Mickeys

Wild Camels:

The only wild camels in the world are in Australia.

Marfan syndrome:

Abraham Lincoln probably had a medical condition called Marfan syndrome. Some of its symptoms are extremely long bones, curved spine, an arm span that is longer than the person’s height, eye problems, heart problems and very little fat. It is a rare, inherited condition.

Fingerprints:

A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months.

Sneeze too hard:

If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.

Structural plan:

The structural plan of a whale’s, a dog’s, a bird’s and a man’s ‘arm’ is exactly the same.

Strongest muscle:

The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue.

Common:

What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common?
Answer – All invented by women.

Bell:

Alexander Graham Bell’s wife and mother were both deaf.

Cranberries:

Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.

Stewardess:

‘Stewardesses’ is the longest English word that is typed with only the left hand.

Chocolate not for dogs!:

Chocolate can kill dogs-it directly effects their brain and nervous system.

Ocean waves:

Ocean waves can travel as fast as a jet plane.

taken from InterestingAmazingFacts

Curved Barrel Machine Gun, 1953

The 20th century saw many astounding technological innovations. The automobile revolutionized the way people live and work, the internet changed the way people think about information, and the U.S. of A put a man on the moon. But some technological advances that came in the earlier part of the 20th centry weren’t exactly meant for the history books. Because they were stupid. Take, for example, this M3 sub-machine gun with a curved barrel for shooting around corners. It’s the perfect gun for the “shoot first, look where you’re shooting later” kind of guy.

Anti-Bandit Bag

Inventor John H T Rinfret demonstrates his anti-bandit bag. To foil thieves the chain is pulled and the bottom of the case falls out so the contents are scattered over the floor. That’ll stop those thieves from getting at the contents of your bag! No, wait. It won’t.

Baby Cage

A nanny supervising a baby suspended in a wire cage attached to the outside of a high tenement block window. The cages were distributed to members of the Chelsea Baby Club in London who have no gardens, or qualms about putting a child in a box dangling over a busy street. (continue reading…)

Washington – US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a vaccine designed to protect against the H1N1 flu and hopes to make it available within a month.

The regulator approved the vaccine manufactured by four different drug companies and said the first batches of shots should be available in the US within the next four weeks.

The H1N1 vaccine produces immunity within eight to 10 days of the injection.

The new variant of the influenza virus was discovered in Mexico this spring, prompting fears of a pandemic and researchers have been rushing to develop a vaccine.

In the United States 1 380 people have been hospitalised with the virus and 196 had died as of last week, the US Centres for Disease Control said.

story from News24

Software giant Microsoft has introduced visual search to further set itself apart from market leader Google.

The new feature for its 90-day-old search engine Bing.com will let users browse results using pictures instead of text.

Visual search will concentrate on four main areas: travel, health, leisure and shopping.

“The whole concept is that the world of search is going to change,” said Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi.

“There will be a more graphic way people will search, and it will pivot how people search,” said Mr Mehdi, the firm’s senior vice president of online services.

Microsoft also claimed “Visual Search” allows users to conduct certain searches faster than the “traditional image search offered by rival Google and other search engines.

In a blog post, the company said a study it conducted found that consumers can process results with images 20% faster than text only results.

“It’s like searching through a large online catalogue,” Microsoft said.

“Innovation 101″

Microsoft unveiled the beta, or test version of the feature, at TechCrunch 50, a conference being held in San Francisco for start ups to pitch their ideas to investors.

Mr Mehdi told the audience of entrepreneurs, investors, analysts and journalists that Bing.com was three and a half years in the making. (continue reading…)

Mercedes has revealed that its AMG performance division is developing an electric drive derivative of its upcoming SLS AMG. A production version is to hit the road in 2015.

It will be powered by four electric motors with a combined peak output of 392kW and a maximum  torque of 880Nm. The four electric motors are positioned near the wheels, substantially reducing un-sprung mass compared to wheel-hub motors. One transmission per axle transmits the power.

This intelligent all-wheel-drive system allows dynamically optimised power transmission without any losses by means of Torque Vectoring – in other words the specifically targeted acceleration of individual wheels.

In its first pilot phase, the SLS AMG with electric drive incorporates a liquid-cooled high-voltage lithium-ion battery of modular design with an energy content of 48 kWh and a capacity of 40 Ah. The 400-volt battery is charged by means of targeted recuperation during braking whilst the car is being driven.

Mercedes claims a zero to 100 km/h time of about 4 seconds, which is on par with that of the SLS AMG with a 6.3-litre V8 engine developing 420 kW.

The purely electric drive system was factored into the equation as early as the concept phase when the new swing-wing model was being developed by Mercedes-Benz and AMG.

It is ideally packaged for the integration of the high-performance, zero-emission technology: by way of example, the four electric motors and the two transmissions can be positioned near the wheels and very low down in the vehicle.

The same applies to the modular high-current battery, whose modules are located in front of the firewall, in the centre tunnel and behind the seats. Advantages of this solution include the vehicle’s low centre of gravity and the balanced weight distribution – ideal conditions for optimum handling, which the electrically powered SLS AMG shares with its petrol-driven sister model.

Key data at a glance:
- Max. output: 392 kW
- Torque: 880 Nm
- 0-100 km/h Approx: 4 s
- Rated capacity: 40 Ah (at 400 V)
- Energy content: 3x 16 kWh = 48 kWh

info from Wheels24

Goettingen – A substance from the root of a flower growing in many gardens may cure prostate cancer, Germany’s cancer-science council said on Wednesday.

The lily-like flowers of Belamcanda chinensis are grown in temperate-region gardens as a perennial. In China it grows wild. The plant is used in Korean and Chinese medicine.

In laboratory tests, tectorigenin, obtained from roots of Belamcanda chinensis, stopped cancer cells growing and in animal tests it had slowed the spread of the cancer, experts said at the University of Goettingen.

Cancer of the prostate gland is the most common cancer among German men.

The scientists, Peter Burfeind and Paul Thelen, are to continue the research. They it might also be possible to use the substance as preventive medicine to stop men developing the cancer in the first place.

story from News24

Singapore – Loved that bottle of wine served over dinner but can’t remember its name or vintage? Next time, peel off the label, right at the table.

Label A-peel, a product invented and made in Japan, is a transparent sticker that, when applied to bottle labels, takes them off without ripping.

According to the product’s Asian, US and Australian distributors, some 80 000 of these stickers are sold in Japan a week, but the product is relatively unknown outside the country.

“This product is for everybody who loves good wine and wants to remember that special bottle, or even to preserve the memory of a special anniversary,” said Beth Talbot, managing director of Be Enterprising Pte Limited.

“So many people collect empty bottles of wines they like, but the bottles just stack up. The labels, which can also be put in an album, make it much easier,” she told Reuters.

The product is being promoted at an international food and wine gathering in Singapore, the World Gourmet Summit.

Talbot said the product works on any glass bottle that has a paper label, so it can also be used on champagnes, beers and sake.

It also comes with an instruction sheet, and a backing that allows the drinker to write down tasting notes.

Traditionally drinkers of hard spirits such as whisky, more Asians have been drinking more wine and champagne, as well as taking part in appreciation classes, over the past few years as Westernised young professionals help boost the market.

story from News24

The Sun Jar, unlike a jam jar, does not store jam; it stores the Sun. Set it on the window sill and by night (or when it goes dark) you will have a lovely jar of Sun light to light your way and to even sunbath by (should you be so inclined).

Why is it pointless?
You’re not going to get a tan from it.

Why is it cool?
Your nights will be that little bit brighter.

discovered at PointlessbutCool