Scale of the Universe

This is an extraordinary feature link, it is the Universal Scale featuring the worlds' smallest to the largest microbes and planets in our galaxy...that can and cannot be seen with the naked eye.

http://www.primaxstudio.com/stuff/scale_of_universe/

Luxury Beds

Who doesn't enjoy a good night's rest? Especially after a long, hard day of work (or play) there's nothing better than getting cozy in a comfortable bed. So, with that in mind, how much would you be willing to spend to get that cozy, comfortable rest? Lets take a look at some of the world's most luxurious beds...and mattress.


1. Starry Night Sleep Technology Bed
















The Starry Night Sleep Technology Bed from Leggett & Platt: $50,000.
Comes with anti-snore technology to reduce snoring in mild to moderate cases by elevating your upper body a few degrees. Its dual programmable temperature control from 68 to 117 degrees Fahrenheit adjusts the temperature to your liking. The Sleep Diagnostic Center monitors body movement and breathing pattern throughout the night. If you are the one who can’t live without music, the bed comes with an iPod docking station and 2500-watt surround sound system with four 8-inch subwoofers. Other salient specs include Internet connectivity, wireless RF remote that connects to a 1.5TB media server with four gigs of RAM, and a 1080p projector.


2. Indestructible Bed













The Quantum Sleeper Unit is a high-level security system designed for maximum protection in various hostile environments: costs an estimated $135,000.
The high-tech bed folds up into a fire-resistant coffin-like box to keep you safe from any uneventful event. The bed is fitted with a high-level security system that protects you from destructive forces of nature, bio-chemical terrorist attack and kidnappers. Besides, the bed is not just about protection, it is also the ultimate in entertainment and communications as it also comes with a built-in CD player, DVD Screen with PC hookup, microwave and refrigerator along with cellular phones and radios to keep you connected to the outside world! The bed is designed to enable the person(s) inside the unit to see out and prevent those outside from seeing in. The bed (though not in production) .


3. Hollandia Platinum-Luxe Elite sleep system















This Elite bed comes equipped with a retractable 32-inch Sony Bravia HDTV integrated into the bed’s footboard, a Sony Bravia theater system that includes a five DVD/CD changer, a five speaker surround sound system, a subwoofer beneath the bed for a complete hi-end experience, and an iPod docking station; the bed gently adjusts to a comfortable reclining position and the integrated massage system that features four powerful motors with a micro-computer that provides 12 individual massage programs, and a 30-minute automatic shutdown. It also has a 13-inch retractable back-sliding system and Hollandia’s telescopic head support. All the features are beautifully engineered into the bed, there are no unsightly wires visible in the room. The base is covered in Italian-designed fabric, which is a new, 100 percent synthetic fiber that protects the frame from pets. The Elite is available in white or gray to complement any bedroom decor.


4. Gustarle TV Bed














The Gustarle TV-Bed comes complete with Samsung flatscreen LCD TV with built in DVD player. This impressive waterbed comes with the latest top of the range Samsung 26-inch LCD TV and the Sony high definition DVD player. Several wood finishes are available for the bed, headboard and footboard, together with a superb choice of real leather fabrics for the inset panels on the headboard and each side of the footboard. This gorgeous TV Bed is also available with Visco Elastic memory foam mattress upon request. Available in various sizes, the 200cm model will set you back £6,950 (US $13,577).



5. Swarovski-studded Beautyrest Black bed













This Simmons Beautyrest Black bed is handmade and comes adorned with Swarovski crystals on the sides of the mattress and base and flaunts luxury fabrics. Each bed takes 300 hours to make. The king-size version sells for around $16,500. The Swarovski-studded luxury bed features triple woven springs, advanced memory foam, progressive latex with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and luxury alpaca fibers. The queen size sells for NZ $14,999, super king costs NZ $17,499 and the Californian model retails for NZ $18,499. The Beautyrest Black bed can be customized with different sizes and three different bases, including the black leather option.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
2cups icing sugar
1package cream cheese
1tsp vanilla
1tsp nutmeg

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, icing sugar and butter and beat until creamy. Add vanilla and nutmeg and mix well.

Tam’s Red Velvet Cake and/or Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2cups flour, sifted
3tsp cocoa
1cup white sugar
2 eggs
2tblsp brown sugar
1cup unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cup butter milk
2tsp red food color
½ tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
1tsp white vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

Mix flour and cocoa and set aside. Mix buttermilk, food color and salt and set aside. Mix white sugar, brown sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in eggs to creamy batter one at a time until well blended. Alternately mix in flour and cocoa mixture and buttermilk mixture to the creamy batter. Beat until well blended and creamy. Mix vinegar and baking soda and fold in to cake batter.

This batter will make two cakes or 24 cupcakes. Pour batter for cake into two cake pans and bake for 35 minutes. When toothpick comes out clean, remove cake from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove from cake pan and cool on wire rack before frosting.

For cupcakes, place cupcake cups into slots and fill up to ¾, leaving an edge. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool before frosing.

*side bar*
For a little bit of oomph you can add ½ cup of red wine or Bailey’s Irish cream

Enjoy!

Poetry

Touched by An Angel
by Maya Angelou


We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.


Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.


We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

...just a sec

Three of the 'craziest' road signs ever!

#1: Travel at your own risk...

#2: Oh snap!

#3: I was dumbfounded when I first saw this sign, just couldn't believe it was for real! These sings can be found on the California hwy by the Mexican border *blank stare*

Historic First: A Spacecraft Orbits Mercury

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft successfully achieved orbit around Mercury at approximately 9p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 17, 2011. This marks the first time a spacecraft has accomplished this engineering and scientific milestone at our solar system's innermost planet.

MESSENGER's main thruster fired for approximately 15 minutes at 8:45 p.m., slowing the spacecraft by 1,929 miles per hour and easing it into the planned orbit about Mercury. The rendezvous took place about 96 million miles from Earth.

NASA engineers received telemetry data confirming orbit insertion. NASA's engineers Operations Center, received the anticipated radiometric signals confirming nominal burn shutdown and successful insertion of the MESSENGER probe into orbit around the planet Mercury where it started transmitting data. Upon review of the data, the engineering and operations teams confirmed the burn executed nominally with all subsystems reporting a clean burn and no logged errors.

The journey took Messenger six and half years to travel 4.9 billions miles to the planet Mercury. The mission's primary science phase began on April 4, 2011.

Deep, Deeep Sea Diving

Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group of companies, has revealed his plans to explore the deepest spots in each of the five oceans.

Sir Branson, along with American sailor and explorer Chris Welsh and submarine designer Graham Hawkes, has launched the Virgin Oceanic, a project to explore the last frontiers of our own Blue Planet: the very bottom of our seas. They intend to hit the deepest depths using the Virgin Oceanic’s flying submarines. For the dives, Virgin oceanic will use the DeepFlight Challenger submersible built by Hawkes Ocean Technologies of Point Richmond, Calif.

The Virgin Oceanic project proposes journey to the five deepest parts of each of Earth’s five oceans in 2011 and 2012. The first dive is planned to reach the deepest place on the planet i.e. the bottom of the Mariana Trench, which is roughly 11 kilometers straight down. The subs will hit the Mariana Trench (Pacific), Puerto Rico Trench (Atlantic), Diamantina Trench (Indian), South Sandwich Trench (Southern), and Molloy Deep (Arctic). Interestingly, the second dive, planned to hit the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench (the deepest in the Atlantic), will be piloted by Sir Richard Branson himself.

They have even partnered with Google to assist with the charting and mapping of the sea floor during the missions.

On the launch of Virgin Oceanic, Sir Richard Branson said: "What if I were to tell you about a planet, inhabited by ‘intelligent’ beings that had, in the 21st Century, physically explored 0% of its deepest points and mapped only 3% of its oceans by unmanned craft, when 70% of that planet’s surface was made up of water. Then I tried to convince you that only 10% of the life forms inhabiting that unknown world, are known to those on the surface - you’d think I’d fallen asleep watching the latest sci-fi blockbuster! Then you discover that planet is Earth".

Virgin Oceanic Flying Sub Designed by Graham Hawkes, the flying submersible resembles a dolphin, and is made from 8,000 pounds of carbon fiber and titanium. It boasts an operating depth of 37,000 feet (7 miles) and is capable to operate independently for 24 hours. The Virgin Oceanic Flying Sub has been designed to survive enormous pressures, 1500 times than that of an airplane. The sub can fly up to 10km over the ocean floor, travel at a maximum of three knots and can dive at 350 feet per minute. This sub also has a mothership, which is a 125′ racing catamaran.

Sir Richard Branson says: "Virgin Oceanic will expand the reach of human exploration on our planet. By promoting and utilizing new technology, Virgin Oceanic will aid human kind’s ability to explore our Oceans, assist science in understanding our eco system and raise awareness of the challenges facing our Oceans".

BBC Earth has announced to work with Richard Branson’s Virgin Oceanic Five Dives expedition to produce a theatrical film and TV series.

Poetry

Eros

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

The sense of the world is short,

Long and various the report,

To love and be beloved;

Men and gods have not outlearned it,

And how oft soe'er they've turned it,

'Tis not to be improved.

Some of the World's Most Expensive Foods

Hot Dog: A New York restaurant, Serendipity 3, which is the city’s first coffee house boutique in Manhattan has now added the world’s most expensive ‘haute’ dog on their menu.

This 30 cm foot long hot dog is made of wholesome beef, grilled in white truffle oil. A pretzel bun that is used in it is imported from Germany and toasted with white truffle butter. With a delicious topping of medallions of duck foie gras with black truffles it is served with mouth-watering condiments of black truffle Dijon mustard, caramelized Vidalia onions and heirloom tomato ketchup.

Sushi #1: 12-yr-old Italian balsamic vinegar, Japanese rice, 70-yr-old virgin water, Muscovado sugar, Norwegian pink salmon, cucumber, mango, foie gras, sea cucumber (smoked then pickled and steamed ’til tender sticky), genuine crabmeat, wild saffron, mayonnaise with butter and garnished with 12 local Palawan pearls and 4 .20ct African diamonds of VVS clarity. This most expensive sushi is available for sale for a price of $4,300. The prices for this new and expensive sushi rolls are subject to change without prior notice, depending on stone clarity and ingredients used, and even takes into account the customer’s budget.

Sushi #2: Next on the list is world’s most expensive sushi made by Filipino chef Angelito Araneta Jr.

What makes this plate of sushi consisting of five pieces the most expensive is not the fish, but the garnishing in gold leaves and diamonds. The sushi is garnished with .20-carat African diamonds and wrapped with 24-karat gold leaves and is available in a restaurant in Manila for $2,750.

FleurBurger 5000. This one is available at Fleur de Lys, Chef Hubert Keller’s restaurant in Mandalay Bay.

This burger that’s stuffed with Kobe-beef burger topped with foie gras, black truffles, and Keller’s secret sauce, that go inside a brioche bun. Now, what makes it so pricey is the ingredients together with the presentation. It comes with a bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus served in imported Italian Ichendorf Brunello stemware, which is again a something enchanting. They deliver as well…they ship the stemware and the certificate of authenticity right at your doorstep

Thoughts

Ask people, "What is your passion?" and they often freeze. They feel as if they have to give an amazing answer, like "feeding the orphans of the world" or "writing a novel that changes the landscape of literature." Or they feel as if "I don't know" isn't an option.

You might be one of those passionate people who have hearts aflame, pumping with desire. But you might have the kind of heart that's quieter, softer. It's harder for people to hear these whispers—I know, that sounds like a country and western song—but the way you tune your ear to hear them is to simply watch what you do. Some people don't take whispers seriously, thinking they're somehow not legitimate, because they're spoken with a softer voice.

I actually learned this myself. I went to law school and then worked in government and on Capitol Hill. I was an economic policy guy, but for 10 or 15 years, I was writing articles on the side. If someone had asked me, "What's your passion?" I never would have said, "Oh, writing about business and technology." I would have seized up and stammered. Now if someone had asked, "What do you think about when you're spacing out at work? What do you do on Friday afternoons?" The answer was clear. As a result, it's what I do now.

So, what do you do when no one's watching? What do you read in your spare time? I've noticed that if people are interested in something, they'll steer the conversation to that topic. So, where do you seem to inevitably take your conversations? Too often the question, What is your passion? leads to an answer you've come up with for other people, whereas the other questions I've mentioned will lead to an answer for yourself. Some people don't take whispers seriously, thinking they're somehow not legitimate, because they're spoken with a softer voice. I think you have to remind yourself that this is what your heart is telling you. It may not be screaming at you, but it might be giving you something more valuable.

By Daniel Pink

—As told to Oprah.com's Jancee Dunn

Source: Oprah.com

ASTRO Gaming has announced limited edition pre-orders for “The Gold Edition,” a line of gaming gizmos that have been created using solid 22K gold. The products in the new lineup include the A40 headset, Xbox 360 Controller, MixAmp 5.8 Rx wireless receiver and the Urban Lanyard, all done in solid gold. The Gold Edition A40 headset comes with gold cables and connectors. The modified Gold Edition Xbox 360 controller is accompanied with diamond-tipped buttons and gold wiring.

The ASTRO Gaming is selling The Gold Edition for $1,000, and you need to send them your email address to be notified of its availability.

Source: bornrich

The Bacterium Toothbrush

Researchers have identified a new ally in the war against tooth decay: an enzyme produced by a mouth bacterium that prevents plaque formation.

The finding could eventually lead to the development of toothpaste that harnesses the body's own plaque-fighting tools.

The human mouth is awash with bacteria. More than 700 species thrive in the hot, moist conditions, including Streptococcus mutans, one of the main components of plaque. Clinging to the teeth in thin layers called biofilms, S. mutans digests sugars and produces acids that can eat into enamel and cause cavities. Other bacteria are more gracious guests. In 2009, for example, scientists found that S. salivarius, a type of bacterium found on the tongue and other soft tissues in the mouth, decreases the buildup of S. mutans biofilms.

The protein FruA, an enzyme that breaks apart complex sugars, was the most powerful biofilm blocker. The researchers also found that a form of FruA, produced by the common fungus Aspergillus niger and available off-the-shelf, stymies plaque equally well. This commercial FruA worked despite the fact that its amino acid sequence is somewhat different from that of S. salivarius FruA. That might speed the development of toothpastes that include FruA, says Senpuku.

The findings, reported in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, are not a license to eat all the candy you want, however. When researchers increased the concentration of sucrose, a type of sugar, in mixtures containing S. salivarius FruA and S. mutans, the beneficial bacterium lost its ability to prevent biofilm formation. The authors write that this observation may help explain why a 1996 study found that FruA contributed to cavity formation in rats.

The findings could spur the development of better toothpaste but it won't be an easy task; finding "the formulation" that would 'guarantee' that the enzyme remained enzymatically active on the shelf of your favorite drug store is a big challenge

Source: Sciencemag

Million Dollar Bottle

Mendis coconut brandy is a 100% all-natural clear brandy distilled from the essence of the coconut flower and it is also the world’s first clear ultra-premium brandy produced from coconut.

The million dollar bottle was the first production bottle released and approved for sale as a coconut brandy and the company has decided to offer it for sale to the public. The bottle will be signed and numbered by the founder of the distillery and will come with a certificate of authenticity.

Also, the purchaser will also be provided with a luxury trip and personal security for the bottle.

TOP-SECRET NASA SHUTTLE DISAPPEARS IN ORBIT FOR 2 WEEKS

A Top Secret U.S. (multi-million dollar) space weapon was suddenly snactched from orbit and vanished for two weeks.

One moment it was there, then it was gone. After 14 days of total silence , the X-37B Nasa shuttle reappeared in a completely different orbit.

The bizarre mystery soon caught the attention of officials at "Project Black Book," the government agency that investigates this type of activity.

The calculations from the computers and settings were completely changed and the onboard cameras sent back pictures of the shuttle's interior that were beyond strange. A collection of odd-shaped bottles containing remnants of an unknown liquid were tossed around on the floor at the cargo bay.

Source: Panache Report

What in the World....?!

Thousands of birds fell from the sky in Arkansas on New Years Eve 2010. All dead. The only explanation so far: they suffered trauma. But what caused the trauma? Officials are claiming it was caused by fireworks **blank stare**. Not for a second do I believe this explanation. In all the years since the invention of fireworks, nothing like this has ever happened. And birds are not that dumb, contrary to what some people may think.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged_Blackbird

Thousands of dead fish also washed up on the shores of Arkansas. I am still waiting for explanation the officials are going to claim caused this. Perhaps they gave up and all swam to shore in a suicidal pact :-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciaenidae

This is really very sad and quite nerve racking.

Updates to come...


"The 17 birds we did a necropsy on had internal bleeding that looks like blunt force trauma -- like they ran into something, would be our best guess," Dr. George Badley told CTV's Canada AM Tuesday morning. Tests have, so far, ruled out poison and lightning as the cause of the birds' mass death. "They all had internal bleeding and no signs of disease, but our pathologist is continuing to make sure that they are no viruses, germs or poisons in the birds," Badley added.

Randomness

Keeping your Christmas decorations up after New Years Day is likely good for your mental health.

Underrated Movies

Sometimes you just have to watch a movie, or read a book and give it your own ratings. I have found, alot of times I might add, that I check out the hollywood review and imdb ratings review on movies and its very hard to choose to spend time watching something others are telling you are not watchable. Alas, too often, this is not the case. Alot of really good movies get released with little or no fan-fare, get low ratings and go straight to dvd.

May I suggest that once in a while to just give a few of these movies a watch and you may be pleasantly surprised.

One of the most underrated films to be released and is a Must See:



Not Forgotten, starring Simon Baker and Paz Vega

trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2627863065/

Enjoy!

Hippocampus

Researchers have successfully identified the memory a person is recalling by analyzing their brain activity. The result offers new insights into how and where the brain records memories and may help scientists understand memory impairments caused by injuries, aging, and neurological conditions, such as a stroke.



The study is being conducted by Cognitive neuroscientist Eleanor Maguire at the University College London. Their recipe of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a specific computer algorithm has gleaned the secrets of the hippocampus, a brain region that tracks where a person is and also plays a role in memory and learning. The technologicaltag team works like this: fMRI measures the brain's blood flow—associated with neuron activity—on the scale of voxels, three-dimensional "pixels" that each include roughly 10,000 neurons. The algorithm then interprets the changes voxel by voxel to learn the brain's patterns of activity over time.

The findings confirm that the hippocampus is heavily involved in episodic memory.

fMRI can't spot particular neurons in the act of signaling each other. The fMRI resolution limits researchers to seeing in voxels, so "you don't know that exactly the same neurons or circuits are at work every time," he explains.

Maguire, whose team reported its results online in Current Biology, is refining her method. She's also hoping to study what happens in the hippocampus over longer periods or when the brain ages or is injured. "What happens to these memories over time is an important issue that remains to be resolved," she says.

Take Five

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/The-Happiness-Test