We don’t care about first editions, we want second prints!
01/06/2019
When it comes to polar exploration, history is the mother of all excursion. To close out 2018, Louis Rudd became the second person to complete a solo crossing of the continent of Antarctica. In what seems a repeat of the Shackleton/Amundsen race to the pole (that was a race to the pole and not a traversal of the continent), the…read more
10/25/2018
Almost all of what was the second-biggest island in the French Frigate Shoals disappeared on or around October 4 after having been hit by Hurricane Walaka. The category 4 storm’s high winds sent a storm surge over the small islet almost completely destroying it. The now-gone 11-acre island was known as East Island and was part of the Northwestern Hawaiian…read more
10/17/2018
The legal sale of recreational marijuana began today (10/17/18) in Canada, the second country to do so. More than just decriminalizing its use, or limiting its use or sale to specific places, people can now buy, cultivate, and use marijuana to their heart’s content (if their hearts are content with whatever limits their provinces may impose, that is). None of…read more
05/29/2018
Updated on 09/24/2022
When Alan Bean retired from NASA and decided to become a full-time professional fine-art artist, he had to shed his aeronautical engineering and astronaut self to allow his inner artistic vision come through to the canvas. Not an easy task for the former Apollo 12 astronaut, one of only 12 men to have walked on the surface of the moon,…read more
02/28/2018
Updated on 09/20/2022
Finner, razorback, flathead, common rorqual, herring whale, finback whale — these are all names for the fin whale, an animal that few outside of the marine biology or maritime communities know or care about. But it is a majestic animal with sleek hydrodynamic lines and curves that roams the world’s oceans gulping down plankton and fish in astonishing quantities. Second…read more
02/22/2018
Updated on 09/06/2022
Attempts to summit K2 begin in Islamabad. From there you will spend a day driving in a rickety bus toward the town of Skardu on the dangerous Karakoram Highway (and they’re using the term “highway” VERY loosely here). You’ll probably have an armed guard wth your party because aside from the road itself being dangerous, there are people on it who…read more
02/02/2018
Updated on 10/08/2018
It’s February 2 — favorite day for SilverMedals.net enthusiasts! Not only is it the second day of the second month and the anniversary of the launch of SilverMedals.net, it is also Groundhog Day! Yes, it’s the day where fancy men in top hats stand outside in the freezing cold staring at the furry little rodents and their shadows. As a…read more
01/28/2018
Updated on 10/08/2018
Last May, SM did a blog post on a team of mountain climbers from Poland who were going to attempt a winter ascent on K2, little did anyone know that those same climbers would end up being heroes. A multi-national climbing party was attempting to summit Nanga Parbat, the second-highest peak in Pakistan at 26,660ft (8,125m), and the ninth-highest mountain…read more
01/25/2018
Updated on 10/08/2018
A celestial event will occur in February 2018. The event may not be as exciting as say, an eclipse, or a comet, or a good meteor shower. In fact, it’s not even an event per se, but more an oddity of the calendar. For ease of language we’ll just call it an “event”. So the event about which I am…read more