The LEGO brick turns 50 at exactly 1:58 p.m. today, January 28, 2008. This timeline shows these 50 years of building frenzy by happy kids and kids-at-heart, all the milestones from the LEGOLAND themed sets to TECHNIC and MINDSTORMS NXT, as well as all kinds of weird curiosities about the most famous stud-and-tube couple system in the world. Jump to zoom in and tell us what was your first LEGO in the comments .
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Lego turns 50
Monday, January 14, 2008
My Top Films In 2007
I decided to go the extra mile and also listed my top ten directors, scripts, and leading/supporting performances. And I couldn't restrict myself to picking only ten favorite movies! I'm sure y'all will find it in your hearts to forgive me seeing as how '07 was such an amazing year for film.
BEST MOVIES
1. Michael Clayton
2. Zodiac
3. Juno
4. No Country for Old Men
5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
6. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
7. Eastern Promises
8. Into the Wild
9. Gone Baby Gone
10. Once
11. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
12. The Lookout
13. Paris Je T'aime
14. There Will Be Blood
15. Ratatouille
BEST DIRECTION
1. Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
2. Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
3. David Fincher (Zodiac)
4. Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
5. Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
6. Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
7. David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises)
8. Sean Penn (Into the Wild)
9. Scott Frank (The Lookout)
10. Sarah Polley (Away From Her)
BEST SCREENPLAYS
1. Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
2. Diablo Cody (Juno)
3. James Vanderbilt (Zodiac)
4. Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
5. Sean Penn (Into the Wild)
6. Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (Superbad)
7. Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
8. Scott Frank (The Lookout)
9. Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard (Gone Baby Gone)
10. Sarah Polley (Away from Her)
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCES
1. George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
2. Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
3. Julie Christie (Away from Her)
4. Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah)
5. Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)
6. Ellen Page (Juno)
7. Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl)
8. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Lookout)
9. Amy Adams (Enchanted)
10. Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCES
1. Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
2. Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
3. Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
4. Jeremy Piven (Smokin' Aces)
5. Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
6. Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
7. Jennifer Garner (Juno)
8. Jeff Daniels (The Lookout)
9. Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War)
10. Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men)
Friday, January 11, 2008
In X Box 360 world, Orange Box 360 update released! (not Again!)
In X Box 360 world, Orange Box 360 update released! (not Again!)
The second Orange Box 360 update has been released by Valve! This time, the focus is primarily on Team Fortress 2. What, exactly, have they changed? - Reduced network bandwidth usage in multiplayer.
- Improved overall game performance.
- Arranged search results to favor preferred host conditions.
- Improved searching for ranked games.
- Addressed a possible false report of too little storage space on larger hard drives.
So... Who here has the patch and can share just how well the update works?
So the next time we hit our Xbox 360 and pad our way to our Xbox 360 game of Orange, take note that bug fixes has been sent over and over again with one issue noticably wrong, Xbox is full of bugs.
Nintendo Ninjas Court Marshals them Pirates in Hong Kong, US is next
the never ending war against piracy is descibed as
Like Ninjas versus Pirates and the battle Field is the Court Room
On October 8th, Nintendo was able to take advantage of an intervention by the High Court of Hong Kong to put a halt to an operation involving the piracy of Nintendo's intellectual property as representatives from Mario's house were able to seize more than 10,000 game copying devices and mod chips.
In addition to the copying and modification devices used to pirate Nintendo DS and Wii titles, they also came upon documents which revealed the scope of the operation, tying The Supreme Factory Limited to Divineo SARL of France and its principal, Max Louarn, all of whom have had legal action declared against them by Iwata and his boys, while the High Court has frozen their distribution and assets, pending the outcome of their legal proceedings.
According to calculations, Nintendo and over 100 other companies lost an estimated $762 million in sales thanks to the permeation of piracy the previous year.
This action is the latest in a string of busts initiated by Nintendo as they seek to continue protecting their property, and it very likely won't be the last.
After Movies 101, Here are the greatest 101 Critically Acclaimed Movies Of all time
After Movies 101, Here are the greatest 101 Critically Acclaimed Movies Of all time
When you think about it that way, it's pretty hard to come up with the definitive list of the best movies ever made. Put together, the 11 film critics at filmcritic.com haven't even seen every film ever made. We haven't even seen a fraction of them.
The hushed truth is that no one who puts together lists like these, not even the American Film Institute has seen them all. And as one of our staffers puts it, most critics lie, anyway. They say their favorite film is L' Age d'or when it's really Caddyshack.
We've tried not to lie. But telling it like it is is easy. The real challenge in lists like this is comparing the merits of films like Doctor Zhivago and Young Frankenstein. Which is a better film? Who are we to say?
Still, some caveats. For better or worse, we are all young guys, and the list is top-heavy toward the latter half of the century. That said, the top 101 list doesn't crack the '90s until #9. I think you'll find some surprises herein, but nothing too shocking. After all, every film on this list is a classic.
So without further ado, we are extremely proud to present the definitive Top 101 Films of the Millennium, courtesy of filmcritic.com.
2. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - The fix is in for Kubrick, it seems. The wonderful, horrible life of Alex and his droogies made a monster out of Malcolm McDowell, and the role haunts him still. This alterna-futuristic study of the nature of man, and what can go awry when you try to tinker with it, is timeless. Clockwork's whining, squeamish critics be damned.
3. Citizen Kane (1941) - It's on every top 100, top 10, and top 1 list ever written. Naturally, it's on ours as well, and rightfully so. Orson Welles' thinly-veiled attack on William Randolph Hearst is a biting examination of power, lust, greed, and megalomania. Its structure broke new ground almost 60 years ago, which might be why more films seem to have been made about Kane than any other.
4. Vertigo (1958) - Awesome and brilliant, Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo was recently restored, and its power is immense. Jimmy Stewart never did finer work, and Hitchcock's masterpiece, though its meaning may be lost on many, reveals a man at his most obsessed -- an apt metaphor for Hitch himself. The greatest of five Hitchcock films in our top 100.
5. Brazil (1985) - Monty Python troupe member Terry Gilliam turned his eye toward a dystopic future with a film that pays homage to 1984 and Metropolis. Gorgeous and wonderfully crafted, you couldn't ask for a better bad vision of the future.
6. Annie Hall (1977) - Woody Allen's undisputed finest film is filled with the voice of someone who has known love and loss. Diane Keaton has never been better than in the title role, and cameos by the likes of Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum make Annie unforgettable.
7. Blade Runner (1982) - Perpetually underrated, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is the greatest strictly-sci-fi movie ever made. We'll forgive Harrison Ford a dozen Random Hearts for one of these.
8. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Not only is Empire the best film of the Star Wars trilogy -- er, four-logy -- it's one the best films ever made. George Lucas's epic about the most dysfunctional father-son relationship you can imagine should not be missed.
10. Casablanca (1942) - Everybody goes to Rick's. In war-torn Morocco, Bogie and Bergman made film history on one of the most memorable airstrips in the movies.
11. House of Games (1987) - David Mamet was quiet and unknown back in 1988 when he put together this true sleeper, the best con-game movie ever made, hands down. Joe Mantegna's career was built by this film.
12. JFK (1991) - Oliver Stone a crackpot? Sure, but his semi-revisionist version of the assassination of John F. Kennedy is still and probably will forever be his finest hour. Er, three hours.
13. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Coppola's adaptation of "Heart of Darkness" is creepy to an extreme, and far more memorable than the Godfather series or, quite frankly, anything else Coppola has done. The horror...
14. Star Wars (1977) - The rare case where the sequel beats out the original. The first Star Wars was obviously an amateur effort, though you have to give it credit for reviving the sci-fi genre and, of course, building an institution.
15. Fargo (1996) - Best black comedy ever produced? You betcha! The Coen brothers have yet to repeat the magic of Fargo, but it's great to watch them try.
16. Heavenly Creatures (1994) - Peter Jackson's brilliant and haunting true story of two teenage girls who decide to murder one's mother is a rare surprise, working double time as a fantasy and a drama.
18. Paths of Glory (1957) - Another from Kubrick: This time, the quintessential anti-war war movie.
19. The Godfather (1972) - It has to be on the list, if for no other reason than for spawning hundreds of sorry imitators in a relatively brief 25 years.
20. Taxi Driver (1976) - It did for taxis what Psycho did for showers.
21. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) - Ken Kesey's memoir. Jack Nicholson's most memorable character. Put "Nurse Ratched" into the American lexicon.
22. Schindler's List (1993) - Spielberg finally redeemed himself for 1941 with this widely-hailed return to WWII.
23. Grand Illusion (1937) - Jean Renoir's keen eye turned to WWI in this French escape movie that goes so much deeper.
24. Manhattan (1979) - Woody pays homage to his two favorite things: New York City and younger women.
25. Rear Window (1954) - Hitch and Stewart together again in a powerful and thrilling meditation on voyeurism and murder.
26. His Girl Friday (1940) - The romantic comedy wasn't invented by Howard Hawks, but it may as well have been. Grant, Russell, hilarity.
27. Shallow Grave (1995) - The British Pulp Fiction, underseen, underrated, underground.
29. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Has it really been that long since Indy first whipped his way onto the big screen?
30. Dead Poets Society (1990) - Carpe diem, seize the day. Dead Poets Society gave legions of teens something to dream about.
31. The Graduate (1967) - Where have you gone, Mrs. Robinson? Nowhere -- she's as vibrant now as she ever was.
32. Wall Street (1987) - Charlie Sheen and Daryl Hannah may not be the power pairing of Bogie and Bergman, but it was Michael Douglas's Gordon Gecko and his "Greed is good" credo that made Wall Street the voice for the entire decade of the 80's.
33. Real Genius (1985) - Perhaps the best flat-out comedy ever made, that no one ever saw. Val Kilmer ruled, before he got his attitude.
34. Network (1976) - "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this any more!" Try Howard Beale's speech the next time you quit a job.
35. A Fish Called Wanda (1989) - John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis... would that their follow-up, Fierce Creatures, were this flat-out hilarious.
36. The Crying Game (1992) - Who knew the name Jaye Davidson would cause such a stir? Neil Jordan's finest work, which he hasn't really mustered since.
37. Happiness (1998) - Todd Solondz wowed us with Welcome to the Dollhouse, then upped the ante with this follow-up. A tale of extreme family dysfunction, Happiness hurts.
38. The Gold Rush (1925) - Actually, we'll take anything and everything by Charlie Chaplin – the man who continues to make us wonder whether sound was a truly a technological advancement for motion pictures. City Lights gets honorable mention.
39. The African Queen (1951) - Bogart had chemistry with just about every woman he met. He proves it again here with Kate Hepburn, in a paragon of screenwriting excellence.
40. The Piano (1993) - Jane Campion has had her share of hits and misses. The Piano is one powerful story of love, jealousy, and a willing mute.
42. The Godfather Part II (1974) - More of the classic tale, with the same intensity.
43. WarGames (1984) - You think Y2K paranoia is bad. Here's the "PC" film that started the panic.
44. American Beauty (1999) - Gorgeous, stunning, and the last best film of the century. Sure to be an Oscar contender, if not the champ.
45. Blood Simple (1984) - A complex story of intrigue and deception handled beautifully by Joel and Ethan Cohen. The film became the catalyst for every noir film of the 80's and 90's.
46. In the Company of Men (1997) - Misogyny made fun.
48. Rope (1948) - Murder made fun, courtesy of Hitchcock's inventive single-shot picture.
49. Chinatown (1974) - Filmmakers study Citizen Kane. Screenwriters study Chinatown.
50. Rashomon (1950) - All those movies told from multiple points of view, none of which is the real truth -- this is where it all started.
51. North by Northwest (1959) - Some consider this Hitchcock's finest work. At the very least, it's Cary Grant's best. The cropdusting sequence is cinema history.
52. The Princess Bride (1987) - Farce/fantasy done right, a star-studded cast in a kid's movie that has found a true following among adults.
53. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - File under epic. David Lean dropped Peter O'Toole in the desert and let him do his thing.
55. Platoon (1986) - One of Oliver Stone’s finest films. The shattering of innocence and of hope reborn are driven home strongly among the horrors of warfare.
56. Trainspotting (1996) - Amazing examination of people living within the complex world of drug addiction, with a breakthrough role by Ewan McGregor.
57. The Producers (1968) - Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder star as entrepreneurs who aim to make the worst play imaginable, and in the process, make the funniest. Mel Brooks at his best.
58. The Terminator (1984) - Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a lot of movies, most of them god-awful. Here's the exception to the rule.
59. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) - When Audrey Hepburn sang "Moon River," she made her way into the hearts of America and cinema history.
60. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - It's probably not PC nowadays, but Disney's first animated feature launched an empire yet to be leveled.
61. Toy Story (1995) - And 62 years later, that empire reached its height, ushering in a new age of computer animation.
62. Double Indemnity (1944) - Film noir at its best, in Billy Wilder's virtuoso double-cross tale.
63. It Happened One Night (1934) - Frank Capra united Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as opposites who fall in love. Definitely ahead of its time and Capra's best work.
64. The Wizard of Oz (1939) - The munchkins, the wicked witch, the yellow brick road, the man behind the curtain: What isn't a piece of Americana?
65. Braveheart (1995) - Private Ryan may have brought battle scenes to a new level of technical brilliance, but this film bleeds emotion throughout.
67. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - Nothing warms the heart like a good, old-fashioned prison movie. This one's the best.
68. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - Although one critic says, "I thought this was mainstream pap when I was 12," we still get a little teary-eyed when we see a Speak & Spell.
69. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Great story plus groundbreaking camerawork, Mockingbird is a film legend.
70. The Big Chill (1984) - Lawrence Kasdan tapped into yuppie angst and threw it up on screen for the world to bask in.
71. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Merry Christmas, 365 days a year. Perhaps the most overexposed film in history, well, there's a reason for that.
73. The Seven Samurai (1954) - It even spawned "The A-Team," and we love Mr. T.
74. Swingers (1996) - We're like the guys in the R-rated movie....
75. The Player (1992) - A landmark film, which helped to eventually semi-dismantle the studio system it mocked and loathed.
76. The Last Picture Show (1971) - West Texas towns aren’t actually this colorful, but still, this is one of the best films of the early 70's. *** Chris Leonard writes to point out that we had a numbering problem here... and there are actually 102 films on the list. D'oh!
77. Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Another David Lean epic, this time in the snows of Russia instead of the sands of Arabia. Adapted from one of the century's great novels.
78. Young Frankenstein (1974) - Another Mel Brooks classic, deconstructing the Frankenstein myth and making him into a singing, dancing monster.
79. All About Eve (1950) - Bette Davis was never more ruthless. Three Best Actress (not supporting) nominations alone.
80. Dances with Wolves (1990) - Costner goes native and tries his hand at directing. Kev, what happened since then?
81. The General (1927) - Buster Keaton at his unforgettable, silent finest.
82. Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) - Proof that you can adapt a Vonnegut book and not have it suck.
83. Go (1999) - Doug Liman's Swingers follow-up is the first--and only--film to accurately portray the mindset of Generation X.
84. Saving Private Ryan (1998) - War, what is it good for? Spielberg's epic tears open the ugly face of war like it's never been seen before.
85. Life is Beautiful (1998) - We secretly think Roberto Benigni can speak perfect English, but we appreciate his earnestness to the contrary.
86. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) - Where else can you hear the insult, "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!"
87. Duck Soup (1933) - Because the Marx brothers were excellent chefs as well.
88. Singin' in the Rain (1952) - Or, the second-best use of the song "Singin' in the Rain" in a film. (See also A Clockwork Orange, #2).
89. The Usual Suspects (1995) - One manipulative little thriller, but apparently we really like to be manipulated.
90. Swimming to Cambodia (1987) - Lecture or movie? Either way, Spalding Gray's finest monologue is fascinating and excellent.
91. The Bank Dick (1940) - Lest we forget the great (in more ways than one) W.C. Fields.
92. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) - Because we remember what it was like to have fun at the movies.
93. The Sweet Hereafter (1998) - One of Atom Egoyan's most haunting. Well-directed, well-acted, and incredibly lyrical.
94. Time Bandits (1985) - Goofy yet incredibly entertaining, Ralph Richardson and sundry bad guys chase midgets across the universe. A revisionist Oz.
95. Videodrome (1983) - A surreal and bizarre examination of the mind and the effects of television images impressed upon the psyche. One of Cronenberg’s greatest.
96. Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) - One of the century's best bands made one of the century's freakiest films.
97. Swimming with Sharks (1994) - A surprise that showed up on more of our top ten lists than you would think, indicating our extreme and barely-suppressed antipathy toward Hollywood.
98. Back to the Future (1985) - "One point twenty one gigawatts!" Marty Mc Fly, Biff, and Doctor Brown live forever in this, ahem, timeless classic.
99. The Highlander (1986) - There can be only one top 100 film that features a battle among immortals.
101. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) - Indy searches for the Holy Grail? Inane, yet in many ways, it's the best of the Indiana Jones series.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
LG unveils Bond Like WATCH PHONE
Well would you look at that. The best gadget we've seen at CES so far: LG's watch phone. Again, no details as these shots were taken on the sly. Regardless, it appears to be a mere prototype at the moment. Hear this, however. It features the slickest three-button, watch-phone interface you've seen this side of Chester Gould. Video on the way. Till then, you'll just have to take refuge in the snaps below.
Monday, January 7, 2008
The First ever Porsche phone
Porsche P9521
(Expected Out now, but a 3G version available Spring 2008 - Forecasted Sim free price £900)
The First ever Porsche phone was unveiled a while ago featuring a finger print sensor, 3.2MP camera, swivel screen and GSM and EDGE connectivity. All that is by the by though because at the end of the day because you’d only buy this phone if you were completely mad about Porsche, and if you were you probably wouldn’t care too much about anything other than the shiny logo on it. It looks pretty smart, but we’re talking serious money for an average phone, and by serious I mean S E R I O U S money. $18,000-20,000 estimated cost
Why you want it - Because you’re nuts about Porsche
Why you don’t want it - Because you’re sensible, and could buy several better phones for the same money.
Porsche has also entered into the mobile market by with its French partner Sagem unveiling its new range of mobile phones P9521 in the market. This is a stylish and sleek designed flip phone featuring a finger print sensor. P9521 is also teamed up with a 3.2Mega pixel camera and swivel screen and GSM and EDGE connectivity. In addition to all this it is also supported by a multimedia player. This sizzling handset will be available to the users this autumn. Though we can say anything about its future in the market but one can owe this handset at a price of 1,200 Euro.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Gadgets Of Cody Banks
Gadgets Of Cody Banks
Destination London gives a variety of new gadgets. Most of them are given to Cody in the secret area in the London Crypt by their insane inventor.
- Mentos- The Mentos featured a "lick n' stick" activation sequence. Once stuck on, they produce a small explosion capable of disabling and destroying locks (and your jaw, if you accidentally eat one).
- The Travel Kit - A kit of travel essentials containing the following gadgets:
- Retainer - Works as a personal listening device with frequency, direction, and volume controlled by the tongue.
- Spy Pen - Switches around to become a grappling hook.
- Yo-yo - Splits in half and has enough strength to open elevator doors. Also includes a suction cup.
- Flashlight/Torch - Diaz's weapon. Extends to become a mobile rocket launcher with an optional crosshair.
- Clarinet - The clarinet is rigged electronically to be able to play pieces of music. It is used so it would seem that Cody could play the clarinet as well as the other prodigies.
- Cody's Watch - The watch has a small color screen and a very small lens capable of recording a video with full sound playback, as well. Emily's sunglasses mimic the function with the information transferred to an mp3 player which is then plugged in to an external source such as a TV for playback.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Google Maps Bizarre Stuff captured on Internet Film
Satellite imagery used to be the exclusive domain of governments and spy agencies, but ever since Google Maps and Google Earth we can all get to see weird things! Fancy a look at Area 51? Wondered what it’s like in downtown Moscow? Or maybe you want to check out the Principality of Sealand? These are just ordinary, everyday things that millions of people use Google Maps and Earth to research every day. But what about the things you weren’t supposed to see, the freaks of camera? Here are 17 of the most bizarre sights for you to laugh at, complete with lat/lons and (where possible) KMLs. Enjoy.
Swastika Influenced Design
1. Swastika Influenced Design: How is it that a US Navy building standing since the 1960’s could cause a controversy in 2007? As hilighted in the mass-media earlier in the year, Google Earth users noticed what only a few pilots would ever have seen - that a US Navy barracks on Coronado island, San Diego was built in the design of a swastika. The Navy said they always knew what the layout of the barracks resembled but thought no one would ever notice. As a result of these images becoming available online, they are being forced to spend $600,000 on new structures and extra greenery to camouflage the building. Embarrassing to say the least.
Aircraft Traffic Jam
2. Aircraft Traffic Jam: What would you expect from one of the busiest airports in Europe? Looks like a freak of fortune to catch 3 aircraft on takeoff from Frankfurt International Airport, but it’s actually just overlay issues. Note that there is only a shadow for the middle aircraft.
Single-winged Aircraft Landing
3. Single-winged Plane Landing: This single-winged miracle-aircraft is the result of a bizarre mapping error that Google Earth occasionally suffers from. If you are a frequent Google Earth user you’ll probably have noticed incidences where roads and bridges don’t align properly or varying image resolutions cause some strange viewing. This aircraft was snapped on approach to the north western runway of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport but appears to only have one wing!
World War 2 Bomber in Flight
4. World War 2 Bomber in Flight: Google Earth has the ability to snap airplanes in midair - apparently some 3,300 planes have been placemarked. This is a World War II bomber flying over the sleepy suburbs of Huntingdon, England. Unfortunately, the bomber is no longer there in the updated image of the area.
Capsised Cruise Liner
5. Capsised Cruise Liner: If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a powerful typhoon slams into a cruise liner, then here’s your answer. This liner-shaped hotel was docked in the South Korean port of Busan when it was hammered by the 135mph winds of Typhoon Maemi in 2003.
North Dakota Truck Crash
6. North Dakota Truck Crash: Sometimes Google’s snapshots of our world are lucky enough to catch things as they happen. Here Google Earth captures a truck that crashed and sprawled out over East Burleigh Avenue just outside of Bismarck, North Dakota.
Ghost Ships
7. Ghost Ships: No longer confined to the annals of countless storybooks and Hollywood movies, ghost ships are real and they’re here today thanks to the camera-freakology of Google Earth! Here we can quite clearly see a ghost ship docking in Newark, New Jersey and taking on a load of cargo. Perhaps this is some sort of reincarnated Black Pearl? I dunno …
John Travolta’s Airport / Home
8. John Travolta’s Airport / Home: It’s no secret that John Travolta is an eccentric, but who would have expected him to build an airport and home in one? His home in Ocala, Florida is one of very few non-commercial airports in the world with a runway long enough to handle aircraft the size of his personal Boeing 707. Check out the internal and external shots in this Architectural Digest feature. Completely. Crazy.
African Wildlife
9. African Wildlife: Imagine all the creatures roaming about African, just getting on with their thing. Now, thanks to the National Geographic African Megaflyover Project, we can enjoy some of the last true wilderness on the planet via super-high-resolution aerial photographs of Africa. Check out this magnificent image of a large group of hippos in the mud, including a poor old hippo which is seen laying on the bank, being eaten by vultures.
Gravity Defying Car Parking
10. Gravity Defying Car Parking: Do you think getting somewhere to park your car is tough where you live? In Westenbergstraat, Netherlands, drivers apparently have to park on the sides of walls. Of course, this is just an example of tongue-in-cheek Dutch humour that comes through well from the above view.
Giant Indian Head w/ iPod
11. Giant Indian Head w/ iPod Turns out that the original inhabitants of north America were much cooler than previously thought. “Loud White Ears” had set such a trend back in the ancient times that they decided to build a large effigy of him in commemoration.
Super Shrunk Aral Sea
12. Super Shrunk Aral Sea:The once thriving Aral Sea used to be the 4th largest inland lake in the world but has shrunk to a mere 15% of its original size over the last 20 years. The water-guzzling cotton industry has mainly been responsible for this super-shrinking. As a knock on result, the once busy local fishermen have had to pack up and leave, abandoning their boats which are now 50km from the receding shoreline. A sad scene to look upon indeed.
The Leaning Tower of Seattle
13. The Leaning Tower of Seattle: This building in Seattle, Washington appears to be leaning badly across the building across the street, nearly touching the opposite building. Despite the appearance, it’s not really the case. There are a few quirks with Google Earth and this one is due to two different satellite angles for this area and merging of the two views. Seattle - you’ve missed out on a proper tourist attraction! You’re just going to have to make do with Microsoft and Starbucks.
Bursts of Light
14. Bursts of Light: Many optical illusions and anomalies are captured by Google Earth. Most of them are reflections of lights, flashes or some quirky image pixelation. Some crazy people claim to have discovered angels, aliens and UFO’s in Google Earth. So to continue in the tradition of jumping to conclusions - could this burst of light this be an opening to a parallel universe?
Crop Circles
15. Crop Circles: What self-respecting post about bizarre sights on Google Earth would be complete without some manmade alien-user-generated crop circles? Just to be clear: I wasn’t aware that ET used Firefox.
Brand Spamming
16. Brand Spamming:Yeah, let’s spam Google Earth! This huge KFC logo (Google Earth) was formed from 65,000 1-foot-square tiles laid out in the Mojave desert that took six days to put together. Other corporate giants who can afford to spam us do product placement in Google Earth include Ford who have placed a large logo on the roof of their HQ and Coca Cola who used 70,000 empty coke bottles for their logo on a hillside in Chile.
St. Patrick Fanboy
17. St Patrick Fanboy: OK, everyone might like St. Patrick’s Day, but this is taking it just a step too far don’t you think? I’d rather go to my local parade and shout abuse at the leprechauns. I’m also slightly annoyed that they missed the apostrophe: it’s St. Patrick’s Day not St. Patricks. Argghh! L
NB: Over time these flukes will probably be removed as Google updates their data and creates even more bizarre sights.
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