Google Street View – Where’s Wally?

March 2009, Google first launched its street view and for a bit of Googley-fun-ness, they announced that they have dressed a man as Wally (or Waldo as others may know him as) with a striped red and white jumper and hat, and of course like the Where’s Wally series, is hidden somewhere in crowd of Street View.

As soon as this was announced, web users teamed up to find Wally, looking through millions of images captured by the cameras on Google’s cars.

Shortly after, Wally was located by the Google Sightseeing team, who announced their find on Twitter. “Here’s Wally! Google announced that Wally was somewhere in the UK Street View, and we found him in London.” The people from the sightseeing team had as much as an idea to his location as everyone else, they tracked him to Putney High Street in south-west London standing outside an O2 phone shop, where he can clearly be seen waving at the camera, wearing the standard Where’s Wally clothes. You may wonder why he is standing outside the O2 shop of all places? Well this is because he was obviously buying himself an iPhone!

A more recent update to Google Street View has gone live, which means 98% of the UK’s road are now mapped. So basically this means that the road your house is on is most likely covered via Street View, and you will be able to see your curtains of your own house. Let’s just hope you weren’t doing a naked pose out of the window at the time!

I was searching Street View the other day to find places I knew of and I went to look for a friend’s house, only to discover that his road was one of the 2% that isn’t covered by Street View… it’s a shame really, he lives in a pink house!

Some people have found pictures of themselves on the Street View maps, which became an identity issue as they captured photographs of people without their consent. Google simply blurred the faces of all the people to solve this issue. Also they blurred the number plates of cars to ensure individuals could not be identified.

The History of Driverless Cars:

Driverless cars come in two categories; autonomous and automated, the difference lies in its ability to be controlled by something or whether it has self-governance. Driverless cars really do belong in what I imagine as the world of the future, alongside robot butlers and a Windows Operating System that doesn’t crash.

However it seems Driverless or autonomous cars aren’t actually that far off with some companies even releasing fully functioning, semi-autonomous cars. Now this does excite me, who doesn’t love the idea of jumping in your car and sitting back as it travels you across the country to wherever you’re heading, but how far away are we actually from this is dream? What steps have we already reached and what’s to come? Well that’s what we’re here to find out; below you’ll see a timeline of these achievements.

First we have to look at the pioneers in this automotive field, pushing the boundaries, trying to reach an otherwise impossible dream. The 1920’s saw inventors take their first test run with the “linrrican Wonder”, debuted Houdina Radio Control, it was a radio-controlled driverless car and was shown traveling through a traffic jam in New York City. The controlling came from a second car directly behind sending radio impulses which were received by an antenna and sent the signals to circuit-breakers that controlled small electric motors to direct the car’s movement. As with all futuristic ideas, the time at which those in the past thought the technology would exist was way off, like Back To The Future’s predictions of hover boards in 2015, Norman Bel Geddes in the 1930’s thought the 1960’s would be the era for the automated car, this was sadly not the case.

The 1950’s saw some further testing and advancements in this field but the 1980’s were the next significant era in reaching the dream of a driverless car. In this year, Mercedes trailed a vision-guided robotic van on an open road which achieved a speed of 39 mph. EUREKA also started the first real project aimed at creating autonomous vehicles from 1987 to 1995, it was called the Prometheus Project. The ALV, or Autonomous Land Vehicle, project in America carried out the first example of a car following a road that used computer vision and autonomous robotic control, it reached up to 19 mph, using newly developed technology from numerous scientific powerhouses including the University of Maryland.

In 1987 with the ALV, HRL Labs displayed the first off-road map and sensor-based autonomous navigation going 2,000+ feet at 1.9 mph on difficult terrain. However 1989 saw the biggest development, Carnegie Mellon University displayed the use of neural networks to steer and control autonomous vehicles, this would form the building blocks of contemporary control plans.

Throughout the 1990’s, as I was but a child, scientists were developing more and more vehicles and technologies to go further, faster and more autonomously than ever before. These included the Carnegie Mellon University’s Navlab project or “No Hands Across America” In 1995 which completed a 3,100 miles cross-country journey this was actually semi-autonomous though as the throttle and brakes were human-controlled for safety purposes. The ARGO Project started in 1996, was a huge leap for the autonomous car journey, it used a modified Lancia Thema to follow a normal motorway’s lane markings. It travelled 1,200 miles in Italy, averaging 56+ mph. The vehicle had just two black-and-white low-cost cameras and used stereoscopic vision algorithms to learn its environment.

Post 2008 saw the next wave of major achievements.  In 2009 Ford brought the next gadget in the driverless car repertoire to their vehicles by producing those with a self-parking system as standard. Since 2010 Google has been working on driverless cars but in 2012 their self-driving car transported its first user, a blind man and say their self-driving car will be available to the public in less than 5 years. By 2013 Google’s self-driving cars travelling over 500,000 miles. In this same year Nissan and Mercedes stated they will commercialise the driverless car by 2020. Mercedes also debuted a vehicle driving 62 miles in numerous areas including cities, villages and motorways.

In late 2015, Tesla finally broke down the prototype/commercialized barrier with the Model S, unlike previous cars which were all either prototypes or unrealistic, the Tesla combined sleek looks with a smooth driverless system. The vehicle needs you to keep your hands on the wheel ready to react to any problems it can’t handle and in turn is actually 92% driverless, for example it’s unable to stop at traffic lights. The car with just 2 pulls of the cruise control will take over the vehicle and display its knowledge of the lane. The Tesla keeps control by using ‘Side Collision Avoidance’, ‘Auto Lane Changing’ and like many other vehicles these days, automatic parallel parking.

A huge example of the significance and the realistic possibility of the driverless car would be the passing of legislation specifying and restricting these vehicles. In 2000 Bill Clinton ordered selective availability turned off in the GPS, making civilian GPS more accurate. In 2001 the US Congress tried to make 30% of combat vehicles autonomous by 2015. In 2012 Nevada becomes the first US state to license self-driving cars and in 2013, NHTSA release a levelling system of 1, 2, 3 & 4, a naming convention for different categorization of autonomous cars.

What plans are there for the future? Well in Europe, The Royal Academy of Engineering has said by 2019 there will be unmanned autonomous vehicles travelling across Britain’s motorways through traffic, controlled by a network of laser-radar, sat-nav and cameras. Tesla has said that their Model S isn’t their last endeavour into the world of autonomous vehicles and say in two years’ time they’ll have a 100% driverless car, a very big statement but it seems if anyone is capable, it’s Tesla.

So from the humble beginnings of the radio controlled linrrican Wonder to the technical, self-aware and refined nature of the Tesla Model S, the driverless car is far from that of a distant dream. The world of automotives and robotics are pairing up and displaying more and more impressive leaps in this area each and every year. Plenty of newer vehicles having self-parking capabilities, cruise control and self-braking and with technology becoming exponentially more powerful it’s only a matter of time until we have the fully autonomous vehicle.

Awaiting with Patience..!!

Happy Father's Day...!!

Father's Day is held on the third Sunday in June to celebrate and honour fathers. And while the first Mother's Day was celebrated in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation making Mother's Day the second Sunday in May, a Father's Day did not become official until 1966. 

The History of Father’s Day

Who invented Father’s Day? While there are at least two or three different people credited with that honour, most historians consider Sonora Smart Dodd, of Washington State, to be the first person to have proposed the holiday in 1910.

Dodd's father was a civil war veteran named William Smart. Her mother died giving birth to her sixth child so that left William Smart a widower with five children to raise on his own. When Sonora Dodd married and had her own children, she realized what a tremendous job her father had done in raising her and her siblings as a single parent.

So after hearing her Pastor give a sermon about the newly established Mother's Day, Sonora Dodd suggested to him that there should also be a Father's Day and proposed that the date be June 5, which is her father's birthday. However, Pastor needed more time to prepare a sermon, so he moved the date to June 19, the third Sunday of the month.

Ways of Celebrating Fathers Day

One of the early ways established to celebrate Father's Day was to wear a flower. Sonora Dodd suggested wearing a red rose if your father was still living, and wearing a white flower if your father was deceased.

Later presenting him with a special activity, gift or a card became commonplace.

Dodd spent years campaigning for Father's Day to be celebrated nationally. She commissioned the help of men's goods manufacturers and others who might benefit from a Father's Day, such as the makers of ties, tobacco pipes, and other products that would make for a suitable gift for fathers.

In 1938, a Fathers Day Council was founded by the New York Associated Men's Wear Retailers to help with the widespread promotion of Father's Day. Still, the public continued to resist the idea of a Father's Day. Many Americans believed an official Father's Day would be just another way for retailers to make money since the popularity of Mother's Day boosted the sale of gifts for mothers.

Making Fathers Day Official

As early as 1913, bills had been submitted to congress to recognize Father's Day nationally. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson pushed to make Father's Day official, but couldn't muster enough support from Congress. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge would also recommend that Father's Day be observed, but did not go so far as to issue a national proclamation.

In 1957, Margaret Chase Smith, a senator from Maine, wrote a proposal that accused Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while only honoring mothers. It wasn't until 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson finally signed a presidential proclamation that made the third Sunday of June, Fathers Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon made Fathers Day a permanent national holiday.

What Do Fathers Want

Forget about snazzy ties, cologne, or car parts, what Fathers really want is family time.

According to a Fox News report, "About 87 percent of dads would rather have dinner with the family. Most fathers don't want another tie, as 65 percent said they would rather get nothing than another tie." And before you go running out to buy mens cologne, only 18 percent of dads said they want some kind of personal care product. And only 14 percent said they want automotive accessories.

Golden lines..!!

1. Don't educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be Happy. So when they grow up they will know the value of things not the price.

2. "Eat your food as your medicines. Otherwise, you have to eat medicines as your food."

3. The One who loves you will never leave you because even if there are 100 reasons to give up he/she will find one reason to hold on.

4. There is a lot of difference between_human being_and _being human._A Few understand it.

5. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die. In between, You have to manage...!

6. If u want to Walk Fast, Walk Alone..! But if u want to Walk Far, Walk Together..!!

7. Six Best Doctors in the World-

1.Sunlight

2.Rest

3.Exercise

4.Diet

5.Self Confidence &

6.Friends

Maintain them in all stages of Life and enjoy healthy life.

8. If you see the  moon ..... You see the beauty of God ..... If you see the Sun ..... You see the power of God ..... 

And .... If you see the Mirror ..... You see the best Creation of GOD .... So Believe in YOURSELF.....

We all are tourists & God is our travel agent who already fixed all our Routes Reservations & Destinations.

So Trust him & Enjoy the "Trip" called LIFE...

Amazing Story..!! Don't Lose Hope..!!

Dr. Abraham, a well known cancer specialist, was once on his way to an important conference in another city where he was going to receive an award in the field of medical research.

He was excited about the award and so boarded a plane to the venue. However, two hours after the plane took off, it made an emergency landing at the nearest airport due to a technical problem.

Afraid that he would not make it in time to the conference, he immediately went to the reception to make enquiries. He found out that he would have to wait ten hours for the next flight to his destination! He rented a car and drove himself to the conference city which was four hours away.

Soon after he left, the weather changed and a heavy storm began.

The downpour made it difficult for him to see so he missed a turn he was supposed to take.

Driving in the heavy rain on a deserted road, feeling hungry and tired, he frantically began to look for any sign of civilization. He came across a small tattered house and knocked on the door. A beautiful lady opened the door. He explained his situation and wanted to use the lady's telephone but she had no telephone. She however asked him to come inside and wait till the weather improved. The doctor who was hungry and exhausted accepted the offer. The lady offered him something to eat and drink.

She asked him to join her in prayers but he declined. According to him, he believed in hard work, not in prayers! Sitting at the table and sipping his tea, the doctor watched the woman pray many times beside a baby's crib. Feeling that the woman might be in need of help, the doctor asked her what exactly she needed from God and asked if God ever listened to her prayers.

When he inquired of the child in the crib, the woman explained that her son was down with cancer. And they had been advised to see a doctor named Abraham who could cure him but she did not have enough money to afford his fees.

She said that God had not yet answered her prayers but said that God would create some way out one day.  She added that she would not allow her fears to overcome her faith!

Stunned and speechless, Dr. Abraham began to weep! He was forced to say out loud, "GOD IS GREAT" and recollected to the woman, all the sequence of bad events: malfunction on the plane, a thunderstorm and how he lost his way.  All of which had happened because God answers prayers,  wanted to give him a chance to come out of his bondage of materialistic career pursuit and give some time to a poor, helpless woman who had nothing but rich prayers!

Oh! What a God!

God may not answer your prayers YOUR WAY but he will always answer HIS way.

Behind the scenes, he will move men, the weather, events, circumstances, etc. in order to work out the best for you!

Do not stop trusting!

Do not stop hoping!

God is busy planning your dancing this year!

Hold on!

Hold out!

Look up daily! 

This touched and still touches me. I hope it touches you too.

Great indeed are your works O Lord.

Happy Morning!

*Success Is A Journey!!!*

Success is a journey, not a final destination. Successful people may go through lot of difficulties and face lot of challenges but they don't refer them. They ignore the thought of failure.

Overcoming personal barriers and recognizing our own dreams and moving towards the goal passionately is success.

It is a mixture of commitment, passions, perseverance & never give-up attitude on never  ending journey.

Our success depends on how well we can execute the opportunity available to us. 

Believing in ourself and feeling that we are already successful is the secret of success.

*LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE AND BE READY TO EXPLORE IT!!!*

 *Happy Day!*  

*Feel good now and rest of the day, and make your tomorrows magnificent!*

*God bless you !*

Exactly..!!

Sunburn Remedies:

Have you ever wanted a way to get rid of that pesky sunburn or simply wanted a few moments to relax without that burning pain? Look no further! Here are 10 strange ways to deal with that dreaded sunburn.

1. How about a milky bath?
   It has been known for people suffering with sunburn to resort to filling an entire bath with milk and to climb in! By taking the milk straight from the fridge the coolness will help to soothe the heat and the milk will then create an extra layer of protein on the skin to help protect it. If you don’t want to sit in a bath of milk, try getting a flannel and soaking it in milk. Lay the flannel across the inflicted area and let the milk soak in.
2. What about patting potatoes?
   The patting potato technique has been used worldwide and is actually a very popular way of helping sunburn, although that does not stop it being very strange. Take a couple of potatoes, and cut them into small pieces. Place them in a blender, and blend. Once they are in a liquid form, pat the burned area with the potato mixture. Let it all dry and then take a shower to get it all off! The potatoes are said to be great for pain relief.
3. Would you like some vinegar?
   This sounds super painful, putting vinegar onto sunburn. However, people for hundreds of years have used vinegar to help heal the skin. There is no research to show us what it is that helps heal the skin but after taking a cool shower, spraying apple cider vinegar onto the area and letting it dry apparently helps the skin to heal.
4. How about a nice corn-starch mixture?
   This works well with corn-starch or baking soda. Adding water and mixing until reaching a paste like consistency. Put this onto the burn and leave until the pain has lessened. Make sure you rinse it off thoroughly. Both of these can help rid the pain and also have an ability of lessening the redness.
5. Would you like some porridge?
   It has been said that avenanthramides, which is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound found in oats helps to soothe the skin. Ground a cup of unflavored oats until it reaches a smooth consistency. Add this to some bath water. Make sure to rub the mixture over the burn also and wash off thoroughly. You can also add some egg whites to the mixture if you fancy!
6. Frozen veg?
   This is a very common and strange way to deal with sunburn. By simply going to the freezer, grabbing a big bag of frozen peas, sweetcorn or whatever it is that takes your fancy. Wrapping that in a tea towel, and placing it on the burn. The coolness will help to soothe and relax the burned area. However, you may have to move it every so often to stop you going numb and maybe replace the veg for a different one before it defrosts completely!
7. How about a nice cold ice cube?
   This is a very simple way of dealing with sunburn however you would probably look very odd if someone saw you! Take an ice cube or a few ice cubes and place them into a small cloth so they don’t stick to your skin. Rub this on the inflicted area and replace as and when it is needed. This will help to soothe and cool the area.
8. Yoghurt?
   Using non-fat yoghurt and applying it to the area is a natural and relaxing way to deal with sunburn. Again this is another one that will make you look very strange if any one sees you, however you will get immediate pain relief from that lovely yoghurt.
9. Lettuce sounds like a plan!?
   Grab some lettuce out of the fridge and boil the leaves in water. Let the liquid cool in the fridge for several hours and then apply to the skin. This will help soothe the sunburn.
10. Tea bags for your eyelids?
    This is the strangest way to deal with your sunburn but it is also known to be very healing. By letting the tea bags soak in cool water, this lets the tannic acid in black tea to be released. Then simply place the teabags on the eyelids. This will help reduce swelling created by sunburn and will remove the heat and pain you are feeling.

Some of these strange ways to deal with sunburn are certain to help you in times of desperate burning need. They also allow you to have a little snack alongside the pain! However, maybe it’s best to avoid getting sunburn rather than have a smelly milky bath, or smelling like vinegar.

Exactly..!!

Quotes of the day..!!

Phobias Beginning With The Letter A:

Here is the complete list of funny phobias that begin with the letter A. My favorite would have to be Allodoxaphobia, which is the fear of opinions!

Ablutophobia: Fear of washing or bathing.

Acarophobia: Fear of itching or of the insects that cause itching.

Acerophobia: Fear of sourness.

Achluophobia: Fear of darkness.

Acousticophobia: Fear of noise.

Acrophobia: Fear of heights.

Aerophobia: Fear of drafts, air swallowing, or airborne noxious substances.

Aeroacrophobia: Fear of open high places.

Aeronausiphobia: Fear of vomiting secondary to airsickness.

Agateophobia: Fear of insanity.

Agliophobia: Fear of pain.

Agoraphobia: Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places. Fear of leaving a safe place.

Agrizoophobia: Fear of wild animals.

Agyrophobia: Fear of streets or crossing the street.

Aichmophobia: Fear of needles or pointed objects.

Ailurophobia: Fear of cats.

Albuminurophobia: Fear of kidney disease.

Alektorophobia: Fear of chickens.

Algophobia: Fear of pain.

Alliumphobia: Fear of garlic.

Allodoxaphobia: Fear of opinions.

Amathophobia: Fear of dust.

Amaxophobia: Fear of riding in a car.

Ambulophobia: Fear of walking.

Amnesiphobia: Fear of amnesia.

Amychophobia: Fear of scratches or being scratched.

Anablephobia: Fear of looking up.

Ancraophobia or Anemophobia: Fear of wind.

Androphobia or Arrhenphobia: Fear of men.

Anginophobia: Fear of angina, choking or narrowness.

Anglophobia: Fear of England or English culture.

Angrophobia: Fear of anger or of becoming angry.

Ankylophobia: Fear of immobility of a joint.

Anthrophobia or Anthophobia: Fear of flowers.

Anthropophobia: Fear of people or society.

Antlophobia: Fear of floods.

Anuptaphobia: Fear of staying single.

Apeirophobia: Fear of infinity.

Aphenphosmphobia: Fear of being touched.

Apiphobia: Fear of bees.

Apotemnophobia: Fear of persons with amputations.

Arachibutyrophobia: Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.

Arachnephobia or Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders.

Arithmophobia: Fear of numbers.

Arsonphobia: Fear of fire.

Asthenophobia: Fear of fainting or weakness.

Astraphobia or Astrapophobia: Fear of thunder and lightning.

Astrophobia: Fear of stars or celestial space.

Asymmetriphobia: Fear of asymmetrical things.

Ataxophobia: Fear of disorder or untidiness.

Atelophobia: Fear of imperfection.

Atephobia: Fear of ruin or ruins.

Athazagoraphobia: Fear of being forgotten or ignored or forgetting.

Atomosophobia: Fear of atomic explosions.

Atychiphobia: Fear of failure.

Aulophobia: Fear of flutes.

Aurophobia: Fear of gold.

Auroraphobia: Fear of Northern lights.

Autodysomophobia: Fear of one that has a vile odour.

Automatonophobia: Fear of ventriloquist’s dummies, wax statues – anything that falsely represents a sentient being.

Automysophobi: Fear of being dirty.

Autophobia: Fear of being alone.

Aviophobia or Aviatophobia: Fear of flying.

Twenty Remarkable Facts About Reese’s:

Who in the world doesn’t like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? Whoever they are, they’re either allergic or just never heard of Reese’s! The peanut butter inside thin cup-shaped shell of milk chocolate is known & loved by many. Other than the fact that “it tastes good”, what facts do you actually know about the candy? Well, here’s the only twenty remarkable facts about Reese’s you’ll ever need to know!

1. The Reese’s candy was introduced in the year 1928.
2. The man who created the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup was a farmer, by the name of Harry Burnett Reese.
3. Reese was a former shipping foreman and dairy farmer for Milton S. Hershey, the founder of Hershey’s chocolate.
4. Reese started working for Hershey’s in 1917, however, several years later, Reese left his job to engage in his own candy business.
5. Harry Reese gained his inspiration to start his business from working in the chocolate factory section of The Hershey Company.
6. The original name for Reese’s candy was “penny cups” due to their price at the time being only one cent in the early 1930’s.
7. There have been over 20 variations of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, that had been sold as limited edition cups for various occasions, such as; Christmas, Halloween & Valentine’s Day.
8. The largest Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup weighs 8oz, and is sold in packs of two on the official Reese’s site for anybody to buy.
9. The candy has its own special holiday, ‘I Love Reese’s Day’, and is celebrated across the U.S. every year on May 18.
10. Approximately 40,000 fans joined an online campaign in 2011 to make ‘I Love Reese’s Day’ an official holiday for the candy.
11. Reese’s makes enough Peanut Butter Cups in one year to feed one cup to every person in the USA, Japan, Europe, Australia, China, Africa & India.
12. There are over 25,600 people in the United States called Reese – slightly off-topic fact, but still interesting!
13. When Reese’s was introduced, the population of the U.S was 120,509,000. Today the population is approximately 311,000,000.
14. Reese’s enterprise started humbly in his basement.
15. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are one of the most popular candies sold in the U.S during Halloween time.
16. Reese died only a few days before his 77^th birthday, without seeing his candy become one of the most popular candies in the U.S.
17. The fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth is Arachibutytrophobia – try pronouncing that one!
18. Reese’s only reese-ently started being distributed to other countries such as Australia and the UK.
19. E.T’s favorite candy in the 1982 movie were Reese’s Pieces!
20. In 1963 – seven years after Reese’s death, six (of twelve) of Reese’s sons decided to sell the family business to The Hershey’s Chocolate Company for $23.5 million.

Why Do We Give Chocolate on Valentine’s Day?

The 14th of February is Valentine’s Day – a working holiday, which is celebrated worldwide. While seemingly over commercialised, the sales of many items, such as aftershave/perfume, big red balloons, cards, chocolate, jewellery, lingerie and plush toys sky-rocket (along with the prices).

These gifts are almost seen as traditional.

Just a cool fact to get us started… February is the time when chocolate factories reach an all-time high in sales and production.

But why do we give chocolate?

Chocolate is supposed to symbolise affection, attraction, deep love, luxury, passion and sensuality. Some scientists have undertaken various studies and seen that chocolate is also an aphrodisiac.

It increases the desire and energy levels. Endorphins are released. And as Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods said in Legally Blonde (2001) said, “Endorphins make you happy.”

Chocolate comes from “Theobroma cacao” tree, which in Greek translates as to “food for the Gods”. People see this message and realize that if it’s good enough for the Gods, it must be good for my boy/girlfriend.

It has a huge psychological and emotional effect on people. It can show a sincere apology, express delight and happiness, initiate desire, reflect love, rekindle friendships and uplift morale.

With all these benefits to humans and an incredible taste, why shouldn’t you give chocolate to someone you hold near and dear to you this Valentine?

Interestingly, there is a tradition in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, known as White Day. On the 14th February, women give men their gifts. On the 14th March the men then give their gifts, usually, white chocolate chip cookies, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie and marshmallows. A general rule states that the return gift should be double, or triple the cost of the Valentine gift.

Facts About Emilie de Ravin:

Since 1999, Emilie de Ravin has been making a name for herself in the acting industry. After making her big break on the Emmy Award winning TV show Lost, she moved on to another popular show, Once Upon a Time. This Australian beauty has also acted alongside many big names in movies, such as Robert Pattinson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Johnny Depp, while holding her own. As she continues her career and growth, here are 30 facts about Emilie de Ravin to satisfy your curiosity.

1. Emilie de Ravin is 35 years old. She was born on December 27, 1981 in Victoria, Australia. This makes her zodiac sign a Capricorn.
2. Her surname, de Ravin, is often misunderstood as “raven” like the bird. However, it is of French origin and means “of the ravine.”
3. Her only siblings are her two older sisters who are at least 15 years older than she is.
4. Growing up, she studied ballet full time, starting at Christa Cameron School of Ballet when she was 9, and later attended The Australian Ballet School when she was 15.
5. After ballet school, she attended the National Institute of Dramatic Arts – where Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving had also attended.
6. When she was 18, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. She was only in LA for a month before she landed her first role as Tess Harding in the TV show “Roswell.”
7. When she would post on forums, her username was “Diva Duck,” however she was mostly active during the airing of Roswell.
8. Emilie’s biggest TV role as Claire Littleton on the hit show ‘Lost,’ loves peanut butter – which is unintentionally ironic because Emilie de Ravin is allergic to peanuts. In reality, her biggest weakness is actually chocolate.
9. While filming Lost, her character Claire Littleton was not in season 5, but returned for season 6. Because of this, Emilie didn’t watch season 5 while it was airing – she decided that if her character didn’t know what was going on, she shouldn’t either.
10. Her favorite burger place is Umami Burger; while her favorite food is sushi.
11. For both Lost and Once Upon a Time, she was originally only cast as a recurring character. She was on Lost for 5 out of 6 seasons, and became a main character on Once Upon a Time starting in season 2.
12. When auditioning for Lost, she originally read for the role of Shannon Rutherford.
13. While filming her labor scene in Lost, she had an obstetrician on set to help ensure her acting was as real as possible.
14. Even though she started acting in the U.S. in early 2000, she didn’t receive her green card until 2004, which made accepting jobs difficult until then.
15. As of 2017, Emilie’s net worth is $12 million.
16. In 2003, she married actor Josh Janowicz, however they didn’t have a ceremony until 2006. After separating and reconciling three times, they officially divorced in 2014.
17. Her favorite books are the Harry Potter series.
18. In 2015, she co-starred in the drama film, The Submarine Kid, which was directed by her then boyfriend, Eric Bilitch.
19. During filming of season 5 for Once Upon a Time, Emilie de Ravin was pregnant, and shots mostly consisted of her upper body.
20. On March 12, 2016, Emilie de Ravin had her first child, a girl, with her partner, Eric Bilitch. They named her Vera Audrey de Ravin-Bilitch. Shortly after, she and Bilitch became engaged.
21. Emilie’s favorite TV show is Friends.
22. She’s complained about the American scouring sponges for cleaning pots and pans, and has her mother ship her sponges from Australia because they’re more durable.
23. Emilie owns a house in Los Angeles, CA, where she lives when she isn’t flying to and from filming locations.
24. The only known body modifications she has is a tongue piercing and a tattoo on her wrist. The tattoo says “Bella,” a tribute to her miniature poodle who passed away.
25. Despite what most people think, Emilie de Ravin is a smoker.
26. Emilie wore a wig for season 1 of Once Upon a Time, dyed her hair for seasons 2-5, and then went back to using a wig for season 6.
27. All around, she’s a small person – she stands at 5’2 (1.57 m) and her shoe size is 6.5 U.S.
28. During her spare time, Emilie has said one of her favorite things is gardening, and considers herself a homebody.
29. Emilie is a strong advocate for animal rights and is often encouraging people to adopt from a shelter through her Twitter, @emiliederavin.
30. On January 21, 2016, Emilie, along with her partner and daughter, participated in one of the famous Women’s March in Washington D.C.

Bumblebee Bat Facts – The World’s Smallest Bat:

Not only is the Bumblebee bat, (or Kitti’s Hog Nosed Bat as it is also known as) the world’s smallest bat, but it is also the worlds smallest mammal. These cute little creatures are just 29 – 33mm in length, and have a wingspan of approximately 170mm and weigh a tiny amount of 2 grammes! Below is a collection of some of the most interesting facts about the worlds smallest mammal.

1. Their upper part of their body is normally a reddish/brown or grey colour, whilst their underside is pale in colour.
2. They have dark coloured wings with long tips that enables them to hover in the air.
3. A Bumblebee Bat’s diet consists of mainly insects.
4. On their face they have a pig-like nose, small eyes and large ears. They have a large web of skin between their back legs, known as the “uropatagium”. This gives them assistance when in flight.
5. They are most active at dusk when they fly around teak trees and clumps of bamboo capturing insects.
6. The Bumblebee Bat is found in areas in Sai Yok National Park in the Kanchanaburi Province of western Thailand. They have also recently been discovered in Myanmar.
7. They live in small colonies of around 10 – 100 individuals high up in limestone caves in forested areas near rivers.
8. Very little is currently known about their reproduction. It is believed that they give birth to a single young at the end of April each year.
9. The Bumblebee Bat is named so, because of its similar size to a large bumblebee.
10. They were first discovered by the Thai biologist, Kitti Thonglongya, in 1973.

Goliath Frog Facts – The World’s Largest Frog:

We’ve all heard those fairy tale stories about a princess who kisses a frog and it turns into a handsome prince, well, if that frog was the world famous Goliath Frog, it would probably turn into a WWE pro wrestler! That’s because the Goliath frog (Conraua Goliath) is actually huge – it’s the largest of the frog species found on Earth and can grow up to 12.5 inches or 32 centimetres in length and weigh up to 7.2 pounds (3.3 kilograms).

1. The Goliath Frog can be found in the areas of Cameroon and Guinea, near waterfalls and rivers.
2. Goliath frogs are primarily nocturnal.
3. They sit and wait for prey on the nearby rocks and logs.
4. Their diet consists of primarily bugs, small crustaceans, other amphibians and even fish. However, whatever it can get hold of that’s smaller than itself, may wind up in its belly.
5. The female of the species is smaller than the male, which is unusual regarding frogs.
6. When it’s time to breed, the males will actually make a nest of rocks before doing battle with other males to capture a female’s attention. Once the male has the female and they breed, the male goes off on his merry way, leaving the female to fend for the eggs and young.
7. The tadpoles are independent and dine on only plants found in the area of the rivers and waterfalls.
8. Due to deforestation, the animals are endangered, as their populations are decreasing.
9. Their backs, or dorsal sides is covered with green and the underside is yellow orange.
10. Goliath frogs possess excellent hearing.
11. Goliath frogs are very fast swimmers and use their long tongues to capture prey.
12. Their skin can come in a variety of arrangements, allowing them to blend in with the environment as effective predators – as well as escape from predators.
13. An unusual feature is that the Goliath frog doesn’t have a nuptial pad which is found on the forearms of the males that help with holding a female during reproduction.
14. With its huge bulk, the Goliath frog can still leap a distance of 10 feet!
15. Goliath frogs don’t croak or make sounds – as they have no vocal chords.
16. An unusual delicacy of the Goliath frog are bats. They catch and eat them.
17. Goliath Frogs breed during July and August.
18. It takes about 3 months for the tadpoles to develop into Goliath frogs and they reach maturity at 10 to 12 months.
19. They don’t breed well in captivity and are difficult to keep alive, however, they can live to be 15 years old in the wild and over 20 years old when they do survive in captivity.
20. Their size makes them a sought after tasty treat by crocodiles, large lizards and snakes.

Basically, the Goliath Frog is a real unique creature. Being the world’s largest of the species makes them a prime target for pet collectors. People around the world pay good money for one of these frogs, however, the difficulty in taking care of them means the majority of owners soon get disappointed when the frog doesn’t survive. It’s due to the fact that it is far too difficult to duplicate the Goliath Frog’s natural environment. Temperature, substrate, diet, it turns into a kind of care only top specialists can achieve.

On the other hand, due to their dwindling numbers in the wild, collectors can lend a helping hand if they do achieve a better survival rate in captivity, especially when it comes to breeding. These creatures rarely, if ever breed in captivity, and if the species is to survive, someone is going to have to come up with a better series of solutions, and fast!

Teeny-Tiny Ant Facts:

Ants may be tiny creatures, but they have a lot more to them than meets the eye. What they lack in size they make up for in intelligence, cleverness, and other surprising qualities. Some aren’t even that tiny! So, let’s look at these twenty interesting facts about ants!

1. It has been estimated that there are approximately ten trillion ants living on Earth at any given time.
2. The largest ant ever discovered measured was the Titanomyrma Giganteum. It was 2.4 inches with a wingspan of 6 inches.
3. Some species of ant have no need for males. The species Mycocepurus Smithii, are completely made up of females. Their queens are able to reproduce clones and do not need to reproduce normally.
4. Ants have been around since the age of dinosaurs. The ant species first evolved approximately 130 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period.
5. Ants are pretty tough. They have survived one mass extinction event already. About 65 million years ago when the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event happened, the collision between the earth and a large heavenly body ended the age of the dinosaurs, but spread ant specimen across the globe. This even, in a way, only made the ants stronger.
6. Army ants do not have permanent homes and farm like other ants, but instead they gather food during periods of migration.
7. Some worker ants are given the job of cleaning trash or unwanted items from the nest and taking them outside to designated trash piles – Ants are so clean!
8. The biomass of all the ants around the world is equivalent to the biomass of all human beings around the world.
9. The human brain consists of 10,000 million brain cells and an ant brain has 250,00 brain cells. 40,000 ant brains all together could make up for one human brain.
10. Ants can form super-colonies that can stretch for miles. Ant colonies have their own chemical profiles that helps ants determine if an ant is part of the colony or a stranger. An example of a super-colony, where ants sharing the same chemical profile cover a wide area, would be the Argentine ants. These ants inhabit every continent in the world except Antarctica.
11. Don’t let worker ants fool you into thinking that all ants are hard working individuals. Turns out fire ants are very prone to dozing off. Worker fire-ants have about 253 minute long sleep episodes a day. Fire ant queens sleep 92 times a day and 6 minutes each time. A little over 9 hours of nap time for the queen, almost 5 hours for her subjects.
12. Soldier ants protect their nests by plugging the entrances with their heads.
13. Some ants can support 50 to 100 times their own weight. Even while hanging upside-down on the underside of glass.
14. Ants began farming 50 million years before human beings. About 70 million years ago the earlier ants began farming fungus. They even secreted antibiotic chemicals onto their fungus crop and fertilized it with manure.
15. Ants have the longest lifespan of any insect – 30 years!
16. Male ants normally only live to mate with the queen ant and afterwards they die.
17. Ants can have their own slaves! Sometimes a queen ant will kill the queen of another colony similar to her species and use its workers to bring in her eggs. Other times an ant colony will steal eggs from other nests and raise those ants to be workers for the colony.
18. Termites and ants are often confused. The difference between the two is that Ants are thin in the middle and Termites are not.
19. Some species of ant are venomous and the most venomous ant known is the Harvester ant. It’s even the most venomous of all insects.
20. There is a fungus called Ophiocordyceps, that infects an ant until the infection reaches the ant’s brain. When the infection is in the brain the fungus takes control of the ant’s mind. The fungus will make the ant go to a leaf and clamp its mandibles into it while the fungus develops. Eventually spores eject from the ants exoskeleton, infecting more ants.