150 Years Old 3D Photos of the Civil War | 3D stereo photography

Although 3D appears to be a new technology, it is not quite. 3D stereo photography first became popular around the time of the Civil War in 1861. In fact, many Civil War photographs were made specifically to be viewed in 3-D.
The Library of Congress recently released thousands of stereographic photos of the Civil War to the public, offering people a fascinating glimpse into the period of Civil War in three dimension. The original images were available as two 2D images which the Library of Congress is in the process of digitally converting them into anaglyphs. Once converted, the images will require special red-blue 3D glasses to see them in its full glory.


At the Library’s own Web site you can see more than 2,000 original Civil War glass plate and vintage card stereos. According to this Flickr page, there are more than 50,000 stereographs, spanning the 1850s to the 1930s and covering an encyclopedic array of subjects.
At the Library of Congress website you can currently view some 350 stereographs pertaining to the Civil War. The Congress will be adding more stereograph images each week until the whole collection is online. That would be some treasure.

Stone church in Centreville, Va. during the Civil War.

General Ulysses S. Grant leaning over a bench to examine a map held by General George G. Meade at a council of war in 1864.

Petersburg railroad depot in Richmond, Va., during the Civil War.

A group of nine men pose in front of a tent with a surveying instrument at left. The two men seated center and right are most likely Frederick W. Door and John W. Donn. The officer seated to the left is William H. Paine who invented the steel tape reel worn by the man standing on the right. Standing second from right appears to be Allan Pinkerton. Photograph from the main eastern theater of war, the Peninsular Campaign, May-August 1862.

Photo shows ordinance in a Union artillery park near Petersburg, Va.
Sources: Flickr, Library of Congress Blog

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Seven Cities You must Visit before They Sink

Many of us take for granted the notion that all of our beloved cities will be around for centuries to come. However, cities around the world seem to be vying for the title of "The Next Atlantis". Shaky foundations and encroaching seas are posing significant threats to some of the world's largest and most beloved cities. When planning your next vacation, keep in mind that some of the world's favorite destinations have a bit of a ticking clock on them. Here are seven major cities that are preparing to take the plunge.


7. Bangkok, Thailand

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Thailand’s capital is sinking - and sinking fast. However, unlike other cities on our list, a shoddy foundation isn’t necessarily to blame. Resting on the Chao Phraya River - which flows into the Bay of Bangkok about 30 miles south of the city center - this colossal settlement is more likely to drown than sink. Experts now say that this mouthwatering foodie destination - along with the dozens of beautiful temples found here - may be under water in as little as seven years.

Bangkok's Floating Market photo source

According to Thai scientist Dr. Ajong Chumsai na Ayudhya, the fate of Bangkok can best be explained by global warming. Asia News Network reports that “Ajong said humans were mainly to blame for such disasters because they were using up natural resources, chopping down forests and kept emitting greenhouse gases with no regard for the future.” Ajong also says that changes in the earth’s overall climate will lead to more severe tsunamis in the Gulf of Thailand that will have extremely negative effects on the southern portion of the country. With less than a decade to spare, time might be running out for a trip to Thailand’s most popular tourist getaway.


6. New York City, New York, USA


If you've never seen the Statue of Liberty or been dazzled by the lights of Times Square, now's the time. Much like its Thai comrade, America’s most densely populated city is doomed to suffer the effects of global warming. Sitting at the mouth of the Hudson River where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean, this concrete jungle will soon be at a much higher risk of damage from rising sea levels and imposing tropical storms. And unlike the ones bobbing around in a barrel on Halloween, this Big Apple will not float.

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Science Daily reports that the sea levels in the New York City area are expected to rise about twice as quickly as sea levels around the world, meaning that Gotham will take the plunge well before the rest of the United States. However, Science Daily says that flooding is just one of the symptoms New York will suffer: "The submersion of low-lying land, erosion of beaches, conversion of wetlands to open water and increase in the salinity of estuaries all can affect ecosystems and damage existing coastal development." Not only will the Empire City be transformed into a wading pool, but it will slowly be washed out to sea.


5. Houston, Texas, USA

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Houston, we really do have a problem - soon, NASA's Visitor's Center won't only be stuck on Earth, but in it as well. The city that Fodor's deems is arguably Texas’ most cosmopolitan is struggling to stay above ground. Built on a gold mine of natural resources and the determination to flourish, Space City has become a major energy hub and the taking-off point for U.S. space exploration. However, America’s fourth-largest city was built on a foundation of sand. Literally.

Drilling for Oil near Houston   photo source

Houston sits on the loosely packed banks of four major bayous that empty into the Gulf of Mexico. For years, residents of Houston relied on groundwater to fulfill their needs, but the mass amounts of extraction needed to supply the ever-expanding city weakened Houston’s foothold. Oil extraction was also damaging to the foundation, as was continuous sprawl, not to mention the 300 or so active fault lines that run beneath Houston’s streets and skyscrapers. Now, many parts of this metropolis - specifically Jersey Village to the northwest - are sinking by as much as two inches per year, according to Science Daily. Experts note that while sinking has slowed significantly in areas that have stopped extracting ground water, a permanent solution to Houston’s problem has yet to be found. If Houston is on your list of cities to see, you best prepare soon for take-off.

4. Shanghai, China

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Things aren't looking good for Shanghai, either. Located on China's coast, this sprawling city was built on swamplands surrounding the mouth of the Yangze River. Originally a small fishing village, Shanghai began to draw more and more residents in the mid-19th century. Modest homes were replaced by breathtaking skyscrapers (not to mention some of the best shopping venues in Asia), and Shanghai soon became the most densely populated city in the world, housing over 20 million people by 2001. The city was handling rapid expansion just fine until the early 20th century, when wells became a major source of water and the underlying sediment deposit was disturbed. According to PBS, Shanghai sank roughly eight feet between 1921 and 1965, which equals about two inches per year. The city still continues to drop at a rate of about half an inch per year.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai  photo source

According to experts, not much can be done to keep Shanghai above ground - the city is simply too heavy for its foundation. However, in an effort to slow the sinking process, all new high-rise buildings must be built with deep concrete piles to help support their weight. If you have any interest in seeing the architecture for which Shanghai is both famous and floundering, don't wait too long.

3. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

When colonists chose New Orleans as the capital of French Louisiana, they did so because of its inland locale. However, any land protection the city had has been washed away, making America's favorite place to celebrate (approximately half of which sits at or below sea level) even more prone to tropical storms.

New Orleans after hurricane Katrina photo source

It wasn't until after Hurricane Katrina that experts really took note of New Orleans' downhill situation. In 2006, National Geographic reported that the city sank about a quarter of an inch per year in the years leading up to Hurricane Katrina, while the levees designed to protect the city from the Gulf sank at four or five times that rate, exasperating the long-term effects of the storm. Experts say that not much can be done to save the Big Easy. According to a report issued in 2009 by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council, "Levees and floodwalls surrounding New Orleans … cannot provide absolute protection against overtopping or failure in extreme events. … If relocation is not feasible, an alternative would be to elevate the first floor of buildings to at least the 100-year flood level." Just goes to show that there's never a time like the present to don your Mardi Gras mask and head south to Bourbon Street.

2. Venice, Italy

Venice, 2008   photo source

It's been several hundred years since the Venetians decided to construct the towering St. Mark's Basilica and sprawling Piazza San Marco atop submerged wooden planks and forgo roads in favor of canals. Back in the day, the city's geography made sense: Direct access to the sea was necessary in order for Venitians to maintain control of commerce on the Mediterranean Sea. But the dig for fresh water proved to have a negative impact on this fish-shaped city: According to The Christian Science Monitor, Venice has sunk almost a foot over the past 100 years. To make things worse, water levels in the Mediterranean Sea are also rising. Although acqua alta (high water) has plagued this ornate tourist hotspot for centuries, flooding frequency has increased dramatically in recent years. Justin Demetri of LifeInItaly.com notes that Venice now experiences over 60 bouts of acqua alta each year. 

Acqua alta, 2008  photo source

Preserving Venice has been a priority of the Italian Government for about 30 years. Several billion euros have been  dedicated to a flood defense system, the MOSE Project, which is expected to be completed in 2011 or 2012. However, some experts claim that the only way to save the city is to move it altogether. Either way, if you've always dreamed of a gondola ride through the Bride of the Sea, you had better do so soon with galoshes in tow.

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1. Mexico City, Mexico

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Resting on a fickle lake bed in the Valley of Mexico, Mexico City has been facing the possibility of going under for centuries. However, according to geologists, there are parts of this massive metropolis that are sinking by as much as eight inches per year. Because of a lack of sufficient drainage, the city was heavily prone to flooding from groundwater flowing down from the surrounding mountains, leading to the construction of a vast underground drainage system. But over-extraction of groundwater from the Texcoco lake bed during the 20th century has caused the city's clay foundation to crumble, forcing the metropolis to sink deeper into the ground. And as the city sinks, so does the drainage system, forcing waste water to reverse its course and head back into the city. According to AZCentral.com, Mexico City's drainage capacity has decreased by 30 percent since 1975.

Many of the buildings found in Mexico City's historic district -- including the monumental Metropolitan Cathedral - have begun to sink into the soft clay on which the city sits.
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There are several projects underway to keep this sinking city afloat, including a 23-foot-wide ($1.1 billion) Eastern Drainage Tunnel that will deposit waste water about 40 miles north of the city. The tunnel should be completed by 2012. Work is also being done to help save the architectural gems - like the popular Metropolitan Cathedral - found in the Historic District, which are one of the city's major tourist draws. But despite best efforts, engineers say that there is no way to keep Mexico City from sinking.
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World’s Smallest Aquarium | stunning mini-aquarium ever

Miniature artist Anatoly Konenko, who hails from the Siberian city of Omsk, has built the world’s smallest aquarium and largest fish tank A glass cube measuring 30mm by 24mm by 14 mm, complete with sand, multi-coloured stones and seaweed can contain 10 ml of water and play home to tiny fish. The mini-aquarium is even equipped with a water purification filter. It took the skillful master about two weeks to fashion it.

Anatoly Konenko has been fiddling around with micro-miniatures for 30 years. He writes on rice grains, poppy seeds and even human hair. In 2002, his micro-book that measured less than 1 sq. mm entered the Guinness Book of Records. His most recent accomplishment until now was the smallest ever functioning mousetrap: 6mm by 3mm. His other micro-miniature work includes a violin for a grasshopper, a camel caravan that fits inside a needle ear, an alphabet inscribed on a hair, a zoo that balances on a dragonfly’s wing and the most stunning display of all: a model Eiffel tower that teeters on a mosquito’s antenna.









[via Voice of Russia]

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Top 10 most depressed cities of 2011

There are many ways to gauge misery. This list considers 10 factors, including unemployment, crime, taxes and a few that are less serious but still elevate people's blood pressure, such as the weather, commute times and local sports-team performance.

To account for the misery caused by the housing bust, we tweaked the methodology for this year's list and considered foreclosure rates and the change in home prices in the past three years.

Here are the top 10 most depressed cities in the country.

1. Stockton, Calif.

Unemployment here has averaged 14.3% in the past three years, which is third-worst in the country among the 200 largest metropolitan areas. The housing market collapsed as well, with home prices down 58% in the same time.

All of the California cities on the list are struggling with the state's inherent problems, including high sales and income taxes and service cuts to help close massive budget shortfalls.

2. Miami

The sun and lack of a state income tax are the only things keeping Top Spot Miami out

Foreclosures hit one in 14 homes last year. Corruption is off the charts, with 404 government officials convicted of crimes this past decade in South Florida.

3. Merced, Calif.

The economic downturn and busted housing market hit Merced harder than any other area in the country. Average unemployment of 16.2% since 2008 is the highest in the U.S., as is the city's 64% drop in its median home price.

4. Modesto, Calif.

The median home price here was $275,000 in 2006; today, it is $95,000. And don't leave your car on the street in Modesto, where 3,712 vehicles were stolen in 2009, the second-highest auto-theft rate in the country. The city ranked first in four of the previous five years.

5. Sacramento, Calif.

No state taxes $50,000 of income like California, which has a rate of 9.55% for that middle-class tax bracket.

Sacramento is a one-team sports town, and that team has been awful in recent years. The NBA's Kings have won just 26% of their games in the past two-plus seasons.

6. Memphis, Tenn.

Tennessee is one of nine states without an income tax; it does tax dividends and interest income. But it hits residents with one of the highest sales-tax rates in the U.S. at 9.25%.

Violent crime was down 5% in 2009 in Memphis, according to the FBI, but it still is tops in the country.

7. Chicago

Baseball's Cubs used to be lovable losers, but $140 million payrolls and 102 years without a World Series title are miserable. Chicago had the highest sales tax among big cities at 10.25%, but it was rolled back to 9.75% in 2010 and now matches Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif., for the top rate.

8. West Palm Beach, Fla.

The West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla., area might sound glamorous, with its beaches and million-dollar oceanfront homes. The reality is much different.

The median home price here is $225,000, down 39% the past three years. Prices are expected to fall an additional 22% this year as foreclosures continue to affect the housing market. The area's unemployment rate was recently 12.3%.

9. Vallejo, Calif.

This one-time Navy town became the largest California city to file for bankruptcy when it entered Chapter 9 protection in 2008. Unemployment is expected to average 12.5% this year, up from 4.9% five years ago.

10. Cleveland

Last year's most miserable city drops back, thanks to a housing market that never overheated and therefore hasn't crashed as it has in other areas. The weather is lousy, corruption is persistent and it's a tortured sports market, with no championships since 1964. LeBron James' departure from the NBA's Cavaliers delivered the latest cruel blow last summer.

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World's Most Beautiful Sailboats | luxurious yacht design

44 meter long luxurious yacht with a large open back three level deck. It's designed and furnished with stylish modern interior accomodations for guests and crew, a state of the art kitchen, stunning bathrooms, a living room and dining room divided by a 'plant wall' and teak flooring throughout.

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