XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Friday 7 May 2010

First Underwater Footage: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill at Source - BP has released footage of their ROV capping 1 of 3 leaks -

First Underwater Footage: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill at Source - BP has released footage of their ROV capping 1 of 3 leaks -



BP (NYSE:BP) has released footage of their remote operating vehicle (ROV) successfully capping one of the three leaks that is pouring an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil a day into the waters off the Gulf of Mexico.

This is the first video I've seen of the oil leak itself . The sheer volume of oil gushing out is quite incredible - you can see it at about the 2 minute 15 second mark of the video.

OOops....PR Disaster: 2011 Volvo S60 Crashes during Crash Avoidance Demonstration -

OOops....PR Disaster: 2011 Volvo S60 Crashes during Crash Avoidance Demonstration -



The Swedish car maker, now controlled by the Chinese firm Geely, wanted to show journalists how the 2011 S60 sedan's new 'Collision Warning with Auto Brake' system works in action, so they catapulted a test car out of a tunnel at around 35km/h towards a parked truck.

Volvo says this about the system: "Volvo's new Collision Warning with Auto Brake automatically brakes the car if there is an imminent risk of a collision with a moving or stationary vehicle. The system starts by alerting the driver and preparing the braking system for emergency braking. If the driver does not respond despite the warning, the brakes are applied automatically."

Massive Alberta beaver dam visible from space - stretches about 850 metres, more than eight football fields long

Massive Alberta beaver dam visible from space - stretches about 850 metres, more than eight football fields long 



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International media are getting into a furry flurry over a beaver dam in remote Alberta that’s so massive, it can be seen from space.
Ottawa ecologist Jean Thie located the dam using NASA and Google satellite technology in October 2007, posting it online, but only recently has it grabbed the world’s attention.
The dam is situated in northern Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park and stretches about 850 metres, more than eight football fields long.
Thie has told reporters the beavers who laid the foundation for the dam likely got busy building in the mid-1970s.
Alerted to global media’s beaver fever, a park spokesman had rangers fly over the area to investigate because the area isn’t accessible by any roads or streams.
The dam is now being pegged as the largest known habitat of its kind on earth, beating a 652-metre structure in Three Forks, Montana.