China’s Economy Overtook the U.S. in 2010 to Become Number One

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China’s economy overtook the U.S. in 2010.

Some time in 2010, the Chinese economy overtook that of the United States.  In purchasing power parity (PPP) terms – that is, adjusting for the different costs of living in the two countries – the size of China’s economy was $14.8 trillion in 2010, compared to the US economy’s $14.6 trillion.

 

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BottomsUp: Padded Underwear For Men

bottoms up briefs

Canadian company BottomsUp offers a line of padded underwear for men that gives the illusion of a rounder, fuller butt.

Men, does “flat butt” syndrom bum you out? Well, there’s an uplifting news: now you can get off your duff and don a pair of padded underpants to give your booty more bounce.

The padded underpants in the spotlight are manufactured by a Canadian company appropriately dubbed BottomsUp, which operates under the motto: “Building a Better Bottom.”

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Scrabble + Rubik’s Cube = The Scruble Cube

Scruble-Cube

Now THAT’S a puzzle!

When kids say fun and games, most parents are not happy. They are not happy that the learning progression is not in process during such activities, and their stand seems much justified. But that is, except in the case of two indoor games. One is the famous board game- Scrabble. Scrabble has been highly popular for decades now. Its bundles of fun for the children and the parents are happy as it helps build a voracious vocabulary. Yet another is the Rubik’s Cube. In the 1980s, people who could solve the Rubik’s Cube were considered geniuses and the faster they could do it, the better. Now what if these two were clubbed together ?

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Take Better Photographs by Studying an Egg

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM7CcUrUD2g&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Understanding the way light falls on a subject and what it means for the final product is critical to taking good photos. This clever teaching technique uses an egg to help you hone your eye for good lighting.

Photographer Joe Edelman thinks you need to get back to basics to learn good photography lighting. How back to basics? Prepare to hit up your fridge for an egg and grab a flashlight.

Check out the video above to see how you can studying lighting using nothing more than an egg (or other small egg-like object) and a simple light source. For more photography tips check out the full article about beauty photography and technique at the link after the jump…

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Blobitecture – The Rise of Organic Architecture

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Blobitecture example in Selfridges, Birmingham UK

Yet what is blobitecture?  It is a term for an architectural school in which organic shapes are the aim, bulging, cellular, amoeba-like buildings its expression.  Although the term did not appear in print until 2002, blob architecture had been used as an expression in architectural circles since the middle of the previous decade.  Notably it was the New York Times which first brought it to greater attention, as part of William Safire’s On Language column. (Pics)

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Top 10 Photos of the Week

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When spies attempt to infiltrate the ranks of PETA, nothing can be left to chance

“People say New Yorkers can’t get along. Not true. I saw two New Yorkers, complete strangers, sharing a cab. One guy took the tires and the radio; the other guy took the engine.”
David Letterman

“People say New Yorkers can’t get along. Not true. I saw two New Yorkers, complete strangers, sharing a cab. One guy took the tires and the radio; the other guy took the engine.” – – David Letterman

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New Polymer That Heals Itself Could Lead to Medical Implants or Engine Parts That Fix Themselves

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Broken polymer chains reform to repair a crack in this material when it is pressed together and exposed to UV light.

A new polymer material that can repeatedly heal itself at room temperature when exposed to ultraviolet light presents the tantalizing possibility of products that can repair themselves when damaged. Possibilities include self-healing medical implants, cars, or even airplane parts.

 

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Scientists in Italy Claim to Have Demonstrated Cold Fusion

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Ru1eAymvE&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Few areas of science are more controversial than cold fusion, the hypothetical near-room-temperature reaction in which two smaller nuclei join together to form a single larger nucleus while releasing large amounts of energy. In the 1980s, Stanley Pons and Martin Fleishmann claimed to have demonstrated cold fusion – which could potentially provide the world with a cheap, clean energy source – but their experiment could not be reproduced. Since then, all other claims of cold fusion have been illegitimate, and studies have shown that cold fusion is theoretically implausible, causing mainstream science to become highly speculative of the field in general.

 

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.