The Parbuckling Project - Salvaging the Costa Concordia
From the website that has been setup to explain and document the project, as it progresses:
On April, 21st, 2012, Costa Crociere and the Costa Concordia Emergency Commissioner’s Office announced that the tender for the removal of the ship from Giglio Island has been awarded to Titan Salvage in partnership with the Italian firm Micoperi. The work begun in early May after final approval from the Italian authorities. The Concordia currently rests on its side on a downward sloping seabed, almost precariously balanced on the edge of a steep underwater hill. The 6 phase project involves building a scaffolding just below the Concordia, on the slope, that is anchored deep into the seabed. The Concordia will then be tiled upright again, so that it is resting on this new scaffolding. Once this is completed, cassions on the starboard side which will be used to re-float the ship. The site contains a plethora of 3D renderings of the phases of the project.
It Is Now Scientifically Proven: Haters Are Gonna Hate
Sarah Kliff, at The Washington Post's Wonkblog writes:
To test out this theory, a team of psychologists asked study participants how they felt about a number of mundane and unrelated subjects that included (but was not limited to) architecture, health care, crossword puzzles, taxidermy and Japan. They wanted to figure out if people tended to like or dislike things in general. This was dubbed the individual’s dispositional attitude or, more simply put, checked for whether they were a hater who pretty much hates on everything that comes across their path. Haters are gonna hate.
This Is How You Do Local Journalism
This is fantastic. I am floored. I cannot begin to express how much I love this. C-ville.com has produced a New York Times 'Snowfall' style local investigative piece covering a contentious local battle over a road project in central Virginia around Charlottesville. This got my attention because I frequently drive this route to go home and visit family and hate driving through this section of Charlottesville on 29 due to how much it slows me down (stoplights, congested traffic, etc). I had no idea that there was a 30 year old issue surrounding this section of road, a proposal to make a bypass around it and huge local political fight over it.
The Road
Albemarle County's three-decade fight over the Western Bypass isn't over yet
Late on the night of Wednesday, June 8, 2011, a few prominent Albemarle County real estate developers and other vocal supporters of the long-stalled plan to build a Route 29 bypass around Charlottesville strolled into Lane Auditorium at the tail end of a marathon meeting of the Board of Supervisors…. I would love to credit whomever reported on this and developed the story from a code sense. C-ville just credits its writers so it looks as if their whole news division contributed. Shockingly well produced.
Update: I've now learned that while C-ville handled all the reporting, their code monkeys appear to be Vibethink. (Twitter)
Midtown
Drew Geraci has produced yet another excellent time-lapse video, this time of midtown New York City. Drew is a well known time-lapse videographer that I'm a big fan of. You've probably seen his work before and not even realized it, especially if you watch the Netflix original show, House of Cards, which he did the intro credit sequence for. Drew has also previously been featured on my site for his Washington DC time-lapse and the time-lapse he did for the Washington Times of President Obama's second inauguration.
Water Bomber Extinguishes Truck Fire From the Air On a Remote Canadian Highway
Via Laughing Squid
For a brief moment it looked as if the cameraman was also going to be extinguished.