Imrul Hasan, Author at Revlox

China’s New Palm-Scan Payment System: Convenience or a Biometric Privacy Gamble?

18Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Technology

China’s New Palm-Scan Payment System: Convenience or a Biometric Privacy Gamble?

China has once again pushed the boundaries of financial technology. In a move that could redefine how we pay for everyday purchases, the country has launched a palm-scan payment system that allows users to make direct transactions by simply hovering their hand over a scanner. Using the unique vein patterns in a person’s palm, the system eliminates the need for wallets, bank cards, or even smartphones. The innovation promises speed, convenience, and frictionless transactions — but it also raises profound questions about privacy, security, and the implications of embedding biometric data into financial systems. How the Palm-Scan Payment System Works Unlike fingerprint or facial recognition systems, which rely on surface-level features, palm-scan technology maps the internal vein p...

HMS Dreadnought: The Battleship That Changed Naval Warfare Forever

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

History

HMS Dreadnought: The Battleship That Changed Naval Warfare Forever

In the early years of the 20th century, the world’s oceans became the stage for one of the most significant technological revolutions in military history. The launch of HMS Dreadnought by Britain’s Royal Navy in 1906 was not just the unveiling of a new battleship — it was the beginning of a new era. This single warship rendered all existing battleships obsolete and triggered an international naval arms race that reshaped geopolitics in the years leading up to World War I. The World Before HMS Dreadnought Before 1906, most major navies followed the "pre-dreadnought" design. These ships featured a mixed-caliber armament: a few large guns for long-range engagements, supported by a variety of smaller guns for medium and short-range combat. Propulsion relied on triple-expansion steam engine...

The 2,000-Year Mystery of Grafton High’s Mummified Head — And the Face It Revealed

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

archeology, History, Mystery

The 2,000-Year Mystery of Grafton High’s Mummified Head — And the Face It Revealed

In 1915, something unusual appeared in the quiet town of Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. It wasn’t gold from a prospector’s pan, nor was it some rare colonial relic. It was a human head — mummified, weathered, and shrouded in mystery. Delivered to Grafton High School under circumstances no one could clearly explain, the head spent over a century hidden in plain sight, locked away in a box in the school’s library. The story of this relic — part local legend, part archaeological puzzle — would remain an unsolved curiosity for generations. That is, until 2023, when a surprising investigation finally gave the woman behind the head her voice back. And what emerged from that inquiry was not just a clearer picture of the head’s origins, but an emotional connection to a real person who lived...

The Kraken: Separating Myth from Reality in the Legend of the Deep

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Myths

The Kraken: Separating Myth from Reality in the Legend of the Deep

For centuries, the Kraken has loomed large in the imagination of sailors, storytellers, and scientists alike. First described in Scandinavian folklore as a monstrous, squid-like creature capable of destroying ships and dragging sailors to their deaths, this legendary beast has become a maritime icon. Its enormous tentacles, rising from the depths to wrap around vessels, inspired equal parts terror and fascination among those who dared to venture across the world’s oceans. The origins of the Kraken legend can be traced back to at least the 13th century, when Norse sailors began telling tales of a sea monster so vast that it was sometimes mistaken for an island. As these accounts spread, so too did the speculation: Was the Kraken a mythical creation born of superstition, or was it based on ...

The Strange Case of Jeremy Dewitte: America’s Most Notorious Police Impersonator

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Crime

The Strange Case of Jeremy Dewitte: America’s Most Notorious Police Impersonator

In the world of true crime, there are stories about high-stakes heists, unsolved mysteries, and criminal masterminds who evade the law for decades. But then there’s the strange, almost unbelievable case of Jeremy Dewitte — a man whose alleged obsession with pretending to be a police officer has made him one of the most infamous figures in Florida law enforcement circles. In February 2021, Dewitte appeared on the nationally televised Dr. Phil show, insisting that he was not — and had never been — a police impersonator. He even agreed to take a voluntary polygraph test on camera to prove his point. But when the results came in, they were damning: the test suggested that Dewitte was lying. Just a month later, in March 2021, Dewitte was arrested yet again — this time for, you guessed it, imp...

Ancient Ocean Myths in Stone: The 3,000-Year-Old Mural Unearthed at Huaca Yolanda

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

archeology, Myths

Ancient Ocean Myths in Stone: The 3,000-Year-Old Mural Unearthed at Huaca Yolanda

In the arid, sun-baked terrain of Peru’s northwestern coast, an archaeological dig has uncovered a breathtaking piece of history that predates the mighty Inca civilization by more than two millennia. While excavating the Huaca Yolanda archaeological site, researchers recently unearthed a 13-foot-long, three-dimensional stone mural that has remained hidden for at least 3,000 years. The mural, exquisitely carved and once brightly painted, is more than just an artifact — it’s a glimpse into the minds, beliefs, and artistic mastery of one of Peru’s earliest complex societies. Its depictions of stars, fish-like creatures, and fishing nets speak to a world where the ocean was not just a food source, but a spiritual force. Some of these carvings still carry traces of vibrant yellow and blue pigm...

Jack Parsons: The Rocket Scientist Who Tried to Reach the Stars Through Science and Magic

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Weird World

Jack Parsons: The Rocket Scientist Who Tried to Reach the Stars Through Science and Magic

When you hear the term “rocket scientist,” you might think of a meticulous, white-lab-coated engineer hunched over calculations in a sterile lab. When you hear “occultist,” you might picture a robed figure in a candlelit room chanting arcane verses. Jack Parsons was both — a man whose story defies categorization and sounds almost too bizarre to be true. A pioneer in American rocketry, Parsons helped lay the groundwork for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the technology that would eventually put men on the Moon. Yet outside of his engineering achievements, he was deeply involved in the world of ceremonial magic, sex cults, and esoteric experiments inspired by British occultist Aleister Crowley. His life was a whirlwind of genius, scandal, and mystery — and his death in 1952 was as d...

Gary Webb and the Dark Alliance Controversy: The Reporter Who Took on the CIA and Paid the Price

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Crime

Gary Webb and the Dark Alliance Controversy: The Reporter Who Took on the CIA and Paid the Price

In 1996, investigative reporter Gary Webb set off one of the most explosive media firestorms of the decade. Writing for the San Jose Mercury News, Webb published a three-part investigative series titled "Dark Alliance" that alleged a disturbing connection between America’s crack cocaine epidemic and U.S. foreign policy in Central America. According to Webb, cocaine supplied by Nicaraguan traffickers allied with U.S.-backed Contra forces was sold in bulk to Los Angeles dealer “Freeway” Ricky Ross, who in turn distributed it through the city’s Crips and Bloods gangs. The profits from these sales, Webb reported, helped fund the Contras’ war against Nicaragua’s socialist Sandinista government — and the CIA, he suggested, turned a blind eye to the drug trafficking because it served U.S. geopol...

Juke Joints: The Grassroots Nightlife That Gave Black America a Refuge and a Soundtrack

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Culture, Music

Juke Joints: The Grassroots Nightlife That Gave Black America a Refuge and a Soundtrack

After the abolition of slavery in the United States, African Americans in the rural South faced a new reality that was still marked by economic hardship, systemic racism, and violent segregation. Amid these challenges, a cultural phenomenon emerged — juke joints — small, often makeshift venues where Black sharecroppers, laborers, and rural workers could gather to enjoy drinks, music, and dancing. These establishments, whether in tin-roof shacks, humble wooden houses, or open fields beneath the stars, became more than just places for entertainment. They served as safe havens from the daily humiliations and dangers of the Jim Crow South, and they played a critical role in shaping American music history. The Origins of Juke Joints The word juke (or jook) is believed to come from th...

Omertà: The Mafia’s Ruthless Code of Silence That Hid Its Crimes for Nearly a Century

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Crime, History

Omertà: The Mafia’s Ruthless Code of Silence That Hid Its Crimes for Nearly a Century

"Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without police protection is both."This chilling sentiment perfectly encapsulates one of the most unbreakable rules in organized crime — the Mafia’s code of silence, known in Italian as omertà. For generations, omertà was the Cosa Nostra’s most sacred commandment, a rule that demanded absolute secrecy about criminal activities. It didn’t matter if the information concerned an ally or a mortal enemy — once you swore loyalty to the Mafia, you never, under any circumstances, spoke to law enforcement. To do so was to betray the very foundation of the organization. Breaking omertà didn’t just bring death to the offender. In some cases, it meant retaliation against their family ...

The Case of Daniel Lingham: Britain’s Repeat Bird Egg Collector Who Amassed Nearly 3,000 Illegal Specimens

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Crime, Nature, Weird World

The Case of Daniel Lingham: Britain’s Repeat Bird Egg Collector Who Amassed Nearly 3,000 Illegal Specimens

In June 2023, British wildlife authorities once again found themselves dealing with a familiar name: Daniel Lingham, a 71-year-old man from Norfolk whose obsessive and illegal pursuit of wild bird eggs has made him one of the most notorious repeat offenders in the country’s conservation crime history. Caught on a wildlife camera stealing two nightjar eggs from a protected nature reserve, Lingham was soon linked to an astonishing cache of 2,995 eggs stored in his home — most of them belonging to protected species under the UK’s Wildlife and Countryside Act. For conservationists, the case is not only a disturbing reminder of the damage that illegal egg collecting can do, but also a testament to the challenges of stopping repeat offenders driven by what has been described as an addiction. ...

Atlantis: The Enduring Legend and the Real History That May Have Inspired It

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Mystery, Myths

Atlantis: The Enduring Legend and the Real History That May Have Inspired It

Few myths have captivated the human imagination like the story of Atlantis, the legendary lost city said to have sunk beneath the waves in a single day and night of catastrophe. For centuries, explorers, scholars, and dreamers have searched for clues to its existence, proposing locations from the Atlantic Ocean to the frozen expanse of Antarctica. While no definitive evidence of Atlantis has ever been found, the mystery endures — and some historians believe its story may be rooted in real events from the ancient world. Plato’s Account: The Birth of the Atlantis Legend The first known mention of Atlantis comes from the works of the Greek philosopher Plato around 360 B.C.E. In his dialogues Timaeus and Critias, Plato describes a powerful island nation located “beyond the Pillars of Hercu...

The 54-Year Mystery of “Midtown Jane Doe” Solved: Patricia Kathleen McGlone’s Grisly 1969 Murder

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Crime, Mystery

The 54-Year Mystery of “Midtown Jane Doe” Solved: Patricia Kathleen McGlone’s Grisly 1969 Murder

For two decades, she was known only as “Midtown Jane Doe” — a nameless skeleton found entombed in the concrete floor of a building in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. Her discovery in 2003 sparked more questions than answers. Who was she? How did she die? And who was responsible for her brutal end? Now, more than half a century after her murder, modern DNA technology has finally given her back her name: Patricia Kathleen McGlone. At the time of her death in 1969, she was just 16 years old. The circumstances surrounding her murder are as haunting as the decades-long search to identify her. The Shocking Discovery in Hell’s Kitchen In 2003, a demolition crew working in a building in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan made a grim discovery. Beneath layers of concrete flooring lay a hu...

Secrets of the Daisen Kofun: Newly Confirmed Artifacts from Emperor Nintoku’s Tomb

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

History

Secrets of the Daisen Kofun: Newly Confirmed Artifacts from Emperor Nintoku’s Tomb

In the heart of Osaka Prefecture lies one of Japan’s most awe-inspiring ancient monuments — the Daisen Kofun, a massive, keyhole-shaped burial mound believed to be the final resting place of Emperor Nintoku, who reigned during the 5th century. Spanning nearly 500 meters (1,640 feet) in length and surrounded by moats, it is the largest known burial mound in Japan and one of the largest in the world. For centuries, its mysteries have been protected by tradition, imperial authority, and the passage of time. Yet a recent discovery has shed new light on what lies within this colossal tomb. For the first time in over a century, researchers have confirmed that certain artifacts — a knife and fragments of armor — once buried alongside Emperor Nintoku have resurfaced outside of the mound. Their jo...

Frank Costello: The Real-Life “Godfather” Who Inspired Don Vito Corleone

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Crime, History

Frank Costello: The Real-Life “Godfather” Who Inspired Don Vito Corleone

When audiences first saw Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972), they witnessed one of the most iconic portrayals in cinema history. Brando’s soft yet commanding demeanor, his gravelly voice, and his quiet authority reshaped the image of the fictional mob boss forever. But behind this legendary performance stood a real-life inspiration — Frank Costello, the “Prime Minister of the Mafia.” Costello was one of the most influential figures in organized crime during the mid-20th century. Unlike many mob bosses of his era, he cultivated an air of refinement, preferring negotiation over violence, and leveraging political connections rather than brute force. His life story mirrors much of Don Corleone’s — from surviving an assassination attempt to operating behind the scenes w...

Old London Bridge: Six Centuries of History, Trade, and Gruesome Spectacle

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

History

Old London Bridge: Six Centuries of History, Trade, and Gruesome Spectacle

For more than 600 years, Old London Bridge was one of the most important structures in the English capital. Completed in 1209, it spanned the River Thames at a time when London was a bustling hub of trade, politics, and intrigue. More than just a crossing, it was a microcosm of city life — a place of commerce, defense, celebration, and sometimes grim display. From surviving the Great Fire of London to showcasing the severed heads of executed traitors, the bridge’s history is as fascinating as it is gruesome. The First Stone Bridge Over the Thames Before 1209, London’s river crossings were primarily wooden. These earlier bridges were vulnerable to fire, floods, and ice, often needing repairs or complete rebuilding. Determined to create something more permanent, Peter of Colechurch, a pr...

The Murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman: Inside the Trial of the Century

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

Crime

The Murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman: Inside the Trial of the Century

On the night of June 12, 1994, Los Angeles was shaken by a double homicide that would ignite one of the most sensational criminal trials in American history. Nicole Brown Simpson, the ex-wife of football legend O.J. Simpson, was found brutally murdered outside her Brentwood home. Beside her lay the body of Ron Goldman, a 25-year-old restaurant waiter and friend. Both victims had suffered savage knife attacks, with wounds so violent that they stunned even seasoned homicide detectives. The murders, and the high-profile trial that followed, became a cultural phenomenon — a case where celebrity, race, domestic violence, and the media’s growing appetite for spectacle collided in unprecedented fashion. The Night of June 12, 1994 At around 10:15 p.m., neighbors in the upscale Brentwood neigh...

The Merchant Royal: The Legendary “El Dorado of the Seas” Lost Off England’s Coast

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

History

The Merchant Royal: The Legendary “El Dorado of the Seas” Lost Off England’s Coast

In the annals of maritime history, few shipwrecks inspire as much fascination and speculation as the Merchant Royal. Known as the “El Dorado of the Seas”, this 17th-century English merchant vessel sank in 1641 near the Isles of Scilly, taking with it an immense fortune: 100,000 pounds of gold, along with silver and precious goods. In today’s terms, the gold alone would be worth approximately $1.3 billion — making it one of the richest shipwrecks in history yet to be recovered. The Merchant Royal: A Jewel of the English Merchant Fleet The Merchant Royal was built in 1627 in London, during a time when England was expanding its commercial and naval reach across the world. This was the golden age of long-distance trade, when merchant vessels plied routes between Europe, the Americas, and A...

Louis Zamperini: From Olympic Track Star to WWII Survivor

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

History, Sports

Louis Zamperini: From Olympic Track Star to WWII Survivor

Some people live lives so extraordinary that they read like the plot of a Hollywood film. Louis Zamperini was one such person. Born into a world of hardship, he overcame a troubled childhood to become an Olympic athlete. But his most remarkable achievements came not on the track, but in the crucible of war — where he endured unimaginable suffering as a prisoner of war during World War II, and emerged with a story of survival, resilience, and redemption that has inspired millions. Early Life: A Boy Meant to Run Louis Silvie Zamperini was born on January 26, 1917, in Olean, New York, to Italian immigrant parents. The family later moved to Torrance, California, where Louis grew up as an adventurous — and often mischievous — boy. His early years were marked by a streak of defiance and an i...

The Unsinkable Molly Brown: The Titanic Heroine Who Defied the Odds

15Aug

By Imrul HasanNo Comments

History

The Unsinkable Molly Brown: The Titanic Heroine Who Defied the Odds

When people think of the Titanic disaster, images of the icy Atlantic, doomed passengers, and stories of tragic loss often come to mind. Yet, amid the sorrow, a few remarkable stories of courage and determination shine through. Among the most legendary is that of Margaret “Molly” Brown — a woman whose fearlessness, compassion, and sheer force of will earned her the nickname “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” While her portrayal in James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic brought her story to modern audiences, the real Molly Brown’s heroism far exceeded Hollywood dramatization. On April 14, 1912, when the Titanic began its descent into the North Atlantic, she not only fought for her own survival but also worked tirelessly to save the lives of others, refusing to bow to fear or despair. Early ...