The View From Space - LIVE

So, last weekend, I discovered one of the most amazing websites in the history of all amazingness : The NASA HDEV website. HDEV, in this case stands for High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV), and to quote the NASA project page is an experiment which "places four commercially available HD cameras on the exterior of the space station and uses them to stream live video of Earth for viewing online." AMAZING. I MEAN, SERIOUSLY AMAZING!!!

I am completely addicted to it and have spent literally hours and hours watching it, and I would encourage you as much as possible to spend some time viewing the camera and exploring your own planet. It's beautiful. Over the past week, I've taken quite a lot of screen shots of my computer. Here's what I've seen of the earth over the past 7 days. Not bad eh? So enjoy these, but go look yourself and see what you can see. 

And if anyone from the HDEV program happens to stumble upon this blog post, then thank you, thank you so much for this. It is just....well, there aren't enough superlatives to describe how amazing this project it, but thank you (did I say thank you?)

All the services are provided by the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV (there, that's my recommended citation out of the way)

So, without further ado...

A sunset...pretty awesome huh?

Baja California

California, Edwards AFB, Los Angeles metro area, Californian Channel Islands

Northern Canada, near Greenland

The Greek island of Crete

Somewhere over Earth....a cloudy region!

Florida - see how the clouds hug the shape of the state. 

Portugal, Spain and the Straits of Gibraltar 

Spain, the Straits of Gibraltar, and Morocco

Portugal, with Lisbon showing just to the left of centre

The start of another beautiful sunset, with the light shimmering on the ocean beneath. There's a sunset ever 90 minutes.

Lake Mead (bottom right), Grand Canyon, Arizona

Lake Superior, USA/Canada

Libya

Madagascar

Lake Malawi, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania

Moonset

The coastline of Peru and Chile

I can't quite remember this one, but I think it was the Rocky Mountains

This definitely was the Canadian Rockies

The world's largest salt flat, the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

The region of Galicia, Spain, and the Atlantic Ocean

Spain

The UK (Cornwall) and France (Brittany)

England, (top), English Channel, and France

The Suez Canal, Red Sea, Dead Sea, Israel, Jordan and Egypt

The Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea

Sunset

Peru, Bolivia, Salar de Uyuni and Lake Titicaca



Texan/Mexican border, looking south



A hazy California, showing Lake Tahoe and just on the edge, a hazy San Francisco Bay Area



California and Nevada. Can you spot Lake Mead and Edwards AFB?



Egypt, Sahara desert and the River Nile



Lake Tanganyika, Lake Mweru, DR Congo, Zambia



Coast of Western Sahara, Mauritania, Atlantic Ocean



The eastern coast of South Africa/Durban



Coast of Angola



Colorado's Front Range, with Denver, Colorado Springs and Boulder below.



The coast of Texas, Louisiana, New Orleans



Great Salt Lake Desert, Salt Lake City, Utah



Pretty cloud formation over the South Atlantic

The Gulf of Mexico, with the clouds hugging the land mass of the US.



Lake Michigan, Wisconsin, Chicago, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan



Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Toronto, Georgian Bay, MI, OH, IN, PA, NY, CA-ON



Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Chesapeake Bay, Portsmouth, VA



Namibe Province, Angola, Etosha Pan, Skeleton Coast, Namibia



Mauritania, Senegal, Dakar



Qinghai Lake, Gobi Desert, China



Xi'an, Qinling mountains, Shaanxi province, China



The northern tip of Qld, Australia, from Princess Charlotte Bay to the Gulf of Carpentaria



Lake Titicaca, Salar de Uyuni, Peru, Bolivia



The Andes, Chile, Argentina



Lake Titicaca, Poopó Lake, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Salar de Uyuni



Chile, border with Argentina, La Serena



San Juan province, Argentina



Catamarca province formations in Argentina



The coastline of Chile



Namib desert, Namibia



Lake Tanganyika, DR Congo, Tanzania



River Nile, Egypt, Sudan



River Nile



River Nile, Luxor, Egypt



Egypt, Gulf of Aqaba, Gulf of Suez, Saudi Arabia, Jordan



Northern Egypt, Israel, Gaza, Negev Desert, Dead Sea, Israel, Jordan



Tassili n'Ajjer desert, Algeria



Tassili n'Ajjer desert sand dunes, Algeria



Coastline of Libya, Tripoli



Idhan Murzuq desert, Libya



Libya coastline, Benghazi



Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, Dagestan, Russia



Chechnya



Lake Chad, Chad



Nile Delta, Cairo, Alexandria, Egypt



Salar de Uyuni, Lake Titicaca, Poopó Lake, Bolivia, Peru, Chile



Gulf of San Matias, Argentina



Southern UK, Isle of Wight, Bristol Channel, Northern France



Western Sahara, Fuerteventura, Gran Ganaria



Western Sahara, Mauritania



Andes, Salta province, Argentina



Black Rock Desert, Nevada



Mountains, Atacama desert, Chile



Cornwall, UK and Brittany, France



Gijon, Asturias, Castile and León, Spain



North Coast of Spain (Bilbao) and Atlantic Coast of France (Bordeaux)



France



James Bay, Canada



James Bay, Canada - overhead view



Brittany (Brest), Normandy, France, Jersey and Guernsey



English Channel, south coast of UK, Isle of Wight, Dover, Calais, northern France



California - From San Francisco/Santa Cruz Mountains on the left to San Diego on the right




Buenos Aires, Argentina, Uruguay, Uruguay River



Ireland, UK, northern France



England and Wales



Crossing between Dover, UK and Calais, France



Deforestation in Rondônia state, Brazil



Coastlines of Libya and Egypt, Mediterranean Sea



Greek islands (Crete, Karpathos, Rhodes)



Cyprus, coastline of Turkey, Antalya



Caspian Sea, Ural River, Kazakhstan



Aktobe Province, Kazakhstan, North Aral Sea



Tunisia, Tunis



The boot of Italy, Sardinia, Malta



The leg and boot of Italy - perhaps the most recognisable land shape!



Tarawa atoll, Kiribati



Nile Delta, Gulf of Suez, Egypt, Dead Sea, Israel



Cyprus



Lake Assad, Euphrates River, Syria, Atatürk Barajı, Lake Van, Turkey



Lake Baikal, Russia



Tunis, Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia



Sicily, Italy, Malta



Albania, Ionian Islands (Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos) Greece



Taranto, Vesuvius, Southern Italy



Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dalmatia, Croatia



Canary Islands, Spain, coast of Western Sahara



Wales, Swansea



East coast of Australia, Brisbane, Gold Coast



New Caledonia



Sunrise



Albania, Ionian Islands (Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos) Greece - above



Macedonia, Greece, Thessaloniki



Port-au-Prince, Haiti



Northern UK, Irish sea, Isle of Man, northern Wales, Merseyside



White Sands National Monument. Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range, Trinity Site, Carrizozo Malpais lava flow, New Mexico, El Paso, TX, Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, Roswell



Libyan coastline, Benghazi



Greece, Athens, Crete, Greek islands



Turkey, Lake Tuz, Black Sea



Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine, Russia, Sevastopol, Black Sea



Cancun, Mexico



Florida, The Bahamas



Eastern coast of Newfoundland, Canada



Cornwall, UK, north coast of France



Lake Winnipeg, Canada



Spain, Bay of Biscay, France, English Channel



Bahamas



California, Salton Sea, Nevada, Area 51, Grand Canyon,  Arizona



Lake Nipigon, Canada



Great Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada



Baja California, Isla Ángel de la Guarda, Mexico



Ahaggar Mountains, Algeria



Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine



Volga River, between Volgograd and Saratov, Russia



Barlavento Islands, Cape Verde



Canary Islands



Straits of Gibraltar, Tangier, Morocco, Malaga, Seville, Granada, Sierra Morena mountains, Spain,



Valencian Community, Valencia, Spain



Côte d'Azur, Marseille, Toulon, French Riviera, Étang de Berre, France



Panama City, Saint Joseph Bay, Apalachicola Bay, Tallahasse, Florida



Cape Cod, Boston, Massachusetts, Providence, Rhode Island, Long Island, Lower New York Bay



Nova Scotia, Halifax, Canada



Newfoundland, Canada



San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay, Silicon Valley, San Jose, Santa Cruz Mountains, Modesto, Stockton, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, California



Coastline of Belize, Belize City, Banco Chinchorro, Turneffe Atoll, Lighthouse Reef



Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, Anticosti Island, Newfoundland, Canada



Boot of Italy (Sicily), Malta, Gozo, Mediterranean Sea



Coast of Libya, Crete, Greece, Mediterranean Sea



Portugal, Spain, Straits of Gibraltar, Morocco



Portugal, Spain, Straits of Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria



Barcelona, Spain, Andorra, Pyrenees



Sardinia, Corsica, Italy, Genoa, France, Nice, Monaco, French Riviera



Ukraine, Crimea, Sea of Azov, Kakhovka Reservoir



Cyprus, Nile Delta, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian areas, Gulf of Suez, Red Sea



Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Dead Sea, Palestinian areas, Syria, Suez Canal, Jordan, Saudi Arabia



Nevada, Groom Lake, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Black Rock Desert, California



Cape Cod, MA, New York, NY, Long Island



Balearic Islands (Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca), Spain, Algeria, Africa



Volga River, Delta, Russia, Caspian Sea



Sicily, Italy, Tunis, Gulf of Hammamet, Tunisia, Mediterranean



Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, Utah, Nevada, Arizona



Morocco



Hawaii



The toe of Italy



Aswan, Aswan Dam, Lake Nasser, Egypt



Morocco, Spain, Alboran Sea, Gibraltar, Malaga, Marbella



Eastern France, Paris, Alps, Switzerland, Italy



Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Caribbean Sea



Netherlands, Amsterdam



Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine , Russia



Isfahan Province, Namak Lake, Kuhrud Mountains, Iran



Yazd Province, Iran



Southern Florida, Lake Okeechobee, Cape Coral, Everglades, Florida Keys



Curaçao, Aruba, Venezuala



Balearic Islands (Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera)



North American Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario)



Canadian Rockies, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada



Garabogazköl, Turkmenistan, Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan



Greece, Greek Islands (Crete, Rhodes, many others), Western Turkey



Ha'il, Northern Borders, Jawf, Tabuk regions, An Nafud desert, Saudi Arabia



Boa Vista, Sal, Cape Verde, Atlantic Ocean



Salem, Eugene, Oregon



Virginia Beach, Portmouth, Newport News, VA, MD, DE, Washington, DC, Chesapeake Bay



Coast of Brazil, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro



Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, Tarapaca region, Chile



Kauai, Niihau, Hawaii



Borders of Maranhao and Piaui states, Parnaíba River, Brazil



Mouth of the Amazon River, Belem, Guamá River, Ilha de Marajó, Abaetetuba, Pará River, Brazil



French Guiana, Suriname, Maroni River



Barbados



Solimões River, Japurá River, Juruá River, Amazonas state, Brazil



Santa Marta, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Magdalena River, Dique Canal, Guajaro reservoir, Colombia



Pinar del Río Province, Artemisa province, Cuba



Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Belize, Yucatán Peninsula



Sudan, Egypt, River Nile, Lake Nasser, Sudan, Egypt, River Nile, Lake Nasser, Libyan desert



Libyan desert, Haruj volcanic field



Coastline of Libya



Tunisia, Malta, Gozo, Sicily, Italy



Balearic Islands, coastlines of Spain, France, Pyrenees



Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, Utah



Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood, Mount Adams, Gilbert Peak, Mount Rainer, Mount St Helens, Ochoco, Malheur and Umatilla National Forests, Oregon, Washington



Sofala, Inhambane provinces, Save River, Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique



Salar de Uyuni, Lake Poopo, Bolivia



Idhan Murzuq desert, Libya, Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria



Spain, Straits of Gibraltar, Morocco



Antofagasta province, Llullaillaco National Park, Chile, Salar de Arizaro, Salta Province, Argentina



Jamaica, Cuba



Yellowstone National Park, Bighorn National Forest, Wind River Range, Wyoming



Socotra island, Abd al Kuri, Yemen, Eastern Somalia



Yemen, Oman, Gulf of Aden



Saudi Arabia, Rub' al Khali (The Empty Quarter), Qatar, Bahrain



Iraq (Al-Anbar, Al Najaf, Al-Muthanna, Al-Basrah, Karbala, Baghdad, Wasit, Babil, Al-Qadisiyah, Misan, Thi Qar provinces), Saudi Arabia, Persian (Arabian) Gulf, Kuwait



Syria, Damascus, Lebanon, Euphrates River, Haditha Dam, Iraq, Lake Tharthar, Israel, Gaza, West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Gulf of Aqaba, Dead Sea, Jordan



Cyprus, Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon



Nile Delta, Egypt, River Nile, Gulf of Suez, Gulf of Aqaba, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia



Greece, Athens, Greek islands, Crete, western coast of Turkey



Heel and toe of Italy, Albania, Montenegro



San Francisco Bay Area, California coastline



California, Santa Barbara, Vandenberg AFB, Edwards AFB, Bakersfield, Los Angeles basin, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Clemente, Santa Catalina islands, Salton Sea, Baja California



That's it for now. I may add more later.

Now what are you waiting for, go look! http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV/

Tinder

So, here’s the problem. It appears that despite the internet trying, on mass to tell me that I will die alone, surrounded by (can one die alone, surrounded by?) my (insert animal of choice, for my it’s meerkats), I would still quite like to find that special person. Once I get past the “Oh my god, breasts!” part, I’m quite a romantic kind of guy. I like the idea of finding someone, so, I thought I’d try a few of these dating apps/sites. Over the years, I’ve tried a few, and had some successes in finding someone, who over time turned out not to be Rachel Stevens my special one. The most recent one, is Tinder, which is basically a phone app for lazy people who are feeling judgemental*. This suited my needs, so I downloaded it.

* = If you don’t know what Tinder is by the way, it’s an app you download to your phone. You scroll through search results (displayed to you based on your search preferences). If you like a profile, you swipe right, if you don’t like it, you swipe left. If two people swipe right on one another and there’s a mutual match, then it allows you to message one another.

Here are a few thoughts I’ve had about it and the people I've seen on it.

Machu Picchu. WHY? I mean, why must 90% of people post a photograph of themselves perched high above what can only be described as a really bad place to put a bunch of rocks. I get that they’re proud they took an air conditioned bus climbed through the paved roads rainforests to reach this place which has no starbucks so is of little relevance to me magical kingdom. If they’re proud of it and had a nice time, fine, I’m very pleased for them. But, the fact that so many people post photographs of it, tells me that they’re trying to say “look at me, I’m brave and can go places that are off the beaten track. I can slum it!”. So yes, well done to them. They are off the beaten track, living it up in true Ray Mears style (minus the organised trips, and sherpa type people carrying their devices beginning with iP of course)

Tigers. I never knew before I signed up to Tinder that there were so many sedated tigers having their photos taken with people (who have probably also been to Macchu Picchu). I don’t really get it. Are they trying to say they’re brave to go near a tiger? If so, may I point out that it has been sedated. In fact, I put it to you that the majority of people would go near something dangerous, providing the danger had been removed from the situation. Anyway, the conclusion I have come to now, is that tigers aren’t endangered, they’ve just been sedated and are all asleep somewhere. So, I will not be sponsoring any more tigers (which by the way I know don’t actually write to me. Please Google “opposable thumbs” for more information on why animals you adopt aren’t sitting there in their dens penning letters to their adopters)

Moustaches. There appears to be a worryingly large number of women on Tinder who are wearing fake (I hope) moustaches. If this is supposed to entice me in, then may I suggest lingerie? If I wanted to hook up with someone with a moustache I would either not have informed the app that I’m a guy looking for a girl, or I would have dated my Aunt Mildred.

Photographs of people drinking. Yes, because everybody is looking for a drunk to settle down with aren’t they?

Healthy people. Then there are those people who look so fit and healthy. You know they eat muesli for breakfast, then run 10k, before drinking one of their special smoothies (which by the way, they made by themselves and are more than happy to ram that fact down your throat). You know they’re being smug and although you hate them for it, you still envy them as you look down at your steaming microwaved Tesco horse lasagna.

Anyway, enough ranting. There are some good things to this app. The main one, as stated above, is that finally, someone has invented a tool that allows me to sit around in my old PJ’s, moving on my thumb to say if I like someone. It also allows me to swipe left on people with excessive facial piercings, but this is another rant for another day).

There are also some odd things I noticed too. I have realised that Tinder will never fully work for British people, because we are far too preoccupied with not offending people (and I am a bad for a British person). I find it so hard to swipe left on anybody. Even though they won’t actually find out, I still worry for them. What if no-one else swipes right on them? Will they feel hurt? Oh my god, what if I’m the reason they go and do something stupid? I should probably apologise for this by telling someone I don’t like, that I like them, even though they won’t know. And if they do, and they hunt me down, I can always do that thing that your parents train you to do as a kid when the Jehovah Witnesses come round - turn off all the lights and play dead until they’ve gone, then wait another 30 minutes just to make sure.

Anyway, this blog post is of course irrelevant, because no-one actually replies on Tinder anyway, do they?

How to be nice, in a terrified kind of way

Last Saturday, I saw my good friend, Sarah. The next day, I received a lovely message from her which said she'd been telling her Mum about me. The message said

"I said you knew what was what and you were not only a good person who was always kind to others. You make living a good life and being a good person look so easy. You make doing the right thing look obvious."

Now I don't know if that's true or not. I hope it is, because what a lovely message. If her assessment of me is correct, then I've done very well in my life and my efforts are becoming well worth it. It got me thinking (and then once I had stopped wondering why fridge has a D in it, but refrigerator doesn't) about her message. Let's just say for one brief moment that Sarah is correct (not because she isn't usually though). Let's say I am a nice person and I do this being nice thing very well (I am terribly self-deprecating by the way). What views do I have that might be contributing to this? Well, I came up with this list below. (I should just state, more to satisfy my own mind and allow for my hand to click on "publish" that this is written on the imaginary basis of me not being a complete twit.)

So, here is a guide that I am calling "How to be nice, by a person who each day is terrified that he is not nice, therefore meaning he probably is nice, but could never genuinely entertain that..."

1. Always smile at people.

Now, I live in London and in London, there is an unwritten rule that states that should you find yourself in the position of smilee, then you're a) about to be mugged, b) canvassed by a politician or c) have your liver eaten by a psychopath. However, I choose to smile at people. Why? Is it because I want to mug them? No, because by the time I have doused my hands in anti-bacterial hand gel, they would probably have enough time to escape. Am I a politician? No, and be thankful I am not. Am I a liver-liking psychopath? No. I prefer chicken. I smile at them, because I genuinely believe that it will brighten their day (once they realise they're not about to be mugged, asked for their vote or gutted). Chances are that that person is fighting a battle, whether that be health issues, work stresses, money issues or friends using your when it should be you're. So we should all smile more at one another and show one another that we are not alone in this world.

2. Never say that you're a nice person, but instead say that you always try to be a nice person.

Personally I feel that the moment a person says about themselves "I'm a nice person", then it can only fuel an arrogance. You're human and sometimes you're going to balls it up. You're going to say the wrong thing. You're going to come across as a bigot. You're going to use your when it should be you're (hopefully very rarely though). If you decide that you have become a nice person and have achieved some special position, then you're more likely to question less if someone says (for example) "what you said/did there hurt me". It's a fine line, because I agree with the view that we should all think highly of ourselves, but I believe that we can tell ourselves that the act of trying always to be nice and kind is itself something to be proud of.

3. Don't try to change people unless they ask explicitly.

Obviously, I need to preface this with saying this is just my view, otherwise I'm just being hypocritical. But, personally I don't like the culture of this "think again!" when a person presents their view. I feel it's easy for people to tell others that they're wrong without considering their right to an opinion which will have been based on a whole series of life experiences. Personally, I find it much more helpful to just accept their right to individuality and having their own opinions. Sure, if someone says "I don't like the way I think about X, please help me", then go ahead. But if someone states an opinion you disagree with, then embrace that difference, don't say "no, you're wrong and I must tell you why". THAT IS JUST MY OPINION THOUGH AND IT HELPS ME.

4. Be thankful and grateful

Each day/week, make a list of one thing or several things that you are grateful for. It really could be the smallest thing. Maybe you're grateful for friends and family. Maybe you're just thankful for whoever invented shoelaces because it helped you stand up more safely.

5. Want others to be happy

It sounds simple, but really make an effort to have a huge desire for everyone around you to become as free from any suffering they may have as quickly as possible.

6. Consider what might make someone's day go 1% more easily.

If we all do this constantly, then that will go to make a large percentage. Hold the door open for someone, ask how someone is. Chances are the person you're interacting with has a worry. You might not be able to remove anything big from their list, but you can offer someone a drink, you can hold a door open for them, you can send someone a photo of a meerkat (I like meerkats).

7. Realise that you have a huge impact. There might be 7 billion of us in the world, but actually I feel our impact is potentially enormous. We all have stories about people who have influenced us positively and traumatised us. Often people will describe people who did something many years ago that still influences them now. In my mind, each day there is the opportunity to be one of those people that in 20 years time, the person you spoke with will say "I remember this person from years ago. S/he did this for me. I am still thankful".

8. Make people laugh

I've had times in my life where I did not smile for a very long time. As in the physical action of smiling where the muscles in the face move up and a neurological process takes place to produce pleasure did not happen for many months. After I began to smile again, I realised I had not been experiencing something very profound and something that is a great gift. I vowed to try and give that gift to as many people as possible before my days on this planet are numbered. What an amazing gift to give to someone eh? Also, this is partly because I don't want to have to spend my money buying you a voucher.

9. Be interested in people

If someone chooses to share something with you, be flattered. Us humans can be a reserved bunch. If someone opens their heart to us, then we are very privileged. Don't shirk that responsibility.

10. Avoid dehumanising people

Everyone you will speak to was born naked, kicking and screaming sharing the same basic desires as you - you both want to be happy and healthy. Try not to lose sight of the very basic element that we all share.

OK, that's it! If I think of anything else, I'll add it here. See you later, everyone. And remember, these are just my views that have helped me (allegedly) become a nice person.

My Top Ten Instagram Accounts To Follow

If you're on Instagram, you'll know that some people have really run with it to show us many beautiful things. These are my top 10 accounts.

1. @usinterior

What do they say about themselves? U.S. Department of the Interior Protecting America’s Great Outdoors and Powering Our Future. This is the official account for the Department. http://www.doi.gov

What do I like about it? The range of beauty that is offered on our planet. America is very lucky to be the host of a lot of this beauty.





2. @mpsasu

What do they say about themselves? Welcome to the new Instagram Account of @MPSinthesky. We will hopefully bring you photos of #London while we police the capital. Pic use must credited https://twitter.com/MPSinthesky

What do I like about it? I love London, I live in London and I love aerial photography. So, this is a perfect account for me.





3. @missunderground

What do they say about themselves? @MissUnderground In love with the London Underground. iPhone 5 only. @Miss_Jess http://www.missunderground.com

What do I like about it? I couldn't say I'm a huge fan of riding on the London Underground, or tube as the locals call it. However, I am in awe of the feats of engineering it has achieved over the years, its scale and what it offers millions of people every day.





4. @petesouza

What do they say about themselves? Chief Official White House Photographer. Comments posted on White House pages may be archived. Learn more at wh.gov/privacy. http://flickr.com/whitehouse

What do I like about it? Pete is an extremely talented photographer. Well, I supposed you'd have to be to become the official White House Photographer. His behind the scenes view of the US Presidency is a joy to see.





5. @alexstrohl

What do they say about themselves? Photographer — Vancouver, BC alex@stayandwander.com http://stayandwander.com

What do I like about it? I've only just discovered this guy, but I love his scenic photographs, mainly of British Columbia in Canada - one of the world's most beautiful regions.





6. @jethromullen

What do they say about themselves? Hong Kong, and occasionally elsewhere. Journalist at CNN

What do I like about it? Also just discovered this guy. I love how it shows us amazing views of the urban sprawl of Hong Kong. His artistic perspectives of the tower blocks works really well too!





7. @alanisko

What do they say about themselves? World around me in squares - 3k iPhone Only Shots, now also with help of QX100 - Thanks for and - Meet me in London, UK http://about.me/alanisko

What do I like about it? So many beautiful shots of this great city of London, ranging from the obvious landmarks to the pretty little riverside walkways. This account will help to appreciate London's diversity.





8. @davidangell

What do they say about themselves? Tech, pixels, ☮, ❤. @Miss_Jess Appreciation Society http://www.davidangell.org

What do I like about it? Using the background of a bird in flight (I've no idea how long it's taken him to collect all these), an inspirational quote by a famous scientist, author or philosopher will get you thinking for the day.





9. @nasakennedy

What do they say about themselves? The official Instagram account for NASA's Kennedy Space Center. http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy

What do I like about it? There is something about the Kennedy Space Centre that provokes a sense of wanting to discover our universe. These photos are likely to trigger this basic human response to understand all that we can.

10. I know of another one that is going to be launched soon, so I'm keeping this space for that!