heathesaurus

fleetfootedfox: aubade: The Gough Map - the first roadmap of...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:09:18 -0600

fleetfootedfox:

aubade:

The Gough Map - the first roadmap of medieval Britain, ~1360.

fleetfootedfox: new webcam feature is weird.

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:53:37 -0600

fleetfootedfox:

new webcam feature is weird.

onedropcolors: classics: indierawk: 14 American Apparel...

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:29:26 -0600

onedropcolors:

classics:

indierawk:

14 American Apparel Models Freed In Daring Midnight Raid

“I thought it would never end,” said Fiara, a Brazilian-Finnish brunette who was held in an empty white room for weeks in nothing but Lycra tights and a halter top. “I can’t believe how good it feels to wear something that buttons again.”

After freeing the captives, many of whom appeared drugged, agents seized thousands of amateur Polaroids and several dozen pairs of oversized sunglasses whose purpose remains unclear, FBI reports said.

Via The Onion.

Me in a teal sweater against a teal wall, with my hand on my...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:25:00 -0600

Me in a teal sweater against a teal wall, with my hand on my boob. I don’t know. I think I was midway into trying to camo myself into the wall completely.

New hat. Thrift store, $7!

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:17:00 -0600

New hat.

Thrift store, $7!

oldtobegin: celestedanielle: abloodymess: i love it when...

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:20:55 -0600

oldtobegin:

celestedanielle:

abloodymess:

i love it when animals do yoga.

i love it when french bulldogs _______

Lucy does the donward dog all the time! I love it.

I always joked about making coffee with sparkles, but it looks...

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:00:23 -0600

I always joked about making coffee with sparkles, but it looks like someone else beat me to it.

(via carabaas)

Vinyl Sunday Adam bought me Camera Obscura’s My Maudlin...

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:09:32 -0600

Vinyl Sunday

Adam bought me Camera Obscura’s My Maudlin Career a few weeks ago, just because. <3

comicallyvintage: Beauty On A Budget. Another fine piece of...

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:09:08 -0600

comicallyvintage:

Beauty On A Budget.

Another fine piece of sartorial advice brought to you by Comicallyvintage.

No need to say thanks, service is it’s own reward.

Check it out!!!

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:55:41 -0600

Check it out!!!

fleetfootedfox: hugoball: grow up and blow away. Metric ARB

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:22:07 -0600

fleetfootedfox:

hugoball:

grow up and blow away.

Metric ARB

thedailywhat: High-End Cupcake Dress of the Day: With sprinkles...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:19:05 -0600

thedailywhat:

High-End Cupcake Dress of the Day: With sprinkles and a cherry, by Etsy seller Devani Weaver.

Cupcake cosplay? Sure, why not.

Silver lamé with satin and pink organza. Beads for sprinkles. S, M, L.

[via.]

For Laurel.

How Fast and High Do Birds Fly?

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:07:52 -0600

How Fast and High Do Birds Fly?:

Most birds fly below 500 feet except during migration. There is no reason to expend the energy to go higher — and there may be dangers, such as exposure to higher winds or to the sharp vision of hawks. When migrating, however, birds often do climb to relatively great heights, possibly to avoid dehydration in the warmer air near the ground. Migrating birds in the Caribbean are mostly observed around 10,000 feet, although some are found half and some twice that high. Generally long-distance migrants seem to start out at about 5,000 feet and then progressively climb to around 20,000 feet. Just like jet aircraft, the optimum cruise altitude of migrants increases as their “fuel” is used up and their weight declines. Vultures sometimes rise over 10,000 feet in order to scan larger areas for food (and to watch the behavior of distant vultures for clues to the location of a feast). Perhaps the most impressive altitude record is that of a flock of Whooper Swans which was seen on radar arriving over Northern Ireland on migration and was visually identified by an airline pilot at 29,000 feet. Birds can fly at altitudes that would be impossible for bats, since bird lungs can extract a larger fraction of oxygen from the air than can mammal lungs.

The Appleseed Cast - South Col The Everest series continues....

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:31:09 -0600

The Appleseed Cast - South Col

The Everest series continues. This song is on the album Sagarmatha, which is the Nepalese name for Mount Everest.

Le Loup - Sherpa

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:13:06 -0600

Le Loup - Sherpa

Mt Everest summit (source) Now doesn’t that look easy? I...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:52:00 -0600

Mt Everest summit (source)

Now doesn’t that look easy?

I read Into Thin Air on Saturday, an autobiographical account of John Krakauer’s ascent to the summit of Mt. Everest. It was a NYT #1 bestseller in non-fiction; when I worked in a library proper, it was one of the more popular books we had. I’ve been meaning to read it for awhile.

Interesting tidbits:

The elevation of Mt. Everest is 29,035 ft, which is the average altitude of an airplane (not trans-Atlantic).
The death rate for climbing Mt. Everest is 1 in 10.
Climbing Mt. Everest is a several month commitment in which you typically travel between camps on the mountain to acclimate to the elevation gradually, with one final push to the top.
Permits to climb Mt. Everest cost thousands of dollars, not counting fees for guides and equipment.
The landscape is littered with dead bodies (some decades old), discarded oxygen bottles, and lots of trash.
The altitude is too high for helicopters, so rescue is extremely difficult and injured/sick climbers are carried out.
Some people do it alone.
Some people do it without supplemental oxygen.

Sherpas, local guides who are trained from a young age to be elite mountaineers, serve as guides and porters, set up camp, and haul oxygen bottles up to the Death Zone. It’s extremely difficult to climb Mt. Everest without Sherpa support. I was much intrigued by the Sherpa tea that Krakauer described, so I did a little research. It’s black tea with ground salt from Tibetan salt licks, and nak (female yak) butter.

this site has an equivalent recipe for Western kitchens:

Boil up 1-2 cups of black leaves tea in a big cooking pot, about 30 minutes.
Scoop out 2 cups of liquid, put in blender with 2 tablespoons (yes) salt and 1/2 cup butter.
That should make 2 cups of thick “su-chha” — “honorable Tea”.

This is great to drink when you are burning thousands of calories while climbing in the sub-zero temperatures, but I may try it just for fun and gain a pound or two.

The summit sounds amazing, other than the altitude-induced hypoxia (dementia from lack of oxygen—even with bottled oxygen you aren’t getting enough to fire on all cylinders). On the summit, you can look off one side of the mountain and see the dusty dry Tibet, and look below and see clouds. On bad days, the days that no one tries to ascend, the jet stream hits the peak of the mountain directly.

Into Thin Air is a great adventure book, though Krauker’s survivor guilt is threaded throughout the story. A storm hit the group on the way down, and a large number of the group perished tragically, from falling or for freezing to death.

Some videos:

360 Panorama from the summit

Happy, sunny, triumphant

Left to die

I don’t think I will ever climb Everest, but I would like to climb at least one mountain in my life, even if it’s a tiny one with no snow. After reading Into Thin Air, I wonder if the people who actually make it to the top are very very luckly.

Can I Wear Tight Jeans When I Cyclocross?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:21:29 -0600

Can I Wear Tight Jeans When I Cyclocross?:

I posted this on twitter, but I had to post it here, because it’s still making me laugh. (h/t Adam and Magoo)

The Symphony of Science

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:51:34 -0600

The Symphony of Science:

The Symphony of Science is a musical project by John Boswell designed to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form.

The Carl Sagan video I just posted comes from that site, and it also has RICHARD FEYNMAN autotuned and set to some phat beatz. Feynman Lives!

Carl Sagan autotuned. (h/t Chicagoist)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:47:09 -0600

Carl Sagan autotuned.

(h/t Chicagoist)

omgsexyfood: Strawberry Cotton Ice Dessert. I would love to...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:29:00 -0600

omgsexyfood:

Strawberry Cotton Ice Dessert.

I would love to try this. It looks like delicious laundry.