Mesmerizing Self Portraits Made by 14 years Boy !!!!

A 14-year-old photographer has taken the internet by storm with his creative and dreamlike images that make normal-sized people appear tiny.

Zev Hoover, from Natick, Massachusetts, goes by the Flickr username Fiddle Oak, a play on ‘little folk’, which adequately describes the incredible images that make up his ‘miniature world’.

In his fantastical photos in which people are digitally shrunken, acorns make excellent seats, Popsicle sticks are the ideal size for building rafts, and paper airplanes are viable modes of transport.

Zev Hoover

 

Zev Hoover

 

Zev told Today.com that while he takes the photos with his own camera, his older sister Nell, 18, was the brains behind the original tiny people concept.

‘She is sort of my partner in crime,’ he said, adding that she is ‘more of a writer’.

 

While Nell may have come up with the idea, Zev executes the images beautifully, and his unique work has attracted the attention of professional photographers and designers.

The 14-year-old, who also writes a blog, explained the complicated process of how he creates his dreamlike images, many of which feature him as the main subject.
Zev Hoover

Complex: The process involves capturing the background, shrinking photos of people in similar lighting, manipulating the images in Photoshop and editing the color scheme so that it all matches

Zev Hoover

 In one of the photos that plays with size ratio, a miniscule-looking boy sits on the edge of a rock, a violin in his hand


Zev Hoover
Miniscule: In another image, a boy appears small enough to fit inside a tiny paper boat, made from a page in a book


The process involves capturing the background image first, shrinking photos of people in similar lighting, manipulating the images in Photoshop and editing the color scheme so that it all matches.

‘It takes a long time,’ he said of the resulting images, which are so otherworldly that they almost look like drawings.

One image shows a boy constructing a house of playing cards, his body the same size as the cards.

In another image, a ‘miniature’ boy and girl sit upon a raft made of Popsicle sticks, the sail of which is a single leaf.
Zev Hoover

Zev Hoover
Stimulating: Zev gets a lot of support from the Flickr community, where he shares his work. ‘It’s two-way, and it inspires and invigorates me a lot,’ he said of the website. ‘There is so much good energy’

Many of Zev’s images explore nature, including one in which a boy perches inside the shell of an acorn.

Another nature-themed photo, which plays with and distorts size ratio, shows a miniscule-looking boy sitting on the edge of a rock, a violin in his hand.

Photography and design websites have picked up on Zev’s work, lauding him for being so talented and creative at such a young age.

‘Zev has proven to be one photographer to keep an eye on,’ wrote one MyModernMet.com writer.

Zev Hoover

At one with the outdoors: In one photo, a miniature boy perches comfortably inside the shell of an acorn


Zev Hoover

Natural environment: A number of the teen’s images explore humans’ relationship with nature

The blogger goes on to praise Zev’s style, which ‘takes the viewer along on a magical journey of rediscovering the world around us.’

 

The youngest of four, Zev – who is home-schooled by his sculptural artist mother – grew up in a household that fostered creative pursuits.

 

He began taking his first photos at the age of eight with a cell phone camera, before acquiring two professional instruments – a regular camera and a video camera – which he lovingly named ‘Betsy’ and ‘Diana’.

 

Not only is he a talented photographer, but Zev also seems to be wise beyond his years in other fields as well.

 

Zev Hoover

 

Zev Hoover

In his spare time, he browses technology blogs, builds and flies model airplanes, and dreams about going to college to study art or graphic design.

But despite all his ambition and success thus far, Zev is markedly down-to-earth.

When asked about all the attention he has been getting recently, he told Today.com: ‘It’s just so lucky and random

SOURCE:::Margot Peppers in Mailonline.com

 

World”s First Practical Flying Car !!!!

The idea of a flying car has fascinated dreamers and aviation geeks alike since humans first got off the ground with powered flight.The concept has obvious advantages: the “go anywhere, anytime” freedom of an automobile without any of the traffic congestion that terrestrial drivers face on a daily basis.

Featured in movies like Back to the Future and Blade Runner, this mode of transportation has been restricted to the realm of science-fiction due to the complexity of the drivetrain required and the training that would be needed to operate such a vehicle.

Now, a company called Terrafugia has put forward their vision for a practical flying car. Using electric-gasoline hybrid technology from the cutting edge of the automobile industry and autopilot technology adopted from the aviation industry, the company thinks they have what’s needed to bring a flying car to the mass market.

The concept started as the Terrafugia Transition, a plane that can be driven on the road

The concept started as the Terrafugia Transition, a plane that can be driven on the road

Unfortunately, the Transition had to take off and land from an airport, so Terrafugia began working on a second generation concept

 Unfortunately, the Transition had to take off and land from an airport, so Terrafugia began working on a second generation concept
Which came to be known as the Terrafugia TF-X, an electric-hybrid flying car with a range of 500 milesWhich came to be known as the Terrafugia TF-X, an electric-hybrid flying car with a range of 500 miles

It’ll have room to fit four comfortably

It'll have room to fit four comfortably

It’ll fit in a standard single-car garage.

It'll fit in a standard single-car garage

On the ground it relies on an electric drivetrain, so you won’t always be filling it up with gasoline

On the ground it relies on an electric drivetrain, so you won't always be filling it up with gas

You can also charge the batteries by plugging it in at home

You can also charge the batteries by plugging it in at home

Once you’re in the air, the gasoline engine charges the batteries for driving

Once you're in the air, the gasoline engine charges the batteries for driving

If you run low on fuel in the middle of a flight, it’ll automatically find a safe spot to land. The driver has final say on whether a spot is safe for landing.

If you run low on fuel in the middle of a flight, it'll automatically find a safe spot to land. The driver has final say on whether a spot is safe for landing.

A  video clip on Fly CAR

SOURCE::::businessinsider.com

Natarajan

Photoshoot From The Top Of The World !!!!

Photographer scales Dubai’s Burj Khalifa to capture the vertigo-

inducing view from the very tip of the world’s tallest structure

  • The Burj Khalifa stands 2,722ft over the city of Dubai
  • It has been the world’s tallest building since 2010

Joe McNally ascended more than half a mile to the very tip of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest manmade structure, to capture the breathtaking view from the top.

And not content with shooting a set of photos that will have the world gripping its swivel chairs, he has also published a vertigo-inducing behind-the-scenes video on YouTube showing how he did i

Mr McNally, a photographer with 26 years’ experience shooting for National Geographic, had been visiting Dubai to teach at a special photography event in the city state.

He was given access to the 2,722ft Burj Khalifa after three years in correspondence with the building’s administrator.

 

The route to the top starts at 5am in a service lift that runs right up the spine of the building to level 160, the very last concrete floor in the towering structure.

After that, accompanied by two of the building’s maintenance workers, Mr McNally climbed a series of zig-zagging metal staircases up several more floors until they reached a final ladder.

‘Just physically climbing you’re talking about going straight up for a couple of hundred metres,’ the photographer said.

‘You’re safety harnessed to the ladder. It’s kind of a ratchet system where you can actually lean back and rest when you need to.

‘And that just is a straight ladder right up to the very top. It’s a lengthy climb and it’s physically daunting task..

At the top of the building the workers helped Mr McNally ease himself out onto the side of the Burj Khalifa’s spire, where he hung from safety ropes above a drop of more than half a mile.

There he also photographed the two men who helped him reach the record-breaking point.

‘You don’t want to go to the top of this tower and just take a snap looking down,’ he said. ‘You want to have a reference point, you want sense of humanity in the midst of this giant structure.’

source::::mailonline.com

Natarajan

 

 

 

 

Solve This Math. Problem!!! And Claim $1 Million from Texas Banker !!!!

Texas banker and self-taught mathematician D. Andrew Beal has increased the cash prize for proving a conjecture he discovered in 1993, the Associated Press reported.

Held by the American Mathematical Society, the $1,000,000 cash prize goes to the first to prove the Beal Conjecture, an offshoot of the legendary Fermat’s Last Theorem proof that was solved by Andrew Wiles in 1994.

Here’s the problem that can make you rich.

beal's conjecture

Fermat’s Last Theorem went unsolved for hundreds of years. It said that no three positive integers a, b and c can satisfy

ax + bx = cx 

when integer x is greater than two. While this may seem somewhat simple, and if you play around with it it becomes self-evident, it’s a complete pain to prove.

Andy Beal had been working on Fermat’s Last Theorem when he stumbled upon a different problem. At the time, he was using computers to look at similar equations with different exponents.

Beal’s Conjecture is related. If a, b, c, x, y, and z are all positive integers and x, y, z are greater than two,

ax + by = cz

is only possible when a, b and c have a common prime factor.

Beal found during his computations that the only solutions to the equation were when a, b and c had a common factor  — like how 8, 6 and 10 all have a common factor of 2 — so he contacted folks in academia to confirm that the problem was new, then set up a prize with the AMS for the person who proves his conjecture.

So, if you find a proof or counterexample to Beal’s Conjecture that gets approved by the AMS-appointed committee and gets into a journal, you get a million bucks.

Click here to see the terms of the prize >

source:::::businessinsider.com

Natarajan

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/beale-conjecture-1-million-dollar-prize-2013-6#ixzz2VSDh2GMl

“Wash and Reuse” Notebook!!!…An Innovative Technique !!!!

When 21 year old engineering student Indrajeet Ghorpade saw waste paper bins at his college hostel overflowing with used notebooks at the end of every semester, he was horrified. If this was the waste generated by a single institution, he could only imagine the scenario at schools, colleges and universities across the country at the end of every academic cycle. Thousands of tonnes of paper wasted each year just on rough-work and calculations. Considering that India recycles only 26% of its paper,this amounted to shocking misuse of a non-renewable resource. Something needed to be done and fast.

The first step for Indrajeet, was admitting that despite technology providing us with paperless alternatives like laptops, tablets etc, the conventional paper notebook at least in the Indian context was here to stay. Although, access to technology is rapidly increasing, it remains out of reach for the poor student. Besides, writing and learning is still the most popular method of studying in India across the economic spectrum.

The question that kept doing the rounds in his mind was how did one come up with an environment-friendly alternative that was affordable and yet did not disrupt the preferred method of studying? At last it dawned upon him. A reusable notebook that uses washable synthetic sheets instead of paper. So simple.

“These sheets can be washed, dried,re-bound and used again,” says an enthusiastic Indrajeet. “Thus you end up saving electricity and trees that go into the manufacturing of the conventional paper notebooks as well as the money that goes into buying new books”.

“Since stationery can be very expensive,” he says. “This is an attractive alternative for the students. One does not fill all the pages of a book in a day, so you don’t have to wash it everyday. Most likely you’ll only need to do it once a month and its as simple as doing your laundry.”

The Reusable Notebook: Wash and re-use!When showcased at the Innovation Jockeys contest last year, the reusable notebook became an instant hit. Buoyed by the positive response generated by his product, its proud creator says it’s only a matter of time before the reusable notebook hits the market.

“I have presented my idea to few of the leading stationery manufactures and organizations that support eco-friendly innovations and have received a positive response. With efforts channeled in the right direction along with smart marketing strategies, we should be able to see the product being used in every household, school and college in near future.”

In his final year in engineering at the Vellore Institute of Technology, Indrajeet has already landed a cushy job with a prestigious internet company. However, he dreams of striking it big on his own someday. First on his agenda is creating an “educational Institution where teaching will happen in an unconventional way with a complete emphasis on gaining practical skills, encouraging creativity and innovation.”

Other dream projects include, turning his house and eventually the entire neighbourhood into an eco-friendly zone. A beach-side café also happens to be on the list.

However, the die-hard fan of Vint Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee insists that innovators today have a more difficult challenge ahead of them. Environmental sustainability must be a part of every solution. For him,a true trailblazer is one who can think diversely and “come up with a technique that is efficient, cost effective and supports sustainable development.” Much like the reusable notebook.

Indrajeet Ghorpade

source::::yahoo specials India

Natarajan

“Maglev”…Japan’s Floating Bullet Train !!!!

 

Japan’s floating bullet trains – which will travel at up speeds of up to 311mph – have undergone their first test runs.

The magnetic levitation, or ‘maglev’ trains, use state-of-the-art technology to reach mind-blowing speeds.

The teams behind the operation aim to have an established track from Tokyo to Osaka by 2045, eventually linking the entire country from north to south.
Japan's 'floating' trains of the future, designed to travel at speeds of 311mph, have undergone their first track tests

Maglev Japan test run

Maglev trains use magnets to lift the carriages above the track, eliminating the need for wheels and therefore any incidence of friction, providing a faster and quieter service.

The first five of the Series LO cars, manufactured by Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai), are propelled by magnetic forces and have undergone initial tests that involved being pushed along the track by a maintenance car, the Telegraph reported.

Official test runs are scheduled to begin in September, and are on schedule to be running between Tokyo and Nagoya, the third largest city in Japan, by 2027.

The sleek, aerodynamic trains are the fastest ever manufactured.

Japan is well-established as the world leader in high-speed trains, having developed the first ‘bullet train’ in 1964.

Maglev trains are the latest in high speed transport, and have reached up to 361mph in test runs.

China was the first country to have a commercially-operated Maglev service.

The Shanghai Maglev opened to the public in January 2004, and has a top commercial operational speed of 268mph due to the short track length.It cost $1.3billion (£830million) to build.

Manufacturers claim that Maglev technology is less polluting than the flights that currently link the cities.

People turn out to witness the preliminary test of Japan's new maglev

source:::::mailonline.com

Natarajan

 

Breathtaking Cockpit Photo Of A Marine’s F-18 Firing A Live Missile!!!!!

missile

 

The  above image is going viral on social networks.

The reason is obvious: is an absolutely stunning photograph, just released by the U.S. Marine Corps, showing Capt. Christopher Prout with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing as he shoots an AIM-7 Sparrow missile from an F/A-18C Hornet near Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, on May 16, 2013.

VMFA-232 moved to Tyndall for a deployment for training (DFT) used to prepare the squadron for future combat and contingency operations.

source:::::businessinsider.com

Natarajan

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/breathtaking-cockpit-photo-taken-as-marines-f-18-fires-a-live-missile-2013-6#ixzz2V3j1yfPC

Microsoft Was a Decade Ahead in Inventing a Tablet !!!!!

Apple’s iPad is a revolutionary product that is cratering the PC industry. But it wasn’t Steve Jobs’ idea.

A full decade before Jobs launched the iPad in 2010, Bill Gates launched Microsoft’s touch input tablet computer.

Here it is:
Bill Gates tablet 2000

Bill Gates with a Microsoft tablet in 2000

Two years later, Gates showed up with an improved model, a color tablet. It used the Windows XP Tablet operating system.

Here it is:
Bill Gates tablet 2002

Bill Gates in 2002

 

Unlike today, Microsoft didn’t manufacture the tablet itself. Lenovo produced the tablet in 2000 and other partners, like Fujitsu, made the XP tablet in 2002. Here’s a closer look at the Fujitsu tablet.

 Windows XP Tablet

Fujitsu Windows XP Tablet from 2002

So if Microsoft was a decade ahead, why did Apple become the King of the Tablets?

Last July, during an interview with Charlie RoseBill Gates explained that Jobs “did some things better than I did. His timing in terms of when it came out, the engineering work, just the package that was put together. The tablets we had done before, weren’t as thin, they weren’t as attractive.
source:::: businessinsider.com
Natarajan

 

 

 

Crazy !!!! Yet Amazing Photos !!!!!

French dancer Philippe Priasso performs a Pas de Deux with a Digger during the Neuhardenberg-Nacht (Neuhardenberg Night) on May 18, 2013 at Neuhardenberg Palace in Neuhardenberg, eastern Germany

 

A high-wire dancer of the acrobat group “Geschwister Weisheit” (wisdom siblings) performs on the tightrope on May 25, 2013 during the German Gymnastics Festival in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany

 

A plane model bearing the colours of Emirates airlines holds a camera above the Roland Garros stadium on the opening day of the French Tennis Open tournament in Paris, on May 26, 2013. 
Kristin tries out a mirror experiment during the “Wanderings about the Senses” exhibition on May 29, 2013 in Dresden, eastern Germany.
Baby elephant “Moyo” is helped up by his mother “Sabie” during his first outing at the zoo in Wuppertal, western Germany, on May 15, 2013. “Moyo” was born on May 13, 2013 at the zoo.
A large sea bream object, made from colourful debris found drifting at sea, such as plastic tanks, toys and wires, and produced by Japanese art group Yodogawa Tecnique, is displayed at the Setouchi Triennale art event at the port of Uno, Okayama prefecture in western Japan on May 19, 2013.
Dog puppy “Sandy” protects against the rain with an umbrella fixed on her leash during a stroll in Rust, southern Germany, on May 26, 2013.
Workers install a golden winged car on the roof of the City Museum in Cologne, western Germany, on April 4, 2013. The car, a creation by German artist HA Schult, is brought back to the roof after its restauration at Ford.
A man looks at ” MaskII” a sculpture by Australian artist Ron Mueck exhibited at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, on April 15, 2013 in Paris.
A green flying frog, also named Reinwardt’s tree frog or black-webbed tree frog, sits on a finger on April 24, 2013 at the State Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe, southern Germany
Spanish player Rafael Nadal bites his trophy as he celebrates his victory over his compatriot Nicolas Almagro after the final of the Barcelona Open tennis tournament Conde de Godo in Barcelona on April 28, 2013
A visitor walks past a poster at the 2013 Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE2013) held at the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre on Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai on April 16, 2013.
Civilian passengers of the Airbus A330 Zero-G, who are not astronauts nor scientists, enjoy the weightlessness, on March 15, 2013, during the first zero gravity flight for paying passengers in Europe. All boarding cards, costing 6,000 euros, were sold for the years 2013 and 2014. Zero gravity flights for paying passengers have already taken place in the United States and Russia. The zero-gravity of space is simulated by flying a series of parabolic flight maneuvers that counter the forces of gravity and allow astronauts and cosmonauts to learn how to accomplish tasks with no gravity…
Visitors watch Mirella Ferraz, known as Brazilian mermaid, as she swims with fish in a giant tank during a show at an aquarium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on February 10, 2013.
A combination picture shows former England captain David Beckham slipping as he free kicks at a sports field during his visit in Wuhan, Hubei province
Indonesian dog lover Handoko Njotokusumo and Ace ride through traffic during their weekend joy ride on a motorcycle in Surabaya located in eastern Java island on March 2, 2013. Handoko, 57 a retired businessman, regularly takes Ace, a golden retriever, for a ride around the city.
A technician works on the engine of an Airbus A 380 airplane on January 28, 2013 at the maintenance hall of German airline Lufthansa in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany.
A young Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) swims in its outdoor enclosure on January 7, 2013 at the zoo in Duisburg, western Germany.
Yoko, a chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes), reacts after receiving a Christmas hamper, at Rio de Janeiro’s zoo on December 18, 2012.
Skiers are seen on a cable car above the fog on December 1, 2012 in the Titlis mountain above Engelberg, Central Switzerland.
source::::yahoonews.com
Natarajan