Like clockwork

In case you guys missed it, while the world was collapsing into a financial black hole of biblical proportions last year, the Swiss in turn said: "Y'know, screw this whole banking thing... let's live the dream and become jet pack powered superheroes!"

Swiss pilot Yves Rossy, the world's first man to fly with a jet-powered fixed-wing apparatus strapped to his back, flies during his first official demonstration, on May 14, 2008 above Bex, Switzerland.(Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Oh, and while the Swiss were embracing their inner Rocketeer, the world spontaneously ended in a giant, lightning-wrapped ball of Hellfire. See!


I kid, of course! The world didn't end, silly! Or, if it did, I failed to notice. And, while I tend to get wrapped up in myself sometimes, I'd like to think I'd notice something like that. Hopefully. Instead, that picture shows:

Lightning bolts appear above and around the Chaiten volcano as seen from Chana, some 30 kms (19 miles) north of the volcano, as it began its first eruption in thousands of years, in southern Chile May 2, 2008. Cases of electrical storms breaking out directly above erupting volcanoes are well documented, although scientists differ on what causes them. Picture taken May 2, 2008. (Carlos Gutierrez)

Craziness. Both the photos above where from this "The Year 2008 in Photos" series that my friend Hallie posted a link to on Deep Thought... er... Facebook. I've only looked through the first set of 40 photos (there are three sets total), but there are some truly amazing photos mixed in there. Check them out if you have time.