NateTharp.com

News of the massive earthquake in Japan spread quickly last night and this morning. But unless you’re on the ground it’s difficult to truly comprehend the immense destruction that’s taken place.

On February 25th, 2011 the Space Shuttle Discovery made it’s final launch. It was a spectacle to watch live, as it headed into orbit on the way to the International Space Station.

Note: The new In Focus gallery on The Atlantic looks a lot like The Big Picture from Boston.com, and for good reason. In January the creator of The Big Picture, Alan Taylor,  left The Boston Globe for The Atlantic.

The Big Picture has compiled a their photos of 2010 and they don’t disappoint. There’s also part two and three.

800 military troops, 1,800 police officers, 124 gang members arrested, 148 detained, 51 dead, 40 tons of marijuana seized, 660 pounds of cocaine seized. Now that is a war skirmish on drugs.

Through tragedy comes opportunity. For some.

Update: There’s now a Haiti, one year later series.

The World Cup is halfway over and The Big Picture has the photos to prove it. The group stage is complete and the round of 16 kicks off tomorrow. I haven’t missed a game so far and I’m hoping I can keep that going through the championship.

Yahoo! has been slowly killing Flickr and driving away it’s core staff since the day they acquired the photo-sharing site in 2005. Yesterday they announced the single largest improvement in the site since the acquisition.

The new layout (which isn’t live yet) has some big layout and feature improvements. Can’t wait to see it in the flesh. Kudos.

[via Daring Fireball]

Photos of Afghanistan in the 1950s and 1960s are in stark contrast to the photos we’ve become used to seeing in modern times.

[via Zeldman]

As much of the world finishes their preparations for the kickoff of the 2010 World Cup this Friday The Big Picture posted a gallery of images from World Cup preparations in South Africa.