Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument

by Erik Olsen on

With all the (mostly) nasty news coming out of Iraq these days, it must have been nice for the Bush folks to announce something as delightful as the creation of a new, massive marine park in the distant Hawaiian islands. (and see how happy the dolphins are in thiis photo?) Never mind that few people will ever get to go there because they’re so damn far away, but it is a delightful breathe of fresh air for those of us who love to see the National Park Service NOAA grow…and by grow, I mean with meaningful parks and additions, not pork barrel crap like <insert Senator’s Name Here> National Brick Museum or something.

Lots of folks are reporting this today, that the Prez announced the creation of the world’s largest marine protected area, called Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument (pronounced NOINAM), which will consist of some 140,000 square miles of Pacific Ocean. The new monument will surround a necklace of islands and atolls stretching from the main Hawaiian Islands to Midway Atoll and beyond. Whoopee, for divers and conservationists alike, as fishing will be phased out, and you will not be able to mine coral reefs (sometimes done for jewelry) or do other nasty things that hurt cute fishies and coral.

Magnum in Motion on Chernobyl

by Erik Olsen on

Those of us old enough to remember the tragedy at Chernobyl recall that for a brief period there, there was an almost Armageddon-like vibe in the world, as news of a radioactive cloud floating its way across Europe became known. But since then, fears of nuclear power and news of what happened there have largely dissipated from our memories. It happens. Time has a way of erasing our feelings about something. I’m no anti-nuke advocate, but I found this interactive series of photos, maps and a voiced-over slideshow to be very powerful. I have always wanted to travel to Russia to see Chernobyl and to shoot a panoramic photo there showing what a blighted space it is. But these pictures cover similar territory and are very intense.

Czech Pano of US Soccer Team Loss

by Erik Olsen on

Well, the American soccer team didn’t fare particularly well against the apparently much better Czech team, and that is sad. Don’t know what I was hoping for exactly. I mean, it’s not like the US team was going to get very far, anyway…but the FIRST game? I mean, shucks. So much for world domination. At least we still have smart bombs.

Well for those who like their noses stuck into the poo poo of defeat, you might very much enjoy this panoramic photo shot in Prague of Czech fans watching the annihilation of the US team on a big screen. A buddy of mine who’s in Prague sent this to me and I just found it really, really cool….even though I am sad for the US team. Of particular note in the shot is the raggedy, homeless guy who seems to be directing the team to victory with his mind, and the shot down the cleavage of the woman sitting. Of course, this being Prague, we would have expected a slightly better-looking young woman, but I suppose that is the nature of spontaneity.

Future Tourist Sites that Hope to Remain Hidden

by Neil Woodburn on

So many of the world’s most alluring tourist sites are those which we know very little about.  The cities, tombs and other remains of lost civilizations unearthed and surrounded by mystery are always a fascinating draw.  Archeologists armed with toothbrushes try their best to piece together what they’ve discovered but sadly few of these lost civilizations have bothered to leave behind a record explaining the remains.

Civilizations never expect to disappear so naturally they don’t prepare anything to educate future generations who may discover their remains.  But what happens when these remains are toxic and have an active life span of 500 generations? What happens when future archeologists unearth a chamber full of strange barrels which when cracked open are found to contain chemical agents and radioactivity?

This is exactly the challenge facing engineers at a Waste Isolation Plant being built in New Mexico according to a fascinating article in the LA Times. 

An underground cavern will soon be stocked with horrifically dangerous chemical waste and radioactive materials that will continue to be dangerous for the next 25,000 years.  How do you warn future civilizations to stay away when it’s impossible to know if English, or any language for that matter, will even be spoken that far in the future?  The result is captivating lesson in universal communication models and physical structures that warn “GO AWAY” without actually spelling it out with letters.  It is just the type of thing one can imagine being unearthed in a science fiction film much like what happend with the monolith in the movie 2001. 

Check out the article and its cool interactive schemtics.  There are few man-made structures on this planet you can honestly predict will still be around in 25,000 years.  The whole purpose of this one is to do exactly that.  Because nuclear waste is the gift that keeps on giving. 

Eating Whales

by Erik Olsen on

News today that various countries are going to start up whaling again kinda breaks my heart. Maybe I am jut a hopeless mammal-loving kind of person, but it makes me sad. And, as this article points out, it is also unfortunate that whale burgers are back in high demand.

A Japanese fast food chain estimates that demand will be so high that it will sell 200 whale burgers a day. The chain, Lucky Pierrot (that doesn’t sound very Japanese?), runs 10 shops in the northern island of Hokkaido, and will use the mean minke whales caught under Japan’s controversial research whaling program. The burgers are said to taste a lot like beef. No word on whether the burger will be called the McMoby.