Crazy Camouflage Invicible Cloak by Hyperstealth, Quantum Stealth

Crazy Camouflage Invicible Cloak by Hyperstealth, Quantum Stealth

Created by Canadian camouflage design company Hyperstealth, Quantum Stealth is a is a material that renders its wearer completely invisible by bending light waves around it, which is in effect very similar to the invisibility cloak worn child wizard extraordinaire, Harry Potter.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could put on your very own invisibility cloak and just roam around undetected? Sadly, that’s not going to be possible for most of us, but if you’re a US soldier, this fantasy could become a reality sooner than you think. Apparently, the US Military is currently backing development of special materials to make American soldiers completely invisible on the battlefield, and according to one camouflage design company, it might soon get its wish. Hyperstealth Biotechnology Corp. CEO, Guy Cramer, says their new “Quantum Stealth” material has finally made the sci-fi/fantasy technology a reality. Unfortunately at this time, we can only take his word for it, as its development is so secret that the company cannot even show footage of how it works, on its website, offering only mock-ups of its effects.
 
Still, Cramer remains unfazed by the wave of skepticism, saying that “the people that need to know that it works have seen it”. And no, he doesn’t mean the students of a real-life wizard school, but command groups from within the US and Canadian Military. “‘These groups now know that it works and does so without cameras, batteries, lights or mirrors…It is lightweight and quite inexpensive.” the Hyperstealth CEO said. ” Both the U.S. and Canadian military have confirmed that it also works against military IR scopes and Thermal Optics.” Instead of going into details about how Quantum Stealth manipulates light waves to conceal even the target’s shadow, Mr. Cramer talked about how he sees the technology being used. In his opinion, it would be invaluable for pilots stranded behind enemy lines in order to avoid capture, but also for special units carrying out raids in broad daylight. Also the next generation of aircrafts could be invisible not only to radars but also to the naked eye, while tanks and submarines could only be detected by the sound of their engines and guns.

In a recent interview with CNN, Guy Cramer said he only disclosed information about Hyperstealth’s breakthrough to attract the attention of the US Military. After it got enough exposure in the press, the Military asked to see Quantum Stealth in action, to verify if it really works. So there you have it folks, the next time you see an invisibility cloak in real life, it’s most likely it won’t be concealing a spectacled wizard, but a machine gun-wielding soldier…
 

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Belgian Hotel Lets You Spend a Night in the Human Digestive System

Belgian Hotel Lets You Spend a Night in the Human Digestive System

Up until now I’d always associated Belgium with chocolates. But not anymore. Not since I read about the gut-wrenching (well, maybe that’s an exaggeration) experience that customers have at the Hotel CasAnus, located on a small island halfway between Antwerp and Ghent in Flanders, Belgium. The place is just as horrendous as it sounds, at least as far as exteriors are concerned. Shaped and designed like an enormous human intestine, the hotel is the creation of Dutch designer Joep Van Lieshout. The place is one large human colon, and the finishing touch is the rear – a giant replica of an anus.
Not everyone might envision spending their vacation inside a structure dedicated to the human digestive system, but surprisingly, a large number of people are actually interested in such an experience. The interiors aren’t all that bad, featuring double beds, showers and central heating. Run by Belgian art lovers Geert and Carla Verbeke-Lens, who purchased it as a part of their collection at the 30-acre Verbeke Foundation sculpture park, is certainly one of the most unique hotels to spend your vacation at. According to Carla, “guests are really happy to sleep undisturbed in a place surrounded by nature. They can see black swans and frogs and discover the stars in the night sky, as well as visiting all our different exhibitions. More and more travelers are coming to us from all over the world to explore what they call a ‘unique place’.” That’s no exaggeration, stats show that more than 20,000 tourists visit the Verbeke Foundation each year and many of them choose to stay at CasAnus. Several other activities take place at the foundation, like art exhibitions of collages and bio art.

Photo: Anda Van Riet / Verbeke Foundation
Spending a nigh inside a large replica of the human bowels isn’t very expensive. At 120 Euro (about $155) a night, guests are made to feel quite comfortable with 3-star hotel amenities. On arrival, guests are taken on a stroll around the grounds and through all the important collections of collage works done by artists from around the world. A bar-cum-café allows mingling between the residents and the owners, who fill everyone in on what to expect at their hotel. Sleeping at CasAnus involves strolling through works of art including a clutch of live chickens and a huge white pod, before reaching a large, comfy bed. The silence is unnerving to a few, but others sleep very peacefully. Since it opened, CasAnus has attracted several people ranging from curious hacks to paying customers, and even overnight artists. Breakfast is included in the aforementioned price, but imagine having a meal inside a colon!

Photo: Le.Mat

Photo: Thomas Wilemsen

Photo: tonBouton

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Things you’ll probably not know about elephants until you ride one

Things you’ll probably not know about elephants until you ride one

 

Going to Thailand without riding an elephant at some stage is almost impossible. Look through any list of day trip options from pretty much any Thai hub, and it’s reasonable to assume that an elephant ride will feature on approximately half of them.
Nothing wrong with this of course – elephants are truly magnificent beasts. Getting up close and personal with them is a brilliant way of spending half an hour or so (occasionally longer). It’s also a good way of spotting a few things you probably didn’t know about elephants before – such as…

They’re hairy: Obviously not woolly mammoth hairy, but their skin is not as porcelain-like as it may seem from a distance. When you’re on top of one, you spot the hairs on its head and neck. It’s a little like an old woman’s chin – little individual sprouts everywhere, but never enough to brush or comb.
They’re sometimes freckly: Take a look at the top of the trunk. It’s often a bit ginger person out in the sun too long.
They defecate ferociously: When they stop to let rip, you don’t want to be standing behind. Dung dumps can be of prodigious volume and urination sounds like a row of people on balconies pouring buckets out onto the street.
They’ll rarely turn down a snack: Most elephant rides are punctuated by the elephants going off script, wandering into the grass and trying to gobble as much foliage as possible. When they set about a tree or a bush it can be astonishingly violent as they tear huge branches off. In a tour from Kanchanaburi, I ended up on top of a 50-year-old male elephant that nonchalantly strolled towards a tree and then embarked on a one-animal deforestation campaign. He tore the tree to shreds, then carried all the branches back between his tusks to eat later.
Their trunks are incredibly dextrous: Also noticeable was the way he used his trunk. He would angle it round thick branches to get at the thinner ones that were easier to tear off, contorting it with considerable aplomb. On other occasions, they’ll wrap branches around their trunks – almost like spaghetti round a fork, or wrapping a rope round your arm in a tug of war contest – then use the extra grip to wrench the branch from the tree.
As are the mahouts: Arguably even more impressive than the heffalumps are the people that ride them. They sit almost cross-legged on top of their steeds and get up and down with incredible nimbleness. One mahout got down to take a photo of us, then clambered up using the elephant’s tusks as a platform. Another went even further and seemingly magically shimmied up the side. I’ve still no idea how he did it.

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