Friday, September 14, 2012

Awesome Animal Camouflage Picture

1. A Flounder
 A Flounder

Flounder are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish found at the bottom of coastal lagoons and estuaries of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

2. Green frog

A Green frog emerging from the duckweeds in St Omer, France.

3. Grey Cicada

 A Grey Cicada hides on pine bark in France


4. Locust
A Locust mimicks a blade of grass in Burkina Faso.


5. Rock Ptarmigan chick
A Rock Ptarmigan chick in its nest in Norway 


6. Flatfish
Flatfish are masters of animal camouflage. 


7. Crabs
Can you find the crabs camouflaged against the beach sand?


8. Butterfly
The underside of this owl butterfly's wing blends in with woody textures and features a large eyespot to startle predators. 


9.Phylliidae
Leaf insects or walkingleaves from the family Phylliidae are some of the best examples of leaf mimics.

10. Merlet's Scorpionfish
Merlet's Scorpionfish look like colourful coral around the shores of Lifou Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia


11.  Paradoxophyla palmata
Paradoxophyla palmata, a narrow-headed frog native to Madagascar. The frog’s brown and yellow coloring, as well as its rough texture, allow it to blend in with the mud and tree trunks in its environment. 


12. Indonesian Mimic Octopus
The Indonesian Mimic Octopus has a unique ability to turn virtually any color or pattern. It is naturally brown and spotted but has been seen in every hue from ghost white, as shown above, to brilliant blue and fiery red or mysterious pink.


13. Malaysian Orchid Mantis
This Malaysian Orchid Mantis has cleverly adapted to resemble the striking white orchids of the region.


14. Sand flathead
This sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) is almost perfectly camouflaged


15. Tarantula

This tarantula hides perfectly next to the flower

Friday, September 7, 2012

Unique Lamps - Creative Lamp Designed

1. Mary Had a Little Lamp

Lonely in bed at night while you read? Mary Had a Little Lamp is there to help you and keep your bed warm.


2. Sneaker Lamp

Creative lamp designed by Clara Sjodin that looks like a sneaker. The cloth shoe laces are not only accurately scaled, they are the actual power cords for the bulbs found in each sneaker, which helps keep the lamp's design very clean. Would you put a pair up in your house? 


3. Penguins Lamps

Collection of lamps "Save The Penguins" by Alex Kozynets.


4. Fire Lamp

Fire inspired lamp designed by Santiago Sevillano. The body is made of white semitransparent PET rotational molding and inside is LED lighting.The table  lamps are wireless and use a base charge.


5. Book Rest Lamp

Whilst you're all tucked up in bed reading your favorite fairy-tale, horror story or glamour model biography, you can read to the glow of this clever and uncomplicated lamp. Made of frosted glass it gives off a soft light, ideal to read to but also doubles as a book rest ensuring you never lose your page. Designed by Lee Sang Gin.


6. Nymph Lamp

Nymph, as in “the immature form of some insects”, is the name of this odd and cool looking lamp by Site Specific Design – an interiorand furnitureddesign company based in Brooklyn, New York. The price: $2,600.


7. Moon Rock Lamps

Beautiful and original design from the 1960's. Each lamp is handcrafted in Ravenna, Italy, of fiberglass and then coated with a layer of natural Italian stones. Both beautiful and modern, these lamps give any space a natural warm atmosphere. Can be used as ambient lighting on the floor or table top.


8. Memento Lamp

ID Award 2008 Biennial Winning an interior product award. Design by Hiroshi Yoneya and Yumi Masuko.


9.  Martini Lamp

This sophisticated lamp model has an illuminated red pimento.


10. Rocknrolla Lamp


Rocknrolla Luminous - a cone-shaped floor lamp-stand, on top of a hand depicting the character "Rock-in". Scope of home interiors, to public venues. It effectively would look good in the clubs, and on the open park areas, and in shop windows will effectively attract buyers for its originality. Designed by Denis Popenkov. 


11. Ostrich Lamp

Ostrich Lamp lamp was designed by Halde Martin, it is such a simple idea, applying feathers to light and it looks angelic. 


12. Twist Together Lamp


The Twist Together Lamp encourages you to design your own lamp.  Individual blocks connect together and illuminate with a simple twist.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Inca Rope Bridge - Peru

Inca Rope Bridge - Peru - Inca rope bridges were simple suspension bridges over canyons and gorges (pongos) to provide access for the Inca Empire. Bridges of this type were suitable for use since the Inca people did not use wheeled transport - traffic was limited to pedestrians and livestock.

These bridges were an integral part on the Inca road system and are an example of Inca innovation in engineering. They were frequently used by Chasqui runners delivering messages throughout the Inca Empire.




The Incas used natural fibers found within the local vegetation to build bridges. These fibers were woven together creating a strong enough rope and were reinforced with wood creating a cable floor. Each side was then attached to a pair of stone anchors on each side of the canyon with massive cables of woven grass linking these two pylons together.

Adding to this construction, two additional cables acted as guardrails. The cables which supported the foot-path were reinforced with plaited branches. This multi-structure system made these bridges strong enough to even carry the Spaniards while riding horses after they arrived.



However, these massive bridges were so heavy that they tended to sag in the middle, and this caused them to sway in strong winds. Part of the bridge's strength and reliability came from the fact that each cable was replaced every year by local villagers as part of their mita public service or obligation. In some instances, these local peasants had the sole task of maintaining and repairing these bridges so that the Inca highways or road systems could continue to function. 

The greatest bridges of this kind resided in the Apurimac Canyon along the main road north from Cuzco.