Here is an infographic from Allianz called Digital Technology in Your Car that illustrates current technology in our cars to keep us safe and entertain us.

Digital technology has transformed and continues to transform every aspect of our lives. In the motor industry, technology developed throughout the years has enhanced our safety and comfort. The introduction of modern safety mechanisms such as lane departure warning and brake assist systems as well as iphone applications such as Driver Reviver and Car Butler has seen technology faithfully assisting drivers in times of need. With technology advancing and disseminating at a rapid rate, Global Positioning System units have already become a staple accessory in Australian cars.

There’s not much in the way of data visualizations in this one, but it does tell a good story about the history of new technology in your car, and what’s coming soon.  There’s too much text, but the use of icons and illustrations helps the story.  

Gawai Dayak Celebration

Gawai or Gawai Dayak is a festival celebrated in Sarawak and West Kalimantan on 1 June every year. It is both a religious and social occasion. The word Gawai means a ritual or festival whereas Dayak is a collective name for the native ethnic groups of Sarawak which are the Iban, also known as Sea Dayak and the Bidayuh people, also known as Land Dayak. Thus, Gawai Dayak literally means “Dayak Festival”. Dayak would visit their friends and relatives on this day. Such visit is more commonly known as “ngabang” in the Iban language.

The mode of celebration varies from place to place. Preparation starts early. Tuak (rice wine) is brewed (at least one month before the celebration) and traditional delicacies like penganan (cakes from rice flour, sugar and coconut milk) are prepared. As the big day approaches, everyone will be busy with general cleaning and preparing food and cakes. On Gawai Eve, glutinous rice is steamed in bamboo (ngelulun pulut). In the longhouse, new mats will be laid out on the ruai (an open gallery which runs through the entire length of the longhouse). The walls of most bilik (rooms) and the ruai are decorated with Pua Kumbu (traditional blankets). A visit to clean the graveyard is also conducted and offerings offered to the dead. After the visit it is important to bathe before entering the longhouse to ward off bad luck.

Weird And Mysterious Place On Earth

Have you guys experience on weird place in your life? I bet all people had an experience on it. So, let me  take you to people rating weird & mysterious place around the world. It will let your fear takes you on your journey.

You will not believe this place would be there for about century or even decade.

1. Mystery Spot

IT husband

Starting the day with a conversation between a wife and a husband who happens to be a software engineer.

Husband: (Returning late from work) “Good Evening Dear, I’m now logged in.”

Wife: Have you brought the grocery?

Husband: Bad command or file name.

Wife: But I told you in the morning

Husband: Erroneous syntax. Abort?

virus.

Wife: What about my new TV?

Husband: Variable not found…

Wife: At least, give me your Credit Card, I want to do some shopping.

Husband: Sharing Violation. Access denied…

Wife: Do you love me or do you only love computers or are you just being funny?

Husband: Too many parameters…

Wife: It was a great mistake that I married an idiot like you

Husband: Data type mismatch.

Wife: You are useless.

Husband: It’s by Default.

Wife: What about your Salary?

Husband: File in use… Try after some time.

Wife: What is my value in the family.

Husband: Unknown Virus.

Free Wi-fi, Friend or Foe? [infographic]

As mobile devices become more and more popular the demand for easy access to wi-fi increases as well. It is already pretty easy to access wi-fi in most places including coffee shops, restaurants, the mechanics, etc. Access to wifi will only become wider spread and easier to access especially when it is predicted 1 in 4 users will have more than one connected device by 2016. Not only is the user base for connected devices growing but traffic is as well, growing 133% in 2011 and predicted to grow another 110% by the end of this year.

While free wi-fi is great it does not necessarily protect you the same way a secure network may. Today’s infographic Free Wi-fi, Friend or Foe? gives us some examples of ways hackers can hijack your accounts and how to ensure your safety when browsing on an open network. One easy way to ensure your security when loggin on to a free public network is to know the exact name of the network. You don’t want to log onto a network someone nearby the coffee shop created giving them total access to personal files. A lot of computers have shared folders that can be accessed by other users on wifi, these sharing features are something that can be turned off to increase security. Make sure and read through today’s infographic, it’s a good one. [via]

Around the World with National Geographic

PARSI EMBROIDERY - FADING ART

A very old and beautiful art, that like its people, some of whom 
had made East Africa their home, in decline. One of my
late maternal aunt, during her Zanzibar and Mombasa stay,
did this work from appx 1930 in Zanibar,and later in
Mombasa till 1970, died in Mombasa.

The few Parsi, some Hindu, but mostly Ismaili ladies were her clients.

Parsi Embroidery: A Fading Art Parsi embroidery is yet another example of how a century-old art can be so relevant, without putting up with those bleeding colors. Parsi embroidery is a unique part of India’s diverse textile heritage. This unique artistic tradition  has its roots in Iran during the Bronze Age but with time it has drawn influences from European, Chinese, Persian  and Indian culture. Parsi Embroidery

The Most Expensive Houses in the World [infographic]

This infographic seemed entertaining upon first glance. Although it sucks to look at things we may never have, it’s fun to imagine for awhile. I aspire to own a home sometime in the near future, it’s a great accomplishment to own property and be able to call it yours. But let’s be honest, I just don’t see myself accruing several hundred million dollars to spend on just a house. I know I will be happy with a decent sized home so long as it accommodates my lifestyle.

Many of these houses do not have current owners listed on the infographic, so it’s time to whip out the big bucks and make a bid. Or maybe there are owners, but they wish to keep their overly lavish identity a secret. It’s probably best to keep your identity anonymous when you own one of these houses; I can’t help but feel upset that somebody could have that much more money than me. Are these people really that much better at what they do than me? In the end, the lesson is to be happy with what you have. By the time you read this, I will be in the middle of nowhere (Planet Bonnaroo) with just a tent, but there’s no doubt I’ll be having the time of my life.

Which house is your favorite? Let us know! [Via]

Top 10 Discoveries in Human Evolution

10.  Sahelanthropus Tchadensis

This extinct hominid species dates back to around 7 million years ago, although its exact location on the human evolutionary tree is controversial, since it pre-dates the divergence of human and chimpanzee species and there is only one reliable specimen: a cranium known as Toumai.  Discovered in the Djurab desert of Chad between 2001 and 2002 by a team led by Michel Brunet, the enigmatic Toumai skull suggests that the species had a head similar in size to that of a chimpanzee, and was bipedal like Homo Sapiens, but had far flatter facial features.

Silent inspiration

Silent inspiration: Punctured Tire Repair 
 

architecture

Award winning joke

One Chinese walks into a bar in America late one night and he saw Steven Spielberg. As he was a great fan of his movies, he rushes over to him, and asks for his autograph. 
Instead, Spielberg gives him a slap and says "You Chinese people bombed our Pearl Harbor, get out of here."
The astonished Chinese man replied "It was not the Chinese who bombed your Pearl Harbor , it was the Japanese".  
"Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, you're all the same," replied Spielberg. 
In return, the Chinese gives Spielberg a slap and says "You sank the Titanic; my forefathers were on that ship." 
Shocked, Spielberg replies "It was the iceberg that sank the ship, not me."
The Chinese replies, "Iceberg, Spielberg, Carlsberg, you're all the same." 

10 of the Best Golf Courses Around the World

Golf has always been associated with people who are rich and well-off, for people who have the luxury to enjoy the game. Whilst that might have been true earlier in history, nowadays golf is accessible to most people. True, the more you get into the game the more expensive it gets, but having said that, it isn't as limited to the rich as maybe it once was.

For those golfing enthusiasts out there who love to play on the best courses, then have a look at these 10 of the best golf courses from around the world.

1. Augusta National, Untied States

Located in Augusta, Georgia; Augusta National Golf Club is one of the most well known golf courses from around the world. It was opened in 1933 by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, being designed by Alister Mackenzie, and has hosted the golf 'masters tournament' since 1934.

It is considered as one of the best golf courses on the planet.

Augusta National only allowed the acceptance of black people to have a membership of the club since 1990, and with it's exclusive membership policies, criticism has been directed towards the club. It also has a continued refusal to accept women to become members of the club.

M P. Sir

Officer: What Is Your Name?
Candidate: M P. Sir

Officer: Tell Me Properly.
Candidate: Mohan Pal Sir

Officer: Your Father’s Name?
Candidate: M P. Sir

Officer: What Does That Mean?
Candidate: Manmohan Pal Sir

Officer: Your Native Place
Candidate: M P. Sir

Officer: Is It Madhya Pradesh?
Candidate: No, Munnur Pal Sir

Officer: What Is Your Qualification?
Candidate: M P. Sir

Officer: (angrily) What Is It?
Candidate: Metric Pass

Officer: Why Do You Need A Job?
Candidate: M P. Sir

Officer: And What Does That Mean?
Candidate: Money Problem Sir

Officer: Describe Your Personality
Candidate: M P. Sir


Officer: Explain Yourself Clearly
Candidate: Magnanimous Personality Sir

Officer: This Discussion Is Nowhere, You May Go Now.
Candidate: M P. Sir

Officer: What Is It Now
Candidate: My Performance. ..?

Officer: M.P!!!
Candidate: What Is That Sir?

Officer: Mental Problems

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AIRLINES & AIRCRAFTS

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AIRLINES, AIRPORTS ,AIRCRAFTS,CREW,FUNCTIONS ETC....

 Not applied to Indian Airlines and specially so with Air India and Kingfisher.... 

 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AIRLINES, AIRPORTS AND AIR TRAVELLING

• All International Airline Pilots speaks English. 

• Flights longer than 8 hours require 3 pilots (1 captain and 2 first officers) to rotate flying duties. Flights longer than 12 hours require 4 pilots (1 captain and 3 first officers). They usually fly 3-4 hour shifts. (There are different norms of Indian companies Pilots)

•Each airline pilot flying the aircraft, eats a different meal to minimize the risk of all pilots on board being ill.

Hunted Place In India

India is a large country and in every city, big or small, you’ll find various legends and folklore about paranormal activity. The places listed on this page are the 5 most haunted places in India.

The claims and stories of ghostly apparitions have been verified by various paranormal experts, on-or-off-the-record.If you’re aware of any place in India though personal experience, which is known for it’s paranormal activity, please do bring it to our notice.

1. Forts of Bhangarh, Rajasthan

Hunted Place In Malaysia

Want to give yourself a good scare this Halloween? Or just an intrepid ghost hunter? Well, if you’re sure you’re up to it, we’ve got 5 seriously haunted places in Malaysia you have to check out.

From the bomoh@witch Mona Fandey’s house to the infamous Karak Highway, these are places you need to be to see and hear the unexplainable and inexplicable. 

1. Aeroplane Bungalow (Mona Fendy’s house), Behind Leisure Point, Cheras

 For those who don’t know, Mona Fandey was a popular bomoh back in the 90′s, and reportedly used black arts to help many politicians achieve power. She was executed in 2001 for murdering politician Mazlan Idris in 1993 while conducting a ceremonyto invest him with power. It’s reported that Mona, along with her husband, had Mazlan lie down while they conducted a ceremony, before dismembering and partially skinning Mazlan. At her execution, she claimed “I will never die,” and her house is supposedly haunted due to the black arts she practices there.

10 Ways Edison Treated Tesla Like a Jerk

Thomas Edison has over a thousand patents in his name. Some of them are even based on his own ideas. But more often than not, he was working off another great innovator’s findings, and tinkering until he produced something that could make a buck or two. He is often praised for having invented a number of household items we take for granted, and couldn’t live without. But considerably less credit is actually given to the genius scientists and inventors who worked under his employ to make him rich (and a household name). One of those men is Nikola Tesla, who got an incredibly short end of the stick, and whose brilliance often goes unacknowledged and under-praised beneath Edison’s blinding overcast. Here are ten ways in which Edison was a real jerk to Tesla.

10

Disrespectful

Towards the end of Edison’s life, he was quoted as saying he wished he respected Tesla and his work more than he had. Too bad, at that point the damage had been done: Tesla died broke and lonely, while Edison died wealthy and with great self-esteem. While they had worked together, Edison had often called his ideas “impractical” or mocked them (if he wasn’t plain threatened by them). It seemed Edison knew that he had this brilliant young mind under his thumb from the moment he came to America to work for him. (At that point he already had a few patents in his name, for devices that operated by rotating magnetic fields.)

Paper Scissor & Hard Work

Paper Lace Hina Aoyama 

 
The work of the artist looks airy and light, as a weak breeze in the first ray of sun. For the work she does not need anything other than the usual paper and scissors. It's just an incredible example of jewelry and art.

Beautiful paintings

“A sympathetic friend can be quite as dear as a brother.”

Most Expensive

Good things in life don't come cheap. Here, a list of some 'most expensive' things available in the market. Bizarrely exorbitant!! 

Most expensive shoes: 1 million pounds 
 
Would you feel like a princess or what when you wear something worth 1m pounds? The most expensive shoes in the world were on sale at Harrods in London. After a photo-call for the press, the shoes were locked away in a bullet-proof case where they will be guarded round-the-clock. The shoes, inspired by the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, were woven from platinum thread and set with 642 rubies. They were designed by Stuart Weitzman. 

Teeny tiny animals

How strange it is..............

¤ We wish to earn loads of money,

but we had the best times only when we had just 10 bucks in our pocket
...
¤ We wish to wear high brands

but we feel most comfortable in pajayma pants

¤ We wish to sit in Taj & Marriot with elite people

but we enjoy roadside tea with friends the most

¤ We wish to own big cars and go on long drives

yet we talk our heart out only while walking down a long road

¤ We have 64GB ipods filled with songs

but sometimes a song on the radio brings a smile that can't be compared

Life is simple indeed

But We make it complex by running after what never gives us joy

Love life ♥

Lake Retba Looks Like a Giant Strawberry Milkshake

Lake Retba or Lac Rose lies north of the Cap Vert peninsula of Senegal, north east of Dakar. Depending on the time of day, the lake changes colour from a light purple to a deep scarlet pink. The unusual colouring of the water is caused by harmless halophilic bacteria that thrive in the lake’s high-salinity environment. The color is particularly visible during the dry season.

"The strawberry colour is produced by salt-loving organism Dunaliella salina. They produce a red pigment that absorbs and uses the energy of sunlight to create more energy, turning the water pink," said Michael Danson, an expert in bacteria from Britain's Bath University.

Covering an area of about 3 sq km, the lake is located about 35km north-east of Senegal’s capital Dakar. Since the 1970s, local residents have been mining Lake Retba for its salt, which they use mainly to preserve fish. Waist-deep in water, the men scrape the bottom of the lake to harvest this universally useful mineral which they collect in baskets in their wooden canoes. The salt is then taken back to shore where it is sectioned into small mounds. Dotted along the lake’s shore, these pristine white hills of salt create an arresting contrast against the pink of the lake. In order to protect their skin from the extreme salinity of the water, the workers rub their skin with shea butter, produced from shea nuts obtained from the Shea nut tree.

The spectacular transit of Venus

 

In pictures: The spectacular transit of Venus

Stargazers from across the globe looked on in awe as Venus passed in front of the sun - 

a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle that won't be observed again for another 105 years. 

The closing stages of the phenomenon were briefly visible over the UK from 5.37am Wed 6th June.

 

 

Prague Orloj Oldest Clock In the World

The Prague Orloj is an enormous clock set up in the year 1410 in Prague (Czech Republic) and is motionless operational. Prague Orloj takes pleasure in the majority of traveler that approach to appointment Prague city. The clock consists of 3 fraction the almanac in the inferior fraction with month cipher tinted by Josef Manes, the globe or clock telephone in the middle with very old Czech and in attendance day time, daybreak, sunset, actions of the Moon and Sun, and the saunter of the apostle at the pinnacle, which is almost certainly the majority amusing part of the clock for the tourist. Check out these oldest clock images.

World's Most Colorful Snakes

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. We all know that most of the snakes a dangerous and some are deadly too. But we rarely know that some of the snakes are so color full too.

Now let's have a look at a collection of most colorful snakes on earth.

Emerald Tree Boa

Most species of boas are colorful like the Corallus caninus, a non-venomous snake found in the rain-forests of South America. Adults grow to about 6 feet or 1.8 m in length.. They have highly developed front teeth that are likely proportionately larger than those of any other non-venomous snake.

Joke - A Ship Sank

A ship sank in high seas and the following people got stranded on a beautiful deserted island in the middle of nowhere:

A. 2 Italian men and 1 Italian woman
B. 2 French men and 1 French woman
C. 2 German men and 1 German woman
D. 2 Greek men and 1 Greek woman
E. 2 Polish men and 1 Polish woman
F. 2 Mexican men and 1 Mexican woman
G. 2 Indian men and 1 Indian woman


What a Crazy coincidence! ;)One month later, on various parts of the island,
the following was observed: 

funny 01

A FOOLish man tells a woman to STOP talking, but a WISE man tells her  that she looks extremely BEAUTIFUL when her LIPS are CLOSED.      2. One GOOD way to REDUCE Alcohol consumption:  Before Marriage - Drink whenever you are SAD After Marriage - Drink whenever you are HAPPY    3. Three FASTEST means of Communication: 1. Tele-Phone  2. Tele-Vision  3. Tell to Woman  Need still FASTER - Tell her NOT to tell ANY ONE.   4. Love your friends not their sisters. Love your sisters not their friends.

30 Pigeons-Champions

Indian Fantail by Rick Schlais

A recent post on Laughing Squid sent the Sifter on a mission to learn more about the National Pigeon Association and their annual NPA Grand Nationals. Not only is this sub-culture for real, but it is thriving!
With over 3,721 entries representing 26 breeds of pigeon, the 2010 NPA Grand Nationals held in Salt Lake City, Utah, drew over 271 exhibitors from every US State and Canada as well. Below is a collection of some of the winners from the Grand Nationals, in what I’m sure will be a first glimpse for many into this little known hobby.