August 9, 2008

Sometimes the NYT is hilarious.

rach:

[And not only in Africa. Women were not allowed to participate at the 1896 Summer Games in Athens, the first Olympics of the modern era. They were expected to contribute applause, not athletic skill. Not until 1984 were women permitted to run the Olympic marathon, in reefer-madness fear that they might grow old too soon with such exertion; or worse, they might grow a mustache.

Or their uterus would fall out, as if it were a transmission.]

-From Once Banned, Women Now Center Stage at Games

The Crown of the Sun During a total solar eclipse, the Sun’s extensive outer atmosphere, or corona, is an inspirational sight. The subtle shades and shimmering features of the corona that engage the eye span a brightness range of over 10,000 to 1, making them notoriously difficult to capture in a single picture. But this composite of 28 digital images ranging in exposure time from 1/1000 to 2 seconds comes close to revealing the crown of the Sun in all its glory. The telescopic views were recorded near Kochenevo, Russia during the August 1 total solar eclipse and also show solar prominences extending just beyond the edge of the eclipsed sun. Remarkably, features on the dark near side of the New Moon can also be made out, illuminated by sunlight reflected from a Full Earth. (via APOD: 2008 August 8 - The Crown of the Sun)

The Crown of the Sun

During a total solar eclipse, the Sun’s extensive outer atmosphere, or corona, is an inspirational sight. The subtle shades and shimmering features of the corona that engage the eye span a brightness range of over 10,000 to 1, making them notoriously difficult to capture in a single picture. But this composite of 28 digital images ranging in exposure time from 1/1000 to 2 seconds comes close to revealing the crown of the Sun in all its glory. The telescopic views were recorded near Kochenevo, Russia during the August 1 total solar eclipse and also show solar prominences extending just beyond the edge of the eclipsed sun. Remarkably, features on the dark near side of the New Moon can also be made out, illuminated by sunlight reflected from a Full Earth. (via APOD: 2008 August 8 - The Crown of the Sun)

Large Hadron Collider Begins Testing | Wired Science
On September 10th, a full-power beam will travel through the accelerator’s entire 17 miles of tunnels, reaching up to 99.99 percent of the speed of light. And finally, assuming all goes well, the first real science experiments will begin some time in October.
(via inky)
(via inky)

Haha this is too good :)

glynnis:

I couldn’t resist.
Politics and the Olympics
an interesting interactive slideshow via stumblng, dealing with almost every (summer) Olympic Games since 1906
Previously in South Ossetia: background to what's going on between Russia and Georgia
(via squashed johnbrissenden)
“ Abkhaz Air Force gets involved in Russian-Georgian-S. Ossetian conflict, says it is conducting an operation in Kodori Valley after attack.
BreakingNewsOn
Many more photos of the house, which is gorgeous inside and out. (via duplo glynnis)
Many more photos of the house, which is gorgeous inside and out. (via duplo glynnis)
“ A Spherical Camera Sensor
A stretchable circuit allows researchers to make simple, high-quality camera sensors. The curved sensor has properties that are found in eyes, such as a wide field of view, that can’t be produced in digital cameras without a lot of complexity. (via technologyreview)
Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 8 in Beijing. (via 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - The Big Picture)
Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium on August 8 in Beijing. (via 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - The Big Picture)
Percussionists hit their Fou drums at the start of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (via 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - The Big Picture) Somehow this picture looks like a thousand copiers.

Percussionists hit their Fou drums at the start of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. (via 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - The Big Picture)

Somehow this picture looks like a thousand copiers.

Artists perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (via 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - The Big Picture)
Artists perform during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (via 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - The Big Picture)
Fireworks light the sky over the National Aquatics Center (L) and the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (via 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - The Big Picture)
Fireworks light the sky over the National Aquatics Center (L) and the National Stadium during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics on August 8, 2008 in Beijing. (via 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony - The Big Picture)
“ the first source for good pictures of the opening ceremony I can think of is The Big Picture Blog
and it did not disappoint me …. The Big Picture …. as always these are amazingÂ