Shanghai’s pollution makes it almost impossible to breathe or even see in the city [6 pics]

December 6, 2013 | 3 Comments

The photos below show it all, as Shanghai has announced pollution levels are at an all time high. Even just looking at the pictures almost makes my lungs burn. The main factors are coal burning, car exhaust, and weather patterns.

Alan Yu, a chef in Shanghai, mocks the smog by describing the taste like you would describe wine…

Today, Shanghai air really has a layered taste. At first, it tastes slightly astringent with some smokiness. Upon full contact with your palate, the aftertaste has some earthy bitterness, and upon careful distinguishing you can even feel some dust-like particulate matter.

The Guardian is reporting that the city is taking drastic measures by keeping all schoolchildren indoors and halting construction in the city. These photos make it obvious why…

shanghai pollution (1)

shanghai pollution (2)

Read more…

One breath at a time, husband and wife freediving team capture stunning images deep in the ocean [11 pics]

December 6, 2013 | 1 Comment

Husband and wife freediving duo, Eusebio and Christina Saenz de Santamaria, spend much of their life exploring the ocean — a single breath at a time. Both are national record holders in the sport of freediving.

As they dive, they document their adventures with beautiful photography and video. Their explorations of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, specifically the Cenotes (an underwater network of sinkholes and caves in coral limestone) are particularly breathtaking…

freedivers

FreedivingCenotes - 05

See More Freediving Photos from Mexico

How to demonstrate Einstein’s ideas of spacetime and gravity using a sheet of lycra and marbles

December 4, 2013 | 4 Comments

In a workshop for high school teachers, Dan Burns of Physics Teachers SOS shows off his incredibly fascinating yet simple contraption to help student visualize how gravity works.

With a frame of PVC piping and a large sheet of lycra, Burns creates a simulation of Spacetime, then using marbles of varying sizes he shows how and why objects in space react to each other the way they do…

(via Reddit)

Beer vs. Coffee — Which makes you more creative?

November 23, 2013 | 1 Comment

Should you turn to coffee or beer for a boost of liquid creativity?

According to Mikael Cho a few months ago, beer helps us to spark new ideas, and coffee gives us the energy to develop and execute them. Turns out Hemingway was on to something when he said, “Write drunk; edit sober.”

Here’s a full visual breakdown of how these beverages affect our brains and which you should drink when…

Beer vs. Coffee