We never sit here under the weight of all this air, the 5 x 10^18 kg of atmosphere that sits above everyone on Earth, and say “Gosh, that sure is heavy!”
You don’t realize just how powerful that 1 bar (~100 kPa) of pressure is until a train car is filled with steam, allowed to cool, and then implodes ohmygod did that just happen?
For more implosion goodness, check out this awesome video from Veritasium.
North central England in April. A web of roads, railways and light. Do you recognize the cities?
(via miffyhelen)
An oldie (2010), but goodie. The origins of all 30 MLB team names. Crazy how many are simply related to articles of clothing.
13 - The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries
“Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future.” -Ray Bradbury
For centuries, books have housed the collective knowledge of the world and formed the foundations of educational institutions. Given that these objects that contain such value, it only makes sense that throughout history people have constructed beautiful buildings to house them.
We put together a list of some of the most beautiful libraries as captured by Instagrammers around the world. For more photos from these architectural wonders, check out their linked location pages below.
- Stuttgart City Library, Stuttgart, Germany
- Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland
- Library of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt
- Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janiero, Brazil
- The Royal Danish Library, Copenhagen, Denmark
- George Peabody Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Kanazawa Umimirai Library, Kanazawa City, Japan
- New York Public Library, New York City, NY
Unlike video games, a game of pinball is difficult from the start. There’s no beginner level. You either stick with it and get better, or you don’t. Word of mouth remains the most effective form of marketing. A friend of a friend told me he played in a league and at weekend tournaments where fellow players give pointers and cheer for one another.
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Late night hockey.
Up Helly Aa: Scotland’s Fire Festival
Want to explore more photos from Up Helly Aa? Search the #UpHellyAa hashtag or visit the Lerwick location page.
Each year in Scotland, thousands of men bearing torches parade through the streets on the last Tuesday of January to mark the end of the Yule Season. Though only officially begun in 1881, the Up Helly Aa day fire festivals have their roots in ancient Anglo Saxon rites. Revelers pay homage to this history by dressing in full costume and electing a Jarl to head the festivities. The Jarl and his committee lead the torch-bearers through the town to a replica of a Viking longship, which they set ablaze with the torches. After the burning, townspeople retire to local public halls for a night of dancing and performances. The Wednesday after is taken as a day of recovery before “Hop Night” when the festivities continue until morning.
Those early games were often made after team members had spent time interviewing WW2 vets about their experiences. As market-driven as those games might have been, there was no doubt that at least some of the teams felt they owed it to those elderly soldiers to honour them in their creation. But when making a contemporary war game (and indeed far further when making a future war game), that’s not nearly as simple a task. Those still in active duty are in a difficult position to reflect on experiences, and indeed unlikely to be able to talk openly. In fact, it’s more likely that the problematic tone of Medal Of Honor would only be further influenced by the necessary rhetoric of those involved in current combat.
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