Archive for category World

Our Gorgeous Sky: Terje Sorgjerd’s Observations from El Teide, Spain’s Highest Mountain

Between April 4th and 11th 2011 Terje Sorgjerd took his camera and visited Spain’s highest mountain El Teide(3718m). During the visit he filmed the hell out of the spectacular view he found. While he was there, a sandstorm hit the Sahara.

That is when something beautiful happened:

Interestingly enough my camera was set for a 5 hour sequence of the milky way during this time and I was sure my whole scene was ruined. To my surprise, my camera had managed to capture the sandstorm which was backlit by Grand Canary Island making it look like golden clouds. The Milky Way was shining through the clouds, making the stars sparkle in an interesting way. So if you ever wondered how the Milky Way would look through a Sahara sandstorm, look at 00:32.

Official site
http://www.facebook.com/TSOPhotography
http://twitter.com/#!/TSOPhotography

Press/licensing/projects contact: terjes@gmail.com

Music by: Ludovico Einaudi – “Nuvole bianche”

Music by my friend: Ludovico Einaudi – “Nuvole bianche” with permission.
Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments

Focus: 2011 Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami

We’ve noted several articles, photographs and videos in the time since learning of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week. If you follow our Twitter(also noted to the right side of this Newsmine) you’ll get some of this information real-time.

Now here are the other links we’ve noted in the last few days.

Help Japan
Signalnoise created a Help Japan poster(which is now sold out) in order to raise money for disaster relief.

Canada: Text REDCROSS to 30333 to donate $10
USA: Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10
Ireland: Text REDCROSS to 57500 to donate €5

There is a Reuters article that suggests if you want to help Japan that you should focus your efforts on the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders or Save the Children.

We leave it to you to decide how best to contribute aid.

More photos, videos and articles under the cut.
Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments

LEARN: C. G. P. Grey Explains the United Kingdom in Under 6 Minutes

Check out Grey’s Blog for the entire script.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments

In Antarctica: Lake Vostok, the Ancient Lake.

Lake Vostok is located in Antarctica under four km of ice. It is one of the largest sub glacial lakes and is approximately 250 km long and 50 km wide, with depths around 510m. Lake Vostok has been covered by the vast Antarctic ice sheet for up to 20 million 20 million years. After 30 years of drilling through the ice, the scientists announced that they are 100 meters away from the lake surface

via geology rocks

, , , ,

No Comments

Thank You, Internet: Summing Up What’s Going on in Egypt

News sources:
Mapping Egypt’s ‘day of wrath’
Anger in Egypt Spotlight
Egypt cracks down on mass protests as Mubarak dissolves government

via @shawnjdouglas

, , , ,

No Comments

Infographic: The History of ABC Animated

Below is a screencap of an animated gif denoting the history of ABC.

Click the image or here to see actual animation.

Image via @iA

, , , , ,

No Comments

The Ghost Cities of China as Seen by Satellite

As reported by Business Insider:

One red flag is the vast number of vacant homes spread through China, by some estimates up to 64 million vacant homes.

We’ve tracked down satellite photos of these unnerving places, based on a report from Forensic Asia Limited. They call it a clear sign of a bubble: “There’s city after city full of empty streets and vast government buildings, some in the most inhospitable locations. It is the modern equivalent of building pyramids. With 20 new cities being built every year, we hope to be able to expand our list going forward.”

Recent statistics show that there are about 64 million apartments and houses that have remained empty during the past six months, according to Chinese media reports. On the assumption that each flat serves as a home to a typical Chinese family of three (parents and one child), the vacant properties could accommodate 200 million people, which account for more than 15% of the country’s 1.3 billion population. But instead, they remain empty. This is in part because many Chinese believe that a home is not a real home unless you own the flat.

And so people prefer buying to renting, and as a result, the rental yield is relatively low.

Many many more photos at the source.

via business insider: 1, 2

, , , , , , , ,

No Comments

Crocodile on a Plane Deadlier than Snakes. Causes Plane Crash

Crocodile Smile.jpg

Scientific American reports that wildlife smugglers will do anything for a buck. A crash back in August was not caused by a lack of fuel but from a crocodile. The future suitcase was smuggled onto the plane and somehow got free.

This illegal activity reached a devastating and absurdist extreme recently when a man reportedly smuggled a live crocodile onto a plane departing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The crocodile got loose, the crew and passengers panicked, and the plane crashed, killing 20 people.

Oddly enough, the crocodile survived the crash, only to be hacked to death by machete-wielding locals on the ground.

via october in whitechapel, scientific american

, , ,

No Comments

Internet Flips Out Over The Simpsons “Banksy Opening.” Ignores Third World Unicorn Torture.

For the first time, in a long time(Rule 77), people are talking about The Simpsons favorably. In this very serious couch gag directed by Banksy(seen below) we see some Banksy tags, an animation crew, sweatshop, a clothing sweatshop, and a DVD sweatshop featuring panda whippings, a beheaded dolphin and unicorn torture.

But the entirety of the Internet is focusing on is one word. Congratulations, Banksy. You are now the only story.

And, thank you, Internet. You’ve turned mild admiration over Banksy’s antics into flat out disinterest into anything he does.

Some one has to speak for the last unicorn DVD hole-punching in the 3rd world.

Also, those pesky over-worked humans.

Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , , , ,

No Comments

Tumblr Watch: …The World We Live In

Fantastic photography of fantastic sites all over this fantastic world.

Official site:
http://theworldwelivein.tumblr.com/

Honolulu

“Life happens wherever you are!” –Iroh, The Dragon of the West

Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,

No Comments