Washington State Route 520 was shut down over the weekend so the Department of Transportation could install a new Fish Culvert under the freeway.  Time lapse of the entire job completed in one weekend.

Not me…but I wish it was.  

I used to bike juuuust like that.  Yup!

Awesome video of a sandstorm overrunning a film crew in the Sahara desert.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/satellite/satelliteEmbedPlayer.swf?videoRef=08740_00

So you think you know the Invisible Gorilla test. You bet that the tester can't fool you this time. You KNOW there's a gorilla coming, you're gonna see it. No WAY will they be able to sneak it by you this time.

Well, give it a shot then big guy!

James Harlan of White Lake MI. has built an amazing slot car track in his basement.  Complete with skyscrapers, suspension bridges, actual pits and even a working water fixture.  Amazing detail.  Check out more details over at Gizmodo.com

The Kober family just had this painting stuffed behind the couch.  Family legend had it that it was a Michelangelo…turns out they were right.

NY Post - A 'Mike' found in Buffalo?

"Millions and millions," Wallace said of the lost Pieta's value.

Every home will have one of these in 10 years.

http://www.rationalcraft.com/Winscape.html

Every home will have one of these in 10 years.

http://www.rationalcraft.com/Winscape.html

This guy is advocating the Navy SEALs Hot Sauce: This Hot Sauce Will Push You To The Limit

 Me?  I’m a big fan of Cholula.  I blame my brother Elvis for this fault.  I find it hard to eat pizza now without a dash (or splash) of cholula on it.  …and in eggs…and over pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese.

Fascinating.  Listen for the difference between the accent from Los Angeles and the accent from Seattle and then Toronto.

Read about the test here: Float 30 Test at Alpental

“The most difficult part about this procedure is operating in avalanche terrain while the threat of a real avalanche is high. Bottom line: high avalanche hazard = good testing conditions.”

Here’s more information on the product: Float 30 Avalanche Airbag

Thank goodness we have people out there willing to invest their spare time in answering these vital questions about our universe.  One such person, Neil Fraser, has gone and proved that a Lava Lamp will in fact work in 2.5g.

Mr. Frasier has done a wide range of projects check out this page: http://neil.fraser.name/hardware/

I want one.  So do you.

Follow this guide.

Well, here you go.

Pure gibberish, but you can certainly hear the english cadence in it.

Produced and sung by Adriano Celentano in 1972: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adriano_Celentano

More examples on this page:

http://amog.com/offbeat/english-sounds-nonenglish-speakers/

Who has the time to do something like this though?  That’s what I have to ask.

http://wwww.inbflat.net/

Go play around with it a bit.  It’s pretty cool.

Finally, after two race postponements the 33rd Challenge for the America’s Cup got underway today in Valencia Spain.  The first time in history two multi-hulled boats are racing for the cup.  Alinghi  had a large composite main sail and BMW/Oracle was flying a huge segmented, rigid wing, two very different technologies.  With 8-10 knots of wind, each boat was averaging between 16 and 24 knots.    An incredible speed in such light conditions.  Unfortunately the race was over almost before it started.  Alinghi (SUI) fouled

BMW/Oracle (USA) before the start of the  race and earned herself a 270 degree penalty turn.  BMW/Oracle proved herself to be a faster boat that can point 3-4 degrees closer to the wind which translates into a much shorter distance to the windward mark.  By the time BMW/Oracle crossed the finish line she had opened up a 3500 meter, 15 min lead over the Swiss boat.  The next race is scheduled for Sunday in this best of three showdown.  Stronger winds have been predicted, could this give Alinghi the edge?  We’ll have to wait and see.

Mount Everest from a Mile Above  …linky

This awe-inspiring photograph captures the majesty of Mount Everest as you've never seen it before - from more than a mile above.

The spectacular panorama shows the breathtaking landscape of the Himalayas from six miles above sea level. It was shot by an intrepid British photographer wearing breathing apparatus in -56C temperatures 36,000 feet up.

It is believed to be the highest panoramic picture taken by hand from a balloon, and was described by mountaineer Reinhold Messner as the 'best snap on earth'.

'Best snap on Earth': Everest dominates the picture, shot from 36,000ft and in -56C temperatures by Leo Dickinson on the world's first-ever balloon flight over the highest mountain. The curvature of the planet is exaggerated by the wide-angle lens.

The summit of Everest, the world's highest peak at 29,035ft, takes centre stage above the 11,000ft vertical drop of the Kangshung Face, on the eastern side of the mountain.

British filmmaker and adventure cameraman Leo Dickinson took the photo from the stratosphere during his record-breaking balloon flight over Everest.

With Nepal on the left of the frame and Tibet on the right, the stunning skyline westward shows nine of the planet's highest summits.

These include Lhotse (27,940ft), Cho Oyu (26,906ft), Gyachung Kang (26,089 feet), Nuptse (25,850ft), Peak 38 (24, 904ft), Changtse (24,770ft), Shartse (24,471ft) and Ama Dablam (22,349ft).

Up, up and away: Adventure filmmaker Leo Dickinson in his hot air balloon over the Himalayas shortly before he took the photo

Mr Dickinson, 62 & married, soared to 36,000ft - where temperatures dropped to minus 56 degrees Celsius - to become the first person to fly over Everest in a balloon.

He took this picture using a hand-held 35mm camera with a wide-angle lens while standing in the balloon's wicker cabin. The original photograph was shot in 1991 on the classic Kodachrome film - axed last month due to the rise of digital cameras. It was digitally remastered for the first time this week.

Dickinson of Budleigh Salterton, Devon , said: 'This photograph is one of the finest I've taken, and I'm immensely proud of it'.

'It took several minutes to set up - I was in the stratosphere and carrying bulky breathing apparatus - and I wasn't sure it would even come out'.

'So when it was developed, and it came out like this, you can imagine my delight. It's a scene that I'll remember for the rest of my life.' 

Dickinson's Everest expedition took 10 years to plan, involved 150 porters and 50 yaks, and almost cost him his life. His epic journey from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu to Tibet was chronicled in an award-winning documentary Ballooning Over Everest.

*Thanks for this post goes to Lazy MO

But the water is so cold up here…

http://www.genomecorp.com/

Hi from Multitouch Barcelona on Vimeo.

http://lab.andre-michelle.com/tonematrix

http://www.cleoag.ru/labs/flex/parkseasons/Main.swf

And Star Wars Characters and others.  From the website XKCD.COM.  And in case you didn’t know, xkcd rocks.

Next time you’re traveling, take a look at this page before you go.  The FAA publishes information to the internet, can you believe it?  You can search by region, airport, or Major Airport.  It can give you a heads up to possible delays, or cause of an existing delay.  Not that you can do anything about it…. sucka!!!

http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

click and enjoy.

heh.  This is great little write up that compares the Sounders attendance to that of other soccer clubs around the world and also places them in the context of Major League Baseball.

Granted, the Mariners have played 43 home games to the Sounders 15, and therefore the statistic doesn’t mean much, but still it is a very impressive number and really puts a stamp on the top-tier professional status of the club.

How Does Seattle Attendance Stack Up?

Technology is cool.  Nowhere is this more prevalent than in medical imaging.  I’ve been dealing with knee pain for a while and finally got it checked out.  I received a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and was amazed by the technology.  25min, listening to James Taylor and voila, a clear picture of what is inside my knee.  No knife required.  The images looked so clear even I was able to find the problem, I think.  I’m not a doctor.

An MRI takes images of “slices” as it moves deeper through the knee.  These images are of the same knee going deeper and deeper, one “slice” at a time.

The first image has the miniscus looking okay, in the above image there appears to be the beginning of the tear.

This image clearly shows a problem (in my non-medical opinion).  We’ll see what the Doc says, but either way imaging is cool.

A new creation by Microsoft is posed to revolutionize the gaming experience.  Project NATAL will work with any XBOX360 and is a HUGE step in the race to rule the living room.  Check out this live demo that was on Jimmy Fallon’s show, still a little buggy, but still a huge WOW!!!

I’m scared to think “what’s next?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?_r=3&em=&pagewanted=all

Very interesting article on the worth of work.

This active concern for the motorcycle is reinforced by the social aspects of the job. As is the case with many independent mechanics, my business is based entirely on word of mouth. I sometimes barter services with machinists and metal fabricators. This has a very different feel than transactions with money; it situates me in a community. The result is that I really don’t want to mess up anybody’s motorcycle or charge more than a fair price.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how_to/4318067.html

The Quad-Core, 1-kW, Liquid-Cooled Desk!

I’ve posted before about Byrner’s love for the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest.  Recently I got a chance to experience a trip to the US and British Virgin Islands.It is amazing and almost as good,…  okay, it’s better than the San Juans, I’m forced to admit that the VI’s have everything the NW has including 74 degree water, and amazing snorkeling.

View Larger Map

Ten days sailing from island to island resulted in several amazing sunsets,  sunny days sailing,

beautiful scenery,

Even with a bit of rain everyday we were blessed with a strong wind and 5 to 8 knots of sailing every time we pulled out the canvas.

This was one of the best sailing trips I’ve ever done, even the scotch was cheap!

Old I know but cool.

With the Kentucky Derby this weekend, I dug up some interesting facts.  Here is the coolest one in my opinion.

Alydar is the only horse to finish second in all three triple crown races.  How unlucky to have a horse of that quality and have it race during the year of another one of just an eensy teensy better quality – Affirmed.

I’ve seen several cool mods over the years.  Techrivet had a cool post about a pc in a whisky bottle.  This one has to take the cake for byrner.  I’m probably partial to this because of my “day” job working with large machines, but it is a bit reminiscent of robot wars.

Follow the linky for more info.  Thanks Gizmodo!

This looks to be a pretty neat GUI (graphical user interface).  I’m not sure how much it adds to productivity, but combining with a touch screen or better yet a multi-touch screen would be sweet.  I wonder how it would handle multiple displays?  It does go to show how our everyday interaction with PCs is evolving.  It could be the beginning of a whole new way we interface with computers.

A friend passed this video along to me.  Very cool, even if you aren't a football fan.

some are a bit far fetched, or at least took several takes, but it's still sweet.

The song about Feach MacHugh O'Byrne’s victory over Lord Grey Wilton at Glenmalure in the Wicklow Mountains.

As in: how to infuse the flavor of bacon into your bourbon.

How to baconify your bourbon

Now I've never really wanted to do this before, in fact the concept had never even approached to mere possibility of crossing my mind, but now that the idea has been broached I must admit I'm a bit curious.

After a long day on the work site, it's nice to blow off a little steam.

just be careful where you park.

http://freeinfosociety.com/media/pdf/2427.pdf

THE JAPANESE SURRENDER DOCUMENTS - WWII:
TRANSLATION of Foreign Minister Shiegemitsu's credentials
TRANSLATION

    H I R O H I T O ,
By the Grace of Heaven, Emperor of Japan, seated on the
Throne occupied by the same Dynasty changeless through ages
eternal,

To all who these Presents shall come, Greeting!

We do hereby authorise Mamoru Shigemitsu, Zyosanmi, First
Class of the Imperial Order of the Rising Sun to attach his
signature by command and in behalf of Ourselves and Our
Government unto the Instrument of Surrender which is required
by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to be signed.

In witness whereof, We have hereunto set Our signature and
caused the Great Seal of the Empire to be affixed.

Given at Our Palace in Tokyo, this first day of the ninth
month of the twentieth year of Syowa, being the two thousand
six hundred and fifth year from the Accession of the Emperor
Zinmu.

| Seal of | |  the    |   | Empire |	Signed: H I R O H I T O
	Countersigned: Naruhiko-o Prime Minister

All sorts of cool things over here: http://tesladownunder.com - Vortex Ring Launchers

These things even make Gandalf jealous.

Hey Lazy Mo, when are you jumping back into the crew shell?

http://portal.wecreatestuff.com/portal.php

Let me know if you can get past level 6.

If you haven't heard of "Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Adaptation", go read about it over here: http://www.theraider.net/films/raiders_adaptation/index.php

"After seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, three 12 year old friends, Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb, began filming their own shot-by-shot adaptation in the backyards of their Mississippi homes.

Seven years later their film was in the can."

Awesomeness!

Hat tip: Lazy MO

And this unleashes an interesting aspect of the Internet, it brings what is old, what might have been lost, and resurrects it. Who would have thought to go look for the documentary focused on competitive Drum Corps of 1973

Well here it is.

...you didn't know what you were missing.