SmashingLists

Month: February 2015

  • Top 10 Unusual Instruments in Pop Music

    Think of rock/pop music, and chances are you picture a guitar, electric bass, drums and maybe a keyboard or a wind instrument like a flute or saxophone. But in the last 60 years or so of pop music, especially rock ‘n’ roll, musicians have done their best to bring variety to their recordings.

     

    10. Sitar

    sitar

    A sitar

    You can thank George Harrison of the Beatles for bringing a distinctive Indian sound into Western pop music, though Eric Clapton’s Yardbirds deserve a little unsung credit, too. The Yardbirds hired a sitar player for their song, “Heart Full of Soul,” but the track went unreleased at that time. So it was the Fab Four track “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” (as seen in a video by a tribute band) that introduced western ears to the plucked instrument that looks a lot like a banjo with a long neck but produces vibrating and extended sounds. While most prevalent in the 1960s, the instrument has been used in recent songs, as well, such as “Don’t Come Around Here No More” by Tom Petty, “Behind the Sun” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, “I’ll Just Hold On” by Blake Shelton, and “Gypsy” and “Gitana” by Shakira.

     

    9. Ersaj/Dilruba

    dilruba

    A dilruba

    Another Indian stringed instrument, which is like a cross between a cello and a sitar, has been far less popular in western pop music. The ersaj (or dilruba) creates a haunting atomosphere in the song “Birds Flew Backwards” by Doves. It is also one of the instruments frequently used by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, who wrote the soundtrack for “Slumdog Millionaire.”

     

    8. Kazoo

    kazoo

    A kazoo

    If you’ve ever been a kid, you’re familiar with a kazoo. The simplest instrument out there, it simply adds a buzzing quality to a musician’s own voice, as he or she hums into it. Jimi Hendrix immortalized the sound on his song, “Crosstown Traffic,” originally performing that section with a comb wrapped in a piece of cellophane. He used this trick to simulate the sound of traffic. Ringo Starr later had a high-profile guest — former band mate Paul McCartney — play the kazoo on his song, “You’re Sixteen.”

     

    7. Harpsichord

    harpsichord

    A harpsichord

    If we were talking about popular music of the 17th and 18th Centuries, no one would be surprised to hear harpsichord included on the list. But the instrument was at least 200 years out of style when Bread used the piano predecessor on the track “Everything I Own” and the Yardbirds used it on “For Your Love.” Chances are, though, they probably didn’t use 200-year-old instruments. Likely, neither did the Stranglers on their tune, “Golden Brown,” which has a harpsichord riff, as does “Too Afraid to Love You” by the Black Keys.

     

    6. Xylophone/Glockenspiel

    xylophones and glockenspiels

    Xylophones and glockenspiels

    The xylophone is an easily-recognized instrument for two reasons: it’s used in many elementary-school music classes, and it’s prominently featured in countless “ABC” books, since it’s one of the few nouns in the English language beginning with the letter “X.” But the xylophone — and its cousin, the glockenspiel — have been used on a lot of songs for grown-ups, too. Both are percussion instruments that look like keyboards and are played by mallets. The main difference between a xylophone and a glockenspiel is that the xylophone is made with wooden bars, while the glockenspiel’s keys are made from metal plates or tubes. Xylophones were first featured on a rock song in 1962 on the track “Percolator (Twist)” by Billy Joe and the Checkmates. Much later, it was used by Lily Allen on “Everyone’s at It” and by the Violent Femmes on “Gone Daddy Gone.” The glockenspiel has been used more widely: on the U2 song “I Will Follow”; on the Jimi Hendrix track “Little Wing”; on Radiohead’s “No Surprises”; on Bloc Party’s “Signs”; and on The Beatles tune, “Only a Northern Song.” Maybe it’s because metallic sounds seem more like “rock.”

  • 10 Failed Doomsday Prophecy Predictions

    Ever since the beginning of time, people have “predicted” the end of times. These predictions have come in the forms of biblical teachings and even scientific discoveries. However, one thing can be said for certain: we are still here. And because of this, we are going to present you with the top 10 failed doomsday prophecy predictions of all time. Maybe this list will help some people sleep better in 2012.

     

    10. The Jupiter Effect

    Two astrophysicists, Stephen Plagemann and John Gribben, made a discovery in 1982 that claimed that all nine planets would somehow create a gravitational pull that would place a huge amount of stress on our world. This stress would cause massive earthquakes and other severe changes in terms of climate and weather. The two even wrote a book together that was called “The Jupiter Effect”. However, time quickly showed that this theory was a bust and that their speculation was wrong.

     

    9. Elizabeth Clare Prophet

    In the 1980s, there was a spiritual prophet who had people convinced that a nuclear war would break out on April 23rd, 1990. People began to stockpile food and collect guns and other forms of weaponry. Some people even went as far as to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars constructing underground bomb shelters. Needless to say, nothing happened on this day and the lack of nuclear destruction caused people to see the entire incident as pure speculation with no evidence.

     

    8. 1666 CE


    Almost every few years in our society, we encounter a message that says that this year will be the “one”. Basically, people have been falsely predicting the end of the world for a very long time. One that actually became quite popular and well-known was the year 1666. The three sixes, which are symbolically used to describe the Devil, were combined with the millennium. And to many people’s surprise, it proved to be completely wrong.

     

    7. 1033 and 1000 CE

    Considering that the number “1000” plays such a huge role in various biblical scriptures, it would be hard to imagine entering a millennium with nothing “grand” happening. This contains even more significance for those people who took Revelations in the bible literally (since it claimed the end of times in 1000 years). Anyway, the years 1000 CE and 1033 CE were both predicted to be days where death and destruction would occur. These dates were even witnessed in various scriptures from supposed prophets.

     

    6. Battle of Armageddon 1999

    A man named Edgar Cayce made several predictions as to how the Earth would change. He made most of these predictions in the 30s and states that the battle of Armageddon would begin in 1999. Few know “how” he understood that these catastrophic events would occur but many trusted what he said. Obviously, these events failed to happen and most of his predictions have been proven false. And since he had been dead for forty or fifty years before that date, he was one of the few “ends of time prophets” who didn’t actually have to be here when his predictions failed.

    5. Y2K Bug


    Most of us remember this one. In 2000, a there was a prediction that the Internet would crash and the entire world would fail to operate effectively. Millions and millions of people imagined planes crashing, grocery stores being emptied, and bank accounts being drained. Because of this, many people believed that the turn of the new millennium would spell the end for the world as we know it. And on the morning of January 1st, 2001, people quickly realized that the prediction was false and went back to living their lives as normal.

     

    4. Late Great Planet Earth 1970


    The Late Great Planet Earth was a book that became a bestseller in 1970. It was a paperback written by Hal Lindsey and it claimed that Christ’s magnificent return would occur within the 80s. While he never came out and pointed to a specific year, he did claim to “know” that these events would occur during this time. Surprisingly, the 80s did pass and his reputation as a writer suffered mildly as his predictions failed to come true. He has even gone as far as to acquire his own cable TV show which speaks about the same thing- go figure.

     

    3. Heaven’s Gate 1997

    On March 26, 1997, a mass suicide was discovered in San Diego. The police entered a mansion and was shocked to see a large amount of deceased individuals, all wearing the same thing. There were 39 bodies in total. This group of people quickly became known as “Heaven’s Gate”. They were a cult who believed that their only chance at salvation was to kill themselves. And apparently, they wanted to do it before the world broke out in mass destruction and famine. Needless to say, that never occurred. This goes to show that not all failed doomsday prophesies are fun and humorous.

     

    2. The Great Disappointment 1844


    There was a man named William Miller who believed that the world would end on October 22nd, 1844. He predicted that this would be the day that Jesus would return and save all of those souls who were willing to accept his love. He arrived to do this by doing a series of complex calculations that in the end really didn’t matter. After his false predictions, he was never really seen or heard from much. His “Great Disappointment” proved to be too much for him and he lived the rest of his years in recluse and isolation.

     

    1. Jehovah’s Witnesses (Several Dates)

    Few can argue that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have claimed false doomsday predictions for a long time now. The group itself was discovered in 1874 by a man named Charles Taze Russell. After their inception, they had “predicted” several dates in which the world would end. These dates included 1874, 1914, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, and 1975. And not to many people’s surprise, they were wrong in each account.

  • Top 10 TV Shows That Got Cancelled After One Season

    Isn’t it frustrating when you’re just getting into a TV show, getting to know the characters and suddenly…bam! It’s cancelled! The fickle finger of the network can press the “stop” button at any time and production can shut down entirely. You may be halfway through a season, you may have just reached a cliffhanger at the end of series one but you as an audience member will never get any kind of closure on those particular characters. Sometimes, the cancellations are justified, and you wonder why they ever bothered making the show in the first place. But sometimes, a show will have real potential, that’s just starting to unfold when the axe drops….and so a thousand internet campaigns are born. Find out which great shows died a premature death in our Top 10 TV Shows That Got Cancelled After One Season.

     

    10. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

    There are two things that the cast of mega-comedy Friends are famous for. One is demanding ever-increasing amounts of money to sit around and drink coffee in front of a camera. The other is failing to ever really break free of the characters they played for 10 years. With the possible exception of Courtney Cox in Cougar Town, the actors have stumbled around in lame spin-offs and comedies where they played themselves (both you, Matt LeBlanc). And some of that curse may have hit Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, an Aaron Sorkin- created show that took a look at the goings on behind the scenes of a live comedy show. It debuted at the same time as 30 Rock, which had similar subject matter, and while that show flourished, Studio 60 did not, with ratings sliding from 13.4million viewers to 4million. It had a great deal of “buzz” before it aired, but ended up with the unfortunate distinction of being the only Aaron Sorkin show to ever have been cancelled in its first season.

     

    9. Happy Town

    However short Studio 60’s run may have been, it was a mega-series compared to 2010’s Happy Town. Featuring Amy Acker of Angel (ex Buffy and Angel actors seem to have a similar curse to Friends, Alyson Hannigan excepted) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), it was a murder mystery set in the small town of Haplin, Minnesota. It ran for 6 episodes, with ratings down to 2million by the last one, and the next 2 episodes were released on the internet but no more were made. A shame for anyone who was wanting to find out the answer to the mystery!

     

    8. Moonlight

    This is another show that should have flown, given the star power behind it. Legendary producer Joel Silver has a string of hugely successful movies to his name, from Lethal Weapon to The Matrix. Add to him producers Gabrielle Stanton (Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty) and David Greenwalt (Angel) and this “paranormal romance” should have been a hit. But the cast was relatively unknown, and the reviews of the first episode were harsh, with talk of “woeful” acting and “groan-inducing” dialogue.

    It seemed that the tale  of PI-and-moralistic-vampire Mick meeting a woman he’d rescued from a fire as a child didn’t hit the spot with the reviewers or the public at large and the show was first halted by the writers’ strike, then cancelled altogether. But as with many of these shows, there is still a loyal fanbase out there.

     

    7. Endgame

    With this show, unlike some of the others, I can kind of see why it was cancelled. The premise is an agorophobic, former chess champion who likes solving mysteries from his armchair. Does it sound like a winner? He can’t leave the house, so gets his apprentice to help him solve the mysteries in exchange for chess tuition. Still not sounding too gripping…

    It was a Canadian show, made in 2011, and broadcast in America on Hulu but it was cancelled after 11 episodes. Whether it was the stay-at-home chess genius protagonist, or the lack of star power that hastened its demise, no-one knows. But again, there were some devoted fans who tried – and failed – to save it.

     

    6. Crusoe

    Unlike the other series on the list, this was a reworking of an old story rather than a new concept. It followed the fortunes of Robinson Crusoe and his companion Friday as they live on an island. Commissioned by NBC, it was made by a British company, and much of the filming took place in Britain (which doesn’t look much like a desert island, but you can imagine…).

    It was set in the 17th century, but shot in a pacey, modern way. It was a drama, but with comedic elements, aping the style of Pirates of the Caribbean. It involved MacGyver-like ingenuity, and it was just a bit of a mess. Viewers obviously thought so too, and the series that was at first promoted as a regular show was subtly changed to be a 13-episode miniseries. Strangely, it featured Sam Neill who is making his second appearance in this list. He might start to get paranoid…

    5. Death Valley


    In contrast to some of the deadly serious shows on our list, this one was deliberately silly. Based in post-zombie-apocalypse California, it was a fake reality TV show that followed the Death Valley police force as they attempted to keep order in the midst of werewolf- and vampire-induced mayhem. The comedy was often physical and gross, with copious amounts of gore and splatter but it was a very entertaining watch. It may have been on the wrong channel, as it sat oddly among the celebrity homes shows of MTV but something about the comedy cops and zombies format wasn’t working, and only one series was ever made.

     

    4. Alcatraz

    From the makers of Lost, with Jorge Garcia of Lost, you’d expect this to have the same runaway success as Lost, wouldn’t you? Set on the legendary prison island, with flashbacks between the past and the present, it employed many of the same, jumpy narrative devices as that other series. So why didn’t it replicate Lost’s success? Well, it seems that viewers may have been jaded by the 6 seasons of Lost which dawdled on, failed to answer any of the questions it asked and finished with a very unsatisfying Macguffin of an ending. After that, TV fans just weren’t ready to trust JJ Abrams again, and the show was swiftly cancelled. Oh,and it may have also featured Sam Neill….

     

    3. The Event

    This was another show with strong potential, which failed to deliver. Based around alien-looking Leila and her computer hacker boyfriend Shaun, it started well, with a kidnapping and a plane crash and then it all got a little silly. I won’t spoiler it for you, but the revelations that followed were a bit predictable and the characters just unsympathetic. By halfway through the season, when we still had no idea what “The Event” was, I switched off. As did every other viewer, and the show failed to be renewed for a second season.  From initial ratings of 10.88million, it had dwindled down to around the 5million mark, with some episodes dipping as low as 4million. So, a steady decline and a distinct lack of enthusiasm for a second series. But it did teach us that bog-standard computer hackers can get into FBI files within seconds. Worth paying attention in Computing class!

     

    2. Flash Forward

    An interesting premise and a strong cast makes this one of the less explicable failures. The series opened with a global blackout, where everyone in the world fell unconscious for two minutes. Cars crashed, planes dropped out of the sky and those who didn’t die in the ensuing chaos saw a “flash forward” – a glimpse of what their life would be like in 6 months’ time.  The rest of the series was devoted to finding out what or who had caused the blackout, and how to stop it happening again. Starring Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Monaghan and Jack Davenport, it was a tense and pacey show.  The end of the series wrapped things up, but also set up a season 2, with our own “flashforward” to another blackout sometime in the future. Sadly, however the network decided not to renew it, and we never got to see just what would happen next.

     

    1. Firefly

    The ultimate in fan-loved, network-hated “gone too soon” shows. Firefly was Joss Whedon’s first project after the mammoths of Buffy and Angel and was a complete break with that universe. It featured none of the Buffy regulars, although lead actor Nathan Fillion had played a recurring baddie in the last season, and it was set aboard the spaceship Serenity. Describing itself as a kind of space-western, it was a slow burner and ratings faltered. Without warning, it was cancelled mid-season, leaving bereft fans feeling that it was never given a chance. It retains a strong fanbase in sci-fi circles, which resulted in a spin-off movie in 2005 (Serenity), and at conventions the so-called “Browncoats” still gather to mourn the loss of their favorite show. But they haven’t given up hope. As one site puts it “As long as Joss & Co. believe there is a future for Firefly, we fans will keep believing.”

  • Top 10 Musical Trios

    5. Rush

    Canadian prog-rock titans Rush are little less than a religious institution among some factions of fans. The first incarnation of the band emerged all the way back in 1968 in Toronto, Canada- when youngsters Alex Lifeson, Jeff Jones and John Rutsey got together for a jam. Within a few years the band was hyped for very big things and had landed on its current line-up- incorporating Geddy Lee on bass and vocals along with Neil Peart on drums. Rush have gone on to enjoy success as one of the world’s leading rock acts, second only to The Rolling Stones and The Beatles for most consecutive Gold or Platinum selling albums ever.

     

    4. Cream

    As one of the many blues infused psychedelic rock acts of the 1960’s, Cream managed to create a hell of a lot of fuss during their brief yet explosive time together. Comprising of vocalist/guitar player Eric Clapton and a warring rhythm section made up of bass player Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker, Cream made 4 albums in 4 years- each of which was as good as the last. Despite the bands seeming unwillingness to co-operate as team members (which eventually caused their premature demise), the music they made was nonetheless huge, both for its time and for a 3-piece band.

     

    3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience

    During his spell as the world’s most exciting musical figure, Jimi Hendrix produced music as part of a number of bands. The first, and largely considered the best of these groups was entitled The Jimi Hendrix Experience and featured Englishmen Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell on bass guitar and drums respectively. The three albums made by the trio were all included in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 best of all time, and the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Enough said.

     

    2. The Jam

    As pioneers of the British punk rock and mod movement, The Jam epitomised many of the characteristics still prevalent within the genre, including of course a 3 member line-up. Formed by Paul Weller in an English secondary school in 1972, The Jam took its first steps with somewhat of a fluid line-up. Eventually settling by the middle of the decade- the band went on to achieve much acclaim until their split in 1982, releasing 6 albums and touring the world extensively. Much of The Jams work is considered to have been very influential since its release, especially amongst the English rock bands of the 80’s and 90’s.

     

    1. Nirvana

    A band that I am sure needs no introduction; Nirvana was created by frontman Kurt Cobain in the desolate surroundings of Aberdeen, Washington- in 1987. After shaky beginnings and a self-funded debut album entitled ‘Bleach’, Nirvana eventually found a place to call their own within the famous Seattle grunge scene- which was at the height of its popularity at the time. The band worked its way through a number of drummers before settling with Dave Grohl in 1990, who stayed behind the kit until the groups separation in 1994 following Cobains death. Releasing 3 studio albums over their 7 year career, Nirvana still enjoy a reputation as one of the biggest names in rock music ever- influencing a huge amount of today’s rock stars with their famous disregard for the norm as well as their sonic and straight forward style.

  • Weird Rituals Around the World – Page 2 of 2

     

    2. El Salto del Colacho (The Devil’s Jump)

    Devil jumped over a group of newborn babies in Spain on Sunday in a religious ceremony meant to remove evil spirits called the Devil’s Jump (El Salto del Colacho in Spanish). This tradition involves men dressed as a Colacho( like Devil ) jumping over the newborn infant, it is assume that this action will clean all previous year sins.

     

    1. Gurning Festival

    Gurning festival is the competition in which participant’s make their face with humorous facial expression, this competition is held in England rural areas, and becomes a tradition now. English who can make the best Gurning expression is declared to be the winner. An English man name Jackman won four times World’s Gurning Championship which was held in Egremont, England.

     

     

  • Top Ten Strange Things You Probably Don't Know About American History

    5. Balloon Bombs

    World War II was fought at a strange time in technological history. Computers were in their infancy and planes and ships were the primary weapons of the Pacific portion of the wars beginning. When the Japanese were attacking, they also sent out bombs tied to balloons to presumably land on the coast. While most of the bombs were presumed lost over the Pacific, there are a few instances of them making landfall and even being discovered years later. One family in Oregon were killed when a bomb flew much further inland than intended in 1944 and others have been found on beaches from Alaska to the southern tip of California.

     

    4. Hemp Nation

    Before the early 1900’s cannabis wasn’t excessively difficult to find in the United States. Before states began outright banning it as a poison in the early 1910’s, cannabis and hemp were quite readily available. In 1619 in fact, King James I ordered the Virginia colony, the only colony in the New World, to have every colonist grow 100 plants for export. The use of hemp for rope or fabric was quite normal and regularly seen and was seen in medicines as early as the 1830’s.

     

    3. President Uncle Sam

    Uncle Sam is a character that is synonymous with America and for good reason. The image used for Uncle Sam helped gain tons of volunteers for the US Army from World War I to present day, and the image of Uncle Sam pointing invokes emotion and pride from many Americans. Yet the character was actually based on two people. The name comes from a butcher in New York who shipped pork to the Army during the War of 1812. The image however, including the famous pointing picture, is based on a professional clown named Dan Rice. Rice even ran for election for the President of the United States several times, but lost.

     

    2. Why November?

    Tuesday in November seems pretty random for the most important day in a democratically elected nation, but it has simple to understand roots. It comes back to when America was founded, and finding a time when the weather and tradition would cooperate. At this time voters (and poll takers) traveled by horse and market day was on Wednesday. By putting the elections on a Tuesday allowed for voters to worship on Sunday, travel on Monday and vote on Tuesday, all in time for market day on Wednesday. As for November, it was the perfect time between harvest and winter which could be brutal to travel in, especially in Northern states.

     

    1. Speak American

    English is the most well known language in the United States. It is used in road signs, in government, on media, in just about every facet of American life. In fact, a growing sentiment against teaching other languages alongside English, or displaying them in public places alongside English has sprung up several times in various parts of the country. This is all despite the fact that although English is the most well known language, the country has no official language to speak of.

  • Ten Geographical Wonders of the World – Page 2 of 2

     

     

    5. Komodo National Park


    Komodo National Park is located in the Island of Sumbawaand Flores. Komodo National Park was established in 1980; initially the main purpose of the Park was to conserve the unique Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) and its habitat. However, Park was declared a World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, both indications of the Park’s biological importance.

    Now, PKA Balai Taman Nasional Komodo and PT. Putri Naga Komodo both are working together to protect the Park’s vast resources. Their goals is to protect the Park’s biodiversity and the breeding stocks of commercial fishes for replacement of surrounding fishing grounds.

     

    4. Amazon Rainforest


    Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforest on Earth and the forest covers almost 40% area of the South American continent. The rain makes large basin in the form of Amazon River. This river Cover Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana as well as French Guiana.

    Amazon Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth’s land surface but now they cover merely 5 to 6% and experts assume that the remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 year if we will keep consuming its wood with same speed.

    The Amazon rainforest produces about 20% oxygen of the world and recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen.The Amazon Rainforest also known as the “Lungs of our Planet” because it recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen.

    Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park is one of the few remaining large part of the Land of relatively intact cerrado. It includes six major vegetation types: campo cerrado – open wooded savanna, campo sujo – scrubland, cerradão – dense wooded savanna, campo limpo forest, semideciduous forest.

    Cerrado Protected Areas has a high faunal diversity with more than 70 species of mammals, 307 birds, 53 amphibians and reptiles and 49 fishes, many yet unidentified. Several are threatened, many are near extinction.

     

    3. Table Mountain


    Table Mountain is a flat top mountain. You can view the whole city of Cape Town in South Africa, so, this mountain has become very attractive for the people who want to see the Cape Town without having problem for going there, as a cable car service is available. There are also good restaurant in the city, some of them are revolving which make it more attractive to visitor to view the city even at 3600. This Table Mountain is 1086 meter high above the sea level. Many people also like to hike up to there. It takes about 3 hour to hike up the front of Table Mountain.

     

    2. Ha Long Bay


    Ha Long Bay is in the Gulf of Tonkin and includes some 1,600 islands and islets, making spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their abrupt nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by human presence. The great biological interest is situated in the Gulf of Tonkin.

    The smaller islands are fenglin towers of 50m to 100m high. Many have vertical walls on all or most sides and these continue to evolve by rock falls and large slab failures. A distinctive feature of Ha Long Bay is the abundance of lakes within the larger limestone islands.

     

    1. Iguazu Fall


    Iguazú Falls is the Spanish name for this enormous waterfall. Iguazú river is born in Paraná state in Brazil, After traveling 1,200 km. on a plateau it reaches a fault forming a crack in the interleaved layers of sandstone and basalt where the river runs smooth until it reaches a series of faults, and suddenly an 80 m canyon when river water goes into the faults where the water produces a thundering sound and then drains into the Parana river.

    This location where the river goes down into the fault and produces a thundering sound is called Iguazu Fall.

  • 10 Best Edward Cullen Image Illustrations – Page 2 of 2

     

    Image Source: Deviant Art – OdysseyArt

    Image Source: Devian Art

    Image Source: Deviant Art – ScarletV

    Image Source: Deviant Art – Alissia

    Image Source: Deviant Art – Nashkar

  • Top 10 Creatures that Glow in the Dark

     

    5. Ctenophores or “Comb Jellies”

    The Ctenophores or “comb jellies” are a phylum categorized by the use of tiny hairs (cilia) for aquatic locomotion. Unlike jellyfish, comb jellies do not sting. They also do not change forms as they mature: their larvae are just miniature versions of their adult forms. Most comb jellies are “comb shaped” hence their namesake and many produce bioluminescence as a defense mechanism. The comb jelly is cannibalistic by nature. When a comb jelly tries to consume another one, pieces break off of the victim and glow within the attacker’s translucent gut. This creates a lure which produces an attractive shimmer in the dark, ocean. Evolved predators of comb jellies sport darker bellies to counteract there sparkling prey’s defense.

     

    4. Anglerfish

    The deep ocean contains some pretty amazing creatures. Hundreds of fish glow, imitating the reflection of the sun or moon, in order to hide from predators. Some, however, take the offensive and lure in the catch of the day using their lights. From the cute blinking flash light fish to the various glowing sharks, how do you choose a top fish? Look no further than the deep sea anglerfish. These creepy-looking fish are so distinct that they earned a cameo on Disney’s Finding Nemo. I wouldn’t want to mess with this ugly mug either. The sneaky anglerfish cuts all the corners. They don’t have to go searching for a meal; it comes to them and in the trickiest of ways. In the dark ocean depths, the dubious character lies in wait with a tiny lantern piece hanging from a filament attached to its head, just inches from its disgusting teeth-filled jaw. An innocent little fish swims by to investigate and it’s game over. “Wham, bam, thank you Ma’am.”

     

    3. Glowworms

    Enough with the ocean depths! There are plenty of weird and remarkable creatures just outside our reach in the depths of caverns far and wide. A favorite to would-be explorers are the dazzling glowworms. Glowworms are not confined to any one species, but rather are the larvae (babies!) of many different types of insect species that produce bioluminescence. The most common of glowworms are, of course, firefly larvae. But the most interesting would have to go to the fungus gnat species in the Arachnocampa (meaning “spider worm”) genus which are only found in the caverns of New Zealand and Australia. These glowworms not only glow to attract prey (insects, molluscs, millipedes etc.) but drop sticky silken thread from cave ceilings that sticks to and traps their quarry. This thread creates a really cool visual effect (looking up at glow worms is similar to looking at the stars on a clear night) when observed in the dark as displayed in the photo above.

     

    2. Firefly Squid (Watasenia Scintillans)

    There are many species of squid that glow in the dark such as the adorable bobtail squid or gigantic Dana octopus squid. But Japan’s tiny “firefly squid” (Watasenia scintillans) takes the cake with its dazzling coastal display. Its average length is a mere three inches long but it swims to depths of hundreds of meters during the day and returns to the ocean surface at night. As you might have guessed by its name, the firefly squid is the “firefly of the ocean”. With photophores attached to each tentacle, this special little creature emits a beautiful light blue bioluminescence. These emissions of light allow the firefly squid to communicate with other members of its species, to warn off predators and even lure fish into its reach to eat (by flashing its lights). It can even light up its entire body to attract a mate! This squid is also the only species of cephalopod known to have color vision. What a neat little creature!

     

    1. Fungi – Such as the Saprobe Panellus Stipticus

    Certain fungi can display some remarkable bioluminescence. Bioluminescence has been described in over 70 species of fungi. This most awe inspiring photo of glowing fungi is demonstrated by the saprobe Panellus stipticus. The bioluminescence emitted by fungi that grows on decaying wood is called foxfire (aka “fairy fire”) and is most commonly a green light emission. Although observations of fungal bioluminescence date as far back as Aristotle, researchers today are still trying to figure out exactly why this amazing phenomenon occurs in fungi. There are plenty of theories why fungi emit light: to attract insects for spore dispersal, to attract the predators of invertebrates that might eat the fungus, to warn off fungi consumers or it could simply be a by-product of a metabolic process.

  • Top 10 Airports

    We keep talking about travelling and we have informed you about many different tourist destinations and various countries but what makes all of that possible? It is the airports ladies and gentlemen, and therefore it occurred to me that a list of airports should be compiled. This particular list talks about the top ten airports around the world. It doesn’t matter if you are flying from one of these airports or not because just being inside the airport is an experience in itself. You can share your experiences. Enjoy the read!

     

    10. CENTRAL JAPAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

    Central Japan International Airport - Top Ten Airports
    You remember how Burj Al Arab is constructed on an artificial island? Yeah, well, this entire airport has been constructed on an artificial island. It is located in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Perfecture. It is 35 kilometers south of Nagoya in central Japan. This airport has been classified as a first class airport. This is the eighth busiest airport in the entire nation. It serves as a hub to Japan Airlines. It is the third off-shore airport in Japan right after the Nagasaki Airport and the Kansai International Airport. The airport is second to have been constructed on a manmade island.

     

    9. VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

    Vancouver International Airport - Top Ten Airports
    This particular airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. It is around 12 kilometers away from Downtown Vancouver. In the year 2011, it was ranked as the second busiest airport in all of Canada with respect to aircraft movement. The airport has won many different awards and has been considered amongst the top ten airport for around three years. The airport is owned by Transport Canada and it is managed by the Vancouver International Airport Authority. It serves as a hub to Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Transat.

     

    8. KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

    Kuala Lampur International Airport - Top Ten Airports
    This is the main airport of Malaysia and is one of the major airports in the South East Asian region. It is located around fifty kilometers away from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The airport is fully equipped to handle around 35 million passengers in a year. It is operated by Malaysia Airports. The airport is owned by the government of Malaysia and it serves as a hub for Malaysia Airlines, MASkargo, AirAsia and AirAsia X. The airport was built on the 27th June of year 1998 costing around $3.5 billion.

     

    7. FLUGHAFEN ZURICH

    Flughafen Zurich - Top Ten Airports
    This is the international airport of Zurich and is also known as Kloten Airport. It is the largest international airport in Switzerland and serves as a primary hub to Swiss International Air Lines. The airport itself is owned by Flughafen Zurich AG. The airport is situated around 13 kilometers north of Zurich city centre. Apart from the Swiss International Air Lines, it serves as a hub to Airberlin and Edelweiss Air. It served around 24,337,954 passengers in the year 2011. This particular airport is absolutely fantastic when it comes to the design and architecture.

     

    6. FLUGHAFEN MUNCHEN

    Flughafen Munchen - Top Ten Airports
    The international airport of Munich, Germany is located around 28.5 kilometers northeast of Munich. The airport is located near the city of Freising and has been named in the memory of Franz Josef Strauss. The airport is owned by Flughafen Munchen GmbH and it serves as a hub to many different airlines including Air Berlin, Augsburg Airways, Lufthansa, Air Dolomiti, Air Independence, BinAir, Condor, Hamburg International and TUIfly. The construction of this particular airport started in the year 1980 and operations started in May 1992.