Malaysia Welcomes its 14th King in its 54 Year History

On December 13, 2011, Al-Sultan Al-Mu'tasimu Billahi Muhibbuddin Tuanku Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Siltan Badlishah ascended to the throne as Malaysia's 14th King.

At 84 years old, he created history as the oldest Sultan to ascend to the post and the only one to have held the post twice!

He succeeded Al-Wathiqu Billah Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah who was the youngest ruler to hold the post. His reign as king ended on December 12, 2011.

In Malaysia's unique rotational monarchy system, 9 rulers from 9 different hereditary states take 5-year turns to be on the throne. The remaining 4 out of 13 states that form the country did not have monarchs and are headed by governors.

Read more about Malaysian Monarchy here.

Other sources: 1, 2, 3

Today The World is Welcoming the Birth of a New Country

9th July 2011 will be remembered by the people of South Sudan as they officially declared their independence from Sudan and become the 193rd UN Recognised Country.

The independence of South Sudan came after referendum in January in which 99% of the people of the south voted to be separated from the north.

Both territories have been at war for decades with the casualties of some 2.5 million people.

Source

Space Shuttle Atlantis Begins Final Mission

On the 8th of July, 2011, at 11:29 a.m. local time, NASA successfully launched the Space Shuttle Atlantis on its mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

This launch is historic because it marks the end of NASA's Space Shuttle Program after being started 30 years ago.

After the mission the shuttles will be placed in museums throughout the country and the journey to the ISS will become a commercial endeavor.

The shuttle Atlantis which is on its 12-day mission will arrive at the ISS on Sunday.

Read more: 1, 2.

The Case of Nyan Cat, the Viral Video

On 16th June 2011, due to the popularity of Nyan Cat video, The people at Youtube decided to enable a custom flash player to replace the normal progress bar showing a mini Nyan Cat with a rainbow trail.

To learn more about the origins and the evolution of the Nyan Song click here.

See how long can you endure the cuteness here and here.

Meet The Real life Batman!

Meet Daniel Kish, at the age of one, he was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma so doctors had to remove both his eyes.

At the age of two, he began to discover ways of 'seeing' his world like most blind childs do, stomping with his feet, snapping fingers, clapping hands, and making clicking sounds.

Now, at the age of 44, Daniel is a fully independent person with the help of a method he called "Flash Sonar" or more commonly known as echolocation.

This technique which is also employed by bats and dolphins enables him to "see" everything around him. Using echolocation, Daniel is able to ride a mountain bike through streets with heavy traffic and on dirt trails, climb trees, camping, travelling, cooking, swimming and dancing. In short, he can do what sighed people can do. In fact, he's accomplished more than most people have accomplished.

Sources: 1, 2,

Barreleye - A Bizzzare Fish With Transparent Head

This remarkable fish was found by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) just off the coast of Central California.

What remarkable about this small fish known as Barreleye Fish (Macropinna microstoma) is that it has a transparent dome covering its head. But, if you're thinking that the things you see inside the transparent dome are the insides of its head, the you're wrong.

The green sphere shaped thing is not a brain but a part of the fish's super sensitive, tubular shaped eyes. The eyes face upwards and were believed to be fixed in position until recently when scientists discovered that the eyes can tilt to face forward. What looked like a pair of eyes on the fish's face however, are not eyes at all. they are the fish's nostrils!

Read more about Barreleye Fish: 1, 2, 3

Most Expensive Coffee Made From Animal Poop?

The world famed Civet Coffee or locally known as Kopi Luwak is a special type of coffee taken from the droppings of Luwak or Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hemaphroditus).

The process of making this coffee began when the civet eats the ripe coffee berries and swallowing them together with their beans. The beans then passed through this little animal's digestive tract before being pooped out in clumps. These clumps are then collected by farmers, thoroughly cleaned, dried and lightly roasted before being served to those willing to pay.

Studies shows that inside the civet's stomach, the coffee beans are fermented in a mixture of stomach acids and enzymes which brings out the full taste and aroma of the coffee and reduce bitterness.

However, scientists in America have come up with ways to imitate the process without involving animals.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Also check out the imitated civet coffee which goes under the brand "Magic Cat"

There Are At Least Ten Disorders Related to Facebook.

Although none of these terms have been properly endorsed by any medical institution or organisation, They have come up in various publications.

1. CFD (Compulsive Facebook Disorder)

2. OCFD (Obsessive Compulsive Facebook Disorder)

3. FAD (Facebook Addiction Disorder)

4. FAD (Facebook Anxiety Disorder)

5. FD (Facebook Depression)

6. FTAD (Facebook / Twitter Addiction Disorder)

7. FBS (Facebook Syndrome)

8. FSS (Facebook Status Syndrome)

9. FSS (Facebook Stress Syndrome)

10. FWS (Facebook Withdrawal Syndrome) link

You can check out the links above and see which syndrome can you relate yourself to...

Think That Mynah On Your Front Porch is Amazing? Think Again.

If put head to head on a singing contest, the common Hill Myna would have been shamed by this bird's capabilities.

The reason is that the males of this bird, commonly known as the Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) attracts the opposite sex by composing its own complex song from the sounds around it.

Native to the rainforests of East Australia, this bird is not only an expert of convincingly imitating the sounds of other birds, but also other more unfamiliar sounds like chainsaws car alarm, human voices, hammers, power drills and camera shutters.

Read more here: 1, 2, 3

Can You Live Without Modern Technology?

Most of us considers having modern technology around would make life perfect. But, that has not always be the case.

Perfect living for Deborah Bird means not having a microwave oven, cellphone, computer with WiFi and many other electronic gadgets including cars -because she is allergic to modern technology.

The 43-year-old is so sensitive to

electromagnetic field created by computers and other sorts that she develops a painful

skin rash whenever she gets near them.

Not only did she develop skin rash, her eyelids would swell three times the size whenever she got the allergic reaction.

As a consequence, she and her husband had to transform their house into an EMF free zone. The walls are painted with special carbon paint, windows are fitted with protective film and they sleep under a silver-plated mosquito net.

Read more here : 1, 2

The Most Expensive House Ever Built is 27 Stories High and Costs Over $1 Billion

Built for India' richest man, Mukesh Ambani moved into his new home in 2010.

But this is no ordinary home. This state-of-the-art building is 173 metres high (equivalent to a regular 6o storied residential building) and has 37 000 square metres of space.

Other amenities in the building includes six floors for parking, the seventh floor for car service and maintenance, an entertainment centre complete with a 50-seat theatre, a health club complete with swimming pool and other athletic equipments and another two floors designated to be the 'air space floor' which acts as a control room for the three helipads on the top terrace.

The building which is named Antilla after a mythological island, is designed based on the Hanging Gardend of Babylon and conforms to Vaastu, an Indian form of Feng Shui.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Malaysia is Currently the No. 43 Most Populated Country

According to CIA's The World Factbook, China is the world's most populated country at 1.3 billion people followed by India at 1.2 billion people.

Malaysia is at number 43 in the list at 28 million people (sandwiched between Peru at number 42 and Uzbekistan at number 44).

The region with the least number of inhabitants however, belongs to Pitcairn Islands with only 48 citizens!

Read more about Pitcairn Islands and the "Mutiny on HMS Bounty" here and here.

Sources: CIA, JPM

Mona Lisa a Transvestite?

The most famous theory about the origins of Mona Lisa is that it is a painting of a local merchant's wife Lisa Gherardini.

But, researchers have come up with a new theory about the model for the most famous painting in the world.

According to Silvano Vincetti, head of Italy's National Historic Commission, the model was da Vinci's own apprentice named Gian Giacomo Caprotti or nicknamed Salai.

He had been the model for several other of da Vinci's works including the paintings of John the Baptist and Angel Incarnate.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Apparently, You Can Not Only Walk on Water, You Can Drive on It Too!

Get the right tires and the right speed and you might be able to literally drive on water as shown in the video below.

Apparently, if the conditions above are met, the surface tension of the water can hold a vehicle weighing over a tonne!

Click here if you want to know how you can walk on water.

The NAZI Troops Were so Fashionable, Their Uniforms Were Made By HUGO BOSS!

But of course, at that time, the company was not yet known for its trendy men's suits and flashy ties. It was one of the thousands of contractors hired to produce the uniforms for the SS Units, the SA Stormtroopers and also the Hitler Youth.

Hugo Boss founded his textile factory in 1923. During that time, the factory produced uniforms for the police and postal workers. He then joined the Nazi Party eight years later.

It was by the year 1933 did Hugo Boss started to manufacture Nazi uniforms and by the time of Hugo's death, the factory reverted to making uniforms for the police and postal workers.

Read more here.

According to NASA, Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Is Not An Astronaut.

According to NASA, Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor is a "Spaceflight Participant"

This puts him in line with other speceflight participants such as Charles Simonyi, Richard Garriot, Greg Olsen and Anousheh Ansari

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

Tempura Does Not Originate From Japan!

Although widely associated with Japan, the origins of tempura came halfway around the world.

It was brought to Japan by Portugeese missionaries and traders in the mid of the sixteenth century.

It became very popular in Japan and is also reported to have caused the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate apparently from eating too much of it.

Source: 1, 2

This Lightbulb Has Been Burning For 110 Years!!!

This remarkable lightbulb shines at a fire station in Livermore, California and it hasn't been turned off since summer 1901.

Despite few power outages and two moves, the bulb known as the "Centennial Light" is recognised by the Guiness Book of Records as the world's oldest known working lightbulb.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Men Can Definitely Walk On Water!

In fact, there's a sport in Portugal that emphasizes on, well, to be precise, running on water!

The sport (named Liquid Mountaineering) have since spread over Europe and also have reached the North America.

Disney's Copyright for Mickey Mouse Was Supposed To Expire in 2003

Walt Disney's Studio claims of copyrights for Mickey Mouse was due to expire in 2003. This was to be followed in 2009 by many other early Disney's character including Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck.

According to the copyright law, upon the expiration of the copyright protection, anyone could copy, reproduce and sell any articles covered by the copyrights without paying royalties to the original owner since it has been a public domain.

But, being a very influential entity in politics, The Walt Disney Company along with other copyright holders managed to persuade the American Congress to change the copyright law.

Under the so called The Sonny Bono Term Extension Act, or more famously known as "The Mickey Mouse Protection Act", which was passed on 28th October 1998, the copyright protection for Mickey Mouse and other Disney's characters gets an extension of 20 years.

This means that Mickey Mouse will not become public domain at least until 2023.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

At 2000 Years Old, A Date Palm Seed Is The Oldest Seed To Germinate

When scientists explored the ruins of Masada Fortress in 1960s, they found artifacts in which, among others, several seeds of an ancient date palm.

Recently, the seeds were planted in soil and it results in one seed to germinate.

Carbon dating were then conducted on the remaining seeds that did not germinate and the result shows that the seeds were approximately 2000 years old.

The date palm (pictured below) is named Methusaleh and is currently holding the title the oldest seed to germinate after a 1300 year old lotus seed which was found in China.

Sources: 1, 2

This Hotel Was Built in SIX Days!!!

Industrialized Building System (IBS) has done wonders in the Construction Industry. Take a look at this hotel in China for example,this hotel (nemed The Ark Hotel) is a sustainable, level 9 Earthquake-resistant, thermal-insulated building which also features sound-proofing systems. It is also 15 stories tall. The construction of this hotel (minus the foundation works) only takes six days! What more amazing was that the structural works only took 2 days and the remaining four days was for installing the fixtures and cladding.

RM 806.4 Trillion Phone Bill?

The phone line that belonged to the man's late father was disconnected somewhere in January 2006 but few months later, Yahya Wahab of Kedah got a shock of his life when he received a phone bill from the phone company. Even more shocking was that the amount stated in the bill was

RM 806,400,000,000,000.01

and it had to be settled within ten days or he had to face legal proceedings.

Yahya's father left behind an outstanding bill of RM 84.00 in which he had it taken care before disconnection.

For comparison, Malaysia's National debt for 2006 was only RM 0.175 Trillion

Sources: 1, 2

This Leaf is Able to Support A Six Year Old Child

The title of the largest leaf in nature is held by the Giant Amazon Water Lily (Victoria amazonica).

It spans up to 2.4 meters across.

It grows naturally in calm waters of the great river, the ox-bow lakes and flooded grasslands of Amazon.

It was initially named Victoria regia in honor of the Queen of England but later, the name was changed to Victoria amazonica to better reflect its native origin.

Sources: 1, 2

Belgium is Currently The Country Without a Government For the Longest Period of Time

After defeating Iraq's 289 days without a government, Belgium is now holding the world record for the longest time for a country to be without a government. As this article was written, Belgium has gone without a government for a period of 306 days. That is equivalent to 10 months and 2 days.

Sources 1, 2

A Type of Protein is Named After Pikachu

This newly found protein, essential to our vision is named Pikachurin after the famed Pokemon character Pikachu. It was found by a team of 18 researchers at the Department of Developmental Biology, Osaka Bioscience Institute in Japan.

Pikachurin is essential in forming precise reactions between protoreceptor ribbon synapses and bipolar dendrites and without it, the images would travel from our eyes to our brain three times slower.

The name Pikachurin was inspired by Pikachu's lightning fast moves and shocking electric effects. Interesting isn't it?

Sources 1, 2, 3