Shinkansen in the snow
Japanese trains traveling at 200 mph might be jarring, but this video of Japan’s Shinkansens zooming through the snow is pretty cool.
Buffalo Bill’s house from Silence of the Lambs becomes a B&B
The real-life house that was used as Buffalo Bill’s residence in the movie “Silence of the Lambs” is about to become a B&B.
New York theatrical art director Chris Rowan purchased the home for $290,000 on January 28 and plans to convert it into a quaint bed and breakfast. The investment comes as the movie “Silence of the Lambs” turns 30 and a spinoff called “Clarice” begins on CBS.
Besides some minor renovations to handle guests, the most important renovation will be the infamous well in the basement where Hollywood’s original psychopathic killer traps his victims.
The filmmakers shot the basement scenes off-site (the house doesn’t actually have a creepy hole in the basement) but the new owner reportedly plans to add one to give guests the full Buffalo Bill experience.
See and read more here:
https://nypost.com/2021/02/17/silence-of-the-lambs-house-to-become-a-bed-and-breakfast/
The Newburgh Christmas lights
BBC Scotland reports that the tiny town of Newburgh in county Fife has a wonderful Christmas tradition. For the past 20 years, this tiny town selects one student each year to get their Christmas drawing made into an illuminated creation that lights up the town’s streets.
Nobody remembers exactly how it started (likely a proposal by a local school teacher), but continues every year. Once a winning proposal is selected, the artwork is sent to Blachere Illumination to convert them into the massive street light. They are then hung up around town for the enjoyment of all.
Links:
- https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-55131048
- https://twitter.com/GTOpoppy/status/1328391004395859969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1328391004395859969%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fuk-scotland-55131048
- https://www.designboom.com/design/newburgh-christmas-lights-12-23-2020/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newburgh,_Fife
Finding Forrest Fenn’s Treasure
In 2010, Forrest Fenn hid a treasure chest containing gold and other valuables estimated to be worth well over a million dollars. The only clue to its location was a 24 line clue-filled poem.
What followed was a decade of treasure hunters searching, trespassing, harrassing, breaking into Fenn’s home, suing each other, going bankrupt, and even dying in pursuit of the treasure.
Yet on June 6, 2020 an unassuming 32-year-old Michigan native and medical student named Jack Stuef finally solved Fenn’s poem and found the treasure in Wyoming – after only 2 years of searching.
He has tried to stay anonymous and has kept the location secret in the post-finding madness. He says it is almost certainly what Fenn would have wanted – which shows the lengths he went to understand Fenn himself.
Which lends itself to the most fascinating aspect about his search technique:
The key was really just understanding Forrest Fenn. Stuef hunted solo, never discussed his search with others, stayed away from the blogs after his initial looks at them, and tried hard not to get caught up in any groupthink.
To read about Stuef’s search, the best way to find the treasure was to simply get to know the man. Which might have been Fenn’s whole goal – to have someone else really understand him. The final goal of a 90 year old man before he made his own departure shortly after the treasure was found.
Read more about the fascinating interview with the finder here:
https://www.outsideonline.com/2419429/forrest-fenn-treasure-jack-stuef
The elevator that goes up, down, left AND right.
Fun bit of engineering in Genoa Italy – the Ascensore Castello d’Albertis-Montegalletto.
Peel P50
A while back Top Gear reviewed the world’s smallest car: the Peel P50.
But did you know that they are still being made and you can actually buy and own a brand new, street legal Peel P50? While they run £8,250 in the UK, US buyers can purchase an all electric one for a mere $1,100.
Not only that, but they are re-manufacturing a number of other tiny cars in the line – with a whole host of colors and features. There is a Cabrio version that is a convertible, a Trident that has a classic 60’s era bubble dome cockpit, and even build-it-yourself kits.
Head on over to https://p50cars.com and see if one suits your fancy!
How the Charles Bridge was constructed
The Charles Bridge is a historic, gorgeous bridge that crosses the Vltava (Moldau) river in Prague. I was fascinated by it and the whole city of Prague when I visited.
Its construction started in 1357 under King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. It stands today – which means it has seen an amazing amount of history.
The associated video collection on the channel also goes through how the bridge was constructed – and has videos of other historic Prague buildings.
Yabusame – Samurai horseback archery
High Altitude Penitentes
Snow can get funny at high altitudes and on mountains. It can be powdery soft, squeeky and crunchy, wet and gummy, or even form strange shapes depending on pressure, humidity, temperature, and a host of other conditions. It’s one of the fascinating parts I love about climbing mountains.
In the high Atacama desert, Penitentes, or nieves penitentes (Spanish for “penitent-shaped snows”), are snow formations found at high altitudes. They take the form of elongated, thin blades of hardened snow or ice, closely spaced and pointing towards the general direction of the sun.
The name comes from the resemblance of a field of penitentes – a crowd of kneeling people doing penance. The formation evokes the tall, pointed habits and hoods worn by brothers of religious orders in the Processions of Penance during Spanish Holy Week. In particular the brothers’ hats are tall, narrow, and white, with a pointed top.
These spires of snow and ice grow over all glaciated and snow-covered areas in the dry andes above 4,000 metres (13,000 ft).They range in length from a few centimetres to over 5 metres (16 ft).
Penitentes up to 15 metres (49 ft) high are suggested to be present in the tropics zone on Europa, a satellite of Jupiter. According to a recent study, NASA’s New Horizons has discovered penitentes on Pluto, in a region informally named Tartarus Dorsa
03/2024 Update:
There are similar rock formations in the extreme areas of Russian Siberia in the Ulakhan-Sis Mountain Range.
Hercule Poirot’s Orient Express
David Suchet, famous for his portrayal of Hercule Poirot, take a real-life trip on the Venice Simplon Orient Express. While very expensive, it is definitely on my bucket list. Give it a watch.
I got to do a one day murder mystery trip on the train on my last trip to England. It appears this has gone so well, they’ve really upped the cost and length.