Cool Pictures VIII: Cool. Just cool.

[Valka D'Ur]

Iirc it was the inspiration for Dune (?).

Where is that?

Frank Herbert's inspiration for Dune was when he was writing an ecology article about the sand dunes along the shore in Washington state, and if planting certain kinds of grass would slow or stop the desertification of the area.

A couple of the humble monasteries at Mt Athos:

That's "humble"? They look like castles!

 

[Arakhor]

It is one of the holiest places in the world, Valka, with no women allowed. They've got to do something to pass the time.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Somehow, amassing huge buildings and riches to decorate churches and other "holy" places doesn't seem to go along with "sell everything you own and give the money to the poor" that I seem to recall from the New Testament.

 

[Kyriakos]

Where is that?

Frank Herbert's inspiration for Dune was when he was writing an ecology article about the sand dunes along the shore in Washington state, and if planting certain kinds of grass would slow or stop the desertification of the area.


That's "humble"? They look like castles!

I think the desert in the image is in eastern California, near the rocky parts?

 

[Cutlass]

 

[shadowplay]

Wish this was higher res, but thought I'd post it anyways:

 

[Cutlass]

 

[Arakhor]

Is he cooling lava by hand??

 

[Cutlass]

How else would you do it?

 

[Arakhor]

With time and distance (and a great deal of both).

 

[Cutlass]

And just how does that get fresh lava into a bucket of water?

 

[Arakhor]

Bootstoots is our resident mad scientist, not me.

 

[Cutlass]

That doesn't require a mad scientist. Just a dumbass with a pickax and a bucket.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Probably not a dumbass. Those samples provide data that can't be acquired any other way. That's most likely a grad student.

 

[Cutlass]

Well, it might be a grad student. Or it might be some poor schmuck of an illegal immigrant desperate for a job.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Well, it might be a grad student. Or it might be some poor schmuck of an illegal immigrant desperate for a job.

Nahhh. Grad students are cheaper.

 

[shadowplay]

this has me tripping balls

 

[Kyriakos]

^Still not as good as its prototype, the Kowloon walled city:

 

[Broken_Erika]

Kowloon was just a little cramped...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City

 

[shadowplay]

Yeah but where are the neon lights?!