Saturday, December 29, 2012

The Scariest Shoes of All Time

By | How To – Tue, Oct 9, 2012 1:39 PM EDT
Yahoo! editors have selected this article as a favorite of 2012. It first ran on Yahoo! Shine in October 2012, and quickly garnered over 15,000 comments and became one of the 20 most-read articles from the Yahoo! Front Page this year. Readers were shocked and horrified by these treacherous backwards heels, calling them “Edward Scissorfeet” or likening them to Natalie Portman’s broken legs in “Black Swan.” Others appreciated the designer’s thought process, agreeing that lengths women will go to for vanity is, in fact, quite scary.
Scary Beautiful shoes by Leanie van der Vyver. Photo by Lyall CoburnWe've come across many ugly shoes in our day, but a pair dubbed "Scary Beautiful" is definitely the most treacherous footwear we've ever seen. The massive heels appear backwards on the foot, so the wearers feet point straight down the back, as if in ballet shoes, with their shin leaning against the front "heel" end of the design to balance. The shoes are a collaboration between artist Leanie van der Vyver and Dutch shoe designer René van den Berg, and serve as a commentary on today's impossible standards of beauty.

The ugliest shoes of all time

Van der Vyver is South African, and recently graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. We spotted "Scary Beautiful" on her website, cargocollective.com, and reached out to her for the inside scoop.

Imelda Marcos' prized shoe collection is ruined

"After working in fashion for seven years, and therefore being well aware of the manipulation images in fashion suffer for a perfect result, I still compare myself to them and other current beauty ideals," Van der Vyver told Yahoo! Shine exclusively. "My frustration with my own inability to overcome these feelings of inadequacy was what brought 'Scary Beautiful' into fruition. The shoes formed part of my graduation project that was a result of my thesis. The conclusion of my thesis investigation was that people are not satisfied with what they look like, and that perfection, according to the beauty and fashion standards, has reached a climax. Humans are playing God by physically and metaphorically perfecting themselves. Beauty is currently at an all time climax, allowing this project to explore what lies beyond perfection. Scary Beautiful challenges current beauty ideals by inflicting an unexpected new beauty standard."

A model wearing the Scary Beautiful shoes. Photo by Lyall CoburnUnsurprisingly, Van der Vyver's "Scary Beautiful" shoes were nominated for a design prize at Gerrit Rietveld Academie. Jury members Barbara Visser, visual artist and Xander Karskens, and curator of De Hallen had this to say about the shoes:

"The object created by Leanie expands the concept of a shoe into multiple new meanings. The beautifully made leather object is accompanied by a video registration of a girl wearing it. One observes the design forcing the wearer to develop a new way of walking, leaning forward while refining a painfully fragile balance. The jury applauds the way aesthetics, ergonomics and prosthesis merge into an awkward choreography. The craftsmanship and strong conceptual way of designing also show in another work, a ceramic tea set in which reference is made to a building in South Africa. Leanie succeeds in translating political consciousness into form and is considered by the jury to be a meaningful future designer."





Alexander McQueen's spring 2010 Armadillo heels. Photo by Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/Getty Images We find the clip shocking but also oddly moving. The shoes are obviously not practical, but as art they're intriguing. We can't help but be reminded of Lady Gaga trying to steady herself in the now-famous Alexander McQueen "Armadillo" heels in her "Bad Romance" music video. Major models like Abbey Lee Kershaw, Natasha Poly, and Sasha Pivovarova reportedly refused to wear the 12-inch McQueen heels out of fear, and were cut from the designer's spring 2010 fashion show. In comparison, the "Scary Beautiful" shoes make the "Armadillo" heels look like sneakers, but we had a feeling the always-outdoing-herself Lady Gaga would give them a spin one day. Sure enough, Van der Vyver confirmed our suspicions.

"Yes, on request I did actually send them to Studio Formichetti for a Lady Gaga music video, but I could not get confirmation whether she actually used them," Van der Vyver told us. "I did not charge for her to possibly use them. I would love to sell them to a gallery."

We're holding out for the "Scary Beautiful" shoes to appear in an upcoming Lady Gaga music video, but until then Van der Vyver is back home in Cape Town starting her own studio where she'll continue investigating fashion and beauty. We're anticipating her next creation.


Check out a video below of a model walking verrry slowly in the "Scary Beautiful" shoes.


Scary Beautiful (Leanie van der Vyver) from Lyall Coburn on Vimeo.
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Friday, December 28, 2012

Red meat shortens lifespan
2 of 22
We've heard many times before that too much red meat is bad for us, but this study of more than 100,000 people still got the nation's attention. For the first time, researchers estimated the effect of red meat on a person's lifespan—and the news wasn't good.
On average, each additional serving of saturated fat-filled red meat was associated with a 13% higher risk of dying during the 28-year study. Processed meat products such as hot dogs, bacon, and salami were especially hazardous. The antidote? Eating more fish, poultry, whole grains, and low-fat dairy may lower your risk of dying prematurely, the study found.
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

World's longest bullet train service launched in China

By Kelly Olsen | AFP News – 8 hours ago
China launched services Wednesday on the world's longest high-speed rail route, the latest milestone in the country's rapid and -- sometimes troubled -- super fast rail network.
The opening of the new 2,298-kilometre (1,425-mile) line between Beijing and Guangzhou means passengers will be whisked from the capital to the southern commercial hub in just eight hours, compared with the 22 hours previously required.
State broadcaster China Central Television showed the 9:00 am (0100 GMT) departure of the first train live from Beijing West Railway Station and its arrival later in Guangzhou at about 5:00 pm.
It also carried occasional live reports inside the train throughout the day, showing passengers toting cameras to apparently snap commemorative photos, as well as shots from outside as it sped through the countryside.
Another train departed Guangzhou for the capital at 10:00 am, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The train departing Beijing travelled at an average speed of 300 kilometres per hour and made stops in four cities -- Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan on the Yangtze River and Changsha before arriving in Guangzhou.
State media have reported that December 26 was chosen to start passenger service on the Beijing-Guangzhou line to commemorate the birth in 1893 of revered Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
The Beijing-Guangzhou route was made possible with the completion of a line between Zhengzhou and Beijing. High-speed sections linking Zhengzhou and Wuhan and Wuhan and Guangzhou were already in service.
China's high-speed rail network was only established in 2007, but has fast become the world's largest. Xinhua said that China now operates 9,300 kilometres of high-speed railways.
The state-run China Daily newspaper reported Wednesday that the nation's high-speed rail network is set to jump to 50,000 kilometres by 2020, with four main lines running north and south and another four east and west.
China has relied on technology transfers from foreign companies, including France's Alstom, Germany's Siemens and Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries, to develop its high-speed rail network.
But the country is now seeking to capitalise on what it has learned and has been building high-speed rail networks in foreign countries such as Turkey and Venezuela, and has ambitions further afield.
The China News Service reported Wednesday that the major type of train running on the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed rail route is produced by state-owned China CNR Corp., headquartered in Beijng and founded in June 2008.
China's domestic network, while a symbol of its emergence as the world's second-largest economy, has also been plagued by graft and safety scandals, such as a collision in July 2011 that killed 40 people.
The accident was China's worst rail disaster since 2008 and caused a torrent of public criticism aimed at the government amid accusations that authorities compromised safety in their rush to expand the network.
Authorities said they have taken steps ahead of the new line's opening to improve maintenance and inspection of infrastructure, and emergency response measures.
"The emergency rescue system and all kinds of emergency pre-plans are established to improve emergency response ability," according to a ministry booklet.
Still, safety concerns remain.
The Global Times newspaper, with close ties to China's ruling Communist Party, on Wednesday quoted a Ministry of Railways official acknowledging continuing problems despite intense efforts to solve them during trial runs.
"We can't make sure it's error-proof in the future, and we have been subject to a lot of pressure from the public," Zhao Chunlei, deputy chief of the ministry's transportation department, told the paper.
The train's opening means that it will be in service over China's Lunar New Year holiday period, which falls in mid-February next year.
Hundreds of millions of people travel across the country during that period to visit their ancestral hometowns in the world's largest annual migration.
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Philippines 17th most generous country in the world

GMA News Online – 16 hours ago
It would appear that Filipinos have taken to heart the words of that classic Christmas carol that goes, “at magmula ngayon, kahit hindi pasko ay magbigayan.”

According to the World Giving Index 2012 by British organization Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), the Philippines is the 17th most generous country out of 146 countries included in the study, with a world giving index score of 45 percent.

The World Giving Index ranked countries based on three "giving behaviors:" donating money to a charity, volunteering time for an organization, and helping strangers.

Related story: Pinoys among world's most positive people

The Philippines shared the ranking with Finland, who also had a score of 45 percent.

Meanwhile, Australia was ranked the most generous country with a score of 60 percent.

Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and the United States rounded out the top five most generous, all ranking high in terms of donating money.

Filipinos, meanwhile, got a relatively low score of only 32 percent when it came to money donations, but ranked fifth overall in terms of volunteering, with a score of 44 percent.

This score is the highest of any other country in Southeast Asia.

As for helping strangers, Filipinos got a score of 58 percent.

In other news: World Bank: PH among Asia's fastest growing economies

The CAF report said that the country's world giving score has exceeded its five-year average.

However, it also said that there was a general decline in charitable acts in recent years, noting a decrease in participation in all three giving behaviors all over the world.

"According to our report, hundreds of millions fewer people have helped others than was the case last year," said CAF Chief Executive John Low in the report's foreword.

"This has inevitably resulted in a dramatic reduction in charitable support for millions of vulnerable people the world over," he added.

Also read: PH rises in 'corruption perception' rankings

The World Giving Index 2012 was compiled using data collected throughout 2011 and surveyed over 155,000 people.

Countries featured in the World Giving Index in previous years that were not surveyed in 2011 do not feature in the 2012 Index.

Fieldwork was conducted by the market research firm, Gallup. This is the third edition of the World Giving Index. — DVM, GMA News
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Most anticipated tech products for 2013

By | Digital Crave – Fri, Dec 21, 2012
Xbox 720Right now you’re probably pretty happy with the available gadgets on the market. Phones can do almost anything, cars nearly drive themselves and video games have never looked more fantastic.
How much better can it get?
Well, that’s a matter of opinion. If you’re still writing letters on paper with a #2 pencil, you probably don’t care. (Also, you’re awesome if you still do that. It’s a dying art.) However, if you’ve found this story, chances are you want to know what cool things you might be playing with next year. Many of these are based purely on speculation, but that’s part of the fun.
And so begins your Christmas list for 2013:
1. Xbox 720
The latest tech reports on Microsoft’s next console – tentatively named the Xbox 720 or Xbox Loop  – state the chipset has already been in production and game developers are working hard on new titles. The machine should be on shelves in time for Christmas, 2013.
Rumors that the new Xbox will simply be an update to the existing 360 are bunk, same to the theory that it will run on Windows. What is likely is that the system will launch at a cheaper price point than the 360. This could mean a new Microsoft console for under $300. You can bet the new console will be smaller than its predecessor and that Microsoft will continue to push the Kinect peripheral. Despite the company’s interest in casual and motion-based games, expect the next Xbox to continue Microsoft’s appeal to hardcore gamers.
Playstation 42. PlayStation 4The history of video game consoles is marked by generations. As these things go, this has been a long generation. Nintendo got out ahead with this year’s release of the Wii U, but it’s still unclear how their machine will stack up against the next generation of consoles coming from Sony and Microsoft.
Sony is known for standing behind its consoles – you can still buy a Playstation 2 off the shelf today and that thing is over a decade old.
They’re not saying much about the next console, but speculation is understandably rampant. Industry analyst Michael Pachter said he doubts Sony wants to launch behind Microsoft again, which supports the theory of a 2013 launch for Sony’s next console. If the PlayStation 2 is any indication, the PlayStation 3 will likely remain a hit for the company for years after their new console is released.
Blackberry 103. Blackberry 10Much to the dismay of Blackberry fans, the promised 2012 release never happened. This earned them a place on our 2012 Technology Flops piece.
Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, plans to unveil the new BlackBerry 10 operating system in January. That is (hopefully) good news for a company that recently sacked hundreds of employees and lost contracts with the US government over security and reliability issues with RIM products.
RIM has fallen from one of the largest smartphone makers in the world to trailing behind Apple and Android products. The Blackberry 10 is a make or break product for the company. So far, early reports are positive. The new browser is allegedly faster than anything on the market and a QWERTY keyboard version is said to be available soon after the touch screen version is launched.
Microsoft Surface Pro4. Microsoft Surface ProThe Surface RT is already for sale as a tablet/notebook, but the Surface Pro will have a full version of Windows 8 and will support any Windows 7 apps. It will be packed with an Intel Core 15 processor and a display that supports 10-point multi-touch and stylus input.
The result could be a terrific laptop and tablet all in one package that could be powerful enough to warrant the $900 price point.
Expect to see these roll out in January.
Ipad 45. iPad 5
You don’t think Apple is done building their Death Star, do you?
In another move sure to separate consumers from their cash, the iPad 5 will likely be ready for Christmas, 2013 at the latest. Expect it to share some touch screen technology from the iPad Mini to make it lighter and slimmer.
While the iPad Mini is selling well and it feels like the iPad 4 was released 10 minutes ago, it is likely that Apple will look to solidify their reign of the tablet market in the face of Microsoft’s Surface by pushing the iPad 5. Meanwhile, an iPhone 5S is probably in the works, if not a full-blown iPhone 6.
Amazon6. Amazon PhoneAmazon answered the tablet call with its fleet of Kindles, now it’s looking to the smartphone world.
In line with their Kindle philosophy, Amazon’s phone will likely be heavy on software integration and light on bleeding edge hardware. Amazon users will want to stay in their ecosystem of Amazon’s Appstore, Amazon MP3, Amazon Cloud Player and Kindle books.
This phone will do all of those things; likely for a low price since the company will offset hardware costs with the money consumers will spend on their stuff. Amazon will leverage its octopus-like reach into every area of entertainment to make this phone a logical choice for people caught in their tentacles.
You could see these by summer, 2013.
Augmented reality glasses7. Augmented reality glassesThese sci-fi specs are finally getting closer to reality; as close as mid-2013, according to some tech experts. Google and Vuzix are working on models that are similar to headsets, projecting an image in front of the wearer’s eye.
Not surprisingly, the unit will connect to your phone via Bluetooth, displaying e-mail, texts, directions, stock quotes or anything else you can’t seem to live without for 10 seconds.
Lifebook8. Fujitsu Lifebook 2013The Fujitsu Lifebook 2013 is a concept device designed by Prashant Chandra. It’s the result of a competition the company ran in 2011. The Transformer of tech gadgets, the Lifebook 2013 features a digital camera, smart-phone and a tablet – all of which can be detached and used individually. Each component has its own CPU and could run on the same operating system. No one is sure if Fujitsu will make these in 2013, but a lot of people are hoping so.
Folding car9. MIT’s folding car – The HirokoThe Massachusetts Institution of Technology (MIT) is expected to release the Hiroko in Europe and select American markets in 2013. The car is able to “fold up,” which allows three of them to occupy a typical parking space.
The Hiroko’s front windshield is also the car door, which lets you park the car facing the sidewalk and step right into the pedestrian space. Its “robot wheels” allow the Hiroko to turn on a dime and its steering wheel is a wide screen LCD panel.
The Hiroko currently has a 75-mile range and seems destined to be put into service in ZipCar-themed programs given the crowded nature of European streets.
Samsung bendy phones10. Smartphones that bendWhen fashion and technology meet, good things can happen. Sometimes.
This might be the case with bendy screen smartphones. Samsung has already shown its OLED display technology, which means this tech could be in our hands – or wrapped around our wrists – in 2013. It’s likely to be called the Galaxy Skin and will feature everything you expect in a smartphone – camera, high-res screen and a decent processor.
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Friday, December 21, 2012

Branson to be AirAsia stewardess after losing Grand Prix bet

AFP Relax – 3 hours ago
Virgin boss Richard Branson (AFP Photo)



British billionaire Richard Branson will finally wear a red skirt and serve as a stewardess on Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia in May after losing a Grand Prix bet with the founder of the airline.

Virgin boss Branson and AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes had agreed in 2010 that whichever of their teams (then Virgin and Lotus) finished lower in the constructors' championship in their debut season, the losing owner would serve on the other's airline.

Branson lost as Lotus finished 10th and Virgin 12th, but the trip was postponed in early 2011 after he injured himself while skiing.

Fernandes said Branson had contacted him to honour his bet.

"He will be an Airasia stewardess in May on Airasia. 2 years late but main point he hasn't forgotten," Fernandes tweeted.

Fernandes had previously said that Branson would strut down the aisle to offer coffee, tea or other food and beverages to guests on a special 13-hour Kuala Lumpur to London flight.

The tickets for the flight would be auctioned off for charity.
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Thursday, December 20, 2012

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO for sale at $41 million makes bid for world’s most expensive car

By | Motoramic – 14 hours ago
Just six months ago, a green 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO built for Sir Stirling Moss traded hands for $35 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold. That record may not stand another month if an anonymous American seller gets his asking price of $41 million for his 250 GTO — a sign that the market for Enzo Ferrari's most famous race cars may soon overheat.
Offered for sale by a London broker, there's little public detail about which one of the 39 known GTOs has been put on the market. It's one of 29 Series I GTOs, and one of 22 left-hand-drive versions, and the broker claims it has "great provenence and a very well cared for history by past and current owners," which only means it likely hasn't been burned in a wreck on the track.
When Ferrari built the V-12, 170-mph GTOs to race, with wins at Le Mans and around the world, there was never a thought that the cars would someday turn into near-venerated objects. Even a decade after their heyday, GTOs were often considered worn-out sports cars by collectors. Only in recent years, as the world's wealthy have begun to see collector cars as pieces of art, profit and coolness combined have their prices risen to stratospheric heights. By comparison, the most expensive new car for sale in the world — the Bugatti Veyron, starting at $2 million — seems a downright bargain.
The world of people who keep track of GTOs and their owners will know if and when a buyer puts down the $41 million. If no one bites, the collector car world will know that there's at least a temporary ceiling to demand for the right cars. If someone does pay for it, the question then becomes where the top really is, and who else might be willing to pay tomorrow's price for a 50-year-old Ferrari today.
Photo: Lamboshane via Flickr
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