111 degrees outside, 21degrees inside.

The $3 million Chillout ice lounge in Dubai, where nearly everything is sculpted out of ice. 

Chillout is the Middle East’s first ice lounge and the latest venture in this desert Gulf emirate that has been transformed by a mania for the biggest, first or most outlandish.Gulf men in traditional white robes with wives covered in black cloaks, teenagers eager to experience their first cold blast and Westerners who miss the chill are flocking to the bar-restaurant to hang out in what amounts to a freezer.

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  Abandoned  Russian artifacts and installations from bizarre military/scientific research, strangely futuristic forms left to rust and decay - to be found by a curious photographer.     “Master” stumbled upon this installation close to Russian city of Istra (50 km from Moscow) quite by chance, and these mysterious shots were percolating for a while around the web, until the answer was found. According to this little, cryptic, and quite secretive website, the weird alien-like towers are the Experimental Grounds for High-Voltage Generation, the only open-air kind in the world. Amazingly, it’s still in use… as the powerful lightnings rip through the night and the darkened forest - much like in “The Prestige” movie.  (more…)

If you sail the seven seas long enough, you may be invited to King Neptune’s Court.

The line-crossing ceremony occurs every time a ship crosses the equator. The ship’s passengers and crew are divided into pollywogs (the uninitiated who have never crossed the equator before, and are thus the lowest form of sea life), and the shellbacks (the veterans of previous equator-crossing). Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself had a certificate testifying to his having crossed the equator back in November, 1936.

As they cross the equator, the pollywogs are summoned - sometimes at the behest of “Davy Jones’ - to the court of King Neptune, who occasionally has maidens. The pollywogs are then initiated into the ranks of the shellbacks, by way of various embarrassing tasks: being doused in sea water, getting locked in stocks and pillories, etc. The pollywogs sometimes have to “kiss the baby,’ which just so happens to be the belly of the ship’s most obese man.

Most sailors were happy to break up the ocean’s monotony with good, bizarre fun. Sadly, these initiation ceremonies - especially in the armed forces - allowed ample opportunity for abuse: some crews took the opportunity to dole out full-blown beatings, which lead to the well-deserved suspension or scaling-back of the ritual. But many tourist vessels still observe it: they’re happy just to dump salt water on peoples’ heads, and dress in silly costumes.

This shark from a shark derby in Nova Scotia has nothing to do with this post, but its a damn cool thing in a random place as sharks aren’t supposed to look like this in Nova Scotia (at least I hope not while I’m surfing!)

One of the best responses to this site as been “it is like a bag of potato chips, once you start reading…”

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All you adrenaline buffs out there should head to Bellingham, Washington USA every Memorial Day weekend to witness and participate in the ‘Ski to Sea’ festival. This is a chance for you to experience the legacy of Mt. Baker’s Marathon that was held from 1911 to 1913 and is now presented to you by People’s Bank.

This race consists of seven legs including mountain biking, sea kayaking, cross country, canoeing, running, downhill and biking. The festival also includes a wonderful parade and other special events with entertainment and adventure. This is a marathon that pits man against rugged terrain where you are taken across treacherous roads and trails to reach the top of the mountain and back.

With a ‘Ski to Sea’ experience, you adrenaline junkies get to start from the top of Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay where you get to discover the recreational playground of Whatcom County. May 25^th of 2008, for a wild risde