STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

This Ghostly Town Spent 25 Years Underwater Before Resurfacing

At one time, Epecuén was a booming resort city: a grand town on a beautiful lake, attracting holidaymakers from all over Argentina in the 1920s with its revitalising salt waters. There were hotels, nightclubs, and restaurants. Today, it’s a thicket of bleached white ruins, latticed with rusted steel and fallen power lines.

Like so many other low-lying towns, Epecuén was a victim of bad engineering. On November 6, 1985, an unusual weather phenomenon known as a seiche, or standing wave, struck the lake — soon after, the dam protecting the town had broken, and the tides began to rise. Though residents had enough time to escape, the town itself was plunged into a long, wet sleep. Resorts, houses, playgrounds, schools were all lost.

After a quarter of a century, the water receded. Ghostly remains were left intact, as captured recently by photographer Romain Veillon, who sent along his photos today. These ruins aren’t quite a place, but they represent a very real memory for the residents who once lived there.

Many revisited their former homes, and in the case of one 81-year-old resident, even returned to live. But Epecuén was never rebuilt — instead, it’s served as something of a curiosity, playing host to stunt bike videos and other projects.

Veillon describes his experience in Epecuén as a harrowing warning of the power of nature:

Like the myth of Atlantis, Epecuén was flooded by the water like the gods were trying to send a message to mankind: We are nothing when the elements are unleashed. Ruins reappearing nowadays act like a threat of what could happen again if man thinks he can bend nature to his will. It’s enough to get lost a few hours through the muddy streets of Epecuén to understand how hard it would have been to lose everything overnight and be able to start over despite it.

This is far from the only “sunken” town that has resurfaced of late. In fact, there are dozens in the U.S. and Europe alone, many the victims of intentional flooding by civil engineers creating reservoirs. Epecuén’s story is a bit different — and a bit more harrowing. Check out a few more of Veillon’s photos below.

[MIKA27]

Watch Australia's F-35A Joint Strike Fighter Take Its Maiden Flight

What’s more surprising? That Australia bought loads of super-expensive jets, or that the jets we bought were actually able to be delivered and flown without something going wrong on them? Either way, Australia’s first F-35 jet was delivered this week, and it managed to get off the ground to film this awesome video.

The Joint Strike Fighter platform was co-funded by a whole mess of nations around the world as the next-generation of warplane, but issues plagued the development phase. As a result, the cost has blown out by billions and the delays are massive.

Australia is getting 72 of the planes at a cost of $12 billion, and this is the first: F35-001.

Honestly, for all the nonsense around the JSF project both here and abroad, it’s awesome seeing this thing up in the air.

[MIKA27]

Your Next Sleeping Bag Might Not Have A Zipper Or Even Be A Bag At All

Next generation sleeping bags are attempting to boost comfort while shedding weight by ditching the traditional mummy design for something more akin to your bed at home.

What’s The Matter With Mummies? Well, nothing really. They’re an effective, efficient solution for packing you into as much insulation as possible with minimal weight and volume. But, some people find them to be claustrophobic and, in many situations, the all-encompassing insulation is actually unnecessary. When you’re laying down, you compress the down, primaloft or whatever under you, minimising its ability to retain heat. When that happens, it’s actually your sleeping pad keeping you warm, not the bag. So, why lug all that extra material along with you?

Comforters: Imagine a sleeping bag without a back. That’s the idea with backpacking comforters — they’re built just like sleeping bags, out of lightweight nylon and either down or a man-made insulation material — but, rather than a back, you simply lay them over your sleeping pad. Comforters tend to have some sort of connection to keep that sleeping pad in place and keep out drafts. Without that back, they’re free to be smaller in packed volume and lighter than their all-encompassing counterparts.

We’ve spent a few nights sleeping in a Nemo Tango Duo Slim 30 comforter. Rated to -1C, the girlfriend and I have slept under it down to about -4C, at which point I was still so hot I was sweating, while she swore she was going to freeze to death. Two standard 20-inch wide sleeping pads fit in sleeves at the foot of the comforter, while two tie-off points on each side allow you to secure the pads together and wrap the comforter around their edges with paracord or anything similar. The detachable hood also wraps the pads and adds some valuable warmth for your head.

The real limitation with it isn’t the warmth — absolutely on-par with bags rated to the same temperature — but in the cuddleability of using two sleeping pads. While spoonage is much sweeter using this system over two separate sleeping bags — the system it’s intended to replace — the crack between the pads keeps both users in the middle of their own, not as good as one of the big, heavy pump-up air mattresses you’d use for car camping, which the Tango isn’t compatible with.

The real advantage? Space and weight. The Tango packs appreciably smaller than my typical one-person Kelty Cosmic Down 20 mummy bag and weighs 57g less. Considering it eliminates the need for a second bag, that’s significant.

Backcountry Beds: This innovative new bag from Sierra Designs is more along the lines of a traditional mummy, surrounding you entirely with insulation. Where it differs is in ditching the zipper for a shoe-style opening and tounge. The advantages of those are in facilitating a more traditional, bed-style of sleep where you can more easily roll over, open the bag, sleep on your side, whatever.

The cleverness of the Backcountry Bed doesn’t end there. It also incorporates a sleeve sized for standard sleeping pads on the back, keeping your bag/pad together as you move around throughout the night. There’s also a slit in the foot of the bag, allowing you to stick your feet out on warm nights and little mittens on the “tongue” so you can keep your hands warm on cold nights.

In British Columbia, I spend several below-freezing nights in the Backcountry Bed 600, rated to -3C, and can report that it really does offer significant comfort advantages over a traditional mummy, while retaining all of that design’s warmth; the -3C rating feels conservative. Side sleeping, rolling down the tongue, rolling over, whatever, it all takes place seamlessly, meaning you do all that while staying asleep.

The disadvantage is packed size and weight. Sierra Designs is a higher-end brand, but this BackCountry Bed packs about 50 per cent larger than that less-expensive Kelty also referenced above while weighing about the same. Ultralight types are still better served by traditional bags.

Hybrid Bag/Pads: Enter the $800(!) Eddie Bauer First Ascent Airbender 20. It looks like a traditional mummy bag, but like a comforter, ditches the insulation on the back. That’s because its inflatable, insulated sleeping pad is sewn right in. Its made from a higher fill-power down than either the Backcountry Bed or that Kelty mummy bag we’re using as a reference, but weighs only a few grams more. That’s incredible, when you consider it includes the pad (my typical pad, a Therm-A-Rest NeoAir All-Season, weighs 540g).

And, you can likely ditch some of that weight by losing the included — and reportedly unnecessary — hand pump.

That high price is accounted for by the need to manage production of the bag across two separate factories and the new methods involved in constructing it. Like all new technologies, expect to see it drop radically as production is streamlined and volumes increase.

Sierra Designs also has a “garment style” bag called the Mobile Mummy that wraps your head tightly and incorporates ports for both your hands and feet, meaning you can wear it around your campsite, as well as inside your tent.

What These Bags Mean For You: Should you switch? If you’re happy with your current mummy bag and sleeping pad, don’t bother. If you’re shopping and you’re looking for the lightest weight, warmest insulation and lowest cost, don’t bother. The real takeaway here is that there’s now real options in the sleeping bag market, ones capable of significantly boosting comfort or dropping weight or, in the case of comforters, doing both, but only in a specific circumstance. People who want to cuddle, people who don’t sleep comfortably in the confines of a mummy bag or high-end gear whores are currently the real winners, but we’ll all hopefully be benefiting from this shake up of the outside-sleeping category in the near future.

[MIKA27]

Check Out Android L In Action On A Samsung Galaxy S5

It’s been months since Google first gave us a glimpse of Android L and the Material Design manifesto. But now, the slick-looking operating system is finally getting close to primetime. At least that’s how this new video from SamMobile of a Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android L makes it seem.

This is hardly the first time some have seen Android L in action. However, this is first time we’ve seen Android L mashed up with Samsung’s TouchWiz interface and out in the wild. It’s also one of the most complete builds I’ve seen. So maybe it won’t take a bajillon years for Android L to show up on Samsung phones!

The addition of TouchWiz means the subtraction of some Android L features. The new notifications on the home screen, for instance, max out at two rather than the standard four. But on the bright side, it seems like Samsung might get rid of TouchWiz blue theme in favour of a cleaner white look.

The list goes on, and SamMobile shows off every screen imaginable in the video, in addition to having a whole host of screenshots. The blog’s sources also say that the final name for the new Android OS will indeed be Lollipop. With October upon us and Nexus rumours in full swing, it shouldn’t be long until we find out.

[Fuzz]

Watch Australia's F-35A Joint Strike Fighter Take Its Maiden Flight

Pretty sure that was Photoshopped.

[MIKA27]

WATCH ROLL BY CONVOY GOODS

Convoy Goods is a small company that specialises in hand-making leather goods using traditional methods, although it looks like the kind of small workshop you might find in Brooklyn, Richmond or Portland they’re actually based in Malaysia.

The leather watch roll by Convoy Goods is made from high grade Italian leather and industrial strength German nylon is used to ensure the stitching never frays. Each roll can accommodate 4 watches and measures 12″ x 13.5″ when open.

Grab yours here – Tan / Black

[MIKA27]

CT SCUDERIA SCRAMBLER SERIES

There’s something about riding a motorcycle that says “Forget you, world. I’m on my own time.” Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but when you show up for Gone Girl at 9:50, and it started at 9:20, yeah… let’s get you a watch, chief.

Here are some chronograph watches that are prefect for you from Italy’s CT Scuderia. The Scrambler series blends your love of bikes with your need for time-telling in a classically stylish way. Inspired by the café racer motorcycles of yesteryear, these beauties combine the inherent elegance of a square case design with the rugged influence of motorcycles and racing culture. Features include 12-hour quartz movement, Lumi Bright Night vision numerals, and interchangeable straps that let you pivot from leather to steel at your leisure. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

JUDGING AMERICA PHOTO SERIES EXPLORES PREJUDICE

Prejudice isn’t likely going away any time soon, but holding a mirror up to it occasionally certainly seems like a healthy way of keeping it in check. That’s exactly what Joel Parés, a U.S. Marine-turned-photographer, has done with his series “Judging America.”

This collection of intriguing photos features men and women of different ethnicities or lifestyles, with each person photographed both in a negative stereotype and then in their actual clothes related to their professions. For example, there’s Harvard graduate Jefferson Moon, who’s presented with guns, a gold chain and medallion, and sagging pants, and then in a tan suit and tie with glasses, and Edgar Gonzalez, a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, is seen both as a gardener and as a dapper businessman. Parés says the series is meant to make us think twice before judging someone. What’s your take? [Via]

SAHAR SHALEEM – NEW YORK CITY NURSE

EDGAR GONZALES – FORTUNE 500 CEO

JANE NGUYEN – WIDOWED MOTHER OF 3

BEN ALVAREZ – FAMILY OUTREACH PROGRAM FOUNDER

ALEXANDER HUFFMAN – WORLD FAMOUS PAINTER

JACK JOHNSON – PASTOR/MISSIONARY

SAMMIE LEE – STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL STUDENT

JACOB WILLIAMS – IRAQ COMBAT VETERAN

JOSEPH MESSER – IPHONE APP INVENTOR

[MIKA27]

Why Daylight Saving Time Is Pointless

Ugh. You’re up an hour early, your body hates you for it, and even a litre of coffee can’t get your day on track. Daylight saving sucks. But you know the worst part? It doesn’t have to be like this.

Daylight saving isn’t as old as you think it is. First suggested by Benjamin Franklin, in 1784, it was at the time shot down by many very sensible people as being pointless. Then, in the First World War, it was introduced — first by the Germans — to save coal during war time.

Somehow in that age of austerity, the concept soon caught on and everyone started doing it. Sadly, nobody’s really thought to change back. Except Arizona, and it hasn’t fallen off the face of the planet as a result.

But oddly, some people still support the use of daylight saving: they say it saves energy, promotes a healthy lifestyle, and reduces traffic accidents. So let’s bust the myths right now and make it clear that daylight saving needs to go.

Daylight Saving doesn’t save energy…

The Germans introduced daylight saving to lower fuel costs. The idea is that, while changing the clocks reduces the use of artificial lighting in the evening but increases use in the morning, the evening reduction outweighs the morning increase.

Great — but that was a century ago. Recent studies of power consumption in the US point out that, at best, DST might reduce the electricity usage by 1% during March and April. Other estimates, by the National Bureau of Standards, suggest it has zero effect.

…cut accidents…

Many folks point to the fact that DST reduces the incidence of road traffic accidents as a good reason to keep using the system. In fact, the data surrounding road safety disagree widely. Some studies show that it makes no difference, others suggest a 0.7 per cent reduction in traffic fatalities during DST. When the data’s that limited, it’s not enough to base a decision on.

…or make us any healthier…

It’s true that DST does provide extra daylight in the evening, and that it may bring with it increased physical activity and reduced incidence of depression. But there is plenty of evidence that changing the clocks by an hour can have a detrimental effect on our health.

Clock shifts disrupt our circadian rhythms. Studies have show that, around the times of the spring clock changes, there are spikes in suicide rates and an increase in the number of recorded heart attacks . In fact, when Kazakhstan ditched DST in 2005, it cited health reasons. Sure, it might make you go for an extra jog or two every year, but it might also help contribute to a heart attack. I know which I’d prefer.

…but is incredibly disruptive.

So, none of the arguments for maintaining DST weigh up. I have one, very large, argument to support scrapping it, though: it loses the US billions of dollars every year. It damages retail, affects the stock market in a negative way, and even disrupts agriculture.

A century ago, we didn’t have data to tell us whether DST made a real measurable impact; it was acceptable to run with it because, for all we knew, it was useful. Now, we know better. Day light savings sucks — and we need to get rid of it.

[MIKA27]

I'm Not Sure Bike Rides Can Be More Epic Than Through The Isle Of Skye

There have probably been mountain bike rides that have been more intense than Danny Macaskill’s tour through the Isle of Skye in Scotland and perhaps there have been a few rides slightly more beautiful of his ride on the Cuillin Ridgeline, but I can’t imagine any feeling more epic than this. It is stunning.

To get views this incredible, you really have to defy death. Or watch a video of someone defying death.

[MIKA27]

Steve McQueen And Analogue Synths Make A Music Video I Can't Stop Watching

There are few things I love in life more than Steve McQueen movies. And there’s nothing else out there that sounds like analogue synthesiser music.

The footage, for those of you living un-righteous lives, is from McQueen’s 1971 movie Le Mans. This movie is required watching for any car fan, 106 minutes of true-life racing footage peppered with roughly 42 seconds (total) of dialog and plot. The music is TRS-80′s “Formula ’71″, dripping with the weird retro-future sound of first-generation synthesisers.

What a heady combination. I can’t stop watching. Or listening.

[MIKA27]

Hot Air Balloon Flies Underground Into Earth For The First Time Ever

When you hop into a hot air balloon, you expect to fly up. Not anymore. For the first time ever, a hot air balloon was successfully flown down and underground into the Mamet Cave in Croatia. Even better, it was a 70-year-old man who accomplished the feat, dipping down nearly 213m into Earth.

[MIKA27]

I Can Hardly Believe The B-1B Is 30 Years Old

I can hardly believe that the B-1B — the US Air Force’s four-engine supersonic, sweep-wing strategic bomber — is 30 years old. It still looks like an aircraft from the distant future. This one was photographed over Iraq after conducting air strikes in Syria against ISIL targets on September 27, 2014.

Here it is refuelling too:

[MIKA27]

The World's Biggest And Best Gas Turbine Can Power 400,000 Homes

If you thought the GE90 aircraft engine was a masterpiece of modern engineering, just get a load of this beauty. General Electric’s 9HA is the most advanced and efficient gas turbine available today and though it may not be able to lift a 787 off the ground, this potent electricity producer can easily power a mid-size metropolis.

Nicknamed “Harriet”, this turbine is the product of more than a billion dollars of GE development. Each turbine is constructed from cutting-edge materials like single-crystal fan blades and ceramic matrix composites — many of which were first designed for the 90x — built to operate under higher temperatures (and therefore produce more energy per unit of time) without breaking down, allowing it to hit a staggering 61 per cent energy production efficiency.

“This is industry leading technology,” Mike Gradoia, product marketing manager for Harriet, told GE Reports. “Fifteen years ago you would need twice as many units to deliver the same amount of power. But they would have been less efficient, burning more fuel and therefore generating more emissions.”

What’s more, the 9HA is exceedingly smart for an industrial mechanization. Each turbine is packed with more than 3000 mechanical, temperature and exhaust sensors which keep tabs on every aspect of the turbine’s generation. This constant stream of data is then fed into an adjacent monitoring centre, though GE is working to integrate the data flow into the burgeoning Industrial Internet.

Since the 9HA takes just 10 minutes to spool up from a dead stop to full power, it’s an ideal solution for hybrid energy production schemes — say, pairing one of these with a solar or wind array — because it can quickly come online to augment the sagging production rate of the renewables. And by plugging the 9HA into the Industrial Internet, it would be able to react to changing conditions without the need for human guidance.

[MIKA27]

A Spartan Knife Block That's Anything But Austere

You can pretend they’re there for easy access, but there’s something primevally enjoyable about leaving your cutting implements on display in a knife block. It’s like knights mounting swords on the wall of a castle, and it’s also why this knife block that looks like a Spartan under attack is particularly amusing.

Made from a combination of maple and walnut woods, the folks at Missing Digit Workshop only plan to make and sell 50 of these at $US44 a pop — which is pretty decent when you consider the craftsmanship going into each one. It’s even got a spot for your knife sharpener, although this Spartan might want to choose another weapon to go on the offensive with. [Missing Digit Woodshop]

[MIKA27]

Only 47 Of These Samurai-Inspired Motorcycles Will Be Made

Vehicle manufacturers make limited edition models available all the time, but few people start their own business for the sole purpose of taking someone else’s hardware and rebuilding it into their own, exclusive line. This, however, is exactly what people behind Ronin Motor Works did when it heard Harley Davidson was killing off its Buell brand of motorcycles, with its interests falling in particular on the liquid-cooled 1125 series.

The company managed to get a hold of nearly 50 bikes and decided to craft a limited run of modified 1125s, to show off the vehicle’s unique construction. Called the “Ronin”, only 47 of the bikes will be made, each one hand-built from a Buell 1125. The bikes will be numbered and “named” after one of the 47 Ronin from the Japanese legend.

For the Ronin, the linkage folk, cooling system and exhaust were redesigned. The biggest difference is the front of the bike, which has been streamlined and provides the Ronin with its distinct look.

The bikes will be released in different-sized blocks, with the first containing 12 units. Of those, five have been purchased.

If you’re in the position to pick up one of these lovely bikes, you’re going to need $US38,000 on hand. Ronin Motor Works won’t handle any of the shipping either — it’ll be up to you to sort out. So, it’s fair to say it’s unlikely any of us will be getting one of these bad boys any time soon.

[MIKA27]

Behold The Newest, Fastest, Most Badass Attack Helicopter In The World

The S-97 Raider — Sikorsky new attack helicopter — is out and it is not only gorgeous. It’s absolutely badass. It is based in the same technology as its X2 technology demonstrator, which broke the world helicopter speed record in 2010: 260 knots — that’s 481.5km/h vs the 277km/h of conventional helicopters.

According to Sikorsky’s Mike Miller, it “is an all-new helicopter, all-new configuration. We haven’t seen something this new in 30 years.” The Raider uses counter-rotating rotor blades with a push propeller on the tail. This unique combination allows it to pulverise all speed records.

Obviously, its weight is limited. This thing will not have the same kind of firepower as heavier helicopters, but it will be able to zip to any location and provide troop support faster than any other chopper.

The aircraft will not be operative in the US military just yet. In fact, only two Raiders are built. They will be tested during 2015.

[MIKA27]

The Invisible F-22 Raptor Flying On Its Way To Bomb ISIS In Syria

We saw the awesome photos and now we have the video: Witness the F-22 Raptor refuelling somewhere over the Arabian Peninsula en route to ISIS targets in Syria, captured from a KC-135 tanker on September 27, 2014.

[MIKA27]

Stunning Depictions Of Ancient Comets That Scared The Hell Out Of Humans

Long-tailed stars and mysterious glowing fireballs from the heavens were among the biggest and most fearful mysteries for stargazing humans throughout history. With the development of astronomy science, comets, meteors, meteorites and shooting stars became familiar objects of our universe, and with the advent of photography, depicting them became more precise. But before that talented artists created amazing drawings and paintings of these mysterious rocks.

The holes in their scientific knowledge were often filled with imagination and superstition, leaving a fascinating pictorial legacy for us to look at today.

Some of these centuries-old images were recently published by the Public Domain Review in a collection called “Flowers of the Sky.” It’s a stunning glimpse into at a time when comets and meteors delighted and terrified sky-watching humans. Enjoy.

“In 1007 A.D., a wondrous comet appeared. It gave off fire and flames in every direction,” wrote Augsburger Wunderzeichenbuch in The Book of Miracles in the 16th century.

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry show men staring at Halley’s Comet (c1066), and is the first known picture of the comet.

“In 1300 A.D., a terrible comet appeared in the sky… and in this year, on St Andrew’s Day, an earthquake shook the ground so that many buildings collapsed.” – The Book of Miracles

“In 1401 A.D., a big comet with a tail… appeared in the sky in Germany. That was followed by a great, terrible plague in Swabia.” – The Book of Miracles

The comet of 1456 as it was seen in Germany, from The Book of Miracles.

The Ensisheim Meteorite, a stony meteorite that fell on November 7, 1492, in a wheat field outside of Ensisheim, Austria (now France). Woodcut in Ship of Fools (Daß Narrenschyff ad Narragoniam) by Sebastian Brant, 1494 Switzerland.

Melencolia I: In Albrecht Dürer’s well known engraving a comet or meteor can be seen shooting across the sky, 1514.

1527: The comet’s “head like a bent arm, as if it had a sword in its hand and wanted to strike. And at the point of the sword there were three big stars and from the stars sprang a cloud-coloured stream, which was longer than the comet’s tail.” – The Book of Miracles

1531: The comet’s tail was “longer than a rice skewer, one and a half feet wide.” – The Book of Miracles

View of a celestial phenomenon that appeared in Salon in Provence, c1547.

A sword as if about to strike, 1560.

The comet of 1577.

The comet that killed the pegasus, 1665.

Comets and shooting stars in Description de l’Univers, by Alain Manesson Mallet, 1685.

A meteor exploded over Catalonia on Christmas Day. Drawing by Joseph Boll, 1704.

The Comet Stern over the observatory of Dr Rehlen in Nuremberg, c1750.

The Great Meteor was an unusually bright bolide observed in 1783 from the British Isles, at a time when such phenomena were not well understood.

The Great Comet of 1811 was visible to the naked eye for around 260 days, and it was the most brilliant comet that appeared in the 19th century.

A German engraving of a comet, c1830.

The Great Meteor of October 7, 1868.

A bolide over Athens, from Jean Pierre Rambosson’s book Astronomy, 1875.

The fall of a bolide at sea, from Astronomy.

The great comet of 1881 (Comet C/1881 K1). Even more amazing artwork from Étienne Léopold Trouvelot’s Astronomical Drawings, 1881.

[MIKA27]

US President Was Afraid Of The First White House Light Switches In 1891

The first president to install electric lighting at the White House was Benjamin Harrison in 1891, but he never touched the light switches himself, for fear of being electrocuted. This was a reasonable fear, given how crude household electric wiring could be at the time.

Some sources contend that he and his wife would sometimes sleep with the lights on, though this seems unlikely. Most sources claim that his domestic staff would operate the light switches exclusively.

From White House History:

Electric lighting was installed in the White House in 1891. Few people at the time had enough faith in electric lighting to use it exclusively-its use was barely a decade old. The electrical work at the White House was planned as part of a well-funded project for wiring the State, War & Navy building next door.

The Edison company installed a generator for both buildings that was put in the State, War & Navy’s basement, with the wires strung across the lawn and introduced into the White House under the conservatory.

The relatively new method of illumination was initially intended to be only a supplement to gaslight. Wires were buried in the plaster, with round switches installed in each room for turning the current on and off. President and Mrs. Harrison refused to operate the switches because they feared being shocked and left the operation of the electric lights to the domestic staff.

This leads one to the obvious question: Do modern presidents ever touch the light switches in the White House? Obviously they’re no longer afraid of getting electrocuted, but one can’t help but imagine the modern Secret Service handling trivial stuff like that. Or at least I imagine that’s what the Secret Service does now, since they’re clearly no longer in the business of protecting the president.

[MIKA27]

The Stealthy Chopper That Sneaks Special Forces Behind Enemy Lines

Blackhawks and Apaches may be the poster-choppers of America’s Special Forces but much of the heavy lifting that makes those missions possible is handled by the venerable CH-47G Chinook. And with the most recent round of modernizations, this Vietnam-era workhorse is ready for the 21st century.

Chinooks first entered service in 1962 as troop transports and heavy-lift cargo carriers, immediately proving their worth and quickly becoming a logistical backbone of the US military (not to mention the 19 countries where Boeing exports the platform and a variety of commercial users).

These 30m long, double-prop helicopters are powered by a pair of 4733hp Lycoming turboshafts which allows them to hoist either 55 fully outfitted troops or 24 evacuation litters and their requisite attendants — 12,700kg of cargo in all — at speeds up to 315km/h and as far as 724km. They aren’t heavily armed, usually only carrying a couple 7.62mm machine guns, although the dedicated special ops variant — the MH-47G — does have a few tricks to help its crew mitigate the dangers of incoming fire.

Not only is the 47G outfitted with the digital Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS), a fully integrated comm system with global reach widely considered to be the most advanced piece of helicopter avionics in the world today, it also packs terrain-following radar for nap-of-the-earth and low-level flight operations even in whiteout conditions, integrated FLIR capabilities, a monolithic framed fuselage structure, and double-capacity fuel tanks for extended range and loiter times. In short, the MH-47G constitutes the state of the art in stealthy transport chopper technology.

The variant was first introduced in 2004 when the SOC ordered upgrades on 36 MH-47D/E’s. The military subsequently announced that it had tapped the aerospace manufacturer to produce an additional eight newly-built choppers to round out the program by 2015 at a cost of $US300 million. On Monday, Boeing made good on the agreement, delivering the first newly-built (as opposed to modernised or upgraded) CH-47G Chinook of the batch to US Army Special Operations Aviation Command.

The other seven are expected by the end of next year, which could prompt the DoD to go ahead and upgrade all 61 of its CH-47′s — not just the Special Ops variants — to the newer and safer monolithic cockpit design. Should that happen, the Chinook family could easily serve well into the 2030s, potentially making it the first helicopter to actively serve the US military for a full century.

[MIKA27]

How The Soviet Union Destroyed The Fourth Biggest Lake In The World

NASA has published these two images of the Aral Sea, which used to be the fourth biggest lake in the world before the Soviet Union plugged into the rivers that fed it to irrigate massive agricultural areas. The photo on the right was taken in 2000. On the left you can see its current state.

In the 1960s, the Soviet Union undertook a major water diversion project on the arid plains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The region’s two major rivers, fed by snowmelt and precipitation in faraway mountains, were used to transform the desert into farms for cotton and other crops. Before the project, the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers flowed down from the mountains, cut northwest through the Kyzylkum Desert, and finally pooled together in the lowest part of the basin. The lake they made, the Aral Sea, was once the fourth largest in the world.

Although irrigation made the desert bloom, it devastated the Aral Sea. This series of images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite documents the changes. At the start of the series in 2000, the lake was already a fraction of its 1960 extent (black line). The Northern Aral Sea (sometimes called the Small Aral Sea) had separated from the Southern (Large) Aral Sea. The Southern Aral Sea had split into eastern and western lobes that remained tenuously connected at both ends.

Here’s the lake prior to the Russian stupidity:

You can read more about this environmental crime here.

[MIKA27]

The trench coat's forgotten WW1 roots

It is a fashion classic that has endured through the decades. But away from catwalk shows and Hollywood glamour, the trench coat's first starring role was in World War One kitting out battle-weary soldiers.

From Humphrey Bogart to Audrey Hepburn and Kate Moss, the trench coat is now synonymous with elan and sophistication.

Clocking up countless appearances on the silver screen and in the glossy pages of fashion magazines, it is considered a timeless wardrobe essential.

But while today it adorns the shoulders of supermodels and celebrities, it seems - despite the heavy clue in its name - its origins in bloody battlefields may be less well-appreciated.

"If you read articles about '10 items everyone should have' the trench coat will probably feature along with a pair of jeans and a leather jacket," says Amber Jane Butchart, author, blogger and associate lecturer in cultural and historical studies at London College of Fashion.

"It's become a perennial classic.

"Many people may be surprised about where it comes from, but for centuries fashion has influenced military dress and vice versa."

As World War One took a stranglehold on Europe, the Allies and opposition German forces dug deep with defensive lines stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss border.

There in the trenches as the onslaught raged were the soldiers - caked in mud and battered by biting winds.

Trench warfare was one of the defining characteristics of World War One

Today the coats are more associated with preening and pouting

Their heavy greatcoats - long wool overcoats which had been regulation garments for British forces since the Crimean War of the 1850s - proved ill-suited to the desperate conditions.

In contrast, the lighter, shorter, waterproof coat produced by English clothing companies such as Burberry and Aquascutum was a perfect fit.

But they were not its only practical benefits.

Epaulettes displayed an officer's rank, while a gun flap buttoned at the chest was designed to provide an amount of additional protection when in combat.

Map cases and other equipment were attached to D-rings on the belt, and covering the upper back area was a storm shield that enabled water to run off the coat cleanly.

Their subdued colour, too, played an important role.

"It became imperative for soldiers to not stand out," says Ms Butchart, who is writing a book examining the links between military wear and fashion.

"Khaki is the Hindi word for dust. Before that, military clothing was incredibly brightly coloured.

"For centuries you needed to recognise the side people were on very easily, so colours like blue and red that were quite easy to dye relatively cheaply got used a lot in European uniforms.

"However, by the time of the African campaigns [in the late 19th Century], warfare was getting more industrialised and those colours were basically putting a target on your soldiers."

Who invented the trench coat?

• Two names loom large in the history of the trench coat with both laying claim to having invented the garment
• In 1879 Hampshire's Thomas Burberry developed gabardine, a tightly woven, water-repellent cloth which was later used for the forerunner of the trench coat, the Tielocken
• To make them waterproof, fabrics had previously been waxed or rubberised - resulting in them becoming heavy, stiff and uncomfortable to wear
• In contrast, gabardine was lightweight, weatherproof and 'breathable'
• The coats were first used in the Boer War in 1895 - Burberry developed them further and supplied about half a million during World War One
• London's Aquascutum, meanwhile, claims to have used designs which later formed the basis for the trench coat as early as the 1850s
• Using patented waterproof wool, the firm says its coats were worn by soldiers fighting in the Crimean War
• A number of companies advertised variations on the trench coat during World War One including Thresher and Glenny, Gerrish Ames and Simpkins, Kenneth Durward, and David Moseley and Sons

That shift reflected a marked change in the psychology of battle, says Jane Tynan, lecturer in cultural studies at Central Saint Martins in London and author of British Army Uniform and the First World War: Men in Khaki.

"The introduction of the trench coat is really significant - it's a story of clothing becoming part of the technology of warfare.

"Armies' very bright colours were often reminiscent of their flag, but they were also associated with honour.

"In World War One, French soldiers wore red trousers because they felt it was dishonourable to be in camouflage.

"But the British were enthusiastic adopters of khaki from the time of the Indian Mutiny in 1857.

"It went hand in hand with a belief that pragmatism was more important than honour.

"Uniform became a lot more functional and decorative features were less in evidence."

Weighed down by sludge, it was not unusual, Ms Tynan says, for frustrated soldiers to slash away feet of fabric from their greatcoats using bayonets.

The trench coat alleviated that issue, but despite its suitability it was never a regulation garment supplied to each and every soldier.

This Burberry trench coat is featured in an exhibition at the Museum of the Great War in Meaux, near Paris

Adopted by officers who, unlike other ranks, were allowed to procure their own clothes from tailors and outfitters, its use became more widespread from 1917 onwards.

Desperate to clothe an army which had quadrupled in size, the manufacturing of uniforms was put out to trade by the War Office with civilian firms entering into mass production.

It resulted in cheaper garments - a benefit for newly recruited officers, some of whom were less well-off than their predecessors.

It highlights, Ms Tynan argues, an issue that still resonates today withconcerns over kit shortages for British soldiers during their recent campaigns in Afghanistan.

"A method previously associated with clothing lower ranks, it presented firms such as Burberry and Aquascutum with a huge opportunity to market the trench coat.

"Having a mass-produced item for officers became quite normalised.

"There are so many myths around soldiers all being clothed and kitted out to the necessary standard, but the reality is very different.

"When you think of the scale of the First World War, you realise it would have been impossible to fully regulate the dress of each soldier for such a large conflict."

While the trench coat's popularity was not restricted to the battlefield, the qualities embodied by the armed forces did help widen its appeal.

"Even during the war you got ads in the Illustrated London News for the Burberry trench coat being sold to men and women," said Ms Butchart.

"It was a unisex item.

"Then when the soldiers returned from battle there was the idea of heroism and patriotism that people wanted to buy into."

As with this example from Aquascutum, many adverts for trench coats played up links to military heritage

But having been firmly rooted in military campaigns, the coat was soon to be taken in a different direction - one which would shape popular perceptions in decades to come.

As Hollywood cemented its grip on the public imagination, filmgoers increasingly looked to the stars of the silver screen for fashion inspiration.

Men were drawn to the effortless cool displayed by detectives in slick film noir crime thrillers, while alluring leading ladies such as Marlene Dietrich provided a template for women to follow.

"By the 1930s Hollywood was really influential," said Ms Butchart. "Its reach in terms of fashion was becoming huge.

"Warner Bros produced a lot of gangster films that featured characters wearing trench coats.

"And by the time of World War Two they were becoming strongly linked with film noir and Humphrey Bogart.

"He embodied that trench 'attitude'. Many people think of him in Casablanca, even though he only wore one in two scenes."

Humphrey Bogart as private eye Sam Spade in 1941 film The Maltese Falcon

Humphrey Bogart played trench coat-wearing private eye Sam Spade in 1941 film The Maltese Falcon

The coats remained a favourite with Hollywood costume departments into the 1960s and a beige trench in romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's helped confirm Audrey Hepburn's status as a style icon.

That transition will be the focus of From Field to Fashion, an exhibition running at Winchester Discovery Centre in Thomas Burberry's home county of Hampshire from 4 October until 21 December.

Alongside an authentic World War One Burberry cavalry trench coat will be the one Dietrich wore in 1948's A Foreign Affair - on loan from Berlin's Deutsche Kinemathek Museum.

Today, the coat's popularity on catwalks and the High Street shows little sign of waning.

The centrepiece of Burberry and Aquascutum's lavish ad campaigns, other brands continue to produce their own versions annually too.

In fashion terms, the trench coat has gone on to win the style war.

But, a hundred years after the outbreak of World War One, its beginnings on the battlefields should not be forgotten.

[MIKA27]

Woman Takes a Photo of Herself Everyday for a Year, Reveals Disturbing Reality

This woman took a photo everyday through the worst year of her life. Beginning fairly normally, at first the photos seem to be the normal content of any girl's "one photo a day" series.

But then things start to get bad.

A bruise appears. Her smile begins to fade. As the year passes, the marks on her face become more and more violent.

At the very end of the video, her sign is translated as, "Help me, I don't know if I'll make it 'till tomorrow."

The time lapse video is a terrifying picture of what one full year of an abusive relationship looks like. Created in Serbia as part of an ad campaign against domestic abuse, it will hopefully raise awareness about a terrible problem that often goes unnoticed.

[MIKA27]

AMERICAN SNIPER TRAILER #1

http://youtu.be/8ZtrhRRw53Y

Chris Kyle was a Navy SEAL, and the most lethal sniper in American history with 160 confirmed kills. His autobiography, American Sniper, is a phenomenal book. Now, thanks to Bradley Cooper, Clint Eastwood and Jason Dean Hall, it’s being turned into a movie of the same name. If this trailer is any indication, the movie will absolutely do the book justice.