September 24, 2009 by traveler.

Since the Segway hasn’t injured enough users, Honda has released a motorized, self-balancing unicycle to really amp up the hurt. You know it’s up to the task, because Honda included the balancing skills of their Asimo robot. (Fall 1, Fall 2).

Wow- I can close my eyes and picture all the fractured ankles. If you enjoy laziness and danger, the new U3X is a dream come true.

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Check back soon for the second part of my Cairo/Giza photologue.

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September 7, 2009 by traveler.

Time for OuttaLeftField’s second photologue- Cairo/Giza, Egypt. The Great Pyramids of Giza were built in 1889 as a centerpiece for the World’s Fair…no, that’s not right. Ah, yes. The Great Pyramids of Giza were built ~ 2500 BC as a resting place for the Pharoahs before their journey into the eternal life. As a kid I was always fascinated with the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and of course the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only original Wonder still standing. Visiting this site makes me feel like an ancient explorer (aside from the pushy crowds and ever-present vendors). It is all worthwhile to see a view fit for a Pharaoh.

Here is a picture from the ‘classic’ angle. Technically this was towards the end of the tour, but it sets the scene quite nicely. While Khafre’s ‘capped’ pyramid appears to be the tallest, it is actually smaller than Khufu’s Great Pyramid (left). Khafre was clever enough to put his on higher ground and using a steeper slope, so his pyramid has the illusion of being tallest. As you pull up to the Great Pyramids complex, you are confronted by the scale of Khufu’s pyramid (aka the Great Pyramid).

This is the largest pyramid, and the only one to have burial chambers above ground. Oddly enough, the other pyramids all have the burial chamber below ground, not actually ‘inside’ the pyramid itself.

Before heading inside the Great Pyramid, we visited some of the smaller tombs in the complex. I learned that VIPs (Pyramid architects, etc) sometimes scored a tomb near the Pharoahs, and they would include an inventory of all they had in life. For instance, they would write all the oxen a person had, all the goats, chickens, etc so that when he/she made it to the afterlife he/she would have all the same things as in the ’short’ life. Heiroglyphics also explained a bit about who the person was, which is handy since I would be very forgetful if I woke up and my brain had been pulled out of my body.

I call this one “Pharoah’s Entourage” but that’s a misnomer. This appears in one of the lesser tombs, and it is a depiction of different stages of the person’s life. It is hard to tell, but they progress from young to old, left to right. Off-camera to the left are the childhood sculptures. From here we move on to another attraction- the fully reconstructed boat buried for Khufu.

The boat is about 80% original. The original ropes are still on display, and it is incredible how well they survived. Egyptologists are not entirely sure, but they believe the boat may have been built for the sole purpose of transporting the Pharoah’s body to his Pyramid. The low deck signifies that this boat was solely for use on the Nile river- the Mediterranean waters would have sunk the boat.

Well, my internet connection is really spotty, so I will have to bring part 2 of the photologue a bit later. Enjoy the pics, and stay tuned for more Pyramids and the famous Sphinx.

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