A Terrifying, Fascinating Timelapse of 30 Years of Human Impact on Earth

Since the 1970s, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey have been amassing satellite images of every inch of our planet as part of the Landsat program. Over time, the images reveal a record of change: of cities expanding, lakes and forests disappearing, new islands emerging from the sea off the coast of rising Middle East metropolises like Dubai.

If you could thumb through these historic pictures as if in a flip book, they would show stunning change across the earth's surface, in both our natural environments and our man-made ones. Now, the digital equivalent of that experience is possible – three decades of global change as a GIF – in a project between NASA, the USGS, TIME, Google, and the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University.

Landsat images taken between 1984 and 2012 have been converted into a seamless, navigable animation built from millions of satellite photos.

Follow the link to a few of the GIFs Google has created showing some of the most startling pockets of change - LINK

Changing of the guard

In a much less fanfare than the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace three new state representatives have been appointed to replace the outgoing members who have completed their terms on the committee. 

Here's the new line up:
Nav Sunner takes over from Alex Frankcombe in WA.
Harry Quartermain takes over from Michael Dixon in NSW.
Sara Vikstrom takes over from Claire Armstrong in TAS.

Placemaking is a sweat!

The 'Fat Jew' aka Fabrizio Goldstein teaches Bikram Yoga at the NYC Second Avenue F-train stop.

The New York subways are notoriously hot and many commuters consider riding the subway in August unbearable, a daily torture that has to be endured to get around the city. One man has used the puffs of hot air from the trains to his advantage and has transformed the underground into a Bikram Yoga Class for the homeless.

Comedian Fabrizio Goldstein, who also goes by the alias 'Fat Jew', is passing on his skills to the destitute, by helping them limber up during the sweaty classes.

More here - Link

PIA calls for clarity on the future of Australian cities

THE Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) has called for clarity from the Federal Government on the future of Australian cities following the dismantling of the Major Cities Unit, which was established by the former Labor Government in 2008 to advice on issues of policy, planning and infrastructure that have an impact on cities.

Read more at Urbanalyst