9 Coolest Elevators

It seems like a brilliant idea to lift the mood of workers by sticking more than 1,300 Jaffa Cakes to the walls of an office block's lift. However, with the average person's tongue home to billions of bacteria, some will ask if this outlandish stunt really is a good idea.

Food technicians and artists took a month to install the unique walls inside the lift of the offices of the communications firm Engine on Great Portland Street, Central London. McVitie's Jaffa Cakes said they were inspired by the glass elevator in when making the lift. (Link)

Coolest elevator in Queens, NY. At first glance it seems like an old boring looking apartment, until it opens its doors. (Link)

This is the cool new boutique Hotel Palomar Philadelphia, a Kimpton Hotel, in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. In the heart of Center City Philadelphia, it is a testament to superior eco-friendly hotel design, personalized service and genuinely warm hospitality.

Even the inside of the elevators are cool, as you can see from these photos. (Link)

The glass floored bathroom built atop a 15 story empty elevator shaft is located in Guadalajara, Mexico. This insanely terrifying penthouse bathroom was designed by Hernandez Silva. (Link | Via)

The AquaDom in Berlin, Germany is a 25 meter tall cylindrical acrylic glass aquarium with built-in transparent elevator. It is located at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Berlin-Mitte. The DomAquarée complex also contains a hotel, offices, a restaurant, and the aquarium's sea life center.

It cost about 12.8 million euros to construct. The acrylic glass cylinder was constructed by the U.S. company Reynolds Polymer Technology. The outside cylinder was manufactured on-site from four pieces and the inside cylinder for the elevator was delivered in one piece.

The Aquadom is the largest acrylic glass cylinder in the world, with a diameter of over 11 meters, built on a 9 meters tall concrete foundation. Filled with about 900,000 liters of seawater, it contains some 2,600 fish of 56 species. The feeding of the fish and the cleaning of the fish tank is performed daily by a pair of full-time divers.

The SkyView is probably one of the most significant elevator projects in recent years. Engineered by Swedish Liftbyggarna it is characterized as a funicular system with a sophisticated leveling system. Built on a structure argued as the biggest spherical building in the world (Globen), it provides a breathtaking ride over the stadium's grounds and Stockholm's cityscape. (Link)

With their stark, curving metallic exteriors and glowing visor-shaped windows, the elevators at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart are as much fun to watch rise and fall along tracks in the museum's atrium as they are to ride. The trip only takes about 30 seconds so feel free to ride multiple times. You might want to pop off every once in a while to see the exhibits, covering 125 years of motoring landmarks, and to see the inspiration behind the elevators' uber-modern look.

Love this. It's the Gingerbread Express—a specially decorated elevator that takes guests up to the hotel's restaurant Sixteen. However, it's not just any old elevator. This one is embellished with nearly 1,000 cookie bricks, 222 pounds of frosting, 178 pounds of sugar, and 103 pounds of chocolate. Located at the Trump Chicago, Illinois. (Link)

Imagine: you are heading to work, the daily grind, trudging along with coffee in hand and suitcase by your side. However, when the elevator arrives to pick you up the doors open to a homey, highly decorated and furnished living room with only a semi-surprised resident inside.

Starting early one morning (and staying until late that night), an industrious Dutch art student transformed a simple small elevator space into the epitome of a cozy apartment - complete with table, coffee maker, lights, books, shoes, slippers, shelves, hangers, a clock, mirror and the makings of a series of meals (as well as a phone to place an order for pizza delivery in the evening). (Link)
Source: Oddee.com

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Trendiest Tattoos of 2012

UV Tattoos have always seemed pretty gimmicky to me, until now. Finally a use of the glow in the dark ink that actually makes sense! Done by tattoo artist Kennith Bryan of Intimate Body Art Studios, this is really great work, and I am sure Yoda would approve. In this case, this dedicated Star Wars fan is definitely doing and not trying. (Link | Via)

This tattoo is not Photoshopped -it IS Photoshop! Megan Orsi is "the girl with the Photoshop tattoo." The web designer started using Photoshop in middle school, and just recently got the toolbar inked on her arm. (Link | Via)

Tardar Sauce, aka Grumpy Cat, has finally reached the ultimate point of internet stardom by becoming the subject of a tattoo. The person sporting this grumpy ink clearly knows how Tard feels, and has agreed to Hate Everything for the rest of their life. (Link | Via)

You knew it was coming. Here it is: the tattoo of Psy of Gangnam Style fame by music lover and tattoo artist Jefferson Bernardo Correa, AKA Jeffinho Tattow. Most excellent! (Via)

Flowers, angels, hearts or a beloved's name figure among the most popular tattoo designs. An insulin pump isn't even on the list. However, for the parents of a five-year-old Quebec boy with Type 1 diabetes, getting inked with an image of a pump — in the same spot on their bellies as their son is outfitted with a real pump — is an act of love.

Camille Boivin and Philippe Aumond of La Sarre, Que. sought out a tattoo artist in Joliette — a nine-hour drive from their home — to re-create a pump that their boy Jacob, 5, has to wear for his survival.
(Link)

This is Eric Hartsburg, an Indiana man who tattooed the Romney-Ryan campaign logo on his face after auctioning off the stunt for $5,000 on eBay. Now he wants to get his tattoo lasered off. It's going to cost thousands of dollars and take about a year. (Link)

A Dutch tattoo artist has created an incredible optical illusion artwork on her daughter's forearm that makes it look like she's taking a photograph. Brunssum-based tattoo artist Helma van der Weide's tattoo for her daughter Lotte van den Acker shows a vintage 1970s Ashahi Pentax 35mm SLR, an iconic design that influenced generations of cameras.

The picture has received more than 35,000 likes on the Tattooed Women Facebook page.
(Via)

A grandmother who was left completely bald by alopecia has ditched her wig in favor of something a little more permanent - a tattoo covering her entire head. Ann McDonald, 60, suffers from alopecia and also has a thyroid problem which resulted in all of her hair falling out three years ago. The grandmother-of-three was inspired to get the overlapping floral design, which cost £720, after becoming fed up with having to wear wigs and hats. (Link)

Tattoo with a matching owl necklace. (Link)

Barmy Baz Franks spent £1,000 and six hours in the dentist's chair to get his royal “gnasher tat,” and it wasn't even done in prison. (Link)
Read more at Oddee

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The Day of the Skulls celebration in Bolivia

The Day of the Skulls is part of a vibrant ritual that mingles indigenous and Catholic beliefs. Every November, human skulls are honoured with special masses and paraded in cemeteries. Traditionally, the skull of one or more family members are kept at home to watch over the family and protect them during the year. On November 9, the family crowns the skull with fresh flowers, sometimes also dressing it up in various garments, and makes offerings of cigarettes, coca leaves, alcohol, and various other items in thanks for the year’s protection. The Catholic Church has no choice but to tolerate this ritual, even allowing the skulls to be brought to mass.

Information and image sources: 1 2 3

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12 Delicious Edible Insects

As any good Entomophage (eater of insects) knows, these twelve bugs are more than just pests… they’re what’s for dinner! In many cases people started eating these insects out of necessity, but these days they’ve become a delicacy. Read on to discover twelve insects that can be quite tasty.

Casu Marzu

In Sardinia, Italy, they eat a type of sheep’s milk cheese called Casu Marzu that is known to be crawling with insect larvae. This soft cheese has been fermented so long that it has actually begun to decompose, inviting the development of insect larvae that look like tiny translucent worms on the surface of the cheese. Some people remove the larvae before eating the cheese, but others eat it all, maggots and all.

Oven-Baked Tarantula

A unique Cambodian delicacy, tarantulas were originally consumed only during plagues but have since become standard fare. Tarantulas come pre-baked – simply remove fangs, warm, and serve.

Note: As our reader Harold points out, Tarantulas are actually arthropods, not insects. Still, we wouldn’t want to eat one!

Scorpion Sucker

These harmless California scorpions are encased in a delicious candy coating. According to the listing, scorpions are a major food source in many parts of the world, so sucking on a scorpion lollipop shouldn’t gross you out. No, not at all.

Termites

In Africa and parts of Indonesia, eating Termites is a way of life. Collected at the start of the rainy season when other sources of protein are scarce, termites are best eaten after being slightly roasted.

Pregnant Crickets

In the northeast area of Thailand, crickets laden with eggs are considered a tasty snack. These crickets are caught and flash-frozen in the wild then cleaned, cooked, and lightly salted. You can buy a bag of ready-to-eat pregnant crickets for less than $6.00.

Larvets Worm Snacks

These crunchy worms are baked and come in a variety of flavors including BBQ, Cheddar Cheese, and Mexican Spice. (Buy it here | Photo)

Giant Water Beetles

In Thailand, these beetles are de-shelled and then eaten either fried or roasted. Their taste is described as being similar to scallops.

Tequila Worm Lollipop

Now you can enjoy the taste of Tequila without all that pesky nudity and reckless behavior. Just suck on one of these sugar-free, Tequila-flavored lollipops, complete with an edible worm inside each pop. How many licks does it take to get to the worm? You tell us.

Weaver Ants Eggs

Weaver ants eggs can be collected for only one month per year in Thailand, and collecting the eggs is a time-consuming and often painful task. These eggs are described as being large and squishy, and they need to be cooked thoroughly before eating them on your salad or tortilla chips.

Chocolate-Covered Giant Ants

These Giant Queen Leafcutter ants are bathed in decadent Belgian chocolate. Their taste is described as “nutty” and they are said to boost the immune system and give those who eat them extra energy.

Witchetty Grubs

These large, white, wood-eating moth or beetle larvae are a staple in Aboriginal diets in Australia. Grubs are high in protein and edible either raw or lightly seared over fire coals.

Spicy Giant Bug Paste

Love spicy foods? This is the product for you! This dipping sauce contains crushed Giant Waterbugs (AKA Giant Scorpions) along with assorted Thai spices and chilis. This paste makes the perfect dipping sauce for tortillas, sticky rice, and all of those other edible insects you love to dip.

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First Anaconda from sri lanka Anuradapura

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