Cool Pictures 14: no , it wasn't me who painted Mona Lisa

Not quite that many. She'd have to be on top of the pole for that, or reaching around it.

Yes, I'm being pedantic.

Fun fact: Back at the turn of this century, there was a world-wide celebration of music and dance in every time zone. Some of the Antarctic research station staff (not sure if only from one country or several) got together to sing and play. That's one of the most amazing things - a musical performance at the South Pole, only feet away from where the woman in this photo is standing!
 
1735054476126.png
 
Twenty years ago today a 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra launched the most deadly tidal wave in history. Banda Aceh was the center of it. Over 200,000 people died .

Devastation is seen in a coastal area of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, nearly two weeks after the tsunami. Choo Youn-Kong/AFP/Getty Images

Banda Aceh tsunami.jpg
 
Penguins! One takes the plunge.

penguins.png


National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory has filmed penguins in Antarctica for eight years, but in 2024 he witnessed a little-known phenomenon: a line of young emperor penguins on a high ice shelf disappearing over the horizon. He flew a drone to follow them only to discover that they were gathering along the edge of the ice shelf far above the ocean. “Surely, they’re not going to go off that cliff. It’s 50 feet high!” he said in disbelief. Left by their parents a month earlier, the youngsters must fend for themselves and find food by hunting in the sea. Their first swim is usually taken from low-lying sea ice where the species normally breeds, but some colonies have been found on higher and more permanent ice shelves, behavior likely to become increasingly common with climate change. The young penguins successfully jumped off the cliff, one after another. “I keep saying penguins can’t fly,” he says in footage during the event, “and I keep being proved wrong.”

Gregory’s incredible footage from Antarctica appears in Secrets of the Penguins, premiering April 2025 on National Geographic and Disney+.
 

Attachments

Last edited:
Fixed and added the caption to the picture.
 
Last edited:
It's a pricey experience, according to the videos I've seen.

I was watching one of the cruise channels earlier today, and just shake my head at how easy some people are to please regarding the "entertainment" on these ships. So much of it is just trivia games or some cheap version of American game shows (changed just enough to not get tagged for IP infringement), and what passes for 'theatre' shows.

Honestly, I've worked on theatre shows ranging from dinner theatre and musicals, to Shakespeare. Whatever they have on those ships just isn't what I'd call theatre.


On the flip side, there was one that combined a themed dining experience with live actors, and the whole thing was set up to give the passengers an immersive experience as though they were on a train, rather than on a cruise ship. So it was like dinner theatre except you're actually part of it. The price was expensive, but it looked like fun, and they had multiple themes that ranged from the Wild West to the Orient Express.


And then I watched one where the video channel host got to go to Antarctica... I am so jealous. He got to see penguins, get right close to them, in their natural habitat - Gentoos, Chinstraps... :love:

That trip cost him a mere $42,000 (USD, I'd guess, which would be even more in CAD).
PM me when they have a cruise with dozens of cat cafes on it! 🐱
 
PM me when they have a cruise with dozens of cat cafes on it! 🐱

Considering that some passengers flip out if they see a blind or other disabled passenger with a seeing-eye or other support dog, it's unlikely that there will be cat cafe cruises any time soon. Though I'd love to go on one!


Putting a new spin on the idea of DMs fudging dice rolls:

dice-made-of-fudge.jpg


The average gaming group would need at least quite a few sets/player, depending on whether they're eating the dice or if melting occurs first.
 
Some photos from my soon-to-be-concluded trip to US and Canada. I have an almost 18 hour flight from New York to Auckland in a week's time :sleep:

IMG_0514.jpeg


Chinatown taken from the Manhattan Bridge. Something about the NY Subway clicks with me, even though it does smell. I like to think it's the heartbeat of the city.

IMG_0714.jpeg


The Boston Gardens. I really enjoyed how Boston felt. Clean subway, felt relatively easy to get around, and nice open spaces.

View attachment IMG_0803.jpeg

Panorama of Albuquerque from the Sandia hills in the morning. I saw a couple coyotes from a distance on the way here.

IMG_0934.jpeg


Queen St, Toronto. One of the days that the city was mostly clear and not so damp, but not one of the days that I managed to avoid a subway delay. (To be fair, it was a health emergency on our train, but the day before I got stuck at Ossington for 'signal issues' and that was no fun.)

IMG_0962.jpeg


Overlooking the Eramosa River, in the Rockwood conservation area

IMG_1011.jpeg


Guelph and the River Speed on Christmas day.
 
Last edited:
View attachment IMG_0803.jpeg

Panorama of Albuquerque from the Sandia hills in the morning. I saw a couple coyotes from a distance on the way here.
This panoramic of Albuquerque is spectacular. Clicking on it shows more detail. Downtown is is just right of center between the two layers of shadow. Further to the right is Mt Taylor (11,305' 3446 m) an extinct volcano. It is 85 miles from Albuquerque. You had great visibility that day. The lack of snow on Mt. Taylor shows how little rain we have had the past few months.
 
I can’t remember the name, but it reminds me of a predator fish…
 
Back
Top Bottom