There is little doubt that the International Space Station commands a spectacular view of our planet, but the video below hammers that point home even further. It features some of the most spectacular images of the Earth that you could ever imagine and while at times you’ll swear you’re watching a science fiction film, all of this is real and was shot by astronauts aboard the ISS.
Simply breathtaking.
“View from the ISS at Night” from Knate Myers on Vimeo.
Three things that bring me joy in life are music, travel and writing. When I get a chance to write about the beautiful synergy between music and travel, I feel fulfilled in a way that is particularly satisfying. Hence, I bring you a music video featuring wonderful motion photographs of San Francisco. San Francisco is a beautiful city that deserves all of the attention this film gives it. This song by Kalle Mattson swirls famous San Francisco scenery together for an absolutely lovely video that romanticizes San Francisco in all the right ways. Enjoy.
“A Sinking Nation” from NPR on Vimeo.
Kiribati (pronounced kirr-i-bas) is an island nation spread across a chunk of the Pacific Ocean as big as Alaska two times over. But for all of the room Kiribati covers in distance, it accumulates virtually no space vertically. The average height of Kiribati land is just six and a half feet above sea level. Composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral, most of the nation’s 100,000 inhabitants cluster in near the nation’s capital, Tarawa. But space is running out. A single storm effortlessly vanishes houses into the sea and unfortunately, this is the fate most scientists and citizens believe belongs to Kiribati: the sea. According to this video produced by NPR, the island nation is especially vulnerable and in danger. Kiribati President Anote Tong has voiced concern over the rising seas, stating that it could ultimately lead to the demise of island countries like Kiribati. These statements have been loosely countered by findings published in the New Scientist magazine stating that the island is actually expanding due to coral debris. However hopeful land accumulation via coral debris may seem to some, the heart of the matter is that the core of Kiribati may soon be washed away and even newly risen land will likely face the same fate in this low-lying nation.
“Burkina Faso Plastic Bag Recycling” from Corentin Banzet on Vimeo.
In Burkina Faso, hope doesn’t seem to always come easily. With one of the lowest GDP per capita figures in the world ($1,200) and a tumultuous political past that has led to widespread unrest, it’s no wonder so many people that make up the country’s near 16 million population count are struggling. But in this video, Vimeo user Corentin Banzet documents some of the women in Burkina Faso who are using the country’s garbage as a resource for moneymaking. With the hook method, 150 women in the town of Tiébélé Burkina managed to produce 1,000 bags and 500 pouches over the span of eight months. And they did it all by recycling used plastic bags.
“Kinetic Rain Changi Airport Singapore” from ART+COM on Vimeo.
The folks over at Laughing Squid manage to regularly expand the spectrum of cool information going into my brain. I thank them for that. A while back they posted a little piece about the droplet installation inside of Singapore‘s Changi Airport. Titled “Kinetic Rain,” the installation of 608 copper-plated droplets is jaw-dropping. These droplets emulate rain droplets and through computer-controlled motors in the ceiling, the droplets actually move like waves. Executed by the German art studio ART+COM, this airport attraction is wildly impressive. Take a look at the above video to glean more information about this beautiful airport art.