Sunday, September 30, 2012

If You Can't Stand The Heat... Keep Away

If you can't stand the heat... keep away from the volcano: Astonishing picture of scientist just metres from boiling hot lava cauldron

He looks like he's on a journey to the centre of the Earth.
But unlike the professor in Jules Verne's novel of the same name, this scientist could meet a fiery end if he goes any further.
In these stunning pictures, fearless Geoff Mackley looks like a speck of tin foil next to the 1,150C molten pit raging inside the crater of a volcano.
Scroll down to watch the abseil...
Like the surface of the sun: Getting to within just 30m of the molten lava, Geoff Mackley has become the first person ever to get so close to the centre of this volcano
Like the surface of the sun: Getting to within just 30m of the molten lava, Geoff Mackley has become the first person ever to get so close to the centre of this volcano
No sweat: Thanks to his protective heat-proof suit, Mr Mackley was able to stand next to raging lava for a staggering 45 minutes
No sweat: Thanks to his protective heat-proof suit, Mr Mackley was able to stand next to raging lava for a staggering 45 minutes
Staring into hell: Mr Mackley peers into the raging Marum Volcano, on the island of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific as he abseils into the heart of the crater
Staring into hell: Mr Mackley peers into the raging Marum Volcano, on the island of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific as he abseils into the heart of the crater

A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Abbey and glorious: Portrait of Queen Elizabeth at spot where she was crowned unveiled in all its 11ft glory

By Louise Eccles
In centuries past, royal artists portrayed monarchs as grand, imposing and often rather stern.
But the latest portrait of the Queen pictures her in a moment of quiet reflection as she stands on the spot in Westminster Abbey where she was crowned 60 years ago.
Artist Ralph Heimans said he sought to capture 'her humanity' in the 9ft by 11ft portrait, commissioned by the Palace to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

Her majesty posed for an hour-long sitting in The Yellow Drawing Room, at Buckingham Palace, in March.
Mr Heimans then imagined the dramatic backdrop – the Sacrarium at Westminster Abbey, also known as The Coronation Theatre.
She stands on the Cosmati pavement – a spot where every English monarch has been crowned since it was commissioned by Henry III in the 13th century.
ew official portrait of Her Majesty The Queen
Deep in thought: A new official portrait of Her Majesty The Queen, painted by Australian-born, London-based artist Ralph Heimans shows the monarch looking deep in reflection
Mr Heimans, said: 'I hope there is a degree of humanity uncommon in traditional Royal portraits. 
'I wanted her expression to be open to interpretation so that people could imagine what she was thinking at that moment, but I think there is a sense of tenderness and soulfulness, as well as nostalgia and contemplation.
Artist Ralph Heimans poses for photographs in front of the painting 'The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabethh II, 2012' at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia
Artist Ralph Heimans poses for photographs in front of the painting 'The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabethh II, 2012' at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/09/28/article-0-153EE516000005DC-613_634x450.jpg

But there is also a suggestion of her inner strength. 
'She has an extraordinary aura and a real energy and presence.'
The painting is entitled:
The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The Supercomputer That Houses an Entire Universe

The Supercomputer That Houses an Entire Universe
Over a span of two weeks in October, the Mira supercomputer will crank away nonstop, processing quadrillions of operations every second—something that few other machines are currently capable of. It will simultaneously track trillions of particles as they move, expand, and react to each other according to the laws of physics. This simulation will have to use everything mankind has learned about the movement of objects. If successful, it will not only confirm what we've suspected, but will also give us a deeper understanding of how the cosmos came to be. Mira, in short, is simulating the history of our universe.
According to the Atlantic, the advent of Mira (along with the more powerful Sequoia and K supercompters) is the first time that machines have been powerful enough to run a simulation of this scale. A normal computer available today simply could not complete the calculations. And when you consider the specs of the Mira, you realize just how massive this undertaking is.
Built around IBM's BlueGene technology, Mira is powered by 768,000 cores spread across 48 blade racks. (This thing is big! Just like other supercomputers!) It has 8 petaflops of processing power, and at its peak theoretical performance, is able to perform 10 quadrillion floating point operations per second. Oh, and it has nearly a petabyte of RAM.
The Supercomputer That Houses an Entire Universe
So what, exactly, will Mira simulate in this experiment? Essentially, as the Atlantic explains, researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory are interested in seeing exactly how stars—and entire galaxies—expand, clump together, and form the filament structures. The behavior has led scientists over the years to compare the universe to a web-like structure. The simulation will begin with the universe shortly after the big bang, then it will simulate a time lapse lasting 12 billion years to see if our theories of astrophysics hold up.
The Supercomputer That Houses an Entire UniverseSupposing that the experiment does validate centuries of research, we can then begin to move forward. As our understanding increases and supercomputers become more powerful, we can begin to explore crazier ideas, like the possibility that there's more than one universe out there (*mind explodes*).
And the Mira supercomputer? Over its lifespan, it will be operational for 5 billion computing hours a year. The vast majority of its time will be spent cranking out simulations of DOE-sponsored initiatives and challenges. It will reserve a chunk of its time for projects of "immediate need," (such as the Deepwater Horizon oil crisis). It's safe to say this machine will stay busy, even when it's not deciphering the origins of our existence.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Stunning pictures from the National Geographic Photography Contest 2012


Zachary Bako: 'Fighting the wind before a storm on Tonle Sap Great Lake in Cambodia. July 11, 2012.'


Bill Tang: 'Joshua Tree National Park may not have the fame like some other more famous national parks, but it is a great place to escape from the city lights to catch some spectacular views of the Milky Way.'


Scott Belt: 'This mother cheetah, with five cubs nearby, made it clear that her limits had been met (or exceeded).'

Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. A palace with 340 rooms- used by the President of India


India's Most Expensive Official Residence.
The president lives in a palatial 340-room palace.
It is the largest residence of any chief of the state in the world.
Even as population of people in India's slums is projected to rise to 93 million in 2011 or 7.75 percent of the total
population, our head of the state lives in a grand palace maintained at a cost that runs into crores.
In 2007, the maintenance cost of the presidential palace was estimated to be more than Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion)
per year!
The electricity bill of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2007-2008 stood at Rs 6.30 crore (Rs 63 million) followed by
Rs 6.88 crore (Rs 68.8 million) in 2008-2009 and Rs 6.67 crore (Rs 66.7 million) in 2009-2010.
Besides the Rashtrapati Bhavan at New Delhi, the President has official residences in two other states -
Rashtrapati Nilayam near Secunderabad and The Retreat at Mashobra, near Shimla.

Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. A palace with 340 rooms- used by the President of India
Last updated on: May 26, 2011 10:30 IST

It is the largest residence of any chief of the state in the world.
Even as population of people in India's slums is projected to rise to 93 million in 2011 or 7.75 percent of the total
population, our head of the state lives in a grand palace maintained at a cost that runs into crores.
In 2007, the maintenance cost of the presidential palace was estimated to be more than Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) per year!
The electricity bill of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2007-2008 stood at Rs 6.30 crore (Rs 63 million) followed by
Rs 6.88 crore (Rs 68.8 million) in 2008-2009 and Rs 6.67 crore (Rs 66.7 million) in 2009-2010.
Besides the Rashtrapati Bhavan at New Delhi, the President has official residences in two other states - Rashtrapati
Nilayam near Secunderabad and The Retreat at Mashobra, near Shimla.
Last updated on: May 26, 2011 10:30 IST
The Rashtrapati Bhavan is one of India's best architectural marvels. A magnificent four-storeyed mansion,
it has a floor area of 200,000 square feet. It was built by using 700 million bricks and
three million cubic feet of stone.
Last updated on: May 26, 2011 10:30 IST

The cost of building this architectural wonder escalated to Rs 12.8 million, much higher than the
projected cost.

Realistic Drawings On Canvas

Caught on canvas! The hyperrealistic drawings that look so good you could mistake them for photographs

By Anna Edwards

The first time you see Dirk Dzimirsky's hyperrealistic drawings, you're convinced they're black and white photographs.
But on closer inspection, you realise they are just the work of a very talented artist and his pens and pencils.
Using photos just for inspiration, he sets up basic proportions and then draws layer upon layer until he creates his incredibly realistic portraits. 
Canvas or camera? The portraits   show just how talented the artist is, as his fine detailing shows the lengths he goes to to capture his subject
Canvas or camera? The portraits show just how talented the artist is, as his fine detailing shows the lengths he goes to to capture his subject
All with a   pen and pencil: The artist uses a photograph to loosely get a feel for his portrait and then painstakingly fills it in to achieve the desired effect
All with a pen and pencil: The artist uses a photograph to loosely get a feel for his portrait and then painstakingly fills it in to achieve the desired effect
Made you look twice! The artist captures event the glint of water on this man's teeth and the whiskers on his chin
Made you look twice! The artist captures event the glint of water on this man's teeth and the whiskers on his chin

Space Shuttle Endeavour last flight .

Endeavour last flight

Take off from Edward Air Force Base, in California Mojave Desert
 
Passes over the California State Capitol in Sacramento

Marvellous Spatuletail

Marvellous Spatuletail

PHOTOGRAPHS OF CALCUTTA (KOLKATA) 1912


PHOTOGRAPHS OF CALCUTTA
(KOLKATA) 1912

Amazing collection of photographs depicting life in India
a century ago are found in an old shoebox. A tennis
party pose among tea trolleys:
full-length dresses and sun hats for the ladies; shirt-sleeve order,
neat moustaches and optional pipe for the men.

One image shows buildings in the city of Calcutta lit up over the
Lal Dighi body of water, commemorating a British royal visit,
while another depicts ships arriving at the Chandpal Ghat,
the main landing site for visitors to the city along
the Hooghly River. 

All 178 of the plate-glass negatives were found inside a size-nine
Peter Lord shoebox by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and
Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) in Edinburgh.
All 178 images were found in a Peter Lord shoe-box
in Edinburgh and are about 100 years old.


[1]
A tennis party poses (one, far right, with a pipe) among tea trolleys in this photo taken in India around a century ago.



[2]
Two men stick dance in front of a crowd in Maidan,
Calcutta. The dance represents a mock fight between
legendary warrior Durga and the mighty demon
king Mahishasura.




[3]
Buildings on the south-east side of Lal Dighi, Calcutta,
lit at night for the 1912 British royal visit by
King George V and Queen Mary.