Death of a Marine: An AP photographer's journal

No commentary here, just look at the pictures and listen to Julie Jacobson talk about a firefight in Afghanistan that cost the life of one Marine, Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard.

RIP, Lance Cpl. Bernard.

Pictures of the moon landing site

NASA has released their first pictures of the Apollo Landing Sites from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.



That's the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, left behind when the first people to land on the moon came back to Earth.

Can't see much? Don't worry, NASA announced, "Future LROC images from these sites will have two to three times greater resolution."

Also more images at that last link from NASA.

This is 40 years and a day after man first set foot on the moon.

Close up pictures of the moon

Via Bad Astronomy -- close up photos of the moon from the Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter.



Wow.

The Big Picture: Glastonbury 2009

Wow. More great pictures, this time from the 2009 Glastonbury Festival, Europe's largest open-air music festival.

Go check it out.

Anti-gravity record player

Well it's not really anti-gravity, but it still is pretty damned cool.

This is a record player that would be the hit of any party out there. It's called the Void and it is the coolest record player ever. Ever.



How does it work? Engadget explains:

The Void LP takes the concept of a self-sufficient speaker, amp and needle (the red ball), and then tosses them all into the air with a magnetic saucer.

It's not for sale yet anywhere according to The Rock and Roll Star, but I'm with him on this part:

My dreams aren't quite a reality, as yet. But when they are, and when it becomes available at a novelty gifts and/or stereo store near you, I'll be sure to let you know. In the mean time, however, if someone can make something like this, I will pay you handsomely for a baker's dozen.

MacGyver had nothing on German prisoners

Wow. Look at these confiscated prison items from Germany. They range from the somewhat mundane (a slingshot) to the truly crazy (a whip with razor blades).

But I guess they have a lot of time to think these things up.

Via Adam Savage of Mythbusters via Twitter.

Soccer in South Africa from The Big Picture

If you know me, you know that I love soccer. I also love The Big Picture blog from The Boston Globe. Combine the two and you have... Soccer in South Africa.

South Africa lost to Brazil today in the final minutes of their semifinal game of the Confederations Cup after outplaying Brazil for much of the match.

Brazil now will face the United States in the final on Sunday. And I'll be watching it.

The Big Picture back in Iran

The Big Picture had yet another excellent post, this time about "A troubled week in Iran."

As always, amazing pictures. Go check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Picture of volcanic explosion caught from space

NASA recently caught one of the coolest pictures you'll ever see. It's of the Sarychev Peak Eruption, Kuril Islands, and it was the photo of the day yesterday.

This detailed astronaut photograph is exciting to volcanologists because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive volcanic eruption. The main column is one of a series of plumes that rose above Matua Island on June 12. The plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam. The vigorously rising plume gives the steam a bubble-like appearance; the surrounding atmosphere has been shoved up by the shock wave of the eruption. The smooth white cloud on top may be water condensation that resulted from rapid rising and cooling of the air mass above the ash column. This cloud is probably a transient feature: the eruption plume is starting to punch through. The structure also indicates that little to no shearing wind was present at the time to disrupt the plume. (Satellite images acquired 2-3 days after the start of activity illustrate the effect of shearing winds on the spread of the ash plumes across the Pacific Ocean).

Click on the picture for a larger image. It's worth it.

Manbabies.com -- creepy or awesome?

I'm not sure what to say about ManBabies.com. Is it creepy? Awesome? Dumb? Brilliant?

Or maybe just a mixture of all four.

The site switches baby heads with heads of men to... well, you have to see it to understand.

Here's a sample:

A new angle on Tianamen Square's "Tank Man"

Yesterday, I wrote about four iconic photos of "Tank Man" in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China.

We've all seen them, they are among the most famous photographs in history.

But now they New York Times' "Lens" blog (the New York Times blogs all have one-word semi-zen names -- the baseball blog is "Bats" for example) shows us a never before seen photo from a different angle.

Mr. Jones’ angle on the historic encounter is vastly different from four other versions shot that day, taken at eye level moments before the tanks stopped at the feet of the lone protester. Wildly chaotic, a man ducks in the foreground, reacting from gunfire coming from the tanks. Another flashes a near-smile. Another pedals his bike, seemingly passive as the tanks rumble towards confrontation.

The photograph encourages the viewer to reevaluate the famous encounter. Unlike the other four versions, we are given a sense of what it was like on the ground as the tanks heaved forward, the man’s act of defiance escalated by the flight of others.

Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of Tank Man's heroic stand. Still, to this day, no one knows who he is or what happened to him.

The Tank Man of Tiananmen Square

Twenty years ago this Friday, one of the most famous images (or rather four images of the same event) ever taken was caught on film in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. A man, who became known as "Tank Man" stood in front of a row of tanks. Even to this day, virtually nothing is known about the man, even down to what his name is.

The New York Times tracked down the four photographers whose pictures have been shown over and over and TV and in magazines to get their recollections of the event.

As Arthur Tsang Hin Wah, the man who took the photo for Reuters, said, "I am glad that it still has impact after 20 years. Four different versions but one same focus."