Man-Made Remnants of Second World War That Have Become Part of Coastal Landscapes

Marc Wilson, 46 years old, travelled more than 23,000 miles to photograph 143 forgotten sites in Britain, France, Denmark, Belgium and Norway, which includes scenes of crumbling concrete fortress at the world's largest man-made harbor in Portland, Dorset, elsewhere there’re pillboxes and batteries almost in the sea, camouflaged by falling rocks or split in two. Nestled among moss-covered rocks, these forgotten pillboxes, gun batteries and tank traps are forlorn reminders of how drastically Britain's coast changed to stop a Nazi invasion. Several of the Second World War defenses snapped by photographer Marc Wilson now blend in with their surroundings, dangling precariously over the sea or being split in two by the forces of nature. Marc Wilson researched the elapsed sites meticulously on the internet and once he got there; he often found the places he was snapping were not even well-known among locals.

He says; I've been a photographing for 15 to 20 years and I would often come across military topics in my work. Similar most people in England my family have a wartime history and I decided it was something I wanted to look at more closely. My family came from different countries like Poland, Romania and Switzerland so they were all caught up in the conflict. Another member of my family flew in the RAF. One way or another, as a photographer, I think this is my act of remembrance. I begin with a simple Google search and moved on to literature and other sources to find the wartime remains. I knew some of them are very distinguished but others were a lot harder to find. It was important to me to find more subtle ones, which people either didn't know about or which blended into the landscape. 

Off course I had to do a lot of research work. A fully high tide would have cut me off totally and once I had the shot it was a case of grabbing my tripod and running. Another photograph shows the temporary harbor structures which allowed the landings to happen 70 years ago and which still float undisturbed within sight of the coast. At St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, a pillbox appears almost completely camouflaged among oblong grey rocks on an overcast day. Some of the locations are no longer in sight - either submerged by the shifting sands and waters or by more human intervention. Some, especially on the continent, were destroyed by the governments of the countries. Others are hardly visible blending into the landscape so well that it is an effort to see them. 

The expensive £16,000 project was made possible after almost half the total was raised through online crowd funding. I know it was extremely unbelievable to get the funds. I truly believe that the subject matter that inspires everyone and that made me realize how imperative it was to follow through with the project. These man-made objects and zones of defense now sit silently in the landscape, imbued with the history of our recent past. However some remain satisfied and strong, but some are moderately decaying. Various now lie prone beneath the cliffs where they once stood. Whilst I capture the majestic beauty of these objects in their landscapes, the series of lovely photographs becomes much more than a set of traditional landscapes. My goal is that the collection will become an everlasting photographic record of the past. Source: Dailymail

Wow; 60 Vintage Cars Found after 50 Years of Neglect on French Farm, Worth £12 Million

These days, when the entire world has been mapped by GPS, there’re still prized hidden treasures left to discover. After calling in auctioneers, the grandchildren of entrepreneur Roger Baillon found of 60 vintage automobiles in the era of 1930’s to the 1950’s left to rust in sheds on the family’s farm in western France could be worth £12 million or more at auction. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill 1930,s vintage automobiles, either if such a thing exists. One Talbot-Lago in the collection had earlier been owned by Egyptian King Farouk and a Ferrari had been used in the filming of a movie with Jane Fonda. Along with the sporadic Maserati in this collection, Baillon had intended to construct a museum with his unique collection. But when things didn’t go as anticipated, though, he had to sell 50 cars, and the rest of the collection was forgotten. The vintage collection will be put up for auction in Paris on February 6th, 2015. Moreover if any cars unfit for restoration will be sold for spare parts.

This type of thing doesn’t happen often enough and above all, you go into this profession for discoveries like this. Indeed, this is actually a treasure. I’ve to say that when we arrived here, we found ourselves overcome with emotion. It was really a case of waking up sleeping beauty. This was everywhere between a metallic graveyard and a museum. Nature had taken a hold, over the many years. Ivy had invaded a car and completely covered its wheel, while weeds had taken root in a passenger compartment as easily as in a greenhouse. It was thought that everything had been sold, and its existence had been elapsed about. And here, just found the magnificent lost collection! Certain cars, much like paintings or sculptures, are works of art, created by artists! Not only the engineering, but their styling reflects the history of design. Ferrari 250 GT California SWB a legendary name in the automobile world. And without any doubt this car is surely unique. Only 37 examples of this model were built making it tremendously rare. Every example has been carefully documented by historians and this one was thought to be lost. We have luckily found it. Source: Charismatic Planet

World’s First Bike Escalator

As you all know very well, that bicycling is an inexpensive and healthy way to get around, but a steep hill can become a casual cyclist’s Achilles’ heel. Fortunately, the Norwegian city of Trondheim has a solution to this problem a “bike escalator”.

This is well invented in the 1990’s by a commuter who grew tired of showing up to work sweaty and tired, the Trampe lift, freshly upgraded and reinvented as the “CycloCable”, has already carried over 200,000 bicyclists up this 150m-long cyclist deterrent. The inquisitive escalator has become a sightseer electromagnet as well.

The Cyclists who place one foot on the escalator’s angled platform will be pushed uphill at a speed of five mph. Up to five people can use it at the same time and it is not limited to bicycles, as it can carry basically any trivial wheeled transport with its owner, be it a kid with scooter or a mother with a baby stroller.

Installing this invention is obviously a great way to boost cycling in hilly cities, but they’ll have to be quite busy one meter of this elevator costs around USD 2,000 to 3,000. Fantastic! What an improvement for cyclists. Just love the kid with his scooter and woman with the pram Ingenious.

How to Make Glow-in-the-Dark Table with Photo luminescent Resin?

As high-tech and alien as this glow-in-the-dark table might seem, it can really be made right at home! Therefore all you need is some planks of Pecky cypress wood, photo luminescent powder, resin, some tools, and a slight elbow grease.

Mike Warren an Instructables enthusiast and the blogger behind the Man Crafts column at dollarstorecrafts.com, came up with a set of instructions for creating this table. By mixing the photo luminescent powder with the resin and using it to fill the holes that form naturally in Pecky cypress wood, you can make striking and naturally-shaped areas that’ll glow in the dark after charging up on sunlight.

If you have got the tools and the know-how, then check out Warren’s Instructable for instructions. His table and how it looks can be found below. TechnoGlow pigments are considered a harmless substance under OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200 and have been tested to meet and exceed compliance with ASTM F963-03 on Toy Safety. Indeed this is very useful and maybe also slightly radioactive, perfect as kid’s playground.

Source: Charismatic Planet

Megayacht That Looks Like the Batmobile

This is truly incredible Megayacht which can be used as a glamorous party venue, floating showroom or private vessel, the Xhibitionist is definitely a boat designed to turn heads. The amazing 75 metres long vessel is an extravagant, versatile yacht which even comes with its own supercar. Keeping the unique automotive theme, the Xhibitionist has an ample space for a car showroom and “engine room”, complete with exposed engines displayed behind glass walls. This is beautifully designed by Swedish-based car designer Eduard Gray, the slick ship's interior is decked out in Art Nouveau decor, with classic touches alike a Steinway piano, a dual staircase, and fine crystal Baccarat lighting. If you want to purchase it, then you need heavy bank account of 2 million euros (£16million) for a “basic” model.

Moreover; solar panels fold out from under a sleek car-hood-like deck to power the ship, and the panels double up as a concert space or helipad with space for three helicopters. The fly deck even features a Jacuzzi, and by night, the  superyacht glows in the dark thanks to ocean LED lighting. Well as for the Xhibitionist's price? 'As far as investments go, the 75 m luxury yacht Xhibitionist idea looks like more of a real estate and marketing venture than a yacht.

Source: Charismatic Planet