Posts filed under ‘Break Time’
The Dolphin Jetpack
It’s break time, and I want one of these!
Franky Zapata uses a flyboard to zoom in and out of the water and leap through the air.
(Via.)
I bet it’s loud as hell, which would be a negative.
100-Year-Old Letter to Santa Found in Irish Chimney
Ok, it’s break time folks and in keeping with the season, we have this:
Photo: Eric Luke
IT MAY have been slightly scorched over the years but a letter to Santa written 100 years ago, which was later discovered in a Dublin fireplace, has the magic of Christmas written all over it.
On Christmas Eve 1911, a brother and sister, who signed their names, “A or H Howard”, penned their personally designed letter to Santa with their requests for gifts and a good luck message at their home in Oaklands Terrace, Terenure (or Terurnure, as the children spelled it) in Dublin.
They placed it in the chimney of the fireplace in the front bedroom so that Santa would see it as he made his way into the Howard household in the early hours of the morning.
The letter was discovered by the house’s current occupant, John Byrne, when he was installing central heating in 1992.
Since then, he has retained it as a souvenir of another time and place but with the stamp of childhood innocence which still exists today.
The message to Santa was warm but explicit.
“I want a baby doll and a waterproof with a hood and a pair of gloves and a toffee apple and a gold penny and a silver sixpence and a long toffee.”
“At that time, the fireplaces were made of brick with a shelf on either side,” said John Byrne who works in the building industry.
“The letter was found on one of the shelves.”
Such simple desires compared to what kids want these days. And I love the “Good Luck!”
Dallol, Ethopia — the World’s Weirdest Landscape
It’s break time!
Don’t ask me how I stumbled upon this but man, am I glad I did. This is the weirdest, most beautiful landscape I’ve ever seen. Look at those colors!
I’m putting it on my To See & Do Before I Die list:
In the North East of Ethiopia lies the Danokil Desert. At its heart is a volcanic crater, Dallol, little known and seldom visited but quite extraordinary.
Surrounding the volcano are acidic hot springs, mountains of sulphur, pillars of salt, small gas geysers and pools of acid isolated by salt ridges. It makes for one of the most bizarre landscapes on planet Earth.
Learn more and see more spectacular photos here.
Time Lapse: Dandelion Flower to Seed Head
Hey it’s time for an intermission, a/k/a it’s break time!
The beauty of the lowly dandelion is revealed when one takes the time look.
(Via.)
Savor the Moment
It’s break time!
I could learn a thing or two from Casper here about savoring every single moment:
Enjoy.
(Via.)
Image of the Day
Check this out:
Using an innovative fabrication process developed at HRL [Laboratories, LLC], researchers created a “micro-lattice” structure of interconnected hollow tubes with a wall thickness of 100 nanometers, 1,000 times thinner than a human hair.
Dr. Bill Carter, manager of the Architected Materials Group at HRL, lays out the vision for these micro-lattice materials by drawing parallels to large structures: “Modern buildings, exemplified by the Eiffel Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge, are incredibly light and weight-efficient by virtue of their architectures. We are revolutionizing lightweight materials by bringing this concept to the materials level and designing their architectures at the nano and micro scales.”
Wow.
America’s Fakest Family
Time for some snark: I saw this magazine cover at the grocery store a few hours ago:
AMERICA’S FAKEST FAMILY!
DESTROYED BY GREED
God I love it.
Trippy “Bridge” in the Netherlands
It’s break time!
Check out this trippy “bridge” that allows people to cross water surrounding a fort in the Netherlands:
No, your eyes are not deceiving you – the waters have indeed parted! This incredible “sunken” bridge located in the Netherlands is giving visitors a unique way to access a beautiful 17th Century Dutch fort. Designed by RO & AD Architects, the Moses Bridge literally parts the waters that surround the fort, allowing pedestrians to pass through. The bridge is made from sustainable Accsys Technologies Accoya wood, which is both FSC and PEFC certified.
Very cool. More here.
This is a No-Politics Break Time
Mr. SayItAin’tSoAlready and I are big (well, when it comes to donations, tiny would be a better word) supporters of The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesberg, Colorado:
The Wild Animal Sanctuary rescues primarily lions, cougars, tigers and bears. Their mission is:
To Prevent and alleviate cruelty to animals which are abandoned or that are subject to deprivation or neglect by providing care and boarding for such animals.
America has a “Captive Wildlife Crisis!” There are estimates as high as 30,000 captive Great Cats, Bears and Wolves living in substandard conditions throughout the US. In fact, after illegal drugs and weapons, the exotic animal trade is the third largest source of illicit profits in America…and in the world…today!
The Wild Animal Sanctuary, TWAS, is all about saving animals who are victims of America’s “Captive Wildlife Crisis!” We criss-cross the United States and Mexico, rescuing captive exotic and endangered large carnivores who have been abused, abandoned, exploited or illegally kept. We have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to 42 states (to some states many times) on rescue missions… and down into Mexico over the years as well… saving animals from dreadful circumstances, and bringing them back to live in the wide open space of large acreage habitats where they have plenty of space, exceptional diets and proper veterinary care, for as long as they live.
We’ve visited their 720 acre reserve on the eastern plains of Colorado several times and though the rescued animals don’t have miles and miles and miles upon which to roam as they would in the wild, the conditions are far better than the environment the animals came from.
Anyway, their “News/Winter 2011″ brochure came in the mail today. This beautiful picture of a mountain lion is on the cover and well, I thought I’d share it:
What a gorgeous animal.
Cute Alert — Horse and Doggie Meet
OK folks. It’s break time and cute alert time all in one.
Check out this darling video of a little dog (a Pug?) and a New York City police horse meeting.
(Via.)
The World’s Most Beautiful Parking Garage
OK folks, it’s break time. Enough of politics for a minute. Check out this building in Kowloon Bay, China — slide show here. The part you’re looking at is the approximately six-story parking garage at the lower level of the 28-story tower.
I think parking garages are probably the most hideous structures ever built. But this one is so pretty and so fun to look at.
Break Time Video
Damn, I can’t figure out why I can’t upload videos posted on Vimeo. Drives me nuts.
Anyway, you’ve got to check out this video of starlings swirling over the River Shannon in Ireland.
Amazing.
Beautiful.
I hope I’m lucky enough to see something like this before I die.
Cat Hugs a Kitten Having a Nightmare
Take a break from politics and watch this cat — presumably the mom — hug a kitten that seems to be having a nightmare.
Adorable.
(Via.)
Motorcyclist Saves Little Calf
It’s break time folks and we have a wonderful, heartwarming video for you here.
Seriously. Take three minutes out of the craziness of life and watch it:
Look at This Beautiful Creature
It’s break time folks. Stop for 30 seconds (or 60 or 120) and take in the beauty of this amazing creature. Look at those feathers.
Wow.
(Via.)
We Must Listen to the Himalayan Glaciers
Wow. I recommend this 4-minute-long video interview of David Breashers (see below). He is wonderful and his photographs are a must-see.
Rivers of Ice: Vanishing Glaciers
Stunning images from high in the Himalayas – showing the extent by which many glaciers have shrunk in the past 80 years or so – have gone on display at the Royal Geographical Society in central London.
Between 2007 and 2010, David Breashears retraced the steps of early photographic pioneers such as Major E O Wheeler, George Mallory and Vittorio Sella – to try to re-take their views of breathtaking glacial vistas.
The mountaineer and photographer is the founder of GlacierWorks – a non-profit organisation that uses art, science and adventure to raise public awareness about the consequences of climate change in the Himalayas.
A sample of what you’ll see:
Photo: BBC / David Breashears
Look at Hobbiton Now!
Remember Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings? Take a look at it now. It’s a darling little town for sheep:
This morning, we’re gushing over these adorable little lambs wandering around the idyllic rolling countryside of New Zealand. This beautiful setting is actually Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy which was shot on the Alexander Family Farm in Matamata. Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ home was buried in these hills but now the sheep have claimed them as their own, taking advantage of the underground earthen habitats.
More photos here. (God, what a gorgeous place.)
Dog is Afraid of a Picture of Julia Roberts
It’s break time people! Take a few seconds out here for a chuckle.
OMG, this is hilarious:
(Yeah, I know. We don’t know exactly what the dog’s thinking (wish we did) — if it’s REALLY afraid of a picture of Julia Roberts — but this is so cute nonetheless.)
Wow!
Check out this NASA image of a sunspot taken on September 22, 2011. The Earth is inserted into the picture in the upper right hand corner “for a size comparison.”
Image: NASA via jp-Brahic
Wow. Just wow.
Could You Live in a 500 Sq. Ft. Apartment?
Mr. SayItAin’tSoAlready and I (along with our two dogs — that would be our boy, Mr. Albert (“Al”) up there at the top), have lived in a 1,100 sq. ft. home for more than 30 years. Yes, we hung in during the “boom time” of the ’80s and ’90s when McMansions were all the rage and man, we’re glad we did.
Our little house has kept us from collecting a bunch of junk and now that we’re a bit older and (we think) wiser, it’s nice not to have to clean hundreds of square feet of unused space. I don’t know about you, but we spend most of our time in the “great room,” i.e., the combined living room, dining room and kitchen. Who needs a living room and a family room and a rec room and a media room and a game room? Shoot, we don’t even have a garage much less a basement.
ANYWAY, I’ve always been fascinated with spaces even smaller than ours and with the use of space per se, as in finding creative ways to tuck storage areas into unused spots.
That said, I came across this cool series of photos today titled: How to Live Large in a 500 Sq. Ft. Apartment. Check it out. Every square inch is important. And I love this ingenuous idea:
Break Time!
Check out this post featuring 20 Stunning Japanese Gardens Around the World.
I don’t particularly like the really stark gardens, the ones that are mostly rock and gravel, but I love the gardens that emphasize shapes and textures, like these:
Adachi Museum of Art — Yasugi, Japan
Photo: 63highland
Japanese Gardens — Portland, Oregon
Photo: Stephen Gray
Enjoy!
Amazing Birds’ Nest
Break time!
Check out this series of photos showing two birds building an amazing mud nest. Unfortunately, the description doesn’t include information as to what kind of birds they are or where this took place but it’s worth a look anyway.
As a tease, this is the first shot:
A Dumpster House or, a House in a Dumpster
Break time!
Video blogger Kim Aronson interviews Gregory Kloehn of Berkley, California about the dumpster he turned into a house. Kloehn was interested in breaking down “what a home can be. What is it? … Is it toilets, and a kitchen and a roof? Is it location? Or is it a house that expresses yourself?”
(Via.)
I have to admit, it does make one think about how much stuff they could do without.
Yum — Bacon Wrapped Eggs
Break time folks…time to check out this recipe for bacon wrapped eggs. Think about the possibilities, like adding some smoked salmon and/or capers; sausage, an assortment of herbs; unusual cheeses; tomatoes; beets; kippered herring.
I love this.
(Via.)
Break Time
See if you can put this puzzle together. Hint: It clicks when you put a piece in the right spot.
Here’s what the finished product looks like:
I completed it in about 15 minutes.
Short Break
I l-o-v-e the look of the Baobab tree. Seeing one in person is on my before-I-die to-do list.
Legend holds that when the Baobab was planted by God, it kept walking, so God pulled it up and replanted it upside down to stop it moving.
(Image via.)
Break Time
Check out this slow motion video of an owl landing.
What a gorgeous animal. Just wish the video lasted a little longer.
(Via.)
Seratonin Break Time
Watch as a Beluga whale appears to nod its head to the beat of a Mariachi band.
