Photo by Carsten Peter

Perched above the lighted city of Catania, Italy, Mount Etna hurls a fountain of fire skyward as rivers of lava spill down its flanks. In spite of its dazzling displays, Mount Etna is a relatively safe volcano with rare, compact eruptions and slow-flowing lava that gives people a chance to escape. – National Geographic –  {More Pics here!}

Lots of people live near a volcano.  As for me, I live a relatively safe distance from Mt. St. Helens, but this region was severely affected by the eruption in 1980.  I recently returned there, and it while it seems safe now, the devastation still shows.  But The Geography Site cites four good reasons why society loves a lava-spewing mountain in their backyard.

Geothermal energy, minerals, fertile soil, and tourism.  That last one is interesting, and many tourist attractions involve volcanic activity.  And about that geothermal energy?

Countries such as Iceland make extensive use of geothermal power, with approximately two thirds of Iceland’s electricity coming from steam powered turbines. New Zealand and to a lesser extent, Japan, also make effective use of geothermal energy.

It makes sense that we’d be so close to that which can give us something powerful, while risking so much at the same time.  Volcanoes rock.

Link | Photo: Wikimedia

]]> http://www.neatorama.com/2009/11/19/why-do-people-live-near-volcanoes/feed/ 9 http://www.neatorama.com/2009/11/10/the-why-super-yacht/ http://www.neatorama.com/2009/11/10/the-why-super-yacht/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:30:29 +0000 Johnny Cat http://www.neatorama.com/?p=27420

When Hermés yacht brand executive Pierre-Alexis Dumas met Wally builder Luca Bassani Antivari they hatched a dream- to combine the terrestrial luxury of your own island with the aquatic bliss of yachting.  The fruit of their efforts is WHY (Wally Hermés Yachts), a 36,000 square foot, energy-saving, sustainable yacht unlike any seen before.

Antivari: This revolutionary concept of the moving island  is developed with latest and most advanced technologies, recycling thermal energy, as well as any organic and inorganic waste.  The architecture of the project fits perfectly in the environment- there are no excesses, nothing is superfluous, the impact on the sea is minimal.

Dumas: We hope to open a new path, to offer a new lifestyle that is different, serene, contemplative and respectful of the environment, moving slowly on the water, combining the pleasure of sailing and absolute comfort.

YouTube Link

The whole fascinating story, lots of pictures, stats and more video at Twisted Sifter.  WHY’s website.  (Photos by WHY HWSam)

Photo: A. Butorin

Not only is this park in the Siberian-Yakutsk region an extremely beautiful sight, but is also regarded as a historically significant area in Earth’s development. The massive tree-like pillars draw tourists and paleontologists regularly, but getting there isn’t easy.

Many spend a lot just to get there and to take a look. This place is where…Siberian woods stand untouched and the only way to get there is to take a four day journey from Moscow city. First, you have to take a flight so long that if you flew opposite direction you could easily come to New York…Then upon the arrival to Yakutia region, the land from where the significant part of world’s diamonds production originate from. Then from there the only way to go to this place is by a boat. Armed native individuals can offer you a “cheap” $500 trip on a small boat, so in three days you can be on spot.

More awesome photos at EnglishRussia:

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SpaceInvading is bringing the Neat back with four architechtural wonders today.  This one is the “Habitable Polyhedron” and it has a unique function.

The project, meant for a family house back yard in the suburbs, aimed at designing a small park or opened area where the young parents and their newborn child would enjoy a independent space from day to day house activities, a space for reading, playing, etc. Having in mind this objective, and considering the usages of the space in the long term, it was proposed the project incorporated a small building to complement and support outside activities. That way he building would serve as a shelter for the child to share with his parents and, later on, as his own personal activities and hobbies setting.

It gives the appearance of one of those cartooney buildings where the space inside is bigger than it looks from outside: Link

One of the most amazing things about plants is their ability to grow through all kinds of obstacles. When trees manage to do so, the spectacle is even more amazing because it is on such a grand scale. There are even more cool ones when you follow the link.

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“This way you not only know when to go, but can also find out what you’ll be missing.  You will no longer miss those ultra-important scenes, or need to come back to your seat and ask someone, ‘What did I miss?’”

They have new releases and classics, and now there’s even an iPhone app that alerts you when a good opportunity is coming to answer Nature’s call.

Link |  Image courtesy Elizabeth O. Dulemba

Sweet Juniper blog has an interesting post about how nature is now reclaiming some of those abandoned houses. They use the description "feral houses," which given the condition they are in, seem very appropriate:

I’ve seen "feral" used to describe dogs, cats, even goats. But I have wondered if it couldn’t also be used to describe certain houses in Detroit. Abandoned houses are really no big deal here. Some estimate that there are as many as 10,000 abandoned structures at any given time, and that seems conservative. But for a few beautiful months during the summer, some of these houses become "feral" in every sense: they disappear behind ivy or the untended shrubs and trees planted generations ago to decorate their yards. The wood that framed the rooms gets crushed by trees rooted still in the earth. The burnt lime, sand, gravel, and plaster slowly erode into dust, encouraged by ivy spreading tentacles in its endless search for more sunlight.

Link – via NOTCOT

Previously on Neatorama: 100 Abandoned Houses (also in Detroit)

Junkyard workers in Japan noticed this seedling sprouting up under a car over 25 years ago. They let it grow and now it’s lifted the whole car up in the air. Now they’ve created a shrine around it. Check out the video here.

Link via Boing Boing

The list shows us that after all this time trying to create wonderful Obra Maestras, Mother Earth still beats us at making the most awe-inspiring creations. Doesn’t it make you feel bad for taking our environment for granted and polluting it continuously?

Blue holes are giant and sudden drops in underwater elevation that get their name from the dark and foreboding blue tone they exhibit when viewed from above in relationship to surrounding waters. They can be hundreds of feet deep and while divers are able to explore some of them they are largely devoid of oxygen that would support sea life due to poor water circulation – leaving them eerily empty. Some blue holes, however, contain ancient fossil remains that have been discovered, preserved in their depths.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by pax.

How many animals do you suppose we pass in nature and never notice? Masters of evading humans and other predators, many creatures avoid being seen even at close range. Some of these are color-changers with amazing abilities to mimic not only their natural environs but even, in some cases, the behavior and movement of other species so they can pass as predators rather than as prey.

The ability to change color seems like an animal superpower at times – some of them can alter their appearance to blend with the colors, materials and textures of virtually any surroundings. For some this ‘costume change’ happens quickly, for others it is seasonal – for many it helps them avoid predators, for a few it enables them to sneak up on prey. Culled from around the animal kingdom, here are seven of most impressive color-changing species in the world.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Urbanist.

“Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected by the environment or sunlight as might be expected considering its condition, although it tends to remain below the surface a little more than the others in the pod.”

Link Via Weird Stuff News (Photo: Caters News)

Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932), a German artist and professor, captured these ‘art forms in nature’ and used them to instruct his students.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by JKirchartz.

Sometimes the rarest and most mysterious things on our planet also become the most precious, intriguing and exciting. Why do rocks seem to move by themselves in the desert? How can an entire tide turn red or clouds look solid as far as the eye can see? This collection addresses some of the strangest wonders in the world – most of which you have likely never seen.

The classical natural wonders are huge and hard to miss – vast canyons, giant mountains and the like. Many of the most fantastic natural phenomena, however, are also least easy to spot. Some are incredibly rare while others are located in hard-to-reach parts of the planet. From moving rocks to mammatus clouds and red tides to fire rainbows, here are seven of the most spectacular phenomenal wonders of the natural world.

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Any Lost fans out there? (Maybe we should start a Lost thread in the forums.) This picture reminds me of Eko’s brother’s plane. Anyway, this gallery is full of cool pictures of Mother Nature taking (back) over. Most are jungle pictures, but there are a couple of others as well – the one of kudzu completely devouring a house in Georgia is interesting.

See all 20 of them at Environmental Graffiti.

This crochet coral reef is amazing. It’s actually an attempted replica of the Great Barrier Reef. The variety of textures and colors is as full as those in the reef itself. It took years to make, which can be easily recognized just by the look of it.

“Vast in scale, collective in construction, exquisitely detailed, the Crochet Reef is an unprecedented, hybridic, handicraft invocation of a natural wonder that has become, in itself, a new kind of wonder spawned from tens of thousands of hours of labor.”

Link Via Boing Boing

Maybe it’s just because I live in sunny Southern California and never actually see snow, but it truly fascinates me. Even if you’ve had your lifetime share of cold weather though, you’ll still probably love these photos of frost, snow and ice. Plus, if you actually read the text, you just might learn something new.

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There is finally an alternative. The British engineering firm, Novacem, has created a new cement that uses magnesium silicates, which emit no carbon dioxide when they are heated. As the cement hardens, it absorbs CO2. In all, it removes about .6 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of cement used.

Link Via Good

The guys over at the “Interesting Facts” blog has compiled a nice post with nine examples of beautiful heart-shaped forests, lakes and islands.

Link – via Pusha

WebEcoist constantly has amazing photographs displayed on their site and this post of 15 Environmental Photographers is certainly no exception. From macros to weather to amazing animal pics, if you like photography, you’ll be happy you clicked on this link.

Zooborns is a fantastic new niche blog, one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. It’s all about little baby critters born at the zoos across the world. If you love animals as much as I do, it’s a must see!

Link Via MentalFloss

Life in the Fast Lane has a great post portraying a huge variety of albino animals. I’ve seen albino ferrets and gorillas before, but the buffalo and the giraffes were new to me.

Link

Don’t miss the full moon tonight, it’s the largest moon in years because it’s the closest to Earth it has been since 1993. The composite image above shows how comparitively large the moon looks tonight compared to the average full moon. It’s about 14% larger looking and 30% brighter. That’s a whole lotta moon!

Link via BoingBoing

WebUrabanist has compiled a number of posts from their sister site, Webecoist. Together, the posts add up to over 100 super interesting flora and fauna species. I think my favorite is the 10 Strangest Animal Self-Defense Mechinisms.

Moths that fly high above our heads throughout the night are not at the mercy of the wind but use a sophisticated internal compass which can help them travel up to 400 miles in a single flight . . . While it is not clear how the creatures – in this case, the Silver Y moth – actually navigate between sunset and sunrise, researchers from the UK and Germany have found that the insects can judge the best conditions for flight based on direction and windspeed, selecting the fastest moving layers of atmosphere so, with their own speed of 10mph, can cruise at speeds of up to 55 mph.

In other words, moths are smarter and faster than many of us have imagined.

Link

(Image by Everything is Permuted)