A mysterious sea creature has washed up dead on the shores of Sakhalin Island near Shakhtersk Airport. Sakhalin Island is in Far East of Russia, close to Japan. Locals found the carcass of the unidentified sea creature, describing it as having a “long beak” and a “furry tail” making it unlike anything they’ve seen before. It’s also continuing to baffle marine experts from around the world. The mysterious creature has been described as about twice the size of a human being. Speaking to The Siberian Times, Nikolay Kim, the Deputy Head of the Forecasting Department of the Sakhalin Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, stated: “Judging by the appearance of the head, this is clearly some big dolphin. According to a characteristic of the skin, it is a rare species. “I doubt that it lived in our waters. Most likely, the animal was brought by the warm current. Here often ...

To fly has long been a dream. And much like riding a motorcycle places the rider more alone with the road than does being the driver of a car, flying like a bird isn’t quite the same as flying in a plane or helicopter. Or so Glenn Martin may have thought back in 1981, in Dunedin, New Zealand. When he first conceived the Martin Jetpack. Rocket forward to 1998, with the beginning of the Martin Aircraft Company. Which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, MJP, earlier this year. Capital raising included a A$50 million investment from Kuang-Chi Science Limited; with the Chinese company involved in numerous technologies including aerospace. The Martin Jetpack, which technically is not a true jet engine, but instead uses a two-litre petrol engine to drive two ducted fans either side of the pilot for lift, has been near 35 years in development. Constructed of aluminium and ...

The price of oil has slumped from its high back in 2008, and not withstanding the ups and downs in between, from last year into 2015 oil prices have slid again. As prices have slid, along with questioning whether it’s profitable or makes economic sense to keep producing oil at such low prices, other uses of oil have been sort. These other uses are not necessarily new. Far from it. Around the year 1865, as the discovery of oil and petroleum in the US expanded, there was the question of what exactly to do with the new products. Petroleum at the time was marketed as something which had many uses. Such as it being both a hair oil and a boot grease. Its utility didn’t end there, however. Because it was apparently a vermin killer yet at the same time was also hailed as a cure for kidney stones in ...

A sequel to Top Gun (1986) has been talked about for a very, very long time. It has only been in the past five years that the ideas for Top Gun 2 have really started to gain any lift. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has attempted the sequel in the past, but the ripcord was pulled in 2012 following the death of Tony Scott, the director of the original film. Now, however, with producer David Ellison, the film is cleared for take-off. More importantly, Tom Cruise will be back as Maverick. As Ellison stated: “There is an amazing role for Maverick in the movie and there is no Top Gun without Maverick, and it is going to be Maverick playing Maverick.” There’s some good news, like the expectation that both the film and star Tom Cruise will want to use practical effects, as opposed to it being laden with CGI. Which would ...

Despite the talks of it all being over back in 2013, it seems at least one pairing with Miranda Kerr is on mend. Miranda Kerr and Victoria’s Secret have apparently kissed and made up. All that’s left now is for Miranda to sign a deal reportedly worth $3.8 million with VS, then get back to strutting her stuff on the catwalk. Complete with the wings of a Victoria’s Secret Angel. It’ll likely be bring your own dimples, but Miranda Kerr has that more than covered. Or uncovered. And whether it’s about dimples or something else, almost everyone seems to have their favourite VS Angel, including fantasies about more than just Fantasy Bras. If the reports of a VS insider talking to The FIX are correct, then: “Miranda and VS are talking about her designing a capsule collection with a portion of the proceeds going to one of her charities and ...

The Overtoun Bridge in Milton, near Dunbarton, Scotland, has several dark secrets and a shroud of mystery to it. That some 600 dogs have reportedly leapt from Overtoun Bridge, with over 50 canine deaths occurring over the past 50 years, only adds to the enigma. The supernatural and the scientific have both had their say about the matter. Overtoun House stands nearby, a popular tourist destination. In 1931 Lady Overtoun passed away, and some locals suggest that her sadness still lingers the grounds, and the Overtoun Burn stream and gorge the bridge spans. With the dogs sensing this paranormal activity, and that the bridge itself is haunted. That the area represents a “thin place” according to Celtic lore, where the veil between the worlds of the living and the spirits have been known to crossover and into one another. Adding to this, is the case of Kevin Moy. Who in ...

Seeing how many coins can be stacked on a collarbone, or collarbones – #collarbonechallenge – has been a recent trend on social media within China. The tipping point seemed to have come when Chinese actress Lv Jiarong posted a picture of herself on Weibo, apparently balancing about 80 coins on her collarbones. Image Source: Lv Jiarong, Weibo. Because collarbones are supposedly the new sexy. A bit like ankles were in the past. Images such as the above, have raised concerns by some commentators related to body image and notions of body shaming. As tends to happen on the internet. That if a female has not achieved this latest (and probably faddish) hallmark bodily of perfection as “skinny and sexy” by showing her collarbones, she’s going to be shamed and taunted into poor physical and mental health. The serious concerns are related to females starving themselves to achieve protruding collarbones, and ...

Like any good peddler of a potentially addictive substance, Apple wants people hooked on the products it’s pushing. And the number one rule of hustling is to create your own demand. In Apple’s case, it’s giving people three months of free samples, make that a three month free trial of the Apple Music streaming service. Normally this would cost $9.99 per month, but: “Come on. Try it. It’s free. Try it. Just once…” Problem was, since it’s giving this away, it didn’t want to pay the artists or record labels for streaming their music either. Naturally a hustler can’t annoy its own supplier. Enter Taylor Swift’s blog entry To Apple, Love Taylor and problem solved. Apple will now be forking out the cash to the owners of the music during the free trial period. Taylor Swift, is there anything she can’t do? Before such a question warrants a reply, here’s ...

Students sitting the French Baccalauréat (Bac), which marks the end of high school, were left more than a bit perturbed by the word “coping” in the English exam. Apparently that one word made the exam impossible. In le Bac, in Question M, French pupils were presented with a passage from Atonement (2001) by Ian McEwan. They were then asked two questions about one of the book’s characters, Robbie Turner: What are three of his concerns about the situation? How is Turner coping with the situation? It turns out the word “coping” was the veritable Waterloo for many French students. With many pupils subsequently taking to social media with #BacAnglais with claims of sacrebleu, but in words the French actually use. One student even went so far as to create an online petition to cancel the Question M. So far, it’s still short of its 15,000 signatures goal. Which may be ...

Spending over six years to crochet the World 1 map of Super Mario Bros. 3, was a labour love and no speed run for Kjetil Nordon. The Nintendo fan and crocheting master, not to mention computer programmer, spent over 800 hours crocheting the 2.2m by 1.8m blanket. Image Source: NRK As reported by NRK, it wasn’t without a few hammers thrown in works, as Kjetil Nordon said: “When the water was half way finished I saw that I had chosen the wrong shade of blue. It was almost purple, and very ugly, so I had to undo all of it. That took an extra week.” Perhaps the wrong shade of blue wasn’t quite as bad as being told: THANK YOU MARIO! BUT OUR PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE! Nordon is currently looking for a way to display his work on his wall, safe from harm. Because those Koopalings can be ...