The place not to be seen in

A new restaurant where diners eat in pitch black darkness has opened in London.

Customers at Dans Le Noir have no idea what they are eating, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The idea, based on a successful restaurant in Paris, is that not being able to see what you’re eating heightens the senses and liberates the taste buds.

All needs are catered for by partly-sighted or blind waiters, who serve the food and wine, guide you to your table and to the lavatory.

Anything that might shatter the blackness, such as a mobile phone display or burning cigarette, is forbidden.

“It is a sensual feast,” said Edouard De Broglie, the 43-year-old French entrepreneur behind the £800,000 venture in Clerkenwell.

“Your other senses are awakened by the dark. Your nose, fingers, ears make you face the reality of the taste of the food.

“You are sitting by people you don’t know. You don’t judge them by your first sight. You talk to them more in the dark, then you find out what they look like later.”

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from Ananova

Mandala Sand Painting

From all the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, that of painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite. In Tibetan this art is called dul-tson-kyil-khor, which literally means “mandala of colored powders.” Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks.

Traditionally most sand mandalas are destroyed shortly after their completion. This is done as a metaphor of the impermanence of life. The sands are swept up and placed in an urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water, where it is deposited. The waters then carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing.

MIT Team revamps energy system for fuel-efficiency

MIT researchers are trying to unleash the promise of an old idea by converting light into electricity more efficiently than ever before.

The research is applying new materials, new technologies and new ideas to radically improve an old concept — thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion of light into electricity. Rather than using the engine to turn a generator or alternator in a car, for example, the new TPV system would burn a little fuel to create super-bright light. Efficient photo diodes (which are similar to solar cells) would then harvest the energy and send the electricity off to run the various lighting, electrical and electronic systems in the car.

Battle Grounds 2 - Flash
Mix of RTS and Action styles. Protect your hero and his castle from the enemies.

The Little Buzzers - Episode 6 - Flash
Duncan and Greevil find a TV and watch an episode of Time Flies. Also, Dr. Kill-Kill has a message for our fans!

Super Biology Adventure - Flash
Shoot. Eat. Grow. Bosses! Eating enemy bullets also fills up your power meter, and fast!

Mayor used official credit card at strip club

A Chicago mayor is in hot water after he used his official credit card at a strip club.

New Lenox Mayor Mike Smith admitted using the card to pick up the £750 tab at VIP’s nightclub, reports NBC5.

He said he was on a bachelor party with about a dozen revellers but was the only one with the means to pay.

“It was just very poor judgment to put it on that card,” admitted Mayor Smith who said he had paid back the money.

“Naturally, when you’re out at a bachelor party having a good time, you’re going to find that… everyone has had a few drinks, and with drinks, sometimes discretion goes out the window.

“I’m no different than anybody else, I’m human. Nobody was stepping up to the table to pay the bill.”

Nancy Dye, a trustee on the village board’s finance committee, said a policy of allowing mayors to use official credit cards and and reimburse the money would be ended.

“As a member of the finance committee, I knew the mayor was using the credit card for personal uses, and we had asked him to stop doing that,” she said.

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from Ananova

the mini paintings

A portfolio of “mini paintings” by artist Jeremy Tinder

Librarians ban visible underwear

A Swedish school library is refusing to lend books to pupils if their underwear is showing.

Pupils of Tullbro School in Falkenberg do not have to wear a uniform but librarians are clamping down on some teenage fashions.

Children who wear hipsters which show off their underwear are not allowed to borrow books, reports Hallands Nyheter newspaper.

Wearers of baseball caps and beanies are also banned from using the library.

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from Ananova

Priest in trouble over sex tape

A Romanian priest is in trouble after his plan to discredit a local councillor by filming him having sex in church backfired.

Father Petrica Florea, 47, from Costesti, convinced a local 17-year-old girl to seduce Constantin Moise, 74, on the altar of a local church.

He filmed the sex session and then planned to show it to parishioners so he could discredit the councillor and take his job.

But his parishioners were so horrified they chased him out of the church and called police, Romanian daily 7 Plus reported.

A police spokesman said: “The priest wanted to make Moise resign because he wanted the position for himself.

“He wanted to discredit the councillor in front of other people. But all he managed to do was anger his parishioners.”

He added Father Florea was facing a criminal investigation on charges of attempted blackmail with a possible jail sentence if found guilty and would likely be expelled from the Church.

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from Ananova

a musical realization of the motion graphics of john whitney as described in his book “digital harmony”

animation and music by jim bumgardner of krazydad.com and coverpop.com

more detailed information can be found in this post