Archive for November 13th, 2011
Previously On | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source
Previously On
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This week’s Previously On gets you all caught up on what happened last week, just as it did last week, and the week before. And what was that? Tune in tonight (or next week) to find out!
via Previously On | The Onion – America’s Finest News Source.
Canary Islands Eruption: Undersea Volcano Now Just 70 Meters from Surface – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International
In the Atlantic Ocean, off the Canary Island of El Hierro, 20-meter high jets of water are being spat into the air as the sea boils amid the stench of sulfur. The undersea volcano, which is set to create new land, is growing ever-nearer to the surface — but is the existing island at risk from the explosive eruptions?
“The monster rises out of the water”, screamed the Spanish newspaper La Provincia. Scientists, meanwhile, are being a bit more level-headed about the undersea volcano south of El Hierro in the Canary Islands; they now believe it is in the third phase of its eruption — fountains of water have been shooting out of the Atlantic up to 20 meters in the air over the last few days. On Tuesday, some local residents even saw stones being catapulted out of the sea.
A seething maelstrom, dozens of meters across, is bubbling away in the ocean. Measurements show that the vortices are significantly warmer than the surrounding water.
So far, the volcano has only shown its explosive power beneath the water. But now the outbursts to the south of El Hierro are frothing up the surface, as if the ocean had hiccups. The lava is piling up on an underwater mountain. That the eruption is capable of firing jets of water into the air shows that this mountain is growing — the center of the eruption is approaching the surface. Geologists believe that new land could soon emerge from the sea, and islanders are already looking for a name for the new territory. There are only 70 meters to go until the mountain reaches the surface, experts from Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN) have reported.
But how big is the risk to nearby residents? Last weekend, hundreds of people had to leave their homes in the southern part of El Hierro as streets were closed. And locals can quite literally smell the danger — stinking sulfur fumes are drifting across the ocean. The Volcanology Institute of the Canaries, Involcan, has reported a three-fold increase in carbon dioxide levels — a warning signal that further volcanic activity can be expected.
Veggie Headdress Art by Takaya
Move over, Miss Chiquita, there’s a new fruit-n-veggie headress in town … Behold the Hanayui series by Japanese flower artist Takaya over at Dezeen blog: Link – via Notcot
Beyond the barrel roll: Google’s Easter eggs | Deep Tech – CNET News
The Google “do a barrel roll” search caught plenty of attention this week–but it’s only one of many Easter eggs the Internet giant has hidden around the Web.
The company has been doing things its own, often nerdy way for years–basing its IPO price on e, the base of natural logarithms, for example, or showing pi in the sky at 3:14 a.m. with the right iGoogle theme. Also popping up are references to classic video games, science fiction books, and Lego.
It’s a nice touch that gives a bit of personality to a company that has grown to become an Internet juggernaut of formidable influence. Some Easter eggs have come and gone–the Google Maps “pegman” mascot donning a tie-dye shirt when placed on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, for example, or the moon being made of green cheese. But many more live on.
Click through to the gallery below to see a collection of many of the amusements Google has built into its products.
via Beyond the barrel roll: Google’s Easter eggs | Deep Tech – CNET News.
NPR Staffer Marshall Terry Eats One Of The World’s Hottest Peppers (VIDEO)
In the video below, you nearly feel the pain of the poor sap who willingly sampled what could be the world’s hottest pepper. NPR affiliate WFAE profiled Rock Hill, South Carolina resident Ed Currie about his quest to grow a super hot pepper. Currie is waiting to hear back from Guinness World Records on if his pepper is hotter than the Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” from Australia, currently holding the title for world’s hottest pepper. Staffer Marshall Terry agreed to sample Currie’s tiny red vegetable of terror and we’re guessing he regrets his decision. He vomits, hallucinates, has trouble talking and seems generally confused about his surroundings.
via NPR Staffer Marshall Terry Eats One Of The World’s Hottest Peppers (VIDEO).
