What's HOT?

Amazing and interesting though, none of you would have ever thought that one of the world’s longest manmade structures to be in Australia. Stretching across the Australian desert - Dog fence or Dingo fence is one of the longest structures on earth. Extending from Jimbour on the Darling Downs to the Eyre Peninsula on the Great Australian Bight, it runs along 5,320 km. In Queensland, this fence is also known as the Wild Dog barrier or Barrier Fence.

This structure owes its genesis to the pest expulsion plans during the time of Nasi Goreng. Initially the State Government had built it to stop the rabbit plague; however, in 1914 it was renovated to protect the sheep-grazing lands from the dingoes. By 1980, it was a long stretch of 8614 kilometers. Soon after the fence were reduced to 5614 kilometers.

Build with wooden posts, star pickets, strainers, wire as well as netting of various types and sizes, the Dingo Fence stands at a height of 1.8 m and its netting at the ground level extends 1.5m along the ground. The grids are constructed in the same way as the Department of Main Roads grids with straight timber logs securing the netting. Heavy cables are used for the floodway fences.

However, with the number of camels fast increasing in Southern Australia, smashing down sections of the fence, plans of restructuring the Dog fence are under process.

Desert, as we think is no more lifeless; it has become the world’s miracle! Yes, believe it or not, the Tarim Desert highway better known as Cross desert Highway has been declared as the world’s longest desert road from being buried by the sand. This highway was mainly built, using sand control meshing in 1995 to move oil from Tarim basin. Crossing the Taklamakan desert from North to South, this 552-kilometers highway links China National Highway314 and China National Highway 315 simultaneously.

To prevent the road from being buried by sand, Chinese authorities have built a 60-meter wide tree belt along the route with massive irrigation system. The building of the tree-belt with bushes and other vegetation has been done for better anchoring of sand with its roots. This protective green belt has not only improved the ecological environment but also played a vital role in the ecological prevention of sand.

You would be surprised to know that the beautification of this longest desert road has been done with two million rose willows, sacsaoul and buckthorn. An approximate amount of 50 tree varieties have been chosen that mainly includes small leaf dwarf trees that not only loose moisture slowly but are the best resistant to arid conditions. Now, you decide whether it is desert or something else!

Endorsing utopian luxuries and comforts is the most that’s expected from Hotels - lacking the fervor that could have made it a wonder-world with an ambiance personified to the deepest desires. Believe it or not, it is possible with Philips Daylight Window. It is sophisticatedly designed to offer an ambience synchronized to one’s mood making it a precinct of rejuvenation and relaxation. The Window strikes a balance between natural and artificial light to offer an awesome milieu and spectacular view outside.

Deliberately designed, Philips Daylight Window offers a range of random moments that allows the travelers to settle down, relax and refresh. Daylight Window concept explores and incorporates the essence of the shade and natural light to fabricate a perfect ambience with color gradients and virtual blinds. Amazingly just with a stroke of hand from left to right, the window generates fabulous patterns that could drop the jaws. Changing the color gradient is as simple, moving the hand up to bottom and the color gradient stays where the hand last stopped.

Its light therapy system combines distinct effects of light according to the mood. By highlighting blue light and blocking the natural light, the window sets a perfect environment for relaxation. Blue light therapy helps to overcome the jetlag. Finally, sessions end with white light. The morning begins with a white light that has similar effect as the sunlight. Further, the window also checks the sound effect – it is silent at night and allows noise to penetrate during the day. With such versatile effect, the window can be a great addition to the Offices, Hospitals and care centers, Schools, Airport lounges, Sports medicine facilities as well as home.

When the whole world was busy about the new era of understanding the evolution of universe, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is ready to create a black hole when it is switched on. Hundreds of undetected black holes each with a mass thousand times greater than the sun might be roving our galaxy, devouring anything that crosses their paths.

Yes, this LHC has taken the whole world by surprise. Amidst speculation that LHC might present a risk through high-energy particle collision, there are some scientists, who are still sounding optimistic and giving full-proof certificate to LHC, branding it as safe and secure. According to CERN general director Robert Aymer, ‘LHC will enable us to study what nature is doing all around us’ and they can achieve energies that no other particle accelerator has reached before.

LHC incorporates one of the biggest and the most expensive scientific experiment in human history. Technicians are sending bunches of protons around the concrete tube with super cooled electro magnets to create collisions in an underground ring 16 miles in circumference. It is expected to propel bunches of protons, almost the speed of light, more than 11,000 times per second. The collider is designed to accelerate protons to energies of 7 trillion electrons volts and then smash them together.

What may come and whatever is its result, the prospect of creating lots of quickly growing alternative universes is sure to add a new allure to an experiment that’s already pretty enthralling.

View Larger Map

© Jock Fistick for The New York Times

Rotating House - the name may sound bit strange to engulf, but unbelievably such eccentric building still exists. Yes, in Belgium stands Francois Massau’s 50 years old revolving house in great style. Nothing is impossible! If Shah Jahan can built milk white Taj Mahal to express his love and affection for Mumtaz, why can’t Massau built this rotating house for his wife to enjoy warmth and sunshine any time of the year.

Massau’s eccentric craftsmanship and feat of engineering is widely noticed in his brilliant creation. An ingenious feature of this house is the assurance of steady supply of water and electricity even when the house rotates. This energy-efficient rotating house with circular brick and cement foundation is stationary, supporting a steel track on which the house revolves. Here you need to just press a button and in a moment, you will find that the house moving imperceptibly making a full 360-degree turn.

So what if it is warm outside, so what if there is snowfall outside, just rotate the room towards sun or against sunlight and feel the ultimate indulgence. Yes, at the end of the day you may think it as ‘magic reality’ but remember what Massau built was something exclusive and based on reality and that’s why New York Times declared this 1400 sq. feet rotating house as the most beautiful house in Wavre ever built.

[ New York Times ]

Feel the experience of cloud walking while taking a stroll at Langkawi Sky Bridge. Yes, unbelievably, this suspended pedestrian bridge has taken the world by storm. People are going ga-ga over this unique curved pedestrian bridge everyday. Suspended at 700 meters above the sea level, this spectacular sky bridge not only transports you to the world of clouds but also delivers some best views of spectacular chasm and different angles over land and sea.

The specialty of this bridge is that unlike straight bridges, where you can get to see from the starting point, this bridge has been curved fully to provide different perspectives over the land and sea. Remember a great balance of brain and incredible feat of engineering was invested to create such a jaw-dropping example and to provide visitors a psychological feeling of security and pristine serenity.

The Langkawi sky bridge in Gunung Mat Chincang not only provides the breath taking views of Andaman sea and Thailand’s Tarutao island it also provides some spectacular viewing cum resting areas for visitors. With convenient triangular platforms along the curved bridge and secured railing at upper body level, visitors can easily sit and appreciate the breathtaking view of land and sea.

Wedding is in the air – quiet affirming with the colloquial saying, news is in the making that the year 2011 is all set to witness the world’s first ever air or space wedding. Sounds weird? … Well, considering the advancement in the spatial tourism and the many expeditions related, Rocket plane Kistler Japan has joined hands with the ace First Advantage wedding planner company to put up dream weddings at the grand space venue of Rocketplane XP suborbital spaceplane. The good news is, however, quite costly to afford for and welcomes to those with an over flowing bank reserve.

The $2.2 million expenditure for the most memorable live-event would include a lot of accessory things apart from the actual wedding event. The huge list starts with the gorgeous wedding dresses, the colorful photo and video albums, the on and off transportation of goods and materials from the launching site, live representation of the entire event to those waiting on the ground, accommodation facilities as well. The program entitles every would-be couple to attend for a four-day long rehearsal session before the main event.

The already married couples need not, however, woe over their luck; as they can rewind their memorable wedding through a grand and gala anniversary function on board the gorgeous space ship.

Living in the mountains bordering Burma and Thailand are the Kayan people, also known as Padaung. With a population of around 40,000 souls, this tribe boasts of an aberrant culture. What makes the tribe unique is the characteristic neck rings worn by the women of the tribe. Essentially these rings feature single brass coil encircling the neck. Initially, the coil is placed when the girl is five years old; as she grows, it is replaced by a longer coil. Gradually the length of the coil and weight associated with it presses the clavicle and the rib cage, which results in appearance of a long neck. However, in actuality the neck doesn’t extend.

It is quite interesting to look into the reason behind the change. The cause of “giraffe” women is that the ribs and the clavicle descend 45 degrees down from their normal point. Optimal weight of the coil is nearly 5kg. However, the roots of the tradition are still to be discovered. Different myths surround the fact. Some sources predict it as a protection from tiger-bite. There are others, who believe that the coils made Kayan women unattractive for slave traders. However, for women in the tribe it is their tribal identity and an assurance that they would marry within their tribe.

Update Sep 16th, 2008:

A Few important facts we learned by courtesy of Peter Ole Kvint:

1. Kayan is a religion for woman, and Kayan is not a people.
2. Both Padaung and Karen have some follower of Kayan. They are daughters of a she dragon. The relationship is visible in the neck! Because they have the same mother, they are all sisters and sisters support each other, and repress the men.
3. The lengthening of the neck take about two years (for instance at age of 10½-12½), and had two element: 1. Intensive massage as the musculature been swollen and soft. 2. Long time stretch out. It is the musculature which been changed, stretch out, and not the bone in the neck. The lengthening of necks is a great work which strength the solidarity between the daughters.