Hurricane Irma is now no more, but the data gained from the storm is only just being collated and studied. This week, NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (or SPoRT) compiled 10 days of imagery taken by the GOES-16 weather satellite into a 96 second GIF. And yes, it's as incredible as it sounds. Although the video is a bit slower than its first attempt, NASA SPoRT's GIF nonetheless tells the story of Irma -- from her birth from a tropical wave, to her final hours as a tropical depression over the southeastern United States. As Category 5 Irma churns away...
When Katrina struck southern United States back in 2005, the social media age only just started gaining momentum. Facebook was two years old, Twitter was a budding concept in the mind of Jack Dorsey, and tiny YouTube was about to be bought by Google. Now that Irma is barrelling through the Caribbean, these social networks are playing a major part in telling the developing story. Don't believe me? I bring proof: webcams. Location of above webcam Usually capturing idyllic scenes of blue water and sunshine, a number of webcams are stationed across the Caribbean are livestreaming the conditions beneath Irma's anger. These webcams...
Hurricane Irma remains a Category 5 storm swirling away in the Atlantic Ocean, but that hasn't stopped the Hurricane Hunters from flying through it. A division of the US Air Force Reserves, the Hunters have a difficult job flying into storms to access their characteristics, and relay data back to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But Irma is particularly notable for her sheer size and veracity. MUST READ: In tweets: Hurricane Irma becomes Atlantic’s fiercest hurricane ever We just saw the last of Hurricane Harvey, a storm that broke US mainland rainfall records, finally dissipate over the northeastern portion of...
A Chinese man has been charged with destroying protected wildlife in Australia after allegedly killing a kangaroo and posting a video of the act to a US hunting site. In the video, the 43-year-old man can be seen grabbing its tail and repeatedly slashing at its throat while his friend laughs and eggs him on. The video was picked up on popular Chinese app WeChat where many called for his arrest, according to South China Morning Post. Australia's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning tracked the man down to his home in Melbourne where they arrested him. All of Australia's native fauna and flora...
You just can't keep Taylor Swift out of the news, even if she's been relatively quiet for much of 2017. With the debut of the new track "Look What You Made Me Do", Swift has broke yet another record even if said record is a slightly odd one. According to Variety, the lyric video for "Look What You Made Me Do" racked up over 12-million views in its first 24 hours, becoming the first lyric video on the platform to crack the 10-million mark in its first day. At present, the clip has totalled over 41-million views, with over a million likes,...
Hurricane Harvey is a name you've probably heard a lot of this weekend, and for good reason. It's the strongest storm to make landfall on the continental United States in over a decade. It's also currently dumping street-sign-high levels of water across southern Texas. The resultant flooding has also left at least five people dead with countless others homeless. Harvey is remarkable for another reason too: its rapid intensification. The storm was stripped of its tropical depression status on 20 August, after it lost its tropical characteristics over Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. But that changed within a week. On 26 August, Harvey was...
South African recording artist Cassper Nyovest has created a stir on Twitter after dropping the video for his latest single "Destiny" yesterday. The heavily stylised video takes place in the future as featuring artist Goapele walks through an expensive, minimalist house while scrolling through holographic screens. The scene evokes imagery from the likes of Ex Machina and Black Mirror -- made even more clear when it is revealed (spoilers, I guess) that Goapele is a robot Nyovest created. Destiny was directed by Capetonian Kyle Lewis, who has helmed other videos by the likes of Nasty C and Khuli Chana. In less than 24 hours, the video was trending in...
YOU Magazine has released a sound clip that allegedly proves Amor Vittone was verbally abusive towards the late Joost van der Westhuizen when he was sick. The clip, which was trending in YouTube's top spot in South Africa Monday morning, sounds like a recorded phone call in which Vittone calls van der Westhuizen a "little boy" and "low life asshole". "I wish I didn't marry you," she taunts. Van der Westhuizen can allegedly be heard mumbling on the other side of the call. The video garnered over 61 000 views in two days on YouTube. Many have deemed the recording fake, and Vittone herself has...
The safety demonstration video on flights is usually the most boring element of air travel, but what if said safety video included some of the world's most articulate celebrities? That's what British Airways believes will encourage people to strap in, and actually take heed during these important announcements. "We hope you enjoy our new safety video, which we’ve created in collaboration with Comic Relief and some famous faces you’ll probably recognise," British writes on the video's description. "Celebrities are seen auditioning in humorous sketches in front of comedian Asim Chaudhry, as Chabuddy G, for a coveted part in British Airways’ new safety...
It hardly ever snows on Cape Town's fabled Table Mountain, but when it does in the internet era, it's definitely going to get caught on tape. The courtesy comes from YouTuber Justin Hawthorne, who this past weekend experienced the fluffy precipitation from near the summit of the mesa. Snowfall began around midday on Sunday 16 July, and lasted for around two minutes, Hawthorne notes in a comment. The weekend cold front brought rain to Cape Town, but also a flurry of snow to Table Mountain "There had been a few lighter flurries over 15min or so prior. There were only a few spots on...
Getting a pleasant substitute teacher in for the day is one of primary school's greatest moments. But what if that substitute teacher was in fact Lady Gaga? The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter popped into a classroom in the States to bring some joy to a few kids, and to plug supplies company Staples's new student programme. "We’re donating $2 million to DonorsChoose.org and Born This Way Foundation to promote kindness in schools and ensure teachers and students have the resources they need for successful learning in classrooms," the company writes on the video. But come on, you aren't here for that. What you are here...
If you're a kitten living life to the fullest on the weekend, what do you do? This particular fluffball thought spending it inside a Tesla would be a great idea. A Tesla Model X owner woke Saturday to find faint meows coming from the car's rear bumper. Because the internet loves cats, he swiftly uploaded a video to YouTube. Adorable right? Tesla CEO Elon Musk also thought so. Probably picking up on the news from feline-loving staffers, he tweeted the video on Saturday which seemingly put the story on the map. Within minutes, the tweet accrued over 600 retweets and 2000 likes. Tesla service...
We use the likes of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook extensively when covering stories across South Africa, but when the Cape Town storm rolled across the peninsula this week, citizens took to YouTube to upload their clips. Although some of the videos were hoaxes, clearly edited to incite viral reactions from those all too eager to hit like and retweet buttons, other videos were genuine. And genuinely scary. At the time of writing, nine of the top 12 trending videos on YouTube in South Africa is related to the Cape Town storm or Knysna fires. Read more: Memeburn's in-depth coverage of the #CapeStorm and...
With the taps running ever drier in the city, it seems that a select number of Cape Town residents have finally lost their minds. A group of fun-loving people decided that a great way to spend a Thursday morning would be to hike Lion's Head and have a mild party at the summit. Featuring an orchestrating human in a colourful leotard, an endangered tyrannosaurus rex, and a number of people Beyonce might think twice about hiring for her latest video, the top of the 600m peak was for but a brief moment a dancefloor. Lion's Head is one of the more popular...
You might think Katy Perry's Swish Swish is catchy, and when you throw Backpack Kid into the performance it sure is difficult to shed that jam from your psyche. But let's be real: does Perry's track help Cape Town citizens save water? No. No, it doesn't. But this gem of a jingle does. Written and performed by teacher, rock band member and Capetonian Emma Engers, this parody of Under The Sea from Disney's The Little Mermaid teaches residents how easy it is to save water. Cape Town, seriously now, don't flush when you pee Although it's a parody, it does pack some pertinent...
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