It's an action packed three hours featuring Born in Fire, Ocean Realm, and, Destructive Forces. The pace is intense, the science is great, and the sheer big-picture comprehension of our wonderful world is something you'll carry with you. This isn't a green-agenda production. It's a powerful exposition of the latest facts and theories of our current understanding of Earth, it's origins, it's geologic and climatic processes, and includes a sneak peak into our possible future.

In fact I was recently revisiting my collection of Mars images from the two rovers currently trotting across the Martian landscape. I was struck by the evidence of Mars' own water and wind, and yet it being so desolate. I suddenly realized, but for our own Earth orbit around our star, the Sun, there go we.

Born of Fire focuses not only on volcanology, but on the entire "fire cycle" where Earth's crust is made, subducted, and re-made; the origin of our atmosphere and our water; and the titanic forces of plate tectonics.

Ocean Realm deals with seven-tenths of our planet, our oceans. We know more about the Moon and Mars than we do about our own oceans. You'll discover just how important the Earth's oceans are to our weather, and our climate, and our atmosphere.

Destructive Forces focuses on the three most powerful elemental erosive forces on Earth; wind, water, and time. I know a good deal about these forces having, as most of us have, studied them in science classes from High School through College Geology, but this presentation is fresh and engaging.

If you love good science, well presented, you'll want to check out Amazing Planet by National Geographic.

Engage. Enlarge. Live.

Parametric wall

+Brian Brush

2008 GSAPP

Hernan Alonso Diaz Studio

Spring 2008

Gothic Cathedral

GSAPP

Finalist, Tectonic 2007 Design Competition

joint prototype

 GSAPP

Finalist, Tectonic 2007 Design Competition

structural skin

GSAPP

• Mt. Kurikoma Coughs, Still Comatose!

Japan Quake Update [June 18, 2008]

• Death toll: At least 10 people
• Missing: 12 people
• Injured: About 250 people
• Evacuees: About 300 people spent Saturday night in evacuation centers

Recent quake history:

• October 2004. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Niigata prefecture in northern Japan, killing 65 people and injuring about 3,500 others.
• January 1995. A Mw 6.8 [the Moment magnitude scale, USGS,] struck the city of Kobe in 1995, killing 6,434 people, many were injured and up to 500,000 people lost their homes.
• September 1923. The worst earthquake in Japan, the Great Kantō earthquake, estimated to have had a magnitude between 7.9 and 8.4, claimed up to 142,000 lives. The biggest cause of death was the fires which spread rapidly due to high winds from a typhoon. In the worst single incident, up to 40,000 people who had fled their homes and businesses gathering in an Army Parade Ground in central Tokyo were incinerated by a firestorm. Tokyo, the port of Yokohama, neighboring prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka were devastated by the quake. the quake caused the equivalent of about $200 billion in damage, more than 2.5% of Japan's GDP that year.

6.8Mw Quake Occurred Near Akita, Japan

A Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake struck Japan's Iwate prefecture, east of the main island of Honshu Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 08:43:46 AM local time. At least six people have been killed with 8 others missing and more than 200 injured.

The mainshock was followed by a cluster of aftershocks including at least 12 strong aftershocks measuring between 4.5 to 5.5Mw as of 07:11:57 PM (time at epicenter.)

A highway bridge lies in ruins in Ichinoseki city, Iwate Prefecture, June 14, 2008. A powerful earthquake rocked rural northern Japan on Saturday sparking huge landslides that blocked roads and isolated residents. REUTERS/KYODO. Image may be subject to copyright. See FEWW Fair Use Notice!

The following details were reported by USGS:

• Magnitude: 6.8
• Date-Time: Friday, June 13, 2008 at 23:43:46 UTC
  Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 08:43:46 AM at epicenter
• Location: 39.103°N, 140.668°E
• Depth: 10 km
• Region: EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN
• Distances: 80 km SSW of Morioka, Honshu, Japan
  85 km SE of Akita, Honshu, Japan
  95 km N of Sendai, Honshu, Japan
  390 km NNE of TOKYO, Japan

Image: USGS

Map of Japan. Source: USGS

The local news sources in Japan have reported the quake as 7.2 magnitude [presumably using the old, or the revised JMA magnitude scale.]

Tectonic Summary
The Mw 6.8 Honshu earthquake of June 13th 2008 occurred in a region of convergence between the Pacific Plate and the Okhotsk section of the North American Plate in northern Japan, where the Pacific plate is moving west-northwest with respect to North America at a rate of approximately 8.3 cm/yr. The hypocenter of the earthquake indicates shallow thrusting motion in the upper (Okhotsk) plate, above the subducting Pacific plate, which lies at approximately 80 km depth at this location.

The earthquake occurred in a region of upper-plate contraction, probably within the complicated tectonics of the Ou Backbone Range, known to have hosted several large earthquakes in historic times. The largest of these events occurred in 1896, approximately 70km north of the June 13th event, and killed over 200 people in the local area. [Source: USGS]

It may not have done anything for 9000 years, but now Chile's Chaitén volcano has decided to start erupting it's doing it big-time. Blowing ash 12 miles up into the sky, it has caused stunning 'dirty storms' where the huge dust clouds have turned into ferocious lightning storms. The photos are pretty breathtaking - although I must say I'm glad I don't live anywhere what seems like a volcano taken out of the apocalypse.

It looks stunning, but just how do you get so much lightning at once? Basically, as the billions of ash and dust particles rub together in the sky, static electricity causes some of them to become charged - just like rubbing a balloon on your jumper can make it become statically charged.

These charged ash and dust particles can then trigger huge bolts of lightning, some reaching down to the ground and some staying between the clouds. The result: a dazzling show of light - and of course sound as well.

Chaitén's not just making dirty storms - its ash clouds are spreading right over as far as the Atlantic Ocean, and it's spewing lava out too (although not at a very high rate yet). It's definitely something to keep an eye on over the next few days.

National Geographic's done a great interactive detailing everything you could ever want to know about volcanoes - click here.

The explosion in the Halemaumau crater spread debris over an amazing 75 acres - I expect local residents got quite a shock. But what caused the explosion? Basically, it was because gas under increasing pressure below the surface finally had to get out somehow, and it did that by exploding through the rock. The lava came out for a similar reason - the pressure under the surface was just getting too great.

Since Kilauea's been erupting non-stop for 25 years, should we really be making such a fuss over these latest events? Normally I'd say no, but it is interesting that these events follow other reported increasing activity by Kilauea (I wrote about it a few weeks ago). Is Hawaii's most famous volcano about to turn nasty?

As with all geological events (volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.) the simple and true answer is that we just don't know. But I'll definitely be keeping more of an eye on Kilauea now - it could definitely get interesting any day now.

Click here for more information on Kilauea, one of the world's most fascinating volcanoes.

Don't believe me? Het bewijs (hetzij kort): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-qZcvOLWyw (sorry trouwens: embedden lukt bij niet, verdomme!)

Ik zit trouwens met een dilemma: to go or not to go?

In fact, although Kilauea has erupted 34 times since 1954, as well as the current 25-year-old eruption, it is not really a dangerous volcano at all.

Instead of building up huge reserves of magma and then letting it all go suddenly, like Italy's Mount Vesuvius for example, Kilauea just lets a gentle stream of lava flow pretty much continuously. It is so slow in most places that you could outpace it simply by walking, meaning it poses very little danger.

However, it does sometimes have impressive jets of lava (up to 1000 feet tall) that earned it the nickname the 'drive-by volcano', because you could ride by and be amazed by the fountains.

The latest twist in Kilauea's lava path doesn't really pose any danger - residents had plenty of warning that their homes would soon be destroyed, giving them enough time to set up a home in a safer location.

I've not been lucky enough to go to Kilauea - yet. Leave a comment if you've been!

 UPDATE: Kilauea has now started exploding for the first time in 84 years, and more new lava is erupting. Click here for the exciting details.

Just want to share some music here from an album that has become my favorite release in any genre for the year. Young as that year is, I have found myself playing this awesome (and yet understated) album from an artist named Pinch called Underwater Dancehall(Tectonic). A seamless and sublime mix of music showcasing the growth of dubstep as a genre, as we find Pinch crafting music that find the future within the Now-- he has that elusive "It"-ness and all on his first album.

Underwater Dancehall features a number of singers and MC's from Juakali's raw dancehall cries, to the smooth-tempo R&B laced cuts featuring the honey-soul vocals of Yolanda, Pinch has crafted an album that is worth the money. Despite the price, he even cuts a spiritual and otherworldly dub with Sikhi singer Indi Kaur. This album is haunting and yet unpretentious enough for you to find you love it on many levels, almost inspiring poetry or rhyme within your mind, and is an easy repeater. Here is the video for "Brighter Day" featuring Juakali on the mic...enjoy.

Guru Amrit

Just want to share some music here from an album that has become my favorite release in any genre for the year. Young as that year is, I have found myself playing this awesome (and yet understated) album from an artist named Pinch called Underwater Dancehall(Tectonic). A seamless and sublime mix of music showcasing the growth of dubstep as a genre, as we find Pinch crafting music that find the future within the Now-- he has that elusive "It"-ness and all on his first album.

Underwater Dancehall features a number of singers and MC's from Juakali's raw dancehall cries, to the smooth-tempo R&B laced cuts featuring the honey-soul vocals of Yolanda, Pinch has crafted an album that is worth the money. Despite the price, he even cuts a spiritual and otherworldly dub with Sikhi singer Indi Kaur. This album is haunting and yet unpretentious enough for you to find you love it on many levels, almost inspiring poetry or rhyme within your mind, and is an easy repeater. Here is the video for "Brighter Day" featuring Juakali on the mic...enjoy.

Guru Amrit

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake and over 30 aftershocks shook the town Friday, toppling buildings and destroying homes. Fortunately not a single life was lost, although some lives will take years to rebuild.

So why did the earthquake happen? It's not like there is a major fault nearby, like the San Andreas fault in California. In fact, it has been pretty quiet in terms of seismic activity for Wells since the last earthquake in 1850. The last time the landscape was changed much by seismic activity was tens of thousands of years ago, according to USGS.

The answer is that it does indeed lie on a fault, but not a major one - the Independence Valley fault system that runs across the region. But it was so inactive that even USGS admits they weren't really looking or expecting anything to happen around that area.

That's the big problem with earthquakes, volcanoes, and nearly all other natural disasters - you just don't know when they're going to pop up next.

Taking stock in New Zealand: Not to be outdone by the New York Stock Exchange, the New Zealand Stock Exchange is moving to a GNU/Linux platform for its settlement and clearing system, replacing its existing HP NonStop platform and applications in order to reduce cost and increase flexibility, reports Computerworld.

Free idea for fundraising: This is just a thought I had while drifting off to sleep a few days ago, and could very well attest to my waning sanity. But if I were to hold a GNU/Linux festival -- listening, LinuxFest Northwest folks? -- I'd have a booth at one end of the auditorium (away from everything else) at which I'd have chairs where people, for a buck or maybe more, could throw them. After throwing them, they would get a certificate saying "My chair-throwing abilities qualify me to be Microsoft's CEO" or something along those lines. And maybe a thumb drive or other small prize could go to the person whose chair throwing talents made the chair go the furthest distance. Okay, it was just a thought . . . .

Shameless self-promotion: On Thursday, the membership who attended the Cabrillo College GNU/Linux Users Group elected me president for the Spring Term, and now the decision goes by e-mail vote to the entire membership. If you're a Cabrillo College student and you have even the slightest interest in FOSS, I urge you to a.) get involved with the GLUG (that's the sound "free beer" makes when you drink it), and b.) vote for the current slate of officers, which also includes Alexis Chen for vice president, Theodore Goodman for treasurer and Jon Colby for secretary.

My red Swingline gets a new home: When March comes in like a lion -- as it's supposed to -- HeliOS Solutions West should be in new office space in Felton at the Felton Center. As you may recall, we were burned out of our offices when the Felton Trading Post caught fire back in November -- Kelly and Melanie of the Trading Post have since moved up the street, but I have been working out of my home (which, of course, is sooooo endearing to my spouse). Film at 11.

(Larry Cafiero, editor/publisher of Open Source and Free Software Reporter, is an associate member of the Free Software Foundation.)

En fait, ce jeune homme n'était pas victime d'une crise d'épilepsie, mais de la nouvelle mode chez les jeunes : la “tecktonik” (en abrégé, ils s'appellent les TCK). Oui, ça s'écrit comme ça, et étymologiquement parlant, je crois pas que ça veuille dire grand chose, mais attention, mesdames messieurs, c'est une marque déposée ! Mais qu'est-ce que c'est que ça, la tecktonik ? Qu'est-ce qui a bien pu arriver pour que des tas de gens décident de gigoter des bras comme ça, au risque d'être désarticulés ?

Alors j'ai le regret de vous apprendre que cette danse, ou plutôt ce “mouvement” est ... français. C'est né dans une boîte de nuit parisienne, le Metropolis, qui organise des soirées Tecktonik Killer, où on écoute de la musique électro, et où on danse avec ses bras. Ces soirées ont eu tellement de succès (!) que le mouvement s'est étendu, surtout grâce à internet et aux Mondoteck. Les “Mondoteck”, c'est un groupe de danseurs de tecktonik qui ont participé à un clip, Alive, que vous pouvez regarder (ou pas) ici, et ce même clip a donc également contribué à l'extension du mouvement (maintenant on en trouve en province, comme le petit gars du coin de ma rue).

Aujourd'hui, le mouvement tecktonik est aussi (et je dirais même surtout) devenu un mouvement commercial, la preuve : c'est un gros business de CD de musique électro, c'est une marque de vêtements, avec pour logo un aigle (que beaucoup ont assimilé à l'idéologie nazie), une étoile et le mot “tecktonik”, ce sont des salons de coiffures qui se spécialisent dans les coiffures de tecktonik, et ce sont des magasins spécialisés dans la vente d'objets tecktonik à Paris.

Comment reconnaître les adeptes de la tecktonik ?

Ils sont jeunes (voire très jeunes). Ils portent tous le même genre de fringues : des vêtements près du corps, avec l'emblême de la tecktonik dessus (l'aigle), des petites étoiles, et souvent des guêtres fluos. Leur coiffure est excentrique, certains ont des parties du crâne rasées, d’autres des coiffures ébouriffées, ou avec de longues mèches, une crête sur la tête. Niveau maquillage ils aiment bien se dessiner des petites étoiles un peu partout. Les garçons prennent grand soin de leur apparence, et sont souvent pris pour des homosexuels.

Les adeptes de la tecktonik se regroupent en “teams”, auxquelles ils donnent des noms finissant par -teck (comme les Mondoteck). Ils se donnent des pseudonymes, qui dans le langage tecktonik s'appellent des "blazes".

Si vous voulez apprendre à danser la tecktonik, pas de problême, ils vous aident, allez sur Dailymotion ou Youtube, et tapez “apprendre la tecktonik”, vous trouverez sans problême votre bonheur.

Les people aussi succombent à la tecktonik : Lorie va vite ; Jamel a bon goût ; et Janet veut gigoter aussi.

Que peut-on penser de cette nouvelle mode donc ... ? Elle ne touche que les jeunes (et les plus vieux qui veulent se sentir jeunes), les regroupe en clans, les fait danser comme s'ils avaient le feu aux fesses, les fait s'habiller de la même façon, tout ça pour être à la mode ... Pourquoi pas, après tout, c'est un peu ridicule mais tant que ce mouvement n'est pas violent et que ça les occupe ? Je me disais que ça pouvait être un moyen de lutter contre l'obésité, vu comment ils gigotent ...

Et vous, z'en pensez quoi ? Vous pratiquez ?

A magnitude 4.5 quake hit Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday, killing at least 39 people and injuring countless others. This region of Africa is actually quite prone to seismic activity, but it has been quiet for the past few years. A magnitude 6.8 quake struck in December 2005.

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Location of the Chile quake

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Chile also saw a large quake, a magnitude 6.3 one that struck on Monday. Fortunately no casualties or damage have been reported, although there were several landslides.

Click here for a simple guide to how earthquakes happen. Click here for a cool video.

Da's wat anders dan de Kwakjesdans.

De Australische versie van Jumpstyle en Tecktonic.

Om het te leren:

Het Frans antwoord op Jumpstyle. Hiermee verbrand je wel meer calorietjes hé.