World`s Most Expensive Foods

Rich people like to eat exotic foods. Here are some of the most expensive foods that one can ever eat. Most of us can only read this post and that's about it.


10. Matsutake Mushrooms – $1000/pound



9. The World’s Most Expensive Bagel – $1000



8. The Zillion Dollar Frittata – $1000



7. Wagyu Steak – $2800



6. Samundari Khazana, the World’s Most Expensive Curry – $3200

5. Domenico Crolla’s "Pizza Royale 007″ – $4200



4. Dansuke Watermelon – $6,100



3. Yubari Melons – $22,872



2. Almas Caviar – $25,000



1. Italian White Alba Truffle – $160,406

The US$930,000 Rebellion REB-5 Black Diamond

The US$930,000 Rebellion REB-5 Black Diamond – the intersection of jewelery and horology

Given that everybody carries a mobile phone, which also keeps time, you'd think maybe the wristwatch might have run its race as a relevant accessory in the 21st century. Not so! Roughly one person in five on planet earth still buys a watch each year and Swiss watches, which account for only 2% of volume but more than half the value of the worldwide watch market, will have a record year in 2011.

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The watch industry's origins in 16th Century Switzerland when John Calvin's Reformation banned jewelery. This meant that the wristwatch, at that time a state-of-the-art technological masterpiece, became the only decorative object a male was permitted to wear. Swiss goldsmiths and jewelers of the time turned their hand to horological science and they have been creating exquisite objects of ever-increasing complexity ever since.

Heading on for 500 years later, the watch still only masquerades as a timepiece, for it remains the primary form of male adornment, and like so many social protocols that have endured long past their raison d'etre, shows no sign of changing any time soon. Given the competitive nature of testosterone, watches have also come to display power and wealth among the elite.

Take these two watches from Rebellion for example. The watch on the right is a Rebellion REB-5, which sells for 189,000 swiss francs (US$196,000) and it's hard not to take someone seriously if they're wearing one. The one on the left is unique. It's the Rebellion Black Diamond REB-5 and the person who buys it will have parted with 890,000 Swiss francs (US$928,500). It is the point at which jewelery and horology meet.

The watch is special mainly because it is one of the finest examples yet produced of a scientifically excellent horology melded with the jewelers craft.

We've included some fine detail close-ups of the face of the Black Diamond to highlight just how special the watch is. It's workings may be identical to the limited edition (12 only) REB-5 at right, but the entire case had to be rebuilt to allow for the setting of the gems.

The mounting technique employed in the design was developed by Van Cleef & Arpels for setting precious stones without any of the claws showing. Without any metal to obscure any part of the 307 diamonds on the case (24.05ct) and 12 diamonds in the crown (1.02ct), the jewels appear free, and not surprisingly, this brings them to life.

This "invisible" setting was not without its cost. In order to apply this exacting jeweller's technique, the stones had to be cut with extreme precision and set using minimum tolerances. The setters worked under microscopes, much like micro-surgeons. Each stone was selected based on its Top Wesselton quality and its IF to VVS clarity, then individually shaped according to its position.

Rebellion collaborated with setting workshop Bunter SA so the very best craftsmen and specialists worked on the watch. All told, the programming of the machines and tools, cutting of the diamonds, visual inspection of each part, setting, assembly and adjustment consumed just under 1,000 man hours.

While the diamonds and craftsmanship have added three quarters of a million dollars to the "base" REB-5, it is the mechanicals of the watch which will provide the most fascination.

The tourbillon was invented around 1795, by Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet from an earlier idea by the English chronometer maker John Arnold and improves the accuracy of a watch by countering the effects of gravity on the oscillator. It does this by mounting the escapement and balance wheel in a rotating cage in order to negate the effect of gravity when the timepiece and hence, the escapement, is rotated.

The REB-5 goes one step further than the "standard" tourbillon – it should be noted that the tourbillion is in itself, a display of watchmaking virtuosity – by using twin mainspring winding barrels so that the rotating of the cage every sixty seconds, does not diminish the power reserves of the watch unduly. Whereas most tourbillion watches relatively short power reserve, the REB-5 has seven days of power! The movement was developed specifically for Rebellion by renowned Swiss master watchmaker, Laurent Besse.

The REB-5 dispenses with a traditional dial, using the open movement to offer full visual access to the intricate working of the usually hidden micro-mechanics. 

 Turn the over-size crown and you can see the twin mainspring barrels winding, while a window on the side of the case ensures that the pulsing heart of the watch, the animated tourbillon and oscillator, can be fully appreciated.



Turning the watch over reveals an equally open back with the tourbillon, the two mainspring barrels, the wheel train and the winding and time-setting mechanisms all visible.


The detail is remarkable. The screw heads use the brand's helice logo, the mainspring barrels are engineered to resemble the brake disks and wheels of a sports car and the hands are open-cut so as as not to obscure any feature from sight.

For a company little more than three years old, Rebellion has certainly carved a name for itself at the extreme high end of watchmaking remarkably quickly. The REB-5 is already a classic, a testimony to the design talent of Eric Giroud. Unlike some Swiss watchmakers which now have their tourbillons manufactured in China, Rebellion does all its design and manufacture in Switzerland.

Only 12 REB-5 watches are produced each year and can be had in Red gold, titanium or black DLC titanium black alligator leather straps with double folding buckle.

There have been two diamond models of the REB-5 produced – a full (white) diamond and the black diamond, identical except for the color of the white gold 18 K cases.

In summary, I'm not sure what I found most astonishing in researching this article. The REB-5 is an extraordinary piece without the diamonds, yet with the craftsmanship involved in setting over 300 rare gems with what is essentially a press fit, it represents an astonishing feat.

The cost of a wristwatch approaching a million dollars is probably what will get the most attention. A number of people I mentioned it to commented that it was obscene that a watch could cost that much. One pointed out that you can purchase one of every model in the Porsche range and still have a half million dollars change, while another commented that you can buy entire islands for less. Still, at the extreme elite end of the jewelery and watch markets, a million dollar wristwatch is not without its precedents.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing for me at the end of the day, is that the religious reformation might still be having such a dramatic effect on the current day dress protocols for men.

"Pag-asa ng mga nakakalbo"

Researchers stumble on potential new treatment for hair loss

The mice before and after injections with astressin-B

It’s long been recognized that stress plays a role in hair loss and, although there have been numerous hair-restoration remedies emerge over the years, even legitimate medications such as minoxidil have only shown limited effectiveness. The UCLA-led team says their findings show that the chemical compound they have uncovered could provide long-term hair regrowth from a short-duration treatment.While conducting research into brain-gut interactions, a team led by researchers from UCLA and the Veterans Administration may have inadvertently stumbled across a new treatment for hair loss. During an investigation into the affect of stress on gastrointestinal function, the researchers believe they may have found a chemical compound that induces hair growth by blocking a stress-related hormone associated with hair loss.

Instead of looking for mice burdened with debt or in the process of moving house, for their research the researchers had been using mice that were genetically altered to overproduce a stress hormone called corticotrophin-releasing factor, or CRF. As these mice age, they lose hair and eventually become bald on their backs, making them visually distinct from their unaltered counterparts.

The UCLA and VA researchers then injected a peptide called astressin-B, which has the ability to block the action of CRF, into the bald mice to observe how its CRF-blocking ability affected gastrointestinal tract function. When the initial single injection had no effect the investigators continued the injections over five days to give the peptide a better chance of blocking the CRF receptors. They measured the effects of this regimen on the stress-induced response in the colons of the mice and placed the mice back in the cages with their hairy counterparts.

Three months later the researchers returned to the mice to conduct further gastrointestinal studies and found they couldn’t distinguish them from their unaltered brethren as their previously bald backs were now covered in hair.

"When we analyzed the identification number of the mice that had grown hair we found that, indeed, the astressin-B peptide was responsible for the remarkable hair growth in the bald mice," said Million Mulugeta, an adjunct professor of medicine in the division of digestive diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a corresponding author of the research. "Subsequent studies confirmed this unequivocally,” he added.

Particularly noteworthy was the fact that just one injection a day for five consecutive days was enough to maintain the effects for up to four months.

"This is a comparatively long time, considering that mice's life span is less than two years," Mulugeta said.

Whether the same effect happens in humans remains to be seen, but the researchers say the fact that the bald mice also showed mild hair growth when treated with minoxidil alone, as is the case in humans, suggests that astressin-B could also produce hair regrowth in humans. In fact, it is known that the stress-hormone CRF, its receptors and other peptides that modulate these receptors are found in human skin.

UCLA and the Salk Institute have applied for a patent on the use of the astressin-B peptide for hair growth.

HP unveils new webOS smartphones

HP's new webOS smartphones – the HP Veer and Pre 3

As a way to shoehorn its way into the smartphone market, last April HP acquired Palm along with its webOS mobile operating system. Obviously keen to see a return on its US$1.2 billion investment HP today unveiled three new mobile devices running webOS – a 9.7-inch tablet called the TouchPad and two new smartphones, the pint-sized HP Veer and the third generation Pre, called predictably enough, the HP Pre 3.

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HP Pre 3

The business-oriented Pre 3 retains a similar form factor to the original Palm Pre, which became the first device to use webOS at its launch in 2009. There’s the familiar rounded corners and vertical slide out keyboard, but HP says Pre 3’s backlit keyboard is the largest and widest on any webOS phone to date. The display has also been improved with the Pre 3 sporting a 3.58-inch multitouch screen with 480 x 800 pixel resolution. A 5-megapixel rear-facing camera provides 720p HD video recording, while a new front-facing VGA camera enables video calling.

A 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor provides the grunt for true multitasking with users able to switch between multiple open applications without closing anything. The Pre 3 is available with 8 or 16GB of memory, which can be used to store files that can be easily transferred to or from PCs or other devices via a USB mass storage mode. The device supports 802.11 b/g/n and can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five devices. There’s also Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo, integrated GPS and A-GPS, proximity sensor, compass and support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta.

The HP Pre 3 measures 111 x 64 x 16 mm (4.37 x 2.52 x .63 inches) and weighs 156 g (5.5 oz). HP will offer HSPA + and EVDO Rev A world phone versions of the phone when it is released later this year.

HP Veer

With a form factor “the size of a credit card and no thicker than a deck of cards” the everyday consumer-oriented HP Veer looks like a Pre 3 that has been hit with a shrink ray. In a market dominated by slab of glass smartphones, HP is hoping to attract consumers looking for something a bit different. Measuring just 54.5 x 84.0 x 15.1 mm (2.1 x 3.3 x 0.6 inches) and weighing in at 103 g (3.6 oz) the Veer is the smallest phone to run webOS to date.

The Veer is powered by an 800MHz Snapdragon processor and sports a 2.57-inch, 320 x 400 pixel resolution multitouch screen. It sports many of the same features as the Pre 3 including the vertical slide out keyboard and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, but there’s no front-facing camera, A-GPS or compass. Still, not bad for a phone of this size.

The HP Veer will come in Tri-band UMTS and quad-band GSM/EDGE world phone varieties when it is released in a few months.

HP is yet to announce pricing and carriers for both the Veer and the Pre 3.

Building a 15-story hotel in less than six days

hotel in less than six days

Building a 15-story hotel in less than six day

China's impressive building credentials have been in the news regularly over the past few years, particularly those in evidence at the Shanghai World Expo andBeijing Olympic Games. The most recent example of the striking capability of the Chinese building industry took place in Changsha, Hunan province a few months ago. China’s Broad Group showcased their rapid building technology by constructing the 15-story Ark Hotel in less than six days. Using a team of 200 workers the structural framework was erected in just 46.5 hours and the external cladding and internal non-structural surfaces were completed in another 90 hours.

The Ark Hotel used one sixth the material of an equivalent sized building with a cost saving of 20% while still being able to withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. In addition the building uses several technologies to result in energy efficiency five times that of comparable buildings. This includes triple pane windows, external solar shades, 6 inches of thermal insulation, heat recovery ventilation, and LED lighting systems. The plan is to construct 15 similar structures in China and 30 more in other countries.

To be fair, the foundations and other below-ground construction were completed prior to starting the clock and the construction system makes significant use of prefabricated components produced in a dedicated factory, so the “time cost” of these aspects of the process have been left out of the six day figure. But even taking those caveats into account the speed from ground level to 15 stories is certainly impressive as shown in the video below.

The Broad Group and its rapid building technology first came to international attention when they constructed a pavilion for Shanghai’s World Expo in one day! The following video shows that remarkable feat and also showcases some of the innovations integral to the building approach.

While it is undoubtedly the speed of construction that will bring this building technology to the attention of developers worldwide it is the environmental aspects that are, I believe, most impressive. Energy efficiency, reduction in material use and building waste minimization are all of paramount importance if we are to build a sustainable human environment into the future.

LG to unveil world’s first 3D smartphone

LG to unveil world’s first 3D smartphone

LG to unveil world’s first 3D smartpho

The 3D bandwagon continues to gain momentum, if not followers, with the news LGplans to unveil the world’s first 3D smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2011 later this month in Barcelona. The LG Optimus 3D will pack a glasses-free LCD panel as well as a dual-lens camera for capturing 3D images and vides to help address the current lack of 3D content. It will also feature 3D-capable HDMI 1.4 and DLNA connectivity options for sharing 3D content.

As evidenced by Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS, mobile devices can offer glasses-free 3D as they only need to create a “sweet spot” for a single user, unlike larger display3D TVs that rely on glasses to create the 3D effect for multiple users over a wide viewing area.

It will be interesting to see what specs the Optimus 3D will be sporting. All will be revealed at a special press event on February 14 at Mobile World Congress.