Cool facts and articles

[Plutonic Panda]

Some amazing photography by National Geographic. Some of these are just stunning.


Photograph by Paul Nicklen
A diver explores a cenote near the Maya ruins of Tulum.


Photograph by Shaul Schwarz
At the Xcaret theme park south of Cancún a mythic Maya lord of death mingles with tourists before a spectacular re-creation of ancient pilgrimages. The annual event—complete with canoe voyage—honors Ixchel, the goddess of fertility. Such ties to the past draw visitors to the Yucatán from the rest of Mexico and abroad.


Photograph by Shaul Schwarz
Boys from the village of Yaxuná cool off in a cenote, or limestone sinkhole. A 65-foot ladder lets them climb out after a dip. The statue is a local artist’s version of a trickster spirit from Maya folklore. The villagers put it there for the tourists they hope will stop by while visiting the area’s archaeological sites.


Photograph by Paul Nicklen
A pyramid 90 feet tall and a platform adorned with a feathered serpent’s head testify to the former glory of Chichén Itzá, now a popular tourist destination. This once powerful city was built in about the ninth century, likely aligned with four sacred cenotes and with the sun’s seasonal movements.


Photograph by Paul Nicklen
Hovering above the offering shelf in the Holtún cenote, de Anda surveys a pile of bones. “This work is about millimeters,” says photographer Paul Nicklen. “You’re right above remains that haven’t been moved in centuries, so you have to have impeccable diving skills.”

- http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...s-cave-670.jpg

























Many more photos here: 125 years of National Geographic: Stunning photography since 1888

What a beautiful rock we live on, eh? Just outstanding.

[Plutonic Panda]

NASA map illustrates air pollution mortality rates





''Want to know where people are most likely to die prematurely due to air pollution?

NASA recently recently released a map showing the average number of deaths per year per 1,000 square kilometers (385 square miles) that can be attributed to fine particle matter pollution.

Researchers compared pollution levels over a 150-year span, beginning in 1850 and ending in 2000. The dark brown areas on the map, shown prominently in Asia, India, Europe and parts of Africa, indicate locations with the highest rates of premature deaths due to air pollution.

Blue areas, as seen in the southeast United States and parts of South America, indicate areas that have seen air quality improve and the number of deaths due to air pollution decline.

Why are so many areas getting worse? According to NASA, that can be attributed to increased industrialization and urbanization. As to the areas in blue that have seen air quality improve from 1850 to 2000, researchers suggest that a decrease in biomass burning is the cause''

- NASA map illustrates air pollution mortality rates
- The Global Toll of Fine Particulate Matter : Image of the Day

[ThomPaine]

Jewels on French mountain may be from plane crash

[Plutonic Panda]

Jewels on French mountain may be from plane crash

I saw a story on that, I wonder if they will him keep the jewels. . .

[Teo9969]

NASA map illustrates air pollution mortality rates





''Want to know where people are most likely to die prematurely due to air pollution?

NASA recently recently released a map showing the average number of deaths per year per 1,000 square kilometers (385 square miles) that can be attributed to fine particle matter pollution.

Researchers compared pollution levels over a 150-year span, beginning in 1850 and ending in 2000. The dark brown areas on the map, shown prominently in Asia, India, Europe and parts of Africa, indicate locations with the highest rates of premature deaths due to air pollution.

Blue areas, as seen in the southeast United States and parts of South America, indicate areas that have seen air quality improve and the number of deaths due to air pollution decline.

Why are so many areas getting worse? According to NASA, that can be attributed to increased industrialization and urbanization. As to the areas in blue that have seen air quality improve from 1850 to 2000, researchers suggest that a decrease in biomass burning is the cause''

- NASA map illustrates air pollution mortality rates
- The Global Toll of Fine Particulate Matter : Image of the Day

Looks like a Census Dot Map

[MadMonk]

This is one of the best videos concerning the Apollo mission's computing systems I've ever seen. Its amazing what was accomplished with the technology available at the time. The memory modules alone are a marvel.

[Dustin]

[Dustin]

[Dustin]

I wish they had these gifs back when I was in high school...

[Dustin]

How a sewing machine works



Mind=blown... If you don't find this amazing, something is wrong with you.

[OKCisOK4me]

How a sewing machine works
Mind=blown... If you don't find this amazing, something is wrong with you.

Find a .gif file for a sewing machine you hem pants with and I'll give you kudos. I use one of those every week!

[RadicalModerate]

http://www.ualr.edu/lasmoller/fibonacci.html
http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted...at.html#spiral

[Mel]

If you really like national geographic stories and pics pick up the box set "The Complete National Geographic Every issue since 1888". It goes up to 2009 and it's really something.

[Plutonic Panda]

Think NASA is useless? Think again!



https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

[Plutonic Panda]

Just a friendly reminder for some

[Plutonic Panda]

''The greenhouse gas emissions from producing 650,000 tons of paper are staggering, 1,474,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalents! By comparison the greenhouse gas emissions of the entire Walt Disney Corporation in 2006 were 1,649,717 tons of CO2-equivalents. In addition to the greenhouse gas emissions, the production of 650,000 tons of paper also require the use of 44.2 billion liters of water"



I really think you should have to opt in to receive this, but hey. If you never use your phonebook, do the environment a small favor and opt out. The more people that do it, the better off we are. Here is the link: https://www.yellowpagesoptout.com

You can also call this number: (866) 329-7118

Thank to I love Science for this article!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

[Plutonic Panda]

[Plutonic Panda]

This is pretty funny lol ;P

[Plutonic Panda]

[Plutonic Panda]

[Plutonic Panda]

Here is the disturbing song with an even more disturbing video!

Warning: There is strong profanity in this video!

[RadicalModerate]

dude . . . even David Lynch would find THAT video "disturbing" . . .

(i sure hope miley cyrus doesn't get exposed to it. it could go mainstream.)

[Plutonic Panda]

Below are some more amazing pictures for a NatGeo contest!


Smile from Mentawai Hunter - Photograph and caption by Mohd Ismail


Bromo Tengger National Park - Photo and caption by Dennis Walton


Master of Disguise - Photo and caption by Graham McGeorge


Alive - Photo and caption by Jonathan Tucker


Castelluccio di Norcia - Photograph and caption by Mauro Maione


White Rim Storm - Photograph and caption by Klaus Priebe


What a Sheep! - Photograph and caption by Andres Beregovich

A few more amazing photos here: Your Shot: A sneak peek at National Geographic's contest submissions

[Plutonic Panda]

World Spookiest Cemeteries. . . Anyone ever been any of these?



Highgate Cemetery

London’s famous cemetery is the final resting place of many public figures, and is designated as both a nature reserve and a point of historic interest. Also referenced in the original Dracula story, it is rumoured to have been the inspiration for the spooky setting in many versions that followed.




Catacombs of San Callisto

A visit to Rome's catacombs is a must for anyone interested in the history of the city and early Catholic Church. Touring the narrow passageways, you can see where early Christians were buried, celebrated Mass, and, in some cases, were violently attacked.




Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery

Famous for its hauntings and horrors, a visit to Bachelor’s Grove takes a brave soul. This abandoned cemetery is located in a very small township near Chicago, and is well known for sightings of monks in robes and the appearance of a farmhouse that floats, shrinks, and disappears altogether.




Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Paris's The Père-Lachaise Cemetery has a strange history. It was originally shunned because it had not been blessed by the Roman Catholic Church. In an effort that is both eerie and intriguing, the administrators began collecting the remains of famous public figures as a marketing strategy in 1804.


A few more here: Yahoo!

[Plutonic Panda]

Public bathrooms become posh 600-square-foot London home

'Some people try to avoid public bathrooms at all costs. British architect Laura Jane Clark wanted to live in one.

A former underground public restroom turned cozy, upscale flat in south London is Clark’s brainchild. The now 34-year-old discovered the abandoned bathrooms while wandering around the Crystal Palace neighborhood back in 2005.

“I just kind of fell in love with them,” she said. “They were all boarded up, but I could peek through and see the existing space and features. It was quite interesting to me, even though it was full of rubbish and just disgusting at the time.”

The 600-square-foot space was built in the late 1920s and had last been used sometime in the 1980s. It had a space for men’s and women’s toilets, a skylight, the proper electrical and gas wiring, and, of course, plumbing.

“I love working with odd spaces and making them different—especially in neglected areas,” she said. “The idea of working out how a space can be used for years to come is fascinating to me.”

In addition to the massive amount of work ahead of her, it took months of convincing the local town council just to get the ball rolling.

“There were so many hurdles, and some council people were less enthusiastic about my ideas,” she said. “I spent a long time persuading them that this space should be saved and inhabited.”
The micro-rehab project cost Clark about $90,000, plus the $32,000 or so that the property cost.

She served as the architect, of course, but mostly she got her hands dirty as a laborer. She reminisces about times she would pop into the local café covered in concrete, and how she became known as “Laura Loos” and “Toilet Girl.”

The extensive renovations kicked off in 2011 and were completed last year. Everything from heavy bleaching to knocking down walls to reinvent the use of the space was part of transforming the eerie, vile basement into a warm, luxurious living space with an echo of the past'

Smell was definitely an issue at first -- not just because it's a bathroom, but because it was a bathroom in such disrepair' Read more here: Yahoo!

Here are a few pics

















More pictures here: Yahoo!