One of the most popular tourist attractions in the Swedish city of Malmö, the giant lamp of Lilla Torg square seems like something taken out of Alice in Wonderland.

First installed in 2006, the 5.8 meters high lamp quickly became a favorite spot for both locals and tourists. Featuring a foot that also acts as a bench, this installation was created with the idea of giving passers-by a chance to sit down, relax and forget about daily stress, if only just for a few minutes. Throughout the year, the enormous lamp tours the various squares of Malmö, but on December 15, just before Christmas, it always returns to Lilla Torg.

It looks cool enough as it is, but it would be even better if someone would build a giant nightstand, and maybe a glass of water, to go with the lamp. And if it wasn’t bizarre enough, the giant lamp of Lilla Torg actually talks, as well. Check it out in the video at the bottom.

A yacht has been designed to create a floating version of the streets of Monaco - complete with casino and racetrack.

The scaled-down landmarks would feature on the deck of the 500ft long ‘The Streets of Monaco’ yacht which would cater for 16 guests and 70 crew.

There's also swimming pools, tennis courts and other Monaco favourites like a Hotel de Paris, Cafe de Paris, La Rascasse and Loews Hotel.

If there are any multi-billionaire Spluch readers out there (you know our normal demographic) it's worth noting the yacht will cost around £700 million to buy.
A spokesperson for designers Yacht Island Design said: "The Streets of Monaco is the focal point of our story and the anchor for the themes that run throughout the yacht, revolving around a recreation of the famous Monaco Grand Prix race circuit.

"This fully functional kart circuit sets the stage for other famous locations seen on a lap of the principality."

USS Kittiwake, a decommissioned US navy submarine rescue ship, has been intentionally sunk to create a scuba diving attraction.

Now lying on the ocean floor off the Cayman Islands, the 251-foot long, five-deck military ship, will become an artificial reef for divers to enjoy.

Officials say after acquiring the ship they cleaned it before flooding the rusty hull so it would sink upright and then punching holes into the hull and pumped in sea water.

This caused the Kittiwake to sink dramatically in a cascade of bubbles, but don't take our word for it, check out the amazing pictures below.

The ship is now sitting under 60ft of water just off the coast of Grand Cayman Island and is quickly becoming home to curious creatures including stingrays, barracuda and various schools of smaller fish.

It is hoped Kittiwake Cayman will soon become a destination for divers who will be able to snorkel overhead and see the main decks and topography of the ship or explore rooms of the wreck.

A spokesperson for Cayman Islands Tourism Association said: "The Kittiwake is quite at home at her new home with the fishes.

"Day by day she will transform in to a living coral reef and habitat for hundreds if not thousands of reef fish."

Speaking of the project, Premier McKeeva Bush, of the Cayman Islands, added: "The sinking of the ex-U.S.S. Kittiwake represents the single most significant occurrence in a decade for Cayman's dive industry.

"Since the last year, the Ministry and Department of Tourism have been working hand in hand through many processes to ensure the cleaning and safe movement of the vessel to the Cayman Islands."

Making a splash: Photographer creates astonishing technicolour patterns using water droplets and ink - These ingenious photographs show amazing multicoloured droplets of ink at the precise moment they impact with the surface of water.

The stunning pictures show drops of red, green and yellow ink bouncing off the water to create mesmerising mid-air shapes not visible to the naked eye.

Each image captures in startlingly sharp detail the droplets frozen in time and cascading as bright colours in all directions.

In one, the ink droplets combine to look like a transparent rainbow mushroom cloud.

And in another, a red stemmed droplet bursts into purple-green life as it splashed blue ink in a circular pattern to create an astounding crest.

The pictures were taken by full-time software engineer Tobias Brauening, 27, from Reutingen, Germany.

He said: 'The most fascinating aspect for me is that a water drop is such a simple thing which happens every day in nature.

'It's wonderful what nature can create, and I like to make this visible to others.

'They wonder how it is possible for the colours to get in there and how I can trigger the camera in the right moment.'

The secret to Mr Brauening's success lies in his interest in technology, computers and photography.

He decided to study the little known subject of mechatronics, which combines all three subjects together to produce the outstanding and challenging images.

'Because I learned something about electronics and microcontrollers while studying, I bought a microcontroller board, built some electronics and started with great success.

'I used three new special valves, experimented with making them drop to the same point and my new images were born.'

First he fills a plastic tank with shallow water. He then adds a different colour to each of the three valves and uses three flashes with contrasting colour filters for the background.

Mr Brauening then sets up his microcontroller and camera, adjusts his three valves and pushes the trigger.

This activates both the valves and the camera shutter, which are synchronised to capture the vital moment.

'But even with all the technical help, sometimes it takes hours until I get the shape and colours that I wish for,' he added.

'A collision of three drops needs accurate timing in a range of a few milliseconds.

'The other issue is the lighting, which needs some practice around the reflections on the water, background, colour filters and the position of the flashes.'

Spanish and Portuguese shoppers arrive at Desigual outlets in their underwear... to be clothed for free It’s not the sort of winter sale you would expect to happen in England.

But for theses Spanish and Portuguese shoppers the chilly weather was not so much of a factor.

They braved the mild New Year temperatures to cash in as clothing company Desigual promised: ‘Come in undressed and go out dressed.'

he wacky idea from the company, who was started by a Swiss in 1984 but has its headquarters in Barcelona, seems to have been a hit for those in the mood for a cheeky deal.

But there was a hitch: only the first 100 punters who arrived at selected branches were given the free stash.

At the Madrid store alone some 200 people queued outside ready to strip down to their underwear to take advantage of the shop's winter sale offer.

With the Spanish capital starting the winter sales five days before the traditional January 7 date, shoppers had to show their flesh in exchange for two free items of clothing - a top and bottom piece.

Pedro Soares and Ivan Silva claimed that they were the first to arrive at the Lisbon store at 1am in the early hours of Sunday morning, waiting eight hours until the doors opened and they were entitled to take home an outfit of their choice, gratis.

‘I have a woolly jumper and a pair of trousers, which would have cost €250 (£210),’ 20-year-old Mr Soares told Lusa News Agency.

‘I really like this brand and like this I can take the clothes without paying for them.’

Mr Silva said: ‘It was fun. We were the first to arrive and more people came during the night. When they opened the doors there was such a rush with people falling over each other to get the best clothes.’

Friends Jenny and Lisa from New Zealand had been waiting since before midnight outside the Madrid store and said it was a great opportunity to meet new amigos.

‘We have been here since 11pm with my friends,’ Jenny said. ‘New friends that we made here!’

Erica, from Brazil, earned her number one spot by waiting from 3pm the previous day and was happy with her choice, although she intended to buy more, in addition to the two free items.

‘I am number one and I have gotten a coat and trousers, but I am still picking things, there is a lot left to get though,’ she said.

Desigual were delighted with the interest the stunt gained for the brand – and rather than leaving those who did not make the top 100 shivering in next to nothing, they provided them with half-price discounts.

Public Relations officer Beatriz Almeida said that the initiative was aimed at marking the official start of the sales.

‘It went well,’ she said. ‘The brand aims to be original so we wanted this action to be different.’

Though the company has a store on Regent Street, according to the website there are no plans to offer a similar deal for London-based shoppers.

There's certainly a market for luxury cars and luxury condos. But what about luxury condoms?

A pair of self-described French aristocrats have launched a high-end condom company that aims to offer customers protection -- as well as an air of prestige.

The minds behind The Original Condom Co. say there is a demand for classier prophylactics in the same way there is a demand for luxury brands like Rolls Royce, Cartier and Dior.

"There [is] always a need for quality, good taste and beautiful objects," said vice president Count Gil de Bizemont, who co-founded the company with His Royal Highness the Prince Charles Emmanuel de Bourbon Parme after passing through the town of Condom, France.

"It is sexy to care about yourself and to want to pamper and provide yourself with the very best."

For de Bizemont, that means choosing neatly packaged prophylactics that come in a little black box instead of an ordinary foil wrapper.

"Would you be proud to have a traditional condom on your table when your mom visits you? With a nude woman on the box or something that says lubed or ribbed all over it?" he asked.

According to de Bizemont, many people judge a rubber by its cover.

"The luxurious presentation of our product removes any negative stigma associated with a woman who cares enough about herself to be sure to carry along an Original Condom box in her purse, or for a male to leave it on the nightstand without perceptions shifting about expectations, as they definitely should not nowadays," he explained.

De Bizemont says his company's condoms are far more upscale than the competition -- and it shows in the price tag.

The Original Condom comes in suede-lined black boxes purportedly "inspired by the world of jewelery," which contain three prophylactics for $13.50, or six for $20. Customers can buy refills for $2 apiece.

The company says it shares part of its earnings with nonprofits that fight HIV and AIDS, and shows its commitment to an eco-friendly business model by helping develop new forests and manufacturing its condoms on a rubber-tree plantation in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions by eliminating excess transport of raw materials.

The fancy condoms are already on sale online. In January, they'll be offered at some "higher-end retailers" and hotels, according to de Bizemont.

It appears there's nothing stopping the condom brand from growing -- if, in fact, sex does sell.

The Vigeland Park or Frogner Park is a public park located in Frogner, Oslo. It consists of various bridges, fountains and statues by Vigeland. The Vigeland Park is the largest park in the city and covers 320 hectares. The area was ready for Gustav Vigeland fountain in 1924 and the final plan was released in 1932 by the city-council. The park covers 80 acres (320,000 m2) and features 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland. Together with the gates which are forged of granite and wrought iron, the Main Gate serves as an entrance to the park itself. It consists of five large gates, two small pedestrian gates and two copper-roofed gate houses, both adorned with weathervanes.

The Main Gate was designed in 1926, redesigned in the 1930s and erected in 1942. It was financed by a Norwegian bank. at Kirkeveien, the sculptural park consists of 7 parts.

* Frognerbroen with 58 bronse-sculptures and 4 groups of "lizards" in granite.
* The children-square with 9 small children-sculptures made of bronse.
* The labyrinth-square with the fountain.
* The floors
* The monolith-plateu with 8 artistic gates, sirclestairs and the 17 metre-tall Monolith.

58 of the park's sculptures reside along the Bridge, a 100 meter (328 ft) long, 15 meter (49 ft) wide connection between the Main Gate and the Fountain. All are clad in bronze and contribute to the “Human Condition” theme of the park. Here visitors will find one of the parks more popular statues, Sinnataggen or “Angry Boy”.

In 1940 the Bridge was the first part of the park to be opened to the public. Visitors could enjoy the sculptures while most of the park was still under construction. At the end of the bridge lies the Children’s Playground, a collaboration of eight bronze statues, all in the likenesses of children at play.

Originally designed to stand in front of Parliament (Eidsvolls plass), the Fountain was fabricated from bronze and adorned with 60 individual bronze reliefs. Portraying children and skeletons in the arms of giant trees, the Fountain suggests that from death comes new life. On the ground surrounding the Fountain lies an 1800 square meter mosaic laid in black and white granite. It took Vigeland a great deal of time to establish the monument: from 1906 to 1947.

The Monolith Plateau is a platform made of stairs that houses the Monolith totem itself. 36 figure groups reside on the elevation bringing with them the “circle of life” message. Access to the Plateau is made via eight figural gates forged in wrought iron. The gates were designed between 1933 and 1937 and erected shortly after Vigeland died in 1943.

At the highest point in the park lies the park's most popular attraction, The Monolith (Monolitten). The name derives from the Latin word monolithus from the Greek word μονόλιϑος (monolithos), derived from μόνος ("one" or "single") and λίϑος ("stone") implying the totem to be fabricated from one (mono) solid piece of stone (lith). Construction of the massive monument began in 1924 when Gustav Vigeland himself modeled it out of clay in his studio in Frogner. The design process took him ten months, and it is speculated that Vigeland had the help of a few sketches drafted in 1919. The model was then cast in plaster.

In the autumn of 1927 a block of granite weighing several hundred tons was delivered to the park from a stone quarry in Halden. It was erected a year later and a wooden shed was built around it to keep out the elements. Vigeland’s plaster design was set up next to it to give reference to its sculptors. Transferring of the figures began in 1929 and took 3 stone carvers 14 years to accomplish. On the Christmas of 1944 the public was allowed to admire The Monolith and 180,000 people crowded the wooden shed to get a close look at the creation. The shed was demolished shortly thereafter. The Monolith towers 14.12 meters (46.32 ft) high and is composed of 121 human figures rising towards the sky. This is meant to represent man’s desire to become closer with the spiritual and divine. It portrays a feeling of togetherness as the human figures embrace one another as they are carried toward salvation.

At the end of the 850-meter-long axis lies a sundial, forged in 1930, and finally the Wheel of Life, crafted in 1933-34.

The wheel is more or less a wreath depicting four people and a baby floating in harmony. It is a symbol of eternity, and implies the overall theme of the park: man’s journey from the cradle to the grave.



















































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