Tag: Amazing

The US Army’s new night vision system looks very impressive

  SNAFU Solomon linked to a tweet from Lancer Brigade that provided a video clip about the US Army’s third-generation AN/PSQ-20 ENVG-B (Enhanced Vision Night Goggle – Binocular) and associated equipment.  It was pretty amazing to watch. Intrigued, I looked for more information (you’ll find a brief overview at the link above).  This twelve-minute video shows how… Continue reading The US Army’s new night vision system looks very impressive

Amazing underwater photography

  The winners of the 2022 Underwater Photographer of the Year have been announced.  Here’s the first place winner, by Rafael Fernandez Caballero, showing a group of 5 whale sharks feeding near the Maldives.  Click the image for a larger view. And here, from Alex Dawson, is the wreck of the Tyrifjord near the Gulen dive-resort… Continue reading Amazing underwater photography

“How the world’s deepest shipwreck was found”

  That’s the title of a fascinating article at the BBC about the search for the wreck of USS Johnston, a Fletcher class destroyer sunk during the Battle off Samar in 1944.  For her actions during that battle, her commanding officer, Commander Ernest E. Evans, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and the ship was… Continue reading “How the world’s deepest shipwreck was found”

Researching the Wild West – some examples on film

  Following the publication of my latest Western novel, “Wood, Iron, and Blood“, I’ve had a few questions from readers about how I’m able to find so much historical material in my research.  The simple answer is, there’s a lot of it out there.  If you find a few sources and follow them, they lead… Continue reading Researching the Wild West – some examples on film

A superb illustration of wake turbulence from the world’s biggest aircraft

  We’ve spoken in the past about wake turbulence:  “a disturbance in the atmosphere that forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. It includes various components, the most important of which are wingtip vortices and jetwash.”  Some sources refer to it as wake vortex. The sole example of the world’s biggest operational… Continue reading A superb illustration of wake turbulence from the world’s biggest aircraft

Saturday Snippet: The early days of air mail

  Dean C. Smith was an American aviation pioneer, one of those responsible for setting the standards for the nascent U.S. Postal Service’s air mail service.  He also flew in Antarctica with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition of 1928–1930.  Later, he served as an executive with a number of American aircraft companies during and after World… Continue reading Saturday Snippet: The early days of air mail

Amazing clouds!

  I came across this image, posted by user MsOctober1017 on Gab.  Click it for a larger view. They’re Undulatus Asperatus clouds.  I’d never heard the name before, and certainly never seen them myself.  They were added to the cloud “catalog” as recently as 2009.  The Cloud Appreciation Society says: “Since they look like the… Continue reading Amazing clouds!

Sometimes an article will bring a tear to your eye

  This one did, to mine. On Dec. 2, Haley and her husband Jb Parke welcomed their newborn son John Beeson Parke (Jb), three weeks early. The Sunday before, her husband was admitted to the hospital with complications from cancer. While the couple thought they had 6 months, they found out on Wednesday that it… Continue reading Sometimes an article will bring a tear to your eye

This driver had better not buy any lottery tickets…

  … because he just used up all his luck!  The original tweet is here.  Click any image below for a larger view. That happened on I-5 in Washington state near Seattle.  Astonishingly, the driver was extracted with only minor injuries.  Looking at the remains of that Nissan Altima, I wouldn’t have believed it possible.… Continue reading This driver had better not buy any lottery tickets…