This page is dedicated to interesting things that catch our attention. There is no unifying
theme beyond our impression that this stuff is odd, funny, amazing or just totally cool.
Cool Stuff
World of Paris
This picture is an optical illusion taken at city hall in Paris. Click the button
to see it from the side. Notice that it is actually a 3-dimensional projection. Aren't those French clever?!
Gumption
The English phrase "to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps" means to
improve your situiation by yourself. Bootstraps are rare. Perhaps we need a
new phrase, like "to lift yourself up by your own bucket boom."
Sunset
In our continuing interest in Vancouver reflections, we shot this photo along Pender St.
The gold on the building at center is the setting sun reflected off of the side of the closer building.
If the sun were visible, it would be beyond the Canadian flag.
CAUTION!
When making wine for sale throughout Europe, the problem of producing a
single label for use in all (or at least 22) countries is daunting.
Thismia americana
Dave brought our attention to the curious case of T. americana
[THIS-mee-ah, saying the "TH" as in three.]
This plant was discovered by Norma Pfeiffer in 1912. She was a graduate student in
botany at the University of Chicago, and she described it and named it. It is an unusual
plant that grows mostly underground until it sends up its blossom in late summer.
The curious part is that she found it near Torrence Ave. in southeast Chicago. The only
other plants in the Thismia genus live either in Australia or New Zealand. Her species
T. americana has never been found again. Not in
100 years? What happened to it? It is a nagging mystery that has even inspired a play.
(There is more information on this delightful story.)
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Earthshaking Run
American Football is usually a lot of big
guys pushing each other around with not much result. But
on 9 January 2011 Marshawn Lynch (24) of the Seattle Seahawks
made one of the most spectacular runs ever. If you haven't seen
it, it's worth a look.
Later analysis showed that Lynch broke 8 tackles!
Because earthquakes are so serious in Seattle, the entire town is covered with seismographs. One of them
registered the enthusiasm of the Seahawk fans in response to Lynch's run.
Shadows
In Vancouver we often take photos of buildings reflected in buildings. This one was
particularly interesting. The white building is behind the photographer. The blue (thanks
to the sky) building that it is reflected in also makes an appearance as a blue shadow on
the white building reflection.
Manta Plane
To fly passengers, the Boeing 787 must pass FAA tests. Here, the plane, whose
wings are made from carbon fiber, is undergoing 150% of normal maximum load. The
wings deflected 25' (8 m) vertically. There is also a Boeing
video showing the wings bending.
