A list of intriguing things
One: In Turkmenistan, one of the most popular tourist attractions is the ‘Gateway to Hell’—a fire that has been burning for decades in a huge desert gas crater. No one really knows how the Darvaza crater was formed—though one theory is that it was caused by a Russian drilling operation gone wrong in the 1970s. Scientists then set it on fire to prevent the gas from spreading—but it kept raging on. But the government has now ordered the blaze to be extinguished—since it poses an environmental hazard. Watch the amazing sight below… while you still can.
Two: You can now change the colour of your BMW with the touch of a button. Sadly, the only options are black or white:( Watch the Bloomberg vid below to see how it works.
Three: At this Armenian restaurant in Yerevan, the most popular section of the menu is called ‘Sunny Meals’. The dishes—which include beef, chicken, eggplants and trout—are cooked not in an oven but… on satellite dishes! Here’s how it works:
“[T]he cooks use a pan made of glass (to allow the sunlight to pass through) and place walnuts on the bottom and, on top, the meat or vegetables… [T]hey fit the pan into a cradle held by two rotating metal arms connected to the center of the satellite dish. They adjust the angle to point the pan at the sun, and they wait. In minutes, the food is ready.”
Four: Ever heard ‘mushroom music’? A number of artists are connecting fungi to synthesizers to make some amazingly unearthly sounds. Below is one experiment by Tarun Nayar from Vancouver—who says his training in Indian classical music helps him make sense of what, “the plants are trying to say.” Well, have a listen and decide for yourself. ClassicalFM has more on this unusual musical genre.
