The NS Yamal is a Russian Arktika class nuclear-powered icebreaker operated by Atomflot (formerly by the Murmansk Shipping Company). It is named after the Yamal Peninsula in Northwest Siberia; the name means End of the Land in Nenets.

Laid down in Leningrad in 1986, and launched in October 1992, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, it never filled its designed role of keeping shipping lanes open. It has always carried passengers on arctic excursions. In July of 1994 Yamal took an excursion to the North Pole, with the NSF (National Science Foundation), to celebrate the Official Maiden Voyage. While at the exact north pole (verified by GPS & Inmarsat satellite coordinates) the crew and passengers celebrated with a barbeque – the ambient temperature was -10 degrees F (wind gusts were measured at -40 degrees F). Because of the ship 90/90 coordinates the ship captain (Smirnov) organized a swimming…

If you snooze you lose goes the old adage. Getting up early and starting the day bright eyed and bushy tailed is the way to success for the go-getters out there. The downside is having to get disrupted out of deep sleep by noisy contraptions. Here are some strange alarm clocks that will force a person to jump into the rat race at full speed.

The Sub Morning cleverly lures you to the bathroom, by forcing you to submerge it in water

Once you get to the bathroom, you’re basically in the shower already and, once you’re in the shower, the day has officially begun.

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Clocky leaps off your nightstand and runs away, making you chase it around the room to shut off the damn beeping

This sneaky little thing forces both your body and your wits into action.

Target Alarm Clock

If you are a sucker for 

56 Leonard Street is an 821 feet (250 m) tall, 57-story skyscraper on Leonard Street in Tribeca, New York City, United States. Herzog & de Meuron describes the building as “houses stacked in the sky.” It is the tallest structure in Tribeca.

The building has 145 condominium residences priced between US$3.5 million and US$50 million. Residences will range in size from 1,418 to 6,400 square feet (131.7 to 594.6 m2) and will include 2 to 5 bedrooms all with private outdoor space.

As of May 2013, 70% of the building had sold. According to building developer Izak Senbahar, the building was 92% sold in seven months. In June 2013, a penthouse at 56 Leonard went into contract for US$47 million, making it the most expensive residential property ever sold below Midtown Manhattan.

The building was completed in 2016.[4] Due to its cantilevered balconies it has been nicknamed the Jenga building…

I was listening to a science show the other day and came across this weirdness. The scientist said most people have witnessed this. Not sure where he was coming from, but I have never seen one, or even heard about them.

Sun Pillar over Antarctica

A light pillar is an atmospheric optical phenomenon in the form of a vertical band of light which appears to extend above and/or below a light source. The effect is created by the reflection of light from numerous tiny ice crystal suspended in the atmosphere or clouds. The light can come from the Sun (usually when it is near or even below the horizon) in which case the phenomenon is called a sun pillar or solar pillar. It can also come from the Moon or from terrestrial sources such as streetlights.

Light Pillars over North Bay, Ontario

Since they are caused by the interaction of light with ice crystals, light…