Here is a young man named Lin Yu Chun, competing on a Chinese reality show called Super Star Avenue, performing a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”. Don’t be fooled by appearances, this guy could be the next Susan Boyle.

Food artist Prudence Staite created this life size bust of Robert Pattinson after he’d been voted Hollywood’s tastiest actor.

It took two weeks to complete the 18 kilo solid Belgian chocolate sculpture in the likeness of the actor’s hit vampire character Edward Cullen.

Link

This girl has got some serious iPhone playing skills. Watch her perform Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ using various features on the iPhone.

Ben Folds is back with a final tribute to Merton. This video was taken from 4 live shows incorporating Mertonian Chatroulette – approximately 12 minutes a night.

Look at these two wavy circles. Did I say wavy? Take a look.

Mimas, one of the moons of Saturn, has been caught looking remarkably like that of the video game icon Pac-Man.

The image, taken by the Cassini spaceship which is orbiting the planet, measured temperature differences across the object’s surface and produced a map mimicking the popular character.

Mimas is about 400km (250 miles) across. It has a distinctive scar called Herschel Crater which has led many to draw comparisons with the “Death Star” from the Star Wars movies.

Link

Ever seen the needle through a balloon trick and wondered how it’s done? Well, the needle actually does go all the way through the balloon. Watch the video to see how it’s done.

Via Bits and Pieces

Here’s a funny little video by College Humor showing what happened when Sonic met Mario at a restaurant. Sonic hasn’t been doing too well lately and it gets very uncomfortable.

Obama meets Batman

Fake spider joke

Upon its release in 1996, Pokémon immediately became one of the most sought after card games in history. Whilst an 11 pack of cards should normally have cost around $5, rare individual cards were being traded for over one hundred times that, with some booster packs selling for as much as $9,000.

#2 – Yo-Yos

A Philippino immigrant named Pedro Flores invented the modern yo-yo in the 1920’s, however he is not always recognized for it. A business man named Donald Duncan met Pedro Flores busking with his yo-yo on the street. Duncan liked the yo-yo, and promoted it with Flores until in 1929, when he bought the manufacturing rights from Pedro.

The press likened the late 1920s yo-yo fad to a case of measles. They said the yo-yo craze would run its course in a few weeks never to be seen again. Who would have guessed that 70 years later, millions of yo-yos would continue to be sold each year?

Technological development of the yo-yo saw a resurgence in it’s popularity in the 1990s. The British Association of Toy Retailers voted the Yo-Yo the “Craze of the Century” for the 20th century.

#3 – Tamagotchis

The Tamagotchi was first released in 1996, in Japan. It’s a handheld digital pet that was originally aimed at 8-15 year old children, however it went on to become a huge success with the adult population in Japan and around the world.

The egg shaped computer included three buttons used to control the Tamagotchi. The user would have to feed the Tamagotchi, play with it, clean it’s waste and monitor it’s general well-being whilst it grew up.

The tiny machine took the world by storm, with people in Japan willing to pay hundreds of dollars just to get their hands on one. Over 70,000,000 Tamagotchis had been sold world-wide as of 2008.

#4 – Teletubbies

In 1997, a show featuring four colorful creatures hit our television screens – they were called the Teletubbies.

Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po were the four main characters. They were the Teletubbies who lived together with their guardian and housekeeper Noo-Noo. The first show aired on 31 March 1997 and rapidly Teletubby mania swarmed across the world.

The show was a huge success with branded merchandise taking over shops in the UK and around the Globe. More than one million dolls of Tinky Winky, Laa Laa, Dipsy and Po, were sold between September and December of 1997 in Britain with stores selling out within hours of delivery.

The BBC released a single later in 1997 called Teletubbies say “Eh-oh!”. The single spent two weeks at number one in the UK Singles Chart, selling over one million copies in total.

Their baby-like characteristics found the way into the hearts of millions of children, but their bright colors and adorable charm made them a big hit with the older generation too – particularly college students.

#5 – Crazy Bones

Gogos are small figurines that became a popular fad during the 1990s. They were inspired by a game played in Ancient Greece called astragals, where children played with sheep’s knucklebones.

Crazy Bones is a modernization of the game where characters were moulded from plastic. There were hundreds of individual characters, each character had a unique face and name.

Their immense popularity led to Crazy Bones being banned in many schools because they were too much of a distraction to pupils and the cause of the vast majority of playground arguments.

#6 – Beanie Babies

In 1993 the nine original Beanie Babies were launched. They were Legs the Frog, Squealer the Pig, Spot the Dog, Flash the Dolphin, Splash the Whale, Chocolate the Moose, Patti the Platypus, Brownie the Bear and Punchers the Lobster.

They went on to become a massively popular collectable in the late 90s. The majority of the people who bought them believed they would increase in value over time, however by the year 2000 the phenomenon had dwindled.

#7 – Pogs

If you were around in the 1990s, I’m sure you will have owned a Pog or two. They became so popular that thousands of types of pogs were manufactured, covering a wide array of toys, cartoons, movies, games, sports, celebrities and so much more.

Not everyone called them Pogs though. You may have known them as Milkcaps, Tazos, or Trovs. Whatever you called them, they were a huge hit in the 90s and millions were produced around the world to cater for the extraordinary demand.

Got any more to add? Let us know in the comments below. I’m feeling rather nostalgic now.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, which is set to open in 2010, is the world’s first Ferrari theme park and largest attraction of its kind.

The Park is located on Yas Island – set to become a global tourist destination with a wide range of accommodation and entertainment facilities – on the North East side of Abu Dhabi’s mainland.

It will fittingly feature the fastest roller coaster in the world, capable of travelling at speeds of up to 125mph and generating the same G-force as driving a Ferrari Formula One car.

More details about the park in the link.

Link

Well, there has been much speculation that the mystery man might be Ben Folds due to his uncanny facial and voice resemblance. To clear things up, during one of his concerts in Charlotte, North Carolina, the real Ben Folds flipped open a laptop on the piano and started playing on Chatroulette.

So now we know who the hooded piano player is. Actually, we don’t. “Merton” has since said “Not Ben Folds. Seriously. Ben is a much better pianist, and listen to the voice on the “Man in the Dark” part – totally not his voice at all. Besides, wouldn’t Ben cover more of his face to disguise his identity?”.

My brain is frazzled.

Oh, and here’s the original just in case you haven’t seen it yet.

So you’re playing Craps with your friends, but you’re just not getting any luck. The dice won’t fall right for you. Here’s how you can (hypothetically) change your luck. (Hypothetically) put your dice in the oven with the numbers you want facing upwards, cook for ten minutes and then leave to cool. You’ll suddenly start getting the numbers you want (hypothetically). Why? Watch the video to find out.

The King of Spades was King David, the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Bible. The King of Clubs was Alexander the Great, the ancient Greek King that conquered most of the world. The King of Hearts was King Charlemagne who was the leader of the Franks, whilst Diamonds was Julius Caesar.

This practice had largely disappeared by the 19th century however.

Kathy Bertram is a very strong lady who posts videos demonstrating her feats of strength on YouTube. In this video she rolls up a frying pan. Yes, she actually rolls up a real frying pan! She can also snap baseball bats, rip phonebooks, crush cans and so much more. She’s basically a destroying machine. You can check her other videos out at her YouTube Channel.

Via Buzzfeed

Celebrated on March 17th annually, St Patrick’s day is one huge party that goes on all around the world. It’s a celebration of all things Irish and remembers the death St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Parades and parties take place in many countries including Great Britain, Canada, the USA, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Montserrat and of course Ireland.

#2 – Guinness

Beer drinkers around the world have the Irish to thank for the invention of the Black Stuff. The dry stout, which is the best-selling alcoholic drink of all time in Ireland, but also popular globally, originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James’s Gate, Dublin. On 31 December 1759 he signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum for the unused brewery. Cheers!

#3 – Irish Dancing

Although Irish dancing had been going on for many centuries, Riverdance popularized it in 1994. That year, Michael Flatley and the Riverdance crew performed during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest in Ireland – they stunned the world. Riverdance went on to become the most popular and successful dance show of all time with more than 20 million tickets sold. It was also voted the most popular interval act in the history of Eurovision.

Irish dancing boomed and it’s style evolved and continues to evolve to this day. Michael Flatley went on to start his own show ‘Lord of the Dance’ which was as huge success. ‘Feet of Flames’ and a variety of other shows followed providing entertainment for millions worldwide.

#4 – U2

U2 was formed in Dublin on 25 September 1976. The group consists of Bono (vocals and guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums and percussion).

On Saint Patrick’s Day in 1978, U2 won a talent show in Limerick, Ireland. The prize consisted of £500 and studio time to record a demo which would be heard by CBS Ireland. The rest is history.

They went on to sell more than 145 million albums and won 22 Grammy awards. Their greatest legacy however, may be their social activism. They used their music and events such as ‘Live Aid’ to help those in need around the world.

#5 – The Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney. Legend says that kissing the Blarney stone endows the kisser with the gift of eloquence.

For over 200 years, millions of people from around the world have come to Blarney to kiss the stone however it’s not as easy as it may seem to actually kiss it.

Once upon a time, visitors had to be held by the ankles and lowered head first over the battlements. Today, one has to lean backwards (holding on to an iron railing) on the parapet’s edge.

Update: A notable mention should also go to some other great contributions by the Irish such as: the tank, the submarine, modern chemistry, Irish music, the tractor, Irish literature, castles, beautiful mountains, color photography, Irish whiskey… The list could go on. Thank you Ireland.

Images – River: fourleafclovergoodluckcharms.wordpress.com, Guinness: winstonpub.ca, U2: rockheap.com, Blarney Stone: blarneycastle.ie

Via New Launches

Eduard Khil, who has become a worldwide superstar overnight for his ‘Trololo’ performance, wants to sing the song again, but this time with lyrics – and he want you to write them.

This ’shady’ optical illusion was created by YouTube user, greeenpro2009. Watch how the cylinder changes color as it moves along the page. No camera tricks were used in the video.

Why does my brain want to trick me like this?

They have been caught up in three separate terrorist attacks during their vacations.

Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence, from England, were in New York during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Having experienced such a tragic event, they never imagined that they would ever be caught up in another terrorist attack in their lives, but four years later they were.

Jason and Jenny happened to be in London during the worst terrorist attack, the country had ever seen. A series of bombings took place, targeting the underground and overground transport systems, killing 52 people.

By now, Mr and Mrs Cairns-Lawrence could class themselves as the unluckiest tourists in the world, but just three years later, they would be in the wrong place at the wrong time once again.

In 2008, the couple took a vacation to the exotic Indian city of Mumbai. They couldn’t believe it when they were faced with yet another terrorist attack. This time there were more than ten coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308.

Jason and Jenny weren’t injured in any of the attacks, so there is a case to say that they are the luckiest couple that ever lived, but I sure hope they warn us about the next time they go traveling.

#2 – Roy Sullivan

He got struck by lightning seven times.

They say lightning never strikes twice, but it stuck Roy Sullivan a whopping seven times.

Roy was a U.S. park ranger in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and holds the Guinness World Record for the times lightning has struck one human being. Here’s a timeline of Roy’s strikes.

The odds of being struck by lightning once in your lifetime are roughly three thousand to one. Being struck seven times has odds of about twenty-two septillion to one. That’s 22,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to one!

#3 – Tsutomu Yamaguchi

He was in the only two cities that have ever been hit by an atomic bomb.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on 6 August 1945 when a US plane dropped the first atomic bomb. He suffered serious burns and spent a night there to recover. He then decided to go back home to Nagasaki. Despite his wounds he decided to go back to work on 9 August and on that day, Nagasaki was the second city to be hit by an atomic bomb.

Yamaguchi survived both bombings, but it was not until 24 March 2009 that the government of Japan officially recognised his presence in Hiroshima three days earlier.

#4 – Henry Ziegland

He was shot by a bullet lodged in a tree, 20 years after he was injured by the same bullet in a shooting.

In 1883 Henry Ziegland broke up from his girlfriend. She was so distressed from the break-up that she committed suicide. Her enraged brother did the ‘heroic’ thing, and shot Ziegland and then took his own life with the same gun. Little did he know that the bullet had scraped past Ziegland and lodged itself in a tree behind him.

Ziegland must have thought he was the luckiest man alive. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side when he decided to remove the tree from his property, some 20 years after the original shooting.

Unable to perform the task manually, he decided to use dynamite. In the explosion the bullet became dislodged from the tree with such a force that it flew into Ziegland’s head, killing him instantly.

#5 – Ann Hodges

She is the only person on record to hit by a meteorite.

On November 30, 1954, Ann Hodges was in her living room, taking an afternoon nap on her couch when a meteorite crashed through her roof, bounced off a large wooden console radio, destroying it and hit her on the hip.

Ann Hodges is the only person on record to be hit by a meteorite. As a result, the media attention she got was huge. Offers for the historic piece of rock were coming in from around the country, some of up to $5,000. The whole world knew about the event, but she was uncomfortable with the publicity.

The United States Air Force came and collected the meteorite, but Ann’s husband, Eugene, hired a lawyer to get it back. Unfortunately however, by the time they got the meteorite back, over a year later, public attention had diminished and they were unable to find a buyer.

She decided to donate the 8.5 pound, grapefruit-sized meteorite to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, against her husband’s wishes, where it is displayed at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.