A VERY Big Book on Bhutan

by Erik Olsen on

And you thought the last Harry Potter opus was large. Well, guess again.

take a look at the work of Mr. Michael Hawley, Director of Special Projects and founder of MIT’s GO Expeditions program. Hawley is famous in creative/scientific circles (the Ultimate Third Culturean) and through his Friendly Planet program has created numerous educational materials that push the boundaries of technology. Among them is the largest book ever published. Called Bhutan, the book is a “visual odyssey” across the Asian kingdom.

Teams of photographers from MIT and Friendly Planet took over 40,000 photographs on four expeditions across the country. They traveled by helicopter, hoof and foot across the Bhutanese Himalaya, and took life-size pictures that were then compiled into this monstrous, but luscious tome. You really have to see it to believe it. And you can actually own it….the book will set you back $15,000 at Amazon, but just think what all your friends will say! You’ll be the most popular guy on the block.

Flanders International Film Festival

by Erik Olsen on

Doh! Just in case you were wondering dear Gadlingers, Flanders International Film Festival has absolutely nothing to do with the Simpsons. But it does have something to do with Belgium, a country that I just noticed gets very short shrift in our country list there to the right.

And so I did some poking around and discovered this interesting and sure to be stimulating event related to Belgium. Now why have we not done much on Belgium when in fact they have such great beer? I have no idea. Surely we will do more in the future. But in the meantime, make note of this fabulous event taking place October 11 to the 21, during which there will be a whole series of events for the legendary work of one of my favorite directors of all time: Stanley Kubrick.

The Sacrilege of Mount Rushmore

by Neil Woodburn on

I’ve never been to Mount Rushmore but, like so many other Americans, it remains one of the most iconic visions of my youth. Every child gazes upon photographs of these mammoth heads with absolute fascination. The interest hasn’t waned in my adulthood, and yet strangely I’ve never journeyed to this hallowed mountain.

A great article in the Smithsonian Magazine a couple of months ago delves into the history of this famous landmark. What I never learned in school, however, was the controversy which surrounds it.

The four heads were carved into a mountain which was revered as holy by the local American Indians. The U.S. government had originally promised to protect the mountain but reneged on its deal with the Indians (big surprise). The white usurpers then carved visages of their idols onto the face of the holy mountain, causing Indians throughout the region to cry sacrilege. The Indians are still angry about it today and refuse to accept nearly $500 million of settlement money offered by the government.

Red Corner: Mongol Rally Continues

by Neil Woodburn on

We posted a few weeks ago about the Mongol Rally, a charity event in which 157 crappy cars set off from London to try and reach Mongolia. Currently two cars have made it across the finish line; they’ve apparently missed the point of the race, however, which is to enjoy the travel, get lost a bit, perhaps break down, and eventually arrive in Mongolia in one piece.

The remaining cars are scattered across the continent. The race’s webpage has a series of maps showing locations of the various teams and text messages they’ve sent en route. Most messages are short but revealing, such as this one from Mongol Mocha:

“Camping in random russian field. what i learnt today- how to make a bbq out of a shopping basket.”

Check it out. It’s a great charity event and one that really gets that travel bug chirping.

World Heritage

by Erik Olsen on

I’ve posted about it before, but I suggest you head over to the World Heritage Site to check out some of the amazing panoramic photos there show by Tito Dupret. If ever you were to be inspired by panoramic photography (about which I am very inspired), this site will get your heart pumping. You will see lovely 360 degree shots of sites like the Al Qal’a of Beni Hammad in Algeria and Macquarie Island in Australia.

This is very cool and worth a moment of your time.