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Photos - August 2007

Sailing stones

August 31st 2007 11:02
sailing stones - racetrack - Death Valley California

The sailing stones, also referred to as sliding rocks or moving rocks, are a geological phenomenon found in Racetrack Playa, Death Valley. The stones slowly move across the surface of the playa, leaving a track as they go, without human or animal intervention. They have never been seen or filmed in motion and are not unique to The Racetrack. Similar rock travel patterns have been recorded in several other playas in the region but the number and length of travel groves on The Racetrack are notable.

moving rocks - racetrack - Death Valley California

Racetrack stones only move once every two or three years and most tracks last for just three or four years. Stones with rough bottoms leave straight striated tracks while those with smooth bottoms wander. Stones sometimes turn over, exposing another edge to the ground and leaving a different-sized track in the stone's wake.
sliding stones - racetrack - Death Valley California


Most of the so-called 'sailing stones' originate from an 850 foot (260 m) high hillside made of dark dolomite on the south end of the playa, but some are intrusive igneous rock from adjacent slopes (most of those being tan-coloured feldspar-rich syenite). Tracks are often tens to hundreds of feet (low to high tens of meters) long, a few to 12 inches (8 to 30 cm) wide, and typically much less than an inch (2.5 cm) deep.
death valley moving rocks

A balance of specific conditions are thought to be needed for stones to move:

1. A saturated yet non-flooded surface,
2. Thin layer of clay,
3. Very strong gusts as initiating force,
4. Strong sustained wind to keep stones going.
Death Valley Sliding Rocks







*These photos used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Sailing stones.
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Posted By: Ian - Category: nature
   


Terracotta Army

August 29th 2007 11:00
The Terracotta Army was buried with the Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huangdi) in 210-209 BC (his reign over Qin was from 247 BC to 221 BC and over unified China from 221 BC to his death in 210 BC). Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huangdi in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies".
Terracotta Army

The Terracotta Army was discovered in March 1974 by local farmers drilling a water well to the east of Mount Lishan near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China. Mount Lishan is also where the material to make the terracotta warriors originated. In addition to the warriors, an entire man made necropolis for the emperor has been excavated.
terracotta soldier

Construction of this mausoleum began in 246 BC and is believed to have taken 700,000 workers and craftsmen 38 years to complete. Qin Shi Huangdi was interred inside the tomb complex upon his death in 210 BC. According to the Grand Historian Sima Qian, the First Emperor was buried alongside great amounts of treasure and objects of craftsmanship, as well as a scale replica of the universe complete with gemmed ceilings representing the cosmos, and flowing mercury representing the great earthly bodies of water. Pearls were also placed on the ceilings in the tomb to represent the stars, planets, etc. Recent scientific work at the site has shown high levels of mercury in the soil of Mount Lishan, tentatively indicating an accurate description of the site’s contents by historian Sima Qian (145 BC-90 BC).
terracotta warrior

The terracotta figures were manufactured both in workshops by government labourers and also by local craftsmen. It is believed they were made in much the same way that terracotta drainage pipes were manufactured at the time. This would make it a factory line style of production, with specific parts manufactured and assembled after being fired as opposed to crafting one solid piece of terracotta and subsequently firing it. After completion, the terracotta figures were placed in the pits outlined above in precise military formation according to rank and duty.
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

The terracotta figures are life-like and life-sized. They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank. The coloured lacquer finish, moulded faces (each is individual), and real weapons and armour used in manufacturing these figures created a realistic appearance. The weapons were stolen shortly after the creation of the army and the colouring has mostly faded. However, their existence served as a testament to the amount of labour and skill involved in their construction. It is also proof of the incredible amount of power the First Emperor possessed to order such a monumental undertaking as the manufacturing of the terracotta army. People believe that the terracotta warriors were based on true people as every face has different facial features and expressions.
Terra Cotta Army Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China.






*These photos used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Terracotta Army.
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Iguazu Falls

August 27th 2007 11:25
Iguazu Falls

Iguaçu Falls are spectacular waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones. They divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu.
Iguazu Falls Argentina Brazil

The waterfall system consists of about 270 falls along 2.7 kilometres (1.67 miles) of the Iguazu River. Some of the individual falls are up to 82 metres (269 feet) in height, though the majority are about 64 metres (210 feet). The Garganta del Diablo or Devil's Throat (Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese), a U-shaped 150-metre-wide and 700-metre-long (490 by 2300 feet) cliff, is the most impressive of all, and marks the border between Argentina and Brazil. Most of the falls are within Argentine territory. About 900 metres of the 2.7-kilometre length does not have water flowing over it. The edge of the basalt cap recedes only 3 mm per year.

The water of the lower Iguazu collects in a canyon that drains into the Rio Parana.
Argentina Brazil Falls Iguacu Iguassu

The falls are easily reached from the two main towns on either side of the falls: Foz do Iguaçu in the Brazilian state of Paraná, and Puerto Iguazú in the Argentine province of Misiones as well as from Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) on the other side of the Parana river from Foz do Iguaçu . The falls are shared by the Iguazú National Park (Argentina) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil). These parks were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984 and 1986, respectively.
Iguacu Falls

At one point a person can stand and be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The Garganta do Diabo has water pouring into it from three sides, which makes for an exceptional sight. Likewise, because Iguazu is split into many relatively small falls, one can view these a portion at a time. Victoria does not allow this, as it is essentially one waterfall that falls into a canyon and is too immense to appreciate at once (except from the air). Iguazu and Victoria are generally regarded as the world's most spectacular waterfalls, with people divided as to which is the more impressive.
Iguazu Falls South America





*These photos used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.

**This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation Licence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Iguazu Falls.
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Posted By: Ian - Category: nature
   


Airports and Runways

August 24th 2007 11:49
Here are some mixed pictures from Airports all over the world.
Some of the runways look a little short don't they?
There are many more airport and runway photos here.


Tropical island airport


Airport runway in the jungle


Airport in the middle of a golf course


Very short runway


Airport and runway in the snow




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Posted By: Ian - Category: places
   


Tornado Hits New York City

August 22nd 2007 06:08
As Bloomberg reports storms in the New York area on August 9th included a tornado that cut a 9-mile path through Staten Island and Brooklyn.

The twister, estimated to have winds of between 111-135 miles (179-217 kilometers) an hour, damaged the roofs of 11 homes in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, and later tore off the roof of a car dealership at the corner of 66th Street and Fifth Avenue, the U.S. Weather Service said in a report on its Web site.

The tornado, which touched down in Staten Island at about 6:22 a.m. local time, caused extensive damage to trees, the service said. The tornado was a Category 2 on the 0-5 classification scale used by the weather service, in which 5 is the most powerful.

It was the first tornado to hit Brooklyn since modern record keeping began in 1950, the New York Times reported, citing Pennsylvania State University meteorologist Jeffrey M. Warner. The last tornado to hit New York was on Staten Island in 2003, the newspaper added.

Below are some pictures of the aftermath.


Tornado in New York City - Crushed Car


Tree fallen over in the aftermath of the Tornado to hit New York


Twister in New York City - Concrete tipped up by a tree's roots


Wild storms in NY including Tornado damage


Car crushed by a fallen tree in a Tornado in New York City




*These pictures used with permission from Damn Funny Pictures.
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Photo Compositing

August 20th 2007 05:58
Widely employed in film and video motion picture production, compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for compositing is variously called “blue screen,” “green screen,” “chroma key,” and other names. Today, most though not all compositing is achieved through digital image manipulation. Pre-digital compositing techniques, however, go back as far as the trick films of Georges Méliès in the late 19th century; and some are still in use.

Below are some excellent examples of action photo compositing, sometimes referred to as transitional photography


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Posted By: Ian - Category: technology
   


Snow Blower Train

August 17th 2007 11:59
Snow blowers, also known as rotating snowploughs or snow cutters, can be used in place of snowploughs on winter service vehicles. A snow blower consists of a rapidly spinning blade which cuts through the snow, forcing it out of a funnel attached to the top of the blower. Snow blowers typically clear much faster than ploughs, with some clearing in excess of 5000 tonnes of snow per hour, and can cut through far deeper snow drifts than a snowplough can. In addition, snow blowers can remove snow from the roadway completely, rather than piling it at the side of the road, making passage easier for other road users and preventing the windrow from blocking driveways. However, snow blowing is an energy intensive and environmentally unfriendly process, producing higher levels of air pollution and noise pollution than other methods of snow removal.

Below are pictures of a heavy duty snow blower train, clearing the track for other trains


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Posted By: Ian - Category: nature
   


European Churches

August 15th 2007 11:39
Church architecture, (also known as Ecclesiastical architecture) refers to the buildings of Christian churches. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by imitating other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions. Both theological and practical influences on church architecture have included pagan and secular buildings and those of other faiths. Buildings were at first adapted from those originally intended for other purposes but, with the rise of distinctively ecclesiastical architecture, church buildings came to influence secular ones which have often imitated religious architecture. In the 20th century, the use of new materials, such as concrete, as well as simpler styles has had its effect upon the design of churches and arguably the flow of influence has been reversed.

Below are pictures of historic churches from all over Europe. If you enjoy these photos you can see many more here
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Posted By: Ian - Category: buildings
   


RMS Titanic

August 13th 2007 11:13
RMS Titanic was a British Olympic class passenger liner that became famous for her collision with an iceberg on 14 April 1912 and dramatic sinking on 15 April 1912. The second of a trio of superliners, Titanic and her sisters were designed to provide a three-ship weekly express service and dominate the transatlantic travel business for the White Star Line.

Titanic History - Under Construction
The Titanic under construction.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history
   


The Great Blue Hole - Belize

August 10th 2007 12:33
The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off of the coast of Belize. It lies near the centre of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 60 miles from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is almost perfectly circular, over 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep. It was formed as a limestone cave system during the last ice age when sea levels were much lower. As the ocean began to rise again the caves flooded, and the roof collapsed.

This site was made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau who declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world. In 1971 he brought his ship, the Calypso to the hole to chart its depths


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Posted By: Ian - Category: marine life
   


Tornados

August 8th 2007 12:17
Tornadogenesis is the process by which a tornado forms. There are many types of tornado, and each type of tornado can have several different methods of formation. Scientific study is ongoing, as some aspects of tornado formation remain a mystery.

Classical tornadoes are supercellular tornadoes, which have a recognizable pattern of formation." The cycle begins when a strong thunderstorm develops a rotating mesocyclone a few miles up in the atmosphere. As rainfall in the storm increases, it drags with it an area of quickly descending air known as the rear flank downdraft (RFD). This downdraft accelerates as it approaches the ground, and drags the rotating mesocyclone towards the ground with it. Storm relative helicity (SRH) has been shown to play a role in tornado development and strength. SRH is horizontal vorticity that is parallel to the inflow of the storm and is tilted upwards when it is taken up by the updraft, thus creating vertical vorticity


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Posted By: Ian - Category: weather
   


Pasha Bulker

August 6th 2007 11:50
The MV Pasha Bulker is a 76,741 tonne deadweight Panamax bulk carrier operated by the Lauritzen Bulkers Shipping company and owned by Japanese Disponent Owners. While waiting in the open ocean outside the harbour to load coal the Pasha Bulker ran aground during a major storm on June 8, 2007 on Nobbys Beach in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It was refloated and moved to a safe location offshore on 2 July 2007.

Early on the morning of 8 June 2007, Newcastle Port Corporation radioed the 56 moored ships waiting off the coast to load coal to warn them to move out to sea to escape the approaching storm. The Pasha Bulker, along with 10 other ships, did not heed the warning. As the storm hit, the Pasha Bulker could not clear the coast and it became beached at 9:15am. The ship never called for tug boat assistance, ran aground with a fully operational engine room and still had both anchors stored in the hawsepipes leading some maritime experts to believe that proper precautions were not taken by the ship's captain


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Posted By: Ian - Category: marine life
   


Antiques

August 3rd 2007 11:34
An antique is a collectible item which is old (usually at least 100 years old) and is collected or desirable because of its age, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features. It is an object which has reached an age which makes it a witness of a previous era in human society.

Antiques are usually objects which show some degree of craftsmanship, or a certain attention to design such as a desk or the early automobile. In a consumer society, an antique is above all an object whose atypical construction and age give it a market value superior to similar objects of recent manufacture. Any historical museum makes a considerable use of antiques in order to illustrate historical events and give them a practical context


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Posted By: Ian - Category: history
   


Friendship and Love

August 3rd 2007 07:45
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Posted By: Ahmed - Category: animals
   


Female Stormtroopers

August 1st 2007 11:14
Welcome to every nerds dream!
Introducing the Femtroopers!

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Posted By: Ian - Category: people
   


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