Hasta La Gadget!

KIEV, June 28 (Reuters) – Three members of the Ukrainian military were killed on Saturday when pro-Russian separatists attacked their post near the eastern flashpoint city of Slaviansk with small arms and mortar fire, a military spokesman said.

The reported attack on the post manned by members of the government’s “anti-terrorist operation” took place despite a government ceasefire, which was extended on Friday until Monday night.

“As a result of the (rebel) fighters shooting at the post near Slaviansk, three members of the Ukrainian forces were killed and a fourth was wounded,” the spokesman, Oleksiy Dmitrashkovsky, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

President Petro Poroshenko announced the extension on Friday night, partly at the urging of some European leaders, after returning to Kiev from a European Union summit in Brussels where he signed a landmark free trade pact.

(Writing By Richard Balmforth; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

If you’re an adrenaline junkie, or just like to watch people do INSANE things on YouTube, you’ve probably heard of Garrett McNamara and his world-record setting ride of a 100ft wave. That’s about the size of a ten story building. The wave, however, might weigh even more.

McNamara makes it look easy. Effortless, if you will. And whenever surfing is on the big screen, it often appears just as graceful and carefree. (I mean, just look at the Johnny Tsunami cover! That kid is having a BLAST!) If you talk to anyone who surfs in real life, they will tell you the adrenaline rush doesn’t come solely from the fact that you are seemingly standing on water. It mostly comes from the fact that surfing might be one of the most dangerous sports in the world.

Obviously, the danger of sharks is self-explanatory. Then there’s the possibility of drowning. The actual surfboard itself can destroy a surfer with its blade-like fin and pointed tip. Combine that with leash tangles, sharp reefs, and rip currents, plus the hundreds more I could list, and that adorable kid’s movie about a surfing penguin becomes more of a horror film.

Now, take ALL of those dangers that come with surfing in perfect ocean conditions, and add them to the waves that appear with treacherous ocean storms. Riding waves that are over 20ft in height and completely unpredictable cause the risk level to skyrocket. A risk level that scares even the most experienced surfers out of the water.

However, surfers Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones see it as more of an adrenaline rush. Which is why they are hell-bent on finding and riding the biggest waves on the planet. Nicknamed “Storm Surfers,” these dudes are the storm chasers of the sea, going to the ends of the earth to ride waves no one else dares to try. And while this might lead you to believe they are absolutely insane (and they might be), they are absolutely brilliant when it comes to being aware of their surroundings, and knowledgeable about what they are getting themselves into.

Ross Clark-Jones at Shipsterns Bluff in Tasmania. Photo: Andrew Chisholm

One thing they are deeply informed about are the waves themselves. It’s difficult to deny how absolutely breathtaking a big wave can be, but what kind of power does it pack?

Watch how Storm Surfers calculate their risks in the video below:

When looking at an average big wave, each cubic meter of water weighs about 1 ton. If the wave is about 10 ft tall and the lip (top) of the wave is about 20 ft long, the wave itself weighs about 410 tons, which is equal to about 315 small cars.

That fact alone makes every ride the Storm Surfers take even more terrifying, and every calculation made while riding the wave can literally be the difference between life and death. Even if the sea bed isn’t the typical rocky reef, a sandy bottom is essentially concrete when 315 small cars of water are crashing down on top of you.

Surfing is scarier than it looks, but the bottom line is, respect the ocean. There are risks, just as there are with every sport. But if you surf smart and surf safe, the high that comes from riding on one of the most powerful forces of nature is completely worth it.

Decorate your backyard to look like Westeros. Outfit yourself like your favorite character. Get these Game of Thrones LARP weapons. Then you are ready to battle. Soft foam, prepare to meet week nerd flesh!

These GoT foam replica weapons will let you fight for the Iron Throne, while not getting butchered. You can choose Ned Stark’s Ice, or Jon Snow’s Longclaw.

If you are going to whack at each other with swords, they might as well look epic and awesome. You can use these while you make your own Sweded version of the show. Let me know when it is finished, I want to see that. These nerd beaters will cost you $89.99 – $94.99(USD) from ThinkGeek.

For some, each new school year brought a about a specific kind of dilemma. No, we aren’t talking about picking out what to wear on the first day, we mean choosing a new Trapper Keeper. To stoke those flames of indecision and nostalgia, the folks at…

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were on their way to a hospital in Sarajevo, when a young nationalist pulled out his gun and fired shots at short range. Gavrilo Princip, a 19-year-old Bosnian Serb, hit the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne in the jugular vein. When the young man then tried to kill the Austrian governor of Sarajevo, he hit Sophie instead.

One month after the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, triggering what would become known as one of the most gruesome wars in European history.

Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie Chotek boarding a car just prior to his assassination in Sarajevo. (AP Photo)

An artist’s rendition shows the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his Sophie, The assassin, Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, left, of the group Black Hand, was captured. (AP Photo)

A Bosnian Serb nationalist, believed to be Gavrilo Princip or one of his co-conspirators, second from right, is captured by police and taken to the police station in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, June 28, 1914, after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. (AP Photo/Walter Tausch)

Front page of of Czech Daily ‘Narodni Listy’ carrying the news about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. (/AFP/Getty Images)