Super Tight Stuff » Tight Pictures

POTD: Golfball Warping as it Hits Steel

snarfer — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:41:28 +0000

This is an animated image and may take a while to load on some computers. According to the video this animation originated from, the golf ball is traveling at 150 mph, is striking a steel plate, and is being recorded at 70,000 fps. Skeptics may point out it does appear that there is an unnatural amount of warping, but golf balls do regularly deform upon impact as shown in the video below, so it is not absurd that the above would be the result of one striking a steel plate.

Source: Before Its News

Police Officer Survives Scary Crash

xcar27 — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:36:46 +0000

This is the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor of Officer Damon Badnell, a Santa Maria California police officer. This Sunday (July 11, 2010) he was coming to the help of an officer on foot pursing a burglary suspect when he lost control of the vehicle and wrapped it around a tree. Other than a couple broken bones he’s doing fine — and doctor’s are optimistic about his recovery. That is a hugely strong car. And tree, for that matter.

Underwater Sculpture Park

xcar27 — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:22:27 +0000

This beautiful underwater sculpture park is the work of Jason deCaires Taylor, a British-educated artist trained in Sculpture and Ceramics. He is also a qualified diving instructor and naturalist. These combination of interests led to this wonderful creation — the world’s first underwater sculpture park. The park is in Grenada, and is designed to help facilitate the growth of coral reefs and sustain life. See photos and a cool video about the project below.

American Flag of Pepsi

drizzit12 — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:45:14 +0000

In the spirit of the 4th of July, here’s an American flag made of Pepsi cases. Enjoy, and have fun with fireworks this weekend.

Alcohol Photographs

drizzit12 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:53:29 +0000

These amazing pictures, produced by Bevshots, show different types of alcohol and mixed drinks after the drinks have dried onto slides. The entire process can take up to three months, and it can take many attempts before a clear picture is acquired. The photos show the carbohydrates of the drinks after they have crystallized, forming sugars and glucose. No two drinks look the same, and each photo has been magnified up to 1,000 times in the Florida State University’s chemistry department.

The picture above is of sake, and you can find the rest of the names at the bottom of the page. These photos can be purchased from Bevshots to be hang around your house and amaze your friends. Enjoy!

Names (left to right, top to bottom): Bloody Mary, Champagne, Daiquiri, Dry Martini, Margarita, Pina Colada, Sake, Scotch, Tequila, Vodka, Whiskey, White Russian

POTD: Boeing 787 Wing Flex

xcar27 — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:59:48 +0000

What you see here is Boeing’s new 787 ‘Dreamliner’ undergoing an FIA wing stress test. The wings are made of a plastic composite, and engineers need to make sure they can flex to “150 percent of the most severe case ever expected to be seen in service,” said Lori Gunter, a company spokeswoman. The planes are designed to just barely pass the test. Very simply, they hold the plane down and bend the wings a huge amount — during this test the wings had a vertical deflection of 25 feet, without breaking. It took place at the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, the home of production for the 747, 767, 777, and 787, and also the world’s largest building by interior volume — 472,370,319 cubic feet. Cool, right?

Rainbow Flip Book

drizzit12 — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:07:36 +0000

One of the coolest flip books I’ve ever seen, this creates the image of a rainbow in the palm of your hand.

POTD: Oarfish

drizzit12 — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:43:45 +0000

This fish is ridiculously long. Not much is known about the oarfish, as it is believed to live in the deep ocean. However, several have been caught, as you can see from the picture.

Top 10 Coolest Bridges

drizzit12 — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:15:10 +0000

Cool Bridges

There is no question that bridges serve a highly practical purpose; they have provided passages for ancient armies and drastically shorten distances that commuters travel, saving not only time but gas and money as well. However, bridges also contribute to the aesthetics of any city, be it metropolitan or countryside. Please enjoy some of our favorite bridges from around the world. Please note, this list is by no means comprehensive. The list is simply an attempt at epitomizing bridges that are aesthetically pleasing and represent some of the many different types of bridges found. There also isn’t any sort of ranking; they are listed in alphabetical order. If you have a bridge that you think should be an addition to a follow up article, feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy! And no, the picture above is not in this list.

Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

Location: Akashi Strait, Japan
Length: 2.430 miles (3.911 kilometers)
Type of Bridge: Suspension Bridge
Why it’s special: At 1.237 miles (1.991 kilometers), the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge has the longest central span of all suspension bridges. The central span was actually only 1.990 kilometers long, but the Kobe earthquake of 1995 moved the two main towers a whole meter away from each other. However, the bridge was still under construction at the time, and luckily, only the towers had been built. The bridge is estimated to have cost around $5.5 billion to build.

Bloukrans Bridge

Location: Nature’s Valley, South Africa
Length: 0.280 miles (0.451 kilometers)
Type of Bridge: Arch Bridge
Why it’s special: At 708.661 feet above the Bloukrans River, the Bloukrans Bridge is the highest single span arch bridge in the world. Unsurprisingly, it is a favorite for many bungee jumpers, and it is home to the third highest commercially operated bungee jump in the world.

Erasmusbrug

Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Length: 0.498 miles (0.802 kilometers)
Type of Bridge: Cable-Stayed Bridge
Why it’s special: Other than its stunning looks, the bridge actually features a 272 foot long (83 meters) bascule portion, the longest panel of that particular type in the world. Interestingly, the Erasmusbrug is nicknamed “The Swan” because of the shape of its supporting pylon.

Gateshead Millenium Bridge

Location: Gateshead, England
Length: 0.078 miles (0.126 meters)
Type of Bridge: Tilt Bridge
Why it’s special: The Gateshead Millenium Bridge is the first and only tilting bridge in the world. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, the bridge is also highly functional. As you can see, the bridge can rotate to allow boats to travel down the River Tyne.

Golden Gate Bridge

Location: San Francisco, California
Length: 1.700 miles (2.700 kilometers)
Type of Bridge: Suspension Bridge
Why it’s special: The Golden Gate bridge may seem to receive too much attention considering the fact that it doesn’t appear as high-tech as some of the other bridges on this list; regardless, it’s still one of the most gorgeous structures to ever have been built. Not only is it a landmark and icon of San Francisco but also of the U.S. Since its opening in 1937, the bridge has only been closed for weather related reasons three times, which is a hell of a lot better than my beloved Evergreen Point Floating Bridge here in Seattle.

Magdeburg Water Bridge

Location: Magdeburg, Germany
Length: 0.570 miles (0.918 kilometers)
Type of Bridge: Water Bridge
Why it’s special: Does this really need an explanation? It’s a water bridge!…But for all you physics and engineering junkies out there, the bridge only needs to be able to carry the weight of the water it holds because when a ship travels through water, it displaces an amount of weight equivalent to its own weight, regardless of how heavy the ship may be.

Millau Viaduct

Location: Millau, France
Length: 1.53 miles (2.46 kilometers)
Type of Bridge: Cable-Stayed Bridge
Why it’s special: The Millau Viaduct has the distinction of being the tallest bridge in the world. It may not appear so in the pictures (other than the fact that the bridge is surrounded by clouds), but at 343 meters tall, the tallest mast in the viaduct is actually just a bit taller than the Eiffel Tower, which stands 324 meters tall. Not only do the pylons hold the world record for highest height but the road itself is the highest in Europe. Additionally, the Millau Viaduct is highly functional; it’s the newest of the four different routes between Paris and Perpignan, a city in the south of France, all of which have contributed to decreasing the heavy traffic that used to be characteristic to the three older roads.

Oresund Bridge

Location: Oresund Strait
Length: 4.874 miles (7.845 kilometers) – Doesn’t include the artificial islands or tunnel
Type of Bridge: Cable-Stayed Bridge
Why it’s special: What’s not to like here? Part cable-stayed bridge, part underwater tunnel. And did I mention it spans the Oresund Strait (thereby connecting Denmark with Sweden, for those of you who are geographically challenged). But for $5 billion, I guess I would expect something as extraordinary as the Oresund Bridge. While the underwater tunnel may seem rather pointless, it was actually designed as such in order to avoid interfering with airplanes commuting to and from the nearby Copenhagen Airport. Interestingly, sixteen unexploded World War II bombs were found on the seabed during construction. Badass.

Ponte Vecchio

Location: Florence, Italy
Length: 0.052 miles (0.084 kilometers)
Type of Bridge: Arch Bridge
Why it’s special: It’s the only bridge in the world that has shops built along its sides. While it originally featured butcher shops, the bridge is now home to souvenir sellers, jewelers, and art dealers. A medieval bridge believed to have been originally built around 996 AD, Ponte Vecchio has been destroyed twice by floods. Today, the bridge is one of the main attractions of Florence and greatly contributes to the mass tourism that is a feature of the city.

Quebec Bridge

Location: Quebec City, Canada
Length: 0.613 miles (0.987 kilometers)
Type of Bridge: Cantilever Bridge
Why it’s special: The Quebec Bridge features the longest cantilever bridge span in the world. In typical Canadian fashion, the bridge has also collapsed twice (I actually have dual-citizenship, but I felt it was appropriate to take a jab at my native country). Regardless, it’s still a beautiful bridge and is certainly an engineering feat in itself.

POTD: Aurora Borealis

drizzit12 — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:30:30 +0000

An amazing picture taken from space of the Aurora Borealis. The colors are absolutely breathtaking, and pictures of the Aurora never seem to get old. There are also a few more below, from a more conventional viewpoint.