Archive for Nature

April 3, 2007

Guns Don’t Kill People, Nature Kills People

6:03 pm | Nature | Comments: 7

Yes folks, water can kill. Megatrillion-ton pieces of rock grinding against each other can also kill. Reading about the deadly earthquake and resulting tsunami that recently hit the Solomon Islands prompted me to read up on these catastrophic natural events again. They’re quite terrible and awe-inspiring things, really. I caught up on the latest data from the December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami that rocked the region, killing upwards of 229,000 people. The thing was so big that it vibrated the entire earth by a half-inch; it disrupted the earth’s rotation enough to shorten the day by an estimated 2.something microseconds.

During my research I also came upon a phenomenon known as the “mega-tsunami”. The mega-tsunami is generally thought to be caused by an underwater landslide and in 1958 a mega-tsunami was recorded in Lituya Bay, AK, at a height of 1,720 feet. 1,720 feet! I think we can all agree that the idea of such waves is simply ludicrous.

February 3, 2006

New Kids on the Blogging Block

1:33 pm | Nature | Weblogging | Comments: 2

If you thought you were safe on top of the Webrogosphere, you can jolly well think again. If all goes well, Pigeons will be making the next big splash into the muck-filled sludgepit known as the Blogging. Now, pigeons are really cool things. A couple of my favorite random trivia items relating to pigeons are how when they are young you can feel stuff they’ve eaten in their stomach and also there’s that one song about pigeons by Bert from Sesame Street. And how can we forget the plight of the Berlin Street Pigeons? It’s no surprise that these little beastlies are now going to show us all how Blogging is done.

August 28, 2005

Katrina Approaches

9:56 pm | Nature | Pictures | Comments: 12

The GOES Weather Satellite and NEXRAD indicate a tough time ahead for New Orleans and much of the gulf coast as Hurricane Katrina approaches the mainland, expected to make landfall late morning or early afternoon on the 29th. Katrina is being described as “possibly catastrophic” by the National Weather Service. Here in Michigan it’s easy to be interested in this kind of monstrous and terrifying weather system, but imagine watching this thing approach your house. Remember the people in Katrina’s path in prayer tonight.

July 9, 2005

Heads Up

6:26 pm | Nature | Pictures | Comments: 5

If anybody’s wondering what’s about to hit the Gulf Coast, take a look:

For an animated view of Hurricane Dennis, visit the NOAA National Hurricane Center satellite imagery. Other Dennises: Dennis the Menace, Fireman Dennis from Report from Engine Co. 82, Dennis Vander Meulen, and Tennis (close enough).

April 16, 2005

Naturally

8:11 pm | Nature | Pictures | Comments: 2

I really enjoy sunsets. Beach sunsets, city sunsets, any sunsets, really. Check these out. (Author’s note: this eventually turned into a nostalgic post about my trip to Berlin. Sometimes these things happen.)

This one was taken by a friend of mine down in Arkansas. Really cool light action going on.

This is from my trip to Berlin in June of 2004. It’s actually taken from the top of a huge tower in the middle of Alexanderplatz, in the heart of old East Berlin. It’s a great contrast of environments; nature above the horizon, and below the horizon one of the most important cities in all of Europe (you can’t see it very well, but it’s there).

This is the Fernsehturm, or “TV Tower” auf Englisch. It used to be a huge antenna from which the East German Communist party would broadcast all its propaganda. The structure is immense, and there’s a restaurant up there now.

The TV Tower as seen from the S-Bahn on our way to Wittenburg. This was a common view of East Berlin; some trees, some tenament buildings, and the TV Tower on the horizon. It was great because our hostel was right up the road from the thing, so when we needed to get back we knew exactly where we had to go from anywhere in the city. Saved my butt a few times.

April 9, 2005

Take Cover

11:03 pm | Nature | Pictures | Comments: 11

Here at SIO, we believe in giving readers what they want. You want music? You want pictures? You want action? We’ve got that kind of stuff. Check this out.

This one hails from Agua Prieta, Mexico in the spring of 2001. Our compound is about to be hit by a duststorm. I really like this one because I’ve always had a fascination with vortex storms.

April 1, 2005

Journal Excerpts

6:36 pm | My Life | Nature | Comments: 1

Thursday, July 1, 2004
Berlin, DEU

“I felt like being a toughguy today and grabbed a piece of bread away from a street pigeon. I felt bad about that. Street pigeons have a rough life.” James

October 29, 2004

Random Fact of the Day

1:05 am | Nature | Random | Comments: 0

Two animal rights protesters were protesting at the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn. Suddenly the pigs, all two thousand of them, escaped through a broken fence and stampeded, trampling the two helpless protesters to death.