Actually, this gem of an experience is a gift from National Public Radio (NPR). It begins with a bit of a geology lesson about Rocky Mountain National Park, depicted in beautiful 360° photography. You can skip it if you like (click lower right corner), but you’ll miss a lot. It’s only a few minutes long. At the end are six immersive soundscapes from around the park (you may have to scroll down to see them all). It’s a virtual reality (VR) experience — if you’re lucky enough to have a VR device. But even if you don’t, it’s wonderful on any screen. The bigger the better. And headphones would add a lot. You’ll hear the wind blow, the rivers sing, and the birds call. Click in the upper right corners for information on each scene and the identities of the birds (thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology).
It will probably be a very long time before I have any VR devices. But in the meantime I’ve got the real thing just an hour away.
You can join me by clicking on the photo.
_________
Note, Aug. 14: Those of you using mobile devices have already discovered the almost-VR view you get when watching the six soundscapes. I only just discovered how they appear on my cellphone (which I rarely use for anything beyond driving instructions and notes). They’re even more amazing than I thought they were.
how beautiful and how lucky you are that you are so close –
I feel extremely fortunate to be here.
I always appreciate geological time-line analogies such as the narrator offers here. Skeptics of evolution fail to grasp the enormity of Earth’s past.
Those who believe the earth is only 6,000 years old are failing to grasp a lot more than just earth’s age.
But the example here, of a couple of hairs on the goalline — once again I’m awed.