoth building projects in dubai but seeing the following fact today still came as a shocker:

‘24% of the world’s construction cranes are currently being used in dubai‘ - (source - dubai’s gulf news)

that’s around 30′000 of the 125′000 or so that exist.

holy fuck. even if that’s been exaggerated slightly it’s still impressive. anyway, i’ve found a few of them…

child prodigies? pushy parents? exploitation?

have a look and decide…

rafita mirabal



when i was 10 years old my idea of danger was knocking on number 34’s door and running away. the adrenaline nearly knocked me out. 10 year old rafita mirabal has different ideas - he’s a bullfighter. with real bulls. there are differences between this mini-matador and the fully grown versions (the bulls are smaller and the finale doesn’t involve him spearing the animal to death due to lack of strength), but that doesn’t mean the bulls give him an easy ride. he’s been knocked about and stamped on many times, his bravery just fuelling his fame throughout mexico.

his parents’ thoughts?

“as long as this is his passion, we’ll do battle alongside him.”



akrit jaswal



when he was just 7 years old akrit jaswal performed an operation on an 8 year old girl to seperate her fingers which had been fused together in an accident. now 12 years old, akrit is busy in his own laboratory trying to find a cure for cancer, something he claims to have almost found. his obsession with medicine started when he was very young - he memorised medical books and dissected chickens to get a better understanding of surgery. he has also handed out prescriptions in his home town to thousands of people after word spread about his gift. bizarrely, his father left the family home last year and told his son not to get in touch until he had discovered the cure.

now that’s what I call pressure.

below is the first part of a fascinating documentary about akrit. subsequent parts can be found on this youtube user’s page.



solomon yirenkyi



for the past 3 years, 11 year old solomon has been preaching at his local church in ghana every sunday for several hours as well as presenting two weekly radio shows. his father is a well-known preacher / healer too, his stage name being ‘jesus one touch’, and realised his son was meant for bigger things when he started imitating his sermons aged 3. his son subsequently stole his dad’s crown and now stands on stage on a weekly basis holding a microphone that’s possibly larger than his head. since starting he has, amongst other things, ‘healed the blind, caused the dumb to talk and the crippled to walk‘. his father has recieved critisism from a few different angles, the majority from those who believe he’s exploiting his son for financial gain.

budhia singh



at the age of 3, budhia singh was running a growth-stunting 20 miles per day in his hometown of orissa in india. incidentally, at the same age i specifically remember having difficulty running around the couch without getting a stitch. budhia is now the world’s youngest marathon runner and in may 2006 he somehow managed to cover 65km in 7 hours 2 minutes, without a break. just about every organisation in the world has been quick to condemn the boy’s coach who has apparently made a small fortune from budhia’s success and on may 8th 2006 the indian government ordered budhia to stop running. the coach has since been arrested.

below is a news report about the kerfuffle.



extras:

- a short clip to make you smile..



- and you thought getting into mensa was an achievement? the giga society’s aim is “to honor the efforts of the very highest scorers, who are of great importance to the development of ultra-high-ceiling tests for mental abilities”. it’s so difficult to gain entry that only 1 out of every 1 billion people on earth would qualify for membership.

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

at the time, in 1864, tokyo was called edo and the population was 1.3 million. the name change occured in 1868.

click for massive versions.




and as we know it now..