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EartherClimate ChangeIcelanders Mourn Loss of Okjökull Glacier With Ceremony, Plaque
Politicians, scientists, and others gathered in Borgarfjörður, Iceland, northeast of Reykjavik on Sunday to mourn the loss of the Okjökull glacier, laying a plaque warning of the impact of climate change, the BBC reported. Okjökull, along with many other Icelandic glaciers, took serious hits from warming summers over the past two decades. It was officially … Continued
By Tom McKay -
EartherClimate ChangeScientists Wrote a Eulogy for Iceland’s First Glacier Lost to Climate Change
That may sound like an Onion headline, but alas, it is not. We’ve reached the point in our wild planetary experiment where humans are memorializing the things we’re knowingly wiping out. Iceland has lost its first glacier to rising temperatures. Now, scientists from Rice University and Iceland are planning to install a plaque near the … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherConservationShitty Tourists Flood Pristine Icelandic Canyon After Viral Justin Bieber Video
Environmentalists have a new reason to roll their eyes at Justin Bieber. According to the Associated Press, a canyon on the southern coast of Iceland where the Biebs shot a 2015 music video has been overrun with ecologically destructive tourists ever since. This was first widely reported in March, when the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon closed a … Continued
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Tech NewsNewsSuspect In Bitcoin Mining Heist Who Broke Out of Icelandic Prison Realizes Icelandic Prison Ain’t So Bad
Everyone wants to go to Iceland to get that perfect selfie for their dating profile and briefly feel what it’s like to exist in an actual paradise. But last month, a man who is suspected in a heist of $2 million-worth of bitcoin mining gear only wanted to get out. After pulling off a daring … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsNews
Man Suspected of Stealing 600 Bitcoin Mining Rigs Breaks Out of Icelandic Prison
Either this man is really good at doing crimes or Iceland is really bad at security. Authorities say a man who is suspected of being the mastermind behind the theft of $2 million worth of bitcoin mining equipment has escaped the Icelandic prison where he was being held. What’s more, he allegedly hopped a flight … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech News
Did a Poem About a Horrific Volcanic Eruption Destroy the Norse Gods of Iceland?
New research connects a powerful volcanic eruption—and a medieval poem that conjured memories of the dreaded event—to Iceland’s conversion to Christianity. At the turn of the 11th century, Iceland’s settlers formally replaced Odin, Thor, and Freya with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. A new paper published in Climatic Change suggests memories of the Eldgjá lava flood—the … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
Thieves Steal 600 Bitcoin Mining Rigs in Iceland
Every day seems to bring fresh news of a cryptocurrency exchange robbed by hackers. But thieves in Iceland have reportedly taken it up a notch, stealing around 600 computers that are used to mine bitcoin and its crypto-cousins. Eleven people have been taken into custody in connection with what authorities claim to be “the biggest series … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsSploidI Don’t Want to Hear About Your Iceland Trip Unless You Come Back With Footage Like This
How many arduous slideshows of your friends’ trips to Iceland have you had to sit through? Too many, right? After watching this stunning collection of timelapses that Martin Heck captured while briefly touring the country, I’m officially drawing the line and raising the bar when it comes to Icelandic vacation videos I’m willing to endure. … Continued
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io9Trailer FrenzyIcelandic Horror Trailer I Remember You Hints at Dark Secrets and Malevolent Spirits
Scandinavian horror is a particularly chilling subset of the genre—for obvious reasons (duh, it’s cold there), but also because filmmakers from that region tend to construct films blending slow-burn dread with sudden moments of otherworldly terror. I Remember You looks very much in that vein. Like Sweden’s frosty vampire tale Let the Right One In, … Continued
By Cheryl Eddy -
Tech News
Icelanders Worry That Voice Commands Will Kill Their Native Language
Iceland has long had a progressive outlook on technology. It’s regularly high on lists of the best countries for data privacy, the Pirate Party has a substantial place in its government, and it was the headquarters of Wikileaks for a long time. But Icelanders are currently concerned that their native language could go the way … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsSploidSeeing the Northern Lights at 35,000 Feet Is the Best Reason to Fly to Iceland
Iceland’s board of tourism is doing something right because the country has become a vacation hotspot in recent years. Apparently, even the flight up north can be a spectacular experience, as you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the northern lights from 35,000 feet. Most people would sleep the hours away on … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidIt’s Almost Unfair How Stunning Iceland Looks in This Video
Seems like it’s been a while since we checked up on our favorite country via a sweeping nature video, so it’s good to know that, yup, Iceland is still the most visually stunningly place on Earth. The drone footage comes from the Highlands of Iceland, which are in the center of the beautiful island, and … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploidIcelandic Baker Uses a Hot Spring to Cook Bread
In Laugarvatn, Iceland, the ground itself is an oven. Throughout the town, which lies within the country’s Golden Circle, hot springs bubble up through the sand at up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. While tourists soak away their cares in those same springs, old-fashioned bakers bury pots of simple rye dough in the earth to cook. … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
Iceland’s Latest Renewable Energy Project Is So Badass
Iceland, land of elves and shark meat delicacies, is proving to be far more inventive than the rest of us when it comes to new energy technologies. Having already tamed its shallow geothermal resources, the chilly island nation is now trying to tap into the power of magma. New Scientist reports on a fascinating new … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech News
The US Considered Hiding Nuclear Weapons In Iceland (And Not Telling Iceland)
New documents obtained by the National Security Archive reveal that the US government considered establishing a nuclear weapons storage site in Iceland during the 1950s. The really interesting part? The United States wasn’t going to tell Iceland. To be clear, there’s no evidence that the US has ever housed nuclear weapons in Iceland, with or … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech News
Scientists Just Discovered Something Extraordinary About Iceland’s Huge Volcano Eruption
Two years ago, Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano erupted—and it kept erupting for the next 181 days, forming the largest volcanic depression ever seen. New research reveals the extraordinary processes that transpired beneath the surface, including the formation of a magma-filled canal that measured a whopping 28 miles long. The Bardarbunga volcano began to erupt on August … Continued
