http://www.southpolestation.com/winter/3inbar1.jpg
south pole bar, winter 1977
― caek, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 00:44 (thirteen years ago) link
http://www.southpolestation.com/spring/trio0.jpg
first sunrise after winter, 21 september 1977 just before flights start arriving againand this is what they sang http://www.southpolestation.com/spring/c130.mp3
― caek, Tuesday, 15 February 2011 00:53 (thirteen years ago) link
http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/antarctica0304/s_a46_75202201.jpg
― caek, Saturday, 5 March 2011 01:05 (thirteen years ago) link
http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/antarctica0304/s_a47_ONWALKER.jpg
http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/antarctica0304/s_a38_RKSECTOR.jpg
― caek, Saturday, 5 March 2011 01:06 (thirteen years ago) link
via http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/03/recent-scenes-from-antarctica/100019/
this appeals to me on so many levels, make me sad that I've not seen places like this for myself.
― not_goodwin, Saturday, 5 March 2011 01:27 (thirteen years ago) link
they are adapting big dead place!
http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/james-gandolfini-to-produce-possibly-star-in-hbo-antarctica-comedic-drama/
― caek, Friday, 7 October 2011 15:30 (twelve years ago) link
Cool!
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 7 October 2011 15:35 (twelve years ago) link
(the zombie guy is frank wild)
― mark s, Friday, 7 October 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link
Great stuff (and a link to the original piece if you'd like to go all in).
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 16 November 2011 23:19 (twelve years ago) link
nature had a seriously good week this week, with these mountains and ionian water
― caek, Wednesday, 16 November 2011 23:28 (twelve years ago) link
european even
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aES6WC0CDnI
― toandos, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 02:45 (twelve years ago) link
In which mark s digs deep, with Scott/Amundsen as a launching point for all kinds of things:
http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2012/04/inuit-science-and-the-commodification-of-victory-scott-versus-amundsen-a-century-on/
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 30 April 2012 14:31 (twelve years ago) link
deep into the zone of pitchforkmedia
― Ms Tum-Bla-Wi-Tee (nakhchivan), Monday, 30 April 2012 14:32 (twelve years ago) link
Heck yes:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/become-antarctic-explorer-with.html
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:53 (eleven years ago) link
"I'm going online, I may be some time..."
― second dullest ILXor since 1929 (snoball), Tuesday, 17 July 2012 19:57 (eleven years ago) link
RIP Nick Johnson, writer of the terrific Big Dead Place book and blog: http://feralhouse.com/nick-johnson-rip/
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 6 December 2012 08:44 (eleven years ago) link
Yeesh. Heavy stuff. Rip.
― caek, Thursday, 6 December 2012 10:32 (eleven years ago) link
that last link post here is just awful (http://feralhouse.com/nick-johnson-rip/), on many levels. i know the person writing it was dealing with intense pain, but it's probably not a good idea to imply that the author of a rejection letter was the cause of someone's suicide. she has to live a life, too. ugh. the south pole, man. fuck.
― Karl Malone, Saturday, 2 September 2017 04:26 (six years ago) link
i meant to revive this a while back when i finished reading his book, but just want to second the recommendation of Big Dead Place. elvis mentioned it above, caek recommended i read it, and mookie even sent me an e-book version! it was an ILX-sponsored reading journey, and now i'm happy to hop on the Big Dead Place train as well.
the book is about living and working in antarctica, mainly the McMurdo station. but it's not about the environment or the hazardous conditions, and certainly not about scientific research. instead, it's about surreal bureaucracy, one of my favorite topics. johnson worked in the waste management department at the station. johnson must have been a nightmare for the NSF (the operator of the station, with the authority residing in Denver) - a worker who recognized the absurdity of his working environment, had the talent to express it eloquently (and hilariously), and the willingness to name names and embarrass management. i imagine he would have found the working environment absurd in just about any workplace administered by the government - ime, the entire federal government is like a bad episode of The Office - but the extremes of antarctica really brought out something special in him. i'd like to think that i would have been his friend in mcmurdo, if i was there, toeing the line with authority. but who knows, i may have been the guy who gets promoted to lower management as an emergency fill-in and then ends up being the buttoned up stooge passing along orders from Denver that everyone hated. or the weirdo down the hall who never left the room except to bring out buckets of frozen piss and pick up more beer.
at any rate, i finished his book several weeks back and it's one of those writings that has really struck with me. RIP nick johnson.
― Karl Malone, Sunday, 14 January 2018 19:11 (six years ago) link
yes! great book. i didn't make the government bureaucracy connection with you, but it makes sense that would ring true for you.
gonna post this again now we have embeds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz2SeEzxMuE
― π ππ’π¨ (caek), Monday, 15 January 2018 05:28 (six years ago) link
(xpost with new yorker thread)
i haven't read this yet but even a quick scroll through suggests it will be good:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-white-darkness
― Karl Malone, Friday, 9 February 2018 01:26 (six years ago) link
Encounters at the End of the World was so good. just interviewing all of the random people from all over the globe that end up there was v fascinating. the spooky minimal wildlife stuff was interesting as well. like when they are listening to the seals under the ice and it sounds like the most insane synthesizer filters. the place looks otherworldly beautiful - the cathedrals of ice sculptures reflecting light underneath the vast frozen seas, the crystal caves, the blinding force of the winds, the extremophiles that survive without oxygen, sunlight, or carbon. its all so extra-terrestrial!
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 9 February 2018 01:56 (six years ago) link
Extremophiles are the ultimate adventurers. These organisms thrive where other microbes donβt dare venture: boiling water holes, freezing lakes, and toxic waste dumps.Now, researchers have sequenced the genomes of two extremophiles that love life extremely cold. They live at the bottom of Ace Lake in Antarctica, where there is no oxygen and the average temperature is a brutal 33 degrees Fahrenheit.The two organisms, called Methanogenium frigidum and Methanococcoides burtonii, produce methane and are known as methanogens.Methanogens are unique among organisms in their ability to survive a wide range of temperatures, from the freezing point of water to 185 degrees Fahrenheit and everything in between.In a new study, scientists sequenced the genomes of M. frigidum and M. burtonii and compared their genomes with those of heat-loving methanogens to identify features that may help these microbes adapt to their cold surroundings.Some of these hardy organisms also live in oxygen-starved environments, without sunlight or carbon, and scientists believe that studying these microbes could reveal the boundaries of extreme environments that support life here on Earth and on other planets.---So what if Earth isnβt the only place these kinds of microbes live?Some scientists speculate that methanogens could provide clues to life on other planets, such as Mars, and Europa (Jupiterβs sixth moon).Evidence suggests that beneath the icy surface of Europa, there may be subsurface oceans that could support extremophiles like M. frigidum. The Antarctic lakes of the Vestfold Hills and their hardy inhabitants may, in some way, resemble the environment on Europa.Other research suggests that some methanogens could survive life on Mars. Scientists at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville have grown methanogens in Mars-like soil and under Mars-like conditions.After the Viking voyages to Mars in the 1970s turned up no trace of life, as we knew it, some scientists dismissed the idea of Martian life. Twenty years later, with the discovery of organisms that can survive without oxygen, carbon, or sunlight, researchers are rethinking the boundaries of what environments may support life.http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/07_03/extremo.shtml
Now, researchers have sequenced the genomes of two extremophiles that love life extremely cold. They live at the bottom of Ace Lake in Antarctica, where there is no oxygen and the average temperature is a brutal 33 degrees Fahrenheit.
The two organisms, called Methanogenium frigidum and Methanococcoides burtonii, produce methane and are known as methanogens.
Methanogens are unique among organisms in their ability to survive a wide range of temperatures, from the freezing point of water to 185 degrees Fahrenheit and everything in between.
In a new study, scientists sequenced the genomes of M. frigidum and M. burtonii and compared their genomes with those of heat-loving methanogens to identify features that may help these microbes adapt to their cold surroundings.
Some of these hardy organisms also live in oxygen-starved environments, without sunlight or carbon, and scientists believe that studying these microbes could reveal the boundaries of extreme environments that support life here on Earth and on other planets.
---
So what if Earth isnβt the only place these kinds of microbes live?
Some scientists speculate that methanogens could provide clues to life on other planets, such as Mars, and Europa (Jupiterβs sixth moon).
Evidence suggests that beneath the icy surface of Europa, there may be subsurface oceans that could support extremophiles like M. frigidum. The Antarctic lakes of the Vestfold Hills and their hardy inhabitants may, in some way, resemble the environment on Europa.
Other research suggests that some methanogens could survive life on Mars. Scientists at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville have grown methanogens in Mars-like soil and under Mars-like conditions.
After the Viking voyages to Mars in the 1970s turned up no trace of life, as we knew it, some scientists dismissed the idea of Martian life. Twenty years later, with the discovery of organisms that can survive without oxygen, carbon, or sunlight, researchers are rethinking the boundaries of what environments may support life.
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/07_03/extremo.shtml
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 9 February 2018 01:58 (six years ago) link
i find this page extremely poignant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_of_Antarctica
― π ππ’π¨ (caek), Friday, 9 February 2018 04:06 (six years ago) link
karl malone you should read the worst journey in the world
― π ππ’π¨ (caek), Friday, 9 February 2018 04:07 (six years ago) link
http://www.southpolestation.com/news/nicholas1.jpg
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/antarctica-big-dead-place/9662158
― π ππ’π¨ (caek), Saturday, 9 June 2018 20:18 (five years ago) link
via the best blog (but CW weirdly glib description of suicide)
http://www.southpolestation.com/news/news.html
Nicholas JohnsonA bit of iconic history, otherwise elsewhere described as the "WikiLeaks of Antarctica..." is the iconic book Big Dead Place. Author Nicholas Johnson, unfortunately, is no longer with us after he blew his brains out in 2012, but his work survives. And his work has now been given a new lease on life. On 30 April, ABC's program Earshot aired a 30-minute podcast/download which describes and details Nicholas's work, life, and the rest of his story. The interview and accompanying web pages include the voices and photos of several friends. Two ABC links of interest: this page gives basic information about the episode along with links for listening to or downloading the story...and this page gives additional background information as well as more photos. But that is not all. Nicholas' sister worked to get THE BIG DEAD PLACE WEBSITE back up to coincide with the release of this documentary. Have a look! Not everything is there, but there is a lot of the good stuff. The photo of Nicolas at left shows him at work in the McMurdo waste barn in about 2001...it's from Kathy Blumm and used by permission.
― π ππ’π¨ (caek), Saturday, 9 June 2018 20:20 (five years ago) link
great book; didn't know about the suicide (although it's . . . not exactly shocking)
― mookieproof, Saturday, 9 June 2018 20:24 (five years ago) link
(but CW weirdly glib description of suicide)
oddly, the place where i first learned about his death described it in the same way: http://feralhouse.com/nick-johnson-rip/maybe it was an inside joke, or perhaps just a way of addressing it that seemed in keeping with his style of writing. i'm not sure.
the earshot episode was good, although i didn't really like whoever was reading in the voice of nicholas johnson. reminded me of the old iron chefs with the english dubs
― obviously DLC (Karl Malone), Sunday, 10 June 2018 00:18 (five years ago) link
Thanks for the link. Weird personal trivia.... my copy of Big Dead Place has actually been to Antarctica. Haven't been there yet.
― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 10 June 2018 04:54 (five years ago) link
Thank you all for suggesting Big Dead Place. It's Rivethead... On Ice!
― pplains, Monday, 25 June 2018 03:04 (five years ago) link
good account https://twitter.com/HotWaterOnIce
― π ππ’π¨ (caek), Tuesday, 29 January 2019 23:35 (five years ago) link
https://twitter.com/SPtelescope is good too.
― Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 31 January 2019 06:17 (five years ago) link
if you read this thread you've probably already seen this, but just in case:
https://idlewords.com/2019/07/the_stranding_of_the_mv_shokalskiy.htm
― π ππ’π¨ (caek), Wednesday, 31 July 2019 21:39 (four years ago) link
that was excellent, thanks
― sleeve, Wednesday, 31 July 2019 22:28 (four years ago) link
Just finished Barry Lopezβ big memoir, βHorizonβ in which he kinda ties things up with a big section that takes place in Antarctica. Recommended and the other sections are cool too (Arctic, Australia, Galapagos and Rift Valley).
― tobo73, Thursday, 1 August 2019 00:15 (four years ago) link
"His memoir, with the unfortunately Dairy Queenish title Home of the Blizzard,"
i died
― cheese canopy (map), Thursday, 1 August 2019 00:27 (four years ago) link
good blog https://brr.fyi/
― π ππ’π¨ (caek), Sunday, 5 February 2023 16:45 (one year ago) link
My mom just got back. Her tl;dr was that it was a good trip but given the effort to get there nothing she would want to do again. She said the Drake Passage was just as terrible as everyone said, and that's basically a couple of days on either end of your limited visit to Antarctica proper, which she said was, besides cold, a lot windier than she expected. She was, however, impressed at how accessible the visit apparently is, however restricted the number of visitors (and cost) may be. Everyone from nonagenarians to Donna Shalala.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 5 February 2023 16:59 (one year ago) link
i just got done listening to _the worst journey in the world_. i had just given the book to a fellow outdoors person, and since my reading strength is not quite up to par since tbi, i figured iβd listen, to see how it went. it quickly sorta took me over. and there are long sections iβve relistened to. that is the most memorable and completely overwhelming book iβve experienced. i feel like i could discuss it for hours and not really hit a same topic twice. also a fantastic narration, at least to me.
― a single gunshot and polite applause (Hunt3r), Saturday, 13 January 2024 15:24 (four months ago) link
Was it Hugh Grant? (That may sound flippant but when he was just starting out getting roles in the 80s, he played Cherry-Garrard in the miniseries adaptation of The Last Place on Earth.)
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 13 January 2024 16:46 (four months ago) link
Somebody named Simon Vance, a name I do not recognize offhand.
― a single gunshot and polite applause (Hunt3r), Saturday, 13 January 2024 17:09 (four months ago) link
Ah, Vance! I've had the pleasure to meet him briefly after a talk he gave (with Guy Gavriel Kay, an author favorite of mine). I don't follow his recorded books work much but he has a massive, massive rep in the field, and he's a pleasant fellow. I'll have to pass that on to the folks I know who introduced me to his work.
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 13 January 2024 17:23 (four months ago) link
the book is widely considered the best ever written about an antarctic expedition by one of the participants
― mark s, Saturday, 13 January 2024 17:28 (four months ago) link
ha ned that's wild. he is very very good. i expect most of the british accents of the original party were not too extremely far apart, but it is pretty clear when he is narrating say, scott's journal, rather than one of the seamen's, or even bowers's.
i've looked v briefly at readers commentaries. a couple of them complained of cherry-gerard's inclusion/melding of various participants' journals. i cannot disagree more, they are grafted in beautifully, are clearly distinguished, and add fantastic details. and this tale is one of almost innumerable details-- ones that blow my goddamn mind. amongst the many stories detailing the torturous lives of the ponies there is one in which one weakening pony has his hind quarters fall through the ice adjacent to a pod of taunting orcas the entire dilemma is just riveting.
― a single gunshot and polite applause (Hunt3r), Saturday, 13 January 2024 18:33 (four months ago) link
Simon Vance does audiobook work regularly, I think. He read the Stieg Larsson trilogy.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Saturday, 13 January 2024 21:15 (four months ago) link
He's done a lot of good books (which obviously excludes Larsson), and reads them really well.
― Tsar Bombadil (James Morrison), Friday, 19 January 2024 08:47 (four months ago) link