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Malta's Azure Window Collapses Into the Sea (timesofmalta.com)
New submitter Duvzo writes: Sadly, our famous [Azure Window] landmark disappeared today, and not just the arch but the whole offshore stack has vanished. Strong gale force winds hit Malta yesterday, ultimately causing their landmark to collapse. Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, said the news was heartbreaking. "Reports commissioned over the years indicated that this landmark would be hard hit by unavoidable natural corrosion. That sad day arrived," he said.
Slashdot reader Duvzo notes that the landmark was featured in Clash of the Titans and Game of Thrones. It served as the backdrop to the Dothraki wedding scene in the Game of Thrones.
Slashdot reader Duvzo notes that the landmark was featured in Clash of the Titans and Game of Thrones. It served as the backdrop to the Dothraki wedding scene in the Game of Thrones.
Just because an Azure instance crashes, along with an entire Windows stack, does not make this a news-for-nerds story.
Video won't load, I'm guessing we crashed their server.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
in 2013 geologists said the thing probably had decades left, but when a geologist says something will happen to a rock formation in timeframe that is anything less than thousand years...well that's the same as saying "very soon and any time now"
The arch was remains of caves that collapsed, and also being made of limestone not surprising the rest of it was doomed.
I dare say we know who is responsible for this, as in all things.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
It wasn't even that impressive of an arch. We have sea arches far larger than that here in Iceland.
The big brain am winning again! I am the greetist! Now I am leaving for no particular raisin!
While I struggle to see how this story is relevant to Slashdot, I do see how it would be heartbreaking. Just because the landscape changes naturally doesn't mean you shouldn't be sad when you lose a thing of beauty. Disagree if you like but I think a compassionate person would at least empathize with the locals.
How is this heartbreaking? Maybe they are heartbroken that fewer tourists will visit them? Natural formations change all the time. The planet does not stand still.
I visited New Hampshire shortly after their iconic "Old Man of the Mountain' geological feature collapsed. Most people were pretty upset.
The reasons? No doubt it was something that had "always been there" during these folks lifetime. If you look at how upset some Slashdotters are about change, it might start to make some sense.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Gotta love the Prime Minister's tweet: "Tieqa tad-Dwejra in #Gozo has collapsed. Updates soon."
My prediction for the first update: "At this stage Tieqa tad-Dwejra remains in a state of collapse. Next update in one hour."
I could be wrong, I never really did understand entropy.
One of Argentina's natural landmarks is the yearly fall of the Perito Moreno glaciar bridge. People come from around the world to the specific place this natural monument gets formed towards the end of the winter and watch it collapse.
Fortunately, it is a repeatable build.
Here in Victoria we had a coastal rock formation which the Europeans prophetically named "London Bridge". It was a tourist attraction for many a year until, as the song goes, it fell down.
Nearby along the ocean road there are the "12 Apostles" but I think they're down to 7 or 8 of them now.
Commiserations to the Maltese.
Stuff that matters?? Really?
My town has several arches like this one, including some that are equally likely to collapse in geologically bad weather. What we mean by this is a soaking midwinter rain followed by a hard freeze. We had a rockslide on one of our pinnacles earlier this winter. There will certainly be others. The next one to go could be a large block that has been cracking from the edge of our largest sinkhole for several years. The crack is steadily getting wider.
it's relevant to Slashdot because it lines up the obvious opportunity to make jokes about Windows Azure...
That's seriously the only reason I can see this article made it to the front page.
We've gotten some big chunks breaking off Dyrhólaey recently, including one that nearly took a tourist out with it. You know, you might have survived falling off the Azure Window, but you're not going to survive falling off Dyrhólaey.
The big brain am winning again! I am the greetist! Now I am leaving for no particular raisin!
And apparently, it's got puffins. For those of you have not seen this species, seagulls designed by a committee.
I'm off topic, but I love Iceland. The geography, the people, the language, the history. If there was more of a tech scene there, I'd try everything to move there. I'm originally from a snowy and frozen middle-of-nowhere bit of Canada, so even the Icelandic winter seems awesome to me!
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
...they should have built a wall to protect its greatness.
A huuuuuuuge one.
And made the ocean pay for it.
There's a certain irony to it too, Malta is a migration point for many birds passing between Europe and the Middle East and Africa as part of their winter migrations, this results in some spectacular scenes of natural beauty and yet Malta has uncontrolled illegal hunting of them such that it's causing real problems not just for the migrations, but for the number of these birds in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East as they get killed traversing between.
People have been shot at and arrested for reporting on this within Malta despite the fact they're effectively trying to raise awareness of illegality. It seems a bit odd that Malta would cry about the collapse of a few rocks whilst supporting wanton destruction of other aspects of their natural heritage and beauty.
I guess it's one of those "We only miss it when it's gone" type things? We have similar formations like this in the UK too so I agree, it's hardly rare or unique, though the closest one to me is mostly covered in bird shit because it's a Puffin/Ganet breeding ground, but at least it's still standing I guess.
Still, perhaps they should look on the bright side, at least they have a new scuba diving site with an interesting back story.
Not that far off. Puffins are a species of awk, which is in the same suborder (Lari) as gulls, terns, skuas and skimmers.
They are admittedly quite adorable. I have a parrot and their behavior reminds me a lot of parrots. They're also eaten here (puffins, not parrots).
The big brain am winning again! I am the greetist! Now I am leaving for no particular raisin!
So, which birds are a species of sed ? We've already discussed those related to awk. . . .
Geologic feature disappears, Slashdot readers are indifferent. Headphone jack disappears, Slashdot readers lose their mind.
"Sadly, our famous [Azure Window] landmark..."
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Summation: "I haven't seen or heard of it, therefore it can't be important."
I'm sorry your worldview is so narrow that you can't have compassion for a people that lost something that was important to them.
I've never heard of it or seen it, but that doesn't mean "the world is no poorer" now that it's gone. The only comparison I can think of are the cultural and religious sculptures, monuments, etc. that were/are getting destroyed by ISIS. Just because it doesn't affect me personally and, based on my opinion, there are nicer sculptures, monuments, etc where I have visited doesn't mean nothing of value was lost.
The Old Man of the Mountain was the most popular natural landmark in NH, by far, although the nearby flume gorge and basin are more spectacular.
You could imagine that it was Abe Lincoln or someone like that, whose visage God had carved out of the edge of the rocky cliff. A sad day when it collapsed.
The wife and I took a hike up Franconia notch (errgh, that sounds kinda dirty) and what a stunning place! walking in the 20 feet or so notch between sheer cliffs, and with all the tumbled rocks, it looked like some Tolkien novel setting.
Then there's Mount Washington, Cannon Mountain, Castle in the Clouds and a lot of other great things. I'm starting to sound like a travelogue here.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Geologic feature disappears, Slashdot readers are indifferent. Headphone jack disappears, Slashdot readers lose their mind.
Very well played sir! Well played indeed. This needs modded up.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
Long time reader, first time submitter. Yes I was surprised too, but Game of Thrones, Harryhausen, ... That's all it was, but I did literally LOL at the OP's comment
"click bait"
Summation: "I haven't seen or heard of it, therefore it can't be important."
I'm saying I saw the pictures of it, I've travelled all over to compare, so I KNOW it's not that important.
I'm sorry your worldview is so narrow
To the contrary; because my worldview is vastly more expanded than yours, I have the context to know how important this really is. You apparently Have not spent much time photographing sea shores around the world or you would know better.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I'm saying I saw the pictures of it, I've travelled all over to compare, so I KNOW it's not that important.
"Until [event] I'd never heard of [thing] before, but I've personally seen plenty of related [things]. After [event] I looked at a couple pictures of [thing] and have decided that because it doesn't appear interesting to me, nothing of value was lost." That comment works out fine if you are an exert in things like cars, or books, or some other commodity items. Making comments like that about cultural items, things that most likely hold significant personal value to a large group of people, just makes you sound like a dick.
I have the context to know how important this really is.
Good to know. Maybe put that in your comment next time.
To the contrary; because my worldview is vastly more expanded than yours,
Yup, there you go sounding like a dickhead again. You don't know shit about me. Maybe I'm and expert in this field, maybe I'm not. What we have already established is that you and I are on the same playing field when it comes to this particular landmark. Neither of us knew a thing about it until we read this article, and both of us have looked at a few pictures of it.
You apparently Have not spent much time photographing sea shores around the world or you would know better.
Again, you don't know that. I haven't, but it's not relevant to the conversation. Looking at a picture of something, waving your hand and saying "The world is no poorer for its passing", while explicitly stating you know nothing else about it doesn't give you any more credibility than I have on the subject.
God, I hate you millennial hipster idiots eith your change is always good philosophy. A beautiful, natural formation eroding away IS heartbreaking. It has nothing to do with not being able to accept change. Frickin' retard.
Have I offended you?
Good.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
You're not even trying.
A. Coward, what you have just written is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this thread is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
When you live in a sick society, just about everything you do is wrong.