guy schmidt

Center of the Thousand Trees by arcreyes [-ratamahatta-]:

Mt. Yoshino is famous for its thousands of cherry trees around the mountain. Having the trees on higher altitude means that they bloom much later so we totally missed it’s full bloom. Still the view from one of the observatory points is breathtaking.

Sentinels of the Arctic by Niccolò Bonfadini: 

During winter, with temperatures ranging from -40 to -15, the trees in some areas of the Finnish Lapland get completely covered by snow and ice. This makes for a unique landscape, where everything is white and frozen as far as the eyes can see. That morning I slept in my tent to watch the sun rise from the top of a hill; an eerie mist was forming around the trees, enhancing the mysterious atmosphere.

Misty mountains.

My son wore his Beastie Boys shirt yesterday while we were out and about (and playing with his Angry Birds frisbee). Two people stopped to tell us what a cool shirt it was. Beastie respect. 

Panographies: Panoramas on Steroids:

Panographies are wide-angle pictures composed of several individual photos manually stitched together. When these component photos are assembled, they give the impression one would get standing in one place, looking around and unconsciously putting the pictures together in one’s head.

Built using drinking straws by Farmgroup. /via share some candy

Our members study and investigate man-made and man-used underground places — from mines to railway tunnels, military defences to nuclear bunkers and everything in between.

The fact that a “society” like this exists is just too awesome. You can live vicariously through their mebers by browsing the Subterranea Britannica Flickr pool. /via bldgblog

This 120° panoramic image of the Cincinnati riverfront, properly titled Daguerreotype View of Cincinnati. Taken from Newport, Ky, was reassembled from a later series of 8 × 10 film negatives. The original panorama consisted of eight full-plate (6.5 × 8.5”) daguerreotypes and was taken in September 1848 by Porter and Fontayne (although most likely just by Porter). It shows a two mile stretch of the Cincinnati riverfront, from the Public Landing to the town of Fulton.

Make sure you embiggen this sucker to get the full scale. Much more about the Daguerreotype can be found on Codex 99 (including a map of the area in the panorama, details of the photos, and the full plates).

I don’t know why, but I love driving down old gravel roads. 

The music from the Prometheus trailer is … relentless. Enjoy! 

The Soyuz TMA-1 landing. /via Letters from Earth

Over the course of two weeks we covered 5158.3 miles, 17 states, 2 speeding tickets… heard Adele on the radio more than we care to remember, ate more gas station food than could ever be healthy, broke into Four Corners National Park and made out at the Four Corners in the pitch black desert night, and learned that the line between man-made and nature is blurrier than we had previously believed.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve piled into a car for a road trip. I think I should change that this summer. /via coudal

The Danes take their play seriously. So seriously that a full two percent of the population partake in Live Action Role Playing (LARP)—like Dungeons and Dragons brought to life, complete with costumes, nuanced back stories, and an armory of foam and replica weapons for settling scores. It’s not unheard to find a few thousand grown men and women dressed up like orcs and elves, playing out a Tolkien-inspired fantasy among the rolling hills of the Danish countryside.

Tacitly related is this video from Red Fang. 

Glacier ahead by alykat.

Taking a ride on my windshield. 

I Got It Made - Special Ed

I can’t believe this album came out 23 years ago. I feel so freaking old. Bonus linkage: True Hip-Hop Stories with Special Ed. 

SUPERMOON by D.H. Parks. It’s like a painting. /via in focus

SlimFold wallets are thin, light, and super-strong. They’re made in California from Tyvek: the ultra rip-resistant FedEx mailing envelope material.

I’m hesitant to pay 20 smackers for a paper wallet, but man those look nice. /via uncrate

Hold It Now, Hit It - Beastie Boys 

I’ve had this song stuck in my head ever since I watched this awesome video.