Army of Bjork

by Erik Olsen on

Adrienne brought this to our attention a little bit ago, but I figured it was worth another look…

At first I thought maybe this had something to do with new Scandinavian commitment to Iraq…but then I clicked the link and learned differently. It turns out that there are legions…nay an entire army, of people out there for whom, to quote one of the people interviewed in this video, Björk is the “ultimate embodiment of outsiderness” (or UEoO).

The Icelandishstic singer/performer/maker of very odd music videos in fact has her own army, which does occasionally gather in meeting places across the globe…or at least in predictably Björk-friendly neighborhood in Brooklyn.

I am an avid fan of the travel video site Travelistic, and this link came to my attention from one of the producers of this segment, and I pass it on to you, dear gadling reader, to decide for yourself if the Army of Björk is a threat to national security and/or an affront to cultural sensibilities. I argue that it is not, but my guess is that red staters might disagree. Either way, take a moment to enjoy. And please make note of the extra-special effort I put forward in this post to find an actual ö. And don’t ask me to pronounce her last name: Guðmundsdóttir, although my understanding is that it rhymes with Duðmundsdóttir.

Safer Everest Rescues with Unmanned Chopper

by Justin Glow on

I can’t ever imagine climbing Mt. Everest myself, but that hasn’t stopped me from living vicariously through John Krakauer in his book, Into Thin Air, one of my all-time favorites. The dangers of climbing the world’s tallest mountain are unparalleled; the 2006 climbing season alone saw the deaths of fifteen people — that’s one in every ten successful summits.

New Zealand based organization, Everest Rescue Trust, is looking to make climbing Everest a little bit safer by building an unmanned helicopter capable of rescuing the injured from the mountain’s high elevation and extreme terrain. The organization’s “goodwill ambassador” is none other than Mark Inglis, the first and only double amputee to climb Everest and star of the amazing Discovery Channel show, Everest: Beyond the Limit, which featured a group of climbers as they made their 2006 bid for the summit. Mark, along with a few other members of the group, stirred up controversy for the decision to forgo a rescue attempt on an injured, dying climber they found on their decent. “If you’re above 8,000 meters, and you can’t walk, you can’t live,” he told a reporter in a television interview for the Everest helicopter project.

Even if the project is successful, it won’t be the first time a helicopter has been to the top of Mt. Everest. On May 14th, 2005, a Eurocopter (with pilot) flew to the the summit and briefly landed just long enough to give it a world record for the highest take off ever — one that’s impossible to beat, unless another mountain mysteriously grows taller than Everest in the next few million years.

So wait, why can’t one of these Eurocopters rescue someone? In short, the winds on Everest are far too dangerous and unpredictable at high elevations — so much so that any attempt to land in such conditions is a huge risk for the pilot. This is where the unmanned chopper idea really shines. With the pilot controlling the helicopter from the safety of base camp, the only risk in a rescue attempt is damage to the machine.

The success of this project could mean a lot for the safety of future Everest mountaineers, but it could also mean an influx of even more inexperienced climbers, whose lack of experience and skill is often replaced with money in the bank. Some say the recent rise in Everest’s amateur climber population is responsible for the growing number of deaths.

What might potentially save the climber could, in fact, end up killing him or her.

[via Engadget]

Where the Hell is Matt? He’s giving a lecture, that’s where.

by Justin Glow on

Just about everyone who reads this site on a semi-regular basis has heard of Matt Harding (of Where the Hell is Matt? superfame) and seen him dance his way around the world once or twice. If you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, please familiarize yourself before reading any further. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Anyway, those of you have seen his dancing videos and loved them as much as I did, you’re also going to love this three part video lecture he gave a few months ago at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. He talks about how he got started traveling, where he’s been, how the dancing video came to be, and the details behind Stride Gum’s sponsorship to create the second installment. He also shows some never-before-seen, uncut footage from his videos — you know, the parts right before and after he starts his iconic dance.

The entire lecture can be found on YouTube in three parts, all uploaded by Matt himself. You can watch all three by clicking below:

(Matt, if you read this, don’t kill me for using that picture! It’s the first one I saw, and I couldn’t stop laughing at the caption provided: “Sorry, ladies. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m taken.”)


Part 1 of 3


Part 2 of 3


Part 3 of 3

Super Bowl Commercial for the GPS Nerds

by Justin Glow on

Unless the Chiefs are in the game, I rarely watch football with much enthusiasm — the Super Bowl included. I do, however, check in on the big game, but mostly for the commercials and potential for “accidental” nudity.

I was excited that one of my favorite commercials of the night came from a company I actually know and somewhat care for, Garmin. Did anyone else catch it? A guy stops his car and pulls out a paper map to check directions, but the map gets out of control and transforms into an “evil Mapisaurus” — then the cheesy, 80s-hair-metal music kicks in while another guy jumps out of his car, “grabs his Garmin,” and fights the old map technology with the power of Garmin’s GPS device. It’s great. Have a look:


I can’t speak for the product itself, but the commercial is awesome!