The science of waves . . . and the ecosystem surrounding the reef at Mavericks
Topic: Recreation
7:38 am EDT, Oct 11, 2009
Giant wave faces. Swirling boils. Explosive speed. Huge peaks that pitch almost straight out. Ever wonder what makes a Mavericks wave -- the Mount Everest of surfing -- so unique and completely intimidating? Much it has to do with what's going on underneath the surface.
Mavericks is the world-renowned, big-wave break located 1/2 mile off the coast of Half Moon Bay, California. In 1975, Jeff Clark became the first person to ever surf Mavericks. Until 1990, he surfed there alone. Many believe this 15-year solo effort to be one of the great feats in surfing history. By the early 1990s, word of Jeff's adventures began to spread. Since then Mavericks has moved into the foreground of big-wave surfing, attracting the most elite riders to test its limits each time it breaks. These riders are presented with waves as high as 50 feet, remarkably strong currents, dangerous rocks, shallow reefs, and frigid water temperatures.
A Xerox PARC talk by Jeff Clark, the first man to surf Mavericks, and a hell of a 'big wave scientist.'
Sailing into the wind, or faster than the wind « What’s new
Topic: Recreation
12:48 am EDT, Mar 30, 2009
However, one still cannot sail against to the wind purely by tacking the sail. To do this, one needs to not just harness the power of the wind, but also that of the water beneath the sailboat, thus exploiting (barely) the third available dimension. By combining the use of a sail in the air with the use of sails in the water - better known as keels, rudders, and hydrofoils - one can now sail in certain directions against the wind, and at certain speeds. In most sailboats, one relies primarily on the keel, which lets one sail against the wind but not directly opposite it. But if one tacks the rudder or other hydrofoils as well as the sail, then in fact one can (in principle) sail in arbitrary directions (including those directly opposite to v_0), and in arbitrary speeds (even those much larger than |v_0|), although it is quite difficult to actually achieve this in practice. It may seem odd that the water, which we are assuming to be calm (i.e. traveling at zero velocity) can be used to increase the range of available velocities and speeds for the sailboat, but we shall see shortly why this is the case.
I for one, have never updated my will before any other trip. And I wasn't alone. Out of the five of us that were going, three updated their wills and/or life insurance policies in the weeks before we left.
Where were we going?
Angola
An epic bike journey through Africa.
Very long (keep clicking), but AMAZING read, with great pics. Especially enjoyed the part where he befriends guys wounded by his own batallion in the South African - Angolan war.
The Coca-Cola Fox Theatre 2007 Summer Film Festival
Topic: Recreation
12:27 am EDT, Jun 2, 2007
The time-honored tradition of The Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival at The Fox Theatre is an experience not to be missed!
Beat the heat and enjoy a mix of classic and current films on the biggest screen in Atlanta.
Enjoy Movies, Mixers and “Mo!” Come early and enjoy wine tastings, and the tradition of a magical pre-show experience including an organ concert and sing-a-long featuring Larry Douglas Embury and the showing of a classic cartoon.
Sunday, June 3 The Sound of Music — 7:00PM
Monday, June 4 Casino Royale/Goldfinger Dbl Feature —7:30PM
Sunday, June 10 Affair to Remember — 2:00PM
Sunday, June 10 300 — 7:00Pm
Monday, June 11 Pans Labyrinth — 7:30PM
Monday, June 18 Saturday Night Fever — 7:30PM
Sunday, July 8 Meet the Robinsons — 2:00PM
Monday, July 9 The Wizard of Oz — 7:30PM
Wednesday, July 11 Dreamgirls — 7:30PM
Monday, July 30 The Departed/Goodfellas Dbl Feature — 7:30PM
another chance to gather your friends and have some fun this summer.
Waxy.org: Daily Log: Waxy's Bandwidth Blowout #1: Heat Vision and Jack
Topic: Recreation
7:13 am EDT, May 2, 2007
First up, the best TV pilot you've never seen: Ben Stiller's Heat Vision and Jack from 1999. Jack Black stars as Jack Austin, an astronaut on the run from NASA after a solar accident makes him the smartest man in the universe. Owen Wilson plays his talking motorcycle. Produced by Stiller, who also appears in the introduction and as a strip club DJ.
Val Kilmer Wants To Make A Sequel To Real Genius - Cinematical
Topic: Recreation
2:57 pm EST, Feb 18, 2007
Every once in a while you come across a bit of movie news that makes you think, "They're kidding, right"? Well, this is one of those times. According to a report on Virgin.net, Val Kilmer has signed on to make the sequel to the 1985 comedy Real Genius.
If you haven't seen it, then I can't really say you are missing anything. The story follows a freewheeling genius (Kilmer) and his uptight sidekick who get duped into creating a weapon for the government by none other than '80s villainous staple, William Atherton. The whole thing plays like a time capsule, and I really don't remember the '80s as being quite that lame, but the proof is all there on film. Kilmer claimed that he signed on to revive his character from the first film in hopes of broadening his career horizons to include more comedy roles. Kilmer has a flair for comedy, as he proved in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and even Top Secret (a personal guilty pleasure), but was the world really crying out for a sequel to this particular flick?
There aren't many details on the production yet, and a shooting schedule hasn't even been announced. You have to wonder if maybe Kilmer is trying to drum up a little publicity for himself ... either that or the salad dressing idea isn't selling like he thought it would.
