Live nest cams...

in a gallery at Wired.com, featuring hummingbirds to emus and a lot more.  If you're not out hunting Easter eggs today then give these eggs a look.

Mesmerizing rivers of lava...

First egg ready to hatch...

in a bald eagle nest in Decorah, Iowa, and you can watch via the eagle cam.

Riding the booster...

Diligent kitchen helper...

Avoid hypoxia...

and vicariously tag along with Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their successful conquest of Mount Everest in 1953 in this historic documentary film.  And remember, this was achieved well before today's lightweight alpine gear and Gore-Tex.

So you think you know...

how to tie your shoes?  Well, think again.  There's always a better way to do things.

Hat tip:  DB.

Condor chick about to hatch...

at the San Diego Zoo in the next day or so, and you can watch live via the on-line condor cam.  And don't forget about the eagle cam in Iowa where three eggs are expected to hatch by the end of the month.

Experience a virtual field trip...

to Mount St. Helens using these two linked videos.  They were shot and narrated by me in the mid-1990s during a week-long EWU geology field trip to the volcano.  Realize there was no such thing as digital HD technology at that time, but they are still pretty cool to watch.  Enjoy.

• Mount St. Helens - The View From the Summit
• Mount St. Helens - Into the Crater

NOTE: These should work fine if you have the QuickTime player installed.

Operation hatch-watch commences...

at this bald eagle nest in Iowa. There are three eggs in the nest being tended to by mom and dad, and the chicks are expected to hatch near the end of the month of March.  Enjoy.

Physicist terrified of geologists...

on The Big Bang Theory: "Oh dear.  Not the dirt people!"

Heh. At least the earth sciences rank higher than the disdain shown for the liberal arts!

Musically talented quadrotors...

Brilliant! And here's a previous related post about these amazing and autonomous flying machines.

Doggie DJ...

A profound moment in history...

for all of humanity: What Apollo 11 Astronauts Did Right Before Neil Armstrong Set Foot on the Moon.

I remember watching this historic moment at the age of 12, and I credit it as one of the reasons that I pursued science in my education and career.  Sadly, nothing quite this motivational involving human exploration of the unknown exists these days.  Yeah, robot geologists crawling around on Mars is pretty cool, but it isn't the same as a rock-hammer-wielding astronaut/geologist being there.

Battle of fire and ice...

and the icy comet Lovejoy wins! Here's the video of the rapidly moving comet being slingshot through the Sun's corona:



Quite extraordinary, and you may want to replay it multiple times.  Here are more details of this amazing encounter.

An excellent visual comparison...

of the energy released by recent earthquakes (best viewed full screen):

What would you do...

if you were facing a similar situation?

I think he likes it...

Robots are coming...

in all shapes and sizes and designs:

• Soft-Bodied Robot Moves Like a Squid
• Darpa’s Creepy Robo-Blob Learns to Crawl
• Fleet of Quadrocopters Builds Two-Story Foam Tower

One thing is certain, it will be a very, very different world in another 20 years.

Related previous post.

Fisher Towers featured...

in a commercial that is now airing showing spectacular climbing scenes on the sedimentary crags.  The brief shot at about 12 seconds is filmed elsewhere in Canyonlands, but all the climbing is real.  Very cool.