Saturday, April 23, 2011

Oldest Television In History | First Early tv

Television
Television

If you were in the market for a new TV and had £17,000 to spend, we guess you'd want something 3D, HD and with a bigger screen than we've got walls.

But someone recently splashed out £16,800 on Britain's oldest working TV -- which has a 12-inch black and white screen.

The 1936 Marconi type–702 television - which was originally bought for £100 - had been expected to sell for £5,000 when it was auctioned by Bonhams.

Hopefully the new owner will have more luck than the first... three days after the purchase the Crystal Palace transmitter burned down and they couldn't receive pictures again until 1946.
A spokesperson for Bonhams said of the bidding war: "It is very rare. There are more authentic Stradivarius violins in existence than pre-war televisions."

Friday, April 22, 2011

Insects In Amber Fossils Oldest In The World

Amber Fossils
Insects In Amber Fossils


Amber is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural organic beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents. Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin,

These incredible pictures show tiny insects that were preserved in precious amber stones - 20 million years ago.

The tiny creatures are believed to have roamed the earth alongside dinosaurs and before the ice age three million years ago.

According to the Daily Mail, specimens from the period are rare but they were amazed when they unearthed the almost perfectly preserved creepy-crawlies in northern Peru.

They were found inside small chunks or precious amber rock in a 20 million year old reservoir in Chiclayo, northern.

Honningen Klaus, who led the research team, said: 'The pieces of amber contains insects Psocoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and spiders, as well as spores and pollen fossils, and even a drop of blood and remains of hair from a mammal rodent.'

The research team was from the Meyer-Honningen Paleontological Museum in Peru.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

World's Smallest Caravan 2011

Caravan 2011
World's Smallest Caravan 2011

The QTvan, which features a bed, kettle, TV, radio alarm clock and can be towed by a standard mobility scooter, has been pitched as the ideal way to bag a spot for the Royal Wedding.

Nobody likes being stuck behind a caravan – but who would have thought one could hold up your weekly shop at the supermarket?

This tiny camper has been pitched as the ideal way to bag a spot for William and Kate's nuptials without having to spend the previous night sleeping rough.

But once the celebrations are over, owners can also go wild in the aisles because it is even small enough to be driven around a supermarket.

The QTvan – named after the British love of queuing, tea and caravans – is something of a departure for designer Yannick Read, whose previous work includes the Bond Bike, which has an ejector seat and flame thrower.

‘Being able to build something that is a bit eccentric has been a joy,’ said Mr Read.

‘It is quintessentially English. We have a love/hate relationship with the caravan.’

The QTvan was developed by the Environmental Transport Association to highlight the fact that 220,000 people with mobility scooters do not have breakdown cover.

Mr Read said: ‘An increasing number of people rely on mobility scooters but if you develop a fault or run out of battery power and don’t have breakdown cover, or a tiny caravan in tow, your only options are to push something that weighs the equivalent of two men home or call a relative with a large car.’

The £5,500 carbon-neutral van was taken for a spin in a Tesco store to show how easily it navigated everyday obstacles.

Models can be ordered on the ETA website, with optional extras including solar panels, satellite dishes and even central heating.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Strange Cat Gives Birth To Dog | Rare And Unusual Animals

Cat Gives Birth To Dog
Strange Cat Gives Birth To Dog | Rare And Unusual Animals


Sheep giving birth to dog? That's so last season... meet the CAT who's just become the proud mother of a kitten-puppy - also in China, oddly enough.

Zhou Yun, the cat's owner, says she knew her furry friend was pregnant so she wasn't surprised when she happened upon two kittens at the beginning of the month.

On closer inspection, however, she noticed that one of the babies was dead.

'I then noticed the other kitten surprisingly looks like a dog,' Zhou, who lives in Yangshan, in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, told reporters.

Zhou, who's also the owner of a pet dog that likes to eat and sleep with its feline pal (hmm...), added: 'Quite possibly the kitty is a mixed child'.

Lai Xiaoyun, president of a local pet clinic, has sagely pointed out (after having a good look at the kitten-puppy, to be fair) that it's impossible for a cat to give birth to a dog.

He reckons Zhou's cat popped out two kittens and one died shortly after: 'So the cat went out and accidentally found a litter of newborn puppies and took one home.'

'Cats and dogs are two different species and it's impossible to have joint descendants,' he concluded.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Superbus : Ockel's 23-Passenger EV Superbus Can Hit 155 MPH


Superbus


A "super bus" which carries 23 passengers and can reach speeds of 155mph could be the future of your morning commute, if researchers get their way.

The Superbus is an eco-friendly vehicle and the brainchild of Dutch astronaut Wubbo Ockels who is now a professor of aerospace sustainable engineering.

While with it's streamlined design and wing-opening doors, it looks more like a super-car than a regular bus, the superbus is being touted as the the future of public transport.

Unfortunately the electric vehicle - which cost €13m to develop - might not be hitting UK streets just yet, it's currently on show at a trade fair in Dubai.


Superbus



Superbus

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Experience: I Am A 91 Year Old Bodybuilder | Life And Style

BodybuilderExperience: I Am A 91 Year Old Bodybuilder | Life And Style

At 85 I had a crisis. I looked at myself in the mirror, and saw an old man. I was overweight, my posture was terrible and there was skin hanging off me. I looked like a wreck'

My personal trainer and I are always getting into arguments about what part of my body needs the most work. I'm not happy with my abs – I have the remains of a small spare tyre – but she says my bottom is a catastrophe because it's so flat. What we both agree on is that bodies can be remodelled, no matter how old you are.

I was a very sickly child. From the age of six I had constant headaches and chronic tonsilitis. I became pale, sluggish and my growth was slow. I remember noticing one day that my best friend, who was a year younger than me, was slightly taller and that I was very upset about it.

At 13, I had my tonsils removed and as my health improved, everything changed. I shot up and suddenly I was full of energy. I thought back to myself as a frail, sickly boy, and vowed never to be like that again. I took up boxing, rowing and rugby. Staying fit and strong became my priority.

After school I trained to be a dentist, but sport remained an important hobby. I only once let myself go. As I crept into my 40s, I adopted my wife's sedentary lifestyle. We spent a lot of time doing nothing. Inevitably, my blood pressure plummeted and one day I felt a sharp pain in my legs – only to discover the dark, earthworm-like patterns of varicose veins across my calves. It was my first brush with old age, and I didn't like it. Immediately I resumed rowing to stay fit.

Life went on. My wife and I divorced. At 60, I discovered veteran's rowing and started competing internationally, eventually winning 36 gold medals. I'm not a particularly talented sportsman, but I've always been a great trier. At 75, many of my friends began to pass away. People were getting older around me, but I was only just ready to retire. I carried on rowing and publishing a dentistry newsletter until I was 82.

Then at 85 I had a crisis. I looked at myself in the mirror one day, and saw an old man. I was overweight, my posture was terrible and there was skin hanging off me where muscle used to be. I looked like a wreck. I started to consider the fact that I was probably going to die soon. I knew I was supposed to slow down, but I'm vain. I missed my old body and wanted to be able to strut across the beach, turning heads.

I was already rowing six times a week, and there didn't seem any harm in pushing myself a bit harder to rebuild my muscles. So in my late-80s I joined a bodybuilding club.

There's no research into bodybuilding for the over-80s, so it's been an experiment. With weight-lifting and protein shakes, my body began to change. It became broader, more v-shaped, and my shoulders and biceps became more defined. People began to comment on how much younger I looked, and my new muscular frame drew a lot of admiring glances from women.

Everything I learned was tailored to help my body cope with old age. I took up judo to teach me how to fall properly. My circulation and posture improved, and I was told that there was a chance more muscle mass could protect my brain from Alzheimer's. I stopped thinking about dying. As I approached 90, my focus was on getting my body back.

In 2008, I signed up for my first championship. I was nervous, but although I was the oldest contestant by around 20 years, everyone was very welcoming. I got higher scores than all the women taking part, and a lot of the men. Then, at last year's event in Germany, I triumphed, scoring higher than any contestant in any age category for my 57 dips, 61 chin-ups, 50 push-ups and 48 abdominal crunches, each in 45 seconds. As I'm over 70, they did make allowances – I could do the push-ups on my knees, for example – but I proved I wasn't past it.

I'm not chasing youthfulness. I'm chasing health. People have been brainwashed to think that after you're 65, you're finished. We're told that old age is a continuous state of decline, and that we should stop working, slow down and prepare to die. I disagree. To me, a 65-year-old is young. I turn 92 this year. It is a frightening prospect – the law of averages is against me, and, yes, one day something will happen and that will be it. But until that day comes, I'm going to carry on working on my abs.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks
The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks


Celebrating the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton in their own inimitable style, bosses at Legoland have depicted the happy couple in miniature bricks.

It took a team of model makers at Legoland Windsor over 30 hours to build the tribute to William and Kate's nuptials - depicting them at the palace gates surrounded by crowds and members of the royal family - using 10,000 bricks.

Each of the 10cm tall figures is said to have taken someone almost an hour to make and they include Lego brick versions of guests including, David and Victoria Beckham, Paul McCartney and Elton John.

If you look closely you will also see Lego versions of the Queen, other members of the Royal Family and even a few brick Corgis.

The model of Buckingham Palace used another 160,000 individual bricks and was built on a 1:50 scale and took 550 hours to build.

Sue Kemp, Divisional Director of Legoland Windsor commented: "We’re proud to announce that it’s our 15th birthday this year and what better way to celebrate it than to pay homage to such an amazing royal occasion.

"After all, we’re based in Windsor which is well known for its royal connections!"

The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks
The Royal Wedding Recreated With Lego Blocks