June
5


When the temperature starts to rise there’s nowhere better to chill out than by the pool, but not all pools are equal: some swimming pools are destinations in and of themselves. From amazing infinity pools at resorts in exotic locations to visually compelling pools with awesome waterfalls and special effects built in, these are designed to make you feel cool both in and out of the water. Here’s a look at 15 of the most luxurious swimming pools you’ll find anywhere in the world.

Perivolas Hotel, Santorini

Perivolas Hotel: It is difficult to tell where the pool ends and the waters of the Aegean Sea begin since the infinity pool at this Santorini hotel appear to stretch all the way to the horizon. The accommodation here are designed to rejuvenate you completely, aided by what is widely considered to be one of the best hotel pools in the world. What an idyllic place to spend a holiday!

Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, Oman

Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay: If you’ve never considered taking a trip to Oman then you probably didn’t know that you could stay a place as luxurious as this! Since it has only been open since in 2008, you could be among the first visitors to take advantage of the opportunity. There are seventy nine different pool villas so you can really retreat into relaxation in a private area all your own. Yes, you read that correctly. Seventy nine pools.

Joule Hotel, Dallas

Joule Hotel: There have been rumours about this amazing hotel swimming pool for several years (originally under the name Elan Hotel) but the place hasn’t actually opened to the public yet. It is due to open this year and crowds are sure to flock to it for the chance to check out the amazing opportunity to swim in the pool, which is located ten stories up and literally hangs off of the edge of the building. The end of it is made from glass so you can essentially swim off the side of the hotel to get a view of Dallas.

Banyan Tree Hotel, Seychelles

Banyan Tree Hotel: Another astounding infinity pool that stretches its way right to the beach is the one located at this hotel in the stunning island nation of Seychelles. It’s not often that you’re going to get to relax in the wonderful waters of a beautiful pool that overlooks the Indian Ocean just steps away so don’t neglect to take advantage of this opportunity if it ever comes along.

Four Seasons Resort Bali, Jimbaran Bay

Four Seasons Resort Bali: To get to the awe-inspiring infinity pool on the top floor of this resort hotel, you’re going to need to cross a wooden bridge. From the pool, you’ll be able to absorb the beauty of the surrounding Balinese jungle and over the beautiful Jimbaran Bay area.

One&Only Reethi Rah Resort, Maldives

One&Only Reethi Rah Resort: The Maldive Islands are a stunning destination which is perfect for relaxation because of the fact that the beautiful beaches offer plenty of activity on the water. However, you don’t have to leave the luxury of your resort to have a terrific water experience since this place has an amazing infinity pool that can caress your body into relaxation. The massive pool is shaded by tropical trees and leads right out into the ocean so you can go adventuring or just lounge around and relax. A poolside bar adds to the fun.

Intercontinental Hotel, Hong Kong

Intercontinental Hotel: The ideal way to enjoy the pool at this hotel is to book yourself a stay in The Presidential Suite which is 7,000 square feet in size and includes a 2,500 square foot terrace where the private pool is located. However, there are multiple pools to choose from at this hotel and all of them are amazing. There’s a basic-but-beautiful outdoor pool inspired by the art of feng shui but what most people want to check out is the trio of infinity pools that are each heated to different temperatures to suit different people at different times.

Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas

Wynn Hotel: There are several different pools to choose from at The Wynn and all of them are luxurious as you would expect from one of the best hotels in Las Vegas. But the best is the one that’s only designed for high-rollers. These people spend a lot of money in the poolside casino while topless women swim around to provide Vegas-style entertainment.

Crown Macau, Taipa Island

Crown Macau: Hotel ratings technically only go up to five star but there are a handful of resorts that call themselves six star hot spots because they know that what they have to offer is better than the best out there. This is one of those places and the pool is one of the many things that adds to its luxury.

Gallery Hotel, Singapore

Gallery Hotel: This uber-hip design hotel has a lot of cool features but the one to really enjoy is the spectacular pool that overhangs the hotel. Three of the walls of this pool are glass so it gives you a really unique view of the city and the Singapore River below while you swim.

Hotel Habita, Mexico City

Hotel Habita: What better way to get a view of the largest city in the world than from the relaxing position of your boutique hotel’s rooftop pool? The pool’s also got some really cool design features that make it a pleasure to lounge in even without the stunning view

La Casa Que Canta, Mexico

La Casa Que Canta: This hotel has one of the world’s coolest infinity pools, featuring rounded ledges so you can sit right at the edge of the edgeless pool and look out over the Pacific Ocean. This isn’t the only pool that you’ll find at the hotel, though. Some of the suites have their own private pools and there is a free form saltwater pool with a jacuzzi attached to it that can add additional relaxation to your already delightful stay.

The Crater at Homestead Resort, Utah

The Crater at Homestead Resort: Utah is in the middle of the United States, nowhere near an ocean but you can enjoy all sorts of ocean-type activities (scuba diving, for example) in the underground pool at Homestead Resort. It’s a natural attraction formed from a limestone wall that’s filled with geothermal water. It’s healing, relaxing and totally amazing to experience.

Gran Hotel Central, Barcelona: Many of the world’s infinity pools lead straight out into the ocean. This one is a totally urban infinity pool located on the rooftop of a hotel in the center of Barcelona. You’ll feel like you’re absolutely on top of the world at this place!

Intercontinental Tahiti Resort, French Polynesia

Intercontinental Tahiti Resort: The only thing that can enhance the beauty of an already-idyllic location is a resort that has a truly beautiful pool that compliments and pays homage to the surrounding environment. If this part of the world could have gotten any better, it did so when the pools of this resort became an additional part of its landscape.

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December
6


Korea’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor on Wednesday showcased its much-anticipated luxury sedan Genesis at its research and development center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The event provided an opportunity to test drive the new car along with two other world-class premium sedans, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 350 and the BMW 530i, for comparison. Genesis is not only Hyundai’s first luxury car built to target the global market but also its first rear-wheel-drive car. Hyundai has high expectations for the car, the name Genesis, meaning “new beginning” or “origin.”

The sedan also boasts a new emblem in the shape of flying wings instead of Hyundai’s usual “H” logo. The new car will officially hit the market on Jan. 8. The company aims to sell 80,000 cars home and abroad. The price has not yet been decided, but will likely be set at around W40-50 million (US$1=W923).

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December
5


A Christmas tree decorated with 11.5 million yen worth of jewelry ($104 052) including diamond watches and bracelets stands in a 250-square-meter suite at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo hotel in Tokyo’s Nihombashi district. The hotel said it will offer the suite to a couple for an extravagant Christmas night at a cost of 14 million yen. The Christmas tree will be presented to them. The couple can be picked up by a chauffeured limousine from any location in Tokyo’s 23 wards and taken to the hotel in the Nihombashi commercial district of central Tokyo. They can then enjoy a dinner prepared in their own room by a chef, according to the hotel.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most prestigious hotels and resorts. Mandarin Oriental now operates, or has under development, over 10,000 rooms in 23 countries with 16 hotels in Asia, 14 in The Americas and nine in Europe and North Africa.

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December
2


A Beautiful image of the A19 at night. Like always click on the image for fullsize.

Picture Taken By: Chris Raven

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November
17


Hitech top British team in F3’s Jewel in the Crown

Marko Asmer took the runner-up spot in today’s qualifying race to secure a front row start for tomorrow’s Polytec Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix. The Hitech Racing driver took the early lead in the qualifier from pole-sitter Oliver Jarvis as the pack entered the first corner.

A multi-car accident ensued behind which eliminated Sebastien Buemi and Edoardo Mortara and held up many drivers behind. Further round the opening lap, Esteban Guerrieri also hit the wall, forcing the deployment of the safety car.

With the British F3 Champion at the front leading Jarvis and his team-mate Kazuya Oshima, things were looking good for Asmer to take victory. However when the race resumed after three laps behind the safety car, Jarvis got into the slipstream of the Hitech ace and powered his way past into the lead.

Asmer wasn’t giving up though and for the remaining laps, was right with the British A1GP race winner, pushing him all the way to the flag, which signalled a premature end to the race when first Niko Hulkenberg and Bruno Senna collided and then Atte Mustonen crashed out. With the race declared at just seven laps, Asmer crossed the line just over a second and a half adrift of Jarvis to secure another front row start for tomorrow’s main race.

“Marko did exactly what he needed to do today to guarantee a front row start for the main race,” said Hitech Racing team Principal David Hayle. “The real race is tomorrow and it was important to drive sensibly to get to the finish in a strong finishing position for it and that’s exactly what he did.”

For Asmer’s young team-mate, Austrian Walter Grubmüller, the qualifying race saw another mature drive from the 18 year-old on his first visit to the Guia street circuit. Starting from 27th position, Walter kept his head when those around him were losing theirs, gradually picking off cars ahead to get up to 16th place at the flag which will ensure an eighth row start for the F3 rookie in tomorrow’s Macau Grand Prix.

“Walter did an excellent job today,” said Hayle. “He started 27th and got up to 16th at the flag. If he can continue that performance tomorrow we could be looking at a top ten finish, which would be a fantastic result for him on his first visit here.”

The team’s third driver Michael Ho was unfortunately forced out after three laps after a collision with another car which caused a broken rear wishbone and front wing.

Tomorrow’s 54th running of the Macau Grand Prix, the Polytec Formula 3 Grand Prix, will commence at 15.30pm local time.

Results of the Qualification Race – 7 laps

1. Oliver Jarvis Team Reckless Tom’s Dallara-Toyota Tom’s 20min 35.911secs

2. Marko Asmer Hitech Racing Dallara-Mercedes +1.687secs

3. Kazuya Oshima Team Reckless Tom’s Dallara-Toyota Tom’s +3.159secs

4. James Jakes Manor Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes +4.722secs

5. Sam Bird Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes +5.595secs

6. Yelmer Buurman Manor Motorsport Dallara-Mercedes +6.563secs

16. Walter Grubmüller Hitech Racing Dallara-Mercedes +23.579secs

November
4


DigPodcasts inc is a non-profit podcasting company which is run by DigStudios (who also run this blog!). DigPodcasts is expected to break a landmark number of downloads by tomorrow. The site by tomorrow is expected to have had over 150,000 downloads via the iTunes Music Store. This is a massive total. as the company has never advertised itself it has just be seen and passes on between users! The stats are only of the amount of downloads recieved via the iTunes Music store, if downloads from their site (www.digpodcasts.co.uk) the number of downloads is thought to be 200,000+. We hope that the downloads start to increase and DigPodcasts are hoping that by Christmas the number of downloads the site has recieved from iTunes will be 200,000+. We will post again when they hit another landmark total. If you would like to read the original thread, a story has been posted on their forums that you can find at http://www.podcast.digstudios.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=699

November
4


Onda’s not exactly known for its originality, and even though the VX888 doesn’t do much to buck the trend, it’s not a half bad media player on paper. Aside from featuring an oh-so-trendy chrome backside, a glossy face and a strange connection with Absolut, this unit boasts a two-inch LCD, 1GB of storage, an FM tuner, photo viewer, built-in equalizer and support for XviD / AVI / FLV / APE / FLAC / WMA / MP3 files. Additionally, this player reportedly utilizes Microsoft’s PlayFX for 3D headphone effects and volume normalizing, but we’re not entirely sure we believe the claim. Nevertheless, those in China can press their luck for just 299 CNY ($40).

More…

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November
3

the_last_supper-thumb-450×210.jpg

Can’t get to Milan to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece “The Last Supper?” Now all you need is an Internet connection. Officials put online an image of the “Last Supper” at 16 billion pixels _ 1,600 times stronger than the images taken with the typical 10 million pixel digital camera. The high resolution will allow experts to examine details of the 15th century wall painting’ Last Supper’ that they otherwise could not _ including traces of drawings Leonardo put down before painting. The high-resolution allows viewers to look at details as though they were inches from the art work, in contrast to regular photographs, which become grainy as you zoom in, said curator Alberto Artioli.”You can see how Leonardo made the cups transparent, something you can’t ordinarily see,” said Artioli. “You can also note the state of degradation the painting is in.”

Besides allowing experts and art-lovers to study the masterpiece from home, Artioli said the project provides an historical document of how the painting appears in 2007, which will be valuable to future generations of art historians. Even those who get to Milan have a hard time gaining admission to see the “Last Supper.” Visits have been made more difficult by measures to protect it. Twenty-five visitors are admitted every 15 minutes to see the painting for a total of about 320,000 visitors a year. Visitors must pass through a filtration system to help reduce the work’s exposure to dust and pollutants.

View the image.

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October
10

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October
6

Bang On A Bridge

Posted In: band, bridge, a, pic, image, on, picture by Alex


Hey everybody, sorry about not blogging for a couple of days mainly for the reason i’ve been busy. But anyway here’s a pretty funny picture that I though you may like. Thats it really. Talk soon.

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