It’s hard to imagine a blog published more remotely than Colonel Chris Hadfield’s… and yet he’s only about 200 miles away from many of us. That’s because he’s blogging from perhaps the most exclusive place around: the International Space Station (ISS). This Canadian astronaut is on his second trip to the massive station circling the earth, where he’s soon scheduled to take his and a Canadian’s first command of the ISS. Life is good. [Read more...]
In one of the poorest cities in the world, one bright young woman has pioneered a project that has empowered over 450 impoverished women. Reese Fernandez, a 27-year-old humanitarian woman figured out a way to take women who were used to living in a garbage dump into nice apartments for their entire families and salaries that are comprable to those of nurses. She started a company called Rags2Riches in the Philippines that makes handmade rugs out of the scraps from garment factories that would have been thrown away. Before Rags2Riches, middle men were exploiting the poor women of Manila, taking the scraps from the factories, then paying the women the equivalent of 2 cents per rug, and taking the rest of the profits. Fernandez cut out the middle men and brought the income back to the women who deserved it, so that they could feel pride from their work and care for their families. [Read more...]
Little known to most visiters of “The Happiest Place on Earth”, Walt Disney actually had an apartment not far from the entrance to the park on Main Street, USA. Perched above the tiny firehouse, Walt’s apartment was his part time residence during the busy period while the park was being built and the classic film Lady and the Tramp was on the drawing board. [Read more...]
Los Angeles is perhaps most famous for two things: its prolific creation of movies, and its massive urban sprawl. The city is unique for having almost no geographic center, instead being spread between districts like Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley (which are city sized in their own right). Now Los Angeles’s A+D Architecture and Design Museum is asking the question “What if?” What if the area’s many proposed architectural projects from the past had been realized? Never Built explores ideas that were never to be, looking at futuristic projects ranging from ideas for massive public institutions, to cantilevered outdoor recreation spaces and extensive rail-based public transportation. It’s an exciting look at the future that could have been… one that is daring the City of Angels to dream big again. [Read more...]
In our current era, the idea that tattoos are wild, rebellious or even counter culture is quickly becoming passé. Your friends have them, respected celebrities have them, maybe even your grandma has them; but what if they had been more common in the past? Jason Hill asked that question and brought it to reality by creating a series of classic movie divas fully inked. [Read more...]
Would you volunteer for a one-way trip to Mars, never again to return to the Earth? That is the proposition the non-profit organization Mars One is putting forth for a group of 4 brave people with a distinct lack of nostalgia for old Mother Earth. Once on the red planet, they will establish a habitable, sustainable outpost designed to receive additional astronauts every two years. If the plan works, we will see Mars being colonized by as early as 2023… that’s 10 short years people! [Read more...]
Will your next flying trip be more like going on a luxurious cruise? Aeros, a modern day airship company, is in the midst of testing their gigantic new Aeroscraft which the company plans to use to transport passengers, cargo and for military applications. You only get a sense for the scale of this “subscale demonstration version” when you notice the parked truck in the picture above… and yes you read that correctly, this is a “small” test version of what they plan to build next – a series of 3 Aeroscraft models ranging from 310 to 787 feet and lifting 20 to 500 tons! [Read more...]
Whether you’re a conservative, liberal, anarchist, libertarian, Tea Party or Occupy supporter, we can all agree on one thing: money has become an all too important factor in the US political scene. Elections are no longer won, but instead bought. Wealthy banks get huge bailouts while the American people lose their homes and jobs. Between lobbyists, super-pacs and special interests, the one thing the government answers to is the almighty dollar. [Read more...]
A little over 5 years ago the first iPhone was introduced to the world. Many people were excited about its utility and potential… and upon its release it changed the world. The internet had become more accessible than ever before and daily tasks have become much easier through the use of the first iPhone and other smart phones to follow. [Read more...]
Every day people fall in love and get married… including on the tropical island of Bali in Indonesia. Similar to engagement photos in America, Balinese photographers offer “pre-wedding” photo packages to happy couples before they have their official weddings. The various photographers take their couples to exotic places on the island including the beaches, jungles, waterfalls and temples. [Read more...]
