Forget about any Olympics inauguration ceremonies or any Fourth of July: The Burj Dubai is the tallest building in the world, and it got the highest fireworks too for its opening ceremony. So colossal you’ll think they are destroying it. The tower—which officially is 2717 feet tall (828 meters)—was inaugurated today, and the developers launched it with all they got. The people who attended the ceremony couldn’t stop cheering in awe.

Giz reader BushmanLA sent in a video of his kids trying to shoot down his flying R/C drone with fireworks. From the perspective of the UAV. Some of the shots look like they’re close, but all I can think about is how fucked we are when the Terminator thing goes down and all we have are sparklers. Videos like this make me think the liberal middle class (me) should think again about the NRA and shotguns. [ Pasqualy ]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser. To celebrate Independence Day, some guys thought that shooting fireworks from RC planes —using an electrical firing system—was a great safe idea. Judging by the music, however, it seems they were celebrating Hitler’s invasion of Poland. [ Hacked Gadgets ]

Here’s another clip from the Consumer Product Safety Commission that proves, once and for all, that it is not okay to point fireworks at family members. Happy July 4th everybody! [ CPSC ]

Hey everyone, just checking in to make sure your holiday is kicking off with a bang. But that you haven’t blown your face off with some giant aerial fireworks. Happy July 4th everybody! [ CPSC ]

Sega Toys is coming out with the Uchiage Hanabi , essentially a limited-function projector that shows fake fireworks on your ceilings or walls, complete with sound. You’ll be able to create your own “shows” with 55 different explosions which you can then take anywhere, as the device is designed to be portable—it takes AAA batteries for power and looks fairly diminutive. It’ll retail for around $160 when it’s released, but that release isn’t until August 1st. Releasing a fireworks machine, virtual or no, four weeks after both July 4th and Canada Day is like investing in pumpkins in mid-winter. [ Sega via OhGizmo ]

Lovers of pyrotechnics everywhere have always struggled with the quandary: what to do on a rainy day? Well, firebugs, get a load of this: Sega Toys Japan has heard your prayers and answered ‘em in the form of the Uchiage Hanabi. This is essentially a projector that displays ” fireworks ” on the walls and ceilings, with realistic movement and sound. And if that weren’t enough, you can create your own fireworks and program your own shows.

While prepping for our nation’s independence, we came across this excellent explanation as to how most basic fireworks function. The clip takes about a minute of your time and will imbue you with impressive knowledge for this July 4th . [ HowStuffWorks ]

In one of the funnest examples of merging animals with technology yet, these herders took to the hills of Wales to create huge sheep-driven LED displays . Baaaad ass! It’s blatantly a commercial (for Samsung LEDs), but hey - if that’s what it takes to get those crazy next-level herding abilities displayed, I’m all for it. The sheep reenact a game of Pong, fireworks, and line up to form a pretty dead on representation of the Mona Lisa. [ - Thanks Claudio! ]

During the Lantern Festival last month, one village in China celebrated the same way they have for 500 years—by throwing molten iron at a wall to create showers of make-do fireworks. The villagers of Nanchuan, China put on an hour-long performance each year called Da shu hua (beating the tree to produce flowers). The iron throwers are protected from all that molten metal by nothing more than a hat and a sheepskin coat. Is it dangerous? The throwers joked that it’s not, as long as you’re not afraid to die.