TheContaminated - Cool Pictures, Weird Pictures, Funny Pictures

Celebrities Get Renaissance Make-Over

Administrator — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:26:58 +0000

Old renaissance paintings are amazing to have fun with, mix them up with some pop cultural stuff, or what? In a contest named “Modern Renaissance” held by Worth1000 several renaissance paintings were photo manipulated with faces of very known actors and actresses.If you are a renaissance fan you will maybe recognize some of the paintings. For me they look all the same, but this project is awesome. They have really done a great job, and users have even ranked the best and worst. The first place went to Gemma Arterton. Check out the photos, what do you think, who should have won?

Gemma Arterton

Penelope Cruz

Orlando Bloom

Natalie Portman

Christina Ricci

Johnny Depp

Amanda Seyfried

Penelope Cruz

Kevin Bacon

Kate Winslet

Natalie Portman

Leonardo DiCaprio

Gillian Anderson

Scarlett Johansson

Top 5 Things Not To Miss in Prague

Administrator — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:35:08 +0000

Prague is an ancient city with full of contrasts. The large number of contrasts makes the city more interesting, appealing as well as more magical. The architectural splendors that every year invites huge number of travelers to Prague are constructed with pride as well as to offer the modern generation a quick glimpse of the past. This shows how superbly the city blends a melancholic feeling with a strong sense of beauty. With imposing and beautiful churches, castles, countless art galleries and quaint streets, restaurants and museums, Prague is able to everything that a tourist could ever probably wish for. However, owing to its excessive popularity among international tourists it is always advisable for you to find out detailed information about Prague Tourism prior to visiting the place.

Zizkov Tower

The Zizkov Tower serves as the modern landmark of the city. The construction of the tower was started in the year 1985 and in 1992 the structure was finally completed. From the tower one can get the spectacular view of the Prague skyline. It is 216 meters in height and includes a restaurant, café and observation decks.

Dancing House

Dancing House was designed by Vlado Milunic and Frank Gehry, who are very famous architects in the year 1996. The former Czech President and playwright, Václav Havel, had an intense fondness for ultramodern structural design and was involved in the contentious design of the Dancing House. The building is completely unique and is totally different from the other neo-Gothic, neo-baroque as well as art nouveau structures for which the city is renowned.

Pubs

The traditional pubs of the Prague normally serve inexpensive beer and selected local spirits, whereas the contemporary bars serve wide varieties of international and Czech beers, spirits, cocktails and wine. They also serve mouth watering traditional Czech cuisines.

Museum of Medieval Torture

Prague Museum of Medieval Torture is certainly not a place for the faint hearted. This one of a kind museum includes more than 60 torture devices, which were used during the Middle Ages, in the various European countries. The descriptions of the devices are given in English, Czech as well as other popular languages.

Prague Castle Guards and Ceremony

The Prague Castle is considered to be one of the most popular tourist attractions. The castle is believed to be the biggest medieval fortress complex in the entire Europe. Most tourists prefer to visit the castle during afternoon hours in order to watch the castle guard changing ceremony.

The best time to visit city is between April and October, when the Prague weather remains sunny and warm. In general the city enjoys four distinct seasons. Spring is the season mild temps and blooming flowers. Summer is the season of green and warmth, often accompanied by light showers. Autumn is described as a cool, crisp season, with occasional fogs and clouds. Winter is the coldest season with frequent snowfall.

9 Best Ever Investments

Administrator — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:54:34 +0000

We have created for your delectation, a list of the 9 best investments ever. Given that this is such a broad topic (does Eisenhower’s decision to invest in rail count? Or is it just companies!?), and given the fact that we simply don’t know the return on all investments in everything ever, our list cannot be said to be exhaustive. Bearing that in mind though, these are sterling examples of incredible investments that showed huge amounts of foresight, faith and focus. That, and a little bit of luck.

1. Goldman Sachs & ICBC

Goldman…

Back in 2006, Goldman Sachs spent a whopping $2.58bn (£1.68bn) for a measly 4.9% stake in Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ICBC. Sounds like a lot for a little, but apparently not. Three years later Sachs sold 20% of their stock (remember, $2.58bn initially) for $1.91bn (£1.25bn).

…Sax.

A year later, the investment bank sold 20% of their remaining stock for another $2.25bn (£1.46bn). Since then – and I don’t know if you’ve noticed this – there’s been a bit of a financial crisis. Well, they still managed to sell another $1.1bn (£0.7bn) of shares, and have still got a 2.2% stake in the company.

ROI x3.07

Source

2. Kleiner Perkins & Amazon

Amazon’s headquarters, or so we’re led to believe.

Now, this one works, but it works best if we pretend that it is still 1999. Cast your mind back. Will Smith is still cool. Everyone is excited about the millennium, despite the obvious fact that it isn’t really that exciting. Kleiner Perkins, those cunning foxes, currently have amazon.com stock that has risen by an incredible 55,000%. That’s a massive growth on investment. If only they’d sold it then, before it dropped like a stone!

ROI x41 (Currently)

Source

3. Kleiner Perkins & Netscape

Anyone else remember this?

1994 was a glorious year. America and Russia stopped aiming nukes at each other, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black President, and Kleiner Perkins invested $4m (£2.6m) for a 25% stake in a funny little company called Netscape.

Fast forward a few years – AOL, pioneers of dial-up internet, buy the company for a whopping $4bn (£2.6bn). Kleiner Perkins’ return on their $4m (£2.6m) is $1bn (£0.65bn). Ridiculous, frankly.

ROI x249

Source

4. Benchmark Capital & Ebay

It looks photoshopped, we know. It isn’t.

In 1995, a new venture capital firm called Benchmark was launched. They promised to revolutionise their industry by using teamwork (I know, it sounds dubious), and they had a focus on technology firms.

Good thing they did, too – in 1997 they spent $6.7m (£4.4m) on a company known as eBay. By 1999, their share was valued at approximately $5bn (£3.3bn), one of the best performing stocks and shares ever to grace the Valley.

ROI x746

Source

5. Sequoia & Kleiner Perkins & Google

Things have moved on since those early days.

Back in 1999, when Pikachu was cool and nobody had even heard of Osama Bin Laden, a pair of investment firms paid $25m (£16m) for a 20% stake in Google. Now, even for the promise of a decent return, $25m seems like a lot to stake. Google’s value at the time was around $125m (£81m). It subsequently grew to the point where ,in November 2008, Google’s market capitalisation was around $108bn (£70bn). A massive, massive, massive period of growth.

ROI x863

Source

6. Peter Thiel & Facebook

Not, in fact, a Christian cross stood in a gale.

Back in 2005, a man named Peter Thiel paid $500,000 (£325,000) for a 10% stake in a website called Facebook. At the time it was like MySpace, but nowhere near as good. Fast forward seven years – suddenly, MySpace is like Facebook but nowhere near as good. Oh, and Facebook is now worth not $5m (£3.25m) but $33m (£21m). His initial $500,000 investment will now have grown by around 6,000%, to be worth in the region of two or three billion dollars.

Now that’s money well spent.

ROI x6599

Source

7. Andy Bechtolsheim & Google

When it comes to investment, two heads are better than one.

And bodies, too.

Andy Bechtolsheim is a fascinating man who has managed to incorporate a very successful career working with computers in Silicone Valley with a very successful career investing in people that work with computers in Silicone Valley. King among these investments, and possibly all investments, was the $100,000 (£65,000) Bechtolsheim paid in 1998 (along with one other person) to fund a company called Google.

Now, it is 2012 and Bechtolsheim’s one hundred grand is worth a stonking $1.7 billion. His $100,000 (£65,000) is now worth seventeen thousand times as much as it was initially.

ROI – x17,000

Source

8. Major Banks & Capitol Hill

THIS is where to invest.

Teamwork pays. In terms of a return on investment, it’s pretty difficult to beat what the banks managed to achieve when, instead of going for each other’s throats, they decided to work together. “When,” I hear you cry with bug-eyed curiosity, slavering mouth agape, “did that happen?”.

Saving lunch money really pays off.

Well. In 2008, the companies that were the principal beneficiaries of the congressional bailout bill spent $77m (£50m) lobbying the government, in addition to $37m (£24m) in campaign contributions. That $77m (£50m) dollars was wisely invested in convincing our dear legislators that banks couldn’t possibly be allowed to fail.

They also managed to convince our dear legislators that the only really feasible option was to bail them out of any hole they happened to get themselves into. Money well spent? The companies involved were recipients of a $700 BILLION (£455m) bailout, giving them a return nearly 19,000 times their initial investment.

ROI – x18,917

Source

9. Ferdinand, Elizabeth and Columbus & South America

A board meeting at one of America’s more conservative investment banks.

This might not be an obvious choice, but it’s a lot more interesting than most investment stories. In 1492, Christopher Columbus needed investment. He had a harebrained idea that he could set sail in the wrong direction and reach India. The King and Queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Elizabeth, having refused funding for the last two years, finally agreed.

You’re investing in what now?

With his funding in place, Columbus set off. The silver that flowed back to Spain over the next 300 years, as it ruled South America, paid for armies, war and technology. The Potosi mines alone generated 8,200 metric tonnes of silver – worth, at today’s prices, around $9.7bn (£6.3bn).

ROI – x63,815

Source, source

What can we take away from this? It’s clear to say that if you want to get really, really rich, investing in new technology ‘before the curve’ is the way to go.

However if you want to get really, really, REALLY rich – conquer an entire resource-rich continent.

Antarctica anyone?

Fix of Awesome – Literal Name, Rocking Website

Administrator — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:40:59 +0000

We take our internets seriously around here. If you spent 12 hours in front of a shiny screen with keys and a mouse for your entertainment, chances are good that you’d take your (italicize “your”, please) internets seriously too.

So, what do you turn to when your entertainment is serious business (italicize “serious business, please)? That’s easy enough — websites that are seriously funny. Videos that bring the funny hard enough for you to want to share them with your friends — and maybe even your frenemies too.

As much as we hop from site to site to get what we want, it’s nice to be able to have a “go to” website that gives us what we want in a tidy, funny little package.

We’ve got another site to add to our funny list: Fix of Awesome. Yep, that’s right — literal website is literal, but it gets better. Sure, any site can tell you that they’re serving up your daily dose of fantastic humor, but Fix of Awesome takes it to a completely different level.

We know what you’re thinking: pics or it didn’t happen. No problem:

Those are all from the accompanying Facebook group for Fix of Awesome, but there’s also a Twitter account as well. The surprise bonus? Those profiles are updated daily — sometimes more than once a day, even. That means that there’s always something new to see. We’re liking that big time — one of our biggest gripes centers around websites that lure you in and then don’t update for who knows how long. You aren’t going to have to worry about that with Fix of Awesome.

With such fantastic content being offered from just the social media level, we knew that we in for a great time hopping over to the Fix of Awesome blog.

Paydirt almost instantly – a stunt driver taking his mom on a crazy ride? That’s crazy, funny, and downright awesome!

We spent some time just clicking through the archives and finding that there’s consistency with the site, which is something that a lot of humor sites don’t have. They might come on strong in the beginning but then there’s a period where they just leave you flat. Is that going to keep people sticking around? Probably not.

It’s pretty easy to make your way around the Fix of Awesome site, which is another plus in our book, as far as we’re concerned. If you’re not going to build a site where people can actually, you know, find things — then what’s the point? We had fun looking around Fix of Awesome, and we’re pretty sure that you will too!

Where do you go from here? Well, you can start with the Facebook profile if you want to get a feel for the main site’s offerings. You’ll also want to follow the Twitter account because there’s some cool stuff there. Your mileage will vary – just pray your boss has the same humor you do!

Time for your humor fix? You know where to go now – Fix of Awesome is where it’s at!

Google Science Fair – Best Competition For Young Scientists

Google Science Fair – Best Competition For Young Scientists

Administrator — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:22:57 +0000

Do you have in mind to become a scientist one day? Maybe your dream will come true with this awesome competition for young scientists all over the world. Google wants you from age 13 to 18 to submit your creative project on Google Science Fair’s website. Your scientific idea should be something that is relevant for the world today. The competition is very easy to enter, but you need to pay attention to the rules which you can read on Science Fair Website, Sponsored by Google.

It contains only some easy steps and forms to fill. The deadline for submitting your project is 4 April 2011 at 6 pm GMT, so you better hurry up or else you will not fulfill your dream. 60 finalists will be announced in early May, and their projects will be online so people can see them and vote for best project for “People Choice Awards”. The most exciting part that you are waiting for are of course the prizes: A 10 day trip to the Galapagos Islands with National Geographic Expeditions, a big scholarship, a meeting with important and known organizations, and much more. Read about all of the prizes and their details here.

Google Science Fair is all about encouraging young people to not forget about the beauty of science. It brings people together and can make unforgettable memories. If you need more information please visit Google Science Fair’s website. Submit your project as fast as you can, and we wish you lots of luck!

Cosplayers Mingle With They Video Game Characters

Administrator — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:35:21 +0000

This is just hilarious. You know Cosplay that is short for costume play, and if you don’t that is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea.

But what if these cosplayers got dropped into their favorite video games? It looks surreal because it obviously is, but it’s funny to see how it would look. It’s almost like their trapped in the video games, but they really doesn’t seem to care, they just play on with their role, imagining that they really are a part of it all.

Typography Representing Star Wars

Administrator — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:12:34 +0000

Who would have thought that letters and signs in different fonts could made such cool art work? This time we’re talking about Star Wars characters that are represented by only using typography. The people in H-75 Creative Station are those that are behind this amazing project, and you can get every piece on a huge poster, that would be a great decoration or gift to a younger friend.

Characters such as Yoda, Darth Vader and Stormtrooper are all featured in different letters and signs, but it works, it really resembles their look. The posters are really simple, but that is the whole trick of making them look unique. So Star Wars fans, you better wish one of these for you birthday, but I bet you’ll spend money on it anyway.

Via H-75.

Freezing Ice Hotel Inspired by Tron:Legacy

Administrator — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:49:35 +0000

You have probably heard about the new movie by name “Tron: Legacy”. It is an American science fiction film released on December 16, 2010. Now they have built an awesome tron legacy ice hotel designed by Ben Rousseau and Ian Douglas-Jones, and it is located in Sweden. It can remind of other ice hotels, it is just that this one is with tron theme with the blue lights that looks amazing with ice. They should also open a casino to try your chance there, or you can do it from a bed and take some online slots, your choice.

If you want to spend a night at the hotel you need to dress really warm, but you’ll get extra warm sleeping bags so don’t worry, you won’t freeze that much. The hotel was built in freezing temperatures; that had to be really hard I guess.

ASUS SonicMaster Laptop – A New Generation of Sound System

Administrator — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:13:42 +0000

Music is in the center for this new Asus laptop, also known as the SonicMaster. It’s like no other music laptop until now, and if you’re a music lover, this is definitely the right one for you. It has integrated an amazing and revolutionary sound system which offers a high quality sound, so in other words the multimedia performance is excellent. SonicMaster is developed by Asus audio experts “Gold Ear” in collaboration with the famous Bang & Olufsen.The sound that the system provides is so real that it in a way possesses a life of its own, and it can touches your emotions and motions for that matter. Not to mention the sleek and nice design of the laptops.

Something that goes very well with this laptop is their this great game that you can play on their new site featuring great sound performance with this game of music box. It is basically a game that contains 5 easy and fast steps. First you choose a character that you think fits you, then you upload your photo, and you have to make sure it is of your face. Then after you do that you record a tune, sort of a greeting or a short song, and after that you can write a short invite message that you at the end can send to your friends so they can try to play the game, or just share your performance on social networks like Facebook.

To clear it all up and explain what the result will be: The photo you chose is now imposed on the character which sings and dances the short tune that you recorded. People’s experiences say that it is hilarious to see your own face on a crazy dancing character, not to mention your voice, unless you have an amazing singing voice, which I know I don’t.

The game is perfectly describing the Asus SonicMaster laptop, because it is all about the music, and the coolest thing is that you can create your own little fun music performance that you and your friends will have good laughs over. And that is why we have accepted this sponsored post by Asus, because it is super awesome!

How Women Bands Looked Like a Few Decades Ago

Administrator — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:07:37 +0000

It seems that women in past have been as same active in the world of music and stage arts as they are today. Despite the fact we think that human society was way more conservative about forty or fifty years ago, women were trying to prove themselves as equal to man, probably more than today, and they wanted to be present in every kind of humans activity. Women bands weren’t so popular few decades ago but we could say that today’s world of music is shaped by women. Here you can take a look on how women bands looked like in past, some of photos are more than fifty years old.