A myth-breaker on UFO's - Must See

I often wonder what are all the things mankind is yet to understand or explain and i often arrive at the conclusion that they are just that: things we cannot yet explain. UFO's are a classic example of that. The paranormalia of sightings, events and lack of public consideration makes it one of humanity's biggest mysteries. 

The space race, our increased database of knowledge about the universe and our place in it, along with futuristic cultural surges across the globe transforms a simple mystery in a demand for answers, even if they are just the quick-fix to get on with the day, such as good sci fi movie that grabs our attention and makes us wonder rather than think. This documentary from National Geographic Society puts an end to many of the myths around the sightings of UFO's, giving plenty of space for one to draw its own interpretation. 

Enjoy!

Priceless or Worthless?

Priceless or Worthless is the name of a new book that showcases the top 100 endangered species in the planet. The book was produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and aims to "challenge the way we think about nature" as said by one of the book authors, Jonathan Baillie, conservation director at the Zoological Society of London.
The book portrays a radical view of the relationship between humankind and nature introduced by testimonies of a number of personalities, a comprehensive fact sheet of all 100 most endangered species, as well as several "food-for-thought" quotes that aim to light that lost little bulb inside  all of us.

The book is available in print or in a free online edition here.

So what are theses species for you, priceless or worthless?
And most importantly, what are you willing to do about it?

Valley of the Khans Project

It's no news that one of my biggest inspirations in life is National Geographic Society, as it as been probably the biggest source for this blog content. What are news though, is one of their latest projects that goes by the name of "Valley of the Khans". This particular project is a field expedition into remote areas of Mongolia that aims to identify the burial site of the legendary leader, Genghis Khan. However that is not all that there is to it. As always, NGS is a pioneer in our times when it comes to the use of technology towards sustainable development, and in this case, the project team, led by Dr.Albert Yu-Min Li, is trying to use a variety of new technologies that will allow them to exercise non-invasive archaeology, not only to detect the last address of Genghis Khan, but also to identify all possible archaeological interest locations in the region. That is what I fancy about this team, they are not only trying to find the golden goose of their careers by locating Genghis Khan's remains, they are actually trying to document a place that many people forget, and that was once, the largest and most peaceful empire in the world. That is to me world heritage and they certainly have my blessing for helping to discover it.

What caught my eye, was one the technologies they are putting tu use, and that is us, and I actually mean, all of us internet-savvy people. Apparently its called crowd-sourcing and its not new as a tool itself (i keep forgetting about marketing), but it is the first time it is being used in favour of archaeology. How does that work? In this case, all we are asked to do, is to examine satellite imagery and identify geographical references, such as ancient and modern structures, rivers or roads. At the same time, the project team collects the crowd-sourcing input, and evaluates the sites that are most likely to represent places of interest, while a field team heads to such places to investigate.

It is a ground-breaking idea, and it definitely educational one. Just think of all those, like me, that signed up as explorers of this imagery, and found themselves learning indirectly or actually wanting to learn more about the region and its history.

The project page is pretty easy to use, and there is a tutorial video to help you get started, so why not give at a go? 

(Click here to access "The Valley of the Khans" website)

That is all for now, well done NGS.

If you are Richard Branson, you can do almost everything!

I don't know about you, but I fear the future of humankind has been hanging by a thread for quite some time now. Why? Let's see, population is increasing, cities are becoming overcrowded, quality of life is deeply diminishing, our natural resources are either scarce or poisoned, climate change is causing more and more natural disasters, solar flares and its impact are just around the corner, and technology well, is replacing life as we know it before we even have time to realise and digest its impact. These are just a few of my reasoning but to me the future is not bright at all.

However, I've always wondered weather the destruction of our lovely Earth could be replaced by our out of Earth exploration. And the answer was always "Yes, definitely but someday, say  20 to 50 years"

To my great surprise and sock, I'm still jaw dropped about it, that particular insight about the future is literally around the corner.

Not only, we are starting to gain unbelievable knowledge about the outer space and the formation of the universe, but also, commercial exploration is about to start.

NASA terminated the Shuttle program and is about to start launching revolutionary types of spacial aircraft, some of which will be used to launch their brand new commercial program, which will enable for commercial aircraft to be used privately. Anyhow, that's not the big news as it will still take NASA some time to activate the program.

The pioneers on spacial commercial exploration are Sir Richard Branson plus its galactic executive club. The British business guru created Virgin Galactic a few years ago, and he's gathering bookings to soon enough launch the first ever spacial commercial flight. As far as my research went, there is no date announced yet, but all information leads me to believe it will be in one year time window. The spaceport in Mojave Desert (USA) has been built, brand-new aircrafts have been completed and so far all testing has been successful. Virgin Galactic is taking bookings starting at 200.000$ and planning on further accessible pricing.

If I ever get hold of 200 grand I will surely book my place and tell you guys all about it. If you want to help in this and other ventures, start by supporting this blog, via the donate button on the side bar.

The "Spaceport America"
Credit to Virgin Galactic

Sir Richard Branson
Credit to Virgin Galactic/Mark Greenberg

Further readings:
NASA Cmmercial Crew Program
Virgin Galactic

Awesome Choir is Awesome

Viva Vox - The Choir Revolution

Viva Vox Choir is arguably the only choir in Serbia currently performing a cappella renditions of pop-rock music with beatbox. They are steadily building their reputation as representatives of a new pop-rock genre in choral singing. Their voice is their only instrument, they use it to reproduce all of the sounds that a band makes, including percussions imitated by beatboxing. Some of the songs they sing are originally performed by artists such as Queen, Toto, ABBA, Bangles, Rammstein, The Beatles, Era, Vampiri, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Bobby McFerrin… 

Besides popular music, Viva Vox Choir performs a variety of musical styles. This is why their repertoire is quite vide and diverse, and includes works of classical composers such as “Lacrimosa” from the Requiem Mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Air” by J. S. Bach, “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel’s Messiah, as well as works by renowned Serbian composers Stevan St. Mokranjac, Aleksandar Vujić, Vojislav Ilić…

For six years, Viva Vox Choir has been an independent, non-profit organization. During that period, They managed to define their style, to crossover to the popular, but stil manage to keep in touch with the classical music they all came from. 

Lead by their conductor Jasmina Lovren, they do everything for their choir themselves: make song arrangements, organize their own concerts, design their own posters and invitations for them, manage their website…

This Choir’s mission is to foster the cultural tradition of the people residing in their region, notably in Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia, and to represent their town and country in the best way possible, as they already did in Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Poland…

Source: Last FM

Taste it is, please!

FROM NECESSITY

COMES TASTE

FROM TASTE

COMES LUXURY

Reading

Moments - Crazy

Here is a moment to be crazy. Feel the craziness and cries for freedom on the voices of Mr. Barkley, Mr. Seal and Ms. Melua. Let  them embark you in a journey, where you'd let yourself be as crazy as crazy can be. Flash up the images below, and wonder on the words of geniuses while you prep yourself to watch one of the crazy viewing suggestions. I'd personally pick Shutter Island.

As crazy as crazy can be.

Musically

Crazy by Gnars Barkley

Crazy by Seal

The Closest Thing to Crazy by Katie Melua

Visually

Readings

"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity!"

Edgar Allan Poe

"In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule."

Friedrich Nietzsche

"Insanity -- a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world."

R. D. Lang

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."

Albert Einstein

Viewings

- C. R. A. Z. Y. - Jean Marc Vallee (2005)

- The Butterfly Effect - Eric Brass & J. Mackye Gruber (2004)

- Inception - Cristopher Nolan (2010)

- Shutter Island - Martin Scorcese (2010)

- The Others - Alejandro Amenabar (2001)

To Be Continued... ... ...

Amazing 3D Art is Amazing

Credit to Muhammad Eljeh

Islamic Feminism?

“We do not stand outside the world, looking over this sea of poor benighted people, living under the shadow – or veil – of oppressive cultures; we are part of that world. Islamic movements themselves have arisen in a world shaped by the intense engagements of Western powers in Middle Eastern lives.”

                                                                                      Lila Abu-Lughod