Fearless Photographers & Pictures

Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.  This is the supreme belief that has led the following photographers to go where few have gone before.  Given below are the exceptional pictures taken by those for whom thrill-seeking is an everyday job.         These stunning shots were taken by Igor Gushchin.  It’s two of many taken at Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Russia.  What makes these photos so special is the fact that is it extremely risky being so close to wild bears.   This daredevil photographer positions himself directly in the path of fatal strikes of lightening. Mitchell Krog, 39, has been fascinated with massive thunderstorms since childhood. This photograph named “Monumental Chaos” was taken just outside Pretoria.   The following photos may induce a feeling of queasiness inside you. A gutsy photographer from Detroit named Dennis Maitland recently started a scary series where he takes photos of himself with his feet dangling off the edge. A noteworthy fact is that he doesn’t use a remote to shoot these photos but takes them all by hand.    Skywalking is the latest trend to hit the internet.  It basically consists of Russian photographers making their way up to stomach-churning heights and clicking photos that give you shots like never before.  Many of these photographers are in their teens.   These photographs were taken by a marketing consultant, Hans can de Vorst, 47, in an attempt to track down the mysterious daredevil leaping between the rocks of the Grand Canyon.    This amazing picture was clicked by Amos Nachoum, an underwater expert who guides brave scuba divers to see with the large creatures.  This great white shark was photographed from just a few feet away in the waters off the coastal Mexican resort of Guadalupe.    They say some people will go to any length to complete their work. However, fearless photographer Skarphedinn Thrainsson gives it a whole new meaning by hovering around the deadliest volcanoes.   Born in Napa, California in 1968, this award-winning photographer captures stunning pictures of waves like never before.  Clark’s view if often a dangerous and rare view of the waves from inside out.

Delicious Chocolate Treats

Forget the run-of-the-mill chocolates like Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Hershey's, Lindt, Ghirardelli etc. These chocolate treats here leave them all behind! Chocolate Treats   The word "chocolate" comes from the Aztecs of Mexico, and is derived from the Nahuatl word xocolat which is a combination of the words, xocolli, meaning "bitter", and atl, which is "water". Chocolate was discovered by Mayans of the Yucatán Peninsula, in México about 2,600 years ago or so, as evidence found in ruins suggest. Did you Know?  Roughly two-thirds of the entire world's cocoa is produced in Western Africa, with 43% sourced from Côte d'Ivoire!

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

Located in Kerela, amidst the lush green forests of the Western Ghats, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is the most famous wildlife sanctuary in South India. It is also commonly known as the “Elephant Reserve” and the “Tiger reserve” and is spread over 777 km out of which the 360 km is covered by dense, evergreen forests.

It was declared a Tiger Reserve in the year 1972. Four species of primates are found at Periyar – the rare lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri Langur, Gee’s Golden Langur, Common Langur And Bonnet Macaque.

Periyar wildlife sanctuary also has a 100 year old artificial lake which offers a one of a kind experience of observing and photographing wildlife from a very short distance. It is home to a 1000 elephants and 46 tigers as well as sambars, boars, deer, bison, lion-tailed macaques and so on.

As if all this wasn’t enough, this unique sanctuary has 49 species of mammals, 246 species of birds, 28 species of reptiles, 8 species of amphibians, 22 species of fish and 112 species of butterflies. The Nilgiri Tahr, which is rarely to be seen also inhabits this park.

In addition to all the fauna, the Periyar wildlife sanctuary is also known for its flora. Some of the deeper valley contains trees that have grown to a height of up to 130-140 feet and seem as though they’ve been there since the beginning of time. They form an extremely thick cover which even bright sunlight sometimes finds hard to penetrate.

The edges of the lake and other water bodies contain marshy grasslands. Throughout the park one will also find areas of semi-evergreen forest which are used by many of the animal species as cover.

You can also enjoy a trek to the ruins of the Mangala Devi Temple, a picturesque old stone temple situation in the heart of the Thekkady forest. However, most people come to Periyar to watch the elephants that come down to play at the lake.

From the lovely scenery on the road up to the lake cruise and a walk through the jungle makes one long to come back for more.
Ideal time to visit the park: From the months of October till June.
How to Reach Priyar wildlife sanctuary:
Air : Kochi (Cochin) at 200 km or Madurai in Tamil Nadu at 140 km are the nearest airports from Periyar.
Rail : Kottayam at 114 km is the nearest railhead from Periyar.
Road : Kumily, the nearest town from Periyar is well served by both state and private buses from Kottayam, Ernakulam and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.

Written by Shraddha Yawalkar

5 Fastest Fighter Planes in the World  In the last 15-20 years, the tremendous technological advancements have influenced and changed almost every aspect of our lives. Many of the times, these advancements are a result of the research and development carried out by the military establishment all over the world. Naturally, fighter planes being the very core of defence of any modern air force, there has been a sea change in the design, features and performance of fighter planes from what they used to be. Let us have a look at the five fastest fighter planes of the world.       1) SU-35 ( Mach 2.25)     It was initially known as Su-27M. It is a single-seat, twin-engined super maneuverable multirole fighter plane which was designed for the Russian Air Force.  It has been offered to many countries including India, Brazil and South Korea.   2) MiG-21 (Mach 2.05)     Built by the Soviet Union, the Mikoyan-Gurevich is a supersonic fighter jet. It is the most produced jet in aviation history and has been flown by around 50 countries in 4 continents. A short-range day fighter- inceptor, it is a continuation of soviet jet fighters MiG-15,17 and 19.   3) F-22 Raptor ( Mach 1.82)     This is a fifth generation fighter plane with emphasis on strength, agility and range.  F-22 has been developed at the aeronautical systems centre, Wright-Patternson Air Force Base, Ohio and is considered one of the deadliest planes of the world. It is a supersonic dual-engine fighter jet.   4) Eurofighter Typhoon (Mach 1.5)     This plane has been built and designed by the associated of four different companies from the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany. The Eurofighter Typhoon employs a state of the art integrated defense system “praetorian” which monitors air-to-air and surface-to-air dangers and can respond to multiple threats  simultaneously.   5) SU-30 MKI-Super Sukhoi (Mach 0.9)     SU-30 was not initially designed to carry nuclear or strategic weapons but the newly developed IAF will change all that. It has been  designed for the Indian Air Force mutually  by Russia’s Sukhoi  and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The aircraft is custom-made for Indian specifications and combines Indian systems and avionics as well as French and Israeli subsystems.

15 Amazing Best of Best red dot award: design concept winner 2012

It was a glittering night that had all the elements of a perfect evening. The trophies shone bright, the smiles were flashy and young designers sashayed the red carpet with the finesse of a celebrity. October 19th saw the unveiling of the winners of the coveted red dot award: design concept in Singapore. It was an honor to be a part of the celebrations and festivities and be in the company of such creative people. Here is a look at fifteen concepts from the Best of Best list, that took our fancy; including the top-award – the red dot luminary!

red dot award: luminary – Float Base Station by Huang Hsin Ya & Huang Pin Chen

Float Base Station is a temporary emergency communication station.
Add Up by Prof. Fan Cheng Kuei, Deng Pei Chih & Hsieh Tsai Ni

Add Up is a cash conversion system for a traveler that puts small change to good use.
AIRTUBE Earphone by Seok Jiwon, Lee Hyunjoo & Hwang Sunmi

Airtube Earphones are automatically activated by air pressure when they are placed in the ears. Similarly, the music is automatically switched off when they are removed.
AmoeBAND by Tsai Cheng-yu, Yi-Ting Chen, Chen Kuei-Yuan, Tay Pek-Khai, Hsu Hao-Ming, Lai Jen-Hao, Chung Kuo-Ting, Chen Ying-Shan, Ho Chia-Ying & Weng Yu-Ching

The amoeba is able to adjust its shape to suit its environment. In AmoeBAND, this quality was applied to the typical adhesive bandage to enhance its adaptability.
ZIPPER by Arman Emami

Zipper is a flying indoor camera nd recording device.
Pojagi Net by Cheon Jae-Wook, Choi Min-Young, Chae Chang-Yi, Tak Hyeong-Ryeol, Han Sang-Wook, Shin Jung-Chul & Ha Seung-Mok

Pojagi Net is a multipurpose dry-compression mosquito net that was designed to address the problem of malaria.
NEST by Yoon Jeho & Zhang Yifan

NEST is transforms from an air mattress to a boat via the manipulation of its internal hooks and ropes.
Rotaress Pouring Pot by Leong Suki & Huang Zhirong

With its rotating handles, Rotaress Pouring Pot offers a simple, low-tech, and very effective solution to the common problems associated with draining a cooking pot.
Sense by Amornthep Treekuna, Soranun Choochut, Kitikhun Chitaphanya, Dome Boonyanurak & Piyawadee Tungkaprasert

Sense is a unique bathroom tap that activates and sets the water temperature based on its detection of the user’s hands.
Kitchen Icicle by Park Ji Yeon & Jo Eun Hee

Kitchen Icicle is a set of magnetic-tipped cooking utensils that bring a touch of fun – and convenience – to one’s kitchen.
JARPET by Zhang Di, Zhao Tianji, Ma Yinghui & Cui Minghui

JARPET is a children’s device for visualizing pets through 3D projections. Kids can enjoy vivid interactions with it via multi-sensory technology.
TenXion 101 by Chuang Chen-Hua

TenXion glasses provide a simple, comfortable, and stable structure, and are made with light, ductile materials.
SAV+0 by Kwon YongMin, Kim MinJi & Hwang ShinHee

SAV+0 enables people who wear artificial legs to enjoy sports more easily thanks to its modular design and specialized detachable components.
Integrated Workstation by Matthew Plumstead

Taking only the most essential components of a workstation and adding a third component, the daybed, the Integrated Workstation provides maximum flexibility in a very modest footprint.
Dog Pack by Wen-Yo Lu

Dog Pack is breathable mesh backpack for dogs that accompany their owners on mountain hikes. It has two detachable bags and can be transformed into a raincoat.