Where Google Street View is Available
Maps That Will Help You Understand the World, 29 more after the break...
Showing posts with label Interesting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interesting. Show all posts
The Queensland Bottle Tree — Brachychiton Rupestris
The Queensland Bottle Tree — Brachychiton Rupestris originally classified in the family Sterculiaceae, which is now within Malvaceae, is native of Queensland, Australia. Its grossly swollen trunk gives it a remarkable appearance and gives rise to the name. As a succulent, drought-deciduous tree, it is tolerant of a range of various soils, and temperatures.
It can grow to 18–20 meters (59–65 feet) in height and its trunk has the unique shape of a bottle. Its swollen trunk is primarily used for water storage. On every tree the leaves are variable from narrow and elliptic to deeply divided. Clusters of yellowy bell shaped flowers are hidden within the foliage, and are followed by woody boat-shaped fruits.
Photo — Link
Bottle Trees are commonly found planted in streets, parks, on farms and as features in gardens. Roma, Queensland is one country town with prominent bottle trees. They also grace the new entrance to the Geelong Botanic Gardens (38° South Latitude).
Cultivation — When cultivated, trees are propagated from fresh seed harvested in March. Bottle trees grow best in well drained, slightly acidic soil, in full sunshine. Suited to temperate subtropical and tropical climates. In the first stages of growth, the Bottle Tree is very slow growing, and the formation of the unique bottle shape is not visible until the tree is about fifteen years old. Mature trees transplant easily, and can withstand intervals of up to three months between digging and replanting without detriment. The Bottle Tree can also withstand temperatures of -10 °C to +50 °C in its natural habitat. They have also been Planted in Bendigo Victoria with great success. 10 more images after the break...
The Most Amazing Treehouses
Plane Treehouse — Costa Rica
The Most Amazing Treehouses — 16 more after the break...
So THIS Is What Wi-Fi Actually Looks Like
Wi-fi. It's all around us, quietly and invisibly powering our access to the world's information. But few of us have a sense of what wi-fi actually is, let alone what it would look like if we could see it.
Artist Nickolay Lamm, a blogger for MyDeals.com, decided to shed some light on the subject. He created visualizations that imagine the size, shape, and color of wi-fi signals were they visible to the human eye.
"I feel that by showing what wi-fi would look like if we could see it, we'd appreciate the technology that we use everyday," Lamm told me in an email. "A lot of us use technology without appreciating the complexity behind making it work."
To estimate what this would look like, Lamm worked with M. Browning Vogel, Ph.D., an astrobiologist and former employee at NASA Ames. Dr. Vogel described the science behind wireless technology, and Lamm used the information to create the visualizations.
Dr. Vogel provided captions for each illustration explaining the science of wi-fi. The caption for the illustration at the top of the article describes the size of a wi-fi energy field, and how a signal is transmitted. It says:
" Wifi is an energy field that is transmitted as waves. The waves have a certain height, distance between them and travel at a certain speed. The distance between wifi waves is shorter than that of radio waves and longer than that of microwaves, giving wifi a unique transmission band that can't be interrupted by other signals. Wifi waves are about 3 to 5 inches from crest to crest. The crests of waves is translated to a 1 by a computer, and the the troughs equal a 0. Chains of 1s and 0s that can be translated into the letters, numbers and codes that make up websites, email and other internet content. Typical wifi waves decrease in amplitude as they travel further from the source which is why the waves are larger to the right and smaller to the left, assuming the source is somewhere near the right of the image. This image shows an idealized wifi data transmitted over a band that is divided into different sub-channels, which are shown in red, yellow, green and other colors. "
The wi-fi visualizations are set in Washington, DC. Lamm used data from a map on DC.gov to approximate the size and shapes of wi-fi networks over the National Mall.
Glass swimming pool is a recent design trend that makes for an attractive and impressive outdoor decor. The design solution has been used as a feature in various hotels like Ascott Raffles Place Singapore and the Holiday Inn in Shanghai, China. These elevated pools were designed to attract attention as well provide with an interesting pool experience. But the glass pool parts have found their way into residential homes like this Shaw House in Vancouver designed by Patkau Architects.
The elevated swimming pool features glass bottom which allows the light shine through the water illuminating the outdoor passage. The play of light and water also creates a beautiful special effect.
06 more image after the break...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Linkwithin
