Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
Chicago's Sears Tower has opened a glassed-in viewing platform that is not for the faint of heart.
Visitors to the Sears Tower's new glass balconies all seem to agree: The first step is the hardest.
"It's like walking on ice," said Margaret Kemp, of Bishop, California, who said her heart was still pounding even after stepping away from the balcony. "That first step you take – 'am I going down?'" Kemp was among the visitors who got a sneak preview of the balconies Wednesday. "The Ledge," as the balconies have been nicknamed, open to the public Thursday.
The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet (412 meters) in the air and jut out 4 feet (1.22 meters) from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck. They're actually more like boxes than balconies, with transparent walls, floor and ceiling. Visitors are treated to unobstructed views of Chicago from the building's west side and a heart-stopping vista of the street and Chicago River below – for those brave enough to look straight down. The balconies can hold five tons, and the glass is 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) thick, officials said.
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full article
Karen Hawkins, AP
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Questionable Resume
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From: ?
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Made in Japan !
Made in Japan
!
Barry L. Ritholtz
Fusion IQ
535 Fifth
Avenue, Suite 612
New York, NY
10017
212-661-2022
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bailout
Nation is here!
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Recent scenes from the ISS
Recent scenes from the ISS
Earlier this week, NASA released an amazing photograph of an eruption of Sarychev Peak Volcano, taken by astronauts aboard the orbiting International Space Station (ISS). Seeing that great photo prompted me to dig into the archives and see what other imagery I could find from recent NASA archives. Collected here are a handful of photographs of Sarychev Peak Volcano, and more, taken by astronauts aboard the ISS over the past few months. (35 photos total)
High above Russia's Kuril Islands, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) look down on erupting Sarychev Peak Volcano (plume in center, left) on Matua Island and its brownish ash mixing with cloud cover downwind on June 12, 2009. Part of the ISS, a Soyuz module, is visible in the foreground. (NASA/JSC) [Google map]
A closer look at Sarychev Peak Volcano reveals more detail, the circular hole in the clouds around the island, the smooth condensation cloud wrapping much of the ash plume. (NASA/JSC) # [Google map]
Closer still to Sarychev Peak Volcano, pyroclastic flows can be seen tumbling down its slope (lighter clouds, bottom). Also visible is a closer view of the condensation cloud or "pileus", formed by the rapidly rising plume. (NASA/JSC) # [Google map]
A view looking straight down at the top of the eruption plume of Sarychev Peak Volcano on June 12, 2009. Local winds were very light that day, and the eruption plume's upward motion was hardly disturbed at all. (NASA/JSC) # [Google map]
The sun glints off Lake Poopó in Bolivia. Lake Poopó is a 1,000 sq km saline lake lying 3,686 meters above sea level. (NASA/JSC) # [Google map]
Smoke blows eastward from a mountain slope in Canada's Rocky Mountains near Banff and Canmore. (NASA/JSC) # [Google map]
Washington State's Puget Sound, featuring Vashon Island, Seattle and Tacoma, viewed on May 29th, 2009. (NASA/JSC) # [Google map]
A strange circular area of thinned ice in the southern end of Lake Baikal in southern Siberia. While the origin of the circles is still unknown, the peculiar pattern suggests convection (upwelling) in the lake's water column. (NASA/JSC) # [Google map]
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CLEVER ADVERTISING SECTION:
WHO THINKS OF THESE THINGS?
I am sure I would be so distracted I would crash......
I love this one!!!!
What a great paint job!!
This is so amazingly clever. Makes me wanna be in advertising.
As for you....
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square watermelon
A round watermelon can take up
a lot of room in a refrigerator And the
usually round fruit often sits awkwardly on refrigerator shelves.
Smart Japanese Farmers have forced their watermelons to grow into a square shape by inserting the melons into square, tempered glass cases while the fruit is still growing on the vine.
Smart Japanese Farmers have forced their watermelons to grow into a square shape by inserting the melons into square, tempered glass cases while the fruit is still growing on the vine.
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