"PeopleFix" a futuristic bike concept


Designer has envisioned a futuristic bike concept with an aim to strengthen social networking in an age where long distance commutes keeps foiling your plans to meet friends and relatives. The ergonomic design dubbed as "PeopleFix" has been developed using ZB rush process and features wireless steering that looks like a mobile device.

The user can maneuver the sleek bike using handheld steering that does not have to be moved right or left but instead operates in a 350 fluid motion. Just in case the user felt tired of holding the device in hand the steering that features all the controls could always be connected to the handle
The lightweight concept boasts of an interactive user interface and GPS control to help the rider navigate through heavy traffic. The fuel efficient bike can fit people of all sizes and gets started at the push of a button from the handle.

Designer: Roberto Bertrand





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7 Fastest Cars in World History

7. The Jaguar XJ220

This car was produced between 1992 and 1994 and achieved the fastest speed for a production car in 1993 when it managed to reach a speed of 213 mph (343 km/h). The car was officially produced by Jaguar Sport, which was a partnership of Jaguar and Tom Walkinshaw Racing.


6. McLaren F1 production car

Driven by Jonathan Palmer the McLaren F1 production car achieved the crown of fastest production car in 1994. There were only 107 McLaren F1’s produced and it remains till this day the fastest naturally aspirated, depending only on atmospheric pressure, production car available. The McLaren F1 set a speed of 231 mph (371.8 km/h) in 1994 to become the world’s fastest production car but surpassed this record in 1998 with a speed of 240 mph (391 km/h).
 

5. The Koenigsegg CCR


This automobile was the fastest production car around for less than 2 month’s when it achieved a speed of 240.7 mph (387.37 km/h) in late February of 2005. Appearing at the Geneva Auto Show in 2004 the Swedish designed car was soon knocked off the top spot by our next car the Bugatti Veyron.

4. Bugatti Veyron



With 1,001 hp and a 16 cylinder 8 litre quad-turbocharged engine the Bugatti Veyron became the world’s fastest production car in April 2005, less than two months after the Koenigsegg CCR had achieved the title. Setting a speed of 253.8 mph (408.5 km/h) the Bugatti Beyron, developed by Volkswagen, was produced in a small production run of just 200 cars.


3. SSC Ultimate Aero

 


2. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport



This car has more horse power than the original Veyron, 1,200 hp compared to 1,001 hp for the Veyron. The car has been officially recorded at a speed of 267.81 mph (431.1 km/h) in June 2010 and 30 cars are scheduled for production. Customers who purchase the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport however will be limited to a measly 257.9 mph (415.05 km/h)!


1. Dagger GT



Set to become the world’s fastest ever production car, the new Dagger GT from TranStar is soon to be built. And when it is, it will make people squeal in delight. The car, which will be in production in the early part of 2011, is said to be able to reach speeds in excess of 300 mph (482.8 km/h) and will cost in the region of £300,000 ($454,000), which is about $350,000 more than the most expensive Tesla, just to present you with a comparison. So, if you plan on buying the Dagger, make sure you bring your fat wallet. Oh, and if you if ever want to see the Dagger in person, go travel to a trade show where it is often displayed. Chances are, there’s a fancy banner stand accompanying the car as well.

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Basant Festivals in Pakistan



A man flies a kite at sunset after a day-long kite flying festival, locally known as 'Basant', in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, 09 February 2003, as officials said around 100,000 people from inside and outside the country had arrived in the city to celebrate the occasion. Two people died and more than 100 were injured during the annual kite flying festival marking the advent of spring in Pakistan. Public parks and rooftops were crowded with revellers celebrating the festival which started with music concerts and dinner parties organized privately or as public events late Saturday.


 


Pakistani children run to catch a kite during a kite flying festival, locally known as 'Basant', in the eastern city of Lahore, 09 February 2003, as officials said around 100,000 people from inside and outside the country had arrived in the city to celebrate the occasion. Two people died and more than 100 were injured during the annual kite flying festival marking the advent of spring in Pakistan. Public parks and rooftops were crowded with revellers celebrating the festival which started with music concerts and dinner parties organized privately or as public events late Saturday.



A professional prepares special thread used in kite flying on a roadside pavement on the eve of the annual kite-flying festival, locally known as 'Basant', in the eastern city of Lahore, 07 February 2003. Basant is celebrated at the onset of each spring with an orgy of kite-flying, roof top soirees, garden parties and equestrian events.



A shopkeeper gives the final touches to a kite decorated with a dragon and slogans to symbolise the Indian occupation in disputed Kashmir, on the eve of the annual kite-flying festival, locally known as 'Basant', in the eastern city of Lahore, 07 February 2003. This is first time that kite manufacturers have printed slogans about the current affairs of the world during the Basant festival. Basant is celebrated at the onset of each spring with an orgy of kite-flying, roof top soirees, garden parties and equestrian events.



Pakistani kite lovers carry away a big kite decorated with the upcoming cricket World Cup 2003 slogan on a donkey cart on the eve of the annual kite-flying festival, locally known as 'Basant', in the eastern city of Lahore, 07 February 2003. Basant is celebrated at the onset of each spring with an orgy of kite-flying, roof top soirees, garden parties and equestrian events. The cricket World Cup 2003 is being held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya this month and next.



Young Pakistani women dance to the beat of a drum during the colourful spring festival locally known as 'bassant' in Lahore, 17 February 2002. Thousands of kite lovers celebrated the famous and traditional Bassant Festival in Lahore by arranging parties and musical shows.


Pakistani kite loves try to catch a kite during the colourful spring festival locally known as 'bassant' in the eastern city of Lahore, 17 February 2002. Thousands of kite lovers celebrated the famous and traditional Bassant Festival in Lahore by arranging parties and musical shows. Seen in the background is the Grand Badshehi Mosque of Lahore.



Lahore citizens buy kites on Basant, the spring festival, 16 February 2002. Basant fever is at its hight as people make last minute preparations to celebrate this spring festival which begin Saturday night. An estimated sum of Rs 200 million rupees, (3.33 million dollars) will be spent on strings, kites and partying.



Workers of Pakistan's tourism department display a huge kite on the eve of the traditional kite festival locally known as Bassant in the eastern city of Lahore, 16 February 2002. The festival will be celebrated with the start of the spring season tomorrow by flying hundreds of thousands of colurful kites throughout the day.


People are busy shopping for kites on the eve of Basant - a kite festival in Pakistani eastern city of Lahore, 17 February 2001. The Kite festival will be celebrated tomorrow in this city where kite flying lovers will fly thousands of colourful kites through out the day along with other cultural activities.

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Top 10: Weapons That Changed The World

10 Trebuchet

Siege warfare was one of the most enduring types of warfare, from simple hill forts to imposing stone citadels. Often, the campaigns waged against these structures lasted for months, as the besieged sat behind almost impenetrable walls and moats. The trebuchet completely altered the balance of siege warfare. Firing much bigger projectiles (at much greater distance), and much more accurately than traditional catapults, trebuchets were capable of destroying a stone wall in a matter of days, dramatically improving the chances of a besieging force capturing a city before a relief force could arrive, or their camp was destroyed by disease.




9 Mark I “Mother” tank

While the most famous prototype for a tank was by Leonardo Da Vinci, it was not until World War I that tanks became deployed in warfare. With caterpillar tracks suitable for a wide variety of terrains, thick armor and heavy firepower, the Mark I ”Mother” tank marked a new stage in armored warfare. Much harder to stop than a horse, the British used them to penetrate the fortified German trenches. Tanks became a major part of strategy in WWII, and put an end to the use of trench warfare as a viable mode of conflict.



8 Hellebore

While not a weapon in the traditional sense, biological warfare has been massively significant in human history. Over the centuries, diseased people, poisons and, more recently, weaponized anthrax have all been used to attack enemies. But one of the earliest examples of biological warfare was through the use of hellebore, a common plant with poisonous properties. It was used during the siege of Kirrha in 585 B.C., poisoning the water supply and leaving the defenders too weak to withstand attack. The development of this new weapon in warfare has been refined over the centuries and frequently used with devastating effect.





7 Maxim machine gun

The invention of a viable rapid-fire, automatic weapon did not happen until the mid-19th century, and even then the Gatling gun was not especially effective. It was widely believed that cavalry and infantry combat would remain vital in combat, but this all changed with the introduction of the much more effective Maxim machine gun, during World War I. A weapon that scythed down attackers with ease, cavalry were rendered totally irrelevant, while infantry were liable to massive losses. The machine gun was a major step into fully mechanized warfare, and created loss of life on a scale hitherto unknown.


6 Fokker airplane

Even when flight was a nascent technology, it was applied to military pursuits. Hot air balloons were used to monitor troop movements in battle, zeppelins occasionally dropped bombs and early airplanes were used for reconnaissance.  But it was really during WWI that planes became weaponized. The Fokker was the best of the first wave of fighter planes, fitted with machine guns that could fire through the propeller blades without damaging them, allowing battle to be waged in the skies. To an extent, it also rendered naval warfare obsolete. Ruling the seas was irrelevant if you could not rule the skies too.




5 Chlorine gas

It was perhaps inevitable that as science advanced, its discoveries would be turned to military purposes. During World War I, the Nobel-prize winning scientist Fritz Haber helped develop the first chemical weapon, chlorine gas. This led to rapid development of other weaponized chemicals, such as mustard gas and phosgene. The devastating effect of such weapons led to them being outlawed by the Geneva Convention. They did, however, lead to the development of other equally devastating weapons, such as nerve agents. While as yet they have been used relatively infrequently, the fear of such weapons being used is as prevalent as it was in the trenches.




4 Predator drone

Drones are the ultimate in impersonal conflict. These weapons require virtually no human involvement, travel hundreds of miles and are controlled from extremely safe locations. Officially, they are used only for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering missions. Their greatest impact has been their ability to provide incredibly detailed, accurate and up-to-date information to enable successful strategy planning. It helps minimize resource wastage, and is vital in the concept of surgical strikes, reducing collateral damage and civilian casualties. It also reduces military casualties, as drones are sometimes fitted with hellfire missiles, which can do a lot of damage without risking close engagement with the enemy.



3 Harquebus

Guns are undoubtedly one of the most revolutionary weapons in human history. Although initially they were heavy, slow to load and liable to explode, eventually they became so efficient as to render more traditional weapons obsolete. The first gun that approximated to modern firearms was the harquebus, which was prominent between the 15th and 16th centuries, and was the first gun to be fired from the shoulder. It became prominent because, unlike traditional projectile weapons, it was capable of piercing armor at short ranges, making it much easier to kill heavily armored knights. It brought about the end of armor as effective protection.  



2 Atomic Bomb

The Atomic Bomb is by far the most devastating weapon ever used, and so powerful that on the two occasions it was deployed, there were an estimated 200,000 deaths. This marked the passage of warfare into the atomic age, and was undoubtedly a moment that changed the world. The power of an atomic bomb is so far removed from that of conventional weaponry that it has dominated diplomatic and military strategies ever since. Who would have guessed that a Little Boy and a Fat Man (the names of the two bombs) would together change the world?




1 Bow and arrow

The bow is the most enduringly effective weapon in human history. Evidence indicates origins as early as 12,000 years ago, and they only became obsolete in the 16th century. The bow and arrow, in its various guises, helped develop many great empires. The Ancient Egyptians used archers heavily, the composite bow was a vital component of great nomad invasions of Europe, including the Huns, Avars, Magyars, and Mongols, while the English longbow was a weapon of fear and proved decisive in many battles. These powerful societies were undoubtedly helped by the potency of the bow and arrow, making this a worthy candidate for the top spot.



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Top 10 Bizarre Weapons of World War II

10 X-Class Midget Submarines
 


The x-class was a series of submarines built by the Royal Navy during the Second World War. These tiny submarines only displaced 30 tonnes of water when submerged, were 15.55 metres (51ft) long, and carried a crew of 4 (commander, navigator, engineer and diver). There were designed to be towed to the target area by a full-sized “mother” submarine. The X-craft would then be detached and infiltrate the target, laying down two side charges, each containing 2 tonnes of amatol. They would then make their escape and rendezvous with the “mother” submarine to be towed home. The first attack was launched against the German battleship Bismarck. Six X-craft were designated for the operation, but two were lost to accidents en route, and a third suffered mechanical problems. The fourth X-craft was believed to have been sunk by German fire during the attack. The remaining two managed to lay their charges and seriously damage the Bismarck. Other X-craft played an important role with regards to the D-day landings. One surveyed the invasion beaches beforehand and collected soil samples, and two others acted as lightships during D-day itself to guide landing craft to the correct beaches.

9  V-3 Supergun



Developed as a so-called vengeance weapon in order to strike back at London, as Allied bomber fleets pounded German cities to rubble, the V-3 cannon was capable to delivering a 140kg (1310lb) shell to a range of more than 161 km (100 miles). The secret to this enormous range was a number of side channels attached to the 460ft (140m) barrel. These channels each contained an electrically fired propellant charge which helped to accelerate the finned shell to a muzzle velocity of 1500m/s (4920 feet per second). Hitler was most impressed by the prototype, and ordered 25 of them to be built at a site at Mimoyecques, in France. However, this site was heavily bombed by Allied bombers, which forced the Germans to abandon it. Two shorter-barreled versions (164ft) were later built and used against Luxemburg, where they fired a total of 183 shells, only managing to kill 10 civilians and injure 35. Shortly afterwards, both guns were captured by American troops.

8 Sonderkommando “ELBE”


During the later part of the war, Germany became subject to massive bombing attacks by heavy Allied bombers. In desperation, Nazi Germany formed a unit that they hoped would temporarily halt the British and American bomber offensive to give them time to build up large enough quantities of the formidable Me 262 jet fighter, to counter the Allied bombers. This unit would fly Me-109 fighters, which had been stripped of weapons and armor in order to increase their speed. Hermann Goering, commander of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) proposed that these fighters should wait for the bombers at high altitude. They could then dive at the enemy at high speed, and use their propellers to destroy the bomber’s tail, after which, the German pilot would attempt to parachute to safety. More than 2000 pilots volunteered for the unit, although they only had 180 planes available. The unit’s first attack was launched against a group of American bombers on April 7th, 1945. Of the 120 pilots which took off, only 15 returned, and they only managed to destroy 17 American B-17 bombers and 5 P-52 Mustangs.



7 Ohka (Cherry Blossom) Suicide Plane


As American forces advanced nearer and nearer the Japanese mainland, the Imperial Japanese armed forces became increasingly desperate to prevent Japan’s defeat. The Ohka was developed in a last-ditch effort to destroy the American fleet. It was a purpose-built kamikaze aircraft that was armed with a warhead weighing up to 1200kg. As it had no landing gear, it was carried to the target area by a G4M ‘Betty’ bomber. Once within range, the Ohka was released and steered towards an American ship by the pilot. It would go into a dive before igniting 3 rocket boosters which would accelerate it to up to 650mph before crashing into the enemy ship. At such a high speed, it would be almost impossible to shoot down with anti-aircraft fire. Despite more than 800 being built, however, only a few were used as most were being stockpiled for the anticipated invasion of Japan which never came, thanks to the atomic bomb.

6  Anti-tank dogs





Deployed by the Soviet Union during the Second World War, they were originally deployed in an attempt to halt the German advance during 1941. The dogs were kept hungry, and food was placed under tanks in order to teach them to look under vehicles for food. Each dog was fitted with a 10-12kg mine. The detonator was attached to a 20cm wooden lever which jutted vertically above the dog. When it dived under an enemy tank, the lever would catch on the hull and detonate the mine, killing the dog and hopefully disabling the tank. In action, these dogs proved less than effective. Many were scared away by German gunfire, which caused them to run back to their handlers, often detonating the mine. Other dogs refused to dive under moving tanks as they had practiced on stationery vehicles, and others jumped under Russian tanks. They did succeed in damaging some German vehicles, but Soviet claims that 300 German tanks were put out of action by these dogs is widely optimistic.

5 Bachem BA349 Natter Fighter




Designed near the end of the war, this strange-looking interceptor required no run-way for take-off. Instead, the aircraft was launched up a vertical 8 meter (25ft) rail attached to a small tower. The flight of the fighter would be controlled by radio from the ground until it neared a group of Allied bombers. Then, the pilot would take over and jettison the nosecone to fire off salvos of rockets into the formation. After firing off all of the rockets, and running out of fuel, the plane would glide down to 3000m (10,000 ft), whereupon a number of parachutes in the rear fuselage would deploy. The entire front of the aircraft (including the cockpit) would detach from the tail, and then the pilot would (hopefully) parachute to safety. Only the pilot and the tail (containing the rocket engine) would be recovered from each mission – the cockpit, wings, and nose were all expendable. Despite the death of a test-pilot during the first manned launch of the plane, 36 of these fighters were built, although none were before the end of the war.

4 Bat Bombs 



Developed by America in the wake of Pearl Harbor, this seemingly ridiculous idea proposed that hundreds of bats should be captured, and a tiny incendiary bomb be attached to the body of each. These bats would be placed in a bat carrier which would subsequently be dropped from a bomber. A parachute would deploy at 1000 feet to slow its descent, and the trays inside the carrier would separate out to allow some 1040 bats inside to escape. Once free of the carrier, the bats would disperse and roost throughout the buildings of the Japanese city beneath. Shortly afterwards, the timer-delayed bombs would detonate, sparking raging fires throughout the mainly wood and paper buildings. During one test drop, a group of bats roosted inside several of the testing facilities’ warehouses and buildings, burning them to the ground. Luckily for thousands of bats, the program was cancelled in 1944, due to the development of the atomic bomb.

3  Pigeon Guided Missile



This was yet another attempt to use an animal to deliver explosives to an enemy target. It was first proposed by American psychologist B.F.Skinner, as a way to delivering a missile accurately against a target, by placing a pigeon inside the missile. An image of the target would be projected in front of it, and the pigeon would be trained to recognize it. It would then peck on one of four levers (up, down, left or right) until the target was dead centre of the screen. They were encouraged to do so by their training, where they were awarded with corn for keeping the target in the centre. They were surprising adept at this, (in training) being able to track a target which jumped 4 or 5 inches a second on the screen. The National Defense Research Committee committed $25,000 to this research, and the army modified several missiles for this purpose before it was decided that electronic guidance would be superior, and the project was scrapped.

2 Project Habakkuk



 Project Habbakuk was the name of an ingenious project thought up by Geoffrey Pyke. He envisaged that by taking a large iceberg of ice floe, levelling off the top, and hollowing out the inside, it could be used as a landing platform for aircraft. At the time, the Allies were losing huge numbers of supply ships to German U-boats in the Atlantic. Aircraft were extremely adept at hunting and destroying surfaced U-boats, but they lacked the range to cover the entire Atlantic. Providing a landing platform in the middle of the ocean would therefore give the U-boats nowhere to hide. However, ice proved unsuitable as it split easily, and icebergs themselves are prone to rolling over. Fortunately, two scientists in New York soon discovered that by freezing water with wood pulp, they could create a strong but buoyant substance they christened pykrete. The final design called for a giant carrier 600m (2000ft) long, built out of pykrete, fitted with an extensive cooling system to prevent the pykrete melting, displacing 2.2 million tons, and carrying 150 planes. Unfortunately, research was halted in early 1944 for a number of reasons: the growing numbers and effectiveness of conventional carriers, the huge cost ($100 million) involved, and the technical difficulties of building and refrigerating such a massive structure.


1 Silbervogel (Silver Bird) Bomber


 This was probably one of the strangest and most radical weapons Germany proposed during the Second World War. It was a candidate for the ‘Amerika Bomber’ initiative, which attempted to develop a bomber which had the range to attack mainland America. It was based upon the idea of placing a plane on a 3 km (2 mile) long rail, which would be propelled to 1900 kph (1200mph), by a rocket-powered sled. Once airborne, the Silbervogel would then fire off its own rocket engines to propel it to a height of 145km (90miles), traveling at 22100 kph (13700 mph). It would then slowly descend into the stratosphere, where the flat body of the plane would generate lift due to the increasing air density. This would cause it to rise again, and the plane would progress around the world in a series of ever shallower ’bounces’. It would then deliver a 4000kg (8800lb) bomb (possibly radiological) to somewhere in America, before landing at a Japanese base in the Pacific. In the end, the project was far beyond the capabilities and resources of Nazi Germany, and only existed as a mock-up

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These guns can’t kill you – they are ice cream


At first glance it looks like they’re putting real guns in their mouths, but in real life they are eating edible ice guns.

They all have different kinds of flavors–cola, cherry, licorice and black currant. They are an addition to the first 50 tinted ice guns that Florian Jenett and Valentin Beinroth made and placed in downtown Frankfurt a few years ago.
These edible eatables where exhibited at an art show called “Freeze Revisited”, and their existence certainly shocked a lot of people.


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