Author Archives: Chompsky

Behold: the 1988 BMW M3 – one the outside, a pumped up Reagan/Bush era E30 with big wheels, flared arches and a rear spoiler.

Inside, A 194bhp, 4-cylinder S14 engine that made it a rally and road racing legend. This model, in mint condition and with low mileage, retains its original (albeit not to everyone’s taste) white-over-grey tartan interior.

Yours today for between €65,000 and €95,000.

uncrate

Colourful clouds, plumes and dots in the sky over Norway last Friday. Not extra terrestrials – all NASA’s doing apparently. To wit:

The colours were actually created by the NASA-funded Auroral Zone Upwelling Rocket Experiment (AZURE) which dispersed gas tracers to probe winds in Earth’s upper atmosphere. AZURE’s tracers originated from two short-lived sounding rockets launched from the Andøya Space Center in Norway. The harmless gases, trimethylaluminum and a barium/strontium mixture, were released into the ionosphere at altitudes of 115 and 250 km. The vapor trails were observed dispersing from several ground stations. Mapping how AZURE’s vapors dispersed should increase humanity’s understanding of how the solar wind transfers energy to the Earth and powers auroras.

(Image: Yang Sutie)

apod

Behold: Fanjingshan, highest peak of the Wuling Mountains in Guizhou Province, southwest China: conservation area, biosphere reserve and, since last year, UNESCO World heritage site.

The mountain is home to several Buddhist temples, including two at the top of the 100m tall New Golden Summit, or Red Clouds Golden Summit. The Temple of the Buddha and Maitreya Temple are separated by a narrow gorge spanned by a short bridge.

(Photos: Costfoto / Barcroft Images / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

theatlantic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwGnxB9BXK0

Brad Russell and the rather beautiful results of an extremely dangerous practice – connecting the 2000V transformer from a microwave oven to sheets of wood painted with sodium bicarbonate: tree-like electrical discharge patterns known as Lichtenberg figures which he then overlays, fills, colours and varnishes into art pieces.

awesomer