LIDAR is essentially radar or sonar with [freakin'] lasers, plus GPS. A plane with a LIDAR unit can scan the ground below and get really accurate high-resolution 3D maps of the terrain and buildings. You can spot old roads and even trails in forest, buried volcanic craters, odd hidden geological features, map wetland, measure tree [...]
It’s all smoke. No mirrors. I have to be honest, I didn’t think it was one side is faster OR low air pressure, I thought it had to do with vortices and lift. Anyhow, this explanation helps me think about this physical process we all sort of take for granted. Damn, if only there were [...]
A screen capture by Jane Savage. more? Sampled (and way auto-tuned, bleah) Sagan: Glorious Dawn We Are All Connected Our Place In the Cosmos Soundtrack: Music of Cosmos Sagan as subject: Swag Pale Blue Dot Guest appearance
Information is Beautiful takes a stab at explaining how sunscreen is rated (or not), how much you should use, how long it lasts, and what ingredients you oughta avoid. The guy in the drawing looks angry. Maybe when you realize how much sunblock you need to apply to actually have it work for any length [...]
This mildly tongue-in-cheek weather note tells you something about Oregon weather this Spring–2nd wettest in 117 years of weather records (#1 was 1993). If anyone in the South is wondering where the rain went, it’s up here. Like the use of “allegedly.”
Fun, though unfortunately impossible, solutions for when you say the wrong thing.