Galaxies in the River
Tags:APOD, Science!, Space, Wallpaper
Explanation: Large galaxies grow by eating small ones. Even our own galaxy practices galactic cannibalism, absorbing small galaxies that get too close and are captured by the Milky Way’s gravity. In fact, the practice is common in the universe and well illustrated by this striking pair of interacting galaxies from the banks of the southern constellation Eridanus (The River). Located over 50 million light years away, the large, distorted spiral NGC 1532 is seen locked in a gravitational struggle with dwarf galaxy NGC 1531, a struggle the smaller galaxy will eventually lose. Seen edge-on, spiral NGC 1532 spans about 100,000 light-years. The NGC 1532/1531 pair is thought to be similar to the system of face-on spiral and small companion known as M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy.
APOD
beinhaus
i found this on skulladay.blogspot.com
“…a skull-lovers travel suggestion from Karl Hochsprung: The Beinhaus (Ossuary) in Hallstatt, Austria!
He says, “The reasoning behind the beinhaus was that there was not enough real estate to bury the town’s dead in so they would bury the bodies in the cemetery for a decade or so then dig them up. They would then take the bones and the skulls and place them in this chapel. The skulls would be painted on by local artists with flowers representing different meanings. Some would have the date of death and the name on them as well… P.S. a direct translation of beinhaus, would be bone house.””
Ruins, Pompeii
The overgrown ruins of Pompeii stretch into the horizon, providing a glimpse into the flourishing urban life of its citizens before the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The volcano has erupted 80 times since unleashing colossal destruction in A.D. 79 but has remained mercifully quiet since 1944.
NGeoPOD
A Galvanized Corpse
“Early 19th century electrophysiologists believed that if the right amount of electricity was charged into the brain, the corpse would come back to life, as illustrated in this 1836 political cartoon.”
Wiki Zombie and this pops up. I liked it and thought I would share. If anyone finds a larger size I’d love to have this as a poster or something.
Boys Like Blue – Girls Like Pink
A project by photographer Jeongmee Yoon, displaying how parents fall into gender bias.
Source, article, and more samples here.
Funny Pictures from Trip
Went hunting in South Dakota, and drove their from St. Louis. These are some things we saw on the way.
Spear hunting….. jungle style.
In the jungles of Malaysia… many fish just dont take bait.
So….. they spear them with home made guns.
That.. by the way is a Kenerak.. a motley lookin catfish… good eating.
Chinese Taoist Funeral Rites
These priests are usually adopted by the temple as orphans and do the work of sending off souls to the other world. No normally superstitious Taoist will ever marry one because of bad karma associated with working with the dead.
Then again… pretty much guaranteed employment eh?
Postcards From Innerspace
From C&EN Nov 24, 2008
“In the right hands, say, in those of artist Michael Oliveri, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) of roasted ceramic films can pull off miracles of sorts: The invisibly tiny dimensions of the micro- and nanorealms become Ansel Adams-like images, with arresting landscapes that simultaneously come off as familiar and otherworldly.”
Darth Vader watches Padme
I found this picture very moving. It is Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, face plate off sitting down and watching the hologram of his dead wife.
Anchor Steam Beer
Malty perfection from the good folks at the Anchor Brewing Co.
“San Francisco’s famous Anchor Steam®, the classic of American brewing tradition since 1896, is virtually handmade, with an exceptional respect for the ancient art of brewing. The deep amber color, thick creamy head, and rich flavor all testify to our traditional brewing methods. Anchor Steam is unique, for our brewing process has evolved over many decades and is like no other in the world. ”
All I know is it’s mighty fine, and it’s Friday!
Vader knows what you’re getting for Christmas
Tags:Comic Books, Fantasy - Science Fiction, Humor, Movies, Star Wars
Errol Flynn
Amazing chin that man has. Check out the rest of this amazing set here:
community.livejournal.com/vintagephoto/3511650.html
It’s a seriously good collection.
Bruce Wayne/Batman 1939-2008
Batman is shot and killed by his father, who faked his own death years ago and now leads the evil Black Glove organization.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3517456/Batman-to-be-killed-off-after-70-years.html
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/article1982939.ece
Jacque Fresco
A very Interesting and inspiring man. You can check out his philosophies and more work at TheVenusProject.com All pictures copyrighted by the venus project.
Jacque Fresco (born March 13, 1916) is a futurist based in Venus, Florida, USA interested in the areas of industrial engineering, architectural design, and social engineering, though he does not have any formal university education in those fields[1]. He started The Venus Project together with Roxanne Meadows. His optimistic view and desire to create solutions that maximally benefit the greatest number of people stem from his formative years during the Great Depression.[citation needed] To this day he writes and lectures extensively on subjects ranging from the holistic design of sustainable cities, energy efficiency, natural resource management and advanced automation, focusing on the benefits it will bring to society.
Sons of Anarchy
Only seen a couple episodes. Decent new TV Show about a the lives of a California biker gang. It’s like Third Watch, but with criminals. Damn cool biker gang logo too. Sure beats the hell out of reality TV.
Robot Actors
A Wakamaru robot, named Momoko for a performance at Japan’s Osaka University, appears onstage alongside actress Minako Inoue.
The Wakamaru normally a domestic robot is primarily meant as a companion for seniors and the disabled. It uses a laser and cameras to track and identify people, and recognizes approximately 10,000 words necessary for daily life.
Tuesday marked the theatrical debut for the robot, which appeared onstage alongside real-life actors in Hataraku Watashi (“I, Worker”), by playwright Oriza Hirata. The Play focuses on a couple who own two housekeeping robots, one of which loses its motivation to work.
The 20-minute production took place at Japan’s Osaka University–where Hirata is also a visiting professor at the Center of the Study of Communication-Design–and was performed for the media ahead of a possible full-scale public run in the next year or so. Hirata and the rest of the project team wrote special software that lets the robots move and deliver the right lines.
Soon all liberal arts majors will be repalced by robots.
The International Space Station turns 10
“Astronaut Leroy Chiao, Expedition 10 commander and NASA ISS science officer, watches a water bubble float between him and the camera, showing his image refracted, on the IISS on January 15th, 2005. (NASA)”
The new cop car
I snapped these at the SF Car Show this past weekend (Nov.23). You can see more from the show here.
