(incli)NATION

Unbelievable Tokyo Underground: Sewer Labyrinth Dreamscape

And you thought Tokyo was fantastic on the surface! Just have a look at what's under your feet: miles of cathedral-like sewers. A neo-gothic labyrinth of engineering wonder! I just wonder if they ever fill all the way up!

I was absolutely wrong about these! This is Kasukabe and a storm drain at that. Still an awesome space though. Here is a press release:

SAITAMA (Kyodo) An underground tunnel built to take in river water overflow and release it into another river to mitigate flood damage was shown to the media Monday in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture.

The 6.3 km long conduit is 50 meters underground in Kasukabe and connects the Otoshifurutone and Edo rivers.

If the Otoshifurutone River or nearby Naka River flood, excess water can be channeled into the tunnel from five locations and temporarily stored in a gigantic reservoir before being pumped up and released into the Edo River.

The water chamber, dubbed the “underground palace,” features 59 columns, each 25 meters high, that can store 670,000 cu. meters of water, according to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry.

The government project began in 1993 with a budget of 240 billion yen, and part of the tunnel became ready for use in 2002. The system will begin full operation in June.

Historically, the eastern part of Saitama Prefecture has been prone to floods. The government says the flood-management system will significantly reduce the danger of floods in the area.

Giant Toasted Leafcutter Ants from Edible.com

So we're having a BBQ here in the burbs for Memorial Day and I'm thinking these little guys should be a big hit. Giant toasted leafcutter ants from Colombia, the largest species of ant in the world.

From Edible:
"Hormigas Culonas are harvested in the Colombian Amazon by the Guane Indians, during the short rainy season between March and June. They are then toasted in a mud pot over an open fire by the Indians.

The Guane Indians believe that these Ants have youth giving and Aphrodisiac properties and they are often served as fertility giving marriage food during nuptial ceremonies. Hormigas Culonas taste similar to crisply fried bacon with an earthy taste, and make the perfect alternative party snack instead of nuts or olives!"
YUM!

Get yours here.

Join the NY Media Elite - FREE!

This is just so much dorky goodness that I have to post the full entry. From Kottke.com:

I might be shooting myself in the foot by posting this, but the table of contents for the newest issue of the New Yorker is usually available on Sunday on newyorker.com, the day before the issue hits the newsstands and arrives in subscriber mailboxes. All you need to do is hack the URL of the TOC from the previous Monday. Here's the URL for the April 23 TOC:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/toc/2007/04/23/toc_20070416

"2007/04/23" is the date of the issue and "toc_20070416" refers to the date of the posting. This then is the URL for the April 30 issue:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/toc/2007/04/30/toc_20070423

At right is the cover for tomorrow's issue, which includes Adam Gopnik's piece on the Virginia Tech shooting, a new piece by Atul Gawande, and Anthony Lane's review of Hot Fuzz. Monday's New Yorker on Sunday is usually only available to the select few of the Manhattan media elite who are sped their new issues hot off the presses. Now everyone can have a similar experience on the web.

Enjoy.

via kottke.org

The Art of Survival: 10-Day Survival Pack for Your Car

Love to see this kind of obsessive-compulsive creativity...For those of us who tend to fret about things like flu pandemics, the rise of American fascism, or even simply good old-fashioned getting lost in a snow storm, here is a great kit you can make on the cheap and throw in your trunk for a little peace of mind;

It seems like every winter there are news stories of people getting stranded for weeks in bad weather while driving through the many remote areas of our country. In fact, this past winter, our nation held its breath waiting for news of James Kim and his family who got lost traveling the snowy roads of Josephine County in Oregon, not far from where this magazine is published. While his wife and daughters, who stayed with their vehicle, were eventually found alive, he succumbed to the cold as he hiked through snow looking for help for his family. And there are also many cases of people trapped for days in their vehicles after skidding over a bridge embankment, even though they were only a few hundred feet from a busy highway.

I have written many articles about how to prepare your home for a power outage or national emergency, but today I want to address how to be prepared for an emergency when traveling in your car or truck.

10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25 by Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #104 - Link.

via Make

Maison 140; A Mandarin French Kiss in the Heart of Beverly Hills

We just got back from a marathon trip to Los Angeles and I'm about to fall asleep as I sit here typing...so before I forget, if you find yourself in LA this spring and you don't want to pop 500 bucks at the Beverly Hills Hotel, try this posh pad out. They took great care of us and the free happy hour was fabulous:

"Slip into the French and Far East-inspired modes of Maison 140, an intimate, 43-room luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills. This unique Beverly Hills hotel was redesigned by Kelly Wearstler Interior Design as a contemporary tribute to the classic Parisian inns of the last century. Visually striking, yet inviting and warm - Maison 140 Beverly Hills is the city's perfect pied-a-terre for the imaginative traveler."

link

Make Your Own BIODIESEL: DIY Recipies

Around here we are partial to hybrid technology, particularly the Prius. But this has us thinking about doing a little home-chemistry experiments...

"Biodiesel has better cold weather properties than straight vegetable oil, and it requires no modifications for your diesel engine or fuel system. It may take a little more processing time, but when you consider the impurity filtering that needs to be done with waste veggie oil, a lot of biodieselers will tell you that it's not really much more work. What's best is that the process is something anyone can do, and you can experiment with it easily on a small scale.

Anybody can make biodiesel. It's easy, you can make it in your kitchen -- and it's BETTER than the petro-diesel fuel the big oil companies sell you. Your diesel motor will run better and last longer on your home-made fuel, and it's much cleaner -- better for the environment and better for health.

If you decide that the 50-cent to $1 per gallon price tag still isn't worth the trouble, at least you'll be able to learn a few things from an afternoon chemistry experiment! -Link.

Related:

• Making Biodiesel - from MAKE:03 (read it online. lot's of biodiesel community links.)
• MAKE AUDIO SHOW: Biodiesel!
• Homebrew Biodiesel reactor plans

via Make Magazine

Ice Hotel Canada melts April 1!

Sweden’s famous frozen retreat has a little sister closer to home. Because Quebec City isn’t as chilly as its Arctic Circle counterpart, the Ice Hotel Canada is open from January to April, which gives the establishment’s truly talented artists the chance to re-think the architecture, providing different designs each season. Our ideal Ice Hotel itinerary? Days filled with ice fishing, dog sledding and a Native American Igloo workshop (DIY to the max), and nights in the N’Ice Club with our new hotel pals, followed by some outdoor hot tubbing amidst the ethereal glow of the ice. Sign us up today.

link Ice Hotel Canada

via Trendcentral

EIFFEL PLANET!

Le rire, comme les essuie-glaces, permet d'avancer même s'il n'arrête pas la pluie.

(Laughter, like windshield wipers, permits us to advance even if it doesn't stop the rain.)

--Gérard Jugnot

Flickr user gadl made this "planet" out of a 360° panorama built from 80 individual photos. See the entire photoset: Wee Planets [flickr] - via As Above

via Neatorama