$6.8 million Snow White Princess Diamond Watch

Bejeweled timepieces are a hit with luxury lovers. So when Mouawad, the makers of most expensive bag, announced its latest timepiece, the Snow White Princess Diamond Watch we definitely could do anything but ignore this gorgeous creation. The exquisite timepiece valued at $6.8 million made its global debut at the Doha Jewelry and Watch Exhibition (DJWE). A one-of-a-kind, sparkling creation this timepiece will turn any woman flaunting it into a stunning showstopper. Boasting of its maker’s excellent craftsmanship, it is made from 18K white gold and features 223 colorless diamonds of varying sizes that weigh a total of 106.93 carats. The total weight of the watch is 108.90 grams. Natalie Glebova, who is an international model and former Miss Universe wore the Snow White Princess Diamond Watch along with some of the jeweller’s statement Haute Joaillerie pieces at the Mouawad booth.

Make a $1 Million if you can

Google has today announced that it’s putting up a bounty of $1 Million for anyone who can hack its Chrome browser and pinpointing vulnerabilities within it.

The competition called Pwnium will take place at this years CanSecWest security conference on March 7th. With prices totalling a million dollars, with prizes for $60,000, $40,000 and $20,000, for finding vulnerabilities in Chrome.
Pwnium is being organised by Google and is a splinter contest from the well known Pwn2Own hacking contest. The competition will be run on a first come first serve basis and winners will also be given a tasty new Chromebook.

Google decided to launch its own contest this year due to the organisers of Pwn2Own, Tipping Point say that contestants do not need to reveal the techniques used to breach the browsers’ security. Google explains:

“We will issue multiple rewards per category, up to the $1 million limit, on a first-come-first served basis. There is no splitting of winnings or “winner takes all.” We require each set of exploit bugs to be reliable, fully functional end to end, disjoint, of critical impact, present in the latest versions and genuinely “0-day,” i.e. not known to us or previously shared with third parties. Contestant’s exploits must be submitted to and judged by Google before being submitted anywhere else.”

During previous Pwn2Own competitions Google’s Chrome browser has with stood the onslaught of hackers and come away without being hack for three years on the trot. Unlike other well known browser such as Safari, Firefox and Internet Explorer that have all been hacked each year.

For more information on the competition and prizes jump over to the Google Pwnium Blog post.

Source: Google

$80 million for this art work

Sotheby's auction house in New York has announced that Edvard Munch's masterpiece "The Scream" will be auctioned off in Spring this year. The estimated price of $80 million or more is enough to induce some screams from us. The 1895 artwork is one of the most recognized and it depicts a man holding his head while screaming under blood-red sky. It is one of the four versions and this one belongs to Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen. This is the only drawing of The Scream that has been held privately. The other three drawings are owned by National Museum and Munch Museum in Oslo.

This particular version of The Scream is pastel-on-board and therefore is more vibrant and colorful than the other three. It also includes a hand-painted frame and poem by Munch which explains the inspiration for the drawing. For those wanting a glimpse of this prized artwork, Sotheby's will be displaying it in London starting April 13 and in New York starting April 27.

New Age Noah’s Ark

Do you ever think about how Noah’s Ark will look like in this modern age? Don’t think too much, because I have it right here for you: The Neo Noah; a modern structure with all amenities and facilities to sustain a whole township, should a natural calamity arise. Taken into consideration are open spaces, eco living and hydropower supply. The architecture is flamboyant and keeping in line with the new-age syndrome, however the efficiency can only be judged once the concept leaves the paper, manifests and is used under the predictable dire circumstances.
Designe by: Cha Eunjin

Rihanna wears 24-karat gold nail polish worth $5000

Rihanna was all about glamour and glitz at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony. The star who looked stunning captured hearts not only with her gorgeous outfit but also her glittering nails. Yes, fashionistas across the globe could not stop drooling over the stars glittering nails. The glittering nails were courtesy a limited edition bottle of the $5000, 24-karat gold "Amor 24" nail polish. Red Carpet Manicure is the brainchild behind this glitzy varnish.

Reports suggest that a few bottles of this limited edition nail polish will be auctioned for charity before an affordable version of this varnish priced at $9.99 hits the markets. All you fashionistas who want to look and feel as glamorous as the starlet herself should definitely bid for the limited edition 24-carat “Amor 24” bottles. I am sure no woman can resist the allure of this bling varnish and there are going to be some serious “cat fights” to acquire this gilded varnish.

Cardock solve your problem.

Have you ever had that problem where you had to park cars in just one driveway? Maybe not, but that doesn’t stop the Cardock from offering to solve your problem.
The Cardock is an alternative garage solution targeted at more affluent consumers who seek to save space in their residences, or even to hide one car under garden space. Essentially, it allows users to park two cars using a the space required for one by means of a powerful elevator.

This elevator lowers one car into the ground and thus allows users to park another car over it. The good news is that users do not need to move the car on top to be able to use the one at the bottom. The invention provides for a mechanism that allows users to move the bottom car without moving the top one.

This futuristic invention is already using in several London residences. Eight are currently functional, four are under construction, and ten are being readied for installation.

This double capacity elevator can hold up to 10 tons or 22, 400 lbs of car weight. It costs around $61,181 for a single model and $72,816 for a double one.

Space elevator

A Japanese company has announced they intend to build a space elevator, and the company, Obayashi Corp has said that they are hoping to have the space elevator operational by around 2050.

The plan is to build a space elevator which will be capable of carrying passengers 36,000 km above the earth, and it will be constructed from carbon nano-tubes which are twenty times stronger the steel.
The carbon nano-tubes will be used to create the elevator cables, and they will also have a terminal station 36,000 km above the earth, which passengers will travel to in an elevator car that moves at 200 km per hour.

It certainly sounds interesting, and we suspect this could be one of the most expensive construction projects ever, whether it will ever be made remains to be see

Yahoo Alibaba talk

Talks between Yahoo Inc and China's Alibaba over the U.S. Internet giant's Asian assets have hit an impasse, throwing their plans for a $17 billion tax-free asset swap into question, according to sources briefed on the situation.

The snag in the negotiations came on the same day that activist investor Daniel Loeb, of the hedge fund ThirdPoint, launched a campaign to install his own slate of directors on Yahoo's board, further highlighting the turmoil engulfing the one-time Web pioneer.

Loeb, who has adamantly opposed Yahoo's previous efforts to strike a minority investment deal with private equity firms, disclosed plans to nominate former NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker, along with himself and two others for Yahoo's board, in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday.

A collapse of the proposed Asian asset deal -- referred to as a cash-rich split-off -- would mark the latest setback for an erstwhile Internet leader struggling to turn its business around and appease unhappy shareholders.

One person briefed on the situation described the deal as effectively dead in the water following unreasonable terms sought by Yahoo during negotiations in Hong Kong.

But Yahoo appeared to see things differently. The company had not been informed that the tax-free deal was officially off the table, and it remained committed to continuing negotiations, according to another source familiar with the matter.

Representatives from Yahoo and Alibaba Group declined to comment.

Valentine's day Facts

1. In the two week period leading up to Valentine’s Day, American sales of gold jewelry lead to 34 million metric tons of waste.

2. The vast majority of roses sold for Valentine’s Day in the U.S. are imported from South America, wasting fossil fuels.

3. Valentine’s Day traces its roots to an ancient pagan holiday called Lupercalia, in which men stripped naked, grabbed whips, and spanked young women in hopes of increasing their fertility.

4. The Christian martyr St. Valentine was beheaded on February 14 for performing marriages in secret.

5. Research suggests that 75 percent of suicide attempts are attributable to relationship problems.

6. 46 percent of Americans will exchange Valentine’s Day candy.

7. 67 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.

8. The first Valentine’s Day card was sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He remained a prisoner of war for the next twenty-four years.

9. A recent poll found that one in ten young adults admitted to feeling lonely, insecure, depressed, or unwanted on Valentine’s Day. And that’s just the ones that admitted it.

10. Forty percent of people have negative feelings towards Valentine’s Day.

11. The famous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, in which seven Chicago gangsters were gunned down on February 14, 1929, was one of the bloodiest in mob history (pictured above).

12. 64 percent of American men do not make Valentine’s Day plans in advance.

13. Candy hearts taste like crap.

14. Even if you’re really, really in love right now, you’re still going to die eventually.

Wing cracks could cost Airbus 100 million euros

Dealing with the wing cracks found in Airbus A380 superjumbos could cost the European plane maker up to 100 million euros ($132 million), a German magazine reported.

Checking and repairing the wings of the 69 aircraft already in service could cost about 70 million euros, weekly Der Spiegel said on Sunday, citing unidentified industry experts and people at Airbus.

Changing the production process at Airbus, which is a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. (EAD.PA), would account for the remainder, it said.

The magazine cited an Airbus spokesman as saying a long-term technical solution would by found by the summer but that he would not comment on costs.

European air safety officials extended checks for A380 wing cracks to the entire superjumbo fleet on Wednesday and said the defects could pose a safety risk if ignored.

Some Science Facts

1. Raindrops are not shaped like a teardrop (as they are almost always depicted in drawings) – they are actually spherical.

2. When something “sublimes” it turns directly into a gas from a solid – bypassing the liquid state. This is what would happen if you throw dry-ice into a fire.

3. Gorillas sleep in nests (pictured above) – they weave together soft foliage and bent branches from trees. Males tend to like sleeping on the ground while females like to have their nests in trees.

4. Champagne doesn’t fizz because of carbon dioxide – it fizzes because of dirt or dust. In a completely smooth glass with no dust molecules in it, champagne would be completely still.

5. Most digestion occurs, not in the stomach, but in the small intestine. This may be the reason that a person can be bulimic whilst still staying fat.

6. The red juice that comes out of rare steak is not blood – it is myoglobin a close relative of blood. Almost all the blood has been removed from a steak by the time it hits the market.

7. Plastic bags are better than paper bags for the environment. The manufacturing process that makes paper bags requires far more energy than that which produces plastic. Recycling paper bags takes more energy than recycling plastic, and paper bags take up more space in a landfill. Because landfills are usually airtight beneath the surface, paper and plastic are equally bad at biodegrading.

8. Polar bears are fascinating creatures. Their fur is transparent (not white), their skin is black (not white), and when kept in warm humid environments, their fur can turn green from algae.

9. Pet allergies are usually not allergies to fur but allergies to the animal’s dead skin, saliva, or waste matter. Regularly cleaning pets can dramatically reduce allergies.

10. The tongue map is a lie – you can taste all tastes on all parts of the tongue. The tongue map is derived from a discredited German paper from 1901.

11. When you hold a shell to your ear to hear the sea, the sound you hear is actually your own blood rushing through your veins! You can use any cup shaped object to hear this effect.

12. When you are alive, your brain is pink. When you die, it turns grey. While we describe the brain as “gray matter” and “white matter”, this is not a true description of its color.

13. Mercury, the fascinating liquid metal is not the only liquid metal. Gallium (Ga – pictured above) is solid at room temperature but will melt if held in your hand, caesium (Cs), and francium (Fr) – the second rarest naturally occurring element, can also be liquid at or near room temperature.

14. Dolphins don’t drink water – if they drank sea water it would make them ill and potentially kill them. They get all of their liquid needs through the foods they eat.

15. The Soviet Union was the first country to have a spacecraft on the moon – not the Unites States. In 1959, Luna 2 was the first craft to crash-land on the moon. In February, 1966, Luna 9 was the first soft-landed craft on the moon which relayed back pictures. Four months later, the United States landed its first craft on the moon (Surveyor I).

Azerbaijan Tower will rise up to be the world's tallest building

  It is time for the Burj Khalifa (2,717 ft) to be dethroned as the worlds tallest soon as a new building "proposed for an artificial archipelago" which is being made on the shores of the Caspian Sea southwest of the Azerbaijan capital, Bakou to take reins soon. The proposed Azerbaijan Tower is said to be 3,445 ft tall, beating the proposed Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia by 164 ft. Built by Avesta Consern in a bid to develop the Khazar Islands, this Azerbaijan Tower will feature 189 floors. Around the tower, 41 artificial islands would come up occupying 2,000 hectares. The cost of building the tower alone is expected to cost US$2 billion, and the entire city will cost about $100 billion.
The city is being designed to house a million residents and is expected to sport 25 to 60 story buildings, over 150 schools, 50 hospitals and daycare centers, parks, shopping malls, cultural centers, university campuses, and also its own Formula 1 racetrack. Bustling with high-tech infrastructure, the islands will also have a large municipal airport.

JW Marriott Marquis Dubai will be the "tallest hotel building in the world"

The JW Marriott is all to reach a new pinnacle of success as it gears up for the title of world's tallest hotel and landmark of global business hub thanks to the 1,608-room JW Marriott Marquis Dubai. Rising up to 355 meters (1,164 feet), the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai will be the "tallest dedicated hotel building in the world" and is a mere 26 meters shorter than New York's Empire State Building. The luxury hotel will be open to guests in the last quarter of the year and will be launched in two phases. The first phase will feature 807 rooms and a large number restaurants and lounges.

Water dragon yatcht

After come out with an 85m long superyacht British Designer Alex McDiarmid has created another Iwana. This time around the Superyacht Iwana 87m is 2-meters longer and has been inspired by the Water Dragon instead. Celebrating the Chinese Year of the Dragon, the yacht's main structure is shaped like a dragon head, with the decks and communication tower "inspired by the dorsal crests of Dragons and beautiful marine iguanas." The super structure features a panoramic roof window running over the yacht and a solar panel system in the 'Magic Smart Glass' that let glass change colors for "privacy, sun/glare protection and visual entertainment"

The deck space aft features a hull that can open into "two, fold down, roll out, and wrap around bathing platforms" which is a treat for the sun-bathing lovers. Head over to the main deck, for a social and relaxation zone, and a swimming pool aft. A jacuzzi is place inside owners private dining deck. The upper deck features yet another private retreat for the owner. The yacht can accommodate a party of 16 guests in 8 cabins with a crew of 20.

For sea lovers, you can expect some cool custom tenders and toys such as waverunners, sea scooters, windsurfers, kayaks, waterskis, wakeboards and a whole range of scuba and fishing gear along with the SeaBird personal submersible. Created by US based AquaVenture Water Crafts the sub can be controlled with a joystick from either of its two seats. It boasts of 22 knots of submerged speed and can go as deep as 91 meters

$10 million apartment designs by Giorgio Armani

Along with Jade Jagger designed houses, the Lodha Group has added new heights to the super luxury living in Mumbai, India with World One - the world's tallest residential tower. The builders have roped in Italian couturier Giorgio Armani to design Best in Class apartments in the world's tallest residential building that is said to retail at a whooping half a billion rupees ($10.1 million). Giorgo Armani, renowned for clean, tailored lines, will be dressing up luxurious apartments in India for the first time. The Rs 2,000-crore ($406.8 million) World One project is slated to come up in Central Mumbai with prices starting at Rs 7.5 crores ($1.5 million). At the unveiling of the first sample apartment, Lodha managing director Abhisheck Lodha said, "It is a privilege for us to partner with Armani/Casa for the interior design at The World Towers. We are committed to providing our customers with excellence in luxury living and we intend to ensure that every single element respects the best standards of quality and aesthetics."


The project will be ready by 2014 and will feature two towers, the World One with 117 floors and the World Crest that is 700 ft high. The World Towers will be the first design in Asia by the Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio, with each residential unit exclusively featuring Armani/Roca bathrooms and Armani/Dada kitchens.

Bank set to put £50bn into economy

The Bank of England is widely expected to pump billions of pounds into the UK economy this week despite signs that the UK's financial health may be starting to improve.

The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is forecast to increase its quantitative easing (QE) programme by £50 billion to £325 billion on Thursday in a bid to stave off a recession, while it will also hold interest rates at record lows of 0.5%.

Many economists had previously expected the MPC to inject an even greater sum into the economy but surprisingly upbeat industry surveys for January have forced some to revise down their estimates.

The closely watched Markit/CIPS surveys showed that the manufacturing sector returned to growth in January, while the powerhouse services sector saw a record leap in optimism.

Malcolm Barr, an analyst at JP Morgan, had previously forecast an injection of £75 billion but said the "much firmer than expected" data meant he now pencilled in a £50 billion boost instead.

Alan Clarke, UK and eurozone economist at Scotiabank, said the survey data "seriously puts the cat amongst the pigeons ahead of next week's Bank of England decision".

But he added: "We have had our doubts for some time that the next QE instalment would be as big as £75 billion. Our view has been that £50 billion was a better bet."

Despite the upbeat data, most analysts also insisted it was still too early to call a recovery after respected thinktank NIESR recently warned that the UK economy would shrink by 0.1% in 2012 amid weak investment and uncertain conditions.

The economy contracted by 0.2% in the final quarter of 2011, sparking fears that the UK would fall back into another recession - defined as two successive quarters of falls - albeit a much milder one than previously.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said: "It is far from certain that January's apparent pick-up in economic activity can be sustained and relapses remain a very real risk given still appreciable domestic and international, mainly eurozone, headwinds."

Source MSN news

Fascinating facts of Egypt

1. A Pharaoh never let his hair be seen – he would always wear a crown or a headdress called a nemes (the striped cloth headdress made famous by Tutankhamen’s golden mask (pictured above).

2. In order to deter flies from landing on him, Pepi II of Egypt always kept several naked slaves nearby whose bodies were smeared with honey.

3. Both Egyptian men and women wore makeup – eyepaint was usually green (made from copper) or black (made from lead). The Egyptians believed that the makeup had healing power. Originally the makeup was used as a protection from the sun – rather than for adornment.

4. While the use of antibiotics did not begin in the 20th century, early folk medicine included the use of mouldy foods or soil for infections. In ancient Egypt, for example, infections were treated with mouldy bread.

5. Egyptian children wore no clothing at all until they were in their teens. The temperature in Egypt made it unnecessary. Adult men wore skirts while women wore dresses.

6. Rich Egyptians wore wigs while the other classes would wear their hair long or in pig tails. Until 12, Egyptian boys had their heads shaved except for one plaited lock – this was as a protection against lice and fleas.

7. It is not known who destroyed the nose of the Sphinx (pictured above). There are sketches of the Sphinx without a nose in 1737, over 60 years before Napoleon reached Egypt and hundreds of years before the British and German armies of the two World Wars. The only person known to have damaged it was an Islamic cleric, Sa’im al-dahr, who was lynched in 1378 for vandalism.

8. Egyptian’s believed that the earth was flat and round (like a pancake) and that the Nile flowed through the center of it.

9. Egyptian soldiers were used as an internal police force. Additionally, they collected taxes for the Pharaoh.

10. In every temple in ancient Egypt the pharaoh was supposed to carry out the duties of the high priests, but his place was usually taken by the chief priest.

11. The first pyramid (The Step Pyramid of Djoser built around 2600 BC – seen above) was originally surrounded by a 34 ft tall wall which had 15 doors in it. Only one of the doors opened.

12. The women in ancient Egypt enjoyed legal and economical equality with men. Nevertheless, they never enjoyed social equality with men.

13. Contrary to popular belief, excavated skeletons show that the pyramid builders were actually Egyptians who were most likely in the permanent employ of the pharaoh. Graffiti indicates that at least some of these workers took pride in their work, calling their teams “Friends of Khufu,” “Drunkards of Menkaure,” and so on—names indicating allegiances to pharaohs.

14. When a body was mummified, its brain was removed through one of its nostrils and its intestines were also removed and placed in jars called canopic jars. Each organ was placed in its own jar. The only internal organ that was not removed was the heart, because Egyptians considered it to be the seat of the soul.

15. Ramses the Great had 8 official wives and nearly 100 concubines. He was over 90 years old when he died in 1212 BC.

$300 billion worth of gold

I had no idea what $300 billion worth of gold would look like, I must say I am quite impressed with the result. In fact this is one stash of bling I would love to call my own. The gold bars weighing 4,600 tons in totality are stored in an old canteen deep below the streets of the capital. The 28lb 24-carat gold bars are stacked on simple blue shelves beneath strip lighting as is seen in the images. Different marks on the gold bars help distinguish the sources of the gold, i.e. foreign governments or the country’s own. The walls of this vault are still adorned with posters from 1940’s when this place was used as a canteen.

These bars of gold are sure to be a welcome sight to the citizens of England who can breathe a sigh of relief over the financial situation of the country. Three-foot long keys are needed to unlock the doors to this treasure.

The world’s first invisible tower

The new project by GDS Architects can easily be dubbed as the 8th wonder of the world for its architectural excellence. It is a myth of an old magic trick made real with the aid of superlative technology. The world’s first invisible tower that is currently in its planning stage is somewhat a phallic crystalline tower emanating an angelic glow that uses optical technology to make the structures see-through as a curtain of mesh. The Eco Prism hosts an extensive program of cultural, sports, and ecological activities in invisibility. Unlike other entities that showcase themselves as the “Tallest or Most expensive towers”, the tower subtly demonstrates Korea’s rising position in the world by establishing its most powerful presence through diminishing its presence.
Standing at 450 meters tall and spanning over 145,500 square meters, this magnificent structure is going to go far from unnoticed with a completion date set for 2014.

Skype 5.8 For Windows Released, Adds HD Video Calling

Skype has released a new version of their VoIP software for Windows, Skype 5.8, and this new version brings a range of new features to Skype on Windows PCs.

Skype 5.8 now offer support for HD video calls, with compatible high definition web cameras, and it also comes with video call integration with Facebook, as well as a number of other new features.

Facebook shoots for $5 billion in mega-IPO

Facebook filed on Wednesday to raise a targeted $5 billion in a hotly anticipated initial public offering, setting the stage for Silicon Valley's biggest-ever IPO.

The world's largest social network, a dorm room project for Harvard dropout Mark Zuckerberg that exploded in popularity and vaulted to Silicon Valley's top tier within 8 years, said in its preliminary filing that its net income rose 65 percent to $1 billion in 2011, off revenue of $3.71 billion.

The long-awaited submission kicks off a months-long process that will culminate in Silicon Valley's biggest coming-out party since the heyday of the dotcom boom and bust.

Facebook, which said it now has 845 million active users, appointed Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan its lead underwriters. Other bookrunners included Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital and Allen & Co.

"We often talk about inventions like the printing press and the television," Zuckerberg said in a letter accompanying the documents. "Today, our society has reached another tipping point."

"There is a huge need and a huge opportunity to get everyone in the world connected, to give everyone a voice and to help transform society for the future," said Zuckerberg, whose $500,000 base salary will drop to a dollar from January1 2013.

"The scale of the technology and infrastructure that must be built is unprecedented."

Facebook had previously been expected to raise $10 billion in what would have been the fourth-largest IPO in U.S. history, after Visa Inc, General Motors, and AT&T Wireless, according to Thomson Reuters data.

As expected, the prospectus underscored how the lion's share of Facebook's revenue, 85 percent, was derived from advertising in 2011. Last year, social-gaming company Zynga, the creator of Farmville, accounted for 12 percent of Facebook's revenue.