) The Worlds Most Outlandish Creatures

 Check out these outlandish creatures from around the world! Mother nature has really indulged in her creative side with them! Includes incredible creatures like the Olm, Assassin spider, blobfish, satanic gecko and others!

 

Blanket Octopus

 The Blanket Octopus is a truly remarkable sight. This unique octopus is able to open its tentacles to reveal a thin colorful membrane which spreads out like a ‘blanket’, this  is done to make the Blanket Octopus look bigger and ward away predators

Blobfish

The Blobfish doesn’t really do much… content to float in place and wait for food to stumble upon it, the Blobfish is a true opportunist. This type of lifestyle works well for the Blobfish as it means the Blobfish is able to survive on small amounts of food due to the lack of exertion in its life.
 

Hemeroplanes Caterpillar

I know the picture looks like a snake but i assure you this is 100% a caterpillar. Infact that is the entire point of the Hemeroplanes Caterpillar, this master of camouflage has a very uniwue defense mechanism in that it can do a very good impression of a pit viper. If the Hemeroplanes Caterpillar feels threatened it will raise the top half of its body from the surface and inflate to resemble a pit viper – this crafty caterpillar even emulates a lunging motion giving the impression its about to strike!

 Assassin Spider

Is it a spider? Or is it a giraffe? Look at its neck! The Assassin Spider (above) is indeed a truly bizarre specimen. The Assassin Spider sports a long neck which is needed to provide leverage due to its massive jaws which is uses to expertly catch and assassinate its prey.

 Hairy Crab

Wouldn’t it be great if you could detoxify the air around you, removing pollution and poisons? That’s exactly what the ‘hairs’ that this crab is named for do. The ‘hair’ which is actually setae acts as i filter and removes damaging poisons and chemicals from the water surrounding the Hairy Crab. This ability is especially important to the blind Hairy Crab as it is known to make its home in some of the most inhospitable environments.

 Hatchetfish

This small fish spends its entire life in the darkest parts of the worlds oceans hidden from prying eyes. The Hatchetfish may not seem spectacular at first sight however the Hatchetfish is actually a light source in the deep, dark oceans it calls home. The Hatchetfish has organs in its sides called photophores which can be ‘turned on’ to give out a glow similar to that of an led light. The Hatchetfish uses this ability to attract unsuspecting prey and will do the opposite to evade predators.

 Leafy Sea Dragon

The Leafy Sea Dragon is a master of camouflage and spends its days drifting through the water perfectly emulating a floating piece of seaweed. The Leafy Sea Dragon gos to great lengths to stay camouflaged such as traveling extremely slow as to not give itself away. Like its closest relatives the sea horses, the male Leafy Sea Dragon carries fertilized eggs until they are ready to hatch.

 Olm

The Olm is a fascinating example of an amphibian that makes its home in the waters of Europe. This bizarre creature can only be found in the deepest, darkest waters and relies on none of the traditional senses we humans are used to such as sight or hearing.

 Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko

So far we’ve had numerous masters of camouflage in this list but the Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko really deserves the number one spot! Could there ever be a more accurate representation of a crusty dead leaf? I don’t think so!

The Steepest Streets in the World!

These are 3 of the steepest streets in the World, includes the Guinness record setting Baldwin Street in Dunedin New Zealand, Canton Street in the US and the picturesque Waipio Valley road in Hawaii!

 

 

 

Baldwin Street ( Dunedin, New Zealand )

 Baldwin Street, in a quiet suburban part of New Zealand's southern city of Dunedin, is reputed to be the world's steepest street. It is located in the suburb of North East Valley, 3.5 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. At its maximum, the slope of Baldwin Street is approximately 1:2.86 (19° or 35%) - that is, for every 2.86 metres travelled horizontally, the elevation rises by 1 metre. Baldwin Street's claim to fame has caused some controversy after it emerged that the original entry in the Guinness Book of Record.

Canton Avenue ( Pittsburgh, United States )

 Canton Avenue is quite possibly also the steepest street in the world, as Baldwin Street in New Zealand, which is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's steepest, has an officially-recorded grade of 35%, two percent less than Canton's. However, Baldwin Street's angle continues over a longer trajectory.

Canton Avenue has a grade of 37%, meaning that for every 100 ft (30 m) of horizontal distance traveled, the elevation changes by 37 ft (11 m)

 Waipio Valley ( Hawaii )

 Waipiʻo Valley is a valley located in the Hamakua District of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. "Waipiʻo" means "curved water" in the Hawaiian language.

A steep road leads down into the valley from a lookout point located on the top of the southern wall of the valley. The road gains 800 vertical feet (243.84 m) in 0.6 miles (0.9 km) at a 25% average grade, with steeper grades in sections. This is a paved public road but it is open only to 4 wheel drive vehicles. If classified as a road, it would be the steepest road of its length in the United States and possibly the world.

 

Waipio Valley Airplane View

7 Fascinating Underwater Ruins

Here are seven of the most fascinating underwater ruins! Includes Dwarka Port and Mahabalipuram in India,  Cleopatra's Palace in Alexandria, World's Wickedest City in Jamaica, Yonaguni-Jima in Japan, Pavlopetr in Greece & the Lost Villages in Canada!

 

Dwarka Port (India)

Among the most exciting archaeological discoveries made in India in recent years are those made off the coast of Dwarka and Bet Dwarka in Gujarat. Excavations have been going on since 1983. These two places are 30 km away from each other. Dwarka is on the Arabian sea coast, and Bet Dwarka is in the Gulf of Kutch. Both these places are connected with the god Krishna and there are many temples here, mostly belonging to the medieval period.

Rated as one of the seven most ancient cities in the country, the legendary city of Dvaraka was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna. It is believed that due to damage and destruction by the sea, Dvaraka has submerged six times and modern day Dwarka is the 7th such city to be built in the area.

Archaeologists were keen to find out whether there were any older remains off the coast at these places.

The submerged temples of Mahabalipuram (India)

According to popular belief, the famous Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram wasn't a single temple, but the last of a series of seven temples, six of which had submerged. New finds suggest that there may be some truth to the story. A major discovery of submerged ruins was made in April of 2002 offshore of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, South India. The discovery, at depths of 5 to 7 meters (15 to 21 feet) was made by a joint team from the Dorset based Scientific Exploration Society (SES) and marine archaeologists from India's National Institute of Oceanography (NIO). Investigations at each of the locations revealed stone masonry, remains of walls, square rock cut remains, scattered square and rectangular stone blocks and a big platform with steps leading to it. All these lay amidst the locally occurring geological formations of rocks.

Cleopatra's Palace in Alexandria (Egypt)

 

Off the shores of Alexandria, the city of Alexander the Great, lies what is believed to be the ruins of the royal quarters of Cleopatra. A team of marine archaeologists led by Frenchman Franck Goddio made excavation on this ancient city from where Cleopatra, the last queen of the Ptolemies, ruled Egypt. Historians believe this site was submerged by earthquakes and tidal waves more than 1,600 years ago.


World's Wickedest City, Port Royal (Jamaica)

 

One of the advantages of marine or nautical archeology is that, in many instances, catastrophic events send a ship or its cargo to the bottom, freezing a moment in time. A catastrophe that has helped nautical archeologists was the earthquake that destroyed part of the city of Port Royal, Jamaica. Once known as the "Wickedest City on Earth" for its sheer concentration of pirates, prostitutes and rum, Port Royal is now famous for another reason: "It is the only sunken city in the New World," according to Donny L. Hamilton.

In contrast to many archaeological sites, the investigation of Port Royal yielded much more than simply trash and discarded items. An unusually large amount of perishable, organic artifacts were recovered, preserved in the oxygen-depleted underwater environment. Together with the vast treasury of complimentary historical documents, the underwater excavations of Port Royal have allowed for a detailed reconstruction of everyday life in an English colonial port city of the late 17th century.

8000-year-old Yonaguni-Jima (Japan)

 

Situated 68 miles beyond the east coast of Taiwan, Yonaguni Islands are a remarkable place for its rugged and mountainous coastlines. The special attraction is the submerged ruins located in the southern coast of Yonaguni: a superb 100×50x25 meters man-made artifact out of solid rock slabs stands erect at right angles. Its is estimated to be around 8000 years old, which is remarkably early for the kind of technology that has been used for carving it. Different theories exist about the possible identities of this structure.

Pavlopetri (Greece)

 

The ancient town of Pavlopetri lies in three to four metres of water just off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. The ruins date from at least 2800 BC through to intact buildings, courtyards, streets, chamber tombs and some thirty-seven cist graves which are thought to belong to the Mycenaean period (c.1680-1180 BC). This Bronze Age phase of Greece provides the historical setting for much Ancient Greek literature and myth, including Homer's Age of Heroes.

The Lost Villages (Canada)

 

"The Lost Villages" are ten communities in the Canadian province of Ontario, in the former townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck (now South Stormont) near Cornwall, which were permanently submerged by the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958.

Top 5 World's Most Amazing Islands

Check out these interesting Islands, very interesting info! Includes the Alcatraz Island, Easter Island, Sealand, Surtsey & the Gunkanjima!

 

 

5. ALCATRAZ ISLAND (USA): home to the first lighthouse on the Pacific Coast

Alcatraz Island (sometimes informally referred to as simply Alcatraz or by its pop-culture name, The Rock) is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States. It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963, when it became a national recreation area. The first European to discover the island was Juan de Ayala in 1775, who charted the San Francisco Bay and named the island "La Isla de los Alcatraces", which means "Island of the Pelicans".

The discovery of gold in California in 1848 brought thousands of ships to San Francisco Bay, creating an urgent need for a navigational lighthouse. In response, Alcatraz lighthouse #1 was erected and lit in the summer of 1853. Because of its natural isolation in the middle of a bay, surrounded by cold water and strong sea currents, Alcatraz was soon considered by the U.S. Army as an ideal location for holding captives. Alcatraz was the Army's first long-term prison, and it was already beginning to build its reputation as a tough detention facility by exposing inmates to harsh conditions and iron fisted discipline. Due to rising operational costs because of its location, the Military Department decided to close this famous prison in 1934, and it was subsequently taken over by the Department of Justice and later became the famous federal prision and finally a recreation area.

 

4. EASTER ISLAND (Polynesian triangle, Chile): world heritage site and one of the most isolated inhabited islands in history

Easter Island is one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands. It is 3,600 km (2,237 miles) west of continental Chile and 2,075 km (1,290 miles) east of Pitcairn. Nowdays, it is a Chilean-governed island, and is a world heritage site with much of the island protected by the Rapa Nui National Park.

First settled by a small party of Polynesians, Easter Island is one of the youngest inhabited territories on Earth, and for most of its history it was the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth. Its inhabitants the Rapanui have endured famines, epidemics, civil war, slave raids and colonialism; have seen their population crash on more than one occasion, and created a cultural legacy that has brought them fame out of all proportion to their numbers.

3. SEALAND (Principality): World's smallest island

The Principality of Sealand is an island and a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius.

Since 1967, the installation has been occupied by associates and family of Paddy Roy Bates, a former radio broadcaster and former British Army Major, who claims that it is a sovereign and independent state. Critics, as well as court rulings in the United States and in Germany, have claimed that Roughs Tower has always remained the property of the United Kingdom, a view that is disputed by the Bates family. The population of the facility rarely exceeds ten, and its habitable area is 550 m2 (5920 sq ft). 

Sealand's claims to sovereignty and legitimacy are not recognised by any country, yet it is sometimes cited in debates as an interesting case study of how various principles of international law can be applied to a territorial dispute.

 

2. SURTSEY (Iceland): The emerging island

Off the coast of Iceland on the morning of 14 November 1963, the crew of a lone fishing trawler spotted an alarming sight. Off to the southwest of the Ísleifur II, a column of dark smoke was rising from the water. Concerned that it could be another boat on fire, the captain directed his vessel towards the scene. Once there, however, they found not a boat but a series of violent explosions producing ash. This was an unmistakable indication of a volcanic eruption taking place underwater, close to the surface. Very aware of the potential danger but eager to watch, the crew kept their boat nearby. It was indeed a remarkable event that they would witness a small part of over the course of that morning: the formation of a brand-new island.

Although now quite visible, the eruption lasted for much, much longer than the Ísleifur II would have been able to watch. After several days, the volcano had broken the water's surface, forming an island over 500 meters long and 45 meters tall. Even though the rough tides of the North Atlantic might have soon eroded the new island away, it was named Surtsey, meaning 'Surtur's island' - Surtur (or Surtr) being a fire giant of Norse mythology. The island proved to be tenacious, however. The eruption was ongoing and Surtsey increased in size more quickly than the ocean could wear it down. In the meantime two other nearby volcanic eruptions produced the beginnings of islands, but neither lasted very long. By April 1964, though, the most violent parts of the eruption were over and Surtsey remained.

1. GUNKANJIMA (Japan): the Ghost (and forbidden) Island

Gunkanjima is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.

Gunkanjima is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.

In 1959, its population density was 835 people per hectare for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare for the residential district, one of the highest population density ever recorded worldwide. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it's called the Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima is currently prohibited.

The Flying Cart

Food service in-flights have its own set of hiccups, the narrow aisle doesn’t allow passengers to pass through and the trolley design has forever been the same. Flying Trolley brings in a new perspective by utilizing the aircraft ceiling as the trolley ramp. Only an aviation specialist will be able to give us a better idea about its feasibility, but for the moment I can imagine this idea being used in other spaces like a train. What do you think?

Designers: Seongjoo JOH & Lee Min – Joo

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(The Flying Cart was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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1. Current Cart
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3. Cart For As You Grow

First Look Inside the Boeing 747-8 Airplane

The 747-8 is the largest and newest 747 version, the longest passenger aircraft in the world.  The 747-8 is offered in two main variants: the 747-8 Intercontinental (747-8I) for passengers and the 747-8 Freighter (747-8F) for cargo. he aircraft will be capable of carrying up to 467 passengers in a 3-class configuration over 8,000 nmi (15,000 km) at Mach 0.855.

 

 

 

 

 

The 747-8 Intercontinental will have the lowest seat-mile cost of any large commercial jetliner, with 12 per cent lower costs than its predecessor, the 747-400.

The airplane provides 16 per cent better fuel economy, 16 per cent less carbon emissions per passenger and generates a 30 per cent smaller noise footprint than the 747-400.

 

 

The 747-8 applies interior features from the 787 Dreamliner that includes a new curved, upswept architecture giving passengers a greater feeling of space and comfort.  

 

The entrance to the plane has a wide-open foyer area that includes a curved staircase to the upper deck.

 

 

 

 

Korean Air has joined launch customer Lufthansa in ordering a total of 33 747-8 Intercontinentals.

First delivery of the 747-8 Intercontinental is scheduled for the fourth quarter. Air China also has agreed to order five Intercontinentals, pending government approval.

 

The Boeing design concept for the 747-8 VIP, showing view from the top of the spiral staircase, with the dining area and a ladder extending to library shelves.

 

Design concept for the 747-8 VIP showing a dining area with a spiral staircase and vaulted ceilings.