Good art can conjure up a various range of emotions but great art does something more. Ramon Bruin, who hails from the Netherlands, is a remarkably talented artist who creates optical illusions on paper. He’s even got a name for it, ‘Optical Illusionism.’ It is a combination of drawing, photography, and the right camera angle that manages to give it the effect that he desires.
His mischiveous masterpieces cover a wide variety of subject matters but each one of them is a unique and beautiful creation. From sharks that come at you from the ocean to the iconic depiction of Neo dodging a bullet from ‘The Matrix‘, take a look at some of his art that will leave you speechless. If you’re curious to see more of his work, head over to his website.
These autonomous people-movers run along a closed course between Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and the Business Car Park, 2.4 miles away. (Matthew Phenix)
Tucked in a corner of Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow airport, the future of urban mobility is quietly unfolding.
Since 2011, on a closed course between the terminal and the Business Car Park, 2.4 miles away, a fleet of 21 diminutive passenger pods have ferried as many as 1,000 passengers each day, quietly logging well more than 1m autonomous miles in the process. It’s a small-scale experiment, commissioned by Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited and built by UK-based Ultra Global PRT (for Personal Rapid Transit), but its success – measured by cost savings, environmental impact and user-friendliness – may help define locomotion in the city of tomorrow.
This is no miniature railway; Ultra pods are real cars, with rubber tires and untethered, battery-driven powertrains. Although they OFFER space for as many as six people and their luggage, they are compact, measuring 12ft long, 5ft wide and 6ft tall; and lightweight, tipping the scales at just 1,870lbs, including a 141lb battery pack. At its 25mph top speed, the pod draws only 2kW of electricity and hums along at 35dB (quieter than a refrigerator). Pods self-monitor battery level, occasionally excusing themselves at station stops for “opportunity charging”.
Pods wait in the station at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. (Matthew Phenix)
More than a novelty, the Heathrow pod network boasts some impressive environmental claims. The system already meets Kyoto Protocol 2050 projections, delivering a 50% reduction in per-passenger carbon emissions compared with diesel-powered buses and 70% compared with cars. By Heathrow’s estimate, the pods replace some 70,000 bus journeys each year. And unlike a shuttle bus, the average wait time for a pod is less than 10 seconds (80% of passengers have no wait at all).
Operation is splendidly simple. In the station, touch-screens allow riders to select their destination (Heathrow’s system OFFERS only two outbound options). The doors open and a mellifluous recorded voice welcomes the rider and begins narrating the experience. After the passenger presses the “Close doors” and “Start” buttons, the pod autonomously backs out of its parking spot and hums away from the station.
Pods accommodate as many as six passengers and their luggage; controls couldn’t be simpler. (Matthew Phenix)
It’s a five-minute ride from end to end, and the experience is altogether delightful. Crossing over seven roads and two rivers, a journey by Heathrow pod is more like a theme-park ride than a car-park transfer.
Of course, building a closed-course autonomous vehicle is decidedly easier than building one for the open road, à la the Google self-driving car, which must negotiate such obstacles as complex roadway interchanges, pedestrians and non-autonomous vehicles. But simplicity has its advantages. The pods themselves, which use mostly off-the-shelf automotive hardware, have proven highly reliable, and the system’s lightweight infrastructure – slender, easily installed trackways and flyovers – is, says Ultra, between six and 10 times more resource-efficient than typical road or rail systems.
Pods self-monitor battery status, occasionally excusing themselves at station stops for “opportunity charging”. (Matthew Phenix)
And Ultra has big plans for its little pods. Working with investors in India, the company intends to build a 4.8-mile elevated circuit in the city of Amritsar, about 285 miles north of New Delhi. This network will include seven stations and more than 200 pods capable of transporting some 50,000 passengers a day. And in November 2013, Ultra Global PRT and Taiwan-based China Engineering Consultants completed a feasibility study for the implementation of a sprawling PRT system New Taipei City, population 6.9m.
While it is not difficult to imagine specific pod applications – within city centres, for example, or between cities and airports – an all-pod future is a decidedly loftier proposition. A pod network like Heathrow’s works because riders can grab any pod, at any time, with no waiting. And while the service is personal, it isn’t private. The question is, will future drivers be willing relinquish the privilege of owning the cars of their choice – and the freedom of driving those cars themselves – for the convenience of a hands-off motoring future?
Can you believe this isn’t a photograph? Irish schoolgirl described as an amazing new Irish talent.Photo by: Texaco Art Competition
Shania McDonagh, (16), has become an overnight sensation in Ireland, where her pencil drawing of an old man has won the Texaco Children’s Art Competition. She is a schoolgirl in Claremorris, County Mayo.
She has won first prize in her age group for many years, but her portrait of “Coleman” has the critics raving.
It is almost impossible to distinguish the drawing from a photograph, so finely is it created, and she appears to have a huge career ahead as a portrait artist. She drew it from a photograph in a book called “Vanishing Ireland.”
Judging panel chairman Prof Declan McGonagle, director of the National College of Art & Design, told the Irish Times her work has established her “as one of the most talented artists of her generation, and one whose skill could see her become one of Ireland’s foremost portrait artists of the future.”
A major international career is being predicted for the young girl. She said it took her only a month to draw it and she will be presented with her $2,000 first-prize next month.
Super Harvest Moon 2014 as seen in Japan, by Segu Chang Zhang.
The super Harvest Moon of 2014 was bright and beautiful on September 8, but it isn’t just a one-night event. A bright, full-looking moon has graced Earth’s skies, rising shortly after sunset as seen from Northern Hemisphere locations, for the past couple of nights, and it’ll continue to shine on the night of September 9 and even September 10. It’s a characteristic of the Harvest Moon to rise shortly after sunset for several evenings in a row.
Dubai announced this week that the emirate’sAl Maktoum International Airport is about to get a massive $32 billion expansion.
Since opening in 2010, the four year-old airport has been mainly used for cargo operations. Passenger service commenced last year.
With this announcement, the seaside emirate will have a second major international airport, in addition to the already palatial Dubai International – home to Emirates Airlines.
The Al Maktoum Airport will serve as the focal point for Dubai World Central, a purpose-built “airport city” located 23 miles outside of Dubai. The 54 square mile airport metropolis will feature everything from commercial, residential, and leisure developments to state-of-the art cargo and air passenger facilities.
Dubai Airports expects Al Maktoum to be able to handle more than 120 million passengers a year, making it the busiest airport in the world. The expansion, which is expected to take six to eight years to complete, will enable the facility to accomodate up to 100 Airbus A380 Superjumbos simultaneously.
If that’s not enough, Al Maktoum International Airport can be further expanded to handle up to 200 million passengers per year. By 2020, the airport is expected to support more than 322,000 jobs and account for as much as 28% of Dubai’s GDP.
According to Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:
Our future lies at Dubai World Central (DWC). The announcement of this $32 billion development of DWC is both timely and a strong endorsement of Dubai’s aviation industry. With limited options for further growth at Dubai International, we are taking that next step to securing our future by building a brand new airport that will not only create the capacity we will need in the coming decades but also provide state of the art facilities that revolutionize the airport experience on an unprecedented scale.
This is one of those rare and beautiful moments when you feel a world of emotions but are still rendered speechless.
A video posted on YouTube shows the exact moment when a seven-week-old baby heard and reacted to his mother’s voice for the first time. Captured and shared by proud father Toby Lever, the video has already gone viral with over 7.5 million views.
Baby Lachlan, now two-years-old, was initially diagnosed with having moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears.
The video shows Lachlan receiving his first hearing aid. You can see the baby going from tearful bewilderment to smiling wonder in a matter of seconds.
Mere words cannot describe the beautiful reactions that follow. “We cried from happiness,” it says in the descriptor for the video. And we’re sure watching the video will overwhelm you as well.
Like we said, some things need to be felt and this most definitely is one of them.
Around six hundred vertical marathon runners take on Beijing’s tallest building, clambering up 82 floors and a total of 2,041 steps
The second edition of the China World Summit Wing HOTEL Vertical Run took place on Sunday morning in Beijing.
Around one thousand competitors, including 24 elite runners from around the world joined the race which is an official stop on the 2014 Vertical World Circuit (VWC) – the world’s first and only skyscraper racing circuit uniting some of the world’s most iconic skyscraper races, including the Empire State Building Run-Up in New York City.
Runners participating in the VWC are assigned points based on their results and the male and female competitors with the total highest scores at the end of the year will be declared world champions.
The challenging course took place in the staircase of THE HOTEL.
Starting from the ground floor lobby, runners climbed 82 floors and 2041 steps to a height of 330 meters and finish at the rooftop of the building.
Piotr Lobodzinski from Poland appeared at the finish line first in 10 minutes 1.4 seconds to take the trophy and a US$1,500 (£900) cheque.
In the women’s elite race, defending champion Suzy Walsham from Australia won the title again with a time of 11 minutes 50.3 seconds.
Local runners also had good performances on Sunday. Gan Xue, a university student from Beijing finished in second in the women’s elite category in 13 minutes 37.6 seconds.
It’s Grandparents Day today, and this brings to mind those priceless, unforgettable memories our grandparents have given us. Those moments of pure joy, abundant love and tireless pampering that we’ve received at their hands.
Kids pharmaceutical giant, Johnson’s has come up with this touching video especially for this day, and it will definitely take you down memory lane. Here are a few things that remind us of our grandparents:
1. Those lovely bedtime stories, which got more and more interesting if we promised to sleep.
2. Every food item seemed almost exotic when grandma cooked it.
3. Summer vacations at our grandparents house meant pampering. Loads of it.
4. Those times when our grandparents saved us from getting into trouble with our parents.
5. Nobody celebrated your achievements, big or small, like they did. Nobody still does!
These incredible photos capture the intricate detail of the Middle East’s grandest temples – a kaleidoscope of colours on their ceilings. Mohammad Domiri is a young self-taught photographer from northern Iran who takes beautiful photos of traditional architectural monuments throughout the Middle East.
Due to restrictions on tripods, as well as overcrowding, it is very difficult to get permission to shoot inside these grand wonders. Most of his subjects are grand traditional mosques, heavily decorated with mesmerizing geometric patterns and mosaics, beaming and swirling with colour just like colossal kaleidoscopes.
Even if you are the world’s least religious person, you might feel your hands coming together in prayer naturally when you see the brilliance of this light. As a result there are very few images of such temples – meaning his photography is extremely rare. More info:gravity.ir | 500px | Facebook
Take off with Natarajan 