Category Archives: Around the World

Astronaut meets Cartoonist

The Guardian: Chris Hadfield meets Randall Munroe: ‘Are we alone in the universe?’
“Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut and internet sensation
Randall Munroe, the US cartoonist and former Nasa physicist

“The Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield spent five months in 2012 and 2013 twirling around the Earth in command of the International Space Station. Hadfield guesses he made several thousand orbits of the planet during that time […]
The American artist Randall Munroe knows something, too, about capturing an audience in the age of the fast and fickle online share. Munroe’s webcomics, produced under the banner of xkcd and promising “romance, sarcasm, math and language“ , have for years been a part of the social media fabric.”

Great interview. I recently read An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth and enjoyed it immensely. Also, Munroe’s explanation of orbital speed with the Proclaimer’s hit I’m gonna be (500 Miles) is great!

Link via MetaFilter:“When you looked down at Earth, did you always know where you were?”

Durch die Welt in einem großen Wagen

Christine und Peter unternehmen mit ihrem Großen Wagen, einem Allrad-MAN mit speziell gefertigtem Aufbau und Innenausstattung Marke Eigenbau, Reisen in Europa und Nordamerika.

Ihre Reisen sind auf zwei Seiten dokumentiert: auf dergrossewagen.de bis 2012 und seitdem auf dergrossewagen.eu.

Man findet dort alte Reiseberichte, 2009/10 in den USA und Kanada, einige kürzere Reisen, Nordamerika 2012 bis 2013, weitere kürzere Touren und ganz aktuell ein weiteres Jahr in Nordamerika 2015 bis 2016.

Around the world in a car

BBC: Gunther, Christine and Otto. “How a man met a woman and they set off on an epic journey across six continents in one amazing unbreakable car.” Article with photos, short video sequences and an overview of the 215 countries visited and 898 280 km (558 165 mi) traveled in 26 years.

Otto’s Journey:

“An incredible journey all around the world: Gunther Holtorf has visited 215 countries, regions and territories, covered 900,000 kilometres in the same car and been on the road for 26 years. A story of freedom, happiness, adventure and a great love.”

Ottos Reise:

“Eine unglaubliche Tour durch die gesamte Welt: Gunther Holtorf hat 215 Länder, Regionen und Territorien besucht, ist 900.000 Kilometer im selben Auto gefahren und war 26 Jahre lang unterwegs. Eine Geschichte von Freiheit, Glück, Abenteuer – und einer großen Liebe.”

More than a century

The Washington Post: Meet two amazing women who are still working at the age of 102. Yes, 102. “Everyone asks the centenarians: “What’s your secret?“ The answer is pretty simple: work.”

Of my grandparents, my grandmothers died at ages 88 and 91, one grandfather died in his seventies of diabetes and his unwillingness to take medication for it, and the other grandfather is still alive and quite well at 92, so we’ll see how long I’ll be able to make it. The women in the article are certainly people out of whose book I might take a leaf.

Link via MetaFilter.