Ploafmaster General

I've often heard people describe the sound of an approaching tornado as closely resembling an oncoming freight train. What do you suppose it sounds like if you're already ON the freight train?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azV5bC2br-Q&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&w=580&h=470]

This is terrifying and breathtaking at the same time.
(via wiseacre)

This weekend was a quiet one for me on the internet because I was camping at the White Rocks campground near Pembroke, VA.

Per'aps you'd care to see some snaps:

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

Bamboo, in recent years, has become a trend so widespread that prices have gone up and the grass-as-industrial-raw-material has found its way into bowls, utensils, flooring, furniture, counter tops, rugs, and any number of other goods on the market. Such popularity owes itself mostly to the perception that bamboo is a sustainably harvestable crop with environmentally-friendly processing practices. An article in Slate this morning, however, charges that there's more to bamboo harvesting and processing than meets the eye, challenging the notion that it's automatically the greenest flooring material available. I'm curious, now, whether such manufacturing concerns exist in non-flooring applications as well.

The BBC is running a story on their site about a bakery at the Mount Everest base camp. The whole operation is run using a special portable oven, and includes some clearly non-local foods like banana bread and apple pie. What cool, though, is that the profits are reportedly going towards a trust fund for local villagers to help deal with the dangers that come with global warming.
(picture via Flickr user Emma Sjönell)

According to the BBC News, the skeleton of a freakin' triceratops will be auctioned off in Paris, France.

Now where can I find a half million Euros and a larger living room?

Sea monkeys, take a hike. Snow monkeys are where it's at. Also known as the Japanese Macaque, these awesome primates live in the northern parts of Japan including the Nagano area. Aside from the awesome fuzzy and snow-frolicking nature of these animals, they're known for swimming and playing around the natural hot springs

The photograph above comes from Flickr user Nachosan, who's photography on the whole is quite excellent.

Tonight, if the clouds ever clear up over Richmond, I plan to check out the Total Lunar Eclipse. There's a full moon out tonight, and NASA was kind enough to provide a cheesy but informative graphic that shows when everything goes down Eastern Standard Time:

The New York Times has a fascinating interview video with Dr. Roger Hanlon about his research into cephalopod camouflage.

Noctilucent clouds occur when ice crystals are high enough in the atmosphere to be visible in both day-lit and dark parts of the earth. The sun reflects off the clouds and causes an apparent glow to observers where the sun is mostly set. Check it:



The BBC has an article describing the NASA spacecraft, AIM, which is designed specifically to study such clouds.

Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you the most hideous animal to crawl beneath the surface of God's green earth, the Naked Mole Rat:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvey71Feu0E&rel=1&w=425&h=355]

Not only are these things pretty fugly, but the eat...their...own...excrement.

I always new they were hard on the eyes, but I had no idea their diets were just as repulsive.

This morning I read an article on The BBC's website about an endangered rodent in Mongolia called the Long-Eared Jerboa, which hops around like a mini kangaroo! I found a video I could embed on The Guardian's site. These things rock my face off!

http://image.guim.co.uk/static/39603/original/common/flash/brightcovewrapper.swf