Wednesday, September 10, 2008

THE DEVIL'S SWIMMING POOL







Swimming on the egde...literally....

Would you dare?

In Zimbabwe, Africa, you will find the magnificent Victoria Falls at a height of 128 m.
The location is known as 'The Devil's Swimming Pool'.


During the months of September and December, people can swim as close as possible to the edge of the falls without falling over!


These falls are becoming well known amongst the 'radical tourist' industry as more and more people search for the ultimate experience.



Tuesday, September 9, 2008

A STRANGE LOOKING BEACH CAFE










A peculiar looking beach cafe...

The East Beach Cafe

This beach cafe is no ordinary seaside kiosk – rising like a piece of weatherworn driftwood washed up on Littlehampton’s east-beach – it is both familiar and alien to its coastal surroundings.
The shell of the building provides both it's skin and structure. It comprises a steel outer layer, which is cut at a shallow angle into a series of vertical slices. Its rippling form conjures up a wide variety of visual metaphors.

Thomas Heatherwick, the designer, opted for naturally finished materials that respond well to the local environment. The mild steel shell that forms the outer skin will rust and gain character as it ages. A oil based coating will be applied after the surface has ‘weathered’ that will help to prolong the life of the building.


Read more:
www.eastbeachcafe.co.uk

SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST UNUSUAL PLANTS

Dont give any of these to your Valentine...

1. Rafflesia Arnoldii:





This parasitic plant develops the world's largest bloom that can grow over three feet across. The flower is a fleshy color, with spots that make it look like a teenager's acne-ridden skin. It smells bad and has a hole in the center that holds six or seven quarts of water. The plant has no leaves, stems, or roots.


2. Hydnora Africana:




An unusual flesh-colored, parasitic flower that attacks the nearby roots of shrubby in arid deserts of South Africa. The putrid-smelling blossom attracts herds of carrion beetles.


3. Dracunculus Vulgaris:





The Dracunculus Vulgaris smells like rotting flesh and has a burgundy-colored, leaf-like flower that projects a slender, black appendage.

4. Amorphophallus:





Amorphophallus means, literally, 'shapeless penis.' The name comes from the shape of the erect black spadix.

Monday, September 8, 2008

THE WORLD'S MOST UNIQUE TURTLE







The last of the mohawk turtle...

These pics are out of this world!


Amateur photographer Chris Van Wyk couldn’t believe his luck when he captured the Mary River Turtle on film while it was quietly wading in the Mary River near Kenilworth, Australia.


Some of the world's weirdest creatures exists in Australia, and the Mary River Tutle (Elusor macrurus) is not an exeption.


The seasonally variable Mary River is actually the last remaining habitat for several of the country’s endangered species.


The Mary River Tutle is a phenomenal specie and is one of Australia's largest type of freshwater turtle with specimens measuring in excess of 50 cm shell length.


In the 1960's and 1970's they were popular as pets in Australia, with about 15,000 sent to shops every year during a ten year period. They were originally known as the 'Pet shop' turtle


It’s the most unusual species in the world because it breathes through lung-like structures in their tail and they need shallow water to survive.


The neck has tubercles (small rounded bumps).


The main threatening factors to the survival of the Mary River turtle include slow maturation (20+ years), the continued use of historic nesting sites (even when nests are heavily predated by feral pests and trampled by livestock), loss of habitat and loss of specific foods associated with the lack of aquatic ecosystems.


Prior to the announcement of this, the Mary River Turtle was federally and internationally listed as endangered by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2000).


If you’re wondering… The green mohawk hairdo is just algae growing on the turtles’ head.


Read more:
www.thepetitionsite.com
exitstageright.wordpress.com

THE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY IN IRELAND, UNBELIEVABLE!


Source: robertpaulyoung

Source: Qole Pejorian

Source: alanah

Source: codepoet


Source:Jenschmen

Source: C Wess Daniels


Source:Jenschmen

Ireland's colony of columns


The Giant's Causeway
lies at the foot of the basalt cliffs along the coast on the edge of the Antrim plateau in Northern Ireland. It is made up of some 40,000 massive black basalt columns sticking out of the sea.

Geological studies of these formations over the last 300 years have greatly contributed to the development of the earth sciences, and show that this striking landscape was caused by volcanic activity some
50–60 million years ago.

The Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast site was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. The site is of outstanding universal value and meets two of the criteria set out in the World Heritage Convention. Firstly it is an outstanding example representing major stages of the earth’s history, including a record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. Secondly, it contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.

Definitely a place to visit in Ireland.


Read more
slorker.com


See also THE WORLD'S MOST ASTOUNDING AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERI...

GROWING JEWELRY




Green finger?

Designer Hafsteinn Juliusson's has created 'growing jewelry'. When I same across the website
hafsteinnjuliusson, it reminded me of my previous post about the Harmonia building. If plants can grow from walls it sure as hell can grow from jewelry.

Although 'growing jewelry' is unique, I doubt that I will wear a ring that I have to constantly nurture.I'm sure the hippies would have love this type of jewelry.

Friday, September 5, 2008

THE LIVING BUILDING IN SãO PAULO












Harmonia 57: Living in harmony

Harmonia 57 by French-Brazilian architects Triptyque is an office building in São Paulo, Brazil, with a planted facade irrigated by a mist system.


Plants grow in 'pores' set into the concrete facade and will eventually cover the building. The pipelines that serve the whole building – as well as the pumps and the water treatment system – are constuctured on the exterior walls, embracing them like veins and arteries of a body.

The building is rough and has a primitive elegance – a reflex of the actual concern with environmental issues and the investigation of new ways of intervention.


This unique building presents a perspective on architecture as a non-finished object.

Read more:
www.dezeen.com

www.triptyque.com/harmonia/