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

[MIKA27]

The Lost Underground River World in Paradise

As much as we have explored our planet and cataloged the myriad forms of life that inhabit it, there are still mysteries that have managed to remain largely hidden from the gaze of mankind. From lost forest worlds to underground lakes in Antarctica, to deep sea abysses, our planet manages to continually surprise and tantalize us with its seemingly endless enigmas and new, awe inspiring realms we have only just begun to understand. One such place lies on, or rather under, Palawan Island in the Philippines, one of the most pristine tropical islands in the world. Here beneath the sunbathing tourists, majestic mountains, and white sand beaches of this island paradise meanders one of the wonders of the natural world; one of the longest and most mysterious underground river systems in the world.

Palawan Island, Philippines

Palawan Island is about as close to a postcard picture perfect island paradise as you’re likely to find. The largest island of Palawan Province and the fifth largest in the Philippines, Palawan Island has nevertheless remained one of the least developed and sparsely inhabited. Verdant jungle mountains, pristine, ancient virgin wilderness brimming with wildlife, and unspoiled white sand beaches are par for the course here. The island boasts one of the most stunning arrays of biodiversity to be found in the Philipines and indeed the world, and it has often ended up on lists of the best island getaways for years. Palawan also has the distinction of being ranked as a Biosphere Reserve and holds one of the most intriguing UNESCO World Heritage Sites there is; the stunningly surreal and beautiful underground river and cave system of the Cabayugan River.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

Within the Saint Paul Mountain range lies Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park, which is located north-west of Puerto Princesa, the capital of Palawan Province. The park is dominated by a striking landscape comprised of around 90% karst limestone ridges, peaks, cliffs, pinnacles, and shafts that meander along the west coast of Palawan Island. Much of the park is heavily forested with various species of hardwood trees, and the coastal area is lush with mangrove forests and colorful coral reefs. Even the steep limestone formations hold vegetation that hangs precariously from ledges and cliffs. Beneath this rugged terrain of forest and jagged limestone sprawls a vast underground cave system that is 24km (15 miles) long. It is through this cave system that the Cabayugan River passes; beginning around 2km south-west of Mount Saint Paul and flowing for around 8.2 km (around 5 miles) underground through spacious subterranean chambers and caves to end its journey at an outlet into St. Paul’s Bay in the South China Sea.

The underground Cabayugan river long remained hidden from the Western world and was once held a mythical status, the only evidence of it being the stories and rumors of the native people of the island. In 1898, the American Zoologist Dean C. Worcester spent a good deal of time studying the fauna of Palawan and made mention of the mysterious river, saying, “If accounts are to be believed, of a lake opening to the sea by a subterranean river.”

The underground river of Palawan

Considering that the entrance to the system is a small opening in a cliff half submerged by a lagoon surrounded by thick trees and subject to the rising and falling tides, it is perhaps no wonder the Cabayugan River remained hidden from the modern world for so long. Of course, it did turn out there was just such a river, and a truly unique and breathtaking one at that. The longest navigable completely underground river in the world, the entire 5 mile length of the river system winds through dramatic subterranean realms of soaring stalactites and stalagmites, vast cave chambers measuring up to 60 meters high, and dark tunnels leading off into the unseen murk beyond. Many of the stalactites and stalagmites here shimmer with glimmering water crystals formed by eons of precipitation and erosion, sometimes giving the impression of being a forest of crystalized trees. Along the way, the river branches off into smaller tributaries that snake off into the darkness.

The entrance to the subterranean Cabayugan River system

This underground cave and river system and its surrounding environs are home to a variety of organisms, many of which are considered to be endangered species and some of which are rather unique. Within the caves and chambers one can find large numbers of cave swiftlets; unique birds which navigate the darkness using sonar like bats and use their unique glue-like saliva to stick to walls and fashion nests. There are also millions of flitting hordes of bats representing 8 different species, as well as numerous species of cave crickets and other invertebrates, and reptiles such as lizards and snakes. Within the river’s waters one can find a variety of species of fish, shrimps, and other crustaceans.

The extent and diversity of the fauna of the underground cave and river system of Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park is still little understood. The mostly unexplored caves sprawl for miles, with countless chambers, offshoots, caverns, and tunnels, and the river has many smaller streams branching out into the darkness. It is almost a certainty that new species lurk somewhere within, some perhaps beyond our wildest imaginings. Locals tell tales of all manner of mysterious cave denizens, such as giant lizards, strange dwarf-like humanoid beings, and various aquatic beasts such as mermaids and sea serpents prowling the river’s waters. Is there any grain of truth to these accounts? What might we find in this lost land deep under the earth?

Already there have been strange findings within the subterranean river system, with the discovery of a fossilized Sirenia, a type of prehistoric sea cow which lived around 20 million years ago in the Miocene Age, embedded in the cave walls. The finding is quite unusual for several reasons. Although dugongs, which are similar to what a Sirenia would have been like, are occasionally known in the coastal areas where the river exits to the sea, they are not known to travel at all into the underground river itself. How did this Sirenia wind up here? In addition, the finding is doubly strange because Sirenia were only thought to have been found in Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa, making one on Palawan Island in the Philippines quite out of place indeed.

In recent years as more people have become aware of the existence of this magical place, tours of the underground cave and river system of Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park have become more popular, and it is even possible to get a look at the fossil, although it is difficult to go there and a special permit is required. Once underground on the river, the amount of access granted to the public is limited, but it is still possible to get a feeling for the haunting grandeur of this unique, surreal domain of soaring cave chambers and crystal rock formations.

Tour in the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park

With its sun soaked beaches and gorgeous scenery, Palawan Island is a tropical paradise for tourists from all over the world, yet it is what lies underground that makes this place truly a treasure. As people hike the trails and enjoy themselves above ground, below ground the Cabayugan River flows hidden from sight as it has for millions of years and will for millions more.

[MIKA27]

New Texas Law Would Give Teachers the Right to Kill Students

In the state of Texas, guns and civic life enjoy a kind of friendship. Schools were once the only place where packing heat was considered taboo in the state. But thanks to one bill that could all be changing.

HB 868, otherwise known as The Teacher’s Protection Act, is a new bill being floated in the Texas legislature that would allow teachers to use deadly force on campuses, school busses, or at school events, in self-defense or to protect students, staff, and yes, even school property.

http://youtu.be/oRrU0R6pew0

Texas law currently allows for some school employees to carry guns, a right which an increasing number of school districts have extended to properly trained teachers.

What this new protection means, however, is that teachers could be legally sanctioned to shoot and kill students if one “reasonably believes” they pose a grave threat. The new law would also shield educators for civil liability, meaning families of those killed would not be able to pursue wrongful death suits if they were cleared of criminal charges.

On the one hand, the new protection could do a great deal in deterring potential school shootings or attacks by students and outsiders alike. In the event that a school shooting did take place, it would also give schools an added layer of safety by evening the playing field where students and staff have traditionally been sitting ducks, as in the tragic case of the Sandy Hook shooting.

At the same time, an improperly judged scenario by an educator without intensive law enforcement training could be seen as giving the unqualified a license to kill. As recent events can attest, sometimes even expertly trained police officers miscalculate a perceived threat with deadly consequence.

http://youtu.be/0Vf64IM9_pY

Largely in response to Sandy Hook, 2013 heralded a broad push to begin arming teachers, with 33 states attempting to pass laws to that effect in 80 different bills around the nation, but only Alabama, Kansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas actually passed such a law.

There can be no denying that student safety is the motivating factor for this push to grant educators greater leeway in use of lethal force. It is the approach, however, that will likely inspire much debate in the coming years.

[MIKA27]

BLOC & ROC GALVANIZE HEADPHONES

We’re all for MADE IN THE USA, MADE IN USA or MADE IN AMERICA because we love supporting the little brands at home, but there are also plenty of talented craftsman in other parts of the world that are a gung-ho as we are about designing, engineering, finishing and assembling their products in house.

British audio outfit BLOC & ROC is one of those brands. The challenger for the mid-price, high-quality headphone title has been developing their debut release, Galvanize, for two years. The two distinct designs, S1 and S2, both have speaker chambers crafted from a single piece of British 6082 aerospace-grade aluminum, 40mm bespoke neodymium drivers, fabric cables and gold-plated connectors. Black, red and grey are the standard color options for the anodizing, but they’re also available in 24K gold plate if you’re feeling a little more lavish.

[MIKA27]

URWERK UR-110 WATCH

Going far beyond the typical round watch dial, the Urwerk UR-110 Watch displays the time using multiple satellite complications. The hours are shown in a series of rotating modules, while the minutes are displayed on the right side in a downward moving scale. Also visible up front is the day/night indicator and service interval display, while the dual turbine winding regulators can be seen through the rear of the titanium case. Available in three colors and with a variety of straps.

[MIKA27]

SIDE PROJECT SKATEBOARDS

I'm loving these handmade, vintage-inspired skateboards by Side Project Skateboards.

Taking inspiration from the skate culture in the early 60’s, each board is handcrafted from start to finish using found and recovered hardwoods, with each one bearing it’s own unique profile and wood pattern, ensuring no two boards are alike.

The boards are handmade in Houston, Texas, in limited quantities, and are available as deck only or as a complete skateboard

[MIKA27]

Here's The Surprisingly Old-School Way That An NFL Football Is Made

Super Bowl Sunday is only a few days away, and all anyone really wants to talk about is deflated footballs. I don’t care about any of that (Regardless I'm a Patriots fan ). We just like to see how things get made. Here’s a New York Times video that shows you the inside of a Wilson Football Factory. They get sewed together, flipped inside out, stitched, shaped and pumped.

It’s so quaint that this ginormous zillion dollar organisation still uses such old school techniques for their footballs.

[MIKA27]

The FAA's Drone Ban At The Super Bowl Is Absurd

You may have heard about the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quietly declaring that this year’s Super Bowl will be a “no drone zone.” You may not have heard just how big that no drone zone will be. It’s 60 miles wide. The no drone zone is larger than the city of Phoenix. Seems a little bit absurd, huh?

That’s because it’s totally absurd.

The FAA is establishing what’s called a temporary flight restriction that consists of several circles around the University of Phoenix stadium, where Sunday’s big game is going down. The first has a 10-mile radius“in which general aviation aircraft, media, banner towers, blimps and unmanned aircraft will be prohibited.” The second ring’s radius extends 30 miles from the stadium and prohibits all aircraft that don’t have a set flight plan, transponders on board, or two-way communication with air traffic control. Drones of any shape or size won’t be allowed in either ring.

Just in case you were wondering what that 30-mile radius would look like in Phoenix:

By the way, there are already some no-fly zones in the Phoenix area, including two airports and an Air Force base. Those zones are teeny tiny compared to the Super Bowl’s no drone zone, though:

And for context, this is what a 30-mile radius would look like in Washington DC, where DJI recently grounded its drones after a drunk government employee flew his Phantom onto the White House lawn. The zone would reach almost all the way to Baltimore:

Obviously, there are a lot of major safety concerns surrounding the Super Bowl. The FAA is not wrong for banning flying robots at such a high profile event, one that will be attended by tens of thousands and watched live by millions more. But imposing such a strict ban sends a message that the FAA is content to blow drone-related rules entirely out of proportion. This is disconcerting as the agency finalises regulations on commercial drones, regulations that are reportedly pretty harsh and would require drone operators to get pilot licenses.

Nobody wants anything to go wrong at the Super Bowl. But if you really think about it, the FAA is setting a precedent that it will shut down the skies to even the smallest aircraft whenever it wants. Some Joe Average in Scottsdale — which is miles and miles away from the stadium — who decides to take his Parrot Bebop for a spin during Super Bowl stands to get in deep trouble for violating the FAA’s absurdly large flight restriction.

The Super Bowl is a great American tradition. But this excessive ban doesn’t sound very American at all.

[MIKA27]

Why Vending Machines Are So Popular In Japan

Stroll through the cities. Stroll through the countryside. You’ll see ‘em. Known as “jidouhanbaiki” (自動販売機) or by the shorter “jihanki” (自販機), the machines are a feature of the landscape wherever you go in Japan.

The country has the highest ratio of vending machines to landmass in the entire world. As the country’s official tourist organisation points out, Japan is currently home to 5.52 million vending machines. That’s a lot.

From bread in a can to crepes, the country is home to an array of unusual vending machines. Vending machines have been used to sell questionable items, like hallucinogens and piracy devices. (Although, the infamous panty vending machines are more fiction than fact.) The vast majority either sell cigarettes or drinks (either cold or hot, soft drinks or alcohol). That’s somewhat fitting as the first vending machine in Japan, rolled out in 1888, sold cigarettes.

It was during the 1960s, as the country rapidly grew during the post-World War II years, that these machines also spread even further throughout the country, offering people an easy way to shop and vendors an easy way to sell.

Japan is home to a slew of major beverage companies, including Suntory, Itoen, Kirin, Itoen, Calpis and whatnot. Beverage companies need places to sell, well, their beverages. Vending machines are a convenient and easy way for them to do that. Ditto for Japan Tobacco and its cigarettes.

Since vending machines are now a key part of the country’s retail infrastructure, people are accustomed to not only seeing vending machines, but using them. At this point, it’s less that vending machines are popular, and more that they are interwoven into Japanese society.

Japanese people are not surprised the country has so many vending machines. They are surprised that other countries don’t.

These machines can sell both the product and the company itself. The sides of the machines clearly state either the beverage or the company’s name. That way, you not only know what kind of drinks are sold, but you get PR for corporate brands themselves, whether that’s Asahi or Calpis or Dydo.

In recent years, the vending machines themselves have become increasingly billboard-like, getting wrapped in anime, video games, or even American comic book characters.

Then, companies are also using these unattended sellers more as publicity stunts and less of an actual spot to buy a particular product. For example, women weren’t buying bras from a vending machine, but the lingerie company behind it was pushing it for PR.

The development and expansion of vending machines doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There’s a history of “unmanned sellers” (無人販売所) in Japan. They’re vending machines minus the machine.

Usually, they’re in the countryside and they usually sell vegetables. Shoppers are supposed to pick out the food they want at the stall, and then leave cash for whatever they purchase at the unattended food stalls.

Note that Japan is not unique in having unmanned food stalls, as they can also be found in many other countries throughout the world. Vending machines are ultimately a modern version of these stalls.

Since Japan has one of the lowest (reported!) crime rates in the entire world, continuing to fall year after year, food stalls like this still exist.

What’s more, the Japan National Tourism Organisation says that the country’s low crime rate is why there are so many vending machines in Japan — because the machines can be left outside and are rarely vandalised. However, it does happen.

Vending machines are also helped by the fact that in Japan, protests and demonstrations typically don’t turn violent or end in looting. This helps ensure that the machines aren’t damaged, making upkeep far easier.

It’s a knock-on effect: Since the machines are in working order and are not defaced, customers feel comfortable using them. If they were constantly vandalised and damaged, that might not be true.

It’s easy to explain Japan’s love of the vending machine with its love of technology. There’s an element of truth in that, especially considering the latest Japanese vending machines, which feature large screens that can also tell you about the weather or current events. Yet, the tech assumption is also an oversimplification.

Here, technology is used for convenience — to make it easier for companies to sell products and to make it easier for consumers to purchase them. This isn’t simply a manifestation of an affinity towards technology, but rather, a manifestation of a desire to make life easier on both the venders and the consumers.

So, like the unmanned vegetable stalls, or the plethora of convenience stores, vending machines make certain products available in a convenient fashion. But they also do that in a cost-effective way. Operating a vending machine is cheaper than opening an actual shop.

Yes, the number of vending machines in Japan borders on overkill. Sometimes, you come across machines that you wonder if anyone even uses. Abroad, city streets with rows and rows of vending machines are emblematic of the modern Japan. Go to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, and often, you’ll also find vending machines.

You get the feeling that the machines are a soft sell, which you don’t get from a staffed shop. Sometimes, the machines are wrapped so they don’t stand out and distract from the setting. These exist in case you need a drink and not necessarily to sell you something to drink. There’s a difference.

Vending machines, thus, are symbols of not only how safe Japan is, but also how convenient it is. Need something to drink? No worries, there will be a vending machine. Japan has you covered.

These machines are not uniquely Japanese. What is unique is the way the country has embraced them, though, and made these coin-operated boxes their own. The few vending machines I come across in New York are just that: vending machines. That’s fine. But in Japan, they’re so much more.

[MIKA27]

The First Self-Charging Smart Bracelet Is Obscenely Expensive

As smartwatches get more and more capable, many have wondered how luxury watch makers will compete. Will Rolex eventually introduce a timepiece with smartphone notifications? One company that might have the answer is Britain’s Christophe & Co, which has developed a smart bracelet called the Armill that blends luxury and technology into a wearable accessory for the extremely wealthy.

Christophe & Co actually teamed up with the Italian design firm Pininfarina — best known for its customisation work on Ferraris — to create the Armill. It features a lightweight carbon fibre core that’s covered in luxurious accents like 18K gold, precious gems, interior padding to ensure it’s always comfortable on the wrist, and even custom engraving. The goal is for every client to be able to customise it to their own tastes.

One advantage that many traditional analogue watches have over smartwatches is when it comes to their power needs. There has yet to be a smartwatch that doesn’t need to be charged at least once a day, but through the use of self-winding movements powered by the motion of the wearer, many analogue watches can run for months without needing any manual intervention. And Christophe & Co claims it’s developed a similar mechanism for the Armill that will keep its electronics running with a power reserve of at least a year. So the odds are the bracelet will never need to be recharged.

But that’s also partly due to the fact that the Armill is light on electronics. There’s no LCD touchscreen display, no vibrating alarms, and no GPS. It actually has no aspirations of being a full-on smartwatch, instead, it’s designed more as a stylish sidekick for your smartphone. Its creators see it more as a tool for wireless contactless payments, as a form of electronic ID, and as a way to summon the wearer’s personal assistant.

The functions of the wearable technology module include a one button valet press which communicates through the user’s phone and Christophe & Co companion app to the personal assistant’s phone in order to alert them that their presence is requested.

You might then be wondering what good the Armill is for those of us without personal assistants at our beck and call, but anyone willing to cough up $US75,000 to $US150,000 for the wearable will most certainly have at least one person on-call at all times. “James, are you there? Please put this bracelet on your wrist and run around in circles, I think the battery is getting low.” [Christophe & Co]

[MIKA27]

This Flexible Skin Patch Could Use Friction To Power Your Wearables

The idea of capturing some energy from you constant writhing and wriggling ins’t new — but this small, flexible device certainly is. The postage stamp-sized circuitry, once attached to the skin, could generate electricity to power the gadgets secreted about your person.

The device captures the piezoelectric effect — where electrical energy is generated by mechanical stress. A thin rubber sheet is bound to a 50 nanonmeter-thick gold film that acts as the device’s electrode, held away from the skin by tiny pillar-like structures. Friction between the skin and pillars induce currents in the gold film, in turn generating a voltage. The more pillars, the greater the effect.

In tests, prodding it with a finger has been shown to create 90V and power of 0.8mW. But in a more realistic use case — attached to a subject’s forearm or throat — the device still generates 7.3V and 7.5V respectively. That’s fairly significant output for a simple piece of flexible adhesive, though it would still take a while to charge a phone, say, with those power levels.

Still, the device is progress and next the team plans to make their creation even more flexible. In theory, it could create a sheet of any size that in the future, so that they can create one in any size and still confirm to the contours of the human body. Piezoelectric spandex, anyone?

[MIKA27]

Secret Message Found Inside WW2 Bullet Is The End To A Very Funny Story

13 August, 1944. The British 8th Army occupies Florence. The Allies finally break out of Normandy. Meanwhile, somewhere in the south of Tuscany, a soldier writes this encrypted message and hides it inside a bullet. In 2015, someone found it and deciphered it. It was the end of a hilariously absurd story.

Many people all over Europe dedicate their free time to find hidden WW1 and WW2 objects in old battlefields — a practice that is not welcomed by archaeologists and associations of veterans alike. In fact, this practice is illegal in some countries. Yet, equipped with metal detectors and other treasure hunting gear, these guys go on to grab anything they can, from soldier ID tags to medals to helmets to machine guns to tanks to aeroplanes to secret Nazi research facilities. It’s a hobby for some — and sometimes a very lucrative business for others.

Hidden secret messages

This time, a team of Italian metal detector fans found a few little treasures somewhere in the south of Tuscany. Like this insignia for the 372th Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division, which apparently never fought in Italy but was carried by a soldier with the initials D.M.

It was a nice find, but nothing out of the ordinary. A few days later they returned to the same location to find this:

A bullet inverted into its case. Now that is interesting. The guy opened it back at home to find a paper inside:

It was a secret message! Apparently, this was a common practice that started in World War I:

[...] the military used the shells to hide encoded messages (for radio equipment ciphers, for example) or recognition codes for the units themselves or positions of stations in the form of codes.

The bullet was removed from the case and the powder charge discarded. Then they hid the note into the empty shell. Since ammunition could be found everywhere in the battlefield, these were very easy to hide, as they mixed with the rest of the ammunition. In case of capture it was easy to discard them and throw them away immediately.

So what does this secret message mean. Another poster from another forum claims to have the answer:

My grandfather served in Italy, I inherited all of his military gear. He saved all of his daily code books, so looked it up. Here is the message:

QM is code for the officer that was tasked with coordinating forces for a particular engagement. This is an engagement status letter that is addressed to that officer.

The (6) 5 letter codes read as follows, from left to right, top to bottom:

THEY – THROW – GRENADES – WE – PULL – PINS – AND – THROW – BACK

The final code at the bottom is a phrase:

NOTIFY REINFORCEMENTS STAND DOWN – NOT NEEDED

Stupid Nazis

Wait — the enemy was throwing grenades with their safety pins on and the American soldiers were grabbing and throwing them back with their safety pins removed? How the hell does this make any sense?

If the message content is indeed true, the reason may be that some Italian grenades required to remove two pins to make them live, as these schematics show:

But why would the Italian soldiers not remove the second pin? The only logical explanation is that the soldiers were not Italians. They were German.

Most Italian forces were not fighting at this point in the war. On September 3, 1943, King Victor Emanuel III and Prime Minister Pietro Badoglio signed Italy’s unconditional surrender in Cassibile. Some Italian troops remained loyal to Mussolini and kept fighting against the Allies. The Nazis confiscated all Italian war equipment too, including their grenades.

By 13 August, 1944, with Rome and Florence in the hands of the Allies, very few Italian soldiers were in the battlefield. And that’s the only logical explanation to this absurd situation described in the encrypted message: These grenades were probably in the hands of German soldiers not familiar with Italian equipment, throwing them with their second safety pin on only to find them flying back at them a few seconds later, live and ready to shred them to pieces.

No reinforcements needed, indeed.

[MIKA27]

Timeline Shows The Potential Future Of Russia's Next-Gen Fighter Jet

Here’s the potential timeline for Russia’s T-50 PAK-FA, the fifth generation multi-role fighter that will get the designation Su-50 once it gets into production in January 2016. The nemesis to the American F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II will fly with the flag of Russia, South Korea, India and Iran.

January 2016

Sukhoi has already produced five prototypes, the latest one catching fire in June 2014. On January 2016, Sukhoi plans to enter production of the Su-50 for the Russian Air Force.

June 2016

Later in that year, Sukhoi wants to start producing a especial variant for the Indian Air Force: The Su-50E.

July 2018

The South Koreans — if they finally choose to select the Su-50 as their next-generation aeroplane — will be getting a version of the Su-5o with Korean avionics, the Su-50EK.

June 2020

The SU-50E will evolve into the Su55-FGFA, a twin-seat version co-developed with India for the Indian Air Force.

August 2020

Sukhoi plans to introduce Su55-FGFAM, which will be a modernized version of that twin seater for the Russians.

November 2022

If all goes according to plan, Iranians will be getting their Su-50ES.

The Sukhoi Su-30 evolution

The timeline above was made by a fan based on this official Su-30 graphic by Sukhoi, which has been modernizing its current flagship fighter, the Su-30 — a twin-engine two-set beast for” all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions” — since its 1992 introduction. This timeline shows the Su-30 evolution, with variants for countries like Algeria, Malaysia, India, China, Venezuela, or PolandIndonesia.

[MIKA27]

The Midnight Guardian Of The Serene Seas

An AV-8B Harrier jet sits on the flight deck of amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, somewhere on the South China Sea on January 26, 2015. Waiting and ready.

The flagship of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, it’s on a deployment with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit to promote peace and freedom of the seas by providing security and stability in the 7th Fleet area of operations. It sure looks rock-solid from here.

[MIKA27]

Iceland Is Rising Out Of The Water

Iceland is rising at the rate of as much as 1.4 inches (3.56cm) per year. That’s right — the land itself is moving upward.

Ice is heavy, so it’s only logical that when it disappears, the material below it rises. But it’s still tough to wrap your brain around the findings of three scientists who have shown that as Iceland’s ice caps are melting, the land is rising — and fast.

This month, a study authored by a team from University of Arizona and University of Iceland shows exactly how dramatic the unexpected effects of climate change really are. The paper, Climate driven vertical acceleration of Icelandic crust measured by CGPS geodesy, analysed data from GPS sensors all over Iceland to measure how much and how often those points of land moved (geodesy is the science of measuring the Earth’s surface). The authors kept track of just how far the sensors shifted over time — and found that those data points told a fascinating and awful story.

Of the 62 sensors, 27 of them located in the centre of Iceland where the most ice cover is located showed upward velocity, some as much as 1.4 inches (3.56cm) a year. “Sites in central and southern Iceland, closest to the major ice caps, which measure the largest velocities and accelerations, also display the largest annual variations in vertical position,” the authors explain in the paper, which will be published in Geophysical Research Letters but is available as a preview through a small paywall online.

It’s a phenomenon called “uplift”, and this isn’t the first time it’s been observed; after all, glaciers are disappearing all over the world. In 2009, The New York Times reported that the uplift in Alaska has been so fast, the sea level is dropping — an almost comically inverted version of how we normally think about climate change. In an online release about the study, University of Arizona’s Mari N. Jensen explains further:

To determine whether the same rate of ice loss year after year could cause such an acceleration in uplift, Compton tested that idea using mathematical models. The answer was no: The glaciers had to be melting faster and faster every year to be causing more and more uplift.

If you need a further illustration of the domino-effect climate change is having on our world, the authors also talk about how the quick rise of Iceland could increase volcanic activity. Citing past work that suggests uplift createS volcanic activity, they add, almost as an afterthought, that the uplift could end up causing “higher volumes of erupted material, which could have global economic impacts.”

Considering the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull cost airlines $US1.7 billion in 2010, maybe the looming threat of plenty more economy-halting explosions will grab even the attention of big business (fat chance, right?). The entire paper is a fascinating read, you can check it out behind a small paywall or read the authors’ press release here.

[MIKA27]

The World's Largest Ice Fishing Competition Looks Pretty Freaking Nuts

This is what people do in Minnesota in the middle of January: Drill 30,000 holes on Gull Lake for the largest ice fishing contest in the world. I’m not so surprised about the fact that there are 30,000 holes in that lake, but I am about the fact that there’s such a thing as an ice fishing contest anywhere.

Watch the drone footage:

[MIKA27]

I Want To Ride In This Hot Tub Tug Boat

Toot toot! I have discovered the apotheosis of transit and it is a hot tub tug boat. HotTug is both real and as incredible as it sounds, a hot tub that doubles as a BOAT.

The HotTug fits up to eight people, contains 1800L of water and is objectively awesome. Dutch designer Frank de Bruijn created the perfect machine after recognising that the world of leisure boating had a tug-boat sized hole. It comes with a stainless steel stove and a glass-fibre and wood body. Don’t worry about coming too close to the stove in your swimmers; it has been designed to stay cool enough to avoid burning passengers.

The only flaw that the HotTug possesses is that it is only available to rent in select European cities like Copenhagen and London.

If you know, in your heart, of a better way to spend your evening than this, please let me know. Just kidding, you’re a liar:

The slogan for the TugBoat is “unexpected freedom”. As it should be.

As it should be. Toot toot!

[MIKA27]

F-35 Lightning II Gets Turned Into Iceblock By Giant Fridge

Here’s Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II undergoing tests in extreme freezing weather conditions.

An F-35B from the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force in Maryland has undergone rigorous climatic testing at the US Air Force 96th Test Wing’s McKinley Climatic Laboratory located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The laboratory supports all-weather testing of weapon systems to ensure they function regardless of climatic conditions.

[MIKA27]

The 2015 Super Bowl Commercials And Trailers Part 1

If you’re anything like me, you watch the Super Bowl for the game trailers and commercials. Get in here and watch them all in one place.

Esurance

http://youtu.be/l9dtWCKHz4s

Walter White lives!

Furious 7

We only had to wait four seconds before we heard Vin Diesel say the word “family”.

[MIKA27]

The 2015 Super Bowl Commercials And Trailers Part 2

Kia

This just makes me want another Pierce Brosnan Bond film.

Nissan

http://youtu.be/Bd1qCi5nSKw

Anyone else think that the new Maxima has a touch of the Infiniti about it?

[MIKA27]

The 2015 Super Bowl Commercials And Trailers Part 3

BMW i3

“What is internet anyway? Do you write to it like mail?” In other news: goddamn, I’ve never seen the i3 in white before. I want one so bad.

Mercedes AMG

http://youtu.be/LQvdIGeUUvo

It’s the Hare versus the Tortoise, except the Tortoise is armed with a Mercedes Benz AMG GT. Awesome.

[MIKA27]

The 2015 Super Bowl Commercials And Trailers Part 4

Hyundai

http://youtu.be/PbUsK7g6n9k

A sexy look at Hyundai’s testing process.

Chevrolet

http://youtu.be/hHS426cnNBA

Having 4G in a car would be awesome, and the new Colorado is sold in Australia by Holden. We’ll be asking them if this is an incoming feature!

[MIKA27]

The 2015 Super Bowl Commercials And Trailers Part 5

Microsoft

I’m not crying, Microsoft. There’s just something in my eye.

Bud Light

http://youtu.be/g9A1NowrnGI

Real-life Pac Man sounds like so much fun.

[MIKA27]

The 2015 Super Bowl Commercials And Trailers Part 6

Mophie

http://youtu.be/LuVsf_hE7gM

That’s a pretty epic ad for batteries.

Jurassic World

Goddamn I’m so in for this movie.

[MIKA27]

The 2015 Super Bowl Commercials And Trailers Part 7

T-Mobile

http://youtu.be/ZTwzsV3I3OQ

http://youtu.be/yr0ynXdlwLs

Look I thought the Kim Kardashian-West fake PSA was funny.

[MIKA27]

The 2015 Super Bowl Commercials And Trailers Part 8

Wix.com

Wix is a simple website creator anyone can use, and its ad features Rex Lee of Entourage fame!

Fiat

I’m not a huge fan of the giant 500X (500 for life!), but this ad made me laugh.