One day in the construction of the Burj Khalifa

This should have been posted earlier, but since that Burj Khalifa has opened and I've been able to witness the surrounding area transform from sandy rubble to completed landscaping, it is interesting to watch the time-lapse video of Burj Khalifa below to see the number of people that were involved in preparing the Burj Khalifa to open on time. It is also important to note that the number of workers you see in the video below was not just for the push for opening, but rather a regular sight throughout the construction of the building. It is reported that there were 7,500 workers at the Burk Khalifa.

Make sure to take note around the 42 second mark - you can clearly see the workers take a lunch break and a nap on the grass.

Driving of the Roof of a tunnel!

Mercedes Benz recently launched its new SLS AMG car - beautiful car. They then posted a video showing what it is capable of - defying the common rules of physics - but not really - go fast enough with a car that can create enough downforce and you can go upside down. It is said that a F1 car can go upside down at 120 kmph due to the amount of downforce the cars create.

The SLS AMG doesn't create the amount of downforce a F1 car does - but it too can drive on the roof of a tunnel.



The Twingo presumably creates even less downforce than a SLS AMG - and at the hands of Jeremy Clarkson, it too can do the same.

Burj Dubai / Burj Khalifa

The world's tallest building was officially opened on January 4th, 2010 in Dubai, UAE. Formerly known as Burj Dubai, the 828 Meter (2,717 ft) building was renamed as the Burj Khalifa during the opening ceremony. The building, which is currently the worlds tallest man made structure, was named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan - The President of the UAE and the ruler of Abu-Dhabi. There are many speculations as to why the name was changed at the last minute, but we shall leave that out of this post.

Skidmore, Owings and Merril are the architects of the Burj Khalifa. They are also famous for the Sears Tower (Willis Tower) - Chicago, the Jin Mao Tower - Shanghai. The building's design has been influenced by a flower (don't know the name) and also has Arabic design influences.

Below is a video from the launch ceremony. I will post more pictures shortly.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone. Hope you have a great 2010!

2009 Dubai Auto Show

Auto shows are like big toy stores - except you can't really buy most of the toys and you aren't allowed to touch even more of them and most likely, you just can afford a lot of them.

Going to the 2009 Dubai Auto show would make you forget about any recessions the world might be facing - or that the recent financial scare in Dubai never happened.

There were more "Dubai'd" out cars than I've ever seen before. More high end tuners than ever before. More supercars than ever before. Bugatti even brought 3 special edition Veyron's to the event - this was apart from the 3 others on display by different dealers. Below are some of the pictures, you can find more at my Dubai Auto Show 2009 Album

Lexus LFA Car 14 - V10 - 500hp - Ran in the Nurburgring 24 Hr Endurance Race

Zenvo ST1 - 7 ltr V8 Turbo and Supercharger - 1,104 HP!

Kepler Motors Motion

550 hp engine for the rear tires - Modified Ford Ecoboost (!) twin turbo 3.5 liter V-6

250 hp electric motor for the front tires - Lithium Ion Batteries

Total 800 hp - estimated o-100 kph is under 2.5 seconds and 200+ mph top speed

2012 BMW M1 Homage - Concept

Brabus E-V12 - 789hp - Top Speed of 230mph (368 kph) - One of 10 being made

Mercedes Benz SLS AMG

Bertone Mantide - ZR1 Engine (!)

Shelby Super Cars Ultimate Aero II - Fastest Production Car in the world

top speed - 414 kph!

Bugatti brought along the Sang d'Argent, Soleil de Nuit and the Nocturne - All beautiful cars!

Lots of good cars and a spotting of Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid al Makhtoum - My first ever live spotting of Dubai's famous Ruler!

Burj Dubai

I am certain there are millions of pictures of the Burj Dubai. Being the tallest man made structure in the world, draws a lot of attention to the building. Living very close to the building has enabled me to take many pictures of the Burj Dubai. The more I look at the building, the more amazed I am by it and the more I like it. Here is one of my newer photos of the completed structure - Scheduled to open to the world on January 4th 2010.

Diwali

I was lucky enough to be able to spend Diwali in India for a second consecutive year. Diwali cannot be truly experienced unless it is experienced in India! Diwali in India is like Christmas in most other places. People are happy, there are lights everywhere, children running around lighting fire crackers! Its great! Just watch out for the sneaky fire cracker that some kid lit and ran away!