The lake that glows in the dark: Eerie phenomenon that turned waters luminous blue Swimming is supposed to give you a healthy glow, but these swimmers weren't quite sure what was going on when they took a late-night dip and turned a fluorescent shade of blue. 'It was like we were playing with radioactive paint,' said photographer Phil Hart who snapped the bizarre sight as his friends emerged from a lake in the dark of night. The light is created by a chemical reaction called bioluminescence, which happens when a naturally-occuring micro-organism in the water is disturbed. Phil, 34, put his camera on a very slow shutter speed and threw sand and stones into the water to cause the reaction and capture as much of the blue haze as possible. These images are particularly stunning because the concentration of the micro-organism 'Noctiluca Scintillans' was abnormally high when he took the photos at Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, Australia. Phil said: 'To be there watching this bioluminescence is spellbinding and to see it like this is very rare.
Before I Die What matters most to you Interactive public art project that invites people to share their personal aspirations in public. After losing someone she loved and falling into depression, Chang created this experiment on an abandoned house in her neighborhood to create an anonymous place to help restore perspective and share intimately with her neighbors. 2011, New Orleans, LA. Cordoba, Argentina. Najaf, Iraq. Brooklyn, NY. Almaty, Kazakhstan Savannah, GA. Pohang City, South-Korea. San Francisco, CA. Johannesburg, South Africa. Cordoba, Argentina. Custom Tree House Plans, DIY Ideas & Building Designs No, really: would you want to design, build and live in an real fantasy tree house all year round? More and more people have decided to do just that and where treehouses were once novelty architecture for kids they are now (almost) mainstream structures, as attested to by the pictures above via Bella Seven. Many modern tree house designs and home designers and custom builders take a site-specific approach and construct their tree buildings around not only views and rooms but also have to account for access and structural support in unique and novel ways. While a lot of attention is paid to lofty plans by fashionable designers, there are many people who continue to use quite conventional home-building plans, techniques and materials to construct tree homes and cabins that look much like ordinary residences on the ground below. And moving into the future, who is to say that tree houses will not continue to be considered for ever-more-urban applications?
Switzerland Switzerland In June 2011, we spent a week in Switzerland, flying into Geneva, with an initial stop in Montreux, followed by a picturesque stay in Wengen, located above the Lauterbrunnen valley. The alps provided a stunning backdrop to explore the area. During our stay in Wengen, a small village that is accessible by train or foot, the main sound heard was cow bells. We took day trips and hikes in the Interlaken area of central Switzerland. The village of Wengen where we stayed in an alpine chalet/hotel, above the Lauterbrunnen valley. Lauterbrunnen below, with its iconic waterfall. The train system in Switzerland is excellent. The train to Jungfrau. In the village of Lauterbrunnen. Another scene from Lauterbrunnen. Alpine cable cars rise into the fog above Wengen. The lakeshore village of Brienz. Brienz. Lucerne. Alpine village of Murren. Artist H.R. Besides cows, goats and sheep tend to be outfitted with bells. A cog train at Kleine Scheidegg. Relaxing with a plate of charcuterie under Mt.
100 Best (Free) Science Documentaries Online No matter how much you know, there is always something new to learn about science. While your college courses may cover the basics, you can get a more in-depth look at a wide variety of topics from Internet resources such as these great documentaries. These selections will help you explore everything from the inner reaches of the human mind to the outer areas of our universe and just about everything else in between. Health and Medicine These documentaries cover topics like health care, diseases, nutrition, nursing, and more so you can get great insights into health and medicine. Super Size Me: In this movie, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock attempts to subsist on only a diet of McDonald’s for a full month. Drugs Learn how drugs impact the brain and the variety of legal restrictions imposed upon them from these documentaries. Ecstasy Rising: Watch this video from Primetime to learn more about ecstasy, its effects and more. Genetics Evolution and Biological History Physics Environment Geology Space
A Perilous Hobby: Vertical Camping Next time you’re passing by a cliff and happen to see a precariously hanging tent with campers inside, don’t be alarmed, it’s just a portable ledge (portaledge): Portaledges — or deployable hanging tents — might seem like a thrill-seeking activity (and it can be), but the idea has actually been around since the 1950s. During this time, rock climbers began to stay overnight on the mountains they were scaling and started looking for convenient niches in the mountain side to make their bed. The first portaledges were used in Yosemite National Park and were non-collapsible cots or hammocks. Climbers would sit on a Navy surplus canvas chair and rest their heads on their dangling rucksacks.
National Geographic’s Photography Contest 2010 A supercell thunderstorm rolls across the Montana prairie at sunset. (Photo and caption by Sean Heavey) Salvation. Appreciate life to save the world. The Music Of Love. Praying Mantis – Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii. A Wrinkle in Time. Cosmic. Unsafe Journey. Mystery Bug. The Serra da Leba Road near Lubango (Huíla, Angola). Lightning Crashes. Moths to Light. Ki Gompa. These are my favorites of this years National Geographic’s Photography Contest. 22nd of November 2010 The World's Biggest Cave National Geographic presents The World's Biggest Cave, a TV special that gives us a close-up look at Son Doong, a huge recently-discovered underground labyrinth in Vietnam. In 2009, a team of British cavers investigated a recently uncovered cave in a remote Vietnamese jungle. The Son Doong cave is enormous; can it be larger than the current world-record holder? The special airs Monday, December 20th at 10PM EST. A half-mile block of 40-story buildings could fit inside this lit stretch of Hang Son Doong, which may be the world's biggest subterranean passage. Like a castle on a knoll, a rock formation shines beneath a skylight in Hang Son Doong. Navigating an algae-skinned maze, expedition organizers Deb and Howard Limbert lead the way across a sculpted cavescape in Hang Son Doong. Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Vietnam. Hang Song Doong aka Mountain River Cave, Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Vietnam.
Crystal River - The most beautiful river on earth [Pics] Cano Cristales - Crystal River. River of five colors, as the locals call it, originates in the south of the mountain chain Macarena, Colombia, and flows eastward to its confluence with the Guayabero river. In the Cano Cristales found five colors: yellow, blue, green, black and red. All of them are waste product of many algae and, depending on time of year, color saturation, or weakened or strengthened. Share on Tumblr
Backpacks Infographic: How to Find the Right Backpack Need a break from the daily multitasking merry-go-round? Trade in your digital devices for boots and backpacks—they're your ticket to off-the-grid adventures and the wonders of the backcountry! With the right pack and a little preparation, you can head out for a day hike or a through-hike and say "CUL8R" to the daily grind. Add this infographic to your website by copying the code below: <p><a href="